GENESIS 101-5 The Firmament Called Heaven

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,
and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven.
And the evening and the morning were
[And there was evening and there was morning] – the second day.

(Genesis 1:6-8 KJV [revision mine])

From Session 5 of the GENESIS 101 Bible Study workbook

Hebrew Vocabulary Words*

  • RAQIYA’ (H7549) – noun. extended surface (solid), expanse, firmament
  • TAVEK (H8432) – noun. midst, middle
  • ‘ASAH (H6213) – verb. 1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make, 2) (Piel) to press, squeeze
  • ‘ASHER (H834) – 1) (relative participle) 1a) which, who 1b) that which; 2) (conjunction) 2a) that (in object clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if
  • MIN/MINNIY/MINNEY (H4480) – from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than (preposition); 2) that (conjunction)
  • KEN (H3651) – 1) so, therefore, thus (adverb); 2) right, just, honest, true, veritable (adjective)
  • SHENIY (H8145) – noun, adjective. second

*Definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew-English Lexicon.

Suggested Discussion Starters

For those going through the Study workbook, let’s hear from you.

  1. Share an Aha! moment (something new you learned) from this session.
  2. Share something you’d like to explore further that was sparked through this session.

Feel free to share any other thoughts you might have below regarding Session 5 featuring Genesis 1:6-8 – The Firmament Called Heaven.

See all the session overviews for GENESIS 101.

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GENESIS 101-4 The Light and the Darkness Called Day and Night

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And the evening and the morning were
[And there was evening and there was morning] – the first day.

(Genesis 1:3-5 KJV [revision mine])

From Session 4 of the GENESIS 101 Bible Study workbook

Hebrew Vocabulary Words*

  • AMAR (H559) – verb. to say, speak, utter
  • OR (H216) – noun. light
  • RA’AH (H7200) – verb. to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider
  • KIY (H3588) – conjunction. that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since
  • TOB (H2896) – 1) good, pleasant, agreeable (adjective); 2) a good thing, benefit, welfare (noun masculine)
  • BADAL (H914) – verb. to divide, separate
  • BEYN (H996) – preposition. between, among, in the midst of (with other preps), from between
  • QARA (H7121) – verb. to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim
  • YOM (H3117) – noun. day, time, year
  • LAYIL/LEYL/LAYELAH (H3915) – noun. night
  • ‘EREB (H6153) – noun. evening, night, sunset
  • BOQER (H1242) – noun. morning, break of day
  • ‘ECHAD (H259) – adjective. one (number)

*Definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew-English Lexicon.

Suggested Discussion Starters

For those going through the workbook, let’s hear from you.

  1. Share an Aha! moment (something new you learned) from this session.
  2. Share something you’d like to explore further that was sparked through this session.

Feel free to share any other thoughts you might have below regarding Session 4 featuring Genesis 1:3-5 – The Light and the Darkness Called Day and Night.

See all the session overviews for GENESIS 101.

Posted in 1-Day and Night, Bible Academy, Creation | Leave a comment

GENESIS 101-3 Earth, Without Form and Void & the Spirit of God

And the earth [land] was without form, and void;
and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

(Genesis 1:2 KJV [revision mine])

From Session 3 of the GENESIS 101 Bible Study workbook

Hebrew Vocabulary Words*

  • HAYAH (H1961) – verb. to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out
  • TOHU (H8414) – noun. formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness
  • BOHU (H922) – noun. emptiness, void, waste
  • CHOSHEK (H2822) – noun. darkness, obscurity
  • AL (H5921) – 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against (preposition); 2) because that, because, notwithstanding, although (conjunction)
  • PANIYM (H6440) – noun. face
  • TEHOM (H8415) – noun. deep, depths, deep places, abyss, the deep, sea
    • HUM (H1949) – verb. to distract, ring again, make a (great) noise, murmur, roar, discomfit, be moved
  • RUACH (H7307) – noun. wind, breath, mind, spirit
  • RACHAPH (H7363) – verb. 1) (Qal) to grow soft, relax; 2) (Piel) to hover
  • MAYIM (H4325) – noun. water, waters

*Definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew-English Lexicon.

Suggested Discussion Starters

For those going through the workbook, let’s hear from you.

  1. Share an Aha! moment (something new you learned) from this session.
  2. Share something you’d like to explore further that was sparked through this session.

Feel free to share any other thoughts you might have below regarding Session 3 featuring Genesis 1:2 – Earth, Without Form and Void & the Spirit of God.

See all the session overviews for GENESIS 101.

Posted in 3-Land and Seas, Bible Academy, Creation, Holy Spirit | 2 Comments

GENESIS 101-2 God, Creator of the Heaven and the Earth

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth [land].
(Genesis 1:1 KJV [revision mine])

From Session 2 of the GENESIS 101 Bible Study workbook.

Hebrew Vocabulary Words*

  • RE’SHIYTH (H7225) – noun. first, beginning, best, chief
  • ELOHIYM (H430) – noun. 1) (plural) rulers, judges, divine ones, angels, gods; 2) (plural intensive – singular meaning) god, goddess, godlike one, works or special possessions of God, the (true) God, God
    • EL (H410) – noun. god, god-like one, mighty one
  • BARA (H1254) – verb. 1) to create, shape, form; 2) to be fat
  • SHAMAYIM (H8064) – noun. heaven, heavens, sky
  • ERETS (H776) – noun. land, earth

*Definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew-English Lexicon.

Suggested Discussion Starters

For those going through the workbook, let’s hear from you.

  1. Share an Aha! moment (something new you learned) from this session.
  2. Share something you’d like to explore further that was sparked through this session.

Feel free to share any other thoughts you might have below regarding Session 2 featuring Genesis 1:1 – God, Creator of the Heaven and the Earth.

See all the session overviews for GENESIS 101.

Posted in Bible Academy, Creation, YHVH Elohim/God | Leave a comment

GENESIS 101 Bible Study Exercises

The following outlines the exercises used in the GENESIS 101 Bible Study workbook giving their purpose for each:

  • Text Analysis [TA]
    • Hebrew-English Comparison [HEC] – To identify discrepancies between the source text and the English KJV translation.
    • Translation Comparison [TC] – To consider alternate perspectives of the same passage derived from two different source texts. (Masoretic Text [MT] & Septuagint [LXX])
  • Define the Terms [DT]
    • Hebrew Vocabulary Table [HVT] – To see how each word in the source text is defined and to better understand its meaning through consideration of related words.
    • Personal Literal Translation [PLT] – To consider an alternate literal translation.
  • Hebrew Word Usage [HWU]
    • Individual Word Studies [IWS] – To see how each Hebrew word is used elsewhere in the Bible and gain further understanding of its meaning through the context of its usage.
  • Reinforcement Activities [RA]
    • Question & Answer [QA] – To quiz your knowledge of what has been studied in the session.
    • Find & Replace [FR] – To think outside the box and possibly see an alternate perspective.
    • Hebrew Vocabulary Matching [HVM] – To quiz your knowledge of the Hebrew vocabulary words and definitions being studied.
    • Copywork [C] – To help memorize the English text word for word.
  • Personal Takeaway [PT] – To communicate your understanding of the studied text.

For those going through the GENESIS 101 Study Workbook, please tell me:

  1. What was your favorite exercise and why?
  2. What was your least favorite and why?

Thanks!

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Seven Bible Study Tips

In developing the GENESIS 101 Bible Study Workbook, I shared seven study tips I’ve found over the years that have aided in my personal Biblical studies. Here they are:

  • TIP #1: Suspend your beliefs so as to examine the text objectively.
  • TIP #2: Assume you know nothing about the matter being studied in order to maximize your learning potential.
  • TIP #3: Understand the difference between translated words and defined words.
  • TIP #4: There is no capitalization or punctuation in the Hebrew and Greek texts.
  • TIP #5: Both translations and Bible definitions can be biased, so be wary of this. Remain flexible in your understandings.
  • TIP #6: Words can change their meanings over time. Be careful not to read modern understandings of English words into translated text from centuries ago.
  • TIP #7: Realize words in the source language can sometimes be hidden behind English translations. Don’t assume, investigate.

Got any Bible study tips of your own? Please share them below.

Posted in Bible Academy, Bible Study Sessions | 4 Comments

Misfits Bible Study Session: Hebrews 7:1-11

This week’s discussion was on Hebrews 7:1-11…

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? (Hebrews 7:1-11)

Visit the Messyanic Zoom Recordings YouTube channel to catch up on previous sessions in this study, and subscribe to be notified directly with each week’s session recording.

To join the study group live for these sessions, find the connection details on our Weekly Bible Study page. We’d love to hear your input.

Posted in Bible Study Sessions, Melchisedec, Video | Leave a comment

Tzitzit: To Wear or Not To Wear Fringes

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God. (Numbers 15:37-41)

Recently the subject of tzitzit came up in my Facebook feed. At first, I avoided getting involved in the discussion because I didn’t think it would be very fruitful. But then I joined in a few days later to give my perspective on the matter.

Here was my initial comment on the matter:

In my view the tassels are more like “a scarlet letter” than anything.

While Korah’s rebellion did happen after the instruction was given for fringe-wearing, it was also right after a Sabbath-breaker was stoned to death.
Why was he stoned to death?

Because immediately prior to that, we’re told of instructions that were given concerning sacrifices for *unintentional sin*, and it is concluded by saying:
Numbers 15:30-31 But **the soul that doeth ought presumptuously**, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. (31) Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.

The Sabbath-breaker is executed, and the instruction is given for wearing fringes. Notice what it says:

Numbers 15:38-40 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: (39) And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and **that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:** (40) That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.

This whole episode needs to be considered in its greater context. This is not an instruction that was handed down on Mt Sinai — this is after that.

This is not an instruction that was given to prepare the people for going into the promised land — this is after they were sentenced to 40 years in the wilderness for continually testing/proving YHVH. See Numbers 14.

The keeping of the Sabbath day set apart was a commandment given by YHVH on Mt Sinai in Exodus 20. That was the commandment the people were expected to keep. This Sabbath-breaker despised the word of YHVH and had to be cutoff.

The point of wearing the fringes was to be reminded to **keep the commands given at Sinai**, not to keep the fringe-wearing instruction.

For a time I wore fringes myself…this was after I recognized that I had spent a lifetime of disregarding the Sabbath day. In time, the more I studied Scripture, the more I realized what these fringes were all about.

There are those who insist the wearing of them is required for all who seek to obey our Father’s ways, yet others claim they are not.

So, I decided to bring the subject up this past weekend in the Messyanic Misfits Zoom Room to see what others’ experiences were concerning them. Here’s that discussion:

In my journey the past 8 years, I started out wearing fringes after having wrestled with the idea of whether the instruction pertained to women, or if it just pertained to men.

Then, in time, I had a change of heart. Now, I no longer wear them, but I felt it served a purpose in my life at the time. I share more about my perspective in the above video.

What about you? What’s your experience with them? Please share below.

Posted in Israel, Moses, Sabbath Day - Shabbath, Video, What About? verses | Leave a comment

Misfits Bible Study Session: Hebrews 6:11-20, Part 2

This week’s discussion was on Hebrews 6:11-20:

And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 6:11-20 KJV)

Visit the Messyanic Zoom Recordings YouTube channel to catch up on previous sessions in this study, and subscribe to be notified directly with each week’s session recording.

To join the study group live for these sessions, find the connection details on our Weekly Bible Study page. We’d love to hear your input.

Posted in Bible Study Sessions, Jesus / Yeshua, Video | Leave a comment

Why The Virgin Birth Matters

The subject of the Virgin Birth is a crucial fundamental issue in modern Christianity because it opens the door to a unique nature for their Christ.

Much of today’s Christian dogma is based on the belief that Jesus/Yeshua is born without a human father, and this fundamental tenet of faith most prevalent in the Roman Catholic church spills over into the Protestant church, and continues to spill over into the Messianic community – to include “Hebrew roots”, “Torah-observant” and other such labeled parties, who hold to Jesus/Yeshua as the Christ/Messiah.

The problem however, is that the Old Testament is filled with promises made by YHVH to men concerning the fate of their physical seed, speaking in no uncertain terms, as to who would build a house for the name of YHVH and whose kingdom will never end.

The New Testament clearly testifies of Yeshua being that anointed physical son of David, son of Abraham, in response to those promises and prophecies of old.

But the virgin birth doctrine has tainted the New Testament with ideas that are simply not in there, such as:

  • The idea that Yeshua’s birth was miraculous in nature, differing from any other conception story given in the history of the household of Israel.
  • Or the idea that Yeshua had no human father, which violates the natural order put in place by the Creator Himself, undermining the most fundamental and powerful tenet of Scripture, that being: the father-son relationship.

This teaching of being born without a human father opens the door to the notion that the anointed man of God could also be physically divine in nature, which was clearly condemned by YHVH in the days of Noah before the flood, especially when considering Enoch’s testimony.

While there are factions within the virgin birth believing community who recognize Yeshua as being born purely human in the flesh, not all believe as such. In fact, the mainstream teaching insists that he is unique in nature: that Jesus Christ is superhuman.

Again, this notion smacks of what was clearly condemned by the Creator God, leading to the destruction of all life on the land first with water in Noah’s day, and then with fire in Abraham’s day.

Add to this the issue of either making YHVH out to be a covenant/promise-breaker to Abraham and David and liar to all the children of Israel, or making John the Baptist and all the apostles of the first century out to be frauds and liars, who claimed Yeshua to be the promised one to come.

Either way, this doctrine, in my view, severs the New Testament from the Old and leads everyone astray.

If only more could have eyes to see the truth on this matter, then I believe folks would feel more empowered to walk in our intended purpose here on the land.

Good could overcome evil without having to call on any Marvel or DC Comics superhero, and we all could experience prosperity and peace in the land without having to colonize Mars or escape to some planet in or beyond the Milky Way.

If you would like more information on the idea that there is no virgin birth in the Bibleand that Yeshua is still considered the Messiah, then let me know.

I’ll share with you some of what I’m seeing and give you the opportunity to pick my brain if you like.

I understand this is a taboo subject to oppose, and it can be very difficult to wrap your mind around this idea when we’ve been conditioned to only see what the New Testament says through the Virgin Birth paradigm. Let me help you.

Posted in Jesus / Yeshua, Virgin Birth Doctrine | Leave a comment