28 B’re’shiyt 1:8 ~ Shoftim ~ Aug 30, 2014
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Sh’ma
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28th B’re’shiyt teaching - B’re’shiyt 1:8
Torah: Shof’tim (Judges) D’varim 16:18 - 21:9 cjb p216
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B’re’shiyt teaching by Brad Scott p 31 in study guide
B’re’shiyt 1:8
“Vay-yiq’ra Elohiym laraqiya’ shamayim. Vayehiy-erev vay’hiy - voqer yom sheniy.”
“And called Elohiym the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning day were the second.”
Let’s look at the first part of this verse:
....The closing of the 2nd day...
“And called God the expanse (firmament) Heaven.”
He’s called the light day
He’s called the darkness night
and so the terms “Light” in scripture is also synonymous of “daytime” and “darkness” is synonymous/ literal understanding “night”
and now He is going to call the expanse Heaven - so when we understand heaven , we understand this expanse.
Keep in mind this “heaven” is not what we are used to... usually when someone says “heaven” they aren’t referring to our atmosphere where the birds fly... they usually refer to “heaven” - the place where YHWH abodes or that place where we spend eternity.
The word - shamayim - is a compound word and it means ...
sha’v - to draw
mayim - water
Remember this firmament is made of water ....
... Yah made it by crushing /pounding it to a thin layer... (like smashing play dough)
with respect to salvation... the eternal “heaven” is going to be the abode of the saved...
...this idea of “above” - makes reference to salvation
Yesha’yahu 12:3 cjb p 455 - “draw water out of the wells of salvation”
Yochanan 4:6-14 cjb p 1333
There are many teachers who teach about 7 heavens... but the WORD talks about THREE places...
There is an expanse in which YHWH dwells - that expanse by implication in 2 Corinthians 12:2 cjb p 1450 is “up”...
... but the Word says there will be a new heaven and a new earth ...
The Word talks about “the Kingdom of Heaven”...
The “Kingdom of Heaven” - seems to be a place where all believers dwell in - right now as we speak.
Brad says....
And not some place that we are going to necessarily go to ---
---but a place we have already entered into.
and of course the only major change that is going to take place - is when all Isra’el is in the Kingdom, and the Kingdom comes to Isra’el -
Acts 1... then our bodies will participate in the kingdom...
....but i believe the parables of the Messiah which state:
- The Kingdom of heaven is like....
....and then he gives us a description of what is going on after the Messiah has left and between His comings..
Brad believes that technically the “Kingdom of Heaven” is something that we are already entered into and it is not necessarily some fuzzy place we are going to go to in the future
- so we better get prepared for it right now.
Shaul’s mention of the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 2:12 implies a first and a second heaven....
Brad said... “and i am calling the first heaven - first - only b/c it occurs in the Word - first - in the order of being made, even though we’ve already had the expanse in which all invisible things are going to be made from in the beginning...
but Yah is going to make this place from that which he created in the beginning - which is the waters...in B’re’shiyt 1:1...
and YHWH is going to take that and make an expanse and he is going to call that expanse “heaven”
and that is the place where the birds fly and where you and i have to have mostly air WITH a little water - to exist
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Look in the middle of page 31 in your study guide:
There are scripturally three places called “Shamayim”.
1. 1st heaven = place where the birds fly - the place where man ex- ists... not the place where YHWH abodes... in the sense of His thrown and presence and where Moshe went ... (the presence of YHWH is everywhere)
- by implication 2 Corinthians 12:2 cjb p 1450
Yirmeyahu 4:25 cjb p 553
Hoshea’ 2: 20 (18) cjb p 709
2. 2nd heaven - place where the celestial bodies abide !!
B’re’shiyt 1:14-18 cjb p 1
B’re’shiyt 15:5 cjb p 13
B’re’shiyt 22:17 cjb p 21
3. 3rd heaven- the place where YHWH abodes
Shaul implies in:
2 Corinthians 12:2 cjb p 1450
Ephesians 4:10 cjb p 1461
...that is the place where YHWH abodes... it is also the place where Shaul went, and that is the place that he
wasn’t to talk about.
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OKAY - let’s switch gears a bit....
Most of you have heard of the “Ice bucket challenge” for ALS by now...
Well.... this is an excellent example.
I haven’t done it... and i didn’t want to do it... and i was sure hoping i wouldn’t be challenged.
I was so busy being focused on other things... that all the thought i gave it was - “I don’t want to do it.”
Well, this week Kevin and I were both “called out” to do it.
And it really impacted me when Kevin said....
“WE don’t know what that organization does with their money and we don’t know how much of it goes toward actual research.... and yet there is ‘everyone’ just doing this!”
And we didn’t do it.
Yesterday i read a report that the organization that is getting all these millions - uses animal cruelty to do their tests.
What is more, they have declared that there is “NO CURE”... all the while they are “looking”.
PLUS - this same organization endorses a diet that is rich in white bread and simple sugars - a diet we know does not bring healing!!!
And there is a large part of the world... just happy to sit in front of a camera and dump ice water on their heads.... and give their money a way to a company with a bad attitude, who hurts animals and who suggests people eat white flour etc!!!
Really!??!!! Are you kidding me!!!???
Why would i bring this up?... because this is a perfect example of how people just follow along - and don’t think for themselves....
a great picture of the popular religion in this country!
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And then i read an article about how the Islamists in the government are demanding the anti-terrorism training of the US government - not say anything derogatory of Islam or the people involved in it.
Are you kidding me?
Organizations/ groups of Islamists - who declare that they are not going to stop until they wipe Isra’el off the map....
and let me tell you ... they see Isra’el as “the little satan”... but they see USA as “the big satan”.....
most of you know the history of them.... and the violance/ hamas.....
and we can’t have teachings about their methods etc - to protect our country!!!!
And just watch - our government will follow these Islamists instructions.
and the sheep will keep following....
Do they not see they are on the edge of a very dangerous cliff??!!!
Sh’ma Yisra’el.... !!!!!
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Torah Parashah: Shof’tim (Judges)
D’varim 16:18 - 21:9 cjb p216
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D’varim 20: 16-18 cjb p 219
“As for the towns of these peoples, which YHWH your God is giving you as your inheritance, you are not to allow anything that breathes to live. 17 Rather you must destroy them completely -- the Hitti, the Emori, the Kena’ani, the P’rizi, the Hivi and the Y’vusi -- as YHWH your God has ordered you ; 18 so that they won’t teach you to follow their abominable practices, which they do for their gods, thus causing you to sin against yHWH your God.”
- Why would “anything that breathes” have to be killed??
“so that they won’t teach you to follow their abominable practices, which they do for their gods, thus causing you to sin against YHWH your God.”
Consistently i see YHWH ordering death - when that person would be an entry way to the paganism of the world.
hmmm...
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Now let’s look at:
D’varim 19: 1- 12 cjb p 218
So let me ask you....
Where have you heard a story like this earlier in the Torah???
= B’re’shiyt 4:1-16 cjb p 4
The first striking thing about this story as it relates to D’varim 19 is that there had been no death before this....
So maybe Kayin didn’t know a person could die....
you know - the accidental killing...
And YHWH causes him to go live outside the “camp” / family home ....
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In 4:9 - Kayin reveals his heart... “Am I my brother's guardian?”
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Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) 9:1-7 cjb p 649 - also talks about marks on foreheads.
Hitgalut (Revelation) 7:1-4 cjb p 1539 - (the seal)
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And to look at another story - like D’varim 19...
B’re’shiyt chapter 3....
In a very real sense... Chava and Adam had just killed themselves...
and YHWH - put them out of the Gan Eden.... gave them another place to live!!
Both with Kayan, and with Chava and Adam... YHWH could have killed them!!
After all he was so mean with the peoples that Yisra’el was taking the Promised Land from.....that he said - kill everything that breathes!....
But when Kayan kills... and when Chava and Adam bring death into the world.... YHWH does not kill them but gives them an alternative place to live - just like in the Torah Parashah for today!!
So let’s consider a bit what was going on.... that caused the deaths....
In D’varim 19 - it was an accident.... we could say - better care was probably not taken... and the ax went flying....
In B’re’shiyt 4.... Kayan - kills Heval ... nobody had died before... and Kayan was mad...
Why was Kayan mad??
Kayan’s offering was not accepted... while Heval’s was....
Kayan would have known of the blood sacrifices because they started when Adam and Chava sinned....
So Kayan... just did was he thought was “good enough”...
and then he was angry and he “turned on his brother and killed him.”
He didn’t take care to do what was right - again....
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When Adam and Chava were kicked out of the garden....
they didn’t take care to do what was right....
Another word for what is going on when death happens and people are kicked out of home...
= apathy.
Hitgalut (Revelation) 3:16 cjb p 1536... “So, because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth!”
Tz’fanyah (Zephaniah) 1:12-13 cjb p 766
cjb says “When that time comes, i will search Yerushalayim with lamps and punish those who are [smug and thick, like wine] left too long on its dregs...”
ESV says “At that time, I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and i will punish the men who are complacent.”
2 Timothy 4:3-4 cjb p 1488
“For the time is coming when people will not have patience for sound teaching, but will cater to their passions and gather around themselves teachers who say whatever their ears itch to hear. 4 Yes, they will stop listening to the truth, but will turn aside to follow myths.”
YHWH hates complacency.... that luke warm place - where it is easier to follow - to make a video of you dumping ice eater over your head... and give to a company you don’t have any idea about.....!!!!!
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But what i find most amazing....
YHWH provides a place - he has the people build cities that were safe - He gave protection.... in D’varim 19...
and with Kayan... He provides protection - the mark
And with Yisra’el... He will provide a mark....
And even with Adam and Chava..... He provided a place... and it was hasatan’s play ground.... so... What did HE do - he left the Comforter; the the Ruach Hakodesh....
Now think about this... Greater than the grace of the mark and the Ruach.... is the gift of ETERNAL LIFE with YHWH.... in a new heaven and new earth...
The people that had to flee to the safe cities.... they lived every hour of the day - knowing that it was ONLY because of provision of that city - that they could even stay alive...
Adam and Chava lived every day knowing that YHWH had allowed them to live....
And Kayan had to know that he knows.... that YHWH had provided a mark on him ... and every day it was because of that mark that he lives....
just like for us... every moment our life and eternal life depends on HIM. Because he is so GREAT - that He provides protection... HE provides GRACE.
He provides a way to live....
Do you realize that we are no different than the people who had to flea to a “safe - city”......
YHWH protects us... loves us... saves us....
Do you see the Messiah in this parashah ?? !!
So it is easy to get/ be overwhelmed….
Where do we shop? Is it ethical?
What can we eat… what is NOT GMO?
they are talking about changing “organic” standards…
besides that the place where most of our organic produce comes from is having SEVERE drought….
What do we purchase?
How do you know if your fabric is dyed by persons in near slave labor - using their own hands to stir the toxic dye?
Then there is the slavery issue in the world… and how do we know if the products we use come from slave labor and is there similar products that do not?
We can buy free trade…. but can we get all our stuff - responsibly and how do we do that?….
you see where i am going…. it is so hard…
not to mention Kosher… how do you find things that are kosher around here??…. we drive…. sometimes several hours….
It is hard in this pagan world… it is hard in this world where slavery is a main source of production of things…. ETC!!!
BUT — What we have to remember is that YHWH built cities to give the accidental murderers another chance..
we could say that there is apathy here… YHWH built cities to give those who are apathetic another chance….
Because of His grace - the apachetic sheep - the ones who follow blindly… or just go about their routine without thinking….
like all those dumping ice water on their head and giving money … i am not saying that dumping ice water on your head is a problem… if you like that sort of thing… nor am i saying that those people who deal with ALS should not be helped - it is an awful disease… i have seen many die with ALS… but ….. giving money to a company who has the attitude that ALS can not be healed? … who uses animal cruelty in their research… who expounds a diet for ALS that we KNOW is not healthy… when alternative diets have beens shown to actually bring improvements….. and we don’t know about total healing b/c it hasn’t been used long enough… but many persons are having very significant reversal of symptoms!….
Apathetic… just following along…..
So we get to choose where our focus will be -
Will we be overwhelmed and not know what to do and feel like giving up? B/c that is where the enemy wants us to be.
or we remember that YHWH builds cities for the apathetic…. so they have a second chance…. and HE is a God of GRACE…. and a can we celebrate how far we have come??
Even just being aware of some of the things we are aware of…. choosing to make changes as we understand how to do them…. this is amazing!!!!
Keeping Torah is not hard - the Word says so.
BUT keeping Torah in a pagan society can be very difficult….
Praise YHWH we are learning!! Praise YHWH we are taking positive steps.
I invited you today, to consider and focus on the positive…. and not be overwhelmed at the mess around… but SEE that we are learning to be less and less messed up!! and …. as a result - HE is teaching us how to be holy!!
Praise YHWH!
AMEIN.
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