Shalom. Today is the 4th day of Hanukkah. It’s an 8 day holiday and although it is not a commanded festival of The LORD, it is a memorable and important time for Israel and all Jewish people, and those who love Jewish people. Thus our message this morning will be about Hanukkah and the events found in prophecy that lead up to Hanukkah. And that’s what our message will be about, Hanukkah in prophecy. But first, let’s review some information about Hanukkah.
– Hanukkah in Hebrew means dedication. The time was 165 B.C.E or BC.
– It’s also known as Hag Ha-Urim, meaning the Festival of Lights.
– Hanukkah honors the memory of the rededication of the 2nd Temple after the Jewish people were victorious over the Syrians who persecuted the Jews killing thousands and auctioning off thousands into slavery. The Syrians hatefully desecrated the Temple of GOD with Greek idols and pig sacrifices. The king of Syria, Antiochus Epiphanes also ordered the end of all Torah observance including Shabbat observance, circumcision and possession of a Torah scroll. All punishable by death.
– It’s interesting to note that The Torah which is The Law GOD gave to Moses for Israel and all the world is still rejected and hated by much of mankind today. This is also a work of satan, who was the engine in Antiochus Epiphanes.
– The 2nd Temple that was descrated by the Syrians is The Temple Yeshua walked in and taught in.
– The events leading up to Hanukkah were brought upon Israel because of her sins against GOD, breaking His Law, The Law of Moses.
– However, Hanukkah, The Rededication of The Temple, and the great victory over the Syrians, is an 8 day holiday and a time of joy and thansgiving.
– It is not commanded by GOD to observe. It is not a fast or a Sabbath except the Sabbath on Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown.
– Hanukkah became official when the Macaabees defeated the Syrian army and sent them packing on the 25th of Kislev, 165 B.C.E., 2,176 years ago. The 25th of the Hebrew month Kislev was this past Tuesday evening at sundown.
– The Hanukkiyah, the 8 branched menorah is lit every evening for 8 days starting with 1 candle and adding a candle every evening. Why? Because when The Temple was rededicated, pure oil that was found in The Temple was sufficient to burn in the menorah or the 7 branched candlestick at the Temple for only 1 day, but miraculously burned for 8 days until supplies could be provided.
– Spinning the dreidl and giving little gifts to children are popular during Hanukkah.
– The Sephardim, the Jewish people from Spain and Portugal recite Psalm 30 on Hanukkah, while Psalms 113-118 called The Hallel or Praise are read by most Jewish people on the holiday. We’ll read PSALM 30 this morning.
Hanukkah is more than lighting the Hanukkiyah, the 8 branched menorah, or spinning dreidls. It’s a story of courage and strength, and if you will, the work of The LORD GOD behind the scenes. It’s a story of a maniacal Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes who hated the Jews and despised The Torah, The Word of GOD, and sought to convert the Jewish people to his own pagan religion, while killing thousands of Jews. Finally, the Jewish Macabees, a guerilla warfare group booted the Syrians out of town. They defeated the Syrian army in combat.
The historical source of Hanukkah is found in 1 Macaabees in the Apocrypha, and prophesied in Daniel Chapter 8. This morning we’ll look into Daniel’s prophecy in Daniel 8.
DANIEL 8.1 King Belshazzar – King of Babylon
This prophecy takes place when the Jewish people were in exile in Babylon and Persia around 535 B.C.E.
VISION – prophetic vision or dream from GOD about future events. This vision lasted from the evening to the morning.
THE VISION at the first – Daniel had a vision earlier about 4 beasts, in Daniel 7.
– This vision is about the painful events leading up to Hanukkah.
8.2 Shushan was a Palace in Elam in Persia, today’s Iran.
ULAI – a river in Persia
8.3 The ram, as explained later, sybolized the great Persian empire.
2 HORNS – the kings of Persia and Media – Media – Northern Iran today where Teheran is located.
– The Persian empire included Persia, all the countries from India to Ethiopia, all the Middle East, and Israel.
– The higher horn, I believe was symbolic of Cyrus the great king of the Persian empire.
8.4 No army could stand against this great Persian empire. Persia, under Cyrus the great conquered the Babylonian Empire in 539 B.C.E.
8.5 HE GOAT, explained later, is Greece.
– NOTABLE or great horn – Alexander the Great.
8.6-7 The Persian empire was defeated by the Greek armies led by Alexander the Great who was 20 years old when he demolished the armies of the great Persian empire in 331 B.C.E. Keep in mind, this prophecy that GOD gave daniel took place around 535 B.C.E. Some 200 years BEFORE Alexander the
Great.
8.8 All this leads up to Hanukkah.
– Greece became a mighty empire.
– The great horn that was broken was Alexander the Great. He died at 33. In his place or instead of him, the 4 notable or great horns are 4 kingdoms that were ruled by 4 of Alexander’s generals after he died.
– CASSANDER – ruled Macedonia, N.W. Greece, and S. Albania (North of Greece).
– LYSIMACHOS – ruled N.E. Greece and N.E. Turkey
– SELEUCUS – ruled Syria, Babylon, Phonecia (Lebanon), and Israel
– PTOLOMY – ruled Egypt
– TOWARD the 4 winds of Heaven. Perhaps GOD gave them power to be the most powerful kingdoms on earth.
8.9 This prophecy was written 370 years before Hanukkah, before the lighting of the menorah, and the rededication of The Temple.
– The little horn came out of Seleucus, the king of Syria. This little horn is not the anti-Christ but he is like the future anti-Christ. This little horn is Antiochus Epiphanes the madman, who persecuted Israel, despised Torah, and desecrated The Temple. His evil spirit was and is the same as the future anti-Christ.
– THE PLEASAND LAND is Israel.
8.10 It, Antiochus the tyrant, became great.
– HOST – STEHVAH, also means, a mass of persons and servants. This host of Heaven is the Jewish people who Antiochus Epiphanes, himself a work of satan, and his armies, stomped upon the Jewish people. They persecuted and killed the Jews and sold them into slavery. The Bible teaches that satan is the author of anti-Semitism.
REVELATION 12.1-17
BACK TO
DANIEL 8.11 MAGNIFIED – GAHDAHL – proud, honored himself, boasted. Antiochus called himself
theos Epiphanes, GOD manifested.
– The Prince of the host is GOD, The Holy One Of Israel.
– The daily sacrifice was taken away, stopped.
– The place of his sanctuary was cast down; I believe Antiochus made his offices in The Temple but ruined and polluted it through his idolatry and pig sacrifices, and pagan worship. In fact, he dedicated The Temple of GOD in Jerusalem to the Greek gods Olympia and Zeus. He poisoned it.
The historical source of Hanukkah is found in the book of 1 Macaabees in the Apocrypha. Apocrypha in Green means “hidden”. There
are 15 books in the Apocrypha, primarily written by Jewish authors during the 2nd Temple period around 516 B.C.E. to 70 C.E.; A.D. and even past its destruction in 70 A.D. The question is sometimes asked, why is the Apocrypha not included in T’Nakh? And the answer is because some of the writings were written in Greek, and some were written too late to be included, and no obvious explanation for the others are known. Just some information I though I would pass on.
BACK TO
DANIEL 8.12 A host was given him – the host are the Jewish people. 40,000 killed and 40,000 auctioned off into slavery by Antiochus Epiphanes.
– AGAINST the daily sacrifice: The Syrians were given the charge of the daily sacrifice, using pigs. Why? Because of the transgression of the Jewish people.
– IT CAST DOWN the truth: Antiochus abolished Torah just as it is abolished today. Most people have rejected The Law, just like today.
– IT PRACTICED and prospered: Antiochus had success in persecuting and killing Jews and abominating The Temple. GOD’s judgment against His Jewish people was because of their disobedience to Him.
1 SAMUEL 12.14-15
COMMANDMENT – pee: GOD’s Mouth, His Commandments, His Law and Word.
satan’s ministry is to teach mankind we don’t have to obey GOD. He’s succeeding well, and most have fallen for his tricks.
8.13 How long will the Jews be persecuted?
SAINT – KAHDOSH – holy one, an angel
8.14 For 6 1/2 years
– Then The Temple will be cleansed, made right when it was cleansed, the holiday of Hanukkah was declared.
8.15-17 The time of the end: the end of Syrian rule and persecution of the Jews in Israel.
8.18-19 THIS INDIGNATION is GOD’s fury and anger, because of Jewish disobedience to Him.
– GOD appointed the end of this Syrian persecution.
– Also GOD’s fury and anger will come at the end of days when He destorys the world. Why? Sin. Because of world disobedience to Torah, world disobedience to the truth of GOD, and including Jewish disobedience.
ISAIAH 13.11, ISAIAH 24.4-6, ISAIAH 26.21
INIQUITY – AWVONE – SIN – 1 John 3.4
BACK TO
DANIEL 8.20-23 (verse 23) The power of GOD.
VERSE 23 – When the transgressors are come to the full; when Israel’s sin is full and accomplished, and GOD has had enough, He will bring Antiochus the madman onto the scene to persecute His Chosen People because of their continuous sinning against The LORD their GOD, transgressing The Law, because sin is transgression of The Law of Moses, 1John 3.4.
Fierce countenance
FIERCE – strong, harsh, greedy, rough
COUNTENANCE – PAHNEEM – AHZ PAHNEEM
his looks, his face, his person were of a fierce countenance.
DARK SENTENCES – tricks, deceit, dishonesty (satanic)
STAND UP – appointed by GOD, i.e. Antiochus
8.24 Not by his own power: Antiochus is a type of the coming anti-Christ, his power is from satan, and all power is from GOD. You’ll know any anti-Christ. They reject The Law and teach disobedience to Torah. He (Antiochus) destroyed the Jewish people. So will the future anti-Christs.
WONDERFULLY – extraordinarily destructive.
The future anti-Christ – 2 THESSALONIANS 2.8-13
BACK TO
DANIEL 8.25 (ANTIOCHUS)
HIS POLICY – his evil wisdom and understanding.
CAUSE CRAFT to prosper – his lies and deceit will succeed.
HIS PEACE – a false peace
He will stand up against the PRINCE OF PRINCES Who is GOD The Messiah.
BROKEN without hand – GOD killed Antiochus by disease, 1 year after Hanukkah.
DANIEL 8.26-27 The vision was from evening to morning. No one understood the vision. Today we can understand it because it is history. The Macaabees, Judah Macaabee and Jonathan, Johanan, Eleazar and Simon formed a guerilla army of fighters and defeated the Syrians. And the people returned to The Temple, cleansed it and rededicated it to The LORD their GOD, and lit the great menorrah.
This whole tragedy that brought about Hanukkah was because of Israel’s disobedience to GOD and His Law of Moses. READ MATTHEW 5.1-12
And there’s a lesson to be learned here, even today, for everyone, for Jewish and non-Jewish people especially those who call themselves Believers in Messiah. And the lesson is this. Not obeying GOD, that is refusing to obey GOD’s Law of Moses, whether you are Jewish or not Jewish, whether you are a Jewish Believer in Messiah or a non-Jewish Believer in Messiah and by not obeying The Law of Moses, GOD’s Law of Moses, you will certainly bring troubles into your lives. Sometimes great troubles. On the contrary, when you obey GOD, that is keeping His Commandments and living your life by His Law of Moses, blessings will run after you, and with your faith in Messiah Yeshua, GOD will bless you and your children and give you eternal life.
Shalom, Ira Weinstein
Month: December 2011
GOD IS NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD, BUT THE LIVING. WHO ARE THE LIVING?
READ GENESIS 49.28-33
When I read these words about the deaths of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I thought on the words Yeshua spoke to the Sadducees when He said to them “Have you not read that which was spoken to you by GOD, saying, I AM The GOD of Abraham, and The GOD of Isaac, and The GOD of Jacob? GOD is not The GOD of the dead, but of the living”. So I asked a question of myself, who are the dead, and who are the living? Let’s read those words of Messiah.
MATTHEW 22.23-33
So Yeshua told the Sadducees there is a resurrection of the dead, and that GOD is not The GOD of the dead, but of the living. So again I thought, who are the dead, and who are the living?
DEAD in Greek is NEKROS meaning dead, deprived of life.
LIVING comes from the Greek word DZAH-O meaning to live, alive.
Yet Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had died hundreds of years earlier, actually some 2,000 years earlier, and Yeshua said they are alive and living. GOD is The GOD of the living, and not the dead. The living are GOD’s people who have eternal life, a gift of GOD. The dead have eternal existence separated from GOD. The living are GOD’s people, a Holy People unto The LORD GOD Who has chosen us to be a special people unto Himself, a treasure above all the people that are upon the face of the earth, whom GOD loves, and keeps His mercy forever, Who never die but have everlasting life.
So again I thought, who are the dead, and who are the living in the sight of GOD? Well of course you will correctly say, the living are all The Believers in Yeshua who live by every word that proceeds out of the Mouth of GOD. But yet, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived many years before Yeshua, and Messiah is GOD, Elohim. Thus there are others who are also the living in the eyes of GOD.
Enoch and Elijah live in the Presence of GOD today and forever. They are of the living, and they also lived many years before the 1st coming of Messiah.
GENESIS 5.22-24
Enoch, who lived even before Noah, and well before Abraham, set the tone to be part of the living and to be part of GOD’s Holy People to live forever with The LORD GOD. He walked with GOD. And walking with GOD is following Him and obeying what He says.
WALKED – HA LAKH – he followed GOD, that is he obeyed GOD, His Commandments, and Laws-such as The Sabbath on the 7th Day our Saturday, Genesis 2.2-3, and every other law GOD had established in his day. Enoch obeyed every word GOD spoke, and he had great faith in The LORD and believed in Him.
HE WAS NOT – VERSE 24 – VEEAYNEHNU – and he did not exist, he was gone.
GOD TOOK HIM – LAHKAKH – GOD took him, he accepted him, carried him away and received him.
And Elijah the Prophet walked with GOD, and GOD also took him into Heaven.
2 KINGS 2.1,7-11
Elijah was devoted to GOD and committed to Him. Elijah was a righteous man.
1 KINGS 19.9-18
VERSE 10 JEALOUS for The LORD GOD of Hosts. – KAHNAH
Zealous, i.e., Elijah was devoted to GOD, committed, dedicated and passionate to The LORD. We should all be like Elijah, devoted, committed, dedicated and passionate for The LORD our GOD.
VERSE 18 7,000 serve and obey Me, and not baal, a false god.
Thus 2 we know of in Tanakh, The Old Testament were taken to Heaven by GOD while they yet lived. Perhaps this is a picture of what happens to the living who belong to GOD, who die on this earth. We never die but go up immediately to be with GOD and have everlasting life. And we will have the same body as GOD. We will be in His likeness. Certainly Enoch and Elijah are part of the living. GOD is their GOD, and they are His people.
Then there are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and others like them in The Old Testament who lived before Yeshua came the 1st time, and who are also part of the living, of GOD’s people, Holy and Chosen and special to GOD, whom GOD loves forever, who never died but have everlasting life in Heaven. And as Enoch set the example to walk with GOD and follow Him, so did Abraham and others like him walk with GOD and serve Him. And they also have everlasting life in Heaven.
GENESIS 15.6
BELIEVED – AHMAHN – means Abraham believed in The LORD, and believing in The LORD also means to TRUST in Him and be FAITHFUL to The LORD. Faithful means Abraham was OBEDIENT to The LORD, and LOYAL and DEDICATED to The LORD GOD. And GOD counted it to him for righteousness.
And GOD tells us plainly that Abraham obeyed The LORD, every word He spoke. He kept GOD’s charge, that is His instructions, His Laws, His Commandments, and His Statutes. And everyone like Abraham is part of the living having eternal life in Heaven.
GENESIS 26.4-5
Thus all those before Messiah who were like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jewish and Gentile, Enoch was not Jewish, all who believed in The LORD who trusted in Him and obeyed Him, every word GOD spoke, are all of the living, today and forever. And GOD is their GOD, and they are His people.
And GOD also promises to save many Jewish people, millions even from the days of Abraham to the future return of Messiah. Will He save a third of all Jewish people? Perhaps. Perhaps GOD will save 1/3 of all Jewish people down through the ages, and they too are the living of GOD, Holy, special, Chosen and loved of GOD and will never die but have everlasting life. ZECHARIAH 13.8-9
IN ALL THE LAND – VEHKHAL HA AHRETS
meaning all the Land of Israel, and perhaps all Jewish people.
REFINED – STAHRAHT – to bring to a pure state because GOD the Messiah will forgive their sins. He will give them His Holy Spirit and cause them to live GODly lives. And GOD will say to them, this is My People, and they will say, The LORD is My GOD. All this will take place at the start of The Millennium, and Messiah, The Holy 1 of Israel will forgive them their sins and pour upon them His Holy Spirit as He has done for us. They too are the living.
Okay, let’s look at a few of the many Scriptures where GOD has promised His Jewish People that He will bring them back to their Land, The Land of Israel for The Millennium and eternity.
DEUTERONOMY 30.1-10, ISAIAH 27.12-13, ISAIAH 56.6-8
JEREMIAH 29.11-4, EZEKIEL 28.25-26, EZEKIEL 34.11-13
&nb
sp; EZEKIEL 36.24-28, EZEKIEL 37.21-28, EZEKIEL 39.23-29,
EZEKIEL 48.30-35
So yes, GOD promises to save many Jewish People in The Resurrection, perhaps 1/3, and they are part of the living, Holy, special, Chosen and loved who have everlasting life.
The only way to The Father is by Yeshua Who is GOD. And it is through Yeshua The Messiah that their sins will be forgiven. When they see Him, they will believe on Him, and Messiah will pour out His Holy Spirit upon them.
JOHN 14.6, ZECHARIAH 12.10, ZECHARIAH 13.1,6
GOD will also make many Gentile people righteous who are not in Messiah or who were not in Messiah. GOD will make them part of the living because they blessed Jewish people during the course of their lives. And they too will be part of GOD’s People. And this is also the promise of GOD.
NUMBERS 23.19, GENESIS 12.3, MATTHEW 25.31-46,
ISAIAH 45.22 Me is Yeshua
And yes, of course, GOD will save everybody who believes in Messiah Yeshua, and like all who are GOD’s People, obey His Torah, His Commandments, and The Law of Moses. We also are part of the living to spend eternity with GOD. We are His People, and GOD is our GOD.
MALACHI 3.6, JOHN 3.16
BEGOTTEN means Yeshua is born of GOD.
BELIEVE – the same Hebrew word, AHMAHN that GOD used for Abraham, believing in GOD, and GOD counted it for righteousness. Thus everyone who believes in Messiah Yeshua, that is those who trust in Him, and are devoted to Him, and are Obedient to Him, remembering that Messiah is GOD Almighty Who gave the world His Torah, The Law, all who believe in Messiah are part of the living in the sight of GOD. You are Holy, special, Chosen, above all the people upon the face of the earth, Whom GOD loves you forever. And you will never die but have everlasting life with Him in Heaven.
Thus GOD is not The GOD of the dead, but of the living. The living are Enoch and Elijah who walked with GOD, believed in The LORD, and obeyed Him. GOD took them up into Heaven when they were alive. The living are those like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all before Messiah who like them believed in The LORD, and obeyed every word GOD spoke. The living are also many Gentile people who bless and have blessed the Jewish People. The living are those millions of Jewish people whom GOD will deliver and save according to His Promise. And the living of course are all who believe in Yeshua The Messiah and obey GOD like all the living. We are GOD’s family, Chosen, and special who never die but have the gift of everlasting life in Heaven. GOD is our GOD, and we are His People. Everybody else, aside from those just mentioned belong to the dead.
Shalom, Ira Weinstein
A REVIEW OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. GENESIS 49.1-2, 19-27
Shalom. Our teaching this morning will come from Genesis 49.1-2, 19-27 where Jacob gathered his 12 sons together and predicted their individual futures and the future of their tribes when they would enter the promised land, the land of Israel some 550 years later. But first, I would like to spend a few moments reviewing the subject we studied last week, The Holy Spirit.
Read GENESIS 49.1-2, 19-27
These words of Jacob reveal that in his predicting the future of his sons and their tribes that Jacob was also a poet. He had an eloquent way of expressing himself though sometimes difficult to understand. But before getting into Jacob’s predictions, let’s review the Holy Spirit which we studied last week.
First of all, The Holy Spirit is GOD Himself, just as Yeshua The Messiah is GOD Almighty, The LORD of Hosts. Listen to this. Both The Holy Spirit and Yeshua The Messiah proceed from or come forth from GOD The Father. And this knowledge makes it easier to understand that there is only One GOD.
Let’s look at some Scriptures to prove that to be true.
JOHN 15.26 The Comforter is The Holy Spirit. JOHN 14.26
BACK TO
JOHN 15.26 Which proceeds from The Father. Proceeds means The Holy Spirit COMES FROM GOD The Father, and ORIGINATES from GOD The Father. Thus, The Holy Spirit is GOD The Father.
THE COMFORTER is One Who comforts us. He lessens our grief and sorrow and disappointment. He gives us solace and comfort. The Holy Spirit, or The Comforter also intercedes for us, meaning when The Believer may feel the impulse of his or her hope failing inside, a groaning comes from The Holy Spirit within us which goes to GOD, and The LORD our GOD will relieve the downcast in heart.
ROMANS 8.26
INFIRMITIES – disease, sickness, weakness
INTERCESSION – to intercede, or The Holy Spirit pleads on our behalf to The LORD our GOD.
And Yeshua Himself comes from GOD The Father.
JOHN 8.42, PSALM 2.7
(John 8.42) Proceeded forth and came from GOD – meaning, Messiah came forth out of GOD, and originates from GOD The Father.
(Psalm 2.7) BEGOTTEN – YAH LAHD – bring forth, or in the past tense, brought forth.
The LORD GOD is saying, “You are My Son, this day I have begotten You.”
DAY – HA YOM – this day, or a space of time.
The Hebrew reads – I this day have begotten you.
Ahnee Ha Yom Yeh Leed Tee Khah
What the Lord God is saying here is this. This day I have brought You forth from Me. You are My Son. Thus the Son is Yeshua Ha Mashiakh, and He is also GOD The Father Who originates from GOD.
Since The Holy Spirit and Yeshua The Messiah both originate and proceed from GOD The Father, The Holy Spirit is therefore GOD The Father, as Yeshua is GOD The Father. GOD is One. There is only One God.
God is The Father, The Messiah, and The Holy Spirit.
JOHN 20.22
QUESTIONS: How do we receive The Holy Spirit, and keep The Holy Spirit, and not lose The Holy Spirit? How are we filled with The Holy Spirit, and how are we born again? Answer: By believing in Messiah Yeshua, and obeying GOD. That is obeying The Law He gave to Moses for all mankind to observe, to do them.
EZEKIEL 36.26-28
The new heart is a heart that receives GOD and obeys Him, which GOD gives you.
The new Spirit is The Holy Spirit, Who is GOD Himself, whom GOD puts within you.
The stony heart is a stubborn heart that disobeys GOD.
VERSE 27 The Holy Spirit will cause you to walk or follow My Statutes and Judgments and do them.
My STATUTES – KHOOKEE – My Laws (The Law of Moses)
MY JUDGMENTS – MEESHPAHTAHY – My Laws and Rules (The Law of Moses)
READ VERSE 28
So, how do we receive The Holy Spirit, and keep The Holy Spirit? By believing in Messiah Yeshua as He is taught in The Law of Moses, and following GOD’s Laws and walking in them, all found in The Law of Moses. Then you will be fully part of GOD’s people, and He will be your GOD. And you will dwell in the Land that GOD gave to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That Land is the future Millennium in Israel, and The New Jerusalem in Heaven.
Another question. How is one baptized in The Holy Spirit? By simply believing in Messiah Yeshua.
And yet another question. What does it mean to be sealed by The Holy Spirit?
EPHESIANS 1.13
Being sealed with The Holy Spirit means you have the indwelling of The Holy Spirit. He abides in you, He is present in you, and He lives in you.
SEALED – indwelled with (The Holy Spirit)
It was asked the other day, does The Law of Moses originate from Moses or from GOD? The Law of Moses comes from GOD. GOD gave His Laws to Moses to give to the children of Israel, who passed it on to all mankind through The Bible. Thus The Law of Moses is from GOD, created by GOD, and originates from GOD, and His Law is for everyone. That is why Yeshua says in Matthew 4.4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the Mouth of GOD”.
1 KINGS 2.1-3, DEUTERONOMY 32.1-2, 46-47
PSALM 19.7-8, MATTHEW 5.17-18
(Matthew 5.17) FULFILL – PLAY – ROO – Complete and perfect.
(Matthew 5.18) Till all BE FULFILLED – GHIN – OM – AHEE – ended, finished. Heaven and earth, especially Heaven will never pass or come to an end. The Law is forever and always.
NOW TO
GENESIS 49.19 Continuing Jacob’s predictions for his sons.
The Tribe of Gad were a people of courage and bravery, and as Jacob prophesied, Gad did overcome and defeat their enemies.
1 CHRONICLES 12.8
BACK TO
GENESIS 49.20 Asher’s allotment of land in Israel was in today’s Lebanon, an area that is said to be rich in bread, and perhaps yielded delicasies for Israel’s royalties.
GENESIS 49.21 HIND – doe, a female deer.
The goodly or beautiful words may have come years later in Israel after a battle at Mt. Tabor where Barak and Deborah the Prophetess with 10,000 men from the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali went to battle and defeated the Canaanites. And Barak pursued after the captain of the Canaanite armies, Sisera, and Sisera ran from him. And while Sisera the Canaanite captain slept in a place he thought was safe, The Bible says, then Jael, Haber’s wife took a nail of the tent, an
d took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and drove the nail into his temples and fastened it into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
Here are some of the beautiful words from the song of Deborah.
JUDGES 5.1-9
BACK TO
GENESIS 49.22 a fruitful bough – bayne poraht
A son that bears fruit.
A fruitful bough by a well or a fountain, that would make the boughs fruitful bringing forth its fruit in season.
GENESIS 49.23-26 Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son in his old age. And his brothers hated him, especially after he told them of his two dreams, the interpretation being that he would rule over them. And they hated him the more and wanted to kill him. And yes, he did rule over them years later in Egypt.
And Joseph was soon sold into Egypt as a slave, but years later by the Hand of GOD, Joseph was made governor of Egypt. All part of GOD’s plan to bring the children of Israel into Egypt to make them a great nation as GOD had promised Abraham some 200 years earlier.
Most every outstanding GODly person in The Bible, if not all, were ordinary people, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, the Prophets, the Disciples and Apostles, even Yeshua Himself as a human being. Yes, of course, He was and is GOD. The Bible says in Isaiah 53.2-3, He has no form or comeliness, and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces from Him, He was despised and we esteemed Him not. But in GOD’s eyes, those ordinary and average people, and so many more, and people like ourselves became beautiful and great, and perfect in the sight of GOD. I think on some of these words from The Scriptures that apply to us.
PSALM 1.1-3, DEUTERONOMY 28.1-2, DEUTEREONOMY 7.6,
REVELATION 5.10, LUKE 11.28
BACK TO
GENESIS 49.26 Jacob is saying here that his blessings have exceeded the blessings of his ancestors, Abraham and Isaac, his grandfather and father. And that is saying a lot. Abraham is the founder of Judaism, the Jewish people some 4,000 years ago. He was the 1st of the 3 Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the founding fathers of the Jewish people who were chosen and elected by GOD. GOD spoke to and appeared to Abraham a number of times, and Abraham was a Prophet. GOD promised Abraham offspring who would develop into a great nation, and possess the land of Canaan, the Promised Land that GOD renamed Israel.
And GOD established a Covenant with Abraham that GOD will be The GOD of Abraham and his descendants, the Jewish People, and Abraham and his descendants will be the people of GOD. The binding symbol of The Covenant is circumcision.
Abraham also plays an important role in Islam, since Muslims view Abraham as the founder of their religion as well, with descent passing from Abraham through Ishmael, from Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant. The Quran includes many stories of Abraham from both The Bible and Talmud.
Abraham is also the father of all non-Jewish people who believe in Messiah (Galatians 3.29, Romans 4.11) to those who walk in the faith of Abraham, even the uncircumcised who obey GOD by keeping His Commandments, His Statutes, and His Law (Genesis 26.5). GOD blessed Abraham mightily, and Jacob said to Joseph, the blessings of your father Jacob have exceeded the blessings of my ancestors.
And Isaac was Jacob’s father. Isaac’s name in Hebrew is Yitzhak which means laugh, because Abraham and Sarah laughed when GOD told them they would have a son in their old age. Abraham was 100, and Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born. Isaac inherited all the promises GOD made to his father Abraham. And Isaac was a mighty man. As a young boy, he was willing to be sacrificed for the glory of GOD. But GOD provided a lamb for the sacrifice instead. Isaac was a man of GOD and very much in touch with The LORD his GOD, and he obeyed GOD. Isaac is included in the roster of heroes of faith. Hebrews 11.18 says, in Isaac shall your seed be called. That is the Jewish people will descend from Isaac.
At the burning bush, GOD introduced Himself to Moses as The GOD of your fathers, The GOD of Abraham, The GOD of Isaac, and The GOD of Jacob. Paul notes in Romans 9.7 the sovereign election, even the predestination of Isaac and the Jewish people. And because Isaac was willing to be sacrificed for the glory of GOD, some might say that Isaac was a picture of The Messiah, obedient unto death. But The Lamb sacrificed for us was The Lamb of GOD, Yeshua the Messiah. Isaac was a man of GOD.
And Jacob, Isaac’s son and Esau’s twin brother, believed the blessings GOD gave him exceeded those of his father and grandfather Isaac and Abraham. Well certainly Jacob incredibly wrestled with GOD, and The Bible records that Jacob prevailed, meaning he endured and succeeded. Thus GOD changed Jacob’s name to Israel meaning, for as a prince you have power with GOD, and with men, and have prevailed. The Bible describes Jacob as a plain man which means in Hebrew that GOD saw him as perfect. GOD also spoke to Jacob in dreams and promised him to be the heir of the covenants GOD gave to Abraham and passed on to Isaac, which includes the great blessing, I will bless them that bless you, and curse them that curse you. Messiah explains and fulfills those words in Matthew 25. And in a dream, GOD also passed on the covenant He made with Abraham, saying, “In you, and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed”. And GOD has fulfilled that promise by appointing the Jewish people to bring The Word of GOD, and His Law of Moses to all mankind. And He brought forth His Messiah Yeshua from the Jewish people for all humanity.
But I think, and this is just a thought, Jacob might have felt his greatest blessing was seeing his son Joseph after so many years thinking he was dead. And Jacob even adopted Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, saying to Joseph, your two sons are mine as Reuben and Simeon are mine. So I think that might have been Jacob’s greatest blessing, seeing his son Joseph after so many years of sorrow, and also seeing his two grand children before he died. All of us are blessed in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the Jewish people.
BACK TO
GENESIS 49.27 Benjamin’s descendants were likened to a ravening wolf. They were mighty, fearless warriors, as was King Saul, the 1st king of Israel, who was a Benjamite from the tribe of Benjamin. And as king, he defeated Moab, Edom and the Philistines.
So let’s summarize our teaching this morning. The Holy Spirit comes from GOD The Father, thus The Holy Spirit is GOD The Father. And Yeshua comes from GOD The Father. Therefore, Yeshua Himself is GOD The Father. The Bible says, “Hear O Israel, The LORD our GOD, The LORD is One”. There is only One GOD, Elohim, and GOD is The Father, The Messiah and The Holy Spirit.
Also GOD will give you The Holy Spirit the moment you believe in Messiah Yeshua. And you will keep The Holy Spirit, and GOD will not take The Holy Spirit away from you if you diligently obey The Voice of The LORD and do all His Commandments, The Law of Moses. That is ho
w you are born again, and filled with The Holy Spirit. Believe in Messiah according to The Law, and live by every word that proceeds from the Mouth of GOD. Because GOD has made all our works in us, we have become in Yeshua perfect, righteous and beautiful in the sight of GOD, and great as our fathers before us, because your GOD reigns.
Shalom, Ira Weinstein
A STUDY ON THE HOLY SPIRIT. GENESIS 1.1-3
Shalom. This morning we will take a slight detour from our studies in Genesis, and instead our teaching will be on The Holy Spirit. The Scripture verses to begin our study will be from Genesis 1.1-3.
READ GENESIS 1.1-3
The Holy Spirit or The Spirit of GOD, and GOD Almighty are ONE and the same. That is THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES FROM GOD, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD.
Let’s view some Scriptural evidence that The Holy Spirit is GOD Almighty, The ONE GOD of Creation.
GENESIS 1.1 The Hebrew word for GOD, here and used some 3,000 times in Tnakh, the Old
Testament is Elohim. Elohim is a plural word for GOD actually meaning gods. Yet when speaking of The GOD of Israel, Elohim is translated GOD, because GOD, Elohim is The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
GENESIS 1.26 GOD said, LET US make man in our image, because GOD is The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit Who created Heaven and earth and all that is in them.
The Holy Spirit PROCEEDS from GOD. That is, The Holy Spirit COMES from GOD. Thus the Holy Spirit is GOD Himself.
JOHN 15.26 EZEKIEL 39.29, JOEL 2.28-29, ZECHARIAH 12.10
Holy Spirit in Hebrew is Ruakh Ha Kodesh
SPIRIT – Ruakh – life, power, divine, miraculous power
HOLY – KODEHSH – Holy, Most Holy, that is GOD
As The Holy Spirit comes from GOD, in the same way, Yeshua comes from GOD.
JOHN 8.42 JOHN 13.3 JOHN 16.27 JOHN 17.6-8
And Yeshua being GOD Himself, is The Holy Spirit.
JOHN 20.21-22, 2 CORINTHIANS 3.17, GALATIANS 4.6, JOHN 14.9
GOD, Elohim is The Father, Yeshua and The Holy Spirit. They are GOD. They are the ONE GOD.
1 JOHN 5.7
SO THE FACT THAT YESHUA AND THE HOLY SPIRIT COME FROM GOD, HAVING THIS SCRIPTURAL INFORMATION MIGHT MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD.
The Bible confirms that The Holy Spirit is GOD.
ACTS 28.24-27 AND ISAIAH 6.8-10
The Holy Spirit is The LORD GOD.
(Acts 28.26) NOT PERCEIVE, THEY DO NOT KNOW
(Acts 28.27) GROSS, NOT UNDERSTANDING
HEBREWS 10.15-17 AND JEREMIAH 31.31-34
In Hebrews 10.15, The Holy Spirit witnessed or testified. In Jeremiah 31.31, The LORD Who is The Holy Spirit testified, thus more evidence that The Holy Spirit is The LORD GOD.
The word ghost as in Holy Ghost is an archaic or ancient word from the German word geist, meaning spirit, life or breath. Sometimes the word ghost is used when someone in the Scriptures died, giving up the ghost, and sometimes Holy Ghost is used for The Holy Spirit.
When we have The Holy Spirit, that is when a Believer has The Holy Spirit living in us, we speak the truth of The Scriptures to others. And later we’ll teach from The Scriptures how to receive The Holy Spirit.
ISAIAH 42.1
Here GOD is speaking or prophesying about Yeshua, but when The LORD puts His Holy Spirit upon us, and in us, we are able to tell others about GOD’s judgment. That is, GOD’s decisions, and verdicts and judgments that are all according to His Divine Law, The Law of Moses.
UPON Him – AHL – Upon and In Him
ZECHARIAH 4.6 All things are accomplished by GOD’s Holy Spirit, His supernatural power. Not by our limited, very limited power and might.
PSALM 51.11 The Holy Spirit is also the Presence of GOD which is everywhere, JEREMIAH 23.24.
GOD is Spirit, or a Spirit JOHN 4.24
We must worship GOD in Spirit and Truth. By worshipping GOD in Spirit means we have The Holy Spirit living in us. And worshipping GOD in Truth means we are living our lives in Truth. That is accomplished by living our lives according to GOD’s Divine Law, His Law of Moses.
When GOD appeared to mankind in human form, GOD is and was Yeshua The Almighty GOD.
GENESIS 18.1 Yeshua, EXODUS 33.11 Yeshua,
Exodus 33. 14 His Presence is His Holy Spirit.
EXODUS 33.18-23 GOD is a Spirit, and in His Spiritual nature, GOD does not allow us to see His Face. However in Heaven, perhaps in The Millennium, we will see The Face of GOD in our Spiritual Being
REVELATION 22.1-5
VERSE 1 One throne, the throne of GOD, Who is The Lamb of GOD, Yeshua The Messiah Who is GOD Almighty.
VERSE 3 His servants shall serve Him, The LORD GOD Almighty, Yeshua
VERSE 4 And we will see His Face, in human form, and I believe in His Spiritual form also.
Let’s look at some of the great blessings we receive from GOD when He gives us His Holy Spirit.
PROVERBS 1.23 GOD gives us knowledge and understanding of His Word and much more when we have His Holy Spirit. That is why The Truth is not taught everywhere because many do not have The Holy Spirit.
Make KNOWN – YAHDAH – to know, have knowledge and understanding.
PSALM 104.30 When we have The Holy Spirit, we have GOD, The Creator of Heaven and earth living in us, and nothing is too hard for Him.
LUKE 24.49 The Holy Spirit is the power of GOD that lives in us.
ENDUED – equipped and clothed, and given the gift of The Holy Spirit.
ISAIAH 11.1-2 Yes, this Scripture is speaking of the coming Messiah, But when we have the Holy Spirit of God living in us, The LORD gives us wisdom, and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and the fear of The LORD. The fear of The LORD is submitting to God and obeying Him.
1 SAMUEL 16.10-14 The LORD gives The Holy Spirit to some, and He takes it from others. Why? Because of disobedience to His Torah, and transgression against His Law.
MATTHEW 12.28 We can cast out devils by The Spirit of GOD.
MATTHEW 22.41-46 Yeshua is The Son of David because as a human being, Yeshua came after David. And both descend from the Tribe of Judah. PSALM 110.1 The Father and Messiah spea
k to each other.
Should GOD speak to you, that is, you think GOD is speaking to you by The Holy Spirit, what is being said to you must agree with Scripture, and GOD’s Torah, The Law of Moses. Even GOD The Holy Spirit, and Yeshua The Messiah are subject to The Divine Law GOD gave Moses. What GOD says WILL line up with Torah, The Law of Moses. If not, GOD is not speaking to you.
JOHN 6.63 The Holy Spirit quickens us. That is, He gives us life, a good life, and a life that pleases GOD because we serve Him and obey Him. And He also quickens us by giving us eternal life.
Wherever you see the words Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, or The Spirit of GOD, or The Spirit that refers to GOD, know that The Bible is speaking about GOD ALMIGHTY.
ROMANS 8.1-2
VERSE 2 The Law of The Spirit of Life is The Torah, The Law of Moses, AND IT IS IN MESSIAH YESHUA. And by obeying Torah, The Law of Moses, we are free from The Law of sin and death which is also taught in Torah.
JOHN 16.13 The Holy Spirit guides us in ALL TRUTH. Truth is The Word of GOD, all that GOD teaches in His Law, and Commandments, and Instructions. The Holy Spirit guides us in that Truth.
MARK 13.8-11 The Holy Spirit sustains us when we experience tribulation, and will even speak for us, and through us.
EPHESIANS 5.9 The fruit of The Holy Spirit is all goodness and righteousness, and truth. There is no lie or untruths in The Holy Spirit.
EPHESIANS 5.17-18 Being filled with The Holy Spirit is understanding what the will of The LORD is. And the will of The LORD is doing His Decree, His Laws and obeying them.
Being filled with The Holy Spirit is also taught in Scripture, and we will also teach that a little later.
GENESIS 2.7 GOD breathes into us the Breath of Life to make us a living soul.
BREATH – NEESHAMA – breath, soul and spirit
LIFE – KHAYEEM – life, either everlasting life in Heaven, or everlasting shame and contempt (Daniel 12.2).
The Holy Spirit is also The Spirit of GOD, but is a mystery because every living creature has the Spirit of GOD living in us which gives us life. But not everyone has The Holy Spirit. However, when we do have The Spirit of GOD living in us, we enter into The Kingdom of GOD, that is we enter into eternal life in Heaven.
JOHN 3.1-8
Only those who are born of The Spirit and have The Holy Spirit, will enter The Kingdom of GOD, Heaven. Again, we’ll teach how one is born of The Spirit a little later.
MATTHEW 3.11 Being baptized in The Holy Spirit is GOD’s outpouring of The Holy Spirit upon you the moment you believe in Messiah Yeshua.
JOHN 1.28-34 GOD made The Holy Spirit visible like a dove to confirm that Yeshua is The Messiah, The Son of GOD Who baptizes us with The Holy Spirit.
Now the critical teaching from GOD. What must we do to receive The Holy Spirit, AND KEEP IT? What must we do to be born again and enter The Kingdom of GOD and be filled with The Holy Spirit? The answer. Believe and obey, there’s no other way. Believe in Messiah Yeshua, and obey GOD. His teachings, His instructions, His Law of Moses, and His Commandments. That is why when you came to faith in Messiah, GOD put His Law in your heart, to obey GOD. AND BY OBEDIENCE AND FAITH, YOU WILL KEEP THE HOLY SPIRIT FOREVER.
MATTHEW 28.19-20, ACTS 5.32, 1 JOHN 2.29
1 JOHN 3.24, EZEDIEL 11.19-20, EZEKIEL 36.26-38
The road to Salvation, and being born again, being born of The Spirit being filled with The Holy Spirit, is having faith in Yeshua and being obedient to God and His Torah, the Law of Moses. HAVING CONFIDENCE THAT GOD WILL NEVER TAKE HIS HOLY SPIRIT FROM YOU is knowing in your Heart of Hearts that you are walking with GOD, following The LORD GOD Yeshua, walking in His Statutes, keeping His Ordinances, obeying GOD’s Divine Law, The Law of Moses, and doing them 24/7.
To summarize:
The Holy Spirit comes from GOD, and is GOD. Just as Yeshua comes from GOD, and He is GOD.
Having GOD in your life, that is having GOD The Father, and Messiah Yeshua, and The Holy Spirit in your life is the true meaning of life. You belong to GOD and His Family. You have a loving relationship with The GOD of Creation that is beyond understanding. You are pleasing The LORD GOD because you love Him and serve Him through your obedience to Him. And you have entered into The Kingdom of GOD, eternal life with Him in Heaven. He is your GOD, and we are His People. And He chose you from eternity to be His, for His Glory.
Shalom, Ira Weinstein