News and commentary for Monday, 5 February, 2024. When ‘they’ think you can’t fight back, they will RUB your FACE in it!

For believers in Yeshua who observe the Shabbat, we are reminded frequently…make that every week…that most of the world has not chosen to honor the Seventh Day as His chosen day. For many, they’ve simply not been taught about it. For others, they’ve been taught incorrectly. For others, they know, and they don’t choose to honor it. It’s a matter of choice. Our choices reflect both what we 1) understand and/or 2) prefer In the internet age, we are harassed multiple times per day to “rate” a product or a service. With a greedy disregard for the value of a purchaser’s time, the vendor expects to take a minute, five minutes, or even longer, for the purchaser to fill out surveys and questionnaires on preferences in order to help the seller adjust products and selling techniques to make more money. Shouldn’t they be paying us? I don’t work for free in my secular job, only in ministry. You probably don’t either. There is rarely an offer of more than a trinket of thanks in return for our valuable time, but sometimes we give it to them because we are flattered that someone would want to know what we think or we have an opportunity to vent even though a real human being is not likely to see or care what we write. In that sense, the business takes our money, takes uncompensated time, and then largely ignores the specific concern and buries it in a mass of number data. What a deal! The process depends upon what we choose. Why did we choose that product? That company? That day? That salesperson? Now here’s the question: Because we chose that particular product from that particular company on that particular day from that particular salesperson, does it mean we HATED every other choice? Of course not. We simply did our shopping and research (hopefully), and we preferred one over the others. Choice. We found the right thing for us personally. Unfortunately, many approach Shabbat and the Word with a similar mindset. They see it as a personal choice of what best suits them rather than a process of learning what their Creator has chosen and mirroring His choices. Esau is a great example of one who knew what to do, yet chose differently. This is why Esau, Edom, “The Red One” represents the untamed appetites of the soul: appetite, emotion, desire, and intellect. It is a tremendous life force designed by the Creator, yet in its design, the spirit of a man was chosen to rule over it. It doesn’t mean Elohim hates the soul in an emotional sense: quite the contrary! He loves us so much that He sent His Son to save our rowdy souls. The spirit of a man comes from above, from Elohim Himself. He wants that Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) to rule over the soul. He CHOSE that modality. • The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi. “I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” (Mal 1:1-3) It can be confusing when reading Scripture to understand being “chosen.” In context, it can simply mean preferring one over the other, not hating the one who was not chosen. Because we associate hate with an extreme emotion, we lose the grasp that what is chosen is loved in the sense of preference and precedence in certain matters, and what is hated is what is ranked beneath it in certain mattters. In our culture, we rarely use “hate” if the feeling of loathing and disgust is not attached to it. Herein lies the problem. The human experience is only a parable of reality, which is found in our Creator. Our experience of emotion, desire, and intellect only mirrors His, but His is perfect. When we see love and hate only as strong emotions, then we can miss the nuances of Scripture where He is teaching us the importance of good choices based on His preferences instead of ours. He’s not offering us a survey to find out which of the commandments we prefer or even if we prefer to do them at all. He’s observing us. The times in Scripture when people felt rejected, they also felt unloved, so they acted in reprehensible ways. Kain killed Abel. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. King Saul tried to kill David, and so on. Their story is our story. The problem is that when Adonai expresses a preference for those who do His will instead of their own, we miss the issue, just like Kain. Kain knew what to do in order to have his sacrifice respected. That’s all he had to do. Choose and do what Elohim preferred. Here is another example of the choosing-lesson: “He also rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.” (Ps 78:67-68) Joseph/Ephraim were not rejected as people, only their territory as the resting place of Adonai’s glory. Instead, the Judah/Benjamin territory was already chosen as The Place of the Temple Mount for the peoples to come worship. The Father loved Mount Zion, which means He loved His People...all His People who would go up there to worship. It would be a House of Prayer for ALL nations to worship. He loved the world. It is hard to accept “God so loved the world” if we trip over “He rejected Joseph and did not choose Ephraim.” In context, the choice indicates the great plan of salvation and the geography of how it will be accomplished, not a qualitative assessment of everyone descended from Joseph. We do tend to get stuck when we’re not chosen for something, and if we can’t step back and decide 1) is it a “Kain Question,” of whether I need to modify my own behavior and choices to do better? or 2) does it really have nothing to do with me and my choices, only how a greater plan is being executed? Divine plans and design. The world really does struggle with words like Zion, Zionism, Zionist. Why? • Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. (Is 62:1) • Then the angel said to me, “Shout this message for all to hear: ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong.’” (Zec 1:14)’ • “This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: ‘My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!’” (Zec 8:2) Zion and Jerusalem are the Covenant People walking in righteousness, assembling at “The Place.” The Father has passionate love for them, for they are instrumental to His ultimate plan. Zionists are people who obey their Creator and choose what He chooses. Righteous nations and people accept this pattern. Like Joseph and Ephraim’s territory, their rejection was not being left unloved and scorned, the way human beings hate, but to highlight the way of His choice so they could find that path of obedience to salvation in Yeshua, who will rule and reign from Jerusalem. The Father loves and chooses those who love and choose what He loves and chooses. It is His way of guiding the people of the earth to Him because He loves them all. Jeroboam set up golden calves in Beth-El of Ephraim and in Dan because he didn’t agree with Adonai’s choice of geography or tribes and priests in the design. Because he did not love what his Creator loved or choose what He chose, he'd do anything to divert the chosen people from the chosen place so that they would lose their identity as those who loved and chose Zion (Tzion). “For out of Tzion shall the Torah go forth, and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Is 2:3) Those who reject Tzion and Tzionists try to dominate or control The Place and People, thinking it will destroy the terms of the Covenant, the Word, the Torah. Tzionism is to choose the Father's plan. Since Judah has leadership, the nations believe controlling or exterminating Jews is the first step toward ruling the whole earth. After that, re-directing the obedience of the nations is next. Esau has always coveted his father’s love, yet did not love the Father enough to obey His plan. “Jacob” obeys, in which case the Father “loves” Jacob and “hates” Esau. In the earth-story, Isaac emotionally loved Esau in spite of his disobedience. In Biblical language, love and hate can be a matter of preference, not necessarily an emotion of hatred. Let’s extend this principle to the Lord’s Day, Shabbat: • “If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and honor it, desisting from your own ways, from seeking your own pleasure, and speaking your own word…” In the English text, “your own word” is a bit of a stretch from the simple Hebrew word davar. Take a look at the concise definition of davar: ?????? (H1696) speech, word, speaking, thing speech saying, utterance word, words business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension) The translators are reading more into the simple word davar. They see “your OWN word” rather than word. The reason for this might be due to the many ways davar is translated in its many contexts: The KJV translates Strong's H1697 in the following manner: word (807x), thing (231x), matter (63x), acts (51x), chronicles (38x), saying (25x), commandment (20x), miscellaneous (204x). What sticks out is the number of miscellaneous words davar is used for: 204! A davar is a word. A davar is a thing. In Hebrew, the word is the thing. In context, the translators see a contrast between Shabbat behavior, thinking, emotions, and yes, choices versus Days 1-6. It is not that Adonai rejects Days 1-6 to destroy them. Each of those days is full of goodness and good choices. He’s not un-creating Days 1-6. He is, however, choosing and designating Day 7 like he chose and designated a people and place called Tzion. We must choose to let His choosing prevail, and help advance even, the purpose of that choosing by also choosing to honor and enjoy it differently than the other six days of the week. In fact, all the things we’ve prepared in the first six days of the week become part of Day Seven. If we didn’t prepare it on one of those other six days, then we don’t have it on Shabbat. It’s not a love-unloved, hated-not hated proposition in the sense of emotion, but of design. The soul was chosen for its purpose; the spirit was chosen for its purpose; the body was chosen for its purpose. They work together under the discipline of the spirit to live, not to chop off soul and body. We’d call that being dead! Esau’s territory will be made a desolation as a discipline for not accepting the choices and design of Elohim. The soul will finally see the death and devastation in the body, formed from earth, that is caused when it does not choose to follow the Creator’s will and design. Likewise, all the 7s in the Book of Revelation hint to the devastation the world must experience in order to acknowledge His choices, starting with the first principle, Shabbat, the Seventh Day. Understanding the many uses of the word davar, now it makes sense in context. “Your own words” are business words, occupation words, preparation words, the things you talk about and do on weekdays. We can reject those conversations and things in order to choose the words and things of Shabbat. • The Gemara cites what we learned with regard to the following passage: “If you keep your feet from breaking, from pursuing your affairs on My holy day, and you call Shabbat a delight..., the Lord’s holy day honorable, and you honor it by not going your own way, from attending to your affairs and speaking idle words.” Mishneh Torah, Shabbat 113a:14 Idle words are reik, or empty, worthless. A word that would be valuable if spoken Sunday-Friday is worthless and empty on Shabbat. Words that would be valuable, honorable and delightful on a different day are not on Shabbat. By choosing the Shabbat and its instructions for ceasing from creative work, we exercise a choice to be chosen and loved. We choose to rest in our salvation in Yeshua, knowing we cannot add or subtract anything from what was already finished on Day Six. All we can do is walk in and honor the Davar that was established “from the foundation of the world.” It is not ours to re-draw the boundaries either of Creation or the Word. It is ours to hear and do. To honor and respect. To delight in and rejoice in. When we choose and love HIS Day, we have lots of personal choices WITHIN the boundary of Shabbat. What to eat, what to wear, who to have over for a meal, what Torah discussion we can have that is not idle, empty, controversial, or likely to kindle a fire. The Father’s love is strong, passionate, and eternal toward us. Chosen.

What is significant about a “teacher’s wisdom”? (Proverbs 5:1) Who (or what) is this “strange woman” we find in Proverbs 5:3? Yeshua talked about the “leaven of the Pharasees”–what was that? How many people does it take to “make peace”? What does it mean to validate each other’s position and feelings when dealing with conflicts […]

This week’s Torah parsha from the annual cycle is Yitro (Exodus 18:1 – 20:23) and begins with the name of Moses’s father-in-law, but it ends with one of the most important ‘recitations’ in all of Scripture, the ‘download’ of the Ten Debarimm (Words/Commandments/Sayings) on Mount Sinai. The Erev Shabbat reading, from Yitro (aka Jethro) to […]

What is truth!? As we listen to the news and see what is going on around us, we are forced to seek a source of truth that we can depend on. Psalm 19 tells us that our Heavenly Father is the only reliable source of truth. He is not like a man that He would […]

ARE YOU AWARE of the Gezer calendar tablet found 20 miles NW of Jerusalem that pre-dates both the DSS calendar scroll AND the Babylonian Captivity? We also look at the Dead Sea Scrolls Qumran Zadokite Calendar which is almost IDENTICAL to the proposed Hanke-Henry replacement WORLD CALENDAR they have proposed calling the "Trump calendar" complete with a "Trump Week"... they also propose doing away with time zones and international date lines. Connecting a lot of dots INCLUDING New Age "Christian" Channeler Edgar Cayce & Theosophy founder Madame Helen Blavatsky beliefs regarding the Essenes & Jesus!

The Torah teachers, Mark Pitrone, Ray Harrison, and Mark Call, continue the study of the Book of the prophet Isaiah. This week from chapter 22 into chapter 23.

News, commentary, and an extended look back at the week where TWO wars, civil and global, probably only appear to be on temporary hold, ending Saturday, 3 February, 2024.

While the no-longer-united States continue to hurdle toward ‘Civil War 2.0,’ and the Swamp Puppets lust for more WWIII blood, much of the news on those fronts seemed to be on “temporary hold” this week. Which means there are other things to focus on…

Most of us recognize by now that when it comes to everything from paper metal futures prices to national elections, ‘the fix is in.’ But what might not be quite so obvious is just how PERVASIVE ‘the Fix’ really is. And it’s in some of those cases where it might not be quite so clear, […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 1 February, 2024.

Overview of the Tanakh- Session 48

Overview of the Tanakh- Session 47

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 46

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 45

Overview of the Tanakh-Session 44

An Overview of the Tanakh- Session 43

News and commentary for Wednesday, 31 January, 2024.

News, commentary, and even some news about the news, for Tuesday, 30 January, 2024.

Stuck. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually. What do you do when you’re stuck? How do you find what you’re looking for in life, relationships, career? Is belief alone the thing that gets our lives moving and producing the kind of fruit we & God desire? How do we actualize the idealized version of ourselves? In this series, […]

News and commentary for Monday, 29 January, 2024. How better to Distract the Masses and Change the Subject from the REAL War than… …yet another front in WW3?

floodWe will bediscussing Rev 12 and the Dragon sends a flood. What is that?

Going to the book of the prophet Amos, chapter 5, we are staying with the topic of how wisdom, understanding and knowledge relate to keeping covenant with the Almighty. In this episode Rabbi Steve Berkson continues looking at the references of “wormwood” to discover the relevance for you today. Then from “wormwood” we get the […]

This week we continue with "Living a Double Life" To review: The challenge is that many of the commandments are given as nos, or the “you shall nots.” At least half of life is managing the nos, the boundaries, and the good fences that preserve our lives.  If life is at least half no, then fostering a great relationship with the no commandments is the key. We can discipline ourselves to engage the nos with as much enthusiasm as the yeses, which really, is what makes a disciple. Just like Yeshua told Peter, we are transformed from a person who always wants to be in charge to one who is willing to be led of the Ruach HaKodesh in every circumstance, even down to the time and way we die. Some disciples discipline the nos faster, and some not so fast. It is important, though, for if we cannot engage the simple commandments of yes and no, then how will we hear the more subtle still, small, voice of the Ruach HaKodesh is our daily dilemmas that don’t come with a chapter and verse attached to them? This week, let’s look at another “commandment principle” of life: the possibility of living a double life. It starts with the first commandment given at Mount Sinai in Exodus 20:1-5: Then God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them…’ The commandment is not to put another created entity as an “elohim” in front of Elohim, the only Creator. The idea is that there is nothing else created that could possibly be Elohim. By definition, Elohim is the Creator of all things, and a created elohim (judge, appointed ruler) is not. It is merely another created thing originating from Elohim. All other things go behind Him. He is the first, and there is no second to compare to Him. Sometimes a glance at a more literal Hebrew helps. “You shall have no other gods before Me” is: ??? ???????????? ???????? ???????? ???????????? or You will not be to yourself another god on My face. When a human being fabricates an image from wood, stone, or other substance, or attributes the Ruach Elohim to an existing created substance such as a tree, water, cloud, etc., then the human has put a “face” on Elohim. The urge is so strong that this is the first commandment, a “yes” paired with a “no.” Yes, He is Elohim, and no, do not tamper with Him by fabricating an image to put a face on Him, for it will be inaccurate and a product of human imagination. A philosopher once said that "imagination is man's most God-like characteristic." We can also say that based on the primacy of the first commandment, imagination is man's most god-like characteristic, his primary place of vulnerability to idols. The moment we put a face on Elohim, we become susceptible to idolatry, looking to that object for intervention on our behalf: success, health, sustenance, good, peace, prosperity, comfort, joy, etc. For instance, rather than partner with Elohim for our life-path of prosperity, prerequisite to putting His Kingdom first, we forge our own ideas about how much wealth we need and when we need it without regard for our spiritual discipline and agreement to put Elohim first in all things. In ancient times, people sought out gods of prosperity, fertility, strength, war, and so on. Rather than partner with Elohim, “who teaches my hands to war,” (Ps 18:34) they consulted principalities and powers and made war. Because the worship of these entities requires the imagination, effort, time, and faith of the human being, the powers of the entity reflect the human who turns to it, not the true created ability assigned to that power by Elohim for it to manage its particular realm, whether in the heavens above or earth below. Are there other powerful spiritual beings and human organizations in our universe? Yes. Are they the Creator and worthy of our time, attention, and resources? NO! These entities are not ours to petition or order around. In selecting the attributes of certain entities, we put a human, animal, or other physical face on Elohim. While He is often hidden from human beings, He does not need a mask of our choosing. We desperately need to believe that so that we don’t live a double life, claiming to worship Elohim while putting our trust in other created entities. That is done today not so much by worshiping an object, but by putting faith in the leopard’s spots. Remember our lessons on the beast kingdoms? The leopard was Greece. The spots were its organizations: medicine, art, philosophy, education, drama, military, government, politics, sports, music, etc. The Romans took those organizations and expanded them, and even when the Roman Empire fell, those systems are disseminated all over the world to influence and control human beings. Now human beings are conditioned to look to those organizations to supply every human need. When we put faith in them, they become a god on Elohim’s face. They are to be used lawfully, not trusted. We are in Babylon, the whole earth. The golden head of Babylon is still attached to the whole image: Babylon’s golden head; Medo-Persia’s silver chest; Greece’s bronze abdomen; Rome’s iron legs; and those organizations mixed with all humans made of clay are standing on the whole earth. When King Messiah, the Stone, smashes the feet of the world’s organizations being worshiped, then it will also tumble the cumulative effect of the whole image, and Babylon will be fallen once again. Can we use these systems? Go to a doctor? Vote? Write and paint? Play sports? Defend our country? Receive an education? Absolutely! We are in Babylon, but we are not OF it. “Come out of her” is a yes commandment, but we can’t come out of the world itself without also saying some nos. Those iron and clay feet are everywhere. The key is don’t participate in Babylon’s sins: “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;’” (Re 18:4) Being in the earth and its systems is inevitable; participating in its sinfulness is not. The Ten Commandments are the Cliff’s Notes of how to master the yeses and nos of the Word. Inevitably, all those organizations will be destroyed by King Messiah Yeshua. They are each being exposed even now. While they meet many needs, just like a created power in the heavens above or earth below, they are not Elohim. When those organizations begin to exercise sinful power, influence, and control over human beings, especially because human beings WANT them to do so in order to derive the benefit, just like ancient idolatry, THEN they begin to function like a face on Elohim. It is our responsibility to never let these things replace our faith in Elohim as the Lord of Armies, the Healer, the Provider, the Creator, and the many names of Who He is to His Creation. “To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD, He is God; there is no other besides Him.” (Dt 4:35) ???? ???? ?????????? Ain od m'ilvado. There is no other beside Him. There is nothing more than His oneness. This week a rabbi explained the first commandment to have no other gods. He said it is to be double-minded! To think that any other power or force on earth is our source rather than the One who created us. That reminded me of something I memorized in high school: James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (Ja 1:1-8) Now that I’m older, I can read the contextual and symbolic phrasing. The letter is written specifically to disciples of Yeshua in the dispersion, not in Judea. These believers are among the nations, not in the defined land of Israel itself. Emphasizing this, James (Ya’akov) describes them as being in a place the sea where “wind” tosses. The sea alludes to the nations, and the tossing wind is “ruach,” those created spiritual entities that rule them, such as the Prince of Persia. Each nation has its assigned ruler until it is shaken down just before King Messiah returns to set up his government on earth. Wisdom, or “chokhmah,” is the first of the seven spirits of Adonai listed in Isaiah 11:2, the Holy Spirit. They are seven manifestations of the ONE Ruach HaKodesh, for the menorah was hammered from one piece of gold. James is giving believers an exhortation from the first commandment: There is only one Elohim; believe it! Being among the wind-tossed sea of nations is to be vulnerable to those who have made spiritual powers into their gods by believing they had power independent of Elohim's will, or they have created organizations to accomplish the same goals as those who worshiped idols of their imagination from ancient times. Indeed, those "princes" are responsible for their assigned territories, but they do not report to nor heed another created being. Only Elohim. There is none other. James knew we'd need this reminder not to absorb the nations' reliance on their systems instead of our Creator Elohim. An idol is nothing but an inaccurate, pathetic, self-serving, figment of the human imagination placed like one of many faces on Elohim. In these lands of exile among the nations, we are to turn to the Ruach HaKodesh, the Spirit of Elohim, Who is One, to meet all our needs in His time, not ours. In His quantity, not ours, When we begin to “work the system” apart from His perfect will in our lives, we’ll be double-minded. Like the Israelites, we will fall into fear and uncertainty. Although they said “We will do and we will hear" at the mountain,” there was still some double-mindedness. Could they really do the yes and not do the nos? Even the first commandment, to believe Elohim created all things and would provide all things...even their perfection at the resurrection, was so unbelievable that they thought they’d die. They asked Moses to talk directly to Adonai and relay the messages and their answers. It is difficult to judge them. After all, do we really believe that we can be “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”? We have no control over the fact we’re in the exile and Babylon. What we do have control over is sin! Before we get past ten commandments to 613, we examine our hearts toward Elohim and His people: Hear, O, Israel. YHVH our Elohim, YHVH is ONE. You shall love… And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. In our hearts, we must accept that there is none other. First, Elohim is Creator. He created everything that is BEHIND Him, including our neighbor. Ain od m’ilvado. Once we accept that, then we can hear the Ten Commandments without dying. After that, we can learn the details of all 613 in the “seas,” the wilderness of the nations, our dispersion. Elohim’s pre-eminence is the key to coming out of Babylon, to not placing our faith in human systems. We must evaluate whether any of those systems is influencing us or coercing us to sin. If so, the Word of the commandments will provide the answer as to whether we are being double-minded. Gradually, like Peter going to his own cross, we stop living a double life and thinking with a double mind. We quit placing our masks on Elohim. Worry is evidence that the Ruach HaKodesh is still working on the second mind-mask whispering that Elohim is not fully to be trusted to be our Creator, Provider, Healer, Protector…and even the One Who will resurrect us to life when our worst fears come true. And isn’t that the key to not fearing? May Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. One mind. The worst fear, death, is our greatest hope. Ain od m’ilvado. No human being, principality, power, or human organization can resurrect us from the dead to live in the Presence of Elohim forever. Only ONE can and will. The ONE we believe…and our doing is evidence of our believing…will bring us to perfection by His Ruach HaKodesh. What if we’re not entirely perfect when we die? We’ll leave at least a few things not perfected. Otherwise, we’d be Messiah himself with the power of resurrection, but we’re not. We are depending on Yeshua’s sinless life to raise us sinless from the dead, not the other way around. Yeshua is the Living Word. The Word is the Torah. The Word is the Commandment. The yeses and the nos of Torah are life from the dead. So next time we’re worried about the economy, war, family, disease, politics, and every other care of the world, we have an opportunity. The Ruach HaKodesh is giving us an open window to put Elohim first. The imposter mind is being exposed as a fake! The person worrying is not us. It's just a man-made image-ination trying to put a distorted mask on our Deliverer. We need only a single mind in every trial: Ain od m’ilvado! There is none other than Him! Perfect.

ARE YOU AWARE of the Gezer calendar tablet found 20 miles NW of Jerusalem that pre-dates both the DSS calendar scroll AND the Babylonian Captivity? We also look at the Dead Sea Scrolls Qumran Zadokite Calendar which is almost IDENTICAL to the proposed Hanke-Henry replacement WORLD CALENDAR they have proposed calling the "Trump calendar" complete with a "Trump Week"... they also propose doing away with time zones and international date lines. Connecting a lot of dots INCLUDING New Age "Christian" Channeler Edgar Cayce & Theosophy founder Madame Helen Blavatsky beliefs regarding the Essenes & Jesus!

Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a two-part look at the parsha from the Book of Exodus, B’shalach (Ex. 13:17 through chapter 17), that includes perhaps the most famous miracle in Scripture, the ‘parting of the Red Sea’ (or, arguably, Sea of Reeds.) The Erev Shabbat reading includes far more than just […]

Is the Texas border about to escalate into a fiasco?  What are some possible (nefarious) motives for bringing in National Guard units from all over?  Why are military units allegedly being told to prepare for off-grid functionality by Feb. __?  Why are “governmental entities” told to prepare for the “worst weather imaginable” by Feb. __?  […]

Everyone is calling for Peace amidst the growing conflicts in the world. When we read the word “peace” in scripture, what does it mean? In this episode, we will take a closer look at the Hebrew word “shalom” which is usually translated as peace and look a little deeper to understand exactly what it is […]

Did you know the Samaritans had an APOSTATE Zadokite priesthood? PART 4 OF 4. Who were/are Samaritans?  Could some of them have been SOME the self proclaimed “Sons of Zadok” who lived in Qumran and/or wrote SOME of the Dead Sea Scrolls including the so-called 'Zadokite Calendar'?  In this message we will introduce you to the Samaritans and show you from scripture as well as the writings of Josephus as a second witness and scholarly writings with regard to the Dead Sea scrolls as a third witness that these ‘sons of Zadok’ MAY WELL BE an offshoot of the Samaritan APOSTATE Zadok priesthood.  Did you know the Zadok priesthood was split after the Babylonian captivity and the brother of the actual Jerusalem Zadokite high priest went to Samaria to be the Samaritan high priest making sacrifices in the temple on Mt Gerizim?  If not, listen in and we'll give historic and biblical proof.   We'll explain how and why we believe the descendants of this apostate Zadok priest and his priestly followers are very likely the ancestors of the self proclaimed 'Sons of Zadok' with regard to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran and the solar calendar.  Since we already opened that pandora's (calendar) box... here's our next installment.

News, commentary, and an extended look back at the week where the Insurgent Regime may have finally gotten their New Civil War, ending Friday, 27 January, 2024.

The Torah teachers, Mark Pitrone, Ray Harrison, and Mark Call, continue the study of the Book of the prophet Isaiah from chapter 20 into chapter 22. And this seems like a particularly ‘poignant’ week to read that “Babylon is fallen…”

This week the once united States took the biggest leap yet toward ‘Civil War 2.0,’ when a traitorous ‘Supreme Court’ ignored the clear written text of the Constitution and declared “let the invasion continue,” while Texas finally stood up and did what arguably should have been done long ago, before the situation became terminal. But […]

We may in fact actually be there. The “Civil War 2.0” the the Deep State Tyrants and their CCP et al masters have been trying so hard to foment for so long was given a treacherous jump start this week by the traitors-in-black-robes at the ‘Supreme Court.’ So it’s time to talk consequences, potential scenarios, […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 25 January, 2024.

News and commentary for Wednesday, 24January, 2024… …some of which you probably already knew, but there’s more.

Stuck. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually. What do you do when you’re stuck? How do you find what you’re looking for in life, relationships, career? Is belief alone the thing that gets our lives moving and producing the kind of fruit we & God desire? How do we actualize the idealized version of ourselves? In this series, […]

Yesterday the so-called US ‘Supreme Court’ committed what is arguably the most heinous and blatant act of outright treason in its history: Ordering the attempt by a State of the union to allow the invasion of its own territory, and the attempted overthrow of its people. It was, demonstrably, and act of War against the […]

News and commentary for Monday, 22 January, 2024.

Hear the report of a talk given by 2 astrophysicists regarding the earth/weather changes we can expect because of the incoming Planet X.  Henry Gruver says the first sign of imminent attack on the US the loss of _____.   Did Isaiah accurately depict our sins and our coming judgments?  The WEF cites ____ as the […]

Continuing on our journey through the book of Proverbs we are staying with the topic of how wisdom, understanding and knowledge relate to keeping covenant with the Almighty. In this episode Rabbi Steve Berkson continues looking at the references of “wormwood” to discover the relevance for you today. We also discover that a majority of […]

Living a Double Life Last week in the Shabbat livestream, we looked at the human relationship to two types of commandments, the “Yes,” or you shall commandments, and the “No,” or you shall not commandments. In general, human beings like to hear yeses instead of nos. The challenge is that many of the commandments are given as nos, or the “you shall nots.” At least half of life is managing the nos, the boundaries, and the good fences that preserve our lives. If life is at least half no, then fostering a great relationship with the no commandments is the key. We can discipline ourselves to engage the nos with as much enthusiasm as the yeses, which really, is what makes a disciple. Just like Yeshua told Peter, we are transformed from a person who always wants to be in charge to one who is willing to be led of the Ruach HaKodesh in every circumstance, even down to the time and way we die. Some disciples discipline the nos faster, and some not so fast. It is important, though, for if we cannot engage the simple commandments of yes and no, then how will we hear the more subtle still, small, voice of the Ruach HaKodesh is our daily dilemmas that don’t come with a chapter and verse attached to them? This week, let’s look at another “commandment principle” of life: the possibility of living a double life. It starts with the first commandment given at Mount Sinai in Exodus 20:1-5: Then God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them…’ The commandment is not to put another created entity as an “elohim” in front of Elohim, the only Creator. The idea is that there is nothing else created that could possibly be Elohim. By definition, Elohim is the Creator of all things, and a created elohim (judge, appointed ruler) is not. It is merely another created thing originating from Elohim. All other things go behind Him. He is the first, and there is no second to compare to Him. Sometimes a glance at a more literal Hebrew helps. “You shall have no other gods before Me” is: ??? ???????????? ???????? ???????? ???????????? or You will not be to yourself another god on My face. When a human being fabricates an image from wood, stone, or other substance, or attributes the Ruach Elohim to an existing created substance such as a tree, water, cloud, etc., then the human has put a “face” on Elohim. The urge is so strong that this is the first commandment, a “yes” paired with a “no.” Yes, He is Elohim, and no, do not tamper with Him by fabricating an image to put a face on Him, for it will be inaccurate and a product of human imagination. A philosopher once said that "imagination is man's most God-like characteristic." We can also say that based on the primacy of the first commandment, imagination is man's most god-like characteristic, his primary place of vulnerability to idols. The moment we put a face on Elohim, we become susceptible to idolatry, looking to that object for intervention on our behalf: success, health, sustenance, good, peace, prosperity, comfort, joy, etc. For instance, rather than partner with Elohim for our life-path of prosperity, prerequisite to putting His Kingdom first, we forge our own ideas about how much wealth we need and when we need it without regard for our spiritual discipline and agreement to put Elohim first in all things. In ancient times, people sought out gods of prosperity, fertility, strength, war, and so on. Rather than partner with Elohim, “who teaches my hands to war,” (Ps 18:34) they consulted principalities and powers and made war. Because the worship of these entities requires the imagination, effort, time, and faith of the human being, the powers of the entity reflect the human who turns to it, not the true created ability assigned to that power by Elohim for it to manage its particular realm, whether in the heavens above or earth below. Are there other powerful spiritual beings and human organizations in our universe? Yes. Are they the Creator and worthy of our time, attention, and resources? NO! These entities are not ours to petition or order around. In selecting the attributes of certain entities, we put a human, animal, or other physical face on Elohim. While He is often hidden from human beings, He does not need a mask of our choosing. We desperately need to believe that so that we don’t live a double life, claiming to worship Elohim while putting our trust in other created entities. That is done today not so much by worshiping an object, but by putting faith in the leopard’s spots. Remember our lessons on the beast kingdoms? The leopard was Greece. The spots were its organizations: medicine, art, philosophy, education, drama, military, government, politics, sports, music, etc. The Romans took those organizations and expanded them, and even when the Roman Empire fell, those systems are disseminated all over the world to influence and control human beings. Now human beings are conditioned to look to those organizations to supply every human need. When we put faith in them, they become a god on Elohim’s face. They are to be used lawfully, not trusted. We are in Babylon, the whole earth. The golden head of Babylon is still attached to the whole image: Babylon’s golden head; Medo-Persia’s silver chest; Greece’s bronze abdomen; Rome’s iron legs; and those organizations mixed with all humans made of clay are standing on the whole earth. When King Messiah, the Stone, smashes the feet of the world’s organizations being worshiped, then it will also tumble the cumulative effect of the whole image, and Babylon will be fallen once again. Can we use these systems? Go to a doctor? Vote? Write and paint? Play sports? Defend our country? Receive an education? Absolutely! We are in Babylon, but we are not OF it. “Come out of her” is a yes commandment, but we can’t come out of the world itself without also saying some nos. Those iron and clay feet are everywhere. The key is don’t participate in Babylon’s sins: “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;’” (Re 18:4) Being in the earth and its systems is inevitable; participating in its sinfulness is not. The Ten Commandments are the Cliff’s Notes of how to master the yeses and nos of the Word. Inevitably, all those organizations will be destroyed by King Messiah Yeshua. They are each being exposed even now. While they meet many needs, just like a created power in the heavens above or earth below, they are not Elohim. When those organizations begin to exercise sinful power, influence, and control over human beings, especially because human beings WANT them to do so in order to derive the benefit, just like ancient idolatry, THEN they begin to function like a face on Elohim. It is our responsibility to never let these things replace our faith in Elohim as the Lord of Armies, the Healer, the Provider, the Creator, and the many names of Who He is to His Creation. “To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD, He is God; there is no other besides Him.” (Dt 4:35) ???? ???? ?????????? Ain od m'ilvado. There is no other beside Him. There is nothing more than His oneness. This week a rabbi explained the first commandment to have no other gods. He said it is to be double-minded! To think that any other power or force on earth is our source rather than the One who created us. That reminded me of something I memorized in high school: James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (Ja 1:1-8) Now that I’m older, I can read the contextual and symbolic phrasing. The letter is written specifically to disciples of Yeshua in the dispersion, not in Judea. These believers are among the nations, not in the defined land of Israel itself. Emphasizing this, James (Ya’akov) describes them as being in a place the sea where “wind” tosses. The sea alludes to the nations, and the tossing wind is “ruach,” those created spiritual entities that rule them, such as the Prince of Persia. Each nation has its assigned ruler until it is shaken down just before King Messiah returns to set up his government on earth. Wisdom, or “chokhmah,” is the first of the seven spirits of Adonai listed in Isaiah 11:2, the Holy Spirit. They are seven manifestations of the ONE Ruach HaKodesh, for the menorah was hammered from one piece of gold. James is giving believers an exhortation from the first commandment: There is only one Elohim; believe it! Being among the wind-tossed sea of nations is to be vulnerable to those who have made spiritual powers into their gods by believing they had power independent of Elohim's will, or they have created organizations to accomplish the same goals as those who worshiped idols of their imagination from ancient times. Indeed, those "princes" are responsible for their assigned territories, but they do not report to nor heed another created being. Only Elohim. There is none other. James knew we'd need this reminder not to absorb the nations' reliance on their systems instead of our Creator Elohim. An idol is nothing but an inaccurate, pathetic, self-serving, figment of the human imagination placed like one of many faces on Elohim. In these lands of exile among the nations, we are to turn to the Ruach HaKodesh, the Spirit of Elohim, Who is One, to meet all our needs in His time, not ours. In His quantity, not ours, When we begin to “work the system” apart from His perfect will in our lives, we’ll be double-minded. Like the Israelites, we will fall into fear and uncertainty. Although they said “We will do and we will hear" at the mountain,” there was still some double-mindedness. Could they really do the yes and not do the nos? Even the first commandment, to believe Elohim created all things and would provide all things...even their perfection at the resurrection, was so unbelievable that they thought they’d die. They asked Moses to talk directly to Adonai and relay the messages and their answers. It is difficult to judge them. After all, do we really believe that we can be “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”? We have no control over the fact we’re in the exile and Babylon. What we do have control over is sin! Before we get past ten commandments to 613, we examine our hearts toward Elohim and His people: Hear, O, Israel. YHVH our Elohim, YHVH is ONE. You shall love… And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. In our hearts, we must accept that there is none other. First, Elohim is Creator. He created everything that is BEHIND Him, including our neighbor. Ain od m’ilvado. Once we accept that, then we can hear the Ten Commandments without dying. After that, we can learn the details of all 613 in the “seas,” the wilderness of the nations, our dispersion. Elohim’s pre-eminence is the key to coming out of Babylon, to not placing our faith in human systems. We must evaluate whether any of those systems is influencing us or coercing us to sin. If so, the Word of the commandments will provide the answer as to whether we are being double-minded. Gradually, like Peter going to his own cross, we stop living a double life and thinking with a double mind. We quit placing our masks on Elohim. Worry is evidence that the Ruach HaKodesh is still working on the second mind-mask whispering that Elohim is not fully to be trusted to be our Creator, Provider, Healer, Protector…and even the One Who will resurrect us to life when our worst fears come true. And isn’t that the key to not fearing? May Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. One mind. The worst fear, death, is our greatest hope. Ain od m’ilvado. No human being, principality, power, or human organization can resurrect us from the dead to live in the Presence of Elohim forever. Only ONE can and will. The ONE we believe…and our doing is evidence of our believing…will bring us to perfection by His Ruach HaKodesh. What if we’re not entirely perfect when we die? We’ll leave at least a few things not perfected. Otherwise, we’d be Messiah himself with the power of resurrection, but we’re not. We are depending on Yeshua’s sinless life to raise us sinless from the dead, not the other way around. Yeshua is the Living Word. The Word is the Torah. The Word is the Commandment. The yeses and the nos of Torah are life from the dead. So next time we’re worried about the economy, war, family, disease, politics, and every other care of the world, we have an opportunity. The Ruach HaKodesh is giving us an open window to put Elohim first. The imposter mind is being exposed as a fake! The person worrying is not us. It's just a man-made image-ination trying to put a distorted mask on our Deliverer. We need only a single mind in every trial: Ain od m’ilvado! There is none other than Him! Perfect.

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 42

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 41

Overview of the Tanakh – Session-40

Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a two-part look at the second parsha in the Book of Exodus, Bo(Ex. 10:1 – 13:16), and the final set of plagues, and, perhaps most importantly, for the outline of His Instruction for how we are to remember, and teach, and understand what He did then, […]

The Promises of our Heavenly Father are sure and everlasting. In Psalm 119, David uses the word for Promise at least 15 times to remind us that our Heavenly Father is good for His word. If He said it, we can depend on it. Even more, the promises of our Heavenly Father are meant to […]

Giving Thanks to our Heavenly Father opens up the communication channels so that we can hear more clearly what our Abba wants to tell us and show us. Psalm 148 tells us that all of creation is praising their Creator continually and Psalm 148 invites us to join in with them. Louie Giglio put together […]

Did you know the Samaritans had an APOSTATE Zadokite priesthood? PART 3 OF 4. Who were/are Samaritans?  Could some of them have been the self proclaimed “Sons of Zadok” who lived in Qumran and/or wrote some of the Dead Sea Scrolls including the so-called 'Zadokite Calendar'?  In this message we will introduce you to the Samaritans and show you from scripture as well as the writings of Josephus as a second witness and scholarly writings with regard to the Dead Sea scrolls as a third witness that these ‘sons of Zadok’ MAY WELL BE an offshoot of the Samaritan APOSTATE Zadok priesthood.  Did you know the Zadok priesthood was split after the Babylonian captivity and the brother of the actual Jerusalem Zadokite high priest went to Samaria to be the Samaritan high priest making sacrifices in the temple on Mt Gerizim?  If not, listen in and we'll give historic and biblical proof.   We'll explain how and why we believe the descendants of this apostate Zadok priest and his priestly followers are very likely the ancestors of the self proclaimed 'Sons of Zadok' with regard to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran and the solar calendar.  Since we already opened that pandora's (calendar) box... here's our next installment.

I want to share an article that I recently wrote that is now published with Israel365 news. I will put a link to the article in the description box below.  I look for patterns and trends and I try to connect the dots between what is happening in current events and how they relate back […]

The Torah teachers continue the study of the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, from chapter 19, and the ‘warning against Egypt,’ both ancient and perhaps modern, or at least figurative.

News, commentary, and an extended look back at the week of Tyranny and treachery, headlined in Davos, ending Saturday, 20 January, 2024.

The World Extermination Fascists met in Davos this week, and the most important news seemed to be that there is no longer any attempt to even hide the level of Evil they serve, and the Totalitarian Reich they intend to implement. But in a way, that’s the good news. Jeff, David, and Mark talk about […]

Satan’s A-Team is meeting again this week in Davos, Switzerland, and the thing that is perhaps most obvious about the Totalitarian Evil being so openly plotted is that they aren’t even trying to hide the outright Satanism that underlies it. By this time, a number of the engineered crises that have been plotted to destroy […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 18 January, 2024.

News and commentary for Wednesday, 17 January, 2024.

Stuck. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually. What do you do when you’re stuck? How do you find what you’re looking for in life, relationships, career? Is belief alone the thing that gets our lives moving and producing the kind of fruit we & God desire? How do we actualize the idealized version of ourselves? In this series, […]

News and commentary for Tuesday, 16 January, 2024.

Overview of the Tanakh- Session 39

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 38

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 37

Continuing on our journey through the book of Proverbs, we are staying with the topic of how wisdom, understanding and knowledge relate to keeping covenant with the Almighty. In the last episode Rabbi Steve Berkson took us down a “Rabbi Trail” to look at the words “discretion” and “wormwood”. In this episode he continues looking […]

Part of STUDIES IN EXODUS, this episode is about the enthusiasm of saying no.

Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a two-part look at the second parsha in the Book of Exodus, Vayeira (Ex. 6:2 – 9:35), where we begin to see what YHVH means by His repeatd demonstration that “Ani YHVH”. This part of the story includes the first of the ‘Ten Plagues,’ and certainly […]

Are the days of Yeshua’s walk upon this earth 2,000 years ago repeating itself – in the people, the religious leaders, and the political leaders? What was the (horrifying) cause of the recent disturbance at the Miami mall? Please join Steve and Bonnie as we teeter on the brink of WWIII, a prerequisite for global […]

The Torah teachers continue the study of the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, from chapter 17 into 18.

News, commentary, and an extended look back at the week of treason, treachery, and certainly war, ending Saturday, 5 January.

Did you know the Samaritans had an APOSTATE Zadokite priesthood? PART 2 OF 4. Who were/are Samaritans?  Could some of them have been the self proclaimed “Sons of Zadok” who lived in Qumran and/or wrote some of the Dead Sea Scrolls including the so-called 'Zadokite Calendar'?  In this message we will introduce you to the Samaritans and show you from scripture as well as the writings of Josephus as a second witness and scholarly writings with regard to the Dead Sea scrolls as a third witness that these ‘sons of Zadok’ MAY WELL BE an offshoot of the Samaritan APOSTATE Zadok priesthood.  Did you know the Zadok priesthood was split after the Babylonian captivity and the brother of the actual Jerusalem Zadokite high priest went to Samaria to be the Samaritan high priest making sacrifices in the temple on Mt Gerizim?  If not, listen in and we'll give historic and biblical proof.   We'll explain how and why we believe the descendants of this apostate Zadok priest and his priestly followers are very likely the ancestors of the self proclaimed 'Sons of Zadok' with regard to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran and the solar calendar.  Since we already opened that pandora's (calendar) box... here's our next installment.

While “things hidden” are certainly being revealed, it’s also true that the Big Lies are thicker than ever. From AWOL Lloyd Austin — why the cover-up? Is he even still alive? — to Fauci’s latest 2-day FraudFest (“I don’t recall,” he reportedly said, over 100 times) — to the latest massive escalation in WW IIi […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 11 January, 2024.

This week Mark again welcomes back Special Guest Harmon Taylor, of ‘Legal Reality’ to talk about elections, undeniable perfidy and vote fraud, and whether or not the ‘court system’ really has become nothing more than a cruel joke. But what becomes increasingly clear during the discussion is that the ‘great delusion’ that the Bible promises […]

Beginning our adventure into Biblical instrumentation we examine one of the earliest Lyres in the Bible, the Kinnor. Robert will take you through the kinnors construction into its linguistic and hermetical significance in scripture as well as the opinions of academics and church fathers through ancient records. Video link: Megiddo Lyre http://www.katapi.org.uk/Movies/VPlayer-jwp7++.php?s=3&v=27opcKxcg1c?list=RDJU4QRxsZhjg

News and commentary for Wednesday, 10 January, 2024. And given that the man who is arguably history’s (certainly AmierKa’s!) Greatest Mass Murderer testiLied before Congress yesterday, and claimed he “could not recall” – or similar prevarications – over 100 TIMES, it’s also apropos to take a trip in the WayBack Machine to catalog some of […]

Beginning our adventure into Biblical instrumentation we examine one of the earliest Lyres in the Bible, the Kinnor. Robert will take you through the kinnors construction into its linguistic and hermetical significance in scripture as well as the opinions of academics and church fathers through ancient records. Video link: Megiddo Lyre http://www.katapi.org.uk/Movies/VPlayer-jwp7++.php?s=3&v=27opcKxcg1c?list=RDJU4QRxsZhjg

News and commentary for Tuesday, 9 January, 2024.

Stuck. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually. What do you do when you’re stuck? How do you find what you’re looking for in life, relationships, career? Is belief alone the thing that gets our lives moving and producing the kind of fruit we & God desire? How do we actualize the idealized version of ourselves? In this series, […]

News and commentary for Monday, 8 January, 2024.

Overview of the Tanakh- Session 36

Overview of the Tanakh- Session 35

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 35

Continuing on the relationship between wisdom, knowledge and understanding and keeping covenant, Rabbi Steve Berkson uncovers valuable understanding regarding discretion and the word “wormwood” and its connection to keeping covenant. Take advantage of new teachings every week. To learn more about MTOI, visit our website, https://mtoi.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mtoiworldwide Follow us on Instagram: […]

Today Robert gives his testimony on how God gave him a passion for music, history, and their theological connection to the Holy Bible. Exploring the academic means by which history is taught and establishing a need for biblical musicology (Bible Music History) to fill a gap commonly found in Liberal arts textbooks, while also educating […]

Audio reading:Exodus 7:8-8:6, Isaiah 29:22-23, Matthew 8:1-17, Psalm 9:13-20, Prov 3:1-6 What does it really mean to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart?”  In a culture of the pioneer independent spirit, how do we do that? Watch the song on Youtube: 1000 Israelis cry out to the Heavens in song, “Bring them Home” […]

The annual Torah cycle reading for this week is parsha “Shemot,” and it begins the Book of the same name, or Exodus in English (Ex. 1:1-6:1) The Erev Shabbat reading sets the stage for the story to follow, which is not only the rest of the ‘Torah’ itself, of the ‘Five Books of Moses,’ but […]

Psalms 136 and 132 use the word “Restore” to talk about our Heavenly Father bringing back conditions that have been lost through bad decisions and evil plots against us. He promises to restore us to His plans and purposes for our lives if we will but follow his path that He has clearly laid out […]

The Torah teachers continue the study of the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, into chapters 15, 16, and then 17, where Moab remains a central theme. And, this week in particular, there is a ‘timestamp’ in the form of a specific prophecy not YET fulfilled, since Damascus remains a city.

News, commentary, and an extended look back at the first week of calendar year 2024, ending Saturday, 5 January.

David, Jeff, and Mark discuss the events of the first full week of 2024.

This week’s show SOUNDS like it might have something to do with what once passed for law, but since the courts have become not much more than a sick joke , that is not really the case at all. What it is, instead, is a look at why concepts that once mattered in a “nation […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 4 January, 2024.

News and commentary for Wednesday, 3 January, 2024.

Today Robert gives his testimony on how God gave him a passion for music, history, and their theological connection to the Holy Bible. Exploring the academic means by which history is taught and establishing a need for biblical musicology (Bible Music History) to fill a gap commonly found in Liberal arts textbooks, while also educating […]

News and commentary for Tuesday, 2 January, 2024.

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 33

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 32

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 31

What two concepts has mainstream Christianity combined to make one incorrect concept? What “active” roles has the Father shown us in keeping covenant with Him–things that He won’t do? Everyone has a “worldview”–what should your worldview be? What did Peter say about Paul’s teachings? (2 Peter 3:14-16) What does “untaught and unstable” mean? Continuing in […]

Have you ever encountered something...in Bible study or any area of life...and within a day or two, bam! You run into it again! Often it is noticeable because it is now in our conscious thought where it wasn't before. In that sense, it's not really a coincidence. Sometimes, though, you know the odds are pretty remote that you'd encounter the same thing twice in such a short period of time. That happened today, so I think this would be a good prophecy insight to share. The prophecy is Zechariah’s vision of the High Priest Yehoshua and the governor Zerubabbel after the return from exile in Babylon: “Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and roused me, as a man who is awakened from his sleep. He said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it; also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side.” (Zech 4:1-3) This particular prophecy is the subject of many interpretations, each offering a different possible fulfillment of the prophecy. In this case, we’re looking at its significance through ancient eyes. It is important to have the historical timeline in mind when reading the Prophets. Aside from the proto-prophecy of the Torah which guides all prophecy, the prophets either prophesied before the destruction of the first Temple and the Babylonian exile or afterward. For instance, Ezekiel prophesied before Judah was conquered by Babylon. His vision extends even until the Messianic era, but regardless, the actual lifetime of the prophet is important. Typically, the prophecies will address both: the prophet’s immediate lifetime or very near, and then a future time, often as far as the Messianic kingdom. In Ezekiel’s lifetime, Judah had fallen into severe apostasy like the Northern Kingdom. The Temple services were conducted by a corrupt priesthood failing in its appointed service. That generation is referred to as “copper, tin, and dross.” Zechariah’s prophecy after the exile in Babylon, however, describes Israel (the lampstand) as pure gold. The Midrash Rabbah (Shir HaShirim to Chapter 4) explains the prophecy of the menorah and two olive trees: “The verse’s plain meaning refers to the Second Temple; however, the Midrash take it to be metaphorically describing Israel in the Messianic era...Ezekiel 22:18 refers to Israel as ‘copper, tin, and dross’, yet Zechariah describes them as pure gold in the Messianic era.” Zechariah sees a troubled community as pure gold after its return from Babylon. In spite of the filthy garments worn by the high priest, symbolizing the uncleanness of exile in Babylon, he is re-clothed in clean linen garments, symbolizing the purification of Israel and its priesthood. Like Balaam saw Israel without blemish even though clearly Israel had some sin blemishes in the wilderness, so Judah’s return is seen as a step toward its ultimate purification in the Messianic kingdom. They were seen not as they were, but as they would be, like Father Abraham, justified by faith as they returned until the ultimate circumcision of the heart. In their present return from the exile (Zechariah's time), Judah was messy and even God-forbid...political? Look at the pattern. Ezra and Nehemiah were up to their eyeballs in messy when the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile. This should sound familiar: Marriage to idolatrous spouses and painful divorces Political intrigue and accusations instigated and stirred by Arabs Terror attacks by Arabs while Jews restored Jerusalem’s walls Selfish individualism instead of a willingness to work together to rebuild the Temple for gathering Blatant Shabbat and feast-breaking “Zechariah the prophet said, ‘I saw all of the house of Israel as pure gold.’ and behold-there is a menorah made entirely of gold with its bowl on its head [veh-gulah al rosha], etc. There are two olive trees over it, etc.’ Zechariah’s prophecy is directed at Zerubbabel who lived in the time of the Second Temple and not in Messianic time. The Midrash takes ‘Zerubabbel (v. 6) to be King Messiah, whose progenitor* he was.” (Shir 4§16) *Substituting the ancestor’s name for a descendant is common in Scripture, such as “my servant David” standing for King Messiah, the offspring of David. It can also be used to describe the Divinely-gifted spirit of a particular individual appearing in a later generation, such as John the Baptist coming in the “spirit of Elijah.” Why two olive trees? This is oblique, and open to multiple ideas, and the sages offer a homiletic (preaching/teaching) interpretation of the word gulah from gulah al rosha “a bowl on its head.” ????????? ???????????? In that explanation, they interpret gulah as golah, or “an exile.” One said that the word is to be expounded as it was written, go’alah, which means, “its redeemer.” The Midrash adds: “The one who said ‘exile’ was referring to the fact that when Israel went into exile in Babylonia, the Divine Presence went with them. And according to the one who said ‘its goel,’ meaning ‘its redeemer,’ for it is written, ‘Our Redeemer, Whose Name is HASHEM, Master of Legions, etc.” (Is 47:4). Using their teaching application, Israel is the one who went into exile, and Adonai is the “bowl” on their head, the anointing of the Ruach HaKodesh watching over them. In the first explanation, Adonai went with them into exile, and in the second explanation, He redeemed them from exile. This is why Zechariah saw two olive trees. The redemption from "Babylon" would occur in two separate time periods: once in Zechariah's generation and again in the future return from Babylon as also prophesied by John. This is how they explain, “You are entirely fair, my beloved, and there is no blemish in you.” “Although the Midrash says that the word gulah refers to Babylonian exile, it means to include as well the current exile. It interprets the Zechariah verse where this word appears to be speaking of the Messianic era, which will follow the current exile. Although the Isaiah passage speaks of redemption from the Babylonian exile, it serves to teach about the Future Redemption as well, that is ‘Jews’ becoming pure gold in Messianic times.” 4§17) The information above was the subject of our Torah classes this week. It’s specific information relating the return of the exiles into the Messianic kingdom from “Babylon,” the place of their exile. Even John’s prophecy “Babylon the Great is fallen, fallen,” refers to two time periods: the fall of the historical Babylon, and the future fall of Babylon, all those Babylonian systems that extend across the earth in the clay and iron feet and toes of the Beast’s image. Just as the first return from Babylon was very messy, so the second will be characterized by a people in need of cleaning up their devotion to Adonai. Nevertheless, Zechariah sees them as pure gold, the same pure gold lampstand standing before the Throne in Revelation. (Re 1:4, 20) They are gathered through seven sacred convocations (the moedim), a pure gold menorah anointed by the bowl of anointing oil and Messiah's redemption on their heads. Hallelu Yah! The text below is excerpted by permission from today’s Ulpan-Or email newsletter [12/29/23], a Hebrew language school in Israel: This Shabbat we will read the Torah Portion "Va'Yehi", which concludes the book of Genesis. This Torah portion contains the famous blessing bestowed by Jacob on his grandchildren Ephraim and Manasseh, which has been used over generations as a blessing of father to his sons. ????????? ???????? ???????????? ????????????? "May G-d make you like Ephraim and Manasseh." (Ge. 48:20) Jacob's blessing to his grandsons is the only scene of grandfather giving blessing to his grandchildren in the Torah. And the Torah describes the circumstances under which this blessing was given. Jacob asks Joseph to bring the two grandchildren near so that he can bless them. Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh (the firstborn) in his left hand towards Israel’s right, and brought them near him. But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn. Joseph was displeased when he saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head. So he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head and said to Jacob, ????????? ?????? ???-??????, ???-??? ?????: ????-??? ????????, ????? ????????? ???-??????? “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” ????????? ??????, ????????? ?????????? ????? ??????????--????-???? ???????-??????, ?????-???? ????????; ????????, ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????????, ?????????, ??????? ?????-????????? "But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.” ??????????? ???????? ??????, ???????, ????? ???????? ?????????? ??????, ????????? ???????? ???????????? ?????????????; ????????? ???-?????????, ??????? ????????? He blessed them that day, saying: "By thee shall Israel bless, saying: God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh.' And he set Ephraim before Manasseh." Why did Jacob favour Ephraim over Manasseh? Jacob knew two things, and it is here that the explanation lies. He knew that the stay of his family in Egypt would not be a short one. Before leaving Canaan to see Joseph, G-d had appeared to him in a vision: ?????????, ??????? ????? ??????? ???????; ???-??????? ??????? ???????????, ????-?????? ??????? ?????????? ???? ???????, ????? ??????? ???????????, ?????????, ???????? ???-?????; ????????, ??????? ????? ???-???????? Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes. (46: 3-4) This was the start of the long exile which G-d had told Jacob's father Abraham would be the fate of his children. The other thing Jacob knew was his grandsons’ names, Manasseh and Ephraim. These have specific meanings in Hebrew, as the Torah describes: ?????????? ?????? ???-???? ?????????, ?????????: ????-????????? ???????? ???-????-???????, ????? ????-????? ????? ????? ???? ?????????, ????? ?????????: ????-????????? ????????, ???????? ??????? "Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh, saying, 'It is because G-d has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.' The second son he named Ephraim, saying, 'It is because G-d has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.'" (41: 50-52) In Egypt Joseph had risen to greatness. In Canaan, he had been the youngest of eleven brothers in a nomadic family of shepherds. Now, in Egypt, he was at the centre of the greatest civilization of the ancient world! The past was a bitter memory he sought to remove from his mind. Manasseh - ???? ( The Hebrew root is ???) means “forgetting.” By the time his second son was born, Joseph undergone a profound change of heart. He had all the trappings of earthly success – “G-d has made me fruitful” and he called his second son - Ephraim - ????? (The Hebrew root is ???) - means "fruit". But Egypt had become “the land of my affliction.” Why? Because it was exile. Jacob knew that these were the first two children of his family to be born in exile. Knowing too that the exile would be prolonged and at times difficult and dark, Jacob sought to convey a message to all future generations that there would be a constant tension between the desire to forget - to assimilate and the promptings of memory that our real home is somewhere else. Jacob blessed the "child of forgetting" Manasseh - ???? However, the blessings of a child Ephraim - ?????, who remembers the past and future of which he is a part, should be greater. (Based on Rabbi Jonathan Sacks' lesson). And now a little bit of Hebrew: It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for 'exile' is: ????? (GOLAH) And the Hebrew word for 'redemption' is: ????? (GEULAH) The difference in spelling of these words is the addition of the letter "Aleph" - ? to the word ???? Letter "Aleph" represents the creator ???? (ALOOF) If one inserts an aleph into the word ???? (exile), exile is empowered and transformed into ????? (redemption). And the name Ephraim ????? starts with the letter Aleph, possibly alluding to that transformation. ** So you be the judge: is it just a coincidence or a sweet kiss from Heaven that our weekly study focused on the return from exile and it is synchronized with Ulpan-Or’s Hebrew lesson? We can become fruitful in the places of our exile, shedding the sins and uncleanness of Babylon. King Yeshua will gather us back to the Temple clean, without blemish, to forget all the sins and afflictions by which we were purified with Salvation's (Yeshua's) clean garments of righteousness. Look up and listen closely. I think I hear the Footsteps of Messiah.

The reading of the Book of Bereshiet or Genesis comes to an end with parsha “Vayechi” (Gen. 47:28 through the end) as do the lives of first Yakov, and then Yosef. “And lived Yakov,” the parsha begins, 17 years in the land of Egypt after he brought his family to be there with Joseph. But […]

What does the “Fear” of our Heavenly Father mean? There are actually 4 different Hebrew words that are used in the scriptures. In Psalm 111, David is using the word that closely translates to the moral compass of our lives. If we have this fear of our Heavenly Father, we will take the teachings that […]

Diving deeper into our Israelite Hebraic cultural music and context by listening to three congregational cantering “Singing” chants in 3 synagogues.    1.  The first is a Hasidic Kaddish. https://youtu.be/_e50J2VpW48 2. The second is a Sephardi Sabbath prayer,   https://youtu.be/CMfd9S490os 3.  A Mizrahi cantor chanting the Shema in Numbers 6 and “Adonai Melek” The Lord […]

News and commentary for Friday, 29 December, 2023.

It’s time to wrap up the week that marks the last of calendar year 2023. And there are more ‘records’ being set, too – from the Bidenvasion, to the levels of perfidy.

This week the Torah teachers explore chapter 14 of the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, where much of his warning might be called ‘judgment upon Moab’. Perhaps by now it shouldn’t surprise us by now that prophecy, like history, seems to ‘rhyme,’ and much of it is at least as applicable to our understanding today […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 28 December, 2023.

This is the last show of the calendar year 2023, and, while that generally means a “slow news week,” and Mark’s admitted disdain for the resultant slew of “Top 10 News – or whatever – Stories,” there is a way to turn that on its head, and still make an important point: Why not take […]

Ezekiel 38 describes an internal war that turns regional. Two different allied armies will converge on Israeli soil. One will be in Israel to help with internal turmoil. The other will invade during the turmoil. Read More: The post Gog-Magog: The Culmination Of Two Wars Simultaneously appeared first on Bible Prophecy In The Daily Headlines.

News and commentary for Wednesday, 27 December, 2023.

News and commentary for Tuesday, 26 December, 2023.

On Christmas Eve Robert addresses a real set of problems. The first being the influence of a poorly written historical work called the Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop and its impact on the Jehovah Witnesses and its similar spiritual permeation into Messianic/Hebrew Roots. Secondly there is no messianic speaking about the debate from the church […]

Psalm 7 assures us that those who plot evil will be dealt with by the Righteous Judge in His time. Sometimes we think it takes too long for that to happen, but David assures us that it will happen. Our lives are not always a bed of roses. Sometimes, our Heavenly Father takes us through […]

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 30

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 29

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 28

Why are people referred to as “children” in scripture? e.g., Children of Israel We are instructed to “not forget” and “don’t turn away” from the Father’s discipline–how do we keep from doing these? Why do some “turn away” from the words of Elohim? How are some people today “disempowered”? From where does understanding come? Why […]

Forget The Great Reset. Here is “The Great Setup”! The games the nations are playing on the global population never cease. One of the steps of The Great Reset includes war. This war between Israel and Hamas is one of those wars. Read More: The post WWTTWD? What Will The Two Witnesses Do? appeared first […]

Then Judah went up to him and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’ 20 And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 23 Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.’ 24 “When we went back to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’ 26 we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down. For we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One left me, and I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces,” and I have never seen him since. 29 If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.’ 30 “Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy's life, 31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.” (Ge 44:18-34) Some say this is the moment that Judah was awarded royal authority over the tribes. Judah conquered “The Red One,” of the soul. He wants to feed others, not be fed. He’d overcome his jealousy of his brother, his murderous thoughts toward his brother, his lack of honor for the wishes of his father, and confessed his relationship with Tamar to ensure the righteous offspring of Judah would live to fulfill the covenant promise of inheritance in the Land of Israel. Esau (Edom) has never conquered his jealousy of Jacob, his murderous inclination toward Jacob, and his lack of honor for the wishes of the “father” in marriage. Esau spurned the birthright of protecting the offspring and sold it for food. The Jewish sages say it was not then, nor when he was chosen to bring the first dedicatory gifts to the Tabernacle, nor when he was appointed to take the first step in the Camp movement to follow the Cloud and Ark. These foreshadowed. It was not until Israel entered the Land and Joshua died. After that, Judah was given leadership when he was chosen to lead his brothers in war against the Canaanites. Others add Boaz when he was kind to Ruth. [Midrash Rabbah to Shir HaShirim 4§16]

Audio reading: Genesis 48:10-16, Zech 8:1-23, Rev 16:1-21, Psalm 144:1-15, Prov 30:29-31, 12-26-23 Click link below to see the video clip referred to in this teaching: Unbelievable! The God of Israel is speaking to the Arab World For I have bent Judah, My bow, Fitted the bow with Ephraim, And raised up your sons, O […]

This week we see the conclusion to the ‘cliff-hanger’ story of Miketz, where Yosef has tested his brothers, and they stand before him accused, and evidently guilty, of theft. And this week, as Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship likes to put it, Judah ‘draws near’ (Vayigash, Genesis 44:18 through 47:27) and “mans up.” […]

Zadokite, Enochian, Sighted Moon, Hillel? We have purposely avoided doing any programs regarding calendars… until now. We believe Abba has been nudging us toward taking on this subject for the past many weeks in various not to subtle ways. The subject specifically of the “Zadokite” calendar has kept coming up, over and over from different people in a variety of ways. The last straw which convinced us to do a more in depth study to see if perhaps we were wrong with regard to this subject was a recent series of videos by a well known main stream Hebraic Roots teacher. These videos proposed that this “Zadokite” calendar is the correct calendar to follow. In today’s message we will be sharing what we found during our more in depth study and will be heavy on scriptural evidence and very light on opinion and conjecture. Toward the end of this program we will also share our thoughts (based upon scripture) regarding the possible dangers of incorrect calendars.

On this episode Robert answers the question as to how Orthodox Jewish music dispersed after the fall of the temple.  Three distinct methods of cultural worship have evolved throughout the centuries, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi.  These three coexist separately and interchangeably depending on  the style of worship practiced in various countries all over the world. […]

The teachers discuss Isaiah chapter 13, which continues the theme of “the “Day of the LORD,” as well as more about “Babylon.” But there is so much more in here beyond just references that most of xtianity have heard of, but never really studied.

The ‘gloves have been off’ for quite a while now. But too many of our friends, family, and neighbors just wouldn’t believe it. That all changed this week.

This week the news wrap-up and summary is a bit different, because the week itself was: The Big Con was revealed this week. Those ‘black-robed priests of the fake god of this world’ came right out and said, “while we prattle about ‘democracy’ – we don’t give a $#@@! how you vote, and we won’t […]

historyofeclipsesHN Also Covering also Future Eclipses. Almost all the eclipses in the next 3 years fall on Holy Days. Why?

Winter is not just coming…Winter is HERE. The Big Con was revealed this week. Those ‘black-robed priests of the fake god of this world’ came right out and said, “while we prattle about ‘democracy’ – we don’t give a $#@@! how you vote, and we won’t count ’em anyway.” So what’s next? And how do […]

News and commentary for Wednesday, 20 December, 2023. The Colorado Supreme Kangaroo circus just did exactly as programmed, and sent a message: If you did NOT know the election was a communist fake before, there’s no excuse now for blindness. But that’s just the beginning…

News and commentary for Tuesday, 19 December, 2023.

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 27

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 26

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 25

News and commentary for Monday, 18 December, 2023. This news today will offend some: It should. Because the alternative is deadly. And is intended to be.

Hoping to get through more than seven verses this time, Rabbi Steve Berkson continues teaching in Proverbs about wisdom, knowledge and understanding and how they relate to keeping covenant with our Creator. What is “cruel”? How is it related to “perverse”? What do these have to do with Covenant-Life? Do you see yourself as cruel […]

"We had a wonderful Sukkot in the Land. And then when we woke up on October 7th, something had changed. And I guess long story short: k-boom. A lot of k-booms. And you find out who you are inside. I think when the k-booms start going off, and you have no control over them... You know, I think most people are used to–at least familiar with-weapons, that it’s probably not going to go–it’s not supposed to go off-unless you do specific things to make it go off. But when you have no control over what’s going over your head, it’s a completely different dynamic. And so, I’m still learning how to deal with that one. I’m not used to being shot at. It’s different. So I’m glad to be here tonight. It’s good to be back with Jacob’s Tent. And the larger tent that we see often around the feast times. And what I want to do tonight is not necessarily seem Chanukah-forward. But I think we’re in a time where we need to be encouraged because if you’re like me, since October 7th, you’ve kind of been stuck in a certain place. It’s hard to know what’s on the horizon, but you definitely know what’s behind you. And so you’re beginning to ask yourself: “All this that I’ve been learning, you know He’s brought me out of some system that I was in and maybe happy with, maybe unhappy with, but He brought me out of that system. And I can’t help but think He brought me out for some reason in this generation in particular. I wasn’t born in a different generation. I was born into this generation. And we know every generation has its tribulation. That’s not new. Is this the tribulation of our generation? And I think the answer’s going to be “yes” to that. I’ve not experienced anything like this. I’m used to them lobbing rockets at Sukkot, that’s what they do. If you didn’t go to Israel because they lobbed a few rockets, you would never go to Israel. But this is different. And it really feels as though everything we have been doing has prepared us for this moment in time. What’s on the horizon? We don’t know. That’s why I feel a little bit stuck in a certain place. I feel like everything’s outside our control right now, but hasn’t it always been? It’s always been outside of our control. He’s been preparing us for this time when it’s going to feel so much as if things are out of our control. And the good news is, there is no Plan B. In the beginning, there was plan A. We would like to think that our sin is just so powerful that Adonai just has to keep coming up with new plans like B, C, D, E, F. He never did. He never changed His mind. He never changed the goal. Now, it might be taking us a little longer to get there, but He hasn’t changed His mind, and the purpose for which you have been called hasn’t changed because there is a war in Israel. That has not changed. He has been preparing you for this moment. What I want to do is take a look at the history that has brought us to this point. We might call it prophecy, we might not. I mean, what people usually call prophecy, I just call deep Torah study. There’s no prophecy without Torah. And so as we look at some of the prophecies, and tonight I want to look at a passage in the Song of Songs of all things, we think it’s a love song but it’s actually a prophecy of the return of the exiles. And this is the way that the rabbis construe it. This is not Hollisa Alewine sitting too long with too many cups of coffee. This is the way the rabbis have put it together. The only thing I can see that’s missing from the way they’ve put it together is the fact that they haven’t yet recognized Yeshua as that Messiah that they’re talking about. Part of that you can see even in the gospels when it was teaching about the circumstances surrounding Yeshua’s birth. We have all sorts of things: Shepherds by night. Stars. We have peace on earth. We have all of these things that are associated with the particular season, and we say well what happened here? I want to go back and look at what happened in order to figure out why Herod was so upset that the wise men were there and why in particular he was upset. I want to go back to Abraham because he’s our forefather. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re descended from Abraham by blood or by faith, you are still a child of Abraham and Sarah. And so I want to call this: Three Wise Men and a Red One. And I know, we don’t know for sure that there were Three Wise Men; we just tend to say that because there were three specific gifts. I want to trace this prophecy to Abraham all the way up to the time of Herod and the birth of Yeshua and see if there’s something about those three gifts that should ring a bell with us, but should also encourage us about this particular moment in time in which we live. Because I believe one of the problems that the Jews of the first century had with Yeshua is that they were expecting what we are experiencing. They were 2,000 years too early. But on the other hand, we don’t want to be lulled to sleep. What we want to do is look at the prophecies of Micah and Isaiah and say “What should we look for next, and how should our feet be planted?” And understand we’re still part of Plan A. He still had a plan to gather us in. He’s not abandoned it. And that’s the danger of just studying prophecy in isolation. It’s like an amusement park. It’s fun. It’s exciting. But if you get on the rollercoaster it always ends up back at the same stop. If you get on the Ferris wheel, you still get off at the same place. If you eat the cotton candy, you still get sick to your stomach. This is prophecy as it’s usually taught. It’s exciting and we get to sit around and speculate as to who's got the right insight to the prophecy. But so many times, if we’ll just go back into the Word, back into the Torah, and we look at some of the insights from the people who have studied those prophecies for thousands of years, it might be much simpler than it seems. It doesn’t have to be an amusement park. That’s when we can turn it into the field. The field has the Word in it. And so we have to labor in that field like a farmer, with patience. Not on a rollercoaster ride, not with cotton candy, but planting very patiently until we can see that fruit of that labor. You don’t see a lot of farmers in the field screaming at each other, and holding their hands up. Right? It’s a much more serious approach. But there is joy at the harvest. And I want us to have some of that joy tonight. Where we can see the end. Where we can see the seed He has planted thousands of years ago, and there’s no Plan B. And we get to be part, hopefully, of that harvest. So if you would turn in your Bibles to Song of Songs 4:6, we’re going to look at the passage from Song of Songs 4:6 to verse 8 and that’ll be our text for tonight and for tomorrow. We’ll stay on this same section. We’re going to look at the promises made to Abraham and see, “Why is there always conflict over Jerusalem? Why is there conflict over the Temple Mount? Why can the nations not just leave Israel alone?” I think it’s for the same reason that Adam and Eve had an entire garden full of trees and there was one they couldn’t just leave alone. You tell people they can’t have that one thing, and that’s exactly what they’re going to covet. But this starts out, this is very beautiful, it says: 6“Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. So I’m going to do a quick significance definition for you. If you like to take notes, this is where you would take notes. In prophecy, often there is a significance to particular terms. The mountain? That can be either Mount Sinai, or it can be the Temple Mount. In this case, it’s going to be the Temple Mount. This is the mountain of myrrh, and the hill of frankincense. It’s also called the Holy Hill. So we’re talking about the Temple Mount right here. I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. Where is the Messiah coming to? He’s coming to the Temple Mount. It’s called the Mountain of Myrrh and Frankincense because this is where the incense offerings are offered. And if we understand what those incense offerings are about, we understand these are the prayers of Israel being offered up on behalf of the nations. And one thing to remember about the incense service is it could not be conducted without animal sacrifice. The coals had to come from the outer altar. If there’s no animal sacrifice–this is going to make sense when we talk about the Beast–if there’s no animal sacrifice, there’s no incense service. The Beast has to be sacrificed. He says, 7You are altogether beautiful, my darling, and there is no blemish in you. 8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, may you come with me from Lebanon. Journey down from the summit of Amana, from the summit of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards. So that’s what we want to do: let’s unpack these. Tonight, tomorrow. Let’s take a look at these terms and say, “What exactly is this prophecy about?” It’s about the return of the exiles. First of all, let’s look at the summit, or the mount, the “head,” of Amana. Now some of you who can speak a little bit of Hebrew, you can hear a word in there that you’re familiar with. Amana sounds a whole lot like...? Emunah. Right. Exactly: faith. So let’s turn to Genesis 15:5 through 7. Let’s go back to father Abraham. Because in the end, I can’t remember exactly how Brad used to put it, but in summary it’s always been about a land, a covenant, and a people. A land, a covenant, and a people. And I want to show you how that land, covenant and people are very specific and set aside as it pertains to the other nations. So it says, 5And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” “So shall your descendants be.” What is He talking about? That many? It can be. That’s the plain sense of the verse. But we also understand that the stars sometimes in Scripture represent principalities and powers. And He’s saying, “Your descendants…” if we look at the significance, “...will be like these principalities and powers. They will rule over the earth someday.” That’s a pretty big promise. 6Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. He believed. There’s our emunah. The heh-amin. 7And He said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it. So the promise is to Abraham, to his descendants, and it’s about a specific land. And this belief–you know we talk a lot about faith. There was even a movement called Word of Faith movement. Faith is a big thing if you’re a believer. But what exactly should this faith focus around? Faith in Yeshua? Yes. But let’s go even farther back. How would the people of the First Century even come to look at Yeshua in faith? They would look back to their father Abraham as a pattern. So the heh-amin, the faith, it…was reckoned to him as righteousness because he believed. He believed that that specific land would be given to his descendants to possess. To this day a very small percentage of the earth believe. Whether we talk about believing that the people who are there are the descendants of Abraham...there’s all sorts of conspiracy and protocols and things out there that are trying to subvert the position of the Jews within the covenant. But it really goes back to: does Adonai have the right to promise this little piece of land to these people? Do we believe it? If we believe it, it can be among those things that are accounted to us as righteousness. Let’s look at another passage, very similar, Genesis 17:1 through 8. And this was when Avram was 99 years old. Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.” Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. Right there we know that Abraham’s descendants will be out among the nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. Now how many times did He repeat Himself in that passage as if we didn’t hear Him the first time? He knows we’re not hard of hearing. But He also knows that we need to hear things more than once to get it. It’s about a covenant between Abraham and his descendants concerning this particular land that He has established. You cannot talk about the covenant without talking about the Land. And you can’t talk about the land and the covenant without talking about the descendants of Abraham. Those three things are the essentials if we’re going to talk about faith, emunah. If we are going to come from the summit of Amana, there is a summit of faith we must reach. And who is first associated with faith? Abraham. If we are descendants of Abraham, we have to exhibit that same kind of faith. Even though Abraham is told, ‘this is going to be a land of your sojourning’, in other words, ‘Abraham, you’re not really going to be able to call this your home. But your descendants will come back and they will be able to call it home.’ So let’s look at another passage, Genesis 13:17. And again, it’s about a specific land area and a specific people group. Again, talking to Abraham: Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you. And I emphasize “I”. Adonai is giving to Abraham and his descendants this specific land. It’s not for people to give it to Abraham or his descendants. Human beings do not give that land. Ever. A human being cannot transfer that land. It’s not under our authority, even as the tree of knowledge of good and evil was not under our authority. And it never will be ours to buy, to sell, to trade, to give away, to conquer. It’s always His. And it’s these terms that the nations have always coveted. Everything we just read...? The nations have coveted that tree. Out of all the trees in the world, they want this tiny piece of Land that’s promised to a specific group of people. And what is the big thing today? You have some people who would tolerate a few Jews in the land, but they would never tolerate Zionism. Zionism is the hot word. It’s Zionism to which they object so strongly because Zionism is associated with this covenant of an eternal promise between the Creator of the universe, Abraham, and his descendants. They can’t tolerate that. Because as long as there are people on earth who hold that covenant, then there is proof that there is still an Elohim. That there is One GOD. That’s what they’re fighting. They’re not fighting Jews. Jews are just in the way. They’re fighting their Creator. They want to say, “I get to subjectively choose my boundaries.” And we all do that to an extent, don’t we? We all want to define our own boundaries? And then we look into the Word and we say, ‘well I can’t do that anymore, because the Word says this is My boundary.’ We can’t be like King Solomon and say, ‘well that one doesn’t apply to me, that one doesn’t apply to me, that one doesn’t apply to me.’ We don’t get to do that. We have to say, ‘His boundaries apply to me in every area. It’s just a matter of me learning where those boundaries are. That’s the only question: have I learned them yet? And as I learn them, will I accept them? Or will I rise up like Cain and kill my brother? Will I rise up like Esau and try to kill my brother? Will I rise up like Ishmael and mock my brother?’ And so there’s a deep human disease that has been here from the time of the garden, and it’s coveting that which is not yours. Because as long as it’s not yours, you’re not GOD. If you can’t possess it, then you’re not in control. Adonai is the only one who gets to define what is acceptable sacrifice to Him. He’s the only one who can define acceptable behavior for a human being. No matter what your race. No matter what your nation. He’s the one who defines the boundaries. He made the design of the earth, He determined the inheritance of the nations, the reward of the nations, and Cain and Esau didn’t want to live within those boundaries. In fact, have you ever heard bigger crybabies? I mean cry baby, cry baby. What did Cain say, “My punishment is more than I can bear.” Well bless your heart. Criminals tend to get like that in the courtroom, don’t they? Here’s what Esau does, Genesis 27:34, once he finds out that Isaac has given the blessing to Jacob. When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” So Esau lifted his voice and wept. It’s all about crybaby. The Father in Heaven may not have given us something and we sit around and cry, “Do you just have one blessing? Could I have one too? Could I have what he has?” We look at things and we covet them. Well we’re supposed to covet the better gifts. But if it’s not your gift? It’s not your gift. And so what will Esau do? Esau is the Red One. Since we’re going to talk about Three Wise Men and a Red One – Esau is the Red One. He came out red and hairy all over. And he’s referred to in Jewish literature as Admon. The permanent red one. Edom. And so there’s Esau, which is bad enough, and there’s the worst end of Esau, which we call Amalek, may his name be blotted out. Here’s what Esau wants to do. He wants to dominate. He wants to possess. He will kill if it serves those ends. But to him, simply maintaining control and power is usually to his satisfaction, that he is more powerful than Elohim. If he’s just got the power, he’s convinced he’s god. It doesn’t matter how many names he calls on. How many times he says it’s great. That’s not what he believes; he believes he’s great. Amalek, remember, was a descendant of Esau. And it’s worse. It’s the worst end of Esau because he will kill you. He’s not there to just control you. Amalek is there to kill you, and he will kill you through craft. He will kill you through animal violence. He’s much more on board to actually exterminate the Creator. Esau wants to control so he can say, “You don’t control me. I control me. I’m god.” Amalek actually wants to exterminate the Creator Himself. If he can get rid of the people of the covenant, then he’s to step one. But this is it, controlling the covenant people and their assigned habitation has always been the key to the aims of the Beast. The Beast is nothing new in Revelation. The Beast was created on Day Six. On the same day as a human being. And as we look at those four beast kingdoms – as we look at Babylon, we look at Medo-Persia, we look at Greece, we look at Rome, and then the systems, the organizations that have spread over the earth today in the feet – it has always been their aim to control the assigned habitation of Abraham’s descendants. Whether it’s the Temple Mount itself or even those nations that were prophesied to Abraham, that’s why their systems have been established all over the world. By the way, the leopard spots? Of Greece? If you go back into the Hebrew, the word can actually refer to organizations. And that’s what Greece had. Greece brought us medicine, literature, education, philosophy, politics, and the military. Rome comes along, they might change the names of the gods, but they perfect those systems of organization. And to this day we go to coliseums. And to this day we use the Latin language when we talk about medicine. Those systems, those leopard spots, were perfected by Rome and now they’re in every nation on earth still trying to control people. Now I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I mean, surely there are conspiracies out there; it’s not my job to find them. It’s my job to find Yeshua and point out that he ultimately will defeat the Red Beast. It’s so funny sometimes when people think they’ve found the anti-christ. Like it wasn’t that hard, was it? I mean, seriously? Every generation has one. It’s not unusual to find an anti-christ. What is unusual is to find somebody who will follow Yeshua with a whole heart as a descendant of Abraham and never stop believing that Plan A is still in effect. If we look at the resistance that is mustered by these Beast Kingdoms, we can see again that pointing to the stars, not just as numerous those stars, but one day, Abraham, your twelve tribes, they will judge from the twelve gates of Jerusalem. They will judge the earth with king Messiah. They will take their rightful place, what they were created to do with Plan A–it was to be a special people who will rule and reign from Jerusalem. Still Plan A, folks. He’s still raising us up. He’s teaching us how to be prepared to know His Word, to know how to judge nations, to have something on the resume other than a name and a phone number. And that’s why learning these Torah portions, it’s critical. How are you going to judge the nations? How are you going to be a star of Abraham if you don’t know the fundamentals of the Torah? What other measurement do you think He’s going to use? U.S. Constitution? Fine choice, but that’s not it. His Word stands forever. And we can see that in history, like in the Book of Daniel, you had Gabriel. Daniel is praying. He needs an answer. Gabriel is coming with an answer. But he’s resisted by the Prince of Persia. And it takes one more thing to overcome the Prince of Persia. The Prince of Persia is assigned to Persia. It’s his job to defend the interest of Persia. And those powers are very single-minded. They just do one thing. They don’t really multitask. And so a message is coming that is going to prophesy the overthrow of Persia. Does he want that message to go through? No, that’s his job, to maintain that nation and its boundaries. So he stands against Gabriel which means “the strength of El.” But MikhaEl, Michael, comes along and he breaks through. Because “who is like El”? There is none higher. Even that created entity called the Prince of Persia had to bow to Who Is Like Unto El. There’s no one higher. He’s a created being. Even the devils believe and tremble. They must obey when they’re confronted with the strength and that oneness of Elohim. And we can see there will come a time in the book of Revelation when it says these stars will be moved out of their places. These principalities and powers will be moved out of their places over the nations. Because who is supposed to arise? The star of Jacob is going to arise, and with him, the descendants of Abraham who were created to rule and to reign from Jerusalem. They're going to take those places of judgment under King Messiah. So let’s get a little more detailed. Let’s go to Isaiah 41. And I wanted to find a word here so we’ll understand this envy of the nations against Israel. And it–I know for you guys, you’re probably like me–there is no pretense of logic and reason in the world today as it pertains to the modern state of Israel. There’s nothing that even makes sense. And there’s a reason it doesn’t make sense. He’s dividing people out. He’s unmasking them. And it’s all going to come down to: Do we have a Creator? Do we accept Him as Supreme and the One to assign our job as human beings? Is He the only One worthy of worship? If you don’t believe that, then you’re going to have trouble with the logic and the reason of Zion because the Torah is going to go forth from Zion. There is only one measure. What are they fighting against? A few Jews and tanks? That’s not who they’re fighting. They’re fighting The One Who holds the Covenant. And He says, “Only by this will the world be judged.” They don’t want to be judged by that. In Isaiah 41:1 (ESV), I want to look at verse 1 and then skip down to 8 through 10. I want you to see who it’s addressed to. It says, Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment. So the nations, the coastlands, the peoples, He says “renew your strength” and I want you to approach Me and we’re going to have judgment. There’s nothing scarier to me than Adonai saying, ‘Come on, approach the bench. Let’s hear your case.” Then we skip down to verse 8, He says, But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; No Plan B. 10fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, He’s telling the nations, ‘strengthen yourself if you can,’ but He’s telling the people of Israel, “I will strengthen you.” It’s not by your strength, it’s by His. I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. His righteous right hand Yeshua. Now do we want to be part of the coastlands who approach the throne in our own strength for judgment? Or do we want Yeshua, our advocate, standing beside us? And standing in his strength. Standing in his righteousness. I want Yeshua. I can’t stand on my own strength anyway. So the coastlands are being challenged: “approach for judgment. To define who these coastlands are, even though the internal text tells us it’s the nations. Alright? Can you see the inner definition within the verse there? The coastlands are the nations? The specific word is actually “ee” (???). Which is kind of a funny word to me like “ee”, “ee”. And “eeyeem” (????????) would be plural. Coastlands. All that means is a habitable spot, dry land, a coast, an island. But it can be any habitable dry land. It doesn’t have to mean like the beach. The coastlands. The first mention of coastlands is going to be Genesis 10:5 (NASB 1995). It says, From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. So the coastlands of the nations indicate this is where He set their boundaries. He set their boundaries the same way He set Abraham’s boundaries. And He set it according to language and family. These were the nations’ assignments. The nations didn’t like where they were assigned. Did you ever get a seat assignment you didn’t like? You ever get – you ever sit next to that one on the plan? They’re going to fall asleep on your shoulder and drool? Yeah. Or they’re going to stick their dirty feet up on the back of your seat? Some people, we don’t like our assignments. But in this case we better like our assignment. What they have been doing from the beginning is to reassign the boundaries and to absorb the descendants of Abraham. It’s not under their authority. They don’t get to change where the boundary is. But they want to. And the Messianic reign is going to be a time when the nations apparently will be forced to retain those assigned territories. Now does everybody have to go back from where they came from? I don’t know. I don’t intend to be here. I intend to be somewhere in the land as a descendant of Abraham. Because I believe. I believe. The children of Abraham will also live in peace on their assigned territory. And you say, ‘well where am I? Where am I supposed to be?’ You all know Galatians 3:29 (NASB 1995): And if if, conditional you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. Heirs according to the promise. What promise? The land, the covenant, the people are the promise. You have a people and you have a land. Whether you’re there yet or not, it’s just a matter of yet. But if you believe on Messiah, then you are entitled to become an heir in that assigned territory to Abraham’s descendants. And you say, “But I don’t know what tribe I come from?” Most Jews don’t either. After the destruction of the second temple, most of the records were lost. Usually the Levi’im, the Levites and the priests, know who they are. They say it’s going to be Elijah’s job at the End of the Days to sort everybody out into their tribal territory. So they don’t know either. You’re not alone. You say, “But what if I don’t have any blood relation to Abraham.” Ezekiel 47:21 (NASB 1995) says, So you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. Not according to what the nations tell you. According to the tribes of Israel. You shall divide it by lot for an inheritance among yourselves and among the aliens who stay in your midst, who bring forth sons in your midst. And they shall be to you as the native-born among the sons of Israel; they shall be allotted an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23“And in the tribe with which the alien stays, there you shall give him his inheritance,” declares the Lord GOD. There’s still no Plan B. You’re still there. If you believe. And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s descendants. So I don’t know if you are an Issacharite, a Gadite, a Zebulonite, it doesn’t really matter to me. It basically, according to Ezekiel, just whatever ‘–ite’ you feel like that morning, then go there. Join yourself. And that route into the land, going back to the time of Abraham, as we look back at the text that we started with in the Song of Songs, it talks about (NASB 1995, chapter 4): Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, may you come with me (down) from Lebanon. Journey down from the summit of Amana, also in Lebanon From the summit of Senir and Hermon, is actually on the Israeli side today, but we’re talking about the same area – it’s in the northern part of Israel, the southern part of Lebanon. Abraham came down through that route. He came down through Haran. And from Haran we know that eventually his journey did take him to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. It took him to mount Moriah where he offered Isaac. And then later, the offspring of Jacob would also be seen camped according to this passage of prophecy without a blemish. So yes, Abraham, proto-prophecy, he goes to the mountain of frankincense and myrrh. But then remember the prophecy of Balaam. Later as Israel is coming out of Egypt, they’re returning to the land, they’re returning to their inheritance, Balaam looks out at Jacob’s tents and he says, “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob. Your dwelling places, O Israel.” (Numbers 24:5) It’s one of the most beautiful prophecies of the Bible and–do you guys sing that on Shabbat? It’s prophecy. You’re singing of yourself without a blemish. You’re saying, “Well, I don’t know about that. ” He’s seeing forward, ok? It’s not exactly this moment. What He’s seeing is far into the millennial reign. He seeing that far where no longer does this bride have any blemish. She’s become perfect. And so that prophecy is actually a song of return to the land. It’s the gift and a sacrifice without blemish. What gifts do you bring to the altar? That without a blemish. Israel will be a sacrifice like it’s Messiah – without a blemish. And again, this is where are located the mountains mentioned here. Not just Amana, the mountain of faith like Abraham. And remember, Abraham is reckoned as righteous because of his faith. How are we reckoned as righteous? The same way. Because of our faith. So let’s look at that verse 8 again in the Song of Songs, chapter 4. It says, Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, may you come with me from Lebanon. Journey down from the summit of Amana, from the summit of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards. Right there you hear two of the Beast kingdoms mentioned. You hear Babylon the original beast kingdom, the golden head of the image. You hear about the leopard of Greece. You hear about the bronze belly, two of those beast kingdoms. And so He’s asking us, ‘come out of the belly of the beast. Get out of the head of the beast.’ Remember, the golden head of Babylon is associated with the lion. Get out of the lion’s head. Get out of the head of the beast. Journey down with Me from there. Come out of the belly of Greece. Get out of those organizations that have first, enticed you. And if you couldn’t be enticed, then they coerce you, and the Greek pattern, since we’re talking about Chanukah at this season, since you couldn’t be enticed or coerced, then you would be killed. He’s saying, get out of that belly. Get out of the belly of the beast. But you’re going to have to journey down. We’re all stuck out here in the kingdoms of the beast. How do we do that? He says, the way to do that is to journey down. Journey down. Abraham was told, ‘Lech Lecha - go for yourself, walk the land, inspect the land.’ He had already done that. You say, ‘Why is he being told to do that again?’ Because he’s told to arise. That’s very specific language in prophecy that can pertain to ‘resurrect’. Arise, come up to a different level. I want you to see the garden hovering over this land. I want you to see Plan A, Abraham. Because I want you to see your descendants here. I want you to see your descendants as occupying a land that’s more than sand and rocks. I want you to see the realm above it, so arise and walk and see the garden that is here. Inspect it. This is the land that your offspring are going to possess. There is a natural Israel, and there is a garden that is hovering just above it that is waiting to be married back to the natural land. So He says tashuri. In Hebrew, tashuri, ‘journey down.’ (Behold, Look, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7789.htm) And shur, if we look it up in Hebrew, means go around for inspection. That’s what lech lecha means to Abraham, go around and inspect the place. See something here you’ve never seen before. Spy it out. Survey it. Observe it. Perceive it. Regard it. And it can even mean “lurk”. Like an animal. Lurk around. Observe. That word is first mentioned, tashuri, like ‘come on Bride, journey down, I want you to come with me. You’re blameless. You’re walking out your faith now. Come with me.’ So let’s go to the first mention of shur. Come with me, journey with me, regard. It goes back to Numbers 23:9 (NASB 1995). The first uses of shur. This is the prophecy of Balaam concerning Jacob’s tents. He says, As I see him from the top of the rocks, and I look at him (shur; I’m observing him, I’m regarding him, I’m perceiving him) from the hills; behold, a people who dwells apart, and (they) will not be reckoned among the nations. They’re different. He sets their boundaries. The nations do not set their boundaries. Journey down, you’re going to come to a place where the nations cannot set this boundary because it was eternally set by the Holy One of Israel. And then if you skip down to Numbers 24:17 (NASB 1995), he’s still prophesying. He says, I see him, but not now; I behold him shur, same word, I perceive, I regard, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth. So if we take those first uses of the word ‘shur’ for ‘journey down’ that we’re seeing in the Song of Songs, we say ‘Okay, what’s the prophecy of the Song of Songs about?’ It’s about what Balaam is seeing right here. He’s seeing into the future. He’s even seeing the Garden. Remember how he talks about the buckets of water that are flowing? He’s seeing Israel planted in the garden. And remember the beloved says ‘Come, come journey with me.’ He says, ‘You are altogether beautiful my darling, there’s no blemish in you.’ Well clearly Israel was blemished at that time. But there will be a time. Because in between those two uses we saw of “shur” for journey down. Numbers 23:21 (NASB 1995), it says, He has not observed misfortune in Jacob; nor has He seen trouble in Israel; the LORD his God is with him, and what did He say to Abraham? ‘I will be with you.’ And he says, And the shout of a king is among them. How can they be without a blemish? How can they be without iniquity? How can they be without wickedness? They can be without wickedness because the Lord his God is with him and the shout of a king is among them. Teruah. You know what a teruah is, when we play all those different notes on Rosh Hashana, on the feast of trumpets, it’s about resurrection from the dead. How can they be perfect? They are resurrected in perfection. That’s how Balaam is seeing them. Resurrected in perfection and not reckoned among the nations. They are now back in their assigned territory. And the shout of the king is going to scare any nation that would presume to move a boundary stone. I dare say they wouldn’t get a finger near a boundary stone at that time. We are perfect in our resurrection in our Messiah. The shout of a king is among us. So we know we are in exile. We know we are in the belly of the beast. We know we are in the head of the beast. But we are told to come out. ‘Come out from among her.’ We have to live in the world, but we don’t have to be of the world. And sometimes we feel like Adonai is not looking. He won’t see this. Or we hadn’t heard from Him in awhile, He probably won’t care if I do this. That’s not smart thinking. Because I think more than ever before as we look around at what’s going on in history, we have to say He’s watching. And it’s in Hosea 13:7, Adonai is prophesying about Israel in exile. He says: So I will be like a lion to them; like a leopard See how He’s using the Beast kingdoms? I will lie in wait by the wayside. Lie in wait by the wayside, that word is SHUR. “I’m watching them.” He’s actually lurking out here among the Beast Kingdoms watching us. Waiting. He’s lurking to do good for us. He’s lurking to bring us out of the belly of the beast. He’s lurking to clear up our heads. Our confused heads. We get out here in the world and we get confused about what we’re seeing. We get confused about what we’re hearing. And He’s like, ‘No, stay in My Word. Stay in My Word. Believe. There is no Plan B. You stay in My Word, and I will be lurking right next to you to do good. To deliver you.’ He sent Israel away for idolatry. But He’s still lurking to redeem us from the Red Beast of Exile. From Edom’s domain. There’s specifics that we’re given in this prophecy to help us understand how the return from the exile will occur. It’s going to connect with our passage from Song of Songs, and it’s from Hosea 14:4. Israel has been sent into exile. There it is called night. Sometimes if you see “night” in prophecy it means “a time of exile”. And here’s what He’s lurking to do for us. He says, 4I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from them. 5 I will be like the dew dew also represents resurrection by the way to Israel; He will blossom like the lily, and he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon. Where are we supposed to come from? Come down with me from Lebanon. He’s saying, “Come on!” 6His shoots will sprout, and his beauty will be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon. 7Those who live in his shadow will again raise grain, and they will blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon. 8O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. That word there for ‘look after’? It's our word, shur. I’m lurking out there in the nations. Here, He says, “I’m looking after you.' You might be out in Lebanon. Where did Jacob go to find a bride? To Lebanon. He went into exile to find a bride. And now He’s saying, ‘Come away with me my love. I’ve been looking after you, Ephraim. Ephraim, you’ve been out here among the nations as punishment for your idolatry, but I’m not angry with you anymore. I’m going to resurrect you. I’m going to be the dew of Israel. You’re going to blossom like the lily. Even in these lands of your exile, you’re going to start to take root and emit a fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.’ He says, ‘It is I who answer and look after you’: I am like a luxuriant cypress; From Me comes your fruit. And this is what Adonai is doing. He’s lurking out here in the nations to resurrect His people, the descendants of Abraham, from their idols. And then they can be immersed in His Word and emit this fragrance of Lebanon. Because the meaning of Lebanon, other than a place of exile for Jacob, has several meanings. Sometimes it’s a euphemism for the Temple because the bones of the Temple were made from the cedars of Lebanon. So imagine the fragrance inside the Temple. You are little temples, and you, as you study in His Word and follow hard after Adonai, you obey Yeshua, and you will start to smell like a cedar tree. You are a little Temple. And you are going to come with Him from Lebanon, but you will begin to thrive out here in Lebanon. You will begin to thrive in the place of your exile because He says you’re putting down these roots, shoreshim. You’re learning where you came from. And He’s preparing to take you back there. There’s still Plan A, but He has to teach proper behavior, and you have to accept the boundaries. You can’t define your own commandments. They’re not subjective. You have to obey My commandments, and then I will then place you on the mountain of myrrh and frankincense. Now there’s other meanings to Lebanon. It can also mean pride. But it can also relate to Eden-like conditions. He’s preparing us to bring us back that same route that Abraham took. What route did he take? Faith. He believed. What route is he bringing you? Faith. Because you believe you’re doing something. Because you believe, you’re studying Torah portions. You’re studying to show yourself approved. Because you believe, you’re developing an identity with Israel. You’re coming out of replacement theologies that say, “Well it doesn’t really matter what happens to the Jews because we’ve replaced them all.” No. Your thinking is getting untwisted. And it’s beginning to become fragrant. So we know that the boundaries of Israel according to the millennial boundaries, it’s much bigger than it was even in the time of the 12 tribes. Much, in fact, it goes all the way to the Euphrates River. The only time we know that that occurred was during the era of King David. He actually did make war as far as the Euphrates. I don’t know of any other time that the boundary would have extended that far, but it makes sense that the son of David would also extend the boundary to the Euphrates because remember, He’s going to dry up the Euphrates to entice the kings of the East. ‘Come on in.’ Where did the wise men come from? Didn’t they come from the east? That was a good trip. The one in Revelation doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a good trip. Our passage is focusing on Lebanon. If we’re looking at the time of Abraham, it’s saying, ‘This is prophesying how we’re going to retrace his steps,’ at least his spiritual steps. The sages say those mountains that are referred to in the passage would be considered North and West. And sometimes directions are more symbolic than actual, like you wouldn’t necessarily look at a compass to get the answer. You would look at their symbolism. That’s the area from which Abraham had to go to retrieve Lot. When Lot was stolen and taken off, he had to go through there. And so those kidnapped were retrieved from the territory of Dan. In fact, to this day it’s referred to as Dan. If you’ve been up there you can actually see the altar that was built. The pagan altar that was built up there. Dan held the northern banner. Of the encampments of the tribes, it was Dan who was in the north with two other tribes. But what those four encampments represented was the directions of the four winds, and we know we’ve got the angels of the four winds. We’ve talked about the principalities and powers. Eventually, the tribes of Israel will judge. And again they will ascend to rule and reign with King Messiah. And they’re going to judge four-square Jerusalem with its twelve gates. The rabbis say Messiah is hidden in the North. Tzafon is North in Hebrew. It means hidden. So it’s a play-on word. So they say that King Messiah is going to come from the North. He’s been hidden in the North. But they also say that the Divine Presence is concealed, or hidden, in the West. And they say this Presence–you might have heard it called the Shekhinah, based on shaken, which means to dwell–they say that the Divine Presence is out there, like the prophecy says, lurking among the exiles. He’s not forsaken them. And when the time comes, those exiles will come from the West with Messiah from the North. And they will come over these mountains that it’s talking about in the Song of Songs. And they say that’s what’s going on. The Presence of Adonai is out here among the nations represented by the West watching over them. And what they’re saying is not necessarily for you to think by literal direction. It’s giving you spiritual directions. They’re saying when the exiles come home, it’s because they’re coming home through covenant faith. They’re coming through emunah, just like our father Abraham. Those exiled children will come back into the kingdom of Kingdom Messiah. In the same way that our forefather Abraham was credited for righteousness for his faith, they say his descendants will come the exact same way. Is that not preached in pretty much every church? Habbakkuk 2:4 (NASB 1995), it says Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith. We will live by faith. In fact if you look at Amana in the Song of Songs, it’s a play-on Word. It’s “her faith”. Her faith. Come away with me, my Bride. Come with your faith. The children of Abraham, the daughters of Jerusalem, they’re going to return to the head, the origin, the rosh, the head, the peak of her faith, which is going to be the Star of Jacob that Balaam saw through prophecy. The star of Jacob. The shout of a king is among them making them perfect in their faith. And He says there’s a scepter, there’s a royal king among them. There’s a shout of a king among them, and they are going to return in perfection with this king to the mountain of frankincense and myrrh. And so just to wrap it up for tonight before tomorrow when we get into the specific fears that Herod would have had and the language of the seven shepherds and the eight princes, and the Red One, let’s read Matthew 2:10 through 12. It’s talking about the wise men. It says, When they saw the star Which star would that have been? The star of Jacob. Amen., they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. So two out of the three gifts: They brought the frankincense and the myrrh. We know the context now. It’s prophesying of the return of the exiles. They’re coming to this infant Yeshua and saying, ‘Here is the star of Jacob. Here is the scepter that will arise from Judah. And he will return the exiles from the nations.’ He will regather them according to every Jewish expectation this is what King Messiah must do. And then there’s the third gift. It’s the gold. And where does the gold come from? The twelve tribes were set in gold. They were carried on the priest’s shoulders. There’s the onyx stones. The names of each tribe are inscribed, and each is set in that gold filigree. And so here is a priest of Israel who is going to bear the exiles home on his own shoulders. And what does it say? The Government will be on his shoulders. It will be. So the gold, the frankincense and the myrrh weren’t random. It was a mindset within the way Jews think about scripture. They know that this passage in the Song of Songs is prophesying the return of the exiles. The disciples knew about it, they asked Yeshua, ‘At this time are you going to restore the kingdom? Are you going to gather them in?’ And he says, ‘It’s not really for you to know that right now.’ And when Yeshua is challenged in the Temple during the time of Chanukah, he’s asked a very specific question, and he gives a very specific answer. He starts talking about sheep. Tomorrow we’ll talk about those sheep and how the exiles actually do get home.

Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship this week for a two-part look at parsha ‘Miketz’ (Genesis chapter 41 through 44:17) – arguably the second installment in the life of Joseph, and his rise to the Number Two position in all Egypt, with at least a start of the ‘testing’ of his long-lost brothers, […]

Psalm 7 assures us that those who plot evil will be dealt with by the Righteous Judge in His time. Sometimes we think it takes too long for that to happen, but David assures us that it will happen. Our lives are not always a bed of roses. Sometimes, our Heavenly Father takes us through […]

Beginning our journey into Ancient Israelite music culture and context we focus on the marginalized community of the Samaritans.  These prophetic estranged sons of Joseph have preserve one of the most ancient forms of Cantering every heard.  A combination of Hebrew and Arabic, like the language itself the Samaritans are stuck in the midst of […]

The teachers discuss Isaiah chapter 12, and yet another set of ‘popular discussion topics,’ that the Book seems to inspire, from issues associated with a siege, to one that appears multiple times in the Bible, even if most don’t quite get the Name right: the “Day of the LORD.”

Don't Go on the Defensive, Keep the Offensive!  Strike Back with His Word! Tracks from our "Healing Scriptures" CD.  This has been playing in our programs slots on HNR for the past week as an encouragement and a reminder.  The last couple weeks we've been busy switching to a new computer (ugggh!) and with company and fellowship.  Meanwhile we've also been waiting and watching events unfold in the ME and around the world.  Nothing hugely significant (to the extent of Dana Coverstone's vision) that we are aware of happened in November however that doesn't necessarily mean November wasn't the beginning of something this coming year leading up to November.  Perhaps something took place in the spiritual realm which we have yet to see the effects of?  In any case it's still time for His people to keep watching for their Bridegroom's return and the world events prophesied to take place prior to His return!

News, commentary, and given the lateness of the hour, some analysis of what’s coming, for the week ending Saturday, 16 December, 2023.

Dr. Jeff Prystupa again joins David Justice and Mark Call to discuss some of the events in the news over the past week, and what we should do in ‘such a time as this.’

News and commentary for Thursday, 14 December, 2023.

What steps have been taken recently to implement digital ID/everything?  What has happened to the New Zealand statistician whistleblower who assembled stats that showed a 25% kill rate from some batches of C19 vaxxes?  Nobel Prize winning developer of C19 vaxx is now developing a ___ vaxx. What global injunction (? global) has been issued?  […]

News and commentary for Tuesday, 12 December, 2023.

News and commentary for Monday, 11 December, 2023.

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 24

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 23

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 22

Do you place high value on Torah and the Covenant? How about wisdom? Isn’t it through wisdom that Yahweh has a relationship with us? What is the beginning of wisdom? Is intelligence the same as wisdom? What does wisdom accomplish exactly? Continuing in the book of Proverbs, Rabbi Steve Berkson teaches from chapter 3 about […]

Parsha ‘Vayeshev’ (Genesis chapters 37 through 40) appears to be mostly the first installment in the life of Joseph, and at least an introduction to his brothers, but is far more. The story begins with a description of his dreams, which turn out to be not only a key component of his life, but the […]

We finish Richard Dumbrills discussion of the Silver Lyre and the main tablet associated with the musical structures.  Followed by mini lectures by Dr. Anne Kilmer.  Followed by a couple Babylonian songs by Dr. Anne Kilmer singing a Sumerian drinking song and Peter Pringle singing a portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh Dr. Anne Kilmer […]

This week focuses on Channukah – The Feast of Lights. In Psalms 37, David reminds us that God’s way is the way of light. Righteousness and light are companions. Evil and darkness are also companions. Channukah is also called the Feast of Dedication and commemorates the time when the Maccabees regained control of the temple […]

Isaiah chapter 11 again contains some of the most famous verses and references in the Book, and this week it includes at least one of the most misquoted. But the teachers delve into what looks a lot like another reference to ‘greater exodus’ and the ‘remnant.’

Jeff Prystupa, David Justice, and Mark Call discuss the news, invasions, and major prevarications of a week of true Infamy.

News and commentary for an entire week that should ‘live in infamy,’ for the week ending Saturday, 9 December, 2023.

December 7th is remembered, at least by some not ‘Publik Skool Indoctrunatid” as a day of infamy. A sneak attack. But, today, the attack, and the invasion, and the destruction, are not even remotely stealthy. So this week, it’s time for what Einstein used to call a “thought experiment.” And host Mark Call shows may […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 7 December, 2023. Another big day for invasions…but not such much a sneak attack.

News and commentary for Wednesday, 6 December, 2023. It’s another one of THOSE kinda days…

News and commentary for Tuesday, 5 December, 2023.

News and commentary for Monday, 4 December, 2023. It was a REALLY big news weekend and Monday, whether or not the wastestream reports it.

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 21

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 20

Overview of the Tanahk – Session 19

What we’ve been dealing with in Proverbs is the other part of keeping covenant–the ‘why’ we do what He says to do (or not do). We know there is the “mechanical” part–the how, what, where, when, but we need to understand that the attitude of our heart works together with the mechanical to provide the […]

Visit the 8 Days of Prayer During the 8 Days of Hanukkah page. (Dec 7-15) Go to our Prayer Wall and POST A PRAYER! On November 29, 2023 the Jerusalem Prayer breakfast team was invited to the Knesset to host a time of prayer for Israel. Both Jews and Christians spoke prayers to lift up […]

Maybe a better title would be The Circumcised Heart vs The Red One. In last week's epsiode, we referenced the Jewish expectation of the Seven Shepherds during Chanukkah. It explains why Yeshua (salvation) was challenged specifically about his Messiahship during Chanukkah at the Temple: Bare Your holy arm and hasten the end for salvation - Avenge the vengeance of Your servant's blood from the wicked nation. For the triumph is too long delayed for us, and there is no end to days of evil, repel the Red One in the nethermost shadow and establish for us the seven shepherds.  The siddur explains the key players of the Chanukkah liturgy: "The Red One (Admon) refers to Esau/Edom, whose descendants brought the current exile. The seven shepherds of Micah 5:4 will conquer Israel’s oppressors.” (Scherman, p. 832) The Red One whose descendants brought the "current exile" is Rome. In Daniel's vision of the Beast, Rome's iron legs were mingled with clay in the feet and toes, representing the many beast "systems" that have now infected the nations of the world. The Chanukkah prayer refers to the Seven Shepherds and Eight Princes prophecy of Micah, which gives us a glimpse of how the Kingdom of Heaven will one day defeat and repel the infected world systems. The central shepherd of the seven is thought to be David, and the eighth of the princes to be Messiah. (Micah 5:5) Although Roman Christianity went to a solar calendar and began to observe "Christmas," they retained the date of the 25th (although it now fell in a solar "month" of December instead of Kislev). Their holiday still includes original Chanukkah symbology associated with prophecy and its institution as a second Sukkot: shepherds and sheep, the birth of a king, a prince of peace, a sukkah, a light to the nations, etc. as depicted in the Gospels. When King Messiah returns and re-calibrates the earth with its Scriptural calendar month, Chanukkah will not be so hard for them to understand. They've been awfully close to the Chanukkah prophecies of Messiah in the Books of Haggai and Micah all this time! King Messiah will rule and reign during the Seventh Millennium, preparing the world for the Eighth Millennium, a period associated with "circumcision." A circumcised heart no longer struggles against the Spirit of its Creator and no longer desires to dominate the Creator with its own will. The Red One is simply the great world systems attempting to keep human pride over its Creator alive and dominating the rule of the world (or so it may seem). The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah) kicks off the fall season of feasts that includes Atonements and Sukkot. Sardis, which represents Rosh HaShanah in the Book of Revelation, literally means “Red Ones.” Enemies scatter when the Torah goes forth on Shabbat, and the Red Ones along with the Wicked One are scattered in winter, Chanukkah. The other mention of “winter” in the Brit HaChadasha (New Testament) was the inquiry addressed to Yeshua in the Temple: At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, ‘How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.’  King Solomon dedicated the First House, so it was no accident that Yeshua was questioned in the portico of Solomon. Are you the Prince of Peace? Are you the prophesied Eighth Prince King Messiah? “The Jews” ask Yeshua if he is the 8th Shepherd Prince desired at Chanukkah to deliver the Temple from the Romans, Edom, the Red One, The Wicked, the Abomination that Causes Desolation. Because Messiah Son of David is the last of the seven shepherds, the Jews say that it is time for Yeshua to speak plainly…and he did!  Yeshua spoke of himself as the central Shepherd, the Son of David, calling sheep, but he says that the doubters cannot hear his voice. In the desire for short-term deliverance from Rome (also called Edom), the doubters had forgotten long-term salvation spoken of by the prophets in the context of the Seven Shepherds. Deliverance from the Red One is not merely deliverance from Rome or any other regime in a given generation, but deliverance from the Red One within the man that wars against the Ruach Adonai (Spirit of Adonai). Apart from the Ruach, the man is nothing more than a human who conforms himself to the image of the beast-serpent, icons in Revelation that are familiar to Bible readers. Because Adam and Eve disregarded the Spirit of the commandment and conformed themselves to the soul-driven desires of the beast, they fell to their earthy, animal nature. Without the Ruach, what differentiates a man from a beast? Such a man becomes a Red One, for his base substance was taken from the earth (adamah) like a beast, and the earth’s Hebrew root is also the root of the color red (adom).  Like every human being who has ever lived, those who challenged Yeshua in the Temple at Chanukkah were looking for the “Red One” to be vanquished outside of themselves. If only Assyria, Babylon, Greece, or Rome could be vanquished… Those things, however, are outside the control of the individual. The Red One within is under control of the individual with the help of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Comforter sent from the Father.  The serpent-beast appeals to a human being at the level of his soul (appetite, emotion, desire, and intellect). He entices the soul to dominate the ruach within a man. If the serpent can seduce the man with his “red” desires to dominate the Ruach within, then the beast is the victor. The man’s ruach, however, longs to connect with the Ruach HaKodesh, the Spirit of God that sets him apart from the animal kingdom. The evil inclination may be described as that animal soul striving against obedience to the spiritual commandments, for Paul writes that the Law is spiritual. 

Parsha ‘Vayishlach’ (Genesis 32:4 thru chapter 26) begins with an encounter that been delayed at this point for two decades, when Yakov returns home, and has to deal with his brother Esau. Does he still want to kill him? And who was it that he was wrestling with? The Erev Shabbat reading begins there: And […]

This episode analyzes the music structures on 2 Babylonian Cuniform tablets, CBS 10996 & Nabnitu XXXII.  Breaking down each text and music structure with musical examples on a harp, Robert details the simple, yet genius construct of musical systems used by the ancient Assyrians and modern inceptions through the macro evolution of the Babylonian systems […]

There is a lot of attention devoted to learning how to meditate. It is an important understanding. David tells us many times in the Psalms that He meditates, but what does David mean when he uses that word? I will use the music from the album “All Nature Sings” and the track “Thunder” as background […]

Will all Gaza be like northern Gaza?  Is the goal to seize the Gaza Marine wealth of ___ and ___?  How might the Lord’s hand in this war?  Did the C19 vaxxine do ANY good?  New studies from all over the world concerning excess mortality and morbidity paint a sobering picture of the past and […]

Ray Harrison again joins the Marks Pitrone and Call to discuss Isaiah chapter 10. And if it again sounds like some warnings that could come from the evening news, that’s probably correct.

Mark and David welcome Dr. Jeff Prystupa to the forum, and he brings a background in both medicine and Scripture to the discussion of the important issue of the week, and the season.

News, commentary, and even a bit more analysis than usual, for the week ending Saturday, 2 December, 2023.

In last week’s show, Mark reviewed the importance of energy, and lots of it, to any civilization that wants to survive as such. This week, the focus is on what that means at an individual and family level, and how understanding just a bit about biology, photosynthesis, and then making some of the simple connections […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 30 November, 2023.

This is a special edition of the news show today, focused on just one aspect of the Big Lie that is being used to destroy most of ‘western civilization,’ and that is the ‘green climate agenda.’ Not only is ‘your carbon footprint’ and any related damage to the planet a total farce, but so is […]

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW AS A VIDEO! Today we interview Gidon Ariel, CEO and co-founder of Root-Source.com. He shares with us about the recent “Light up the Church” event that took place on Nov 9, 2023. Kristallnacht, or “The Night of broken glass” took place on Nov 9-10, 1938. Nazi mobs torched and […]

News and commentary for Tuesday, 28 November, 2023.

News and commentary for Monday, 27 November, 2023.

Overview of the Tanakh – Session – 18

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 17

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 16

“Without wisdom, knowledge and understanding it is impossible to behave correctly within the framework of the covenant.” Rabbi Steve Berkson continues the subject of how wisdom, knowledge and understanding relate to keeping covenant from the Book of Proverbs. Take advantage of new teachings every week. To learn more about MTOI, visit our website, https://mtoi.org. Like […]

In last week's episode, we reviewed the essential understanding of the red beast, Esau (Edom is from adom, red), or The Red One, as he came to be called within Jewish literature. The Red One holds a place of special concern during the Chanukkah season because of the Seven Shepherds and Eighth Prince prophesied to deliver Israel from invading enemies. In The Seven Shepherds: Hanukkah in Prophecy, I demonstrated how we can use Yeshua's template concerning celebrations like Chanukkah and even learn prophecy, especially expectations concerning The Red One. What helps as well is to understand the history of Israel and the Temple that lends insight to the First Century Jewish mindset. In this case, the month of Kislev, or the Ninth Month, is one in which the Greeks installed an abomination that causes desolation idol on the 15th of Kislev and offered sacrifices to the abomination on the 25th of Kislev. Once the Greeks were driven off, the Temple precincts were purified from the abomination, the Temple was rededicated to holy worship on the 25th of Kislev in an eight-day celebration. The eight days of celebration and re-dedication commemorated a missed festival of Sukkot due to the abomination. In effect, it became a "Sukkot sheni," or second Sukkot, a "makeup" permission established in the Torah when a festival was missed due to uncleanness or being absent from the place of celebration. By the time of Yeshua, the Greeks, who were the third beast kingdom, had been replaced by Rome, the fourth beast kingdom. Rome was thought to be descended from Esau, and was called Edom, The Red One. First Century Jerusalem and the Temple Mount were controlled by the Romans politically and militarily. Jews of the First Century were looking for the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Seven Shepherds and Eight Princes who would be raised up to defeat Edom. This is why at the Feast of Dedication (Chanukkah) in winter, Yeshua was asked whether he was the Messiah or not. If so, then they wanted him to declare himself, raise up his kingdom, and overthrow The Red One. When Yeshua answers by talking about sheep, it is not a rambling, random answer. It is rooted in the Jewish expectation of The Seven Shepherds, and very precise. The problem was that no one wanted to hear the answer, which was that there were many other sheep who would have to be gathered first. The gathering would take a long time, and the scarlet beast would not be completely overthrown until Yeshua gathered them. Like most of us, the listeners didn't want to hear that answer. Our mindset is: Destroy all evil right now! What follows is an additional section of The Seven Shepherds: In the New Testament, there is only one other mention of “winter” other than the mention of Yeshua walking in the Temple at the Feast of Dedication, Chanukkah. Words means things, and so does their placement. The winter celebration of Chanukkah was significant in its placement in the Book of John, not random. Likewise, the other mention of winter in Matthew adds more context to the apocalyptic Jewish expectations of Messiah. Therefore, when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains…But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. There are two times that Yeshua doesn’t want his sheep to take flight: winter or Shabbat. The Jewish liturgy gives the rationale. Every Shabbat, the Torah, the covenant Word of God, is removed from the ark and held up for the congregation to see. The congregation responds with these words initiated by Moses: Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered; and let them who hate You flee from You. From for Zion will forth the Torah, and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Blessed be He, Who in His holiness gave His Torah to His people Israel. Those who flee and scatter from the Holy One on Shabbat are His enemies! Shabbat is the Waterloo of spiritual battles, for it is the eternal sign of betrothal between the Holy One and Israel. The wicked are destined to scatter on a great Shabbat to come. Why not flee in winter? The only significant date in winter is Chanukkah. The synagogue liturgy reinforces the apocalyptic nature of the feast: Bare Your holy arm and hasten the end for salvation - Avenge the vengeance of Your servant's blood from the wicked nation. For the triumph is too long delayed for us, and there is no end to days of evil, repel the Red One in the nethermost shadow and establish for us the seven shepherds. The siddur explains the key players of the Chanukkah liturgy: "The Red One (Admon) refers to Esau/Edom, whose descendants brought the current exile. The seven shepherds of Micah 5:4 will conquer Israel’s oppressors.” (Scherman, p. 832) Yeshua did not want his sheep to be scattered on Chanukkah, for it would mean that they were running from him, the Shepherd Prince! ...to be continued!

Parsha ‘Vayetze’ (Genesis 29:10 through 32:3) begins the new, and most critical part of the live of Yakov, as he leaves home, goes to the place where he sees His ladder, and then sojourns with the infamous Laban and ultimately takes his four wives, and fathers the twelve tribes. The Erev Shabbat reading lays it […]

With the event of Thanksgiving in the US, I decided to share some thoughts on being thankful. An article I read gave information on some studies that have shown how a thankful attitude has definite health benefits. Conversely, a worried or sour attitude has detrimental effects on our health. In Psalm 136, David reminds us […]

Not what most people think or have been taught… Gog is likely another name for the Anti-Christ (Anti-Messiah) and his cohorts. The only person in scripture named Gog (outside of the Ezekiel prophecies) is from the tribe of Reuben and is also the Daniel 11 King of the North as he will enter Israel coming down from the far north (northern Europe). Ezekiel 38 and 39 are 2 separate Gog battles… Ezekiel 38 is the mid-tribulation invasion by Gog/Anti-Messiah to set up himself as king and the abomination desolation followed by a great earthquake and the splitting of the Mount of Olives allowing those in Judea to flee/escape to/through the valley of the mountains created by this split. Ezekiel 39 is the Gog battle known as Armageddon at the end of the 7 year tribulation after the witnesses are resurrected and ascend into heaven. YHWH makes a great feast of dead kings, mighty men and horses on the mountains of Israel to feed the birds and the beasts (also seen in Revelation 19). Then there is a 7 month burying of bodies and 7 year burning of weapons that takes place into the beginning of Y’shua’s (Jesus’) 1000 year Millennial Kingdom on earth.

We begin our first look at the three main musical cultures of the Bible with Babylon.  We will hear two expert scholars in their respective fields of Assyriology, Dr Anne Kilmer, and in Assyrian and Archeo-Musicology, Richard Dumbrill speak regarding CBS10997 – one of the earliest musical cuniform tablets from Babylon.  While buth areas have […]

This week the Torah teachers Mark Pitrone and Mark Call welcome Ray Harrison to the table, to continue the discussion of Isaiah chapter 9, and what are some of the most famous verses in the entire Bible, particularly with respect to the Messiah. And as Ray points out, even among those who have never read […]

News and commentary for the holiday-shortened week ending Friday, 24 November, 2023.

News and commentary for Wednesday, 22 November, 2023. The 60th anniversary of a date that should prove what happens when “lawlessness abounds,” and REAL insurrection goes unpunished.

News and commentary for Tuesday, 21 November, 2023.

News and commentary for Monday, 20 November, 2023.

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 15

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 14

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 13

Is it using wisdom to keep the covenant with the Most High Elohim? Does it take knowledge and understanding? From Proverbs chapter 2, Rabbi Steve Berkson shows how wisdom, knowledge and understanding relate and are connected to keeping covenant with the Almighty. Is there an active role in this covenant that people are expected to […]

The Red One is a monster you already know about. In the Book of Revelation, the scarlet beast is a fearsome creature, hunting the children of Israel. It is a conglomerate beast of Babylon, Persia-Media, Greece, and Rome. How The Red One unfolded through history from Day Six of Creation to Esau to the Edomite/Idumeans to the Roman Empire to the current conglomerate of organizations that facilitate the scarlet beast is important to understand. It helps the reader understand the Scriptures as one continuous, unfolding prophetic text. Oddly, The Red One holds a place of special concern during the Chanukkah season because of the Seven Shepherds and Eighth Prince prophesied to deliver Israel from invading enemies. This is also concerning because so many believers don't understand the place of Chanukkah in prophecy, preferring instead to debate whether it is "adding to the Torah" instead of studying its seeds in the Torah and Haggai, and even how it unfolds in the Gospels and Revelation. In Truth, Tradition, or Tare?, I demonstrated Yeshua's approach to "man's traditions" and how some he observed and others he dismissed. Better yet, I gave the reader a template to use based on Yeshua's teaching so that one could test traditions against the pattern. In The Seven Shepherds: Hanukkah in Prophecy, I demonstrated how we can use Yeshua's template concerning celebrations like Chanukkah and even learn prophecy, especially expectations concerning The Red One. What follows is the first section of The Seven Shepherds' chapter entitled The Red Shadow. As we delve so deeply into the prophecies of the Footsteps of Messiah, sometimes it helps to review the basics for newcomers: The Torah holds the Seed words from which the rest of the Older Testament (TANAKH) and Newer Testament grow. Those books of Scripture between Joshua and Revelation document traditions grown from the Torah. In fact, even the Torah seeds the idea that customs will grow from the Torah itself: Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob's thigh in the sinew of the hip. This ancient battle between Esau and Jacob is a Seed pattern demonstrating both the struggle of mankind and the practice of traditions to preserve the memory of a Seed event in the Torah. The sensitive areas of both the foot and the hand are symbolic in Scripture. The foot, specifically the heel, represents the soul. In Hebrew, the soul is the nefesh. The shortest definition of the soul is a bundle of appetites, emotions, desires, and intellect. The heel becomes very hard and calloused, but the sole (Hebrew: caph) remains highly sensitive. When Jacob is born, he is holding onto red, hairy Esau’s heel, pointing to the place of Esau’s vulnerability, his appetites. The heel is the point of vulnerability to Eve’s “seed,” yet the point of vulnerability to the serpent-beast is the head, the symbol of the spirit. In his appetite for the “red stuff” and Canaanite women, Esau is both hardened predator and vulnerable prey, like a beast. He hunts for game and that which pleases his soul, and this is exactly how Jacob deceives his father Isaac out of Esau’s blessing and bargains with Esau for his birthright in Genesis 25. His soul appetites were what made Esau the prey, for all that is needed to bait a Red One like Esau is food, the hunt (competition, games), sexual pleasure, emotional pleasure, or intellectual achievement. Being governed by these desires instead of mastering them with the Spirit are the beast’s vulnerabilities. Esau represents the red stuff, a rowdy soul seeking pleasure and achievement. When Jacob returns to the Land to face Esau, he struggles one night with a “man,” whom he declares has the face of God, and Jacob names the place of the wrestling match Peniel. This struggle resulted in Jacob being smitten in the thigh socket, the caph. Before Jacob could face his twin Esau, he had to wrestle the Esau within. Jacob was notorious for relying on his own heel, which in Jacob’s case, was the hardened intellect of his soul, to obtain the result he wanted. Jacob, too, needed for his spirit to prevail over his red soul in order to conquer Red One within, for this is a competition worth winning. It changed Jacob’s walk to do so, as it will any disciple’s walk when he practices walking after the Spirit instead of his soul. When a disciple walks in the Spirit, it is with the sensitivity of the sole of his foot to the Spirit, not the vulnerability to his red desires. In Revelation Three, the fifth assembly is Sardis. It literally means “Red Ones.” In rabbinic tradition, Esau (Edom) is the Red One, for he was born red and hairy all over like a beast, and Esau’s Biblical nickname Edom comes from adom, or the color red. The Sardinians are singled out as conforming to the image of the hairy beast Esau, a man controlled by his appetites. The Seed of the Torah hints to the principle of the first born beast, for in Day Six of Creation, the beast was created first, yet the second-born man was created to rule over the beasts, for the man was made in the image of Elohim, who is Spirit. When he walks into to his father’s tent not knowing that Jacob has already deceived his way to the blessing, Esau tells his father, “I am your firstborn, Esau.” Because his father Isaac has been deceived through his own red soul, his vulnerable appetite for wild game, the Red One Esau is right on target. Isaac began his walk with the God of his father Abraham by sowing seed in the field and reaping a hundredfold, yet at a critical time of rendering the blessing to the firstborn, Isaac is vulnerable to the appetites of a man who hunts in the field instead of sowing seed in it! These are critical links between the serpent, the most cunning beast of the field (Gen. 3:1) and the man of the field, Esau (Gen. 25:27).

Parsha ‘Toldot’ (Genesis 25:19:1 through 29:9) details the life of the patriarch Yitzak (Isaac) after his marriage, the birth of their twins, and then perhaps one of the more “problematic” deceptions in Scripture. The Erev Shabbat reading lays it out: And offten, the focus of the midrash for this parsha tends to be the drama […]

Well, after a month abroad, we have finally returned home to the US. And yet, I wonder where “home” really is. There is a song that says, “I’m just a poor wayfaring stranger, traveling through this world of woe.” As we return from other nations, we see things through different eyes. We begin to see […]

We begin Season three with a recap of this years events and the power of prayer and its challenges in the body of Christ.  Followed by some testimony as to the power of Holy Worship on the radio on Hebrew Nation Radio as well as in a marginalized community on Innervision FM radio (see links […]

Mark Pitrone and Mark Call continue the study of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah through chapter 8 and into 9, and some of the most well-known, but perhaps therefore also ‘twisted’ in the Book. There seems to be a reason He uses terms like “rock of offense.”

News, commentary, and a summary of at least some of the Just Plain Weird – or worse – events that marked the week ending Friday, 17 November, 2023.

We seem to have reached the point where news isn’t at all ‘new,’ and so much of what is going on in a ‘world gone mad’ has now stretched even the definition of insanity, that the review and discussion this week to a bit different turn.

Sometimes we need to take a look beyond the obvious: They really DO want to kill you… …and explore the real reasons why. Why helps us understand ‘how’ and even how they intend to do it. We probably understand control of food, water, and even ‘commerce’ in order to implement the coming Mark of the […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 16 November, 2023.

News and commentary for Wednesday, 15 November, 2023. And today, again, there’s no shortage of the Good, the Bad, and the downright Ugly. Starting with ‘Miss’ TrannyVerse…

News and commentary for Tuesday, 14 November, 2023.

An Overview of the Tanakh – Session 12

An Overview of the Tanakh – Session 11

An Overview of the Tanakh – Session 10

News and commentary for Monday, 13 November, 2023.

In this teaching Rabbi Steve Berkson takes us into the book of Proverbs to discover the connection between wisdom, knowledge and understanding and covenant-keeping. What is “understanding the words of understanding”? Do you need a teacher for understanding Torah? Are you going beyond the mechanics of keeping Torah and into the discipline of keeping Torah? […]

This is a continuation of Blood of the Righteous Part 1. Vayera "And appeared" Genesis 18:1-22:4 2 Kings 4:1-37 Psalm 11 This week’s Torah portion Vayera gives insight to a city (actually five of them) cited often in Scripture, even in the New Testament. The infamous city is Sodom and its four satellite cities. This was often the case in ancient times: there was a main city, then it was surrounded by smaller satellite towns. In the case of Sodom, the wickedness of Gomorra, Zoar, Admah, and Zevoiim were simply on a smaller scale, but reflective of, the main city of the district. In fact, ancient districts were called a kikar, meaning round, like a kikar, a round loaf of barley. Sodom was likely the center of the round district, or at least the biggest and most influential. In terms of wickedness, Sodom set the example for the others. Lot chose to settle in Sodom even though he’d lived a nomadic life with Avraham and Sarah. Oddly, Lot retained a modicum of “righteousness” even living in Sodom: But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. (2 Pe 2:1-21) Most of us are thinking: “Ummm…righteous? Compared to what?” And then we’re probably very thankful that Adonai doesn’t compare us when He judges us, that we have an advocate in Yeshua just as Lot had an advocate in Avraham who would pray for him and intercede. Avraham can possibly teach us something about how to intercede for those who have embedded and surrounded themselves in places of wickedness. Peter gives us a clue about Lot. Lot benefited from living in Sodom, yet he hadn’t completely lost a sense of morality. The wickedness really did vex him day after day. The real question is why did Lot remain in such a wicked place? Why do any of us refuse to leave things from which we benefit, yet we know in our hearts that it is eaten up with immorality? We can be a lot like Lot, surrounded by twisted thinking and sin, yet preferring to keep a low profile in order to derive a good income. Lot had held onto some shred of righteous behavior, and he tried to protect the angels by urging them to leave the city square where they would be vulnerable to sexual assault, robbery, torture, and murderous violence. He hadn’t forgotten Avraham and Sarah’s hospitality to strangers and a sense of responsibility to keep them safe. Unfortunately, Lot’s attempt to protect the angels was found out. Sexual and blood lust had overtaken the city, and they would not rest until they’d brutalized and killed the heavenly visitors. When they were struck with blindness, the Sodomites couldn’t process logic and reason. It was a supernatural blindness. No matter how physically blind a person is, it would take only a few minutes to locate a door. They were confused-blind, not just blind-blind. How did they attain that level of wickedness so that logic and reason made no difference whatsoever? This takes us back to our Wars of Kings lessons, the siege tactics that parallel the plagues of Egypt, another nation that would be supernatural blinded and eventually pursue the Israelites beyond all logic and reason. After all, the score was Moses-10 Pharaoh-0. And yet, they were drawn after the Israelites in insatiable bloodlust. Confused blind. In both cases, the populace were deceived and believed lies. Their thinking process operated on petrified lies, petrified because they continued to believe them even when the Spirit of Adonai within them had to be contending with them each time they worshiped an idol, hated their brothers, robbed, or stood by while unjust laws were enacted and used to torment the innocent. The first plague on Egypt was blood. The bait for the final judgment on Egypt was bloodlust. Blood is actually an attractant to demonic activity, so sacrificing to idols as the Egyptians did was part of their process of making idols for themselves. In its own realm, an idol is nothing. That’s where it was assigned and that for which it was designed. When human being entice the spiritual being into the human realm to which they were not assigned, it is often through setting a “table” for demons: Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we? (1 Co 10:14-22) We are warned in Leviticus 19:4 “Do not turn to idols,” which is explained, “If you turn after them, you thus make them into gods...” (Sefer HaChinnukh §213) Deuteronomy explains that these entities that human beings turn into gods by sacrificing to them are actually shedim, or demons: They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they Him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils [shedim], not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. (Dt 32:16-17) In general, “species” of spirits such as shedim or elilim are created for other realms and do not interact with human beings. They have their own assigned “business.” They have form, but not matter. They are nothing to us and we have no business communicating with them. We communicate with their and our Creator. When we attempt to access them, or we perform actions to attract them, then we make it an idol, not its purpose. We have to do specific things to attract them or repel them. To benefit from the innate “iron dome” against demons or unclean spirits, one must follow the life manual of human beings, the Torah. Unclean spirits (things not of our realm) are repelled by: Holiness as defined by the Word. Righteousness as defined by the Word. Reading, praying, or singing of the Word (as young David playing for King Saul) Those spirits willing to leave their realm are unclean. They are attracted to the soul (nefesh) of a human being or secondarily, animals. The life is in the blood. The life is the “nefesh,” or appetite, desire, emotions, and intellect. The unclean things can “drink” from a cup or “feed” upon a table of unmanaged: Bloods (the life/nefesh is in the blood), including violence (chamas) and bloodshed, bloodlust Impure sexual activity Appetites, desires Emotions Thoughts, especially prideful ones Given access to these unmanaged according to the Word, they can begin to manipulate them. This is why walking according to the Torah of Life is a must. It is protection against many oppressive things, but especially against believing lies that are pleasing and comforting to the soul. The ruach [spirit] of a human being is guided by “It is written…” The soul of a human being is guided by “I think, I feel, I want…” The walk of a disciple is to discipline the saved soul into thinking, feeling, and wanting the precepts from the Book of Life, not the Egyptian Book of the Dead. While the “food of your God” at the holy altar is understood to be the devotion of the heart to Adonai-He doesn’t literally “eat” sacrifices, it is the repentance and devotion of the soul/nefesh which Adonai consumes. With a pure heart, we give Him the opening to manipulate our souls, purifying and making holy, acceptable to Him. We allow His thoughts and desires to become ours. Offering the soul to a shed or even a ministering angel is idolatry, activating “nothing” into something, opening to them to manipulate our souls. The demons feed on the life of the undiscipled soul devoted to appetite, emotion, desire, and intellect, and the consequences are observable: more bloodlust, more immoral sexual appetite, more addiction, more twisted thinking, and so on. When concentrated within a particular group of people, a particular sin may proliferate, for the people united in sin are feeding what they are creating, and as Yeshua taught, the unclean spirits are masterful recruiters to attach things even more wicked than itself to a willing host. Other species of spirits “more wicked” do more than feed on the nefesh-they move in and possess and attempt to destroy the host, for they “davak,” or cling to the host, whereas a shed may be willing to simply “feed off” a host for a prolonged period because it provides steady “meals” from its darkened soul: “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.” (Mt 12:45) Leviticus is the management manual for all unclean things. Of all the precepts of Leviticus, perhaps the most well known is: Love your neighbor as yourself. The malevolent forces of evil have been fed liberally from the altars of human sexual lust, ideological rebellion against the Word, twisted justice, unbridled emotions, and especially hatred and bloodlust. They have been gathered like vultures to locations like Sodom and Egypt where humans have thrown open the doors and windows for those unclean beings to cross into our assigned realm, not theirs. They first oppress, then possess. In our Wars of Kings series, we saw how the plague of frogs was actually a spreading of lies. The frogs call and gather to battle; they are a step in the process that is advanced by sound. Pharaoh’s magicians also produced frogs, not just blood. The governments and people of this earth are being gathered by lies. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.” (Re 16:13-14) The serpent is a deceiver The beast is the human soul apart from the discipline and truth of the Ruach HaKodesh, “It is written.” The false prophet intentionally speaks a word or performs a sign that leads away from the Torah. The Mishneh Torah (8) clarifies the work of the false prophet: What is this [false prophet] similar to? To witnesses that testify to a man concerning something that he saw with his own eyes, [but they claim to have] seen something different than what he saw. [And so] he does not heed them, but rather knows with certainty that these are false witnesses. Therefore, the Torah states that [even] if the signs and wonders come [true], "You shall not heed the words of this prophet" (Deuteronomy 13:4), as behold, this [false prophet] is coming with signs and wonders to contradict something that you have seen with your own eyes. And since we only believe in wonders because of the commandments that Moshe commanded us, how can we accept this sign that is being brought to contradict the prophecy of Moshe that we saw and we heard? The frogs spread lies that to a logical mind are clearly lies. Not so to those who do not use “It is written…” as the guide to truth. To them, the truth is incomprehensible, for it is confusing. It doesn’t fit their chosen twist of the heart and mind. The Jewish scholars’ discussed whether it was many frogs or one frog spawning many frogs in Egypt, which at first sounds strange, but it is especially salient considering our lesson on how the entire army of Egypt was “one” chariot wheel because it was of one heart and it was influenced by the spiritual entity appointed over Egypt named “Egypt.” One frog? Yes. Many frogs? Yes. One lie? Yes. Many liars? Yes. Sanhedrin 89a:15 The mishnah lists among those liable to be executed as a false prophet one who prophesies that which he did not hear. The Three Liars usher in a period of rampant lying. The rise of mass media, especially digital communication, enables the proliferation of lies, especially intentional ones. The lies originate with the serpent, the father of lies, are aimed at the beast’s vulnerable essence [appetite, emotion, desire, intellect], and “verified” by false witnesses who have no firsthand knowledge, or “hearing.” When mixed with the confusion of the tzirah (hell-bugs) from Abaddon and the plague of darkness, the liars will experience mental and emotional anguish and an inability to derive truth from either natural logic or the Word. The lies will be amazingly uniform once translated into many languages: Same slogans or tropes Same symbols Same misconstruction and re-construction of facts and history A Lot of Prayer In Creation Gospel Workbook Two, you learned about the tzirah. These are the HORNET-LOCUST-HORSE-SCORPION-SERPENT-MANLIKE CREATURES whose work was to shoot venom at the foes of Israel, cutting off the root and fruit and blinding the eyes: Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet [tzirah] against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish. (Dt 7:20) Then I sent the hornet [tzirah] before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow. (Jos 24:12) They mark periods of: Torment and confusion Destruction of reproduction and offspring, or “fruit” If we marvel at the world's sudden extraordinary inability to process logic and reason, then we can look to the siege tactics of the Wars of Kings. The bloodlust symbolized by the bloody water and the lies of the frogs set the stage for the succeeding plagues. We should not be amazed at the bloodlust, lies, darkness, confusion, and mental anguish we see around us, for this is what the Egyptian-Sodomites have chosen to offer on their altars to demons: The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” (Re 16:3-7) Drink up. The "angel of the waters," a spiritual ministering angel, is agreeing that punishment must be poured out on his assigned domain. The altar agrees, for the holy altar has witnessed their sacrifices to demons. This may also reflect the voices of those righteous under the altar awaiting resurrection, testifying to their blood that was spilled. While the wicked poured out their blood to demons, it was actually the martyrs' own holy sacrifice on the altar sanctified by Yeshua's sinless life, death, and resurrection. They share in that holy altar, that holy table, that holy cup. The Sodomite and Egyptian populations invested in the prolific lies preceding their judgments and destructions. Those eras were characterized by rampant lies, unjust legal edicts, blood, sexual immorality, and twisting not only of the Word of Adonai as they were given it, but common-sense human ethics. Love your neighbor. When the Egyptians could process not a shred of truth in their confusion, they followed Pharaoh headlong into the flood of the Reed Sea: “As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD.” (Ex 14:10) The English translation tries to fix an anomaly. The text actually says ”Egypt was journeying after them...” Singular. Rashi explains the singular Egypt thus: “With one heart, as one man...” like the frog-liars “...the Israelites saw the ministering angel of Egypt traveling from the heavens to aid Egypt.” The army was united by its bloodlust. The second explanation also explains 14:25, which alluded to “Egypt” oddly as well. “He removed the wheel of his chariot...Egypt said, ‘I shall flee before Israel, for YHVH is waging war for them against Egypt.” Rather than ofanayim, wheels, the text states ofen, “wheel.” Egypt is referred to by the Egyptians as if it is an entity outside itself, perhaps alluding to the spiritual prince of Egypt. It is thought that their willingness to accompany Pharaoh and the “King of Egypt” was due to the loss of the power of reason, the end result of hardening the heart. One’s complicity with an idol activates it in the physical realm. One unifying lie marked the Egyptians for destruction. Drink up. In our Wars of Kings lessons, we saw one of the other siege tactics was the plague of wild beasts. Wild Beasts is equated to attack by foreign mercenaries. These people are hunters for sale, unrooted, unstable mobs, living in the fervor of the moment. They may not even have any personal connection to the conflict, but they “feed” on it, and in turn, feed those strong emotions to idols. The plague of wild beasts was not first exercised on the Egyptians, but the Egyptian wild beasts upon the Hebrews. They plundered the Hebrews in the same way the cities of Sodom plundered travelers and rioted against its own citizen, Lot. Social justice may demonstrate for just or even religious causes. Historically, however, the cause has frequently been unjust, twisted, an opportunity for the swarms of wild beasts to hunt People of the Book. Pogroms, Kristallnacht, the Inquisition, Farhud, etc. An entire population can be frozen in fear that the roving bands of beasts will attack and tear them, too, which silences their objections and hands the potential power of many to the few. This was Lot’s position in riotous Sodom. The Sodomites complained that Lot thought could judge their morals. The ethical laws Lot learned from Abraham were not their laws. That made Lot the enemy. Some sages offer an alternative view of Avraham’s prayer in this Torah portion Vayera. While we often cite the bargaining prayers as evidence of Avraham’s lovingkindness toward the lost, a question is asked: Is it really “righteous” to pray that wickedness be allowed to prevail and perpetrate endless violence against its population or unwitting passersby so that ten righteous people may not be destroyed with the wicked? Was there a better prayer in the circumstances? Why not pray that with “righteous” Lot, they would leave the wicked cities with supernatural help? Why not pray that the strong hold of economic prosperity (or whatever they loved) over them be broken and they depart so that their souls would not be consumed by the wild beasts, confused by lies, torn and violated by demonic oppression? Why not pray the citizens of the five cities would repent? It’s apparent that neither Avraham nor Lot understood the severity of wickedness. The demonic oppression and suggestion was proliferating, feeding on bloodlust, greed, and immoral sexual behavior. It had become the habitation of every unclean and demonic thing, a human meal. Eat up. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality...I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people...’ 8 For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong. (Re 18:2-8) Because the burning of Sodom is referenced so many times in judgment, and the story of Lot takes place during days of unleavened bread, we should be more prepared than ever at Pesach this year. Egypt’s final judgment was at Passover. The tzirah, or “hell-bug” of Revelation may be tormenting during these five dark months between the Seventh Month and the First Month of Nissan, Passover month. To those whose souls are offered on the table of Adonai, sanctified by Yeshua the Living Word, sealed by the truth of the Ruach HaKodesh, there is no confusion, no lie, no darkness, no hatred, no bloodlust. We must, however, pray a lot. Pray for repentance. Pray that the righteous and innocent be supernaturally delivered from wicked cities. As Peter wrote, Adonai DOES know how to deliver the godly from temptation and destruction. Pray that it happens before the full Revelation plague of hail and fire descend, a plague much more devastating than any hail or fire that a human army could ever muster.

Originally posted 04/27/2022 but perhaps more relevant now than ever! - Can it Happen Anytime Now? Or do a few other things need to take place first? Will there be one or two Gog Invasions? Who is Gog OF Magog? A closer look at Ezekiel 38 and 39. Who, when, where from, why & then what? These are the questions we will attempt to answer with more scriptural clarity than the traditional teachings. You might be surprised at what we find. This is part 1 of what will likely be only a 2 part series but possibly 3. Part 2 will be available a week or two after Part 1.

They call on chariots, they call on horses, but we call on the name of the LORD our God .  Psalm 20:7 In the words of Jeremy Gimpel, Israel is currently facing a battle on three different levels: There is a literal battle with boots on the ground, the kinetic war with Hamas in the […]

Parsh ‘Chayei Sarah’ (Genesis 23:1 through 25:18) is called the “Life of Sarah,” but that literally is only the beginning. Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa contends that it is THE primary portion in Scripture when it comes to stories that are ‘precedents’ for what are literally the backbone of the Common Law, from the […]

Season 2 Finale ends in two parts.  The first part of this episode will educate you on how missionaries share the Gospel to people who have never heard it in their native tongue through music and story telling.  The second half is music to meditate and praise God with.  The first three songs are Accapella […]

Mark Pitrone and Mark Call continue the study of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah from chapter 5 through chapter 7. And if calling “evil,” good, and good, “evil,” sounds familiar…it should.

The Torah teachers, Mark Call and Mark Pitrone, take a detailed look at the prophecy from Isaiah chapter 3, and into chapter 4, that may be one of the most telling warnings in the Book today for a nation, and world, that looks ripe for judgment.

News, commentary and a deeper look at some of the overlooked events for the week ending Saturday, 11 November, 2023. If you are starting to get more than a bit disgusted that so many people seem to be “drinking the Bud Lite,” then this is a show to save.

David Justice is not happy today. Sometimes watching the destruction of a nation and a world can get to be hard to watch, as many listeners can no doubt understand. But that’s no small part of the reason we do this show. Yes, we know the usual answers, and they are important to keep in […]

This week Mark welcomes back special guest Harmon Taylor, who encourages an understanding of “Legal Reality,” and observes that SOMETIMES — and we’re there! — that reality seems to approach a literally ‘comic book’ level of Evil. Which is arguably the point. It’s hard not to see that the literal traitors who have been working […]

News, and commentary for Thursday, 9 November, 2023. Was this last exercise in national deception yet another rigged election, or just practice for something even more brazen? Mark looks at some of the “analysis” (propaganda) from the WasteStream, to make the case that if the actual vote counts are even more suspect than the push […]

News, and commentary for Tuesday, 7 November, 2023. You don’t have to be a ‘conspiracy theorist’ to recognize facts that show just how Big of a Lie the masses are being fed. But some days, the stories are so…revealing…that the Ministry of Truth just has to ignore them.

News, commentary, and some pertinent warnings, for Monday, 6 November, 2023.

An Overview of the Tanakh – Session 9

An Overview of the Tanakh- Session 8

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 7

Continuing the thought, The Role and Effect of Remembering What Yah Has Done on Keeping Covenant, Rabbi Steve Berkson takes us to more examples from scripture. Going through a quick recap of last week’s teaching from Psalm 106: How are we to approach Elohim Most High? How does Yah consider the way we treat earthly […]

Vayera "And appeared" Genesis 18:1-22:4 2 Kings 4:1-37 Psalm 11 This week’s Torah portion Vayera gives insight to a city (actually five of them) cited often in Scripture, even in the New Testament. The infamous city is Sodom and its four satellite cities. This was often the case in ancient times: there was a main city, then it was surrounded by smaller satellite towns. In the case of Sodom, the wickedness of Gomorra, Zoar, Admah, and Zevoiim were simply on a smaller scale, but reflective of, the main city of the district. In fact, ancient districts were called a kikar, meaning round, like a kikar, a round loaf of barley. Sodom was likely the center of the round district, or at least the biggest and most influential. In terms of wickedness, Sodom set the example for the others. Lot chose to settle in Sodom even though he’d lived a nomadic life with Avraham and Sarah. Oddly, Lot retained a modicum of “righteousness” even living in Sodom: But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. (2 Pe 2:1-21) Most of us are thinking: “Ummm…righteous? Compared to what?” And then we’re probably very thankful that Adonai doesn’t compare us when He judges us, that we have an advocate in Yeshua just as Lot had an advocate in Avraham who would pray for him and intercede. Avraham can possibly teach us something about how to intercede for those who have embedded and surrounded themselves in places of wickedness. Peter gives us a clue about Lot. Lot benefited from living in Sodom, yet he hadn’t completely lost a sense of morality. The wickedness really did vex him day after day. The real question is why did Lot remain in such a wicked place? Why do any of us refuse to leave things from which we benefit, yet we know in our hearts that it is eaten up with immorality? We can be a lot like Lot, surrounded by twisted thinking and sin, yet preferring to keep a low profile in order to derive a good income. Lot had held onto some shred of righteous behavior, and he tried to protect the angels by urging them to leave the city square where they would be vulnerable to sexual assault, robbery, torture, and murderous violence. He hadn’t forgotten Avraham and Sarah’s hospitality to strangers and a sense of responsibility to keep them safe. Unfortunately, Lot’s attempt to protect the angels was found out. Sexual and blood lust had overtaken the city, and they would not rest until they’d brutalized and killed the heavenly visitors. When they were struck with blindness, the Sodomites couldn’t process logic and reason. It was a supernatural blindness. No matter how physically blind a person is, it would take only a few minutes to locate a door. They were confused-blind, not just blind-blind. How did they attain that level of wickedness so that logic and reason made no difference whatsoever? This takes us back to our Wars of Kings lessons, the siege tactics that parallel the plagues of Egypt, another nation that would be supernatural blinded and eventually pursue the Israelites beyond all logic and reason. After all, the score was Moses-10 Pharaoh-0. And yet, they were drawn after the Israelites in insatiable bloodlust. Confused blind. In both cases, the populace were deceived and believed lies. Their thinking process operated on petrified lies, petrified because they continued to believe them even when the Spirit of Adonai within them had to be contending with them each time they worshiped an idol, hated their brothers, robbed, or stood by while unjust laws were enacted and used to torment the innocent. The first plague on Egypt was blood. The bait for the final judgment on Egypt was bloodlust. Blood is actually an attractant to demonic activity, so sacrificing to idols as the Egyptians did was part of their process of making idols for themselves. In its own realm, an idol is nothing. That’s where it was assigned and that for which it was designed. When human being entice the spiritual being into the human realm to which they were not assigned, it is often through setting a “table” for demons: Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we? (1 Co 10:14-22) We are warned in Leviticus 19:4 “Do not turn to idols,” which is explained, “If you turn after them, you thus make them into gods...” (Sefer HaChinnukh §213) Deuteronomy explains that these entities that human beings turn into gods by sacrificing to them are actually shedim, or demons: They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they Him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils [shedim], not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. (Dt 32:16-17) In general, “species” of spirits such as shedim or elilim are created for other realms and do not interact with human beings. They have their own assigned “business.” They have form, but not matter. They are nothing to us and we have no business communicating with them. We communicate with their and our Creator. When we attempt to access them, or we perform actions to attract them, then we make it an idol, not its purpose. We have to do specific things to attract them or repel them. To benefit from the innate “iron dome” against demons or unclean spirits, one must follow the life manual of human beings, the Torah. Unclean spirits (things not of our realm) are repelled by: Holiness as defined by the Word. Righteousness as defined by the Word. Reading, praying, or singing of the Word (as young David playing for King Saul) Those spirits willing to leave their realm are unclean. They are attracted to the soul (nefesh) of a human being or secondarily, animals. The life is in the blood. The life is the “nefesh,” or appetite, desire, emotions, and intellect. The unclean things can “drink” from a cup or “feed” upon a table of unmanaged: Bloods (the life/nefesh is in the blood), including violence (chamas) and bloodshed, bloodlust Impure sexual activity Appetites, desires Emotions Thoughts, especially prideful ones Given access to these unmanaged according to the Word, they can begin to manipulate them. This is why walking according to the Torah of Life is a must. It is protection against many oppressive things, but especially against believing lies that are pleasing and comforting to the soul. The ruach [spirit] of a human being is guided by “It is written…” The soul of a human being is guided by “I think, I feel, I want…” The walk of a disciple is to discipline the saved soul into thinking, feeling, and wanting the precepts from the Book of Life, not the Egyptian Book of the Dead. While the “food of your God” at the holy altar is understood to be the devotion of the heart to Adonai-He doesn’t literally “eat” sacrifices, it is the repentance and devotion of the soul/nefesh which Adonai consumes. With a pure heart, we give Him the opening to manipulate our souls, purifying and making holy, acceptable to Him. We allow His thoughts and desires to become ours. Offering the soul to a shed or even a ministering angel is idolatry, activating “nothing” into something, opening to them to manipulate our souls. The demons feed on the life of the undiscipled soul devoted to appetite, emotion, desire, and intellect, and the consequences are observable: more bloodlust, more immoral sexual appetite, more addiction, more twisted thinking, and so on. When concentrated within a particular group of people, a particular sin may proliferate, for the people united in sin are feeding what they are creating, and as Yeshua taught, the unclean spirits are masterful recruiters to attach things even more wicked than itself to a willing host. Other species of spirits “more wicked” do more than feed on the nefesh-they move in and possess and attempt to destroy the host, for they “davak,” or cling to the host, whereas a shed may be willing to simply “feed off” a host for a prolonged period because it provides steady “meals” from its darkened soul: “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.” (Mt 12:45) Leviticus is the management manual for all unclean things. Of all the precepts of Leviticus, perhaps the most well known is: Love your neighbor as yourself. The malevolent forces of evil have been fed liberally from the altars of human sexual lust, ideological rebellion against the Word, twisted justice, unbridled emotions, and especially hatred and bloodlust. They have been gathered like vultures to locations like Sodom and Egypt where humans have thrown open the doors and windows for those unclean beings to cross into our assigned realm, not theirs. They first oppress, then possess. In our Wars of Kings series, we saw how the plague of frogs was actually a spreading of lies. The frogs call and gather to battle; they are a step in the process that is advanced by sound. Pharaoh’s magicians also produced frogs, not just blood. The governments and people of this earth are being gathered by lies. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.” (Re 16:13-14) The serpent is a deceiver The beast is the human soul apart from the discipline and truth of the Ruach HaKodesh, “It is written.” The false prophet intentionally speaks a word or performs a sign that leads away from the Torah. The Mishneh Torah (8) clarifies the work of the false prophet: What is this [false prophet] similar to? To witnesses that testify to a man concerning something that he saw with his own eyes, [but they claim to have] seen something different than what he saw. [And so] he does not heed them, but rather knows with certainty that these are false witnesses. Therefore, the Torah states that [even] if the signs and wonders come [true], "You shall not heed the words of this prophet" (Deuteronomy 13:4), as behold, this [false prophet] is coming with signs and wonders to contradict something that you have seen with your own eyes. And since we only believe in wonders because of the commandments that Moshe commanded us, how can we accept this sign that is being brought to contradict the prophecy of Moshe that we saw and we heard? The frogs spread lies that to a logical mind are clearly lies. Not so to those who do not use “It is written…” as the guide to truth. To them, the truth is incomprehensible, for it is confusing. It doesn’t fit their chosen twist of the heart and mind. The Jewish scholars’ discussed whether it was many frogs or one frog spawning many frogs in Egypt, which at first sounds strange, but it is especially salient considering our lesson on how the entire army of Egypt was “one” chariot wheel because it was of one heart and it was influenced by the spiritual entity appointed over Egypt named “Egypt.” One frog? Yes. Many frogs? Yes. One lie? Yes. Many liars? Yes. Sanhedrin 89a:15 The mishnah lists among those liable to be executed as a false prophet one who prophesies that which he did not hear. The Three Liars usher in a period of rampant lying. The rise of mass media, especially digital communication, enables the proliferation of lies, especially intentional ones. The lies originate with the serpent, the father of lies, are aimed at the beast’s vulnerable essence [appetite, emotion, desire, intellect], and “verified” by false witnesses who have no firsthand knowledge, or “hearing.” When mixed with the confusion of the tzirah (hell-bugs) from Abaddon and the plague of darkness, the liars will experience mental and emotional anguish and an inability to derive truth from either natural logic or the Word. The lies will be amazingly uniform once translated into many languages: Same slogans or tropes Same symbols Same misconstruction and re-construction of facts and history A Lot of Prayer In Creation Gospel Workbook Two, you learned about the tzirah. These are the HORNET-LOCUST-HORSE-SCORPION-SERPENT-MANLIKE CREATURES whose work was to shoot venom at the foes of Israel, cutting off the root and fruit and blinding the eyes: Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet [tzirah] against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish. (Dt 7:20) Then I sent the hornet [tzirah] before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow. (Jos 24:12) They mark periods of: Torment and confusion Destruction of reproduction and offspring, or “fruit” If we marvel at the world's sudden extraordinary inability to process logic and reason, then we can look to the siege tactics of the Wars of Kings. The bloodlust symbolized by the bloody water and the lies of the frogs set the stage for the succeeding plagues. We should not be amazed at the bloodlust, lies, darkness, confusion, and mental anguish we see around us, for this is what the Egyptian-Sodomites have chosen to offer on their altars to demons: The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” (Re 16:3-7) Drink up. The "angel of the waters," a spiritual ministering angel, is agreeing that punishment must be poured out on his assigned domain. The altar agrees, for the holy altar has witnessed their sacrifices to demons. This may also reflect the voices of those righteous under the altar awaiting resurrection, testifying to their blood that was spilled. While the wicked poured out their blood to demons, it was actually the martyrs' own holy sacrifice on the altar sanctified by Yeshua's sinless life, death, and resurrection. They share in that holy altar, that holy table, that holy cup. The Sodomite and Egyptian populations invested in the prolific lies preceding their judgments and destructions. Those eras were characterized by rampant lies, unjust legal edicts, blood, sexual immorality, and twisting not only of the Word of Adonai as they were given it, but common-sense human ethics. Love your neighbor. When the Egyptians could process not a shred of truth in their confusion, they followed Pharaoh headlong into the flood of the Reed Sea: “As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD.” (Ex 14:10) The English translation tries to fix an anomaly. The text actually says ”Egypt was journeying after them...” Singular. Rashi explains the singular Egypt thus: “With one heart, as one man...” like the frog-liars “...the Israelites saw the ministering angel of Egypt traveling from the heavens to aid Egypt.” The army was united by its bloodlust. The second explanation also explains 14:25, which alluded to “Egypt” oddly as well. “He removed the wheel of his chariot...Egypt said, ‘I shall flee before Israel, for YHVH is waging war for them against Egypt.” Rather than ofanayim, wheels, the text states ofen, “wheel.” Egypt is referred to by the Egyptians as if it is an entity outside itself, perhaps alluding to the spiritual prince of Egypt. It is thought that their willingness to accompany Pharaoh and the “King of Egypt” was due to the loss of the power of reason, the end result of hardening the heart. One’s complicity with an idol activates it in the physical realm. One unifying lie marked the Egyptians for destruction. Drink up. In our Wars of Kings lessons, we saw one of the other siege tactics was the plague of wild beasts. Wild Beasts is equated to attack by foreign mercenaries. These people are hunters for sale, unrooted, unstable mobs, living in the fervor of the moment. They may not even have any personal connection to the conflict, but they “feed” on it, and in turn, feed those strong emotions to idols. The plague of wild beasts was not first exercised on the Egyptians, but the Egyptian wild beasts upon the Hebrews. They plundered the Hebrews in the same way the cities of Sodom plundered travelers and rioted against its own citizen, Lot. Social justice may demonstrate for just or even religious causes. Historically, however, the cause has frequently been unjust, twisted, an opportunity for the swarms of wild beasts to hunt People of the Book. Pogroms, Kristallnacht, the Inquisition, Farhud, etc. An entire population can be frozen in fear that the roving bands of beasts will attack and tear them, too, which silences their objections and hands the potential power of many to the few. This was Lot’s position in riotous Sodom. The Sodomites complained that Lot thought could judge their morals. The ethical laws Lot learned from Abraham were not their laws. That made Lot the enemy. Some sages offer an alternative view of Avraham’s prayer in this Torah portion Vayera. While we often cite the bargaining prayers as evidence of Avraham’s lovingkindness toward the lost, a question is asked: Is it really “righteous” to pray that wickedness be allowed to prevail and perpetrate endless violence against its population or unwitting passersby so that ten righteous people may not be destroyed with the wicked? Was there a better prayer in the circumstances? Why not pray that with “righteous” Lot, they would leave the wicked cities with supernatural help? Why not pray that the strong hold of economic prosperity (or whatever they loved) over them be broken and they depart so that their souls would not be consumed by the wild beasts, confused by lies, torn and violated by demonic oppression? Why not pray the citizens of the five cities would repent? It’s apparent that neither Avraham nor Lot understood the severity of wickedness. The demonic oppression and suggestion was proliferating, feeding on bloodlust, greed, and immoral sexual behavior. It had become the habitation of every unclean and demonic thing, a human meal. Eat up. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality...I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people...’ 8 For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong. (Re 18:2-8) Because the burning of Sodom is referenced so many times in judgment, and the story of Lot takes place during days of unleavened bread, we should be more prepared than ever at Pesach this year. Egypt’s final judgment was at Passover. The tzirah, or “hell-bug” of Revelation may be tormenting during these five dark months between the Seventh Month and the First Month of Nissan, Passover month. To those whose souls are offered on the table of Adonai, sanctified by Yeshua the Living Word, sealed by the truth of the Ruach HaKodesh, there is no confusion, no lie, no darkness, no hatred, no bloodlust. We must, however, pray a lot. Pray for repentance. Pray that the righteous and innocent be supernaturally delivered from wicked cities. As Peter wrote, Adonai DOES know how to deliver the godly from temptation and destruction. Pray that it happens before the full Revelation plague of hail and fire descend, a plague much more devastating than any hail or fire that a human army could ever muster.

This week the regular Torah parsh ‘Vayeira’ (Genesis chapters 118 through 22) covers not only the second, and certainly most well-known part of the life of the ‘patriarch,’ Abraham, but also one of the most foundational. From Sodom and Gomorrah to the ‘binding of Isaac,’ this one resonate today like never before in our lives. […]

This podcast examines the means by which vocal phrasicng in the middle east gave rise to the different cultural approaches to Hebrew vocal music for Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Western, and Egyptian worshipers.  Examining the tonal linguistics of Hebrew in comparrison to another eastern language, Chinese.  In so doing, we hear clearly the ornimentation and grace notes […]

“The Heavy and the Light: If we have BEEN in a constant state of ’emergency’ all our lives, but most didn’t even know it…what happens when it really DOES hit us?”

Was Oct. 7 a false flag?  What Middle Eastern countries have declared on Israel?  Why are Christians so reluctant to censure Israel’s excessive response?  Where will this Christian reluctance lead?  Please join Steven and Bonnie for a look into the storm that will produce the Spirit-filled Soldiers of the Lion that will harvest the earth. […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 2 November, 2023.

News and commentary for Wednesday, 1 November, 2023.

AS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH? DREAMS, VISIONS, MESSAGES & SCRIPTURES. PART 1. Another look at a message I woke up with on my mind in Feb of 2018 in relation to lots of witnesses that this message may be for this year… 7 days from the time we recorded this message!! What would you do today if you were living back in the days of Noah? We really do not like to sensationalize nor do we ever want to cause fear or a false panic. So I’m really not looking forward to airing this program just in case this is a false alarm. HOWEVER, there have been too many witnesses coalescing today after I prayed yesterday for at least 2 more witnesses to the revelation we believe we received during a discussion with someone who is still overseas unable to get back to the states yet from Israel after the attack. We are watchmen and as such if we see danger coming we are commanded to sound the shofar, so that is what this message is all about. We are sounding the shofar just in case this is the real deal.

News, commentary, and some pertinent warnings, for Monday, 30 October, 2023. Wars, and rumors of…nukes. And traitors galore.

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 6

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 5

Overview of the Tanakh – Session 4

Psalm 105:4 tells us to “seek His face always”. How do we “seek His face”? What is the Relational Framework? In what forms do we see and experience this currently? There are some who teach that there was a problem with the old covenant and a new and improved covenant had to be created. Is […]

In our Footsteps of Messiah series, we’ve been taking a close look at the prophecies of the Song of Songs, and our current text is from Chapter Four: Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, may you come with me from Lebanon. Journey down from the summit of Amana, from the summit of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards. This passage is thought to be a prophecy of exile from and return to the Land of Israel. In the traditional interpretation, “Come with Me,” refers to Israel’s exile from the Temple when she was conquered by the lion-beast Babylon. Although exiled into the kingdoms of the Beast, Adonai was with her. “Lebanon” is seen as a metaphor for the Temple in that context, for its timbers were made of Lebanon's cedars.  The second “come with Me” is thought to be the return from the Beast kingdoms of lion, bear, leopard, and Roman conglomerate beast that extend to the world. They will attain a summit of emunah, faith, in their exile in preparation for return to their inheritance and a rebuilt Temple. It is this "mountain" of Amana that is the subject of our Shabbat livestream this week. As we watch the war unfolding in the northern mountain range between Lebanon and Israel, the Song of Songs hints that this can help us understand how the exiles of Israel will return home. Strangely, it also explains why the "three wise men" brought the gifts they gave to Yeshua. In our Footsteps of Messiah series, we’ve been taking a close look at the prophecies of the Song of Songs, and our current text is from Chapter Four: Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, may you come with me from Lebanon. Journey down from the summit of Amana, from the summit of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards. This week we relate the weekly Torah portion, Lekh Lekha, to the Holy One's command to Israel to journey with Him. Please SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to get new teachings.

Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a two-part look at parsha ‘Lekh Lekha’ (Genesis chapters 12through 17) and the first installment of the life of one of THE most important figures in Scripture, and in our faith, and the man who is literally THE ‘patriarch,’ Abraham. And we start this time before […]

Season two concludes with 2 Vocal episodes.  This podcast examines the various Massoretic “Traditional” worship in Synegogues today, as well as the means by which the priesthood worshiped in the Jerusalem temple.  We further more examine the poetic examples of songs in the Psalms (Hebrew=Tehelym) and Exodus (Heb=Shemot).  The song of Moses is given particular […]

While traveling around in United Kingdom, I have been impressed by the amazing age and restoration of the architecture that we have seen. The word restoration came to my mind as so much of it was evident in all of the structures that were centuries old. That took me to Psalm 80 where the word […]

News, commentary, and a summary of some of the most important and revealing, and this week, ranging from the disgustingly evil to the at least mildly surprising, events in the week ending Saturday, 28 October, 2023.

Torah teachers Mark Pitrone, Mark Call, and Jeff Prystupa, discuss the second and third chapters of the Book of the prophet Isaiah. And it sounds exactly like what the news would read today, if it was a bit more honest.

David Justice and Mark Call discuss the key news stories of the week, and ponder just how stupid the Deep State and New World Order Satanists just must think people really are. Step one is admitting you realize they really DO want you dead. Step two is making the choice…

By essentially every metric, on every front – economic, social, political, legal, spiritual, and even military, the United States of now-AmeriKa is being destroyed. And it’s arguably true that collapse is now inevitable. So it’s time to take a hard look at what we can discern about how it will play out. And what that […]

AS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH? DREAMS, VISIONS, MESSAGES & SCRIPTURES. Another look at a message I woke up with on my mind in Feb of 2018 in relation to lots of witnesses that this message may be for this year… 7 days from now!!! What would you do today if you were living back in the days of Noah? We really do not like to sensationalize nor do we ever want to cause fear or a false panic. So I’m really not looking forward to airing this program just in case this is a false alarm. HOWEVER, there have been too many witnesses coalescing today after I prayed yesterday for at least 2 more witnesses to the revelation we believe we received during a discussion with someone who is still overseas unable to get back to the states yet from Israel after the attack. We are watchmen and as such if we see danger coming we are commanded to sound the shofar, so that is what this message is all about. We are sounding the shofar just in case this is the real deal.

News and commentary for Thursday, 26 October, 2023. If you know people who haven’t yet figured out just how diabolically Evil what has ALREADY been done is, have them listen to this show… If nothing else, you’ll have an indication of whether or not they’re salvageable.

THOSE HIDDEN BY YAH, YHWH REMEMBERS!  Could this current Gaza/Israel conflict (which started on the 8th Day of Sukkot 2023) be pointing us to this hidden message from YHWH?  YHWH will Rise Up & Lift the Burden, Those Hidden by Yah YHWH Remembers!  There are passages, which I will read in this message that speak of conflict from Gaza and judgement on Gaza in just four of the prophets.  Jeremiah 47, Amos 1, Zephaniah 2 and Zechariah 9.  Why only these prophets?  These prophets’ prophecies regarding Gaza are even found in our scriptures in that order.  As we know Hebrew Names, especially biblical ones all have a meaning sooooo if we parse out the meaning of Jeremiah Amos Zephaniah Zechariah in that order what is the message that we get?  YHWH will Rise Up, Lift the Burden, Hidden by Yah, YHWH Remembers.  YHWH will Rise Up & Lift the Burden, Those Hidden by Yah YHWH Remembers!

News and commentary for Wednesday, 25 October, 2023.

News and commentary for Tuesday, 24 October, 2023. And it demonstrates that there are many very good reasons why people are ‘losing faith’ in a regime that more than hates them.

An Overview of the Tanakh – Session 3

News, commentary, and some pertinent warnings, for Monday, 23 October, 2023. The border farce is beyond deadly, and it’s SO bad now that even Big Brother is starting to admit the ‘Truth will out.’

An Overview of the Tanakh – Session 2

An Overview of the Tanakh – Session 1

An Inductive Study of the Book of Ya’akov – Session 39

Ya’akov- An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 38

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 37

What should you be thinking about as you read through the Bible? What is the “beautiful thing” that you see in scripture? Finish this statement, “Come as you are, …” How does change happen? What is the one thing you should do when approaching the Creator in prayer? What is the whole point of the […]

Was there any prior clue that the Simchat Torah war would break out last Shabbat? The Creation Gospel is a pattern that links the days of Creation, the Seven Spirits of Adonai listed in Isaiah, the Seven Feasts of Adonai, and even the Seven Assemblies of Revelation to demonstrate the significance of the numbers 1-7. The video series is free to watch on YouTube. Beginner classes are free on Zoom and routinely announced in our newsletter and Facebook. The Creation Gospel workbooks are not free because they fund LaMalah Orphanage in Kenya. The paradigm of Days 1-7 is the seed prophecy from which every other prophecy sprouts in the Word. Day One: separation of light and darkness Day Two: separation of waters from water (the day not declared “good”) Day Three: separation of dry land from water, seed-bearing trees with fruit Day Four: establishment of the sun, moon, and stars to “govern” the day and night, seasons (moedim-feasts) Day Five: first living creatures with a breath of life, birds and fish in swarms Day Six: beasts to reproduce after their kind; human beings to reproduce after the kind and image of their Creator Day Seven: Shabbat rest from creative work Creation Gospel students analyze the symbols and patterns of each day, including linking the creation characteristics to the corresponding seven feasts. For instance, Day Two is a day on which separation begins to work with the chaos of fluidity. Because there is only separation, it is seen as a “death” day, for death occurs when the the soul and body separate along with the spirit. These await resurrection to life or judgment. Day Two is not pronounced good until Day Three when the chaotic waters are finally gathered into one place. Only then is it declared “good.” What good comes from Day Two? Although chaotic, the process of gathering is begun, a day in which the pain of separation must occur. Perhaps this is why Day Three corresponds to resurrection with its symbolism of first fruits from the dead. In the cycle of shmittah years, we have now entered into “Day Two,” or Year Two of the cycle. What should we expect between now and next Feast of Trumpets? Chaos. Fluidity. Uncertainty. Separation, separation, separation. Exposure and assignment to upper or lower realms. In the pain of this coming year, the “gray area” of faith will be obliterated. One’s true heart will be exposed. Since Day Two is connected at its base on the menorah to the Sixth Day, then expect one’s conforming to be exposed. Do we conform to the image of the beast or the image of Elohim? Nothing in between. No fence riding. Heaven and earth are the two witnesses who will be the first to speak: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”” (Dt 30:19-20) A fence is a dangerous place this year. Run to truth; embrace it; proclaim it. Don’t be embarrassed by it. Learn to begin sentences with “It is written…,” not “I think… I feel… I want…” I could add words here to emphasize the importance of this, but those who don’t have ears to hear at this point have already sunk too low in the lower waters. Their confusion will likely not improve, although we should continue to pray that it does. It feels as though Covid somehow began the process of sorting those who would continually harden their hearts to believe lies. When you talk to them, it is like talking to a a walking human lie. What they believe and proclaim as truth defies all heavenly or earthly logic. Believers must continue to shine the Light of the First Day so that if a fence-rider should look up to the surface, he or she can re-orient and make an effort to swim upward to the Light of the Word. Here is another way of applying the pattern using the relationship to the seven feasts, or moedim: We use the menorah to show chiastic relationships (mirrors). On Day Five, birds and fish were created. They are prophecies of many peoples, and so Yeshua later refers to the fish as “men,” which his disciples will go fish out of the nations with the Good News. Two of his post-resurrection appearances involved fish as food. Yeshua knew where to find good fish, and so his disciples would be dispatched to find them, too. The Fifth Feast is the Feast of Trumpets, which heralds the resurrection of the dead, or the Greater Resurrection of the faithful. It is also known as Rosh HaShanah, referring the “change” or turn of the year. These swarms of fish would be fished out the waters, which represent nations, and be resurrected to life in the waters above, the heavenly waters. From Rosh HaShanah until Yom Kippur, or Yom HaKippurim, ten days later, the standard greeting among Jews is “May your name be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a sweet year.” The decrees are written, but they can still be modified or discarded if an individual repents and returns to Adonai and His Word. If there is no repentance by the conclusion of the tenth day, Yom HaKippurim, the decrees are sealed and handed off to the angels for execution upon each person, whether for good or evil, life or death. After a week of joyful feasting in the sukkah during the Feast of Sukkot, Israel removes themselves from their celebratory shelters (sukkot) on the Eighth Day for Shemini Atzeret, which is “rejoicing in the Torah,” Simchat Torah. Things come uncovered. The seals begin to break. When the gates closed on Yom HaKippurim (Day of Atonements, Coverings), one’s fate was sealed. If one repented, he or she was covered, atoned for. If not, he or she remained uncovered, vulnerable. This covering blood was a precious price paid by Yeshua, the letter to the Hebrews cautions believers not to take it lightly and keep on sinning, or there was "severer punishment." (He 10:29) This year, something interesting happened in Israel during the Days of Awe, the ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim. Heaven and nature warned the nation with a fish kill during the Days of Awe. Heaven and nature are warning the rest of the world through the uncovered slaughter of Shemini Atzeret. Not so incidentally, heaven and earth, the natural world, were summoned as witnesses to the warnings in the Deuteronomic Song of Moses, a song repeated in the Book of Revelation. Here is the text of an article published on 9/26/23 in YNet News, the day after Yom HaKippurim. Reported the day after the decrees on the world were sealed up: “Thousands of dead fish have been spotted on one of the beaches in Hadera in recent days. A dead sea-turtle was also found in the area, and the Nature and Parks Authority said that its death is unrelated to the fish. The Environmental Protection Ministry estimated that since these fish were not of commercial use, they were likely discarded by fishermen. Shelly Goldsmith, a travel blogger, shared her distress, saying, ‘This morning, I headed towards Hadera beach, which is a beautiful spot. As I reached the shore, I saw large quantities of dead fish scattered along the beach, numbering in the thousands. I also noticed a dead sea turtle. I realized that pollution must have caused this.’ Goldsmith added, ‘It's truly a terrible and heartbreaking sight. This is not the first time we've witnessed such a horrifying phenomenon with thousands of dead fish washing up on the shore. It's a sorrowful morning.’ According to the Environmental Protection Ministry, ‘In recent days, reports were received about dead fish on Hadera's beach. The images were sent to Dr. Nir Stern from the Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research, who identified them as young and non-endangered fish. The small size of these fish indicates that they were likely discarded by fishermen. The ministry and other authorities are not aware of any pollution in the area that could have caused the fish deaths.’” Knowing what we know of the events of Simchat Torah, the words of the article take on predictive horror. Young fish. Not endangered. Or so they thought. Discarded by evil fishermen. It was indeed a sorrowful morning. We came out of the covering of our sukkot to see the decrees came unsealed with lightning speed. In an unbelievable coincidence, the YNet fish article yesterday held photos of a young lady kidnaped and mutilated by Hamas on Shabbat, splayed unnaturally in the back of a pickup truck, broadcast to the nations. Some rejoiced. Some were horrified. The waters, the nations, are separating into upper and lower realms. What happened to Israel happens next among the nations. We think it was unfortunate "her"? Evil fishermen are among the nations. Adonai is marking, sealing, and gathering His fish. He sent His Good News with fishermen to call those who would listen and love truth. His Word is truth. The beast is doing the same. Gathering, marking, directing with demonic, hateful, deathly lies. It is a year of exposure. The illusion of safety on the broken fence is exposed, so get off of it and get away from it. It is dangerous. If none of this makes sense to you, it’s not too late. Don’t complain about it being over your head. These things are plainly written in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation for anyone to read, learn, verify, live by. Read it until you do understand. Buy a book on the Biblical feasts. Enroll in a Creation Gospel Zoom class to learn the paradigm. Read your Bible. Believe it. The Torah is the first five books of the Bible, the covenant with Israel. Its seed prophecies are expanded throughout the rest of Scripture. The Torah is the Word. We are to rejoice in obeying the Word, not evil. Take a side. Make a decision. Heaven and nature are screaming that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is judging His creation. Call upon Him. Swim up if you know you're drowning in doubt, anxiety, and confusion. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. (2 Pe 1:10-11) It was a sunny Shabbat morning on the beach, close to the fence like thousands of others. Until it wasn’t.

I am going to depart from reading the scriptures today, because I want to share a very important teaching with given by Amir Tsarfati. The title of the message is: “Israel: His People?” and it aired on the Behold Israel Youtube channel on Oct 13. It addresses the topic that has plagued the church for […]

Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a two-part look at parsha Noach (Genesis chapters 6 through 11) – which not only includes the enigmatic setting of the “days of Noach,” when the thoughts of men’s hearts were only evil all the days, and certainly MAY apply again today, but the Flood itself, […]

Upon visiting the city of Bath in England, I was inspired to put together this weeks episode on the theme of cleansing. I am using the music from my album titled, “Frequency of Cleansing” and using Psalm 51 as the backdrop for the discussion of bathing – cleansing – mikvah – baptism. Yashua died to […]

THOSE HIDDEN BY YAH, YHWH REMEMBERS!  Could this current Gaza/Israel conflict (which started on the 8th Day of Sukkot 2023) be pointing us to this hidden message from YHWH?  YHWH will Rise Up & Lift the Burden, Those Hidden by Yah YHWH Remembers!  There are passages, which I will read in this message that speak of conflict from Gaza and judgement on Gaza in just four of the prophets.  Jeremiah 47, Amos 1, Zephaniah 2 and Zechariah 9.  Why only these prophets?  These prophets’ prophecies regarding Gaza are even found in our scriptures in that order.  As we know Hebrew Names, especially biblical ones all have a meaning sooooo if we parse out the meaning of Jeremiah Amos Zephaniah Zechariah in that order what is the message that we get?  YHWH will Rise Up, Lift the Burden, Hidden by Yah, YHWH Remembers.  YHWH will Rise Up & Lift the Burden, Those Hidden by Yah YHWH Remembers!

Nearly to the end of Season 2 we examine ancient percussion instruments in the bible and their application to spiritual warfare, the priests garments, and their cultural evolution.  finally we end with an audio sample of the oldest gongs ever used by mankind going far back before biblical instruments, back to the very bedrock of […]

Steven gives a summary of the situation in Israel and the Middle East.  He has many contacts, eye-opening stories.  We are on the brink of the culmination of prophecy when, soon, Yeshua will raise up His army to harvest the fields.  Hold fast for the end to sin and everlasting righteousness are on the horizon. […]

This week, as things so clearly head toward a climax on so many fronts, there’s even more smoke than usual. Although some of the distraction is at least educational, such as what has happened in Israel, and even the furor surrounding the “hospital bombing,” some of which might even be true. But there’s so much […]

The teachers continue the study of the Books of the prophets into chapter two of Isaiah, and again welcome Dr. Jeff Prystupa to the group.

News and a bit more commentary than usual, for Friday, 20 October, 2023.

We will be discussing: 1) the Middle Eastern War from scripture 2) the Abomination of Desolations 3) meaning of the 70 weeks 4)the influence of Judaism on our religions today 5) America’s role jeru_conflictHN

This will no doubt be a tough show for many to listen to. But many of those are already “dead men walking” anyway. How can so many things that are “statistically impossible” happen so…routinely? How can the world’s most feared and respected “intelligence organization” fail so…utterly? How can ANY regime – even in the Swamp […]

News, commentary, and some retrospective, for Thursday, 19 October, 2023. Just how utterly UNBELIEVABLE does it have to get?

News, commentary, and some retrospective, for Wednesday, 18 October, 2023.

News, commentary, and some retrospective, for Tuesday, 17 October, 2023.

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 39

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 38

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 37- Exhortations Concerning Suffering and Endurance

Was there any prior clue that the Simchat Torah war would break out last Shabbat? The Creation Gospel is a pattern that links the days of Creation, the Seven Spirits of Adonai listed in Isaiah, the Seven Feasts of Adonai, and even the Seven Assemblies of Revelation to demonstrate the significance of the numbers 1-7. The video series is free to watch on YouTube. Beginner classes are free on Zoom and routinely announced in our newsletter and Facebook. The Creation Gospel workbooks are not free because they fund LaMalah Orphanage in Kenya. The paradigm of Days 1-7 is the seed prophecy from which every other prophecy sprouts in the Word. Day One: separation of light and darkness Day Two: separation of waters from water (the day not declared “good”) Day Three: separation of dry land from water, seed-bearing trees with fruit Day Four: establishment of the sun, moon, and stars to “govern” the day and night, seasons (moedim-feasts) Day Five: first living creatures with a breath of life, birds and fish in swarms Day Six: beasts to reproduce after their kind; human beings to reproduce after the kind and image of their Creator Day Seven: Shabbat rest from creative work Creation Gospel students analyze the symbols and patterns of each day, including linking the creation characteristics to the corresponding seven feasts. For instance, Day Two is a day on which separation begins to work with the chaos of fluidity. Because there is only separation, it is seen as a “death” day, for death occurs when the the soul and body separate along with the spirit. These await resurrection to life or judgment. Day Two is not pronounced good until Day Three when the chaotic waters are finally gathered into one place. Only then is it declared “good.” What good comes from Day Two? Although chaotic, the process of gathering is begun, a day in which the pain of separation must occur. Perhaps this is why Day Three corresponds to resurrection with its symbolism of first fruits from the dead. In the cycle of shmittah years, we have now entered into “Day Two,” or Year Two of the cycle. What should we expect between now and next Feast of Trumpets? Chaos. Fluidity. Uncertainty. Separation, separation, separation. Exposure and assignment to upper or lower realms. In the pain of this coming year, the “gray area” of faith will be obliterated. One’s true heart will be exposed. Since Day Two is connected at its base on the menorah to the Sixth Day, then expect one’s conforming to be exposed. Do we conform to the image of the beast or the image of Elohim? Nothing in between. No fence riding. Heaven and earth are the two witnesses who will be the first to speak: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”” (Dt 30:19-20) A fence is a dangerous place this year. Run to truth; embrace it; proclaim it. Don’t be embarrassed by it. Learn to begin sentences with “It is written…,” not “I think… I feel… I want…” I could add words here to emphasize the importance of this, but those who don’t have ears to hear at this point have already sunk too low in the lower waters. Their confusion will likely not improve, although we should continue to pray that it does. It feels as though Covid somehow began the process of sorting those who would continually harden their hearts to believe lies. When you talk to them, it is like talking to a a walking human lie. What they believe and proclaim as truth defies all heavenly or earthly logic. Believers must continue to shine the Light of the First Day so that if a fence-rider should look up to the surface, he or she can re-orient and make an effort to swim upward to the Light of the Word. Here is another way of applying the pattern using the relationship to the seven feasts, or moedim: We use the menorah to show chiastic relationships (mirrors). On Day Five, birds and fish were created. They are prophecies of many peoples, and so Yeshua later refers to the fish as “men,” which his disciples will go fish out of the nations with the Good News. Two of his post-resurrection appearances involved fish as food. Yeshua knew where to find good fish, and so his disciples would be dispatched to find them, too. The Fifth Feast is the Feast of Trumpets, which heralds the resurrection of the dead, or the Greater Resurrection of the faithful. It is also known as Rosh HaShanah, referring the “change” or turn of the year. These swarms of fish would be fished out the waters, which represent nations, and be resurrected to life in the waters above, the heavenly waters. From Rosh HaShanah until Yom Kippur, or Yom HaKippurim, ten days later, the standard greeting among Jews is “May your name be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a sweet year.” The decrees are written, but they can still be modified or discarded if an individual repents and returns to Adonai and His Word. If there is no repentance by the conclusion of the tenth day, Yom HaKippurim, the decrees are sealed and handed off to the angels for execution upon each person, whether for good or evil, life or death. After a week of joyful feasting in the sukkah during the Feast of Sukkot, Israel removes themselves from their celebratory shelters (sukkot) on the Eighth Day for Shemini Atzeret, which is “rejoicing in the Torah,” Simchat Torah. Things come uncovered. The seals begin to break. When the gates closed on Yom HaKippurim (Day of Atonements, Coverings), one’s fate was sealed. If one repented, he or she was covered, atoned for. If not, he or she remained uncovered, vulnerable. This covering blood was a precious price paid by Yeshua, the letter to the Hebrews cautions believers not to take it lightly and keep on sinning, or there was "severer punishment." (He 10:29) This year, something interesting happened in Israel during the Days of Awe, the ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim. Heaven and nature warned the nation with a fish kill during the Days of Awe. Heaven and nature are warning the rest of the world through the uncovered slaughter of Shemini Atzeret. Not so incidentally, heaven and earth, the natural world, were summoned as witnesses to the warnings in the Deuteronomic Song of Moses, a song repeated in the Book of Revelation. Here is the text of an article published on 9/26/23 in YNet News, the day after Yom HaKippurim. Reported the day after the decrees on the world were sealed up: “Thousands of dead fish have been spotted on one of the beaches in Hadera in recent days. A dead sea-turtle was also found in the area, and the Nature and Parks Authority said that its death is unrelated to the fish. The Environmental Protection Ministry estimated that since these fish were not of commercial use, they were likely discarded by fishermen. Shelly Goldsmith, a travel blogger, shared her distress, saying, ‘This morning, I headed towards Hadera beach, which is a beautiful spot. As I reached the shore, I saw large quantities of dead fish scattered along the beach, numbering in the thousands. I also noticed a dead sea turtle. I realized that pollution must have caused this.’ Goldsmith added, ‘It's truly a terrible and heartbreaking sight. This is not the first time we've witnessed such a horrifying phenomenon with thousands of dead fish washing up on the shore. It's a sorrowful morning.’ According to the Environmental Protection Ministry, ‘In recent days, reports were received about dead fish on Hadera's beach. The images were sent to Dr. Nir Stern from the Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research, who identified them as young and non-endangered fish. The small size of these fish indicates that they were likely discarded by fishermen. The ministry and other authorities are not aware of any pollution in the area that could have caused the fish deaths.’” Knowing what we know of the events of Simchat Torah, the words of the article take on predictive horror. Young fish. Not endangered. Or so they thought. Discarded by evil fishermen. It was indeed a sorrowful morning. We came out of the covering of our sukkot to see the decrees came unsealed with lightning speed. In an unbelievable coincidence, the YNet fish article yesterday held photos of a young lady kidnaped and mutilated by Hamas on Shabbat, splayed unnaturally in the back of a pickup truck, broadcast to the nations. Some rejoiced. Some were horrified. The waters, the nations, are separating into upper and lower realms. What happened to Israel happens next among the nations. We think it was unfortunate "her"? Evil fishermen are among the nations. Adonai is marking, sealing, and gathering His fish. He sent His Good News with fishermen to call those who would listen and love truth. His Word is truth. The beast is doing the same. Gathering, marking, directing with demonic, hateful, deathly lies. It is a year of exposure. The illusion of safety on the broken fence is exposed, so get off of it and get away from it. It is dangerous. If none of this makes sense to you, it’s not too late. Don’t complain about it being over your head. These things are plainly written in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation for anyone to read, learn, verify, live by. Read it until you do understand. Buy a book on the Biblical feasts. Enroll in a Creation Gospel Zoom class to learn the paradigm. Read your Bible. Believe it. The Torah is the first five books of the Bible, the covenant with Israel. Its seed prophecies are expanded throughout the rest of Scripture. The Torah is the Word. We are to rejoice in obeying the Word, not evil. Take a side. Make a decision. Heaven and nature are screaming that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is judging His creation. Call upon Him. Swim up if you know you're drowning in doubt, anxiety, and confusion. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. (2 Pe 1:10-11) It was a sunny Shabbat morning on the beach, close to the fence like thousands of others. Until it wasn’t.

The cycle begins again. Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship as the continuing study of His Word, as Written, restarts “In the Beginning,” on page one of every Bible, with Bereshiet (Genesis 1:1 through 6:8) and the Foundation upon which literally EVERYTHING else rests… …and the Erev Shabbat reading which answers so many […]

This episode covers 3 Trumpets.  Two are for Jubilee and War, while the third is ceremonial for the Temple.  These trumpets are distinctively Hebrew in their culture and scriptural classification.  One New Testament verse presents a problem of cultural context.  Robert addresses a misunderstanding in the west that must be corrected for a more profound […]

The events of this past week I believe have set a new course for our world and the people in it. There is now a clear definition between the side of evil and good. Those who support evil are making themselves known and those who support righteousness are speaking out more clearly. Genesis 3:15 describes […]

Pictured above: 900 roses laid out in front of Israel embassy in Stockholm to honor 900 Jews who were slaughtered by Hamas. The death toll is now at 1300. Wartime Broadcast from Jeremy Gimpel and Ari Abramowitz Israel is at war. With superpowers shifting and nations mobilizing, no one knows what to expect. Ari Abramowitz […]

News and commentary for the week ending Saturday, 14 October, 2023… …where everyone KNOWS the Big Story, but the Truth is becoming the first casualty of a radically escalated World War III.

It’s clear by now to everybody but CNN-watchers and Bud Lite drinkers that the foremost “intelligence agency” on earth wasn’t conned by the biggest terrorist invasion in modern history in Israel. Somebody “looked the other way,” and a lot of innocent people died for it. But there’s more to this than even the intended escalation […]

Special guest Daniel Holdings joins Mark to talk about what should be obvious, but certainly isn’t: Can ANYONE really believe that the Israeli Mossad was utterly fooled by the biggest invasion, on a major Holy Day no less, unless they also think Joe Biden is brilliant, too, but still missed it as well? There’s FAR […]

Mind boggling as it may be, is Israeli leadership ready to forego Israel and move “back to” Ukraine, as some aver?  Who avers?  Henry Kissinger, Times of Israel, Zelensky, for openers.  Will they abandon Mt. Zion to God’s enemies?  Even worse, are we now in the operational phase of said plans, along with billionaire Ukrainian […]

News and commentary for Wednesday, 11 October, 2023.

ALSO ALEF TAV SOLAR ECLIPSE COMING OVER U.S. - NOT A COINCIDENCE!  Look at all the connections. NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT WE FINISHED AND POSTED THIS MESSAGE JUST PRIOR TO THE 8TH DAY OF SUKKOT WHEN ISRAEL WAS ATTACKED AND SUBSEQUENTLY DECLARED THEY WERE AT WAR! THIS PART 2 HNR VERSION ALSO INCLUDES A SPECIAL INTRODUCTION MESSAGE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THIS COMING SHABBAT RING OF FIRE SOLAR ECLIPSE OVER THE UNITED STATES WHICH WE ALSO DO NOT BELIEVE IS A COINCIDENCE!!   Can we know what the Song of the Lamb is?  Have the Jews been reading (i.e. singing) this song along with the Song of Moses for millennia without even recognizing Y'shua as the Lamb?  Is the Song of the Lamb the same as the 'new song' that will be sung by the 144,000?  Can we see the book of Revelation & Yom Kippur in the Song of Moses?  How about in the Song of the Lamb?  Can we find the 'new song' or at least variations of it in the Psalms?  In this message we will discuss all of this and more!

This week, in the absence of the regular co-hosts, Dr. Jeff Prystupa joins Mark Call to not only take a look at a ‘new’ Book, and a very ancient prophet, but a whole bunch of warnings which suddenly seem even MORE important than ever. It’s a bit of a departure from the ‘regular’ show, but, […]

News and commentary for Tuesday, 10 October, 2023. Where the lessons from the latest escalation in World War III continue.

Y’akov – An Inductive study of the Book of James – Session 36 – Exhortation Concerning Patience

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 35- Failing of the Rich

Ya’akov- An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 34 – Arrogant Self-Sufficiency

News, commentary, and some retrospective, for Monday, 9 October, 2023. The Last Great Day of Sukkot turned out to be quite a turning point after all.

Rabbi Steve Berkson desires that you embrace the understanding that it’s all about your heart when it comes to keeping covenant with your Creator. It has to be in your heart to fear him, guard and do all of His commandments, to love Him and to serve Yahweh your Elohim. This episode focuses on believing, […]

The conclusion of the Fall Feasts, and the week of Sukkot which ends with the “Last Great Day,” is this weekend, by most calendar reckonings. And certainly the largest attack on the modern nation of Israel in almost exactly 50 years on that day, and Sabbath, can hardly be a coincidence. Especially since the last […]

This episode welcomes guest speaker Alexander Hislop, A Scottish Presbyterian Preacher and best selling author who introduces the show in Gaelic instead of Hebrew.  Being from Scotland he knows something about our topic instrument and its rich cultural heritage.  As a proud Scotsman he will share with you one of his favorite bagpipe bands and […]

News, commentary, and a summary of some of the most important and revealing, and finally this week, even truly surprising, events in the week ending Saturday, 7 October, 2023.

For the first time in a long time, the Big Story this week was actually a bit of a genuine surprise: Some Congressional representatives actually demonstrated that they’d had enough, and voted to “vacate” the office of speaker, and send RINO Kevin McCarthy to the showers. For the first time in American history. And it […]

Look at all the Connections! Can we know what the Song of the Lamb is?  Have the Jews been reading (i.e. singing) this song along with the Song of Moses for millennia without even recognizing Y'shua as the Lamb?  Is the Song of the Lamb the same as the 'new song' that will be sung by the 144,000?  Can we see the book of Revelation & Yom Kippur in the Song of Moses?  How about in the Song of the Lamb?  Can we find the 'new song' or at least variations of it in the Psalms?  In this message we will discuss all of this and more!

The final Fall Feast of Sukkot is a time associated with harvest, the Wedding Feast, and the Birth of the Real Messiah. It’s also, according to Scripture, a time for remembrance of time past, in the wilderness, and practice – hopefully, perhaps – for what is soon to come. As such, it’s also a time […]

News, commentary, and no shortage even of cynicism this time, for Thursday, 5 October, 2023. Can Hell freeze over even as Man-Made Global Warming is still Top Propaganda?

News, commentary, and some retrospective, for Wednesday, 4 October, 2023… FEMA day…and some arguably at least INTERESTING news from the Swamp. This show was NOT played during the regular air times today, for a lot of reasons that will be obvious, but is available here for download. Because there’s a lot to ponder.

News, commentary, and some retrospective, for Tuesday, 3 October, 2023… …and some prep for ’emergency warnings,’ too.

News and commentary for Monday, 2 October, 2023.

In 1 Chronicles 16 we see within a song of praise that went up in thanksgiving there is a “covenantal-mindset”. What is that “covenantal-mindset”? What happened to Israel when the “covenantal-mindset” faded away? 1 Chronicles 16:22 is the statement, “Do not touch my anointed ones, and do My prophets no evil.” What does this mean? […]

This week the season of the Fall Feasts enter – literally – the final joyful week, with Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as ‘the Season of our Joy.’ And that turns out to be more appropriate than most ‘Christians’ have been told in ‘sun-god-day school,’ because, as is readily shown, it is […]

The fall season brings with it the celebration of life and the harvesting of the produce that gives life. One of the Feasts of the Lord is the Feast of Tabernacles or Succot. It is a time to celebrate the promise of our Heavenly Father dwelling with us. Even the coming of the Messiah Yashua […]

The most unique instrument within S2 and Robert’s favorite.  After some academic debate as to whether this instrument has valid existence as an ancient instrument based on its controversial transliteration and definition in various scriptural passages it becomes clear this is more than it appears to be.  Perhaps this instrument is the most Hebraic in […]

News, commentary, and a detailed look into a few of THE most important, albeit ignored, events in the week ending Saturday, 30 September, 2023. There is a very important lesson here.

By any measure, even recent insanity, this has been another pretty weird week. But the difference seems to be that there’s no longer even a pretense that there is still “one law” in the once-free united States for the Elite and the peons…SOME of whom are beginning to realize that they really ARE slaves. David […]

The destruction of the foundational concept of ‘property rights’ has been underway for quite some time. From ‘infringing’ the single type of property which “shall not be infringed,” to “civil asset forfeiture,” of anything that needs stealin’, we’ve witnessed the ‘progressive’ progression. But this week, the final nail was hammered in the coffin. And the […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 28 September, 2023.

In his final video before his untimely death, Dr. Rashid Buttar shared that a uploaded-by-vaxx hemorrhagic virus would be released within their bodies upon the receipt of a wave signal within a certain gigahertz range for a certain number of bursts.  (See first vid below.) Is this the Oct. 4 emergency signal test?  What is […]

Military attorney, Todd Callender, says lipid nanoparticles contain pathogens that can be released by pulsed 5G signal. We need to turn off all cell phones, iPads, and computer devices on: Wednesday, Oct 4, from 11am-1pm Pacific, (2-4PM EST).   The “cover story” is that this is a test of the Emergency Broadcast system administered by FEMA. Visit THIS […]

Your neck is like the tower of David, Built with rows of stones On which are hung a thousand shields, All the round shields of the mighty men. (So 4:4) Our working text for the Footsteps of Messiah is the Song of Songs. From the above text, we previously connected the shields of a thousand generations with the offspring of Abraham, the righteous remnant in each generation forming the faithful shield of their generation. These are faithful warriors of the Word. Deuteronomy gives us insight into how Israel is instructed to prepare for war: “When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people. He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ The officers also shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Who is the man that has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him depart and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would dedicate it. Who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not begun to use its fruit? Let him depart and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would begin to use its fruit. And who is the man that is engaged to a woman and has not married her? Let him depart and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would marry her.’ Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say, ‘Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him depart and return to his house, so that he might not make his brothers’ hearts melt like his heart.’ When the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of armies at the head of the people. When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace. If it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and shall serve you. However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it... (Dt 20:1-12) Before a soldier could go to war, he was required to enjoy the fruit of his labors. A soldier who built, planted, and betrothed without consummating the joy of his labors expected to die in battle, an attitude that would discourage his fellow soldiers. Comfortable shelter, food and drink, and a family relationship are the building blocks of human joy. The feast time of Sukkot teaches this pattern. Every family comes to Jerusalem to commemmorate the Divine provision of food, drink, shelter, and family relationships, including the extended family who will share in the offerings along with strangers, aliens, Levites, and even the kohanim: “There also you and your households shall eat before the LORD your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the LORD your God has blessed you.” (Dt 12:7) “You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you. When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, then it shall come about that the place in which the LORD your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to the LORD. And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance with you. (Dt 12:8-12) In the passage above, there are some interesting questions: If Israel is at peace, then why instructions for war? What do the Three Questions suggest about the spiritual state of the nation at war? Why is joy so important in a festival of shelter, food and drink, and family? Each question asked of a soldier involves his “wife”: house, vineyard, and betrothed. Each of those in certain contexts represents one's wife. A wise woman builds her house; a man's wife is his vineyard (Ps 128:3); his betrothed is his future wife with nothing left but the consummation of the marriage to complete it. It's not as if such a man is lazy; quite the contrary! He has labored hard to build, plant, and consider a family. He simply hasn't allowed himself the final commitment to fully enjoy it! These are the gifts of Adonai to human beings. He gives us the ability to build, plan, create, and imagine. Part of the joy is in that process, but the crown of joy is to eat the fruit of one's labor. Strangely, it is the Feast of Sukkot that celebrates the partnership of Adonai and His People to build, plant, and live in intimate relationships. If a young man works, yet refuses the fruit, instead leaving it for someone else, he is cutting himself off from faith in the root and fruit of blessing. Not only is he entitled to it, he is OBLIGATED to it. It is as if he plans to die in battle, a hidden mindset that will discourage his fellow soldiers on the day of tribulation. This hidden fault can be exposed by the priest and remedied if he will go back and enter into joy in the commandment. If not, he will likely die in battle and another man will enjoy the blessings of fulfilling his unfulfilled mitzvot, which ironically, is what the hopeless soldier expects to happen. Sukkot is about embracing the joy of offspring, whether one's own household or the household of faith, even those just curiously sitting in. Sukkot defies the fear of death. Sukkot says that the Holy One will shelter us in His sukkah on the day of trouble; He will feed us and give us drink without sorrow; He will betroth us in righteousness. The blessings He's enabled us to set before our families and friends is the proof of even greater blessings of peace and prosperity yet to come if we believe and obey His Word. Having joy in the commandments is a type of armor on the day of battle. Don’t live a life of ascetism in the Name of Heaven. Fast when you must, but like Yeshua, don’t refuse the joy of this life for which he was criticized: But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call out to the other children, and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds. (Mt 11:16-19) Others want us to conform ourselves to the childish emotional flavor of the day. Instead, we conform to “it is written.” There is a time and season to everything, appointed times for fasting and feasting. Do not be so consumed with tribulation that you fail to invest in joy, nor so gluttonous as to refuse days of sober fasting and intense prayer for war. This life is a brief investment window from which we will continue eternally to enjoy its yield from the Root of Jesse and his fruit which the Father has placed in our hands. Your joy at Sukkot is part of the battle plan. Arm yourself with a lulav. Can't you just imagine Yeshua sitting among his parents, his brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and cousins, and all his disciples and their families in Jerusalem at Sukkot, laughing big belly-laughs while he watches the nieces and nephews romping around the barbecue pit? What a mitzvah! What a war hero! Wars of Kings is a foundation for using the template of the first Exodus to understand the Greater Exodus and the accompanying plagues in the Book of Revelation. Click on Wars of Kings to go to the first segment of the Wars YouTube video. Last week's teaching explained up to plague five, and this week's video will continue the plagues, providing examples from our time to connect with the texts.

An Inductive Study of the book of James – Session 33 – Condemnation of the Wicked

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the book of James – Session 32 – Repent and Humble Yourself before the LORD

Ya’akov – An Inductive study of the book of James – Session 31- Submit to G-d

Continuing with, “The Role and Effect of Leadership on Covenant Keeping”, Rabbi Steve Berkson takes us on a journey through the books of 1 & 2 Kings where he shows us examples in King Solomon and the Northern Kingdom of Israel of what happens when those in leadership cause real problems for those for whom […]

Audio reading: Deut 34:1-12, Isaiah 51:1-53:12, Eph 5:1-33, Psalm 69:19-36, Prov 24:7 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having […]

The regular Torah portion now includes the very last few in the Book of Deuteronomy, the life of Moses himself, and thus some of his final admonitions, including the second, and final, “Song of Moses,” in parsha “Ha’azinu,” chapter 32 of Debarim. This week is also the Sabbath that falls between the sounding of the […]

The word “Sacrifice” is not a very popular word. Most people see it as uncomfortable. Nobody wants to sacrifice because that means you are going to have to do without something that you really think you need. Scripture sees sacrifice quite differently, however. David speaks of bringing a sacrifice of praise. In another place he […]

We continue our journey of instruments through the Woodwinds of  Israel.  The Khalil was a unique pipe, perhaps most likely a pan pipe.   The debated history  lies in a controversy of the transliteration  between an instrument and an expression through music that such a pipe  causes through dancing.  Archeologically it evolved into the modern  flute […]

The teachers examine the final chapters of the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, completing chapter 47 and continuing into 48.

News, commentary, and a summary of some of the most important and revealing events in the week ending Friday, 22 September, 2023.

The theft – or was it really just yet MORE unbelievable incompetence! – of a Marine F-35 stealth fighter jet this week seems emblematic of the rot now being exposed almost continually. Join David Justice and Mark Call as they discuss the events of a week leading into the heart of the Fall Feasts of […]

Adam Wicker will covering the connection between the spring and fall Holy Days and what does it mean to be cut off. cutoffHN

There is a major nationwide FEMA ‘test’ scheduled for October 4th that has people who are already suspicious of a Big Brother that lies about every thing from grooming kids to bioweapon injections wondering what they might pull next. Forewarned is – maybe – forearmed. But there’s more on the horizon, too, of course. The […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 21 September, 2023.

News and commentary for Wednesday, 20 September, 2023.

As we approach Yom Kippur, we are all doing our most intense introspection. We are also making amends with anyone whom we’ve hurt. Have you been taught that you are to freely forgive? No matter the responsibility of the other party, do you feel as though you are required by God to forgive them even […]

As we approach Yom Kippur, we are all doing our most intense introspection. We are also making amends with anyone whom we’ve hurt. Have you been taught that you are to freely forgive? No matter the responsibility of the other party, do you feel as though you are required by God to forgive them even […]

News and commentary for Tuesday, 19 September, 2023.

News and commentary for Monday, 18 September, 2023.

Ya’akov- An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 30 – Way to Repentance

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 29- Dangers of Assimilation

Ya’akov- An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 28 – Interview with Jonah Karsten

Is sin and transgressing the Covenant two different things or the same? What is the definition of sin? What does Joshua 7:9 show us in regards to what Elohim thinks about sin and His Covenant. What is it that the “World” will not allow you to do? Rabbi Steve Berkson then moves us to Joshua […]

Wars of Kings is a foundation for using the template of the first Exodus to understand the Greater Exodus and the accompanying plagues in the Book of Revelation. Click on Wars of Kings to go to the first segment of the Wars YouTube video. Last week's teaching explained up to plague five, and this week's video will continue the plagues, providing examples from our time to connect with the texts.

The time of the Fall Feasts means that the “regular Torah portions” end up getting shuffled a bit, especially given the “calendar variants” many of us see. But as the Torah cycle begins to wrap up, parsha Vayelekh (Deuteronomy chapter 31) is one of the final few, but there are also a number of readings […]

Today is Yom Teruah, The blowing of the trumpets for the Feast of Trumpets – Today we will take a look at Psalm 94 and gain an understanding of how David saw through the difficulties of his day and proclaimed that even though it looked bad, our Heavenly Father was still in control. Even though […]

Season 1 of our show concludes as we examine in a biblical dramatization the one chapter where the majority of biblical instruments can be found in the book of Daniel.  Robert then gives a final packaging of the instruments we’ve examined within the string family.  Finally concluding the show with the final segment of Richard […]

Join Mark Call and David Justice as they welcome a familiar voice back to HNR, in Daniel Holdings. And it’s an important week to have him back, with a lot to cover.

The teachers examine the final chapters of the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, completing chapter 46 and continuing into 47.

News, commentary, and an extended look at the actual news stories for the distraction-filled week ending Friday, 15 September, 2023.

A Closer Look at the "Laws" in Deuteronomy.  Did Y'shua contradict or "add to" the laws or commandments in the book of Deuteronomy when He said "Moses allowed divorce because of the hardness of your hearts BUT I SAY..." and other such things?  Is everything in the book of Deuteronomy actually a 'command by YHWH'?  Or is there possibly something else going on in chapters 20-25?  Are there really 615 commandments OR are MANY OF THEM possibly 'Case Law'... BASED UPON YHWH's actual Commandments/Laws?  Case Law decided in the authority of YHWH by Moses in his Yah given role as "Chief Justice" of the Supreme Court in the wilderness?  And then Y'shua is Chief Justice of a higher court... THE HIGHEST court?  Y'shua's rulings would then be a "higher court ruling" while HE DID STILL UPHOLD Moses' case law in the wilderness but brought clarification to its application.  Moses Himself in Deuteronomy told us YHWH would raise up a prophet LIKE unto Moses himself and that we should listen to all He says because He would only speak the Words of YHWH in the Name of YHWH?  THEN ALSO we see in the New Testament writings that as the Body of Messiah we are also given authority under Y'shua to judge according to the Commandments of YHWH.  Like all judges we are to take all prior Case Law into account when judging putting the most weight on what the highest judging authority (Y'shua) has said, especially when judging ourselves.  Please listen all the way to the end of this message where we tie this all into the New or Renewed Covenant which is which is also founded upon the 10 Commandments or Words of the covenant at Horeb or Mt. Sinai AND IS FIRST OUTLINED IN DEUTERONOMY! 

The fiat-based world economy is collapsing. But so may be the fascist system that grew from it, sometimes called “stakeholder capitalism.” Corporations are co-opted by ESG, the WEF-pushed equivalent of the CCP ‘social credit score.’ The more we understand WHY that anti-Scriptural, and anti-constitutional, system is coming apart, the better we will be able to […]

News and commentary for Thursday, 14 September, 2023.

News and commentary for Wednesday, 13 September, 2023 And when we get to the point where even the ‘Better Late Than Never’ IMPEACHMENT of the senile plant in the You-Know-What House is more smoke than the fires in Maui, you know things are, or at least should be, coming to a head.

News and commentary for Tuesday, 12 September, 2023 Some days, the Tyranny is just SO blatant, it’s hard to believe they ever tried to hide it.

Will this week’s Sea Breeze 23.3 naval exercise in the Black Sea lead to WWIII?  Are all world leaders part of the plan to install the pseudo-messiah?  What other indicators have we seen recently regarding the shortness of time?  Please join Steve and Bonnie for some surprising issues that might be influencing both Israeli leaders […]

News and commentary for Monday, 11 September, 2023 On 9-11, the Federal Death Agency is at it again, and the traitor in the New Mexico governor’s mansion shows the next step.

Rabbi Steve Berkson subtitles this teaching, “The Role and Effect of Leadership in Covenant Keeping.” He starts by taking us to Deuteronomy 31 to show how that after the Covenant had been established the people did well with keeping it sometimes and not so well at other times. The role of the leadership and the […]

Discussing how the hell-bug of Abaddon is overcome by believers who connect the generations with the Word. with special guests Howie and Aline George from Mishkanim. (mishkanim.com) Please SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to get new teachings.

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 27- Interview with Jonah Karsten

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Sessin 26 – Interview with Jonah Karsten

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 25 – Interview with David Luckey

Parsha Nitzavim [“you are standing THIS Day…” from Deuteronomy 29:9 through chapter 30] contains what Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa contend is one of the most graphic and undeniable refutations of some of THE Biggest Lies in all xtianity…things that are NOT in the Real Book, but get taught in sun-god-day skool as if […]

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:7, Gal 2:15-21, John 14:6, 2 Cor 4:6-7, Matthew 13:45-46, Col 1:26-27, Ephesians 2:4-7, Col 3:3-4, 2 Cor 3:2-8, John 14:22-23 I am going to depart from the usual reading of scripture today and instead, I am going to share a topical teaching with you, which I have entitled:  Are You Dancing […]

Psalm 42 is one of the better-known psalms that cries out – “As the Deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after You!” David is reminding us of the only source of living water that can satisfy the thirst our soul and spirit. There are many things and sources that try to offer […]

The Greek root names sake gives away its evolution, stemming from a similar linage as that of the dulcimer.  However this gives rise to not only the guitar, but also the modern stringed instruments for orchestration.  After scriptural citation of its use we will hear an excerpt about an odd instrument called the Theorbo.    […]

To conclude the strings portion of our evolution or biblical ancient instrumentation we examine the archeology and musicology behind the Silver Lyre from Ur.  Richard Dunbrill an expert Archeomusicologist, details the history of this instrument from excavation to reconstructing its original casing for display in the 1960s.  Unfortunately it is no longer able to be […]

Co-hosts David Justice and Mark Call tackle the issue of ‘what happened to the rule of law’ directly as they look back at events in a week that emphasize how far gone they now are. Is it that ‘free speech’ has now become blasphemy? Or maybe Big Brother has every right to expect his slaves, […]

News, commentary, and an extended look at the news stories which demonstrate the depth of deception, corruption, and intended destruction still in progress, for the week ending Saturday, 2 September, 2023. Maybe just “withdrawing consent” from Evil just isn’t quite enough.

“Come out of her, My people” is an admonition. It is blunt, and should be clear, but has also been engineered, by the ‘prince of this world,’ to be as difficult as Evil can possibly make it. And it turns out, not surprisingly, that there are multiple aspects to the process of ‘coming out,’ and […]

News and commentary for Wednesday, 6 September, 2023

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Interview David Luckey – Part 2

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 23 – Interview – David Lucky

Ya’akov – An Inductive Study of the Book of James – Session 22-The Worldly Attitude

What is the definition of evil? Is keeping the Covenant really that big of a deal? Hasn’t it been “done away with” because of the Messiah? Who are the teachers today? What is the leadership structure today? Isn’t it now all about the “Holy Spirit”? What is the “essence” of all covenants? Digging deeper into […]

Wars of Kings is a foundation for using the template of the first Exodus to understand the Greater Exodus and the accompanying plagues in the Book of Revelation. Click on Wars of Kings to go to the first segment of the Wars YouTube video. Part of this week's teaching will continue with the rest of the plagues, providing examples from our time to connect with the texts. Please SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to get new teachings.

Parsha “Ki Tavo” (Deuteronomy 26:1 thru 29:8) is the most well-known collection of “blessings and cursings” in the Bible. There is, of course, much more. But this year, there’s an additional twist as well. Having taught this for a number of years at this point, and noting just how relevant – and DESERVED – those […]

Continuing our “Stringed Instruments” series we look at two highly debated instruments, the Nebel and Nebel Azor pronounced (Ad-Zor). Like our previous broadcasts we examine its construction and the debate surrounding its origin culturally as well as the number of strings. Scriptural citations and academic debate also take stage allowing for the case of these […]

Beginning our adventure into Biblical instrumentation we examine one of the earliest Lyres in the Bible, the Kinnor. Robert will take you through the kinnors construction into its linguistic and hermetical significance in scripture as well as the opinions of academics and church fathers through ancient records.   Video link: Megiddo Lyre http://www.katapi.org.uk/Movies/VPlayer-jwp7++.php?s=3&v=27opcKxcg1c?list=RDJU4QRxsZhjg Podcast Streams […]

Today Robert gives his testimony on how God gave him a passion for music, history, and their theological connection to the Holy Bible. Exploring the academic means by which history is taught and establishing a need for biblical musicology (Bible Music History) to fill a gap commonly found in Liberal arts textbooks, while also educating […]