Moed Torah

Who Would Have Thought?

2012-02-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

By guest blogger, Pastor Art Palecek

Years ago those of us Baby-Boomers who needed to do research on a topic in school would have to visit the library and endure searching through the Dewey Decimal system (what’s that? *) to find the topic we needed to do our school paper. Or if we were fortunate enough to have Word Book Encyclopedia or Encyclopedia Britannica in our home we could struggle though the thousands of pages to gather the information we needed. But at least we put some effort (elbow grease) into it, and learned something along the way.

But today, who would have thought you could press a few keys on a keyboard and come up with scores of information on any topic from countless sources? (By the way, who are these countless sources?) The internet has opened numerous doors to knowledge we never had before, and in just milliseconds you can access anything. But do you believe everything you see and hear?

This generation grew up on television and media that fed our visual and auditory senses with all sorts of fanciful imaginations. And of course as kids, we believed all those commercials about the great toys we wanted. And then we dragged our parents to the store to try to convince them to put those toys in the shopping cart because we were sure they would perform like we saw it on TV. Yet when we got it home, it didn’t seem to perform like it did on the tube. How many of us handle the Word of God as such when we access information on the internet relative to spiritual things? Do we just believe everything we “Google” and expect it’s true?

You could do a search on a biblical topic and come up with all kinds of explanations, but who are these folks that give these interpretations? What are their backgrounds that define biblical topics according to their paradigms? The last I looked, the whole Bible, possibly with the exception of Luke (who may have been a proselyte) was written by the Jewish people, with God as the author. Remember II Peter 1:21:

2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Rabbi Shaul (or Apostle Paul) had his own issues with individuals who tainted the pure word of God with information from the sources of the day.

1 Timothy 1:3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to occupy

themselves with myths and endless genealogies which promote speculations rather than the divine training that is in faith;

2 Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,

How many of us entertain myths and occupy ourselves in searches on the internet, or the endless speculations of armchair Biblical research generals on Facebook (or other social media sites) who have the last word on a vital spiritual topics and are absolutely sure they have the answer?

Ephesians 4:14 …that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning

craftiness of deceitful plotting,

This doesn’t mean that every resource we may search on the internet is a “cleverly devised myth” or a “wind of doctrine” devised by “the trickery of men”. But do we readily speak and draw conclusions before we search it out from the word?

Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

Yeshua (Jesus) made it very simple in his explanation to those who persecuted him:

John 5:39 You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me;

When God gave to Moses the commandment of unleavened bread right before they were leaving Egypt, he made a statement most of us are familiar with.

Exodus 13:9 And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt.

When a Jewish man wraps the Tefillin, or phylacteries (in Greek: to guard or protect) on his arm and head, this signifies the “sign upon the hand” and “memorial between your eyes” so as to guard or protect that “that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth.” The Tefillin consists of 2 small leather boxes attached to leather straps. The 2 small boxes each contain four sections of the Torah inscribed on parchment. These 4 sections in the small leather boxes are as such:

1. The Shema (Deut. 6:4-9) – which attests to the Unity of The One God.

2. Vehayah (Deut. 11:13-21) – which expresses God's assurance to us of reward that will follow our observance of the Torah's precepts.

3. Kadesh (Ex. 13:1-10) - the duty of the Jewish people to always remember the redemption from Egyptian bondage.

4. Vehayah (Ex. 13:11-16) - the obligation of every Jew to inform his children on these matters.

When the Tefillin is wrapped, it is always placed on the arm first, which symbolizes the deed to be done, and then on the head, which represents thought (“memorial between your eyes) The head piece is never left on by itself. Why? At Mt Sinai when the Children of Israel accepted the commandments they responded as such:

Exodus 24:7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. (Hear &

Obey)

They didn’t spend too much time thinking about it, they just did it. In other words, in the Hebrew mindset, do it first and understand later. The Greco Roman mindset says: “I need to understand it first before I do it” The priority of action is the deed. In Exodus 13:16 “upon thine hand” in the Hebrew which is pronounced yud–cha. In the Paleo-Hebrew, the Yud is a “hand” representing a “deed” to be done. A letter Dalet represents a doorway: or a “pathway to enter.” The commandments then are a “pathway to the deeds to be done.”

How often have we read II Timothy 2:15 regarding the study of the Word of God?

2Timothy 2:15 Study (Show diligence) to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Remember…the Tefillin are divided into 4 compartments- to attest to the Unity of one God, to observe God’s precepts & commandments, remember the redemption from bondage, and inform our children on these matters. WHAT A THOUGHT it would be to rightly divide our searches on the internet to “deeds to be done” rather than being entertained by conspiracy theories, “cleverly devised myths”, and “winds of doctrine”

Maybe we need to put some “elbow grease” in as “workman” to search out spiritual matters before we speak and believe everything we see on the internet and hear on TV. If we want to see a difference in our lives, then we need to do something different. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT we could see a difference with God in our lives by “doing” rather than being “Talking Heads”?

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Art Palecek

By the way…*Dewey Decimal System: This highly organized system categorizes books on library shelves in an efficient, specific and repeatable order that makes it easy to find any book and return it to its proper place on the library shelves.

Pastor Art Palecek is the Associate Pastor at El Shaddai Ministries. His Pastoral heart and mind for youth and ministerial organization, research into the Greek language and Hebrew roots of our Faith are a valuable asset to our local and international ministry.

The Bride of Christ: Without Blemish, Spot or Wrinkle video teachings now available

2012-01-30T12:51:00.000-08:00

Now up loaded and available for viewing are the video sessions of the 2011 Federal Way United Methodist Church Women’s Retreat where Brenda taught a 5 part series titled The Bride of Christ: Without Blemish, Spot or Wrinkle. The videos are linked through the Moed Ministries web site on the “Teaching Ministry” page or directly from the host site at Vimeo, just search for "Moed Ministries" on www.vimeo.com. These sessions were recorded several months ago and we hadn’t planned to make them available to the public because of the audio issues with the recordings, but many have asked for them so here they are.

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

The Use of Non-literal Language in the Bible

2012-01-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

By David Negley of Mishkan David blog*

Recently, in a discussion thread, I noticed that there seems to be some confusion about how to identify uses of non-literal language in the Bible. As the discussion went on, it became apparent that there was some need to define basic literary terms, like “parable”, “literal”, and “figurative”.

In this discussion, the question was asked whether certain passages were “literal” or “parable”. The responses were intriguing. No one wanted to say that anything was a “parable”, or a “metaphor”, because they seemed afraid it would leave them in a position where they were cutting meaningful parts out of the Bible. In other words, these people were avoiding the obvious answer—”it is a metaphor”—because they were afraid that was tantamount to saying the Bible has no clear meaning in those instances.

I can understand that concern. I used to feel the same way. I was certain that, “The Bible should always be taken literally. Saying some of it is allegorical or metaphorical leaves the interpretation up to the whim of the theologian.”

In Bible college, there was even a saying we had to memorize…

When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word, at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.

(Dr. David L. Cooper, “The Golden Rule of Biblical Hermeneutics”)

Now, this approach is far superior to the alternative technique of Bible interpretation that is popular among Christian theologians. I have been treated to interpretations of the prophets that denuded the prophetic visions of all reference to Israel. Christian theology is rife with allegorization of texts in order to exchange the roles of Israel and a Gentile entity we call “the Church”.

However, while this golden rule is an improvement over other approaches, it does make one glaring assumption that is rarely identified. In order to employ this rule accurately, one must have a firm grasp on the language and literary genres common to the Biblical authors. In short, one cannot know when “the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths” indicates a non-literal usage unless we are familiar with the axioms and fundamental truths employed by the authors!

In many cases, the choice of terms might be based on reasons that will not be immediately obvious to us, as we read 2,000 years later, within a different culture, and with a completely different set of experiences. We must learn to put ourselves in the place of the author and the original audience in order to understand what was written. In this particular conversation I mentioned, the issue was how to define what was intended to be taken as literal truth, as opposed to recognizing figurative language.

So, let’s start of with an assertion:

Calling something a “parable” or a “figure of speech” is not just a fancy way of saying it has no meaning.

We sometimes get the impression that calling something a metaphor is just an excuse to justify tossing out our dearly held beliefs. We are told, “The verse used to defend that doctrine isn’t literally true.” I used to take great offense at some of the writings of William Barclay for specifically that reason.

Some of us need to get over this negative feeling about identifying figures of speech in the Bible. The truth is, we use figures of speech and idioms all the time, regardless of what language we speak. Figures of speech are an unavoidable reality in life. It “rains cats and dogs”, while “Jack Frost is nipping at our noses”. We “hop in our wheels” to drive down town, to “eat a bean”. “Give me a call”? Where shall I put it when you have given it to me?

In the case of “mishlei/parables”, we have short stories—sometimes only a sentence or two—that communicate an actual truth, but through the use of symbolism. These are not literal uses of language. Stories about beating on a friend’s front door to borrow a loaf of bread are very relatable and homey… but not literal, factual accounts. The point of these stories is to involve the hearer/reader, and get the audience to relate to the characters in the story. That allows the audience to take a meaning from the story that was never explicitly stated—an excellent way to communicate when one is part of an underground political movement bent on crowning the new Planetary Emperor.

But most of us get that. Things become more tricky, though, when it comes to identifying terms that are so commonly used as jargon words that we don’t even recognize them as figurative, anymore. It can be downright challenging to tease out all the non-literal terms we are accustomed to using.

· Israel is the “wife” of God”

This makes a wonderful word picture, but there is no way it is literally true. The same goes for “Bride of Messiah”. If we try to take these terms literally, then we have God in a homosexual, incestuous relationship with “Israel, my son, my firstborn”. And by the way… calling Israel a “son” is also a figure of speech! The eternal spirit Being we call “God” does not procreate.

· We are the “Body” of Messiah

We are a collective community, but we are not a literal “body”. Sha’ul built on this metaphor (a comparison NOT using “like” or “as”) in First Corinthians 12, when he likened people to eyes, ears, hands, and feet.

· We are “grafted in”

This is an agricultural term, by which we mean that one can identify with, and adhere to, a group to which s/he is not native-born.

· Put on the “Armor” of God

Ephesians 6 does not intend that we should play-act putting on armor in any literal way. Sha’ul uses armor as a metaphor for the role of maturing in our spiritual character. As we learn truth, righteousness, trust, etc., we find these traits all help to sustain and protect us—LIKE armor on the battlefield.

And finally, I will end with one last example—

· Yeshua is the “Lamb of God”

This beloved phrase says so much about Yeshua! The symbol of the lamb communicates gentleness, companionship, warmth, and ultimately, the ultimate sacrifice.

And yet, the lamb is only a symbol. Yeshua has no wool, and he walks on only two legs.This also leads us to recognize that Yeshua is not literally a Passover sacrifice. He was a human being, not a sacrificial lamb. It would have been against everything in the Torah for a priest to offer the life of a human on the Temple altar. Still, every year, there are more endless arguments over whether Yeshua died precisely at the time the Passover lambs were slain, as though he were literally a sacrificial lamb.

Obviously, metaphors can be very difficult to identify, since there is no semantic flag to signal, “I’m not being literal now!” When someone says, “You ARE the body, of which Messiah is the head”, or “We ARE ambassadors for Messiah”, or “You ARE the Temple of God”… we have to ask ourselves what the literal reality is that makes those symbols significant, and then apply that symbolism correctly.

Now, I have deliberately chosen examples that are relatively non-controversial. Most of us understand that we are being COMPARED to temples, bodies, soldiers, sheep, and trees and vines. But this illustrates a principle that we need to apply throughout the Messianic letters. We have all been taught—erroneously—to take literally MANY metaphorical and midrashic elements, especially in the letters of Rav Sha’ul.

For instance, how many of us have heard sermons and teachings on “the deep truths of the Messianic priesthood”, and been told of, “Yeshua, our high priest”? Do we realize that ALL of this sort of language is non-literal??? There are applications, to be sure. We can act AS priests when we intercede for others, or speak Hashem’s truth into their lives. But we are NOT literally priests in the sense of the Levitical priesthood.

(This) leads us to one final example of metaphorical application in the Messianic Writings. The entire book of Hebrews consists of one allegorical vignette after another. Many have read the section about Melchizedek with great interest, and have even created doctrine to the effect that Melchizedek is some sort of “pre-incarnate” Yeshua. But that was never the point the author was trying to make. The writer of Hebrews created a midrash based on the story in Genesis, drawing interesting points of comparison between the historical figure and Messiah Yeshua. Such statements make good sermonic rhetoric, but are not literal truth. By recognizing this, we save ourselves a great deal of angst and speculation.

We have become accustomed to accepting fantastic, unverifiable theology, and then we are told that we must hold to it as though our very eternal destiny relies upon it being true. There are many things we have been taught to accept as literal truths under the guise of “spiritual teaching” or “God can do anything”, but which really are based on taking non-literal language as literal.

There is much more to be said on this topic, and we will be returning to it more in the future. Keep reading here on the Mishkan, to learn more about the use of non-literal language, and its impact on our approach to Biblical interpretation.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

* Visit the Mishkan David blog site at www. http://mishkandavid.wordpress.com

The Gospel in the creation of Adam and Eve

2012-01-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

We tend to think of the gospel as Yeshua’s death and resurrection forgetting that the story is not yet complete. The gospel includes the promise of Yeshua’s return for His bride and ultimately, the creation of a new heaven and earth. In the creation of Adam and Eve, we see God’s entire redemption plan.

The creation of Adam was different than the creation of everything else. God spoke everything into existence except Adam. With Adam, God got personally involved. God formed Adam from the dust of the ground.

Ge 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (KJV)

The word formed comes from the Hebrew word yatsar, יצר, which means to mold as a potter! To emphasize this, yatzar is spelled with an extra yood, י, in this verse yatzar is spelled ייצר. In the original Hebrew alphabet, the yood was a hand. By using two yoods, we see that God used His two hands to form Adam. What does this have to do with Yeshua? Like Adam, Yeshua’s creation is unique. The Holy Spirit, Yeshua refers to as the finger of God, is the agent of Mary’s conception. Once again, God got personally involved!

But, it was not good that Adam was alone! Again, what does this have to do with Yeshua? God says that the purpose of creation was for Yeshua!

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: (KJV)

We also notice that Adam was given dominion over the earth before Eve was created. So, Yeshua has dominion over all creation before the building of His bride.

So, Adam was put into a deep sleep.

Ge 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. (NKJV)

The word for “deep sleep” is tardemah which comes from the word radam meaning to stun or stupefy into sleep or death. In other words, tardemah is just this side of death. Adam symbolically died to give life to his bride who Adam named Chaya. That’s right her name isn’t Eve; it’s Chaya. Chaya means life. Adam’s bride whom he named life came from out of his flesh.

Jesus, the final Adam, did die to give life to His bride. And we are like Eve, both the body and the bride of Christ.

Ge 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (KJV)

Out of the sleep and waking of Adam, comes forth Eve or life. Out of the death and resurrection of Yeshua, the final Adam, comes forth life.

But this just takes us through Yeshua’s death and resurrection. What about His return for His bride? We see that in Adam’s words as he looks on Chaya (Eve) for the first time.

Ge 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (KJV)

What was Adam talking about here? He didn’t have a father and mother to leave! Even the first customs of man and wife have the wife leaving her family and joining the man in his home not the other way around! There are a couple of ways to look at this including that the man leaves his father and mother when he takes on the responsibility of a family of his own. But prophetically, this looks forward to Yeshua coming for His bride. Paul tells us that this verse refers to Yeshua and the Ekklesia, the assembly.

Eph 5:30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (NKJV)

Yeshua leaves His Father in heaven and comes for His bride. And we shall be one flesh! The word cleave is dabaq, דבק, which means to cling, adhere or join. As Yeshua’s bride He will join Himself to us! We read of Yeshua praying for His future bride before His death and resurrection.

Joh 17:20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. (NKJV)

One last point, let’s take a minute and look at the “making” of Eve. The word “made” in Genesis 2:22 referring to God making Eve is banah, בנה, which means to build. God built Eve just like He builds Yeshua’s bride the church!

Eph 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (NKJV)

As we wait for Yeshua to come and claim us as His bride, God is building us up to be that bride—that bride that Adam names “Life” because she is the mother of all living. And through our testimony as the bride, we spread life to the rest of the world.

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Torah Portion Shemot (names): The Family of Moses.

2012-01-14T17:32:00.000-08:00

The Torah portion this week is from the first chapters of Exodus, but in the Hebrew Tanakah the book of Exodus is called “Shemot” which means “the names”. Names are a very important part of Hebrew culture and history. Names have a deep meaning and in the scriptures, when a name is given, you can be sure that it has a special significance. See our other blog about names titled, These are the Names: the Story of our Redemption. We in our modern society tend not to think of names as having special meanings. We give our children a particular name largely because it is a name we like, or it is a name with a family connection or some such reason. But again, in the Bible and the Hebrew culture, names are very important.

When we think of the book of Exodus or Shemot, we think of Moses leading the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, where they were enslaved, to the land of promise, a land that God set aside for them to dwell. So let’s take a look at the names of Moses and his family and we will see a pattern of a deeper meaning in the scripture as we read the story of the Exodus. Moses’ parents and brother are mentioned by name in Exodus chapter 6.

Ex 6:20 KJV And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram [were] an hundred and thirty and seven years.

Let’s look at each of these names in the order that they are given in this passage.

Amram is the father of Aaron and Moses. The name Amram is #6019 in the Strong’s Dictionary:

06019. עמרם `Amram, am-rawm' probably from 5971 and 7311; high people (or exalted people); Amram, the name of two Israelites:--Amram.

Amram’s father was Kohath and his grandfather was Levi. Since Amram married his father’s sister she was also a daughter of Levi.

The name of the mother of Moses and Amram’s wife was Yochebed:

03115. יוכבד Yowkebed, yo-keh'-bed from 3068 contracted and 3513; Jehovah-gloried (or the glory of God); Jokebed, the mother of Moses:--Jochebed.

(See Side Note below).

Now Aaron was the eldest son of Amram and Yochebed:

According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs dictionary, Aaron is defined as follows:

H175 אהרון 'ahărôn Aaron = “light bringer” the older brother of Moses, a Levite and the first high priest.

The younger son was Moses. His name is defined in the Strong’s as follows:

04872. משה Mosheh, mo-sheh' from 4871; drawing out (of the water), i.e. rescued; Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver:--Moses.

Moses is a type of Messiah. He was the redeemer of Israel, bringing his people out of bondage and into the Promised Land.

Now when we put these names together in their order, looking at the meanings, we get a shadow of what is to come not only in this generation, but a shadow of the coming messiah many generations hence!

When the high and exalted people are joined to the glory of God, the result is that light brings forth from the waters of the earth the redemption of Israel!

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Side note: With regard to wives, the sages say that in only three places in the Torah are the wives of leaders mentioned in a special context. In all three cases the reason is to show that the children of these leaders had not only distinguished fathers but also distinguished mothers. Amram married Yochebed, a daughter of Levi. Aaron married Elisheva, from the royal tribe of Judah, a sister of Nahshon. Aaron and Elisheva became the forebears of the Jewish priesthood. Their grandson Phinehas became the only one who was granted priesthood as result of his own merit. See Numbers 25:10-13. (Ramban)

What Does it Mean to Dwell in Tents?

2011-12-28T14:16:00.000-08:00

After the flood, Noah prophesies over his sons. The prophecy over Japheth is that he will dwell in the tents of his brother Shem.

Genesis 9:27 KJV 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

Have you ever wondered why Japheth would live in the tents of Shem, not his houses, buildings or even cities? Is there any significance to the fact that we are talking about tents and not permanent dwelling places? Abraham was a prominent descendant of Shem. After God called him out of Ur and he left Haran for the Promised Land, Abraham dwelled in a tent as did Isaac and Jacob.

The writer of Hebrews says their choice to dwell in tents was an act of faith!

Hebrews 11:9 NKJV 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;

They weren’t looking for a permanent city on earth; they were looking for the eternal city. In the meantime, they were strangers on the earth.

Hebrews 11:15-16 NKJV 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

What about the sons of Ham? We know that one son, Canaan, would be a servant to Japheth and Shem. Nimrod, another descendant of Ham builds cities.

Genesis 10:8-10 NKJV 8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD." 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

Ham was not the first builder of cities though. We have to go back before the flood to see who builds the first cities.

Genesis 4:16-17 NKJV 16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son-Enoch.

Cain left the presence of God and built a city. He has forsaken the idea of returning to the Garden of Eden and built himself a permanent home. Nimrod founds cities and builds empires beginning with Babel. It is there at Babel that he builds a tower to reach into the heavens striving to be like God. But Abraham leaves the empire to follow after God and wait for the Promise.

We see that same contrast between Jacob and Esau. It’s found in just one verse which is easy to overlook and our English gets in the way of understanding the implication contained in it.

Genesis 25:27 NKJV 27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.

First, Esau was like Nimrod, a skillful hunter. This sounds like a good thing but the phrase about Nimrod being a mighty hunter before the LORD is misleading. The word translated before comes from the Hebrew word paniym meaning face. It could be a good thing as in “before the face of the LORD” or it can be a bad thing as in “in the face of the LORD.” We also see the Esau is a man of the field. The word field is from the Hebrew word sadeh meaning to spread out, field or country. Esau has spread out to the country of the Canaanites. He mingles with them and even marries Canaanite women.

Next we see the description of Jacob. In the New King James Version, he is a mild man; in other translations, he is a plain man. Sounds uninspiring! But the Hebrew word translated as mild or plain is tam meaning complete, pious, perfect, undefiled, and upright. And he dwells in tents! He, like Abraham and Isaac, chooses to focus on the Promise of God.

When will God fulfill this Promise? When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, they lived tents. At the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, they were to remember that God had them dwell in booths another word for tents or temporary dwelling places.

Leviticus 23:42-43 NKJV 42 'You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 'that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.'"

God Himself dwelt among them in the center of the camp in a Tabernacle built for Him. Like their own dwelling places, it was a temporary dwelling place. It wasn’t until King David that God began to establish a connection with the permanent dwelling place. David established the city of Jerusalem as the place where God put His name. When Solomon dedicated the temple to God, God placed His name there forever.

1 Kings 9:3 NKJV 3 And the LORD said to him: "I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

When Yeshua returns, He will establish His reign from Jerusalem and all nations will travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles!

Zechariah 14:16 NKJV 16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

We will remember that when we were in our temporary dwelling places here on earth that we looked for the eternal city. After the millennial reign of Messiah, the eternal city of Jerusalem comes down from heaven and it is there that we have our permanent dwelling place!

Revelation 21:2 NKJV 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

So, let us be like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Let us consider that our dwelling places here on earth are merely tents. But let us choose those tents with care. Another famous descendant of Shem is Yeshua haMashiach, Jesus our Messiah. Let us dwell in His tent; there is plenty of room in His tent. The name Japheth means expansion and the word enlarge can mean to expand. The name Shem means “the name.” God will expand the expansion of Japheth to dwell in the tents of The Name.

Genesis 9:27 KJV 27 God shall enlarge (expand) Japheth (expansion), and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem (The Name).

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed!

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Visit our website at www.moedministries.com

One Voice and a Pure Language?

2011-12-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

A prophesy in Zephaniah establishes that the LORD will once again be praised in a pure language from all the people.

Zephaniah 3:9 NKJV 9 "For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him with one accord.

The immediate previous verse speaks of judgment of the nation. That the nations will be gathered and assembled where judgment will be poured out by fire. There is an interesting thing about this previous verse that can only be seen in the original Hebrew language:

English translation:

Zephaniah 3:8 NKJV 8 "Therefore wait for Me," says the LORD, "Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All my fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy.

This verse, in the Hebrew above contains all the letters of the Hebrew Alephbet including the final forms, the sofit. It is the only verse in the Tanakh to contain them all! How fitting that the very next verse, Zephaniah 3:9 speaks of a single, pure language, by which we will call upon the name of the LORD! We shall praise Him forever in a pure language with a pure heart. He is one and His people shall be one and speak in one voice and language!

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

The Birth of Jesus, December 25th or Not.

2011-12-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

(This blog was first published last year. I thought I would resubmit it here for your enjoyment.)

Christmas is one of those holidays with a strange mixture of secular and religious elements. Growing up, I experienced them all. Santa brought gifts on Christmas morning, and as a child, that seemed the most important thing to me. But there was this other thing happening on the same day, the birth of Jesus. I never could quite figure out what one had to do with the other, but since my parents seemed to accept it, so did I.

Later on, when I “discovered” that Santa didn’t really exist, I remember thinking once or twice that the other thing must be a fantasy as well, but Mom and I along with my younger siblings still went to church every Sunday so maybe that was the real part. To make a very long story short, I continued in my church life and became an alter boy and was an active part of the church for many years.

One day I was sitting in a class on the history of the church, and we were going over the origins of the church calendar. This was the traditional Christian annual cycle of festivals and seasons: Christmas, Easter, Lent, Trinity, Advent and so on. The book we were using at the time showed me something that has stayed with me ever since. On two adjacent pages were two identical charts, one showing the traditional Christian calendar, and the other showing the pagan calendar from ancient Rome. The two were absolutely identical in every way except for the names of the holidays, festivals and seasons. I was somewhat shocked upon seeing this, much like the time when I discovered that Santa didn’t really exist.

I had read the Bible and this didn’t make any sense to me. There was nothing in the Bible about anything called Lent or Advent or Easter. There was nothing in the Old or New Testaments that was calendar specific about Christmas, the birth of Jesus being on December 25^th. So naturally I asked questions. Big mistake! The instructor, a local Bishop, could not answer me stating, that “New traditions had to start somewhere” and that I should not ask such questions. The “Church Fathers” knew what they were doing was from God and that this issue of holidays had been decided long ago.

That answer just didn’t sit right with me. I felt like another long held belief was destroyed. That a foundation stone was just pulled out from under me, and the house was tilting. I had recently read the Old Testament, Leviticus specifically, and the account of the Children of Israel coming out of Egypt in Exodus. I read how God was with them, manifest in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night for 40 years in the wilderness. I wondered where was this God today? God himself said that He never changes, so where is He? These accounts were in our Bible, and I was told many times that the Bible was the word of God, so it all must be true. But the Bishop said that the Old Testament was just “old stories” that no one believes them to be real except for the Jews. I, of course, thought to myself that, “if one part of the Bible is “just a story” then what makes the other parts “real”? It wasn’t long after this experience that I decided I wasn’t going to go to church anymore.

A few years later I was saved, and things started to make much more sense. But there were still some of the same questions. However I knew now that Jesus was real and He was a very real part of my life. I filed most of these questions away and figured that they would be answered in good time. But the one question remaining that always came to the surface was about Christmas: this date of December 25^th. What is it about this date for the birth of Jesus? It isn’t in the Bible at all so why do we celebrate the birth of Messiah on December 25^th? Thinking back, I remembered the charts from the class on Church History. Was December 25^th really borrowed from pagan Roman worship practices? I could not get away from that idea! But I continued to celebrate the birth of Messiah on this date anyway for no other reason than long standing tradition and no better understanding of a real birth date that is only implied in scripture and not mentioned directly.

Over the years, I have learned that there is nothing wrong with traditions in and of themselves as long as they don’t interfere with or trump scripture, the origins and history surrounding such traditions not withstanding. Jesus Himself observed traditions not limited to specific scriptural origin as demonstrated in the Gospel of John chapter 10 where Jesus is celebrating the Feast of Dedication or better known by its actual Hebrew name of Hanukkah. (See my previous blog posts on the feast of Hanukkah.) But when was Jesus really born? Can we find out by a closer examination of the scriptures? The answer is, yes we can.

I believe that the Birth of Jesus (I will call Him by His Hebrew name “Yeshua” from this point on in the blog) is clearly foretold in prophesy and witnessed in the Gospel accounts just as the prophets had written. Yeshua is the Jewish Messiah, born and raised a Jew, from a Jewish mother and (earthly) father, raised and educated as a Jew, taught His disciples as a Jewish Rabbi and died as the King of the Jews of the House of David. It stands to reason that His life and mission will follow the pattern that God Himself ordained for Him from before creation as opposed to any new or “borrowed” doctrines, dates and traditions.

John 7:16 Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.

Let’s take a look at the scriptural evidence for the correct birth date of our Messiah Yeshua. There are seven Feasts of the LORD in Leviticus chapter 23: eight if you include the Sabbath. They are generally thought of as the Jewish Feasts or Holidays, but this is not the case as the Bible tells us in Leviticus 23:1-2

Leviticus 23:1-2 MKJV 1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim, holy convocations, even these are My appointed feasts.

Verse 2 clearly states that these are God’s feasts, not the feasts of the Jews but His “appointed feasts”. In Deuteronomy, three of these feasts are described as pilgrimage feasts.

Deuteronomy 16:16 MKJV Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which He shall choose: in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles. And they shall not appear before the LORD empty.

This gathering of the men in Jerusalem at the Temple was practiced right up until the destruction of the second temple in 70 CE. The historian Josephus recorded that over 2.5 million people would gather in Jerusalem at these pilgrimage feasts. The birth of Yeshua is closely linked with the birth of His first cousin commonly known as John the Baptist. We find the account of John’s conception in Luke chapter 1.

Luke 1:5-13 MKJV 5 In the days of Herod, the king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah. And his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blameless in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. 7 And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren. And both were advanced in their days. 8 And it happened in his serving in the order of his course, before God, 9 according to the custom of the priests, it was his lot to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And all the multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of incense. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him as he was standing on the right of the altar of incense. 12 And seeing this, Zacharias was troubled, and fear fell on him. 13 But the angel said to him, Do not fear, Zacharias. For your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

How do we know when this took place? To find out we need to know what a “course” is and how it relates to priests serving in the Temple. There were thousands of priests who served in the Temple. Under the reign of King David, the priests were divided into courses where they served for two weeks out of the year and in addition, during the pilgrimage festivals. We find this detailed in 1^st Chronicles chapter 24 speaking to the division of the priests. The course of Abijah is the eighth course. The courses of priests began with the first month on the religious calendar, the month of Nissan, and each course served for one week twice each year plus during the pilgrimage feasts. So the eighth course would serve during the eighth full week from the first of Nissan. This would put Zacharias serving the week just prior to the feast of Shavuot or Pentecost. Since Shavout was a pilgrimage feast, Zacharias would also serve during this week as well. This was the time when the angel appeared to Zacharias and told him that his wife will conceive and bear him a son.

How do we know that this was at the feast of Shavuot and not during Zacharias’ second time of Temple service later in the year? The hint comes to us from the Greek words used in the manuscripts of Luke’s Gospel. In verse 10, Luke records that “it was the time of incense and that a multitude of worshipers were present for the ceremony”. The time of the incense was a part of the daily Temple service but during the pilgrimage feasts there would be huge crowds of people outside the Holy Place and filling the courtyards. The courtyards on the Temple mount covered an area greater than 30 acres and could accommodate tens of thousands of people during pilgrimage feasts. Luke, in his account, uses the phrase “pas plethos” which means the “whole multitude” or “everyone”. Seven other times Luke uses this terminology in his Gospel. It is always used in reference to large crowds of people. Zacharias’s other time of Temple service is in the middle of the month of Kislev, about 6 weeks following the Feast of Tabernacles where the worshipers in the Temple would consist of the considerably smaller, day to day crowd.

So Elizabeth became pregnant sometime during the later part of the month of Sivan/first of part of Tamuz and hid herself away for 5 months. This would take us to the later part of the month of Kislev to the first part of Tevet which is in the late fall, usually early December on our calendar. This is when the angel appeared to Mary, the mother of Yeshua and told her that she will bear a child as well, Luke records in chapter 1 verse 36 that Elizabeth was in her sixth month at this time.

Luke 1:36-37 MKJV 36 And behold, your cousin Elizabeth also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Verses 26-38 of Luke 1 recounts the angel appearing to Mary and telling her that she will bear the Son of God (vs. 35). In verses 39-45 we see Mary traveling to “a town in the hill country of Judea” to Elizabeth and Zacariah’s home to share the good news. It is amazing how the LORD works out the perfect timing. This was at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. On this Hanukkah season, the Angel Gabriel announced the coming of the Son of God into the world. Later Yeshua said that He is the Light of the World.

John 8:12 MKJV Then Jesus spoke again to them, saying, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

We know that human gestation is about 40 weeks, this is 280 days. The Hebrew calendar that I have been using here bases the division of the months on the cycles of the moon with each month being 28 or 29 days long. Mary, having conceived at the time of Hanukkah, near the end of the month of Kislev or the first of Tevet, counting 280 days until giving birth, places Yeshua’s birth at or near the Festival of Sukot or Tabernacles the following year. How fitting this is and perfectly matches the Gospel narrative of the time of His birth.

The feast of Sukkot is one of the pilgrimage festivals spoken of in Deuteronomy 16. Jerusalem would have been jammed with people coming to the festival as commanded by God in the Torah. This is why there was no room for them at the inn. For the five days between the Feast of Atonements (Yom Kippur) and the beginning of the Feast of Sukkot on the 15^th day of Tishrei, The people of Jerusalem along with the traveling pilgrims would be constructing their Sukkah, which is a temporary dwelling place constructed like a hut with a semi open roof.

The feast of Sukkot is many things for the Jewish people. It is a time to remember when they lived in temporary dwellings in the wilderness for 40 years. It is a time to celebrate the bountiful harvest at the end of the year. It is where our modern day American holiday of Thanksgiving has its origins. But most important it is a time to remember and celebrate that God dwelt with them in the wilderness. That He was on earth and an active presence with them every day. And here on this particular Festival of Sukkot, with several million pilgrims in attendance, the Son of God has come to dwell with them! The God of creation has once again come to His people. Remember, Emanuel, God with us!

Above all the Feast of Sukkot is a time of great rejoicing. It is a big party like atmosphere in the temple courts and all around Jerusalem and surrounding areas. In Deuteronomy 16:14 it says:

Deuteronomy 16:14 MKJV 14 And you shall rejoice in your feast, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your male slave, and your slave-girl, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow inside your gates.

It was NOT winter! Jerusalem and the surrounding towns are in the mountains of Israel, in excess of four thousand feet in elevation. Bethlehem, where Yeshua was born, is less than 5 miles from Jerusalem. It is frequently cold and snowing in the winter in and around Jerusalem. The shepherds, who were most likely Levites because the flocks of sheep near Bethlehem were those of the Temple flocks, belonging to the Priests, would not have had their flocks out at night in the hill country around Jerusalem in the winter where there is no grazing available for the sheep.

The Gospel accounts clearly state that the shepherds were in their fields attending their flocks, at night, when the angel appeared to them saying “do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Great joy is what the Feast of Sukkot is all about. During this festival, the Temple courts were lit up at night with gigantic lamp stands, 70 feet tall with huge oil lamps. The wicks for these lamps were made from the soiled garments of the Temple priests that had been torn or cut into strips. Piles of these strips were around the city and the Temple for use in the oil lamps.* Luke’s narrative in Chapter 2 verse 7 states that the baby Yeshua was wrapped in “swaddling clothes”.

Luke 2:7 KJV 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

The word translated as “swaddling” is the Greek word “spragnoo”. Which is number 4683 in the Strong’s Concordance and Dictionary. “Spar-gan-o'-o a strip; from a derivative of the base of 4682 meaning to strap or wrap with strips; to swathe (an infant after the Oriental custom):--wrap in swaddling clothes.” We see that the Baby Yeshua was wrapped in strips of linen, most likely the strips of the discarded priestly garments that were in abundance during this festival because of their use for the giant lamps.

These gigantic lamps burned all night for the entire Feast of Sukkot. Remember that Jerusalem is on the top of a hill, four thousand plus feet in elevation. Jerusalem was known at this time as “the Light of the World” because this light from the Temple courts could be seen from great distances on land and for several hundred miles out in the Mediterranean Sea. How fitting is it, that God would have a “party” celebrating the birth of His Son, who is the true Light of the World.

This year as some of you celebrate Yeshua’s birth during this Christmas season, this December 25th, remember the reason you celebrate this day. As we continue to study God’s word and discover His divine appointments, His feast days, we will discover that God wants to once again dwell with us. He wants to come to our temporary dwelling, our “Sukkah” and meet us here. Open your lives and your hearts to His word. Come and meet Him at His feast, His appointed time.

Shalom and be blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Please visit our website at www.moedministries.com

* For information on Temple practices see www.templeinstitute.org

Also see Alfred Edersheim’s book titled “The Temple: Its Ministry and Services As They Were at the Time of Jesus Christ”

The following comments were submitted last year to this blog. I thought I would include them here as well.

1: Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful article and I will pass it on! However, a couple of things I noticed:

"Jerusalem would have been jammed with people coming to the festival as commanded by God in the Torah. This is why there was no room for them at the inn." - Yeshua wasn't born in Jerusalem, He was born in Bethlehem! It was probably crowded because people were there for the census.
"...the Baby Yeshua was wrapped in strips of linen, most likely the strips of priestly garments that were in abundance during this festival because of their use for the giant lamps." - This is possible, however, Mary knew her time was close and would have been prepared for His birth with the proper supplies.

2: (my response) Thank you for your comment.

About Jerusalem's population during the pilgrimage feasts, the city in ancient times was much smaller than the city is today. The native population was less than 100,000. Jerusalem was surrounded by small villages and towns, Bethlehem among them. Bethlehem is less than 5 miles south of the walls of the ancient city and today it is difficult to tell where one leaves off and the other begins except for the signs and the border fence to the PA territory. It took all the accommodations available in these surrounding towns to house the people coming in for the pilgrimage festivals, the added burden of a censes not withstanding. Walking from Bethlehem to the Temple mount in that day would have taken less than 90 minutes. For information on the day to day life in Jerusalem during this time, see the works of Flavius Josephus. He was born in 33 CE and was present during many of these festivals in Jerusalem.

As far as the exact “materials” used by Mary and Joseph to wrap the baby Yeshua, we can only speculate. My purpose was to draw attention to an interesting possibility of the use of the strips of linen from the priestly garments. It is fitting that the King of Kings would be first wrapped in “priestly garments” at his birth. They were certainly available in Bethlehem since it is a city set aside for the Levites. The fact that they are the remnants of discarded and soiled garments is even more interesting in light that Yeshua would take on our “dirty laundry” so to speak at His death. Secondly the specific use of the term “spragnoo” in this context is as a noun and not a verb. It is in reference to a specific thing and not an action. Again, this is only speculation, but the cultural and linguistic context of the passage is interesting.

Shalom
Dan

3: Dan, I have studied this for a few years now, and I can't get over the fact that I learn something new about every time I go back to it. It is amazing how His cyclical patterns work so wonderfully. I have many friends with whom to share this with.

Shalom

Hanukkah: History, Observance and Prophetic Implications – Part 4

2011-12-21T07:23:00.000-08:00

(This is the final part of this series. You can watch a video presentation of this study linked from the Moed Ministries web site or the direct link is www.vimeo.com/33984968)

Yeshua’s second coming will not be hidden.

In His first coming, Yeshua’s identity as Messiah was not revealed to all, only to those whom God gave Him to know.

John 17:6-8 MKJV 6 I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave to Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have known that all things, whatever You have given Me, are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words which You gave Me, and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from You. And they have believed that You sent Me.

When Yeshua came to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles recorded in John 7 and 8, He came in secret, not revealing His presence until the middle of the Feast. It was during this second part of this Feast that He astonished all the people with His teaching until on the final Great day of the Feast He announced that He was the fountain of life.

As we saw when Yeshua celebrated Hanukkah, the Jewish people were still questioning whether He was the Messiah or not. They were searching for Messiah son of David the conquering king, not Messiah son of Joseph the suffering servant. In His teaching in the book of Matthew just four months later, He says His coming will be after the abomination of desolation is set up in the holy place, after a repeat of a Hanukkah like situation. He would not at this time come in secret so we are not to be fooled by reports of Him coming like He had the first time.

Matthew 24:23-26 MKJV 23 Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ! Or, There! Do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it were possible, they would deceive even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you beforehand. 26 Therefore if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert! Do not go out. Behold, He is in the secret rooms! Do not believe it.

This time His coming would be like Judah Maccabeus. Just like the lighted hanukkiah is to be displayed for all the world to see, Yeshua’s coming will be displayed across the sky for all the world to see.

Matthew 24:27-31 MKJV 27 For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of man. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered. 29 And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of man shall appear in the heavens. And then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Light is coming into the darkness! Many Jewish scholars see the lights of the hanukkiah as representing the hope of Messiah that must be kept burning in the hearts of the Jewish people. We, too, need to keep the hope of Messiah burning in our hearts. Hanukkah is a time to anticipate the coming of Messiah when He will bring light into darkness and establish His rule on the throne of David.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Hanukkah: History, Observance and Prophetic Implications - Part 3

2011-12-20T06:57:00.000-08:00

Yeshua warns about false Christs and false prophets.

In the days leading up to His final Passover, Yeshua refers to Hanukkah when He warns His disciples not to be deceived.

Matthew 24:3-5 MKJV 3 And as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and will deceive many.

Daniel warned that many people would be fooled by the flattery of the Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Daniel 11:32 NKJV 32 "Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

Those Jews who wanted to follow “modern” ways, fell to the flattery of Antiochus, but Judah Maccabeus and his followers did indeed carry out great feats.

Yeshua goes on to describe the signs of His coming including the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel. He instructs those who read Daniel to understand!

Matthew 24:15-22 MKJV 15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand). 16 Then let those in Judea flee into the mountains. 17 Let him on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house; 18 nor let him in the field turn back to take his clothes. 19 And woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck in those days! 20 But pray that your flight is not in the winter, nor on the sabbath day; 21 for then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days should be shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened.

This is a direct reference to Hanukah. The abomination set up by Antiochus IV was set up in the winter. He set his generals to killing the people of Jerusalem on the Sabbath.

2 Maccabees 5:24-27 The king also sent the mysarch Appolonius at the head of an army twenty-two thousand strong, with orders to put to death all men in their prime and to sell the women and children. Arriving in Jerusalem and posing as a man of peace, this man waited until the holy day of the Sabbath and then, taking advantage of the Jews as they rested from work, ordered his men to parade fully armed; all those who came out to watch he put to the sword; then running through the city with his armed troops, he cut down an immense number of people.

Those in Judea who refused to sacrifice to Zeus, fled to the desert taking all their goods with them. Antiochus’ men pursued and slaughtered them on the Sabbath.

1 Maccabees 2:29-30 At this many who were concerned for virtue and justice went down to the desert and stayed there, taking with them their sons, their wives and their cattle, for the burden of their wrongs had become unendurable.

Yeshua is warning that in the days of antichrist, they should flee to the mountains and not go back for their goods. Finally, any woman who gave birth to a son and had him circumcised was subject to a horrendous death.

1 Maccabees 1:63-64 Women who had their children circumcised were put to death according to the edict with their babies hung around their necks, and the members of their household and those who had performed the circumcision were executed with them.

The tribulation in the days of the antichrist will be worse than in the days of Antiochus IV. Paul says that the antichrist will set himself up as God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 MKJV 3 Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes thought of himself as a god to be worshipped. His name, under which he ruled, Epiphanes, was self selected and means “God Manifest.”

As we light the Hanukkiah, we remember that we are not in darkness that we should be deceived. We are of the light and as children of the light, we are to keep watch.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 MKJV 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you like a thief. 5 You are all the sons of light and the sons of the day. We are not of the night, or of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us watch and be calm.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Please visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Hanukkah: History, Observance and Prophetic Implications – Part 2

2011-12-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

Yeshua’s Observance of Hanukkah: “Are you the Messiah?”

(There has been a lot of discussion of Hanukkah here and elsewhere on facebook lately. I think many miss the deeper implications of this minor Festival which Yeshua is recorded as celebrating with His disciples in Jerusalem, John chapter 10)

The book of John records Yeshua going to Jerusalem to observe Hanukkah. Hanukkah begins on 25 Kislev two months and two days after the end of the Feast of Tabernacles. (This year Hanukkah begins at local sunset on December 20^th.) During this Feast of Tabernacles, Yeshua declared that He was the Living Water which was synonymous with declaring that He was the Messiah.

John 7:37-38 MKJV 37 And in the last day of the great feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

The temple guards who were appointed to arrest Him came back empty-handed declaring that no one ever spoke the way He did (John 7:45-46). He said He was the Light of the World (John 8:12), declared that He existed before Abraham (John 8:58), showed Himself the righteous judge in the case of the woman caught in adultery (john 8:1-12), and healed a man born blind (John 9:1-12).At the end of the Feast of Tabernacles after Yeshua healed the man born blind, the people were divided about who Yeshua was. Some said he had a demon and others believed He was the Messiah.

John 10:19-21 MKJV 19 Then a division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. 20 And many of them said, He has a demon and is insane. Why do you hear him? 21 Others said, These are not words of one who has been possessed by a demon. A demon is not able to open the eyes of blind ones.

When Yeshua returned to Jerusalem two months later for Hanukah, they were still talking about who He was.

John 10:22-24 MKJV 22 And the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's Porch. 24 Then the Jews encircled Him and said to Him, How long do you make us doubt? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.

During Yeshua’s time, they celebrated Hanukkah as the rededication and purification of the temple and as a reprise of the Feast of Tabernacles. This Messiah the Jewish people were looking for would deliver them like Judah Maccabees did 200 years earlier. They are anticipating and looking for the Messiah who would rid them of Rome and all her false gods. They are asking, “Are you the one? Are you going to deliver us like Judah Maccabees?”

Yeshua’s answer is that He did tell them but they didn’t believe.

John 10:25a MKJV 25 Jesus answered them, I told you and you did not believe.

What exactly did Yeshua tell them? Again, we look back to the Feast of Tabernacles just a few weeks earlier. Like Hanukkah is a reprise of Feast of Tabernacles so is Yeshua’s teaching. He told them He was the Good Shepherd spoken of by Isaiah and Ezekiel and that He would lay down His life for His sheep.

John 10:11-18 MKJV 11 I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 But he who is a hireling and not the shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away. And the wolf catches them and scatters the sheep. 13 The hireling flees, because he is a hireling and does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the Good Shepherd, and I know those that are Mine, and I am known by those who are Mine. 15 Even as the Father knows Me, I also know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep who are not of this fold. I must also lead those, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd. 17 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I might take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down from Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again. I have received this commandment from My Father.

Isaiah 40:11 MKJV 11 He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those with young.

Ezekiel 34:12 MKJV 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek out My sheep and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

There at Hanukkah, Yeshua told them that they were not His sheep. His sheep know His voice.

John 10:25-30 MKJV 25 Jesus answered them, I told you and you did not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you did not believe because you are not of My sheep. As I said to you, 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give to them eternal life, and they shall never ever perish, and not anyone shall pluck them out of My hand. 29 My Father who gave them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one!

Yeshua concludes with the statement that the Father gave the sheep to Him and that He and the Father are one. This is prophesied by Isaiah as he writes of the seven spirits of God.

Isaiah 11:1-2 MKJV 1 And a Shoot goes out from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

In the Revelation, John writes that these seven spirits of God are an integral part of Yeshua the Lamb.

Revelation 5:6 KJV 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

John the Baptist witnessed and testified that Yeshua is the one prophesied by Isaiah.

John 1:32-34 MKJV 32 And John bore record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and He abode on Him. 33 And I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water, that One said to me, Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon Him, He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. 34 And I saw and bore record that this is the Son of God.

After Yeshua’s statement, the Jewish people questioning Him made up their minds. Yeshua is not the Messiah; He is a false prophet, a false Messiah!

John 10:33 MKJV 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, We do not stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself God.

Yeshua did not claim that He was the Father, but that He and the Father were one. In Yeshua’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prays that believers may be one as He and the Father are one.

John 17:22-23 MKJV 22 And I have given them the glory which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one, 23 I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.

He lived in submission to the Father.

John 7:16 MKJV 16 Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.

John 5:19 MKJV 19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do. For whatever things He does, these also the Son does likewise.

John 14:10 MKJV 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak of Myself, but the Father who dwells in Me, He does the works.

His actions are the actions of a true prophet; He speaks only the words the Father gives Him and does the work God gave Him to do. In contrast, the priests who advocated Hellenism and supported Antiochus IV Epiphanes fit the description of false prophets.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 MKJV 1 If a prophet rises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder which he foretold to you occurs, saying, Let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us serve them, 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. 5 And that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slaves, to thrust you out of the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put the evil away from the midst of you.

Yeshua’s actions and words fit the description of the prophet like Moses that God would raise up for them.

Deuteronomy 18:17-20 MKJV 17 And the LORD said to me, They have spoken well what they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brothers, one like you, and will put My words in His mouth. And He shall speak to them all that I shall command Him. 19 And it shall happen, whatever man will not listen to My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who shall presume to speak a word in My name which I have not commanded him to speak or who shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

Yeshua answered His detractors by quoting Psalm 82:6.

John 10:34-36 MKJV 34 Jesus answered them, Has it not written in your law, "I said, You are gods?" 35 If He called those gods with whom the Word of God was, and the Scripture cannot be broken, 36 do you say of Him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, You blaspheme, because I said, I am the Son of God?

Psalm 82:6 is referring to those put in authority over others, specifically judges who oppressed the poor, orphans and widows.

Psalms 82:1-8 MKJV 1 A Psalm of Asaph. God stands in the congregation of God; in the midst of the gods He judges. 2 How long will you judge unjustly and lift up the faces of the wicked? Selah. 3 Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy; save them out of the hand of the wicked. 5 They neither know nor will understand; they walk on in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6 I have said, You are gods; and all of you sons of the Most High. 7 But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit in all nations.

Yeshua is saying that those who act as representatives of God are commonly called gods or sons of God, so how can they say He blasphemes by calling Himself the Son of God? In this Psalm, the judges are called gods and sons of the Most High. Most High is another name for God. Yeshua could have picked other passages that referred to judges as gods and those in authority as sons of God but He picked this passage because it contrasts those who judge wrongly with the judgment promised by the Messiah. It is another way of saying the same thing Ezekiel did about the good shepherd and the bad shepherds. The passage in Isaiah about the seven spirits resting on the Branch of Jesse continues to say that He, the branch, will judge righteously.

Isaiah 11:3-4 MKJV 3 And He is made to breathe in the fear of the LORD. And He shall not judge according to the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears. 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and shall decide with uprightness for the meek of the earth. And He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

Yeshua reaches out one more time to those who are not His sheep that perhaps they will hear His voice and come to Him for everlasting life. He tells His questioners to observe and believe the works that He does.

John 10:37-38 MKJV 37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me. 38 But if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works so that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.

But the works that the Jewish people were looking for were those of a conquering king like Judah Maccabeus the hero of Hanukah. Judah’s actions are described in 1 Macabbees.

1 Macabbees 3: 3-9 He extended the fame of his people. He put on the breastplate like a giant and girded on his war harness; he engaged in battle after battle, protecting the ranks with his sword. He was like a lion’s whelp roaring over its prey. He pursued and tracked down the renegades, he consigned those who troubled his people to the flames. Renegades were abashed for terror of him, all evildoers were utterly confounded, and deliverance went forward under his leadership. He brought bitterness to many a king and rejoicing to Jacob by his deeds, his memory is blessed for ever and ever. He went through the towns of Judah and utterly destroyed the infidels in them, turning wrath away from Israel. His name resounded to the ends of the earth and he rallied those who were on the point of perishing.

They were not looking for a Messiah who would suffer and die for them. Yeshua left and went down to the Jordan where many joined Him and believed in Him there. As we celebrate Hanukkah, we can proclaim our faith in Yeshua. We can light the Hanukkiah to celebrate the miracle of new birth displaying the light for all to see. Just like Yeshua told his questioners to examine the works He does and see if they are from the father, we too need to do the good works the father gives us to do.

Matthew 5:16 MKJV 16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Hanukkah: History, Observance and Prophetic Implications - Part 1

2011-12-18T08:44:00.000-08:00

The minor Jewish Festival of Hanukkah begins at local sunset December 20^th. When we think of Hanukkah, we think of the eight branched candlestick called the hanukkiah and playing dreidels. We might even think of the modern practice of giving a gift on each of the eight days of Hanukkah. As we approach the days of Hanukkah, what is this Festival all about and what are the reasons to celebrate it? What does this festival really mean to the Christian? How should we celebrate it? So our goal with this 4 part series is to answer these questions. We’ll start with part 1 by looking at the history of Hanukkah. Part 2, we will look at Yeshua’s observance, answering the question “Are you the Messiah?” Part 3 will examine Yeshua’s warnings about false Messiahs and false prophets. And part 4 we will examine Yeshua’s 2^nd coming in relation to Hanukkah.

The actual holiday of Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the temple after it desecration by the forces of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The word Hanukkah means dedication. Some words we can associate with Hanukkah are rededication, renewal, courage and hope. Keep these words in mind as we move through this series and learn more about Hanukkah, its history, observance in the time of Yeshua and its prophetic implications.

A. History:

The events giving rise to the festival of Hanukkah began after the fall of the Grecian Empire under Alexander the Great. His kingdom was split into four parts two of which are of interest prophetically. The first was the Ptolemaic dynasty which mainly ruled over Egypt but had interests in Asia Minor. The second was the Seleucid Empire which ruled over Syria and the heart of the old Assyrian and Babylonian Empires. Daniel prophesies about these two empires in the book of Daniel chapters 8 and 11. The King of the South is the Ptolemaic Empire and the King of the North is the Seleucid Empire. Right in between these two empires is the land of Israel. The Ptolemy’s wanted access to their interests in Asia Minor and the Seleucids wanted to reestablish Alexander’s Empire. The traditional Jews preferred the rule of the Ptolemy’s because they allowed those under their rule to practice their own religions and traditions. The “modern” Jew of the day, like much of the ancient world, were enamored of the Greek or Hellenistic philosophy and wanted to be like the rest of the world. They preferred the Seleucids who forced those under their rule to worship the Greek gods. This tug-of-war continued from 312 B.C. until 163 B.C. when Judah Maccabees defeated Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the leader of the Seleucid Empire at the time.

The story of Hanukkah begins when Antiochus IV Epiphanes finally begins to win against Egypt. Egypt, however, had enlisted the aid of Rome who arrived just in time to kick Antiochus out of Egypt. In his rage on his way back north through Israel, he uses the dissension of the Jewish people as an excuse to attack Jerusalem, massacre 80,000 people and set up an altar to Zeus on the altar of God in the Temple. There the priests were forced to sacrifice swine to Zeus. This is the abomination of Desolation spoken of in Daniel 11:31-31

Daniel 11:30-31 MKJV 30 For the ships of Kittim shall come against him. And he shall be grieved and return, and have fury against the holy covenant. So he shall do; he shall even return and give heed to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 And forces will stand from him, and they will profane the sanctuary, the fortress, and shall remove the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the desolating abomination.

The first sacrifices of swine on the altar of Zeus happened on 25 Kislev, 167 B.C. which is in the middle of December. It is very likely that this event happened on the winter solstice which was a major pagan holiday. It is certain that this event happened when physical darkness was greater than light. The moon was waning, on its last sliver by the 25^th of the month. The sun was at or near its winter solstice and the hours of daylight were at the fewest of the year. Spiritual darkness was also at its peak with many of the Jewish people embracing Hellenism and the gods of the Greeks.

Antiochus left his generals in charge and returned to battle against parts of Asia Minor. The generals set up altars in the towns of Israel and forced the people to sacrifice swine on the altars and eat the meat. In the town of Modein, a priest named Mattathias had five sons. They slew the Jewish priest who was selected for the honor of sacrificing the swine and then killed the general. Mattathias and his sons fled into the wilderness encouraging those who followed the God of their fathers to flee also and join them. Those who fled into the desert were pursued by Antiochus’ troops who found them hiding in caves. On the Sabbath, they were given an ultimatum to either come out and surrender and eat pork or be killed. Being devout Jews and since it was the Sabbath, they didn’t fight back. Antiochus’ troops slaughtered over 1,000 men, women and children that day. Others managed to flee to join Mattathias.

It was at that time, that Mattathias, acting in his role as a priest, ruled that it was okay to defend oneself on the Sabbath. This rule holds to this day.

Mattathias died after the first year of the fight leaving his son Simon in charge of government operations and Judah called Maccabees, the Hammer, in charge of the army. Judah and his brothers defeated Antiochus’ armies and drove them out of Israel. They put those of their own countrymen who colluded with Antiochus to death and purified the Land. On 25 Kislev exactly two years after its desecration, Judah Maccabees and the Jewish people rededicated the temple to God. Arthur Waskow, in his book Seasons of Our Joy, comments on their choosing the exact same date for the dedication.

“And it is a short leap to surmise that the Maccabees, when they took the anniversary of that day as the rededication, were rededicating not only the temple but the day itself to Jewish holiness; were capturing a pagan solstice festival that had won wide support among partially Hellenized Jews, in order to make it a day of God’s victory over paganism.”

The desecrated altar of God was torn down and a new one built. They restored the broken menorah and prepared to light it. The Bread of the Presence was set out. According to later Jewish tradition, there was not enough of the sacred oil found to keep the menorah lit for the seven days required to rededicate the Temple. The priests chose to light the menorah anyway and it stayed lit for the seven days of rededication plus the one additional day needed before new holy oil could be ready. Thus, we have the miracle of Hanukkah.

But the miracle is not just of the oil; it is of the miraculous victory of Israel over Antiochus. Judah and his brothers faced overwhelming odds in their battles. There was no human way that tiny Israel could defeat the armies thrown against her. Just like in the time of Judges, God acted on the side of His people.

In the book of Maccabees chapter 4, the eight days are decreed as being a reprise of the Feast of Sukkot and its eighth day Shimeni Atzerat.

“The joyful celebration lasted for eight days; it was like the Feast of Huts (Sukkot), for they recalled how, only a short time before, they had kept that feast while they were living like wild animals in the mountains and caves; and so they carried garlanded wands and branches with their fruits as well as palm fronds, and the chanted hymns to the One who had so triumphantly achieved the purification of his own temple.”

Additional detail of the War of the Maccabees can be found in Josephus’ The Antiquities of the Jews, Book 12 and 1 and 2 Maccabees.

Today, Hanukah is celebrated for eight days with a special nine-branched candelabrum called a hanukkiah. The victory of Judah Maccabees over Antiochus’ forces is down played. We don’t have to look far for the reason; the early Rabbis wrote during the first to third century when similar revolts led to the destruction of the temple and exile from Jerusalem. Also, the Maccabees themselves became corrupt fighting over the kingship which ultimately brought in the Romans to decide the issue. Today the Jewish people emphasize the spiritual with the eight branches of the hanukkiah representing the eight-day miracle of oil. The ninth candle, called the “shamash” or servant candle, is used to light the other candles. The lighted candles symbolize bringing light into a darkened world. On the first day of Hanukkah, one candle is lit with the shamash. Each day one more candle is lit until, on the eighth day, all candles are lit. The hanukkiah is not to be hidden; it is displayed on a porch or in a window to proclaim the miracle to all who pass by.

We can celebrate Hanukkah as a rededication of our own lives as a living temple holy to God.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 MKJV 16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God shall destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which you are.

We can celebrate Hanukkah as we anticipate God’s final victory over the forces that come against Jerusalem in the last days. Though it looks like certain destruction for Jerusalem, God acts on the side of His people.

Zechariah 12:8-9 NKJV 8 "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. 9 "It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Visit our website at www.moedministries.com

Reason Three for Christians to Celebrate Hanukkah

2011-12-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

(This year Hanukkah begins at local sunset on December 20th. The following is an excerpt from our book "Reasons For Christians To Celebrate The Biblical Feasts". The book is available from www.amazon.com and through the bookstore at www.moedministries.com. It makes a great gift!)

The third reason to celebrate Hanukkah is that the events commemorated by Hanukkah are spoken of by Jesus as having future prophetic significance. The words He speaks to His disciples telling them of the signs of His coming and the end of the world resound with Hanukkah language. First, Jesus speaks of another abomination of desolation. Then He goes on to invoke images of the horror inflicted on the Jewish people during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Matthew 24:15-21 MKJV 15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand). 16 Then let those in Judea flee into the mountains. 17 Let him on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house; 18 nor let him in the field turn back to take his clothes. 19 And woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck in those days! 20 But pray that your flight is not in the winter, nor on the sabbath day; 21 for then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be.

Antiochus set up an altar to Zeus over the altar of God in the Temple.

I Maccabees 1:57-59, 62 On the fifteenth day of Chislev in the year one hundred and forty-five (December 8, 167 B.C.) the king erected the abomination of desolation above the altar; and artars were built in the surrounding towns of Judah and incense offered at the doors of houses and in the streets. On the twenty-fifth of the month sacrifice was offered on the altar erected over the altar of holocaust.

Those in Judea fled into the wilderness taking most of their possessions with them. They were pursued and attacked on the Sabbath.

1 Maccabees 2:29-30, 32, 38 At this many who were concerned for virtue and justice went down to the desert and stayed there, taking with them their sons, their wives and their cattle, for the burden of their wrongs had become unendurable. A strong detachment went after them, and when it came up with them ranged itself agaist them in battle formation, preparing to attack them on the Sabbath day. The attack was pressed home on the Sabbath itself, and they were slaughtered with their wives and children and cattle, to the number of one thousand persons.

Those in Jerusalem didn’t fare any better. In fact the slaughter there was even worse.

Josephus writes that ten thousand women and children were sold into slavery on that day and the temple was totally plundered of all its wealth. Those who resisted by reading or even having a Torah scroll, by observing the Sabbath, or circumcising their sons died a horrific death. This was especially true of women who circumcised their babies. Josephus records in The Antiquities of the Jews, Book 12, Chapter 5, line 256:

“…for they were wipped with rods and their bodies were torn to pieces, and were crucified while they were till alive and breathed; they also strangled those women and their sons whom they had circumcised, as the king had appointed, hanging their sons about their necks as they were upon the crosses.”

The words of Jesus in Matthew 24 match that day in December exactly. The abomination of desolation was set up in the temple in the winter. The people were horrible attacked on the Sabbath more than once. And woe to the women! Those who circumcised their infant sons died grievous deaths. As horrible as those days were, Jesus said the days leading up to His return would be even worse. He warns them not to try to bring their possessions with them but to flee immediately. He says that THEN shall be great tribulation worse than has ever been seen before. The events December 167 B.C. foreshadow the events of the great tribulation. Antiochus IV Epiphanes is a shadow of the Antichrist. His reign name of Epiphanes means “God Manifest.” Paul tells us that the Antichrist will set himself up as God.

Judah Maccabeus is a shadow of Jesus. Jesus is of the line of David of the tribe of Judah. Jacob’s blessing over Judah includes describing him as a lion.

Genesis 49:9 MKJV 9 Judah is a lion's whelp. My son, you have gone up from the prey. He stooped, he crouched like a lion; and like a lioness, who shall rouse him?

Judah Maccabeus is described similarly in I Maccabees.

I Macabbees 3: 3-4 He extended the fame of his people. He put on the breastplate like a giant and girded on his war harness; he engaged in battle after battle, protecting the ranks with his sword. He was like a lion’s whelp roaring over its prey.

Jesus is a priest on the order of Melchizedek. Judah Maccabeus is a priest of the line of Aaron. Judah ruled over Israel at the time of the rededication of the temple. Jesus will rule over Israel and the whole world. He is the one who will build the third temple of God.

We can celebrate Hanukkah as we look forward to Jesus’ return, learning and watching so that we are not caught sleeping or unaware. We light the Hanukkiah to remind us that we are of the light and need to keep watch for the signs of His coming.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Please visit our website at www.moedministries.com.

Reason Two for Christians to Celebrate Hanukkah

2011-12-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

Although Hanukkah is not one of the "official" Feasts of the LORD given in the Torah, there are tremendous prophetic implications concerning Yeshua's return contained in this traditional festival. The Gospel of John records that Yeshua was present in Jerusalem at least once at the time of Hanukkah in chapter 10. In Matthew 24:15 Yeshua makes reference to Daniel 11:31; 12:11, the "abomination of desolation". This is a direct reference to the history behind the festival of Hanukkah. (see the book of the Maccabees) Daniel prophesies about the rise of the Greek empire by Alexander the Great, Alexander’s early death, and the dividing of his kingdom into four separate kingdoms.

Daniel 8:19-22 MKJV 19 And he said, Behold, I will make you know what shall happen in the last end of the indignation. For it is for the time appointed for the end. 20 The ram which you saw having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the shaggy goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 And as for that being broken, and four stood up in its place; four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in its power.

Two of the four kingdoms are of interest prophetically. These are Seleucus and Ptolemy. Selucus and the kingdom he establishes is the king of the north in Daniel chapter 11. His kingdom is Syria, the heart of the old Babylonian and Assyrian Empires, and parts of Asia Minor. Ptolemy is the king of the south and his kingdom is the greater Egyptian region but he also had interests in Asia Minor. These two kingdoms will fight over and through the land of Israel from the death of Alexander in 323 B.C. to the death of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 163 B.C. Daniel chapter 11 chronicles the back and forth relationship between these to kingdoms.[i]

The following list gives the verse in Daniel 11 followed by the King of the North and the King of the South referenced in the verse.

Daniel 11

5 Seleucus I Nacator (312 to 281 B.C.) Ptolemy I Soter (323-285 B.C.)
Not referenced Antiochus I Soter (281-262 B.C.) Ptolemy II (285-246 B.C.)
6 Antiochus II Theos (262-246 B.C.) Ptolemy II
7-9 Seleucus II Callinicus (246-227B.C.) Ptolemy III (246-221 B.C.)
10 Seleucus III Soter (227-223 B.C.) Ptolemy III
10-11, 13 Antiochus III the Great (223-187 B.C.) Ptolemy IV
15-19 Antiochus III Ptolemy V
20 Seleucus IV Philopater
21-32 Antiochus IV Epiphanes Ptolemy Philopater

The Ptolemies started out with control of Israel. They were lenient rulers allowing those under their rule to practice their own religion without interference. However the Seleucids were intent on “civilizing” or Hellenizing those under their rule. They pushed the worship of the Greek gods and renamed cities to reflect the new regime. Antiochus III the Great drove the Ptolemies out of Israel and began the Hellenizing process of Israel. It was Antiochus IV Epiphanes, however, who issued an edict forbidding the worship of any but the Greek gods. As you can imagine this did not sit well with most of the Israelites. Needless to say, the province of Israel was not highly regarded by Antiochus.

After one of his forays against Egypt while returning to his own land, he plundered the Temple of God on his way.

Daniel 11:28 MKJV 28 And he shall return to his land with great riches. And his heart shall be against the holy covenant. And he will act, and he shall return to his land.

Two years later, he again attacks Egypt. When it appears that he will finally triumph against Egypt, Rome steps in and gives him a choice to return to his own land or face the power of Rome. Enraged, he returns to his land. This time when he goes through Israel, he murders 80,000 people with the help of the Jews who have been Hellenized. He sets up an altar to Zeus over God’s altar. This is called the abomination of desolation.

Daniel 11:29-31 MKJV 29 At the time appointed he shall return and come against the south. But it shall not be as the former or as the latter. 30 For the ships of Kittim shall come against him. And he shall be grieved and return, and have fury against the holy covenant. So he shall do; he shall even return and give heed to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 And forces will stand from him, and they will profane the sanctuary, the fortress, and shall remove the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the desolating abomination.

The family of Mattathias, a priest from Modein, rises up against Antiochus and his generals. Mattathias’ son Judah leads the battles against Antiochus’ forces. They win time after time against overwhelming odds. The defeat of Antiochus’ forces at the hands of Israel brought about the decline and fall of the Seleucid Empire.

Daniel 11:32 NKJV 32 "Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

Hanukkah commemorates Israel’s victory over Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the rededication of the second temple. The hanukkiah is lit after dark and placed in a window or even better on a porch where all who pass by can see it. It is a proclamation of the miracles God performed in driving the forces of Antiochus out of Israel and destroying the Seleucid Empire.

What miracles has God done in your life? What miracles on the scale of the battles against Antiochus IV Epiphanes will God again do at the time of the end? We can light the candles of the Hanukkiah to remember what God has done in each of our lives, chief of which is bringing us into His glorious Light.

John 12:46 NKJV 46 "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

We can light the candles of the Hanukkiah in anticipation of when Jesus will return bringing light into the darkness once more.

Revelation 21:23 NKJV 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Brenda and I are hosting an in-depth study of the Feasts of the LORD in our home group each Erev Shabbat. You can join us in this study on-line via our web site at www.moedministries.com where the videos of each session are linked. The Student Workbook is available in the web store.

[i] Moore, Beth, Daniel: lives of Integrity Words of Prophecy; Lifeway Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 2006

Reason One for Christians to Celebrate Hanukkah

2011-12-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

(This year Hanukkah begins at local sunset on December 20th. The following is an excerpt from our book "Reasons For Christians To Celebrate The Biblical Feasts". The book is available from www.amazon.com and through the bookstore at www.moedministries.com)

The first reason to celebrate Hanukkah is that Jesus celebrated Hanukkah. His observance is recorded in the book of John. The word Hanukkah means dedication and its observance is in the winter.

John 10:22-23 KJV 22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

Much of Jesus’ ministry was in the area around the Sea of Galilee with only occasional visits to Jerusalem. John records Jesus in Jerusalem only at the Feasts of the LORD. Yet John records this visit to Jerusalem that is not on one of the Feasts ordained by God in Leviticus 23. What is special about this particular Hanukkah?

First, it follows the very eventful Feast of Tabernacles during which Jesus stood in the middle of the Ceremony of Water Pouring and declared that He was the Living Water. (John 7:37-38) The temple guards who were appointed to arrest Him came back empty-handed declaring that no one ever spoke the way He did (John 7:45-46). He said He was the Light of the World (John 8:12), declared that He existed before Abraham (John 8:58), and healed a man born blind (John 9:1-12). He said He was the Good Shepherd spoken of by Isaiah (Isaiah 40:11) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34). As a result, many believed He was the Messiah and many did not (John 10:19-21).

The following spring, Jesus would again go to Jerusalem; this time to die as the Passover Lamb that would take away the sins of the world. He would fulfill His words spoken during that eventful Feast of Tabernacles that He was indeed the Good Shepherd who would lay down His life for His sheep (John 10:14-18).

So, what is Jesus teaching during Hanukkah? What message is He trying to communicate? The Jewish people of Jerusalem come to Him and ask, “Are you the one?” Since this is Hanukkah, thoughts of the great hero Judah Maccabeus must have been foremost on their minds. “Are you the Messiah who will deliver us from Rome like Judah Maccabeus delivered us from Antiochus Epiphanes?” Jesus continues His teaching from the Feast of Tabernacles, “I am the Good Shepherd.” He is not coming at this time in the manner of a Judah Maccabeus.

John 10:25-29 MKJV 25 Jesus answered them, I told you and you did not believe.

The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you did not believe because you are not of My sheep. As I said to you, 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give to them eternal life, and they shall never ever perish, and not anyone shall pluck them out of My hand. 29 My Father who gave them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand.

Sadly, many of Jesus’ questioners reject His words and conclude that He is not the Messiah.

John 10:31-33 MKJV 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, I have shown you many good works from My Father; for which of these do you stone Me? 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, We do not stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself God.

But Jesus is reaching out one last time to those who will hear His voice and come to Him for everlasting life.

Afterwards, Jesus leaves Jerusalem and goes to the same place where John baptized across the Jordan. Jesus goes back to where His ministry began and many came to Him there.

John 10:40-42 MKJV 40 And He went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John baptized at the first, and He stayed there. 41 And many came to Him and said, John indeed did no miracle, but all things that John said concerning this One were true. 42 And many believed on Him there.

Their belief in Him would be tested that very spring at Passover. Who will they say He is then?

Hanukah celebrates the rededication of the temple after it was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes. Jewish tradition says that there was not enough holy oil to keep the temple menorah lit for the eight days needed for the rededication of the temple. They lit the menorah anyway and the oil lasted through all eight days until new oil could be made and consecrated. The special nine-branched hanukkiah is lit to declare the miracles of Hanukah—both the miraculous victories through Judah Maccabeus and of the oil.

Christians can light the Hanukkiah as a rededication of their own lives as the living temple of God, to live a life of holiness.

Christians can light the Hanukkiah to celebrate the miracle of new birth displaying the light for all to see. Just like Jesus told his questioners to examine the works He does and see if they are from the father, we too need to do the good works the father gives us to do.

Matthew 5:16 MKJV 16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.

As we celebrate Hanukkah, who do you say He is?

שלום ברוך

Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Please visit our website at www.moedministries.com

These are the Generations (Toldot): the Story of Our Redemption

2011-11-20T20:13:00.000-08:00

This weeks Torah Portion is called Toldot. It is from Genesis 25:19-28:9. The title Toldot is Hebrew for “generations”. There is a very interesting thing about the word Toldot in the Torah and the genealogy which follows. There is a hidden message here, only to be found by searching the Torah in the original Hebrew language and culture.

After God created the heavens and sanctified the seventh day, He concludes with the words, “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created.” The Hebrew word translated as generations is toldot, תולדות, spelled from right to left with tav, vav, lamed, dalet, vav, tav beginning and ending with a vav and tav. The next time the scriptures the phrase “these are the generations” is used, it is about the generations of Adam after Adam and Eve sin and are kicked out of the Garden of Eden. This time the word toldot is spelled with the second “vav” missing from the word, like so: תולדת. This is called a defective spelling. This is one of the “jots and tittles” spoken of by Yeshua in Matthew chapter 5. Yeshua tells us that these jots and tittles are important and that not one of them will pass away from the scriptures. Jots and Tittles are only found in the original Hebrew language and are not translated to your English Bible. So what is the meaning of this particular defective spelling?

In Hebrew, each letter began as a pictogram and each word is made up of a set of pictures. The word picture of the complete spelling of toldot shows that the covenant is attached on both sides of the shepherd leading the way through the doorway. With the second “vav” missing in the defective spelling, our side of the covenant is blocked off. Sin has disconnected us from the doorway to the Shepherd. We can do nothing to restore our relationship with God. We need a redeemer that only He can provide.

The meanings of the names of the ten generations of Adam tell us of God’s plan to bring a redeemer.

(# references are from the Strong's Concordance and Dictionary)

Adam: mankind:

#120 from #119; ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.

Seth: appointed to

#8352. Sheth, (shayth) from #7896; put, i.e. substituted;

#7896. shiyth, (sheeth) a primitive root; to place (in a very wide application):--apply, appoint, array, bring, consider, lay (up), let alone

Enos: feeble, frail, mortality

#582. 'enowsh, en-oshe' a mortal (and thus differing from the more dignified #120); hence, a man in general (singly or collectively):

#605. 'anash, aw-nash' a primitive root; to be frail, feeble

Cainan: a fixed dwelling place

#7018. Qeynan, kay-nawn' from the same as #7064; fixed

#7064. qen, kane contracted from #7077; a nest (as fixed), sometimes including the nestlings; figuratively, a chamber or dwelling:--nest, room.

Mahalaleel: God who is praised

#4111. Mahalal'el, mah-hal-al-ale' from #4110 and #410; praise of God

Jared: come down, descends

#3382. Yered, yeh'-red from #3381; a descent

#3381. dry yarad, yaw-rad' a primitive root; to descend

Enoch: instruct, train up

#2585. Chanowk, khan-oke' from #2596; initiated

#2596. chanak, khaw-nak' a primitive root; properly, to narrow (compare 2614); figuratively, to initiate or discipline:--dedicate, train up.

Methusalah: a man sent forth

#4968. Methuwshelach, (meth-oo-sheh'-lakh) from #4962 and #7973; man of a dart

#4962 math: from the same as #4970; properly, an adult (as of full length); by implication, a man

#37973. shelach, from #7971; a missile of attack #7971. shalach, (shaw-lakh') a primitive root; to send away, for, or out

Lamech: beaten, smitten, and tortured

#3929 from #4347. makkah, mak-kaw' or (masculine) makkeh {muk-keh'}; (plural only) from #5221; a blow; by implication, a wound; figuratively, carnage, also pestilence:--beaten, blow, plague, slaughter, smote, X sore, stripe, stroke, wound((-ed))

Noah: rest, a quiet peace

#5146 Noach, (no'-akh) the same as #5118; rest

#5118 nuwach, (noo'-akh) or nowach {no'-akh}; from #5117; quiet peace

The generations of Adam read, “Mankind is appointed to feeble, frail mortality, a fixed dwelling place. God who is praised comes down to instruct as a man sent forth to be beaten, smitten, tortured bringing comfort, a quiet peace.”

God promises a redeemer who will come and take our punishment for sin on Himself bringing us into God’s rest. But each time the Bible uses the phrase “these are the generations” the spelling remains defective. The Bible uses the defective spelling a total of eleven times, ten times in Genesis and once in Numbers. Eleven is the number of defect, disorder or imperfection. We see this in the twelve sons of Jacob. When Joseph was in slavery in Egypt there were only eleven sons. In the words of Judah, “one is no more” and Jacob continued to grieve. When Judas Iscariot betrayed Yeshua, the perfect number of twelve disciples dropped to eleven. Before the Holy Spirit fell on the Feast of Weeks, the remaining eleven appointed a man to take Judas’ place so they would be prepared to be witnesses to all they had seen. (Acts 1:16-22)

The defective spelling remained until the line of the redeemer was in sight and God was ready to reveal more of His redemption plan. We see the first glimmer of the redeemer in the book of Ruth which is all about a kinsman redeemer named Boaz. As the book of Ruth closes, the Bible uses the phrase “these are the generations” once again in relation to the generations of Perez.

The original Hebrew manuscripts now spell Toledot with the full spelling, the second Vav is restored. The meanings of the names of the generations of Perez to David, speak of Yeshua as the firstborn of the resurrection, continue with the promise of our resurrection and eternity with God and Yeshua.

Peretz: The one who breaks out

#6556 from #6555; a break (literally or figuratively):--breach, breaking forth

Hezron: a walled courtyard

#2696. from #2691; court-yard;

#2691. a yard (as enclosed by a fence); also a hamlet (as similarly surrounded with walls)

Ram: high, exalted

#7410 active participle of #7311; high, from #7311 a primitive root; to be high actively, to rise or raise bring up, exalt

Aminidab: a people impelled, a people who volunteer freely

#5992. from #5971 and #5068; people of liberality:

#5068: to impel; hence, to volunteer (as a soldier), to present spontaneously:--offer freely

Nahshon: the one who whispers, prognosticate, predict from the signs

#5177. enchant, whisper from #5172

#5172: to prognosticate: predict from the signs (Dictionary.com definition for prognosticate)

Salmon: invested with garments

#8012 from #8008; investiture

#8008: a dress, clothes, garment, raiment

Boaz: with strength (According to Jewish Encyclopedia)

Obed: servant, worshiper

#5744 active participle of #5647; serving

#5647: to work, bondsmen, servant, worshipper

Jesse: exist, to be

#3448 from the same as #3426

#3426: exist; entity; used adverbially or as a copula for the substantive verb, there is or are, or any other form of the verb to be

David: beloved

#1732. from the same as #1730; loving

#1730: to love; by implication, a love- token, lover, friend; (well-) beloved

The generations of Peretz read, “One who breaks out of the walled courtyard, high and exalted, (with) a people impelled, a people who offer themselves freely (to) the one who whispers, predicted from the signs. (They are) invested with garments of strength, servants and worshippers, existing to be beloved.”

Yeshua breaks out of the grave into new life. When He comes again, we will go with Him experiencing our own resurrection and our transformation. And we will forever be with the LORD.

Micah 2:12-13 NKJV 12 "I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, Like a flock in the midst of their pasture; They shall make a loud noise because of so many people. 13 The one who breaks open will come up before them; They will break out, Pass through the gate, And go out by it; Their king will pass before them, With the LORD at their head."

שלום ברוך

Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Please visit our web site at: www.moedministries.com

The Sabbath: A Divine Appointment or a Day of Your Choosing?

2011-11-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

It was Yeshua’s custom to be in the Temple or Synagogue on the Sabbath.

Luke 4:16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And, as His custom was, He went in to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. (MKJV)

If we want to do the things that our Messiah would do, would it not make sense for us to also gather together on the Sabbath? If it was His custom to be with the people of God in the synagogue on the Sabbath, and if we are His disciples, should we not do what he taught us to do? And before we change or stop doing what He did, shouldn’t there be a clear instruction in scripture to do so? By what authority then, do we disregard a key commandment of God and an example set fourth by Yeshua Himself? For many of us, these questions are purely rhetorical.

The Sabbath is the first Divine Appointment given in the Torah

Leviticus 23:1-3 NKJV 1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. 3 'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

There is not one single hint in the scriptures that the Sabbath was abolished or changed to Sunday, the first day of the week. Yeshua Himself gives a clear and direct statement concerning all the commandments of God’s word in Matthew 5:17-20.

Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the law until all is fulfilled. 19 Therefore whoever shall break one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven. (MKJV)

There are many who argue that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday by Yeshua’s death and resurrection since He was resurrected on the first day of the week, ie: Sunday. This assertion is based only on tradition begun in the 4^th century by order of the Roman Emperor Constantine and has nothing to do with scripture. If Sunday was to be the new Sabbath day, then why is it that the seventh day Sabbath, that is Saturday, is clearly practiced during the millennium when Yeshua returns to earth? Look at Ezekiel where the temple of the LORD is described. This is a future Temple that has yet to be built in Jerusalem. It is the Temple of the millennium!

Eze 45:17 It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths-- at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel. (NIV)

When you read the entire passage in Ezekiel and other passages of scripture concerning the millennium, you see that the Sabbath, as well as all of the Feasts of the LORD, and the sacrificial system as well, is restored at this time in the Temple at Jerusalem! The Prince of Peace, who is Yeshua the Messiah, reigns from Jerusalem for a thousand years! Again consider the question, if Yeshua abolished or changed the Sabbath or any of the other appointed Feasts by His death on the cross, then why is it “reestablished” during the millennium?

According to the scriptures, the Sabbath was clearly in place while Yeshua was here on earth and He kept the Sabbath “as was His custom”. And the Sabbath will be in place during the millennium when He returns to reign in Jerusalem. So on what basis is the Sabbath suspended during the interim?

The Apostle Paul kept the Sabbath and he kept the Torah. Look at Acts 17:1-2

Acts 17:1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures. (NIV)

The passage in Romans chapter 14 verses 5 & 6 is often sited as “proof” that the Sabbath was done away with.

Romans 14:5-6 MKJV 5 One indeed esteems a day above another day; and another esteems every day alike. Let each one be fully assured in his own mind. 6 He who regards the day regards it to the Lord; and he not regarding the day, does not regard it to the Lord. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, does not eat to the Lord, and gives God thanks.

The Sabbath may not be the “day” Paul is referring to here at all. Paul could just as likely be addressing the Roman believers who were arguing about which day the Feast of Weeks fell on. This was a hot button issue in his day among the Rabbis and teachers of the Torah, primarily between those in the land and those in the Diaspora: between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It pitted one group against another in petty arguments. In several chapters in this section of Romans, Paul is calling for unity among believers on a variety of issues and calling for the believers to come together in love and respect.

Some other references in scripture to the first day of the week are found in Acts 20:7 and in 1 Cor 16:1-3.

Ac 20:7 And on the first of the week, the disciples having been assembled to break bread, being about to depart on the morrow, Paul reasoned to them. And he continued his speech until midnight.

1Cor 16:1 And concerning the collection for the saints, as I charged the churches of Galatia, so also you do. 2 On the first day of the week let each of you put by himself, storing up what ever he is prospered, so that there may be no collections when I come. 3 And when I come, whomever you shall approve by your letters, I will send them to bring your gift to Jerusalem. (MKJV)

We must remember that a “day” on the Biblical calendar begins at sunset. So the first day of the week would begin at sunset on Saturday. It was a long standing tradition is to end the Sabbath with a shared meal, the “breaking of bread”. Paul engaged in teaching and studying with the believers after this end of Sabbath meal. Also it was a tradition as well not to engage in collecting monies on the Sabbath or buying and selling since this is part of everyday work.

The scriptures are full of examples of the Sabbath being kept by the Apostles as well as Yeshua Himself. What is decidedly lacking is any clear statement that the Sabbath was done away with or moved to the first day of the week. Ask yourself this, why would God abolish something that He gave to us to experience joy and gladness and fellowship with Him? Why would He establish the Sabbath as an “perpetual covenant”, and then abolish it only to reestablish it later?

Exodus 31:16-17 NKJV 16 'Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 'It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.”

The Sabbath is not just for the Children of Israel but for all who call upon the name of the LORD.

Isaiah 56:6-7 NKJV 6 "Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants-Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant- 7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations."

Meeting in worship of God and studying God’s word on the first day of the week, or any day of the week, is permissible as Paul did on many occasions. We just should not confuse it with the Sabbath.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Please visit our web site at www.moedministries.com.

How is Yeshua Both the Written and Living Word of God?

2011-10-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

When Yeshua was asked what the greatest commandment was in Matthew 22, He quoted Deuteronomy chapter 6 which is the centerpiece of Jewish theology and teaching.

Matthew 22:36-38 NKJV 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37 Jesus said to him," 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 "This is the first and great commandment.

Deut. 6:4-5 NKJV “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

What is it that Yeshua came to teach us? Did he come to start a “new religion”? Or did He come to reiterate the Father’s instruction of how to live and draw near to Him? Yeshua came to renew the covenant given at Mt. Sinai. He came to secure our relationship to God the Father by His perfect sacrifice. But what does His atonement really accomplish, and how does it work?

In order to properly understand it, we have to clearly identify who Messiah Yeshua is. We have to have a clear understanding of his true identity, unclouded by conventions and doctrines invented over the centuries since His death and resurrection.

The Gospel of John does the best job of identifying Messiah as the “Living Word of God”.

John 1:1-3 NKJV 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Later in John’s Gospel, these words of Yeshua are recorded.

John 14:6 NKJV “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Now this is perhaps the single most abused scripture in history! Christians, not understanding the Hebrew, Biblical context of this statement, have throughout history, used it to justify despicable acts of all kinds against the Jews and other so called "non-believers". It was used to justify the crusades and the Spanish inquisition, and in the last century, the Holocaust. But when we understand this statement by Yeshua in light of the Hebrew mindset, a deeper understanding and the true meaning emerges. Yeshua was a Jewish man teaching His Jewish disciples about the Jewish scripture, the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings, the Tanakh, or what we commonly call the Old Testament. So maybe we ought to pay attention to His Jewish instruction from that point of view.

I believe very strongly that we must read and understand all of scripture from within its cultural and historic context in order to clearly understand the intended message. Let's take a closer look what Yeshua was saying here and see how His Jewish followers of the 1^st century would have understood it.

What is the way?

Ps 119:1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law (Torah) of the LORD! (NKJV)

And what is the truth?

Ps 119:142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law (Torah) is truth. (NKJV)

And what is life?

Pr 13:14 The law (Torah) of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death. (NKJV)

So what is the Torah?

Pr 7:2 Keep my commands and live, And my law (Torah) as the apple of your eye. (NKJV)

Pr 28:9 One who turns away his ear from hearing the law (Torah), Even his prayer is an abomination. (NKJV)

Mal 2:6 The law (Torah) of truth was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity. 7 “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law (Torah) from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. 8 But you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the law (Torah). You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” Says the LORD of hosts. 9 “Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base Before all the people, Because you have not kept My ways But have shown partiality in the law (Torah).” (NKJV)

Ps 1:2 But his delight is in the law (Torah) of the LORD, And in His law (Torah) he meditates day and night. (NKJV)

Ps 119:97 Oh, how I love Your law (Torah)! It is my meditation all the day. (NKJV)

Ps 119:44 So shall I keep Your law (Torah) continually, Forever and ever. 45 And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts. (NKJV)

Isaiah 51:7 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: (Torah) Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults. (NKJV)

In all the scriptures above, the word translated as “law” in our English bibles is the Hebrew “Torah”. The word Torah is defined in the Strong’s Concordance #8451 and means precept or statute. It is derived from #3384 which means to teach, instruct, to point out or to inform. The Torah is God’s divine instruction. It does not mean “law” as we understand law in our modern western society, it would be better translated as “teaching or instruction”. Yeshua came to teach, instruct, to point out and to inform us of the ways of the Father. He is the perfect embodiment of Torah. Remember the scripture in Matthew

Matthew 5:18 “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (NKJV)

In the Greek manuscripts of the NT writings, the word “law” is the Greek word “nomos”. This is the same Greek word used in the Septuagint, the 3^rd century BCE translation of the Tanakh, to translate “Torah.”

A Hebrew word picture of “Torah”:

The original Hebrew language was written as pictographs and each letter had a meaning in and of itself. The Modern Hebrew that we are familiar with today, was formed in the middle ages but still retains the original pictographic meaning of the letters and words. Hebrew is read right to left and the word Torah is as follows:

Torah: תורה = Tav, Vav, Resh, Hey.

Tav: ת =Cross, covenant or sign of the covenant
Vav: ו = Nail, tent peg, to secure
Resh: ר = Person, especially the highest person, head
Hey: ה = Reveal. At the end of a word hey can mean what comes from or out of, belonging to

Torah: The covenant secured by the highest person revealed or, if read backwards, that which comes from the highest person nailed to the cross.

So when we meditate on the Torah, when we listen to the Torah, when we speak the Torah, walk in Torah, seek Torah, delight in Torah, then the Torah is our heart. Yeshua is both the written and living Word of God and there is liberty in the Torah! For the Torah is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Did God the Father decide His past teaching was wrong? Did He send His Son Yeshua, our Messiah, to eliminate or render invalid His instruction in righteous living, His Torah given at Mt. Sinai? He did not! His Word, both written and living, will stand forever! When we understand that the written Word, the Torah and the Living Word, Yeshua are one and the same, we then come to the proper cultural and historic understanding of His profound statement in John 14:6. and we know beyond any shadow of a doubt that He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

When Paul wrote to Timothy in 2nd Tim 3:16, he was referring to the body of scripture known as the Tanakh. What we know as the “New Testament” was not written yet and was decades away.

2 Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (KJV)

Our “doctrines”, our “reproof”, our “corrections” and our “instruction in righteousness”, all derive from the Torah, both written and living.

שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Please visit our web site at: www.moedministries.com

Reasons for Christians to observe the Feast of Tabernacles: Part 2

2011-10-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

(This essay is part of our book titled “Reasons for Christians to Celebrate the Biblical Feasts”. It is available from Amazon.com and on our web site at www.moedministries.com. This series of essays is designed to give the Christian an understanding of the Biblical Feasts and how they are connected to Jesus the Messiah.)

The Feast of Tabernacles is marked by special sacrificial offerings. Among them were 14 male lambs each day. This number is two times seven. Seven again is the number for spiritual completion but two is the number of division. What is the division here? The answer is in the other sacrifices. There was a succession of bulls sacrificed starting with thirteen on the first day and ending with seven on the last day. This totals 70 bulls which just happens to be the number of the nations as they were determined after the Tower of Babel (Deut. 32:8). As they sacrificed the bulls, Israel was acting in her divinely appointed role of priests to the nations (Ex. 19:6). The division is between Israel and all the gentile nations. Israel has been separated out as God’s portion among the nations (Deut. 32:9).

The Feast is observed after the harvest has been brought in (Ex. 23:16), after “you have gathered in the labors out of your field.” Jesus said that we are the workers in the field; that we have a harvest to bring in (Matt. 9:37-38). He also has a final harvest that He will bring in (Rev. 14:14-20, Matt. 13:36-43). After the harvest, we have a huge party. The wedding supper of the Lamb is ready. Blessed are those invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.

Revelation 19:6-7 MKJV 6 And I heard as the sound of a great multitude, and as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and we will give glory to Him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself.

If this isn’t enough, there are special observance every seventh year and every fiftieth year. The fiftieth year, of course follows the seventh seventh (49^th) year. Every seventh year is a Sabbath year, again we see the number of spiritual completion. Every fiftieth year is the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25). In the year of Jubilee, prisoners are set free and land is returned to the family who originally owned it. Jesus proclaimed a Year of Jubilee when He began His ministry (Luke 4:18-21 quoting Is. 61). Jesus fulfilled the first part of this chapter in His first coming; He did not fulfill the part about the Day of Vengeance of our God (verse 2). This will be the harvest referred to as the winepress of His wrath (Is. 63:1-13). The grape harvest begins in late July and continues conveniently enough until right before the Feast of Tabernacle. The proclamation of the Year of Jubilee occurs on Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement which occurs just five days before the Feast of Tabernacles. On the subsequent Feast of Tabernacles, everyone, men, women, children and the stranger, gathers in Jerusalem to hear the King read the Torah! (Deut. 31:10-13) One of the first acts of Jesus who is the Living Word, will be to read His Written Word to all those He has gathered to Himself in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 2:3 MKJV 3 And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go out the Law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Please visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Reasons for Christians to Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles: Part One

2011-10-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

This year the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Sukot, begins tonight at local sunset. The Feast of Tabernacles is the seventh and last Feast in the Feast cycles which began in the spring with Passover. The month of Passover is the first month on the religious or redemption calendar established when Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt. The Feast of Tabernacles is in the seventh month and lasts for seven days. That’s three sevens here. Seven is the number of completion and three is the number of divine completion. The Feast of Tabernacles is a rehearsal of the completion of God’s divine plan of salvation. Let’s see how God reveals this in the establishment of the feast.

Leviticus 23:39-40 MKJV 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. 40 And you shall take the fruit of majestic trees for yourselves on the first day, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook. And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

The Jewish people use the branches of the palm, willow and Myrtle along with the citron called a lulav to show rejoicing before God. The Jewish sages say this is in recognition that God is the Creator. He can be seen in the works of creation (Rom. 1:19-20) and creation itself worships God. (Ps. 19:1, Hab. 2:14, Luke 19:37-40) As we rejoice before the LORD during the Feast of Tabernacles, we look forward to when “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is LORD (Phil. 2:11)

Isaiah says that all creation will burst out in praise when God finishes His plan for redemption.

Isaiah 44:23 MKJV 23 Sing, O heavens; for the LORD has done it. Shout, lower parts of the earth. Break out into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it. For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel.

Lev. 23:41-44 MKJV 41 And you shall keep it a feast to the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall keep it in the seventh month. 42 You shall live in booths seven days. All that are born Israelites shall live in booths, 43 so that your generations may know that I made the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God. 44 And Moses declared the feasts of the LORD to the sons of Israel.

The observance of the feast manifests itself in the Israelites living in booths, tents or huts so that they will remember that God had them live in booths when they were brought out of Egypt. Again, the Israelite left the trappings of civilization and lived close to nature observing God in all their surroundings. But what was there about their time in the wilderness that should be brought to mind?

First, this was a time when God miraculously provided all their needs. Manna rained down from heaven, water flowed out from a rock, and their clothing did not wear out. During the millennial reign of the Messiah, the ground of Israel will produce bountiful food (Jer. 31:12-14). Rain will be provided for all those who come up to Jerusalem to worship God during the Feast of Tabernacles (Zec. 14:16-18). After the thousand years, God will recreate the heavens and earth, and the tree of life will grow on both sides of the river of life. It will bear fruit each month which will be for the healing of the nations. (Rev. 22:1-3) The Feast of Tabernacles is a rehearsal for the millennial reign of the Messiah and the ultimate recreation of the heavens and the earth.

Second, this was a time when God Himself dwelt in the midst of their camp. The Tabernacle of God was literally right in the center of the camp. The pillar of cloud provided shelter during the day and the pillar of fire provided light during the night. When Jesus comes back, He will dwell in Jerusalem in the midst of the people. He will rule and reign with truth and righteousness. Isaiah describes Jerusalem after the final battle and restoration this way:

Isaiah 4:5-6 MKJV 5 And the LORD will create over all the site of Mount Zion, and on her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for on all the glory shall be a defense. 6 And there shall be a booth for a shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge, and for a hiding place from storm and rain.

This is a perfect description of the time Israel dwelt in the wilderness and God was in their midst.

This feast more than any others was to be observed with rejoicing. During the time of Jesus, the feast was a 24 hour a day seven day non-stop celebration. The temple was lit up with huge torches lighting up the entire countryside. Jerusalem was called the “Light of the World.” Jesus, our “Light of the World” will come and be the light from Jerusalem. When the earth is recreated and the heavenly Jerusalem comes down to join heaven to earth, there will be no need for light from the sun or the moon (Rev 21:22-23).

As we rejoice during the feast, we look forward to the return of Messiah and the redeemed who go up to Zion. Isaiah says, “Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return and come with singing into Zion; and everlasting joy shall be on their head. Gladness and joy shall overtake them; sorrow and mourning shall flee away (Is. 51:11) This will be a time of rejoicing such as never has been!

Let’s rehearse the joyful time when Jesus our Messiah will begin His reign on earth. Let’s look 1000 years beyond that to the new creation where death will be swallowed up in victory (1 Cor. 15:54)

שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

For this and other posts, please visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Thoughts on Yom Kippur

2011-10-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

What is this holiday of Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement? How is it different from Passover when Yeshua died? Since He makes atonement for us, why didn’t He die on Yom Kippur? All these questions are questions that I have had and after prayers and study, I finally saw the difference. Passover is the day of deliverance; God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt. He delivers us out of our bondage to sin

The everyday circumstances of life, the mortality and imperfections of their lives as well as the many ways they fell short in their efforts to live pleasing lives before God made them unclean. They needed atonement or protective covering before they could come into the presence of God without bursting into flames.

Leviticus 16:1-2 NKJV 1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the LORD, and died; 2 and the LORD said to Moses: "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

Even the Tabernacle of God needed a new atonement or protective covering each year so God could enter without the Tabernacle going up in flames!

Leviticus 16:16 NKJV 16 "So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

So, the high priest sacrifices a bull and its blood atones for himself and all the priests who are the family of Aaron. Under the cloud of incense, he brings the blood to the mercy seat of God sprinkling it seven times. Seven is number of fullness and completeness especially the number of spiritual completeness. The blood fully and completely atones or covers them for the year. But this also looks forward to the time of spiritual completion when atonement will be fully completed forever and not just for another year.

Yeshua died once for our sins but He is ever present in the Tabernacle of God as our eternal high priest making atonement for us. Let’s see how this is true.

Yeshua serves in the heavenly Tabernacle of which the earthly tabernacle is but a shadow.

Hebrews 8:4-5 NKJV 4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."

God’s throne is in the heavenly Tabernacle. Isaiah tells us that God’s dwelling place in the heavens is between the cherubim in the heavenly Tabernacle.

Isaiah 37:16 NKJV 16 "O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

Here on earth, the shadow of that throne was the mercy seat. There on the mercy seat, God came and met with His people.

Exodus 25:22 NKJV 22 "And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

Even now, Yeshua is the high priest making intercession or atonement for us.

Hebrews 7:25 NKJV 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

He is there at the right hand of the father on His throne in the heavenly tabernacle making atonement for us.

Romans 8:34 NKJV 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

This is an ongoing process! Even though we possess the hope of eternal life, in this world we are imperfect having mortal, corruptible bodies and frequently fall short in our efforts to love God by living lives pleasing to Him. John tells us that He is faithful and just forgiving us as we confess our sins to Him.

1 John 1:9 NKJV 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

He not only forgives us, He cleanses us so we can once again enter into the presence of God.

The high priest makes atonement for all the children of Israel after he makes atonement for himself and the entire priesthood. This atonement is by the unique two-goat offering. The offering comprises two identical goats, one marked for the LORD and the other marked for azazel or the wilderness. He kills the goat for the LORD and sprinkles the blood on the mercy seat and, then, mixed with the blood of the bull, he sprinkles it on the altar. After he finishes making atonement for the tabernacle, he leans on the head of the goat for azazel and confesses the sins of Israel over it.

Leviticus 16:20-21 NKJV 20 "And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 21 "Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man.

The goat bears the sins of the Israelites away into the wilderness never to return. This two goat offering represents Yeshua’s two comings. As the first goat, He brings atonement and ongoing intercession for us before the LORD. As the second goat, He finally, fully and completely removes our sins and uncleanness from us.

Psalms 103:11-12 NKJV 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far as He removed our transgressions from us.

When we receive our incorruptible bodies and the hope of eternal life, we will no longer need the continual atonement of Yeshua sprinkling His blood on the mercy seat for us. Instead there will be an end to our sins and mortality; the goat for azazel takes them away forever.

Hebrews 9:27-28 NKJV 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

So, we rejoice in the Passover because Yeshua died on Passover to save us from our sins. We spend Yom Kippur in affliction for our souls as we humble ourselves before God.

Leviticus 23:27 NKJV 27 "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.

We mourn for the times we have failed to hear and obey God’s voice. We offer thanks for Yeshua’s ever present intercession on our behalf. We dedicate anew our lives to be sanctified, set apart, for Him. Finally, we look forward to the time of His second coming when we will be like Him.

1 John 3:2 NKJV 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com and join us in our on-line study of the Feasts of the LORD.

Reason one for Christians to Observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement

2011-10-06T06:37:00.000-07:00

The Day of Atonement, or better known as Yom Kippur, is the one day a year when the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies. He entered the Holy of Holies to make atonement for Himself and his fellow priests and for the nation of Israel.

It falls on the tenth of Tishrei, ten days from the beginning of the two day Feast of Trumpets. This year, Tishrei ten is on Saturday October 8^th. One of the reasons to blow the trumpets was to remind God to have mercy on His people. Now, on the Day of Atonement, that will be put to the test. Will God come down and “sit” on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies or will He instead bring judgment? The ten days leading up to the Day of Atonement are called the Days of Awe, reminding of us of the awe in which we should hold God. They are intense days of spiritual introspection marked by reviewing one’s actions of the past year. It leads to sorrow for wrongs done to God and others, and repentance leading one back to walking in God’s ways.

On this day, God says that His people are to “afflict their souls.”

Leviticus 23:27 MKJV 27 Also, on the tenth of this seventh month, this is a day of atonement. It shall be a holy convocation to you. And you shall afflict your souls and offer a fire offering to the LORD.

This is interpreted as a full 24 hour fast, putting aside the needs and desires of the flesh and focusing totally on the spiritual, seeking God with all one’s heart.

As believers in Jesus as our Messiah, we know that we have attained mercy by His blood that He shed for us and that we are sealed for that final day of redemption.

Ephesians 1:13-14 MKJV 13 in whom also you, hearing the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, in whom also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the earnest of our inheritance, to the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Paul goes on to remind us that we must continue in the faith.

Colossians 1:21-23 MKJV 21 And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and without blame, and without charge in His sight, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard and which was proclaimed in all the creation under Heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister…

What does it mean to be grounded and settled? In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul expands on this theme.

Ephesians 4:30-32 MKJV 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed until the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and tumult and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.

On the Day of Atonement, Christians can also set aside the desires of flesh and participate in the Fast. How was our walk this year? Have we grown in our knowledge of God, in our faith and good deeds? Have we walked in the power of the Holy Spirit and allowed God to transform us into the image of His son?

Romans 12:2 MKJV 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

For our books, Bible study materials and teachings, visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Reason Four for Christians to Observe the Feast of Trumpets

2011-10-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

The sound of the shofar signals the beginning of the Day of the LORD.

Joel 2:1-2 MKJV 1 Blow a ram's horn in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble. For the day of the LORD comes, for it is near at hand; 2 a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread on the mountains; a great people and a strong people; there has not been ever the like, nor shall there ever be again, even to the years of many generations.

We learned in the previous blog that the shofar calls God to have mercy. He doesn’t want any to perish but rather that they come to repentance but those who won’t heed the call of the shofar will eventually face judgment.

Ezekiel 18:23 MKJV 23 Do I actually delight in the death of the wicked? says the Lord Jehovah. Is it not that he should turn from his ways and live?

Jesus speaks of that day calling it a day when the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.

Matthew 24:29 MKJV 29 And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

Daniel chapter 7 describes the Day of Judgment. The books will be opened.

Daniel 7:9-10 MKJV 9 I watched until the thrones were thrown up, and the Ancient of Days sat, whose robe was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool. His throne was like flames of fire, and His wheels like burning fire. 10 A stream of fire went out and came out from before Him. A thousand thousands served Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The judgment was set, and the books were opened.

Remember, that this is a 40 day season of repentance, starting with Elul 1, 30 days before the Feast of Trumpets. The final ten days from the Feast of Trumpets to the tenth of Tishrei are called the Days of Awe. And the tenth of Tishrei just happens to be the Day of Atonement. Jewish tradition says that the books of life and death are opened on the Feast of Trumpets to determine one’s fate for the coming year. The sentence is pronounced on the Feast of Trumpets but God in His mercy leaves the books open until the Day of Atonement when they are sealed and judgment for life or death begins. So the Days of Awe are days of intense spiritual introspection.

As believers, we know that our names are written in the Book of Life and we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NKJV 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

So, Daniel 7:10 is on the Feast of Trumpets, the books are still open. When the shofar blows we are reminded that God will not delay His judgment forever. He is the righteous judge and He sends His son to render judgment on the earth.

Jeremiah 33:14-15 NKJV 14 'Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah: 15 'In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

When we celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, we look forward to the millennial reign of the Messiah when He will rule and the land will have peace.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Please visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Online Feasts of the LORD Bible study now available.

2011-10-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

To all our friends who follow Moed Torah,

Brenda and I are hosting/teaching a special online study of the Feasts of the LORD and YOU can participate! This is a detailed, in-depth study of the Feasts spelled out in Leviticus chapter 23. This foundational study consists of 12 sessions, approx. 1.5 hours each and is held each Friday night, in our home in Auburn WA. We are recording each session, both audio and video and making these sessions available on the internet linked directly from the home page of our web site within 48 hours of the actual session.

What are the Feasts:

The story of the Messiah was given to us, by God 1500 years before Yeshua's birth! Yeshua told us that all the scriptures spoke of Him. Leviticus 23:1-2 says "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the Children of Israel, and say to them: "The Feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My Feasts." The Hebrew words for convocations and feasts tell us that these are God's divine appointments! Surely, something this important would speak about Yeshua the Messiah! And they do!

All the Feasts of the LORD speak about the character of God and the details of His salvation plan instituted from the creation of the world. In this study, we will learn what exciting events are yet to come on these set apart feast days and how we are to be watchful for these events.

We will see God's salvation message in the cycle of the feasts and His plan for how to live each day. The Feasts of the LORD have an exciting message for you and we would love to share it with you. You can purchase the student workbook for this study on our web site at www.moedministries.com, from the home page, click on the "Feast Study" menu button. The workbook is at a special pre-publication price of just $10.00 ea. Your questions and feedback will be handled via email with most answers also put on the next available video/audio podcast for all participants to benefit. We hope that you will take advantage of this in-depth study. It will give you the strong foundation you need for further Torah study. And those of us who have been around for a while can use a review now and then. Any questions? Email us at moedtorah@comcast.net

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Moed Ministries

Reason Three for Christians to Celebrate the Feast of Trumpets

2011-10-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

(This essay is part of our book titled “Reasons for Christians to Celebrate the Biblical Feasts.” It is available from Amazon.com and on our web site at www.moedministries.com. This series of essays is designed to give the Christian an understanding of the Biblical Feasts and how they are connected to Jesus the Messiah.)

The sound of the shofar signals the beginning of the Day of the LORD.

Joel 2:1-2 MKJV Blow a ram’s horn in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble. For the day of the LORD comes, for it is near at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread on the mountains; a great people and a strong people; there has not been ever the like, nor shall there ever be again, even to the years of many generations.

We learned earlier that the shofar calls God to have mercy. He doesn’t want any to perish but would rather that they come to repentance, but those who won’t heed the call of the shofar will eventually face judgment.

Ezekiel 18:23 MKJV Do I actually delight in the death of the wicked? Says the Lord Jehovah. Is it not that he should turn from his ways and live?

Jesus speaks of that day calling it a day when the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.

Matthew 24:29 MKJV And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

Daniel chapter 7 describes the Day of Judgment. The books will be opened.

Daniel 7:9-10 MKJV I watched until the thrones were thrown up, and the Ancient of Days sat, whose robe was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool. His throne was like flames of fire, and His wheels like burning fire. A stream of fire went out and came out from before Him. A thousand thousands served Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The judgment was set, and the books were opened.

Remember, that this is a forty day season of repentance, starting with Elul 1, thirty days before the Feast of Trumpets. The final ten days from the Feast of Trumpets to the tenth of Tishrei are called the Days of Awe. And the tenth of Tishrei just happens to be Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Jewish tradition says that the books of life and death are opened on the Feast of Trumpets to determine one’s fate for the coming year. The sentence is pronounced on the Feast of Trumpets but God in His mercy leaves the books open until the Day of Atonement when they are sealed and judgment for life or death begins. So, the Days of Awe are days of intense spiritual introspection.

As believers, we know that our names are written in the Book of Life and we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NKJV Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

So, Daniel 7:10 is on the Feast of Trumpets and the books are still open. When the shofar blows we are reminded that God will not delay His judgment forever. He is the righteous judge and He sends His son to render judgment on the earth.

Jeremiah 33:14-15 NKJV ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah: ‘In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

When we celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, we look forward to the millennial reign of the Messiah when He will rule and the land will have peace.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be Blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Reason Two for Christians to Observe the Feast of Trumpets

2011-09-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

The Feast of Trumpets is one of the seven Feasts of the LORD spoken of in Leviticus chapter 23.

Leviticus 23:1-2 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim, holy convocations, even these are My appointed feasts. (MKJV)

The Feast days belong to God. He says in this passage that they are “My appointed feasts.” They are not just for the Jewish people to observe, but for all who call on the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Like all the Feasts of the LORD, the Feast of Trumpets is to be observed with a holy convocation.

The watchman blows a shofar to call the nation to repentance. The shofar is a trumpet made of a ram’s horn. God appointed Ezekiel as a watchman over the house of Israel. He was to warn them of their error and call them to repentance. If the watchman did not warn, he would be held accountable for those who were lost in their sins.

Ezekiel 33:6 MKJV 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming, and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned; if the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity. But I will require his blood at the watchman's hand.

This time of year starting one month before the Feast of Trumpets on the first of Elul is observed as a time of repentance and return to God. It coincides with Moses’ second forty days on Mt. Sinai during which he achieved the atonement for Israel’s sin of worshiping the golden calf.

On the Feast of Trumpets, the shofar is blown 100 times in a series of blasts consisting of three different sounds. The first is the tekia, a long blast of alarm, the second is the shavirim, three medium blasts of wailing. The last type is the teruah, nine short blasts like a broken sob. The alarm is sounded for the repentance, return, and mourning for sins committed.

Like John the Baptist called for the people to repent and return making the way for Jesus, we need to call for repentance and return to make the way for the return of Jesus.

Matthew 3:1-3 MKJV 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make His path straight."

Paul warns us Gentiles not be puffed up in our pride that we were grafted into Israel while many of the natural branches were cut off.

Romans 11:21-22 MKJV 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, fear lest He also may not spare you either! 22 Behold then the kindness, and the severity of God; on those having fallen, severity; but on you, kindness, if you continue in the kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

He then goes on to call us to live holy lives as of a sacrifice dedicated entirely to God.

Romans 12:1 MKJV 1 I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

The Feast of Trumpets is a call to remember God and to live lives that bring honor and glory to Him.

Matthew 5:14-16 MKJV 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the grain-measure, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.

As we gather together on the Feast of Trumpets and hear the shofar sound out our cry of mourning for all the ways we have fallen short, we have confidence that He hears our cries and forgives.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and Be Blessed,

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Please visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Reason One for Christians to Celebrate the Feast of Trumpets

2011-09-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Feast of Trumpets is one of the seven Feasts of the LORD spoken of in Leviticus chapter 23.

The Feast days belong to God. He says in this passage that they are “My appointed feasts.” They are not just for the Jewish people to observe, but for all who call on the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Sept. 28th at local sunset is the first day of the month of Tishrei and the Feast of Trumpets. The Bible tells us that this day is to be a memorial of blowing trumpets or the shofar. (Lev. 23:24) The shofar is a trumpet made of a ram’s horn.

Like all the Feasts of the LORD, it is a Mo’ed, an appointed time, which is to be observed with a holy convocation. The word for convocation is migra’ which can also be translated as a dress rehearsal. The Feast of Trumpets is an appointed time for the rehearsal of the coming of our King. The Feast of Trumpets looks back to God as king and creator of the universe and forward to the crowning of Jesus as priest and king.

The Jewish sages tell us that one reason to blow the shofar is to remember that God is King. In fact, the Jewish people believe that Adam was created on this day which is why this is also the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah). When we blow the shofar on the Feast of Trumpets, we re-enthrone God as King in our lives.

Psalms 47:1-9 MKJV 1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Clap your hand, all you peoples; shout to God with the voice of triumph. 2 For the LORD Most High is awesome, a great king over all the earth. 3 He shall humble the peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4 He shall choose our inheritance for us, the majesty of Jacob whom He loved. Selah. 5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our King, sing praise. 7 For God is King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding. 8 God reigns over the nations, God sits on the throne of His holiness. 9 The rulers of the peoples are gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham; for the shields of the earth are God's; He is lifted up on high.

In the kingdom of Judah, the kings were enthroned on the Feast of Trumpets to the sound of the shofars. The shofars will sound once again to enthrone a new King of Israel. Yeshua son of David will take His throne. Zechariah spoke of that day calling him the BRANCH.

Zechariah 6:11-13 MKJV 11 And take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 And speak to him, saying, So speaks the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the Man whose name is The BRANCH! And He shall spring up out of His place, and He shall build the temple of the LORD. 13 Even He shall build the temple of the LORD; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne. And He shall be a priest on His throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

The Feast of Trumpets is an appointed day to deliberately remember that God is the ultimate King and that His son Jesus is coming to rule and reign for one thousand years. Let’s rehearse this joyful even together.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

The Feast of Trumpets begins at local sunset 9-28-2011

2011-09-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight at local sunset beginsthe Feast of Trumpets. AKA, Yom Teruah, Rosh Hashanah, etc. This feast launchesthe 21 day cycle of the Fall feasts. Think about this in relation to Yeshua's2nd coming: It is the only feast that takes place on the first day of the month. As suchno one knows the exact day it will arrive.

Inancient times, the new month began with the announcement of the sighting of thenew moon. So it wasn't known which of two or possibly three days that it wouldhappen. Since it is a high Sabbath, preparations must be made ahead of time. Food is prepared and the table is made readyfor family and invited guests. But if the new moon is not sighted, then theFeast is put off for one more day.

On thisFeast, the shofar (Ram's horn) is blown 100 times at the announcement of thestart of the Feast. The last blast of the shofar was known as the "lasttrump" and no one knew the exact day or hour that the shofar, and thereforethe "last trump" would be blown. In light of this custom in place at the timeof Yeshua, and practiced for 1500 years since the time of Moses, read againthis scripture: 1Co 15:52 "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the lasttrump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,and we shall be changed." Now this and other such scriptures make sense!

We do notknow the day or hour of His return, but we do know the season. He has given usHis Feasts, His moedim to discern the seasons. Yeshua fulfilled the SpringFeasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and the Feast of Weeks inHis first coming to the day and the hour. His second coming is foretold is thefall feasts of Trumpets, the Day of Atonements, and Tabernacles. He willfulfill these as well to the day and the hour!

ShanahTovah and Be Blessed

DanCathcart

What does it mean to have your name “Written in the Earth”?

2011-08-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

(This is an update of an older blog post from two years ago. Several people have asked me about this subject this week, so I thought I would re-post it here for your enjoyment.)

John 8:2-11 tells the story of Jesus being confronted by the Pharisees and teachers of the law with a woman caught in adultery. When questioned about what He would do, Jesus stooped down and wrote in the earth. When they continued to question him, He stood and replied that the one without sin should throw the first stone. He then bent down and resumed writing in the earth. We can figure out what Jesus probably wrote by looking at the context of the incident.

John’s Gospel records that this incident occurred after the last day of the feast. The Feast itself is seven days long with the eighth day a special Sabbath day of rest added on the end.

John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. (NKJV)

John 8:2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. (NKJV)

The theme of the Feast of Tabernacles is to rejoice.

Deut. 16:14 "And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. (NKJV)

Jesus’ very name is also significant in the context of this ceremony. The name Jesus is really a transliteration of the Greek Iesous which is a transliteration of the Hebrew Yeshua. Jesus’ Hebrew name, the name He was born with is Yeshua. The closest English name to Yeshua is Joshua.

Yeshua: #3442 ישוע yay-shoo'-ah, shortened version of Yehosua (3091); he will save

Joshua: #3091;יהושוע Yehoshua: the LORD saves

Matthew tells us that Yeshua received His name because He would save His people from their sins; He would be their salvation.

Matthew 1:21 NKJV 21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS (Yeshua), for He will save His people from their sins."

When we look at the word for salvation in Isaiah 12:3, we see that it is the same Hebrew word but in a different tense.

Salvation: #3444. ישועה yesh-oo'-aw something saved, salvation

Yeshua was declaring that He, whose very name means salvation, was the Messiah! The prophet Jeremiah refer to God’s salvation as a fountain living waters.

Jer 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water. (NKJV)

Yeshua’s declaration was not lost on the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. They sought to test Him so they could at the very least discredit Him with the people. The incident with the woman caught in adultery occurred the very next day called Shemini Atzerat, the assembly of the eighth day observed as the Sabbath conclusion to the Feast of Tabernacles. The rejoicing on the 8^th day takes the form of the Torah itself rejoicing in God’s salvation. It was a day for studying the scriptures, teaching one’s disciples, holding discussions among the Rabbis and dancing through the temple with the Torah scroll itself. The Pharisees and teachers of the Law came to Jesus on this day with the intent to trap him. In doing so, they themselves were violating the Law on at least two points; (1) they only brought the woman for judgment (See Lev. 20:10) and (2) they didn’t bring the witnesses (See Deuteronomy 19:15.)

A third violation is that in Jewish civil law, only the Great Sanhedrin could try a capital case. Since the Sanhedrin was not meeting, no capital cases could be tried. Further, they violated the intent of the rejoicing of the Torah by breaking the Sabbath. On this day on which the Torah itself is said to be rejoicing, they grieved both the written Torah by breaking its commandments and the Living Torah of Yeshua by subverting the Torah to their own ends.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law were at that very moment sinning! When Yeshua says, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." (John 8:7) and then stooped down and continued to write on the ground (v. 8), what could Jesus have written in the earth that would cause them to eventually acknowledge that they were sinning?

Jeremiah 17:13 speaks to all of these issues.

O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. "Those who depart from Me Shall be written in the earth, Because they have forsaken the LORD, The fountain of living waters." (NKJV)

Yeshua had just the previous day declared that He was the Messiah. All the people celebrated the ceremony of water pouring rejoicing in the “fountain of living waters” each day during the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles so this verse in Jeremiah would be well known to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. Perhaps Yeshua was writing this very verse, or their names as he bent to write in the earth.

One of the themes for the feasts of Trumpets and Yom Kippur, the two feasts that lead up to the Feast of Tabernacles, was examining one’s life to ensure that one’s name is written in the Book of Life and not the Book of Death for coming year. The rejoicing at the Feast of Tabernacles is in God’s salvation; that is of being written in the Book of Life. Being written in the earth was the opposite of being written in the Book of Life.

Once again, Yeshua proved Himself as the Messiah executing righteousness and judgment.

Yeshua Himself said that He came to call the sinners to repentance but when He comes again, it will be for salvation for those who love Him and judgment for those who don’t.

John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (NKJV)

שלום ברוך

Shalom and Be Blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

A more extensive lesson on this passage of scripture is available in Volume 1 of “Shadows of the Messiah in the Torah” Bible Study series available on our web site at www.moedministries.com.

Hear O Israel: Bear Witness to the LORD your God!

2011-08-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

The Torah portion read this last Shabbat called Va’etchanan, contains the passage of scripture known as the Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NKJV 4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

This is the very scripture that Yeshua (Jesus) quotes when a Pharisee asks Him what the greatest commandment is.

Matthew 22:34-38 NKJV 34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37 Jesus said to him," 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 "This is the first and great commandment.

This passage of scripture in Deuteronomy contains one of those jots and tittles that Yeshua said would not pass from His word. Jots and tittles are not translated or shown in our English translations of the Bible. Jots and tittles are anomalies in the text. They take the form of enlarged letters, shrunken letters, letters written backwards or missing or added letters as in deliberate misspellings of words, gaps in the text, etc. Take a look at the greatest commandment as it appears in Hebrew in a Torah scroll with the jots and tittles intact.

שמע ישראל יהוה אלהינו יהוה אחד

This is the first part of Deuteronomy 6:4 which translated to English is:

Hear O Israel the LORD our God, the LORD is one!

You will notice the two enlarged letters in this verse. They are the Ayin ע and the Dalet ד. (Hebrew is read right to left). These two letters taken together spell another Hebrew word, eyd עד. It is defined in the Strong’s Dictionary as:

#5707. עד `ed, ayd contracted from 5749 ; concretely, a witness; abstractly, testimony; specifically, a recorder, i.e. prince:--witness.

In the ancient Hebrew, the letters were represented by pictographs and form a picture of the meaning of words.

Hebrew word picture: Witness: ayd: עד (Hebrew reads right to left)

Ayin: ע = eye, to see

Dalet: ד = Door, pathway

Witness means to see the door or pathway.

This word, עד shares a common primitive root word with:

#5712 עדה `edah, ay-daw' feminine of 5707 in the original sense of fixture; a stated assemblage (specifically, a concourse, or generally, a family or crowd):--assembly, company, congregation, multitude, people, swarm. Compare 5713.

#5713. עדה `edah, ay-daw' feminine of 5707 in its technical sense; testimony:-- testimony, witness. Compare 5712.

Hebrew word picture for Testimony: עדה ay-daw:

Ayin: ע = eye, to see

Dalet: ד = Door, pathway

Hey: ה = Behold, reveal, to see

Testimony is what comes from seeing the pathway.

The root of these words is from #5749:

#5749. עוד `uwd, ood a primitive root; to duplicate or repeat; by implication, to protest, testify (as by reiteration); intensively, to encompass, restore (as a sort of reduplication):--admonish, charge, earnestly, lift up, protest, call (take) to record, relieve, rob, solemnly, stand upright, testify, give warning, (bear, call to, give, take to) witness.

Eyd עד, along with these other words, take on the meanings of the primitive root and gives added depth to the scriptures in which they appear. The jot and tittle of the enlarged letters here in Deuteronomy 6:4, means that one is to take special note of them in relation to this scripture. In continuing on in the Deuteronomy passage in chapter 6, it says:

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NKJV 6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

These words of the Shema are the heart and soul of daily Jewish life. They comprise a prayer that is recited the very first thing when one awakes in the morning and is the last words when one retires for the night. This is the first prayer and words of scripture that Jewish children are taught from the moment they can speak. In verse 8 it says: "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” This is taken literally and a small box containing this very scripture is attached to one’s left hand and on one’s forehead, what is known as tefillin, when engaged in ritual prayers.

In verse 9 it says: "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” A mezuzah, which literally means doorpost, is placed on the doorpost of one’s house and gates. The mezuzah contains a tiny scroll with the words of the Shema written on it. And when one is sitting in one’s home and traveling from place to place, one is to speak of these words to others whom we meet along the way.

The greatest commandment is to “love the LORD our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength.” And in doing so, we bear witness of the prince to the congregation, the multitude of people we meet along our way. Peter said we are to speak these words as a testimony of the death and resurrection of Messiah Yeshua, as a way to lift up the Prince of Life.

Acts 3:15 NKJV And killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

The Hebrew Letter ג Gimel

2011-08-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

The 3^rd letter of the Hebrew Alphabet is the Gimel ג. The name of this letter גמל is also a word that describes one of its meanings, camel. And as a number, the ג gimel represents the number three and means to lift up or to benefit. Like many Hebrew words and letters גמל can have a number of meanings depending on the context in which it is used. In the Torah scrolls and other ancient Hebrew documents from antiquity, there were no vowel markings to indicate the varying pronunciations, and therefore, meanings of words. Meanings are implied by context.

As an example, take the English words “boat” and “bat”. If we were to write both of these words without the vowels, we would get “bt” in both cases. How is a reader to know which of these two words is intended by the author if a sentence in which they are used contains no or limited vowels as in these examples?

“I wnt fr a crz n mi bt tda” (I went for a cruise in my boat today)

“I swng the bt wll in the gm” (I swung the bat well in the game)

The answer is context, context, context! It is fairly easy to read these sentences without vowels. We just put the missing vowels in as we read them because we understand not only the immediate context of the intended word where the “bt” is used, but also we have a cultural context that we consider in making our choice. Someone from 18^th century America may not understand the cultural context of the reference to baseball in the example using “bat” and may be prone to misinterpret what “bt” means. In these examples, the pronunciation of the two words, spelled identically as “bt” are different based on these types of contextual considerations. The same thing is true of the Hebrew text when no vowel markings are present. This is one of the major difficulties in translating Hebrew to English. We not only have linguistic challenges, but we are faced with historic and cultural factors as well.

Getting back to our letter ג. Here are two examples of different words all spelled the same but pronounced differently and having different meanings:

גמל pronounced “Gimel” is the name of the third letter of the Hebrew Alphabet.

גמל pronounced “Gamal” is a “Camel”, the “horse” of the desert.

These two words are spelled exactly the same way גמל in ancient texts. We have to be able to understand these ancient documents in their historic and cultural context in order to properly interpret and translate the intentions of the author. Let me give you a classic example. We are all familiar with the story of the young, rich man who asks Yeshua what he must do to enter the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 19:21-24 NKJV 21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 "And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

The word translated as “camel” here is from the Greek manuscripts “kamelos” kam'-ay-los which is of Hebrew origin. In other words, it is a transliteration of a Hebrew or Aramaic word that is spelled using Greek letters, and as such did not exist in the Greek language of that time.

#2574. kamelos, kam'-ay-los of Hebrew origin (1581); a "camel":--camel.

#1581. גמל gamal, gaw-mawl' from 1580 (in the sense of labor or burden-bearing); a camel:--camel.

#1580. גמל gamal, gaw-mal' a primitive root; to treat a person (well or ill), i.e. benefit or requite; by implication (of toil), to ripen, i.e. (specifically) to wean:--bestow on, deal bountifully, do (good), recompense, requite, reward, ripen, + serve, mean, yield.

We see many different definitions of the word גמל as “gamal”. Which definition, and therefore which translation, is correct depends on the context of the passage of scripture being read or translated. This word is used in Psalms 119:17 and translated as “bountifully."

Psalms 119:17 NKJV Deal bountifully (גמל) with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.

In other places in scripture גמל (gamal) is translated as “weaned” as in a child being weaned. As “Recompense”, “requite”, to “yield”, to render “punishment” and to “benefit”. But most often it is used in the context of direct reference to camel or camels (ie beasts of burden).

But what is this phrase about a camel going through the eye of a needle as in the Matthew passage above? It really doesn’t make much sense in the overall context. I have heard many explanations for this odd passage, the most common is that the “eye of a needle” refers to a small gate at the entrance to a city where a traveler would have to “unload” his camel in order to get himself and his stuff through the small opening. There is a major problem with this explanation. There is no verifiable historic evidence that such a small gate was ever called the “eye of a needle” at the time of the writing of this gospel account! Secondly, the implication of this common English translation is that the rich man could keep his possessions in the Kingdom of God. That he doesn’t really loose, or need to “sell” his riches, he just has to get them through the gate. This is a contradiction with Yeshua’s very words in verse 21 where the rich man is told to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor and not keep them.

The key to understanding this verse is to look at the Aramaic word that is spelled exactly the same as the Hebrew word for camel.

גמל pronounced “Gamala” is of Aramaic origin and means “heavy rope” (Aramaic is a closely related language to Hebrew and shares the same alphabet with Hebrew. Much the same as Spanish and Italian today share a common alphabet and many common root words.)

(There is strong textual and historic evidence that a majority of the New Testament documents were originally written in Aramaic or a combination of Aramaic and Hebrew. The exploration of this will be done at a later time. See Hebrew Origins of New Testament Scripture on this blog)

The word גמל (gamala) in the Aramaic manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew as well as the Hebrew manuscripts known to exist, are the same. But when we use this Aramaic meaning of גמל, in Matthew 19:24, and translate it as “heavy rope” the entire passage begins to makes much more sense. Especially since one must reconcile the seeming contradiction between verses 21 and 24.

With this Aramaic word in mind, we have a picture of two things here, a heavy rope and the eye of an actual needle, both of which are being used by Yeshua as a kind of metaphor to illustrate His teaching. Can a large heavy rope go through the eye of a needle? The answer is yes, but only after it is unwound or unraveled. This is just as Yeshua answered the rich man in verse 21, “go and sell your possessions, give the proceeds to the poor and follow me.” The rich man must “unravel” his life; he must remove the very thing that is holding him down to this world. This is the lesson that Yeshua was teaching his disciples.

So, with that said, what does this have to do with the letter ג gimel? In the ancient form of Hebrew, the gimel was a pictographic symbol resembling a camel or beast of burden. The modern symbol looks something like a man walking slightly bent over as if carrying a load. And as we see from the definitions above, the letter by itself can mean “benefit” or to “lift up.” Like the rich man of Matthew 19, we carry burdens in this life. We collect things; we have possessions that tie us down when we put a misplaced pride in them. We carry emotional and spiritual burdens that can be an even greater hindrance to our relationship to God. Yeshua said in the gospel of John:

John 12:32 NKJV 32 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."

He also said in Matthew:

Matthew 11:29-30 NKJV 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

When we lift Him up we receive redemption. Take a look at the Hebrew word for redeem:

#1350. גאל ga'al, gaw-al' a primitive root, to redeem, i.e. to be the next of kin, deliver, purchase, ransom, redeem(-er), revenger.

The word picture for ga’al, or redeem

ג = To lift up, benefit

א = Strength, leader, first

ל = Control, authority, shepherd

The last two letters of ga’al are אל = Strong leader, or a shortened name of God, pronounced “El”

When combined with the fires letter, the gimel we get גאל = Ga’al = To lift up the strong leader or the shepherd or God

When we lift up God, we are redeemed!

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Tish B’Av, (the 9th of Av) a National Day of Fasting

2011-08-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow August 9^th 2011 is also the 9^th of Av on the Biblical calendar. In Judaism, this is considered a great day of tragedy in Jewish history. It is one of 4 additional fast days other than the one mentioned in scripture, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonements. The fast of Tish B’Av involves restrictions including no eating, drinking, washing, use of cosmetics, and marital relations. Leather shoes are not worn. Torah study is restricted to topics connected with the Destruction of the Temples, prophecies of rebuke and such because the study of the Torah is normally considered a great joy. Sitting on chairs is not permitted until the afternoon, and the wearing of Tefillin and Tallit are only at the mincha (afternoon) service.

In Jewish tradition, the hour before the start of Tisha B'Av, one hour before local sunset, is marked by a “mourning meal,” consisting only of a hard-boiled egg dipped in ashes, bread, and water. It is usually eaten while sitting on low stools or on the floor, with each person sitting alone in a different corner of the room.

The regular evening prayer service is followed by the reading aloud the book of Lamentations, in a traditional mournful melody.

Events on Tish B’Av in Jewish history.

· God decreed, following the Sin of the Spies as recounted in Numbers 13-14, that the Children of Israel would not be allowed to enter the Land of Israel until the entire generation had died out.

· The 1^st Temple was destroyed in 586 BCE.

· The 2^nd Temple was destroyed in 70 CE

· The fortress of Beitar, the last fortress to hold out during the Bar Kochba revolt in the year 135 C.E., fell to the Romans.

· A year later, the Temple area was completely leveled, leaving no trace of the 2^nd Temple. This marked the last time the Jews had control of the Temple mount until it was retaken in the 6 Day War of 1967.

· In 1290, the Jews of England were kicked out by King Edward 1^st. The expulsion was revoked in 1656

· In 1492 the Jews of Spain were expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella at the height of the Spanish Inquisition which was not abolished until 1834.

· World War I erupted in 1914, setting the stage for World War II and the Holocaust.

· The official documents detailing the “Final Solution” were signed by Adolph Hitler in 1942.

· On the same day, the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka death camp began.

· The Jews of Gush Katif spent their last legal day in their homes on this day in 2005, and were forcibly expelled three days later. Since then, over 8000 rocket and mortar attacks have been fired from the Gaza Strip against the civilian population of the Southern Negev.

Despite the sadness of the day, the saddest part of the regular daily prayers - tachanun - is not recited, in the anticipation of the final joyous Redemption that will render Tisha B'Av a day of joy. It says in Zachariah that all of the fast days will be turned into feast days and men from every nation will join them and worship the LORD in Jerusalem.

Zechariah 8:19-23 NKJV 19 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.' 20 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities; 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, "Let us continue to go and pray before the LORD, And seek the LORD of hosts. I myself will go also." 22 Yes, many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before the LORD.' 23 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."

The Sabbath following Tish B’Av is called Shabbat Nachamu, the Sabbath of Consolation. The Torah Portion for this day is called Va’etchanan and includes the reading of the Sh’ma from Deuteronomy 6:4-9. When Messiah Yeshua was asked what the greatest commandment was in Matthew 22:36-38, He quoted the Sh’ma. The Haftarah reading is from Isaiah 40:1-26 and it speaks of comforting God’s people. It is the first of seven Haftarah readings speaking of comforting leading up to the fall feast of Rosh Hashanah, the New Year.

We can join our Jewish brothers and sisters in this day of fasting, sitting with them in remembering the great tragedies in history in anticipation of the great joy that will take place at the return of Messiah. For when we stand (or sit) with the Jewish people, we are standing with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as a light to the Nations.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

The Biblical Month of Av.

2011-08-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today, August 1st 2011 begins the important month of Av.

Nu 33:38 And Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the LORD and died there, in the fortieth year after the sons of Israel had come up out of the land of Egypt, in the first of the fifth month. (MKJV)

The biblical month of Av begins with a significant event in history, the death of Aaron, the first High Priest of Israel. The death of Aaron, was perhaps a signal that this month would be a month of tragedy throughout most of Jewish History.

The name of the month "Av" like all the other names of months in the Hebrew Calendar, was changed after the exile in Babylonia. (As a matter of fact, only two of the original names are recorded in scripture.) "Av" means "father." In the name "Menachem Av," "The One Who comforts, the Av," could refer to Hashem, Who is called the Father, He is the one who comforts His people for all the tragedies that were suffered in the month of Av throughout history.

The period beginning with "Shiva Asar B'Tammuz," "17 Tammuz," and ending in "Tisha B'Av," "9 Av" is known as the period of "Bein HaMetzarim," "Between the Straits," or “Dire Straights” are days of historic trouble and tragedy for the Jewish People.

The most important event in history, the one that started it all is the report from the 12 spies that went to the promised land to see what was there. They reported back that they could not defeat the inhabitants of the land. For their disbelief, the entire generation that came out of Egypt would die in the wilderness. Only their children would enter the promised land. This became a type of exile and the pattern would be repeated again and again throughout history.

Here are some of the other significant events that occurred on the 9th of Av.

587 BCE The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians under the rulership of Nebuchadnezzar.

70 CE The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans under the leadership of Titus.

135 CE The Romans conquered Bar Kochba's last fortress, Betar, and destroyed his army. The Roman Emperor Hadrian turned Jerusalem into a Roman city, changing its name and killing or expelling all the Jews.

1290 King Edward the1st of England signed an edict expelling all Jews from England.

1492 Jews were expelled from Spain.

1670 The last Jews left Vienna, following expulsion orders.

1914 World War I began (Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914).

1940 Himler presented his plan for the "Final Solution" to the Jewish problem to the Nazi Party.

1942 Nazis began deporting of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto

2005 Gaza was abandoned by Israel and over 8000 rockets have rained down on Israel since.

The first of Av begins a 9 day period of more intense mourning. Jewish traditions are varied for the observance of this 9 day period and include: Not cutting one’s hair, abstaining from meat, not washing cloths and especially not studying Torah (9th only). All of these things are considered to be joyous and are not practiced during a time of mourning. Another interesting custom in some circles is that if the 9th of Av falls on a Sabbath, the fast is postponed to Sunday and the blessing of the wine is done on Sunday night. The Sabbath is also a joyous festival and is not observed in the usual way during a time of mourning.

Tisha B’Av is the only other full day fast aside from Yom Kippur. The last meal is eaten before sunset on the 8th of Av and usually is comprised of round foods to symbolize the cycles of life.
Seven days after Tisha B’Av is Tu B’Av or the 15th of Av. This day is observed as a joyous celebration and is similar to the ending of the mourning period after the death of a loved one. According to some rabbis, this minor holiday of Tu B’Av is celebrated in a similar way as Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement where atonement was made and forgiveness was granted for the sin of the golden calf. Tu B’Av marks the end of the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and is symbolic of the ending of the shiva, or the seven days of mourning for the generation who died in the wilderness.

All of this will change in the millennium, when Yeshua returns. Tisha B’Av along with the other fast days will be turned into feast days!

Zec 8:18 And the word of the LORD of hosts came unto me, saying, 19 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace. {feasts: or, solemn, or, set times} (KJV)

No longer will mourning be necessary. Yeshua will rule from Jerusalem and the nations will come up to the mountain of the LORD.

Isaiah 2:3 NKJV 3 Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

שלום ברוך
Shalom and be blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

The Names of the First Five Books of the Bible

2011-07-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Torah, the first five books of the Bible, is the foundation of all that follows. And every word of the Bible is important. In Hebrew even the names of the books within the Bible are important. But they are different in our English Bible translations and as such we miss their significance. The translators, over the centuries, didn’t just take the original Hebrew names of these books and translate them, they changed the names to reflect what they thought was the subject of the book. This changed the cultural and linguistic understanding of these important writings. In the Hebrew Bible, the names of these books are derived from a word or phrase within the first verse. In Hebrew names are an important part of the culture and language. In the Bible, the meaning of names is part of the substance of the narrative which contains them. So let’s look at the Hebrew names of the first five books of the Bible and see what they mean.

Genesis

The book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible is called בראשית “Bresheet”, which means “in the beginning.” “In the beginning” would be a rather strange title in the English language and culture, as well as many other Western cultures, but it makes perfect sense in Hebrew.

#7225 in the Strong’s Dictionary. ראשית re'shiyth, ray-sheeth' from the same as #7218; the first, in place, time, order or rank (specifically, a firstfruit):--beginning, chief(-est), first(-fruits, part, time), principal thing.

By adding the letter beit (ב) to the beginning of the word, it ads the meaning “in” or “into,” hence it is translated as “in the beginning.”

Exodus

Exodus, is just that, the story of the Exodus. But the Hebrew name is Shemot, שמות which means “names.” Shemot is derived from the root word שמ shem.

#8034. שמ shem, a primitive word (perhaps rather from #7760 through the idea of definite and conspicuous position; compare #8064); an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character:--+ base, (in-)fame(-ous), name, renown, report.

By adding the letters vav and tav ות to the end of the word, it becomes a plural form, names שמות.

Leviticus

Leviticus is in the Hebrew Bible the book of ויקרא Viyikra which means “called out.”

#7121. קרא qara', kaw-raw'. A primitive root. To call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications):--bewray (self), that are bidden, call (for, forth, self, upon), cry (unto), (be) famous, guest, invite, mention, (give) name, preach, (make) proclaim(- ation), pronounce, publish, read, renowned, say.

By adding a Vav and a yood וי to the beginning of קרא, we get ויקרא vayikra which means “he called” or in the context of the verse, “the LORD called out.”

Numbers

When we think of the book of numbers, that is exactly what we think of, long lists of numbers. The book starts out with a census and contains an accounting of the generations of the children of Israel. Name after name, list after list, story after story, the book of Numbers reads like an accountant’s ledger. But it is really about their time in the wilderness which is the Hebrew name for this book, במבר, Bamidbar.

#4057. מבר midbar, mid-bawr' from #1696 in the sense of driving; a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs):--desert, south, speech, wilderness.

Again, as with Bresheet, by adding the letter beit ב to the beginning of the word, we get במבר Bamidbar “in the wilderness.”

Deuteronomy

The last book of the Torah is Deuteronomy. The name Deuteronomy is of Greek origin and literally means “second words”, referring to this book being a restatement of the “nomos,” or the law. In Hebrew this book is called דברים Devarim. It comes from the word דבר dabar.

#1697. דבר dabar, daw-bawr' from #1696; a word; by implication, a (spoken) matter or thing; manner, matter, message, oracle, saying, sentence, song, speech, talk, task, tidings, word, work.

Adding the yood and a mem ים to the end of דבר we get a plural form, דברים Devarim. In this word the letter beit ב is pronounced with a “v” sound. Devarim opens with “These are the words that Moses spoke…” The words are those of God. They are God's words, God's law, God's Torah! So what is the combined meaning of the Hebrew names of these books, the Torah of God?

In the beginning / these are the names / the LORD called out / in the wilderness / and these are His words.

The first five books of the Bible are collectively known as the Torah in Hebrew. The word Torah is most often translated in English as “law” which is derived primarily from the Greek “nomos.” Torah, in turn, comes from the Hebrew word ירה yarah.

#3384. ירה yarah, yaw-raw' a primitive root; to point out (as if by aiming the finger or in archery, aiming an arrow), to teach, direct, inform, instruct (ion), lay, teaching.

But, as we see here, Torah is far more than mere law as we would understand it in English. Torah is literally an “instruction” or “teaching.” The Torah was given to the Children of Israel and the mixed multitude with them, after their redemption from Egypt, after their release from their bondage and slavery. The Torah is instruction from God so that we, as a descendant of Israel (Jacob) or as part of the mixed multitude (the Nations or Gentiles), can fellowship and draw near to God, our redeemer!

The Torah is many faceted. It is the story of our redemption, it is our instruction in living a sanctified life, it is our “constitution” governing our relationships to one another and it contains the entire redemption plan for man and is the story of the Messiah. The word Torah itself is a sign of the one who is to come.

Many Hebrew words, when taking into account the meaning of the individual letters, give us a kind of word picture. Here is a word picture of the word Torah: Hebrew is read right to left.

Torah: תורה

Tav: ת Cross, covenant or sign of the covenant

Vav: ו Nail, tent peg, to secure

Resh: ר Person especially the highest person, head

Hey: ה To reveal.

Torah: The covenant secured by the highest person revealed

or, if read backwards, revealing the highest person nailed to the cross.

Another interesting note is that דבר dabar from which is derived Devarim, can also be translated as “song.’ So the book of Devarim is in a sense “The Song of Yahovah”.

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

New Testament Misconceptions Part 2: Under the Law

2011-07-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to be “under the law”? There seems to be a continuing theme in Christian doctrine that the Jewish people are, so to speak, “under the law” because they don’t accept Yeshua as the Messiah and Christians, on the other hand are then “under grace” because they do. This stems from a deep rooted misconception of what exactly the “law” is and what grace is and the role they play in our lives. Let’s first take a look at a couple of scriptures.

Genesis 41:35 MKJV 35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

Numbers 5:19 MKJV 19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say to the woman, If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone aside to uncleanness, being under your husband, you are free from this bitter water that causes the curse.

It is obvious that the use of the word under in this context is to “be under the authority of” something or someone. The Hebrew word used in these and other such scripture is תחת tachath:

Strong’s #8478. תחת tachath, takh'-ath from the same as 8430; the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc.:--as, beneath.

So if we are “under the law” (ie. Torah) then we derive authority from the law. Believe it or not, this is a concept that is grossly misunderstood in Christian circles and is NEVER taught in the Tanakh, what we refer to as the Old Testament. The requirements of the Torah, or the law, the term used in our English translations of the Bible, are not the authority. God the Father is the authority and the one to whom we are “under”. This concept is clearly illustrated throughout the Torah where God repeatedly states that the feasts, commandments and statutes are His and are not just a Jewish thing or just for Israel.

Genesis 26:3-5 MKJV 3 Stay in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. For to you and to your seed I will give all these lands; and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your seed to multiply as the stars of the heavens, and will give to your seed all these lands. And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.

Leviticus 23:1-2 MKJV 1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim, holy convocations, even these are My appointed feasts.

There are dozens of scriptures that are examples of the concept that the requirements of the Torah, are those of God the Father and not simply some written set of rules to be followed in a religious manner and practice. They are God’s requirements and it is God Himself and not the Torah from which our justification comes! How else would Abraham know to “obeyed My voice and (keep) My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” when the written Torah proper was not given until the time of Moses 500 years later? This is true even for a foundational commandment like circumcision which was given directly to Abraham:

Jeremiah 9:25-26 MKJV 25 Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will punish all the circumcised with foreskin; 26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the sons of Ammon, and Moab, and all who are in the outermost corners, who dwell in the wilderness. For all these nations are not circumcised, and all the house of Israel, those not circumcised in heart.

Physical circumcision never justified any of the people being referenced here. This is identical to what we find in Acts chapter 15! (I suggest reading the entire chapter, but I will use this small quote here)

Acts 15:4-5 MKJV 4 And arriving in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, and by the apostles and elders. And they declared all things that God had done with them. 5 But some of those from the sect of the Pharisees, having believed, rose up, saying, It was necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

Even though the Pharisees referenced here were believers in Yeshua as the Messiah, they were still bringing to the table the idea that justification came through doing the commandments, in this instance, circumcision! This is a mistaken doctrine that was taught for generations, that in order to become a Jew, that is in order to become a believer in the one true God, one had to be physically circumcised. These Pharisees had a great deal of trouble making the change in their thinking. Besides Jeremiah, there are some other prophets who have something to say about this.

Isaiah 1:13-17 MKJV 13 Bring no more vain sacrifice; incense is an abomination to Me; the new moon and sabbath, the going to meeting; I cannot endure evil and the assembly! 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me; I am weary to bear them. 15 And when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil; 17 learn to do good; seek judgment, reprove the oppressor. Judge the orphan, plead for the widow.

Hosea 6:6 MKJV 6 For I desired mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Micah 6:6-8 MKJV 6 With what shall I come before the LORD, to bow myself before God the Most High? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?

The Isaiah scripture above is the key to understanding this concept. In Leviticus 23 and elsewhere in the Tanakh God, speaking through the prophets, refers to the feasts, or in Hebrew the “moedim”, as well as the entirety of the Torah, as belonging to Himself. They are God’s Feasts and God’s Word. In Isaiah 1:13-17 above, God speaking through the prophet Isaiah, saying of these very same Feasts “Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates” (v14). God now calls them “your new moons and Sabbaths” as well as saying the He now “hates” them, what has changed?

The message that Isaiah and the other prophets in these scriptures are saying is profound, that people have forsaken the one true God! That they turned their hearts away from the God who brought them out of bondage in the land of Egypt and the God who placed them in the Promised Land. They had, at the time of Isaiah and these other prophets, adopted many of the traditions and religious practices of the pagan world around them and incorporated these practices into the worship of Elohim. In other words, their heart was not right with God and they had brought idolatry into the sanctuary of Elohim, just as they had done at the worship of the Golden Calf in the wilderness. They had taken the Torah (law) of God and twisted it around to suit themselves. They had stolen the Feasts of the LORD and made them their own! This is what God the Father hates. He does not now hate the new moons and Sabbaths that he Himself gave them for signs and festivals, but what He hates is what the people have turned them into!

The people were then just going through the ritual motions of Torah but their heart was not right with God. And it was the same situation in the time of Yeshua and the Apostles. This is why Abraham is an example used throughout the New Testament scriptures time and again. The message is clear. Abraham performed a commandment or ritual not because it was the pathway to salvation, but he loved God and was therefore obedient to the commandments of God. He believed the Word of God, who instructed him to do them in the first place.

Hebrews 11:8-10 MKJV 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out into a place which he was afterward going to receive for an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he went. 9 By faith he lived in the land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs of the same promise with him. 10 For he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Justification for Abraham as well as for us comes in two parts. First there is the hearing and understanding of the Word of God. And secondly, taking what God has said and manifesting our understanding by following His word or instruction, the Torah. The Hebrew word used in the Tanakh and translated as “hear”is “sh’ma” (shema). (Deut. 6:4 and elsewhere) But it means far more than just “hear” as it is translated more often than not in English, it means to hear with understanding and obedience. Faith and works, that is obedience to the Torah, go hand in hand and neither is sufficient without the other as the apostle Ya’akov (better known as James) spoke of in his letter:

James 2:18, 23-26 MKJV 18 But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works… 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God." 24 You see then how a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she had received the messengers and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

So we see that the traditional Christian teaching of “under the law” is not an idea first proposed at the time of Messiah and the apostles. It is in fact, a false teaching that had been around from the beginning. Look at the example of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:

Genesis 4:6-7 MKJV 6 And the LORD said to Cain, Why have you angrily glowed? And why did your face fall? 7 If you do well, shall you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door; and its desire is for you, and you shall rule over it.

This is part of the account where both Cain and Abel give offerings to the LORD. It is a common misconception that Cain’s offering was not accepted because it was a grain offering whereas Abel’s was a blood sacrifice. In fact, both a grain and blood offerings are acceptable under the right conditions. Look at Exodus 29:41, Leviticus 2:1, 5:13, 6:14-15 and many more.

What we see in this account is that, in a sense, Cain thought he was “under the law” and that by simply doing the ritual sacrifice he was justified. But God knew what was in his heart, and because Cain’s heart was not in the right place, the sacrifice was not accepted. The Pharisees of Yeshua’s time fall into the same trap and the Gospels are full of accounts where Yeshua calls them on this very issue. Yeshua wanted them to stop boasting about their lineage or their very public keeping of rituals and turn their hearts to the Father and admit their sin.

With this groundwork in mind, lets take a look at a couple of verses of NT scripture, this time from the Aramaic English New Testament.

Romans 2:12 AENT For all who have sinned without the Torah will also perish without the Torah, and all who have sinned under the torah, will be judged by the Torah.

1 Corinthians 9:20-21 AENT To the Jews I became a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Torah, as under the Torah though not being myself under the torah, so that I might win those who are under the Torah, to those who are without Torah, as without Torah, though not being without Torah of Elohim, but in the instruction of Mashiyach, so that I might win those who are without the Torah.

In each instance in the two verses above, the Aramaic word translated as “under” is תחית tachyt. This word should look familiar because it is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew word תחת tachath and caries an identical meaning. What the unbelieving Pharisees in Yeshua’s time, as well as going back all the way to Cain and Abel, were doing was to derive justification from a perceived authority of Torah and not from God the Father who gave the Torah! Look at Galatians 4 in the AENT:

Galatians 4:4-5 AENT 4 But when the fullness of time was come, Elohim sent forth His Son who, born of a woman, became subject to the Torah. 5 To redeem those who were under the Torah, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

The words “subject” and “under” in this verse are again the same Aramaic word תחית tachyt. Yeshua has placed himself “under the law or Torah” in our stead. Releasing us from the penalty of the Torah!

The message of Rabbi Shaul, better known as the apostle Paul, was that all have sinned. (Romans 3:23, 5:12) that we have all placed ourselves subject or under the Torah.

Romans 7:1-4 AENT 1 Do you not know, my brothers (for I am speaking to them that know Torah) that Torah has dominion over a man as long as he is alive? 2 Just as a woman, by Torah, is bound to her husband as long as he is alive: but if her husband should die, she is freed from the Torah of her husband. 3 And, if while her husband is alive, she should adhere to another man, she would become an adulteress: but if her husband should die, she is freed from Torah, and would not be an adulteress if joined to another man. 4 And now, my brothers, you have also become dead to Torah by the body of Mashiyach; that you might be joined to another, even to him who rose from the dead, and might yield fruit to Elohim.

Rabbi Shaul is speaking in metaphor in Romans chapter 7 to illustrate this point. In this passage, the “Torah” is an instruction pertaining to marriage, but is intended to illustrate the covenant relationship between God (Elohim) and man. When a marriage partner dies, the surviving spouse is no longer bound to the marriage covenant. But that does not invalidate the covenant itself. In the same way, if you were to receive a speeding ticket and someone else paid the fine for you, it doesn’t render the speeding laws invalid from that point on. Remember the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8:2-11? In the end, Yeshua tells her to “go and sin no more”! He could not have told her that, if the Torah was rendered null and void, because the transgression of the Torah is the very definition of sin! The “Torah” still applies to the surviving spouse in this illustration in Romans, to the woman caught in adultery in John 8 and to the rest of us today as well.

Being “dead to the law”, as Rabbi Shaul puts it, is to be dead to the penalty for sin. From the beginning of creation, (See Genesis 3:15) God established a defense for His people from Satan. To be “in” Messiah is to live a life pleasing to God the Father (Yahovah our Elohim) and not break the Torah, His word and instruction in righteousness. (See 2nd Tim. 3:16 and Romans 8:1-10). Those who think that they can continually break the Torah with impunity, because Massiah died for them are quite deceived indeed. Messiah came to pay our penalty for our disobedience of the Torah. It was our sin for which he died, not His. He did not come to invalidate the Torah or do away with it or any part of it. To “live in the spirit” means to live by faith in the work of Messiah. He continues to renew our minds today, so that we can put away the carnal desires of a weak flesh and become overcomers.

שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be blessed
Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Primary source material is from:
Aramaic English New Testament translation by George Lamsa published by Netzari Press
Aramaic Interlinear New Testament available from www.peshita.org
Signs of the Cross by Andrew Gabrial Roth.

Worldwide Congregational Torah Reading August 13 or 14 2011

2011-07-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

In Psalm 68:4 it says:

Psalms 68:4 NKJV 4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him.

The congregation that Brenda and I attend every Shabbat is spearheading a world-wide event coming up on the weekend of August 13th and 14th. Around the world, in every Jewish synagogue is read the Torah Portion for the week. This particular week the portion is Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11 which contains the opening part of what is known as the Shema. The Shema is the centerpiece of Jewish prayer and liturgy. It is spoken every morning and every night by religious Jews around the world. This is a practice that has been a mainstay of Jewish life since the time of the Exodus. When Yeshua (Jesus) was asked by His disciples what the greatest commandment was, His immediate answer was the Shema.

Matthew 22:23-40 AENT 36 “Teacher, which Commandment in Torah is the greatest?” 37 and Yeshua said to him, that “You should love Master Yahovah your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and with all your mind.” 38 This is the first and the greatest Commandment. 39 And the second is like it. That ‘You should love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang Torah and the prophets.”

Here is the Shema as recited every day by the Jewish people around the world.

Click HERE to hear the Shema spoken in Hebrew.

Let’s take this opportunity to stand together with our Jewish brothers and sisters and read these words together on August 13^th or 14^th. Let us sing to God with one voice and acknowledge Him as creator and King of the universe!

Just click on this link or the title of this blog post and you will be connected to the website for more information about this important event.

http://www.elshaddaiministries.us/torahweekend

Shalom and be blessed

Dan and Brenda Cathcart