Archive for April, 2016

Trend Update: Palmyra Arch, London, Trafalgar Square, April 2016

Posted in Gospel, Trend Update, Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 27, 2016 by paulthepoke

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

Exodus 20:4 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.

Exodus 20:5-6 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

These are the first three commandments. They are relational to God. Notice, how one relates to God comes before how people relate to each other. God is the priority. Then, He defines how we are to relate to each other.

God states the consequence of the “iniquity”. The Hebrew word is `avon. The word can also be translated as perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt, or punishment (Strong’s Concordance). Idol worship and/or worship of other gods will impact your family tree to your grandchildren and great grandchildren. God takes this quite seriously.

Worshiping or bowing down to idols and/or false gods is equated with hating God.

The critic often says, “Well, the 10 Commandments are in the Old Testament and we live during the Church age in the New Testament. Jesus took care of the Law.”

The Law (10 Commandments) has not gone away. Jesus Himself made this very clear. Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Granted if one is a believer in Christ, He has you covered literally and figuratively. To the unbeliever, the Law is in full effect whether they believe it or not with consequences defined by God.

Following and obeying the commandments are equated with loving God. This is the case in both the Old and New Testaments. The message is consistent throughout the course of the Bible.

John 14:23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

See also John 14, 1 John 2, 1 John 5, and 2 John 1.

The reconstruction of the arch of Palmyra is a direct violation. The arch is a gateway to the temple of Bel. There are idols of Bel. People worship Bel and the arch. Granted, this is not Bel specific. It is any other god(s) other than the Creator God of the Bible.

The Palmyra Arch was redesigned on a smaller scale and placed in Trafalgar Square, London on April 19, 2016. The rebuilding of the arch was done in defiance of ISIS. The arts and antiquities crowd is upset with the terrorists for destroying the original in Palmyra, Syria.

A replica was also to be erected in Times Square of New York City. Due to backlash from the Christian community, the arch was not unveiled in Times Square in April 2016. Segments of Christian society are running around with a hollow victory. The arch is still planned to make its way to New York City in September of 2016.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/20/arts/international/replica-of-palmyra-arch-is-unveiled-in-trafalgar-square.html?_r=0

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/palmyra-arch-destroyed-isis-rises-again-central-london-180958848/?no-ist

If someone sacrificed themselves to keep you out of Hell…what is your response?

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Trend Update: Transgender, April 2016

Posted in Creation, Culture, Gospel, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 24, 2016 by paulthepoke

Deuteronomy 22:5 A woman shall not wear man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.

The Hebrew word for “abomination” is tow`ebah. God sees crossdressing as tow`ebah or detestable or disgusting.

Those are God’s words. It is acknowledged, His words are offensive to segments of society. Eventually, His words are offensive to all of us if we are honest with ourselves. Please take your complaints and comments directly to Him. He will listen. He is a big boy. He can handle it.

The progressive, forward thinking critic would have us believe the transgender lifestyle is the next step in the evolution of humanity. The social experts tell us these new, complex, gender issues should have us leave the traditions of religion in the past. The government has imposed laws and executive orders reflecting this trend of political correctness. We live in a culture and society that has elevated its civil law above God’s Law.

God communicated His Law to Moses approximately 3,500 years ago. A point of this post is the practice of cross dressing was occurring thousands of years ago in the past. Transgender lifestyle is not cutting edge and trendy. It has always been. Ecclesiastes 1:9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. It is stated in this verse three times…God created. God thought enough of humanity in His likeness to create us last. Conditions were perfect when Adam entered onto the scene. We were placed in optimal conditions for success. God gave us His best. Everything was brand new and shiny. We were made by God with a purpose and plan, male and female. He defined roles to complete and fulfill. He expects us to act accordingly.

Every person on the planet has a lifestyle issue that can be taken to task. There is no sliding scale or grading on the curve when it comes to sin. Judgment belongs to God. James 4:12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

We are all in need of sin remission. Every single one of us is a sinner. We all have sin in our lives. Ecclesiastes 7:20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.

And this is where the mercy, grace, and forgiveness of Jesus enters the scene. Christ loves us ALL in spite of our actions whatever they may be. He paid the penalty for sin. For those who believe, He has paid the fine for sin.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit…

Romans 6:10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

Hebrews 9:28a so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many…

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Trend Update: Ezekiel 38-39/Magog (Russia)/Golan Heights, Passover 2016

Posted in Ezekiel 38-39, Prophecy, Spring Feasts, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , on April 21, 2016 by paulthepoke

Ezekiel 38:15-16 You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army. You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

The uttermost parts of the north refers to Russia. Moscow is straight line due north of Jerusalem. The Bible and secular historians are in agreement that Magog appears to be modern day Russia.

https://paulthepoke.com/2015/01/07/trend-update-russia-magogisrael-ezekiel-38-39-january-2015/

Today, April 21, 2016, Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin. The Prime Minister of Israel made it clear to Putin that Israel will never leave the Golan Heights. He also laid out a list of “red lines” to Russia and the world.

“We are doing everything to prevent the emergence of an additional front of terror against us at the Golan Heights,” Benjamin Netanyahu.

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.715737

“I have come to Russia to step up coordination on security matters, to prevent mistakes, misunderstandings. We are not going back to the days when rockets were fired at our communities and our children from the top of the Golan… and so, with an agreement or without, the Golan Heights will remain part of [Israel’s] sovereign territory,” Benjamin Netanyahu.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-will-never-leave-golan-netanyahu-tells-putin/

The time point given is the latter days.

God is in control. He is the one bringing Gog (whoever that person may be) and the armies up against Israel. Notice, God refers to the land as “my land”. Despite what Gog or the United Nations may think, humanity is not in charge.

The purpose of the conflict is to show the world of nations who God is. God wants the world to “know” Him.

The Hebrew word for “know” is yada`. It means: to perceive, find out and discern, to discriminate, distinguish, to know by experience; to recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess; be acquainted with.

This conflict will be an attention getter for the entire planet.

Gog is being used by God. The Lord will qadash (Hebrew) Himself. Translated, it means: to show oneself sacred or majestic, to be honored, or be treated as sacred. The verb tense in the Hebrew is passive or similar to past tense in English. As far as the text is concerned, this is a done deal. From the standpoint of Ezekiel 2,700 years ago to today (April 2016), the event has already happened. It is pre written history.

If Vladimir Putin is Gog…he is about to meet his Maker. If it is time…this is going to get ugly.

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Trend Update: Golan Heights/God’s Spring Appointed Feasts, 2016

Posted in Prophecy, Spring Feasts, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , on April 21, 2016 by paulthepoke

Joel 3:2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.

Momentum is gathering for dividing the land of Israel. This time (April 2016), there is no promise of land for peace. Now, the world is claiming the Golan Heights is not part of Israel.

In Israel, the Golan is in the far northeast part of the country. The Golan Heights is bordered by Syria to the east. Lebanon borders the Golan on the north. The Sea of Galilee is to the southwest. Jordan is on the southern border.

Genesis 12:3 “…And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

The chorus was started on April 19, 2016 with the United States and Germany. The US State Department openly states the Golan Heights is not part of Israel. “This position was maintained by both Democratic and Republican administrations. Those territories are not part of Israel and the status of those territories should be determined through negotiations.”

The German Foreign Ministry stated, “It’s a basic principle of international law and the UN charter that no state can claim the right to annex another state’s territory just like that.”

http://www.jta.org/2016/04/18/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/us-germany-golan-heights-not-part-of-israel

On April 20, 2016, the European Union has thrown in their two cents. “The EU recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, regardless of the (Israeli) government’s claims on other areas, until a final settlement is reached,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4793821,00.html

The United Nations Security Council has weighed in on the topic as of April 21, 2016. They are opposed to Israel in the Golan Heights and are quoting Security Council resolutions.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/World-unconvinced-by-Natanyahus-claim-Golan-will-remain-part-of-Israel-451748

Yes, the Arab League and Syria are upset…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “The Golan will forever remain in Israel’s hands.”

My money is ultimately on Israel. Amos 9:15 I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God. The Jewish people have been replanted in the land as of 1917. Israel became a nation again in 1948. Jerusalem became the capital again in 1967. It has been about 50 years since something big happened…Jubilee???

By the way, God’s Spring Appointed Feasts are about to begin. Passover begins at sundown on Friday, 4/22/2016 on our Gregorian calendar, Nisan 14 if you are on Hebrew time.

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Millennial Kingdom: Joy, Part 1

Posted in Millennial Kingdom, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , on April 17, 2016 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 12:6 Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

One of the characteristics of the Millennial Kingdom is joy. The expression of joy is not a warm fuzzy passive feeling. Fun haters and negative attitudes are not welcome. The Scripture references are consistent and clear…cry and shout with passion!

The Hebrew word for “cry aloud” is tsahal. Per Strong’s Concordance it means to cry shrilly intensively and intentionally.

The Hebrew word for “shout” is ranan. It means: to give a ringing cry in joy, exaltation, or distress; to cry aloud in summons, exhortation of wisdom.

Zion is Jerusalem. They are to emphatically know with passion there is to be joy in Zion.

The Holy One of Israel is a term that is used scores of times in the Old Testament. The Holy One of Israel is equated with the Lord. The Holy One is the creator God. He is in control and has a plan. Isaiah 45:11 Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.

The New Testament confirms the identity of the Holy One of Israel. It is Jesus. Colossians 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

 

Isaiah 9:3 You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

The grammar in the Hebrew says, God will magnify and make great their gladness. The concept with gladness is joy, mirth, gaiety, and pleasure. He (Jesus) will be in their presence. The pleasure will be like the ultimate bumper crop of fresh home grown tomatoes. The original grammar indicates the mirth will be like winning the greatest all time lottery, resources galore.

Isaiah 30:29 You will have songs as in the night when you keep the festival, and gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute, to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.

The Millennial Kingdom is described as a concert type atmosphere. There will be singing at night and gatherings with lots of food.

The Hebrew word for “heart” is lebab. Culturally, the lebab is viewed as the inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding. The lebab will be giddy with joy. The people will have an extra hop in their step when they go to the mountain of the Lord or the Temple in Jerusalem. The place is going to be rocking.

Who is the Rock of Israel? The Apostle Paul in the book of Romans quotes Isaiah 8:14 and 28:16 to identify the Rock. Romans 9:33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

If you believe in the Rock, you will be saved.

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Trend Update: Blood Red Lagoon/Mexico, April 2016

Posted in Blood Red Water/Aquatic Death, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , on April 14, 2016 by paulthepoke

Revelation 16:4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood.

This verse is late in the order of the seven year Tribulation. The scope and scale are all of the rivers and springs. The event in Mexico (March 2016) is not the fulfillment of Revelation 16:4. As of April 2016, we are not in the Tribulation. There is no Jewish Temple, no peace treaty, no 10 nation federation, and no antichrist. Let’s just get that out of the way.

The Greek word for blood is haima. It literally means blood or figuratively it means the color of blood. This definition is validated in multiple Greek lexicons.

Why will this event happen? It is a judgment. Revelation 16:6 …for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” There will be those who will kill Christians during this future period. There are people killing others now and does not have to do with belief. God will give you what you want.

As of March 2016, a lagoon in Mexico has turned red. This lagoon is located in Huatalco, Mexico. This is in southern Mexico on the Pacific Ocean not too far from Guatemala. Scientists believe the event is a result of a red tide, an algae bloom. Increased algae changes color. The ‘La Salina’ lagoon is an environmental mess. The sewage plant frequently does not operate correctly. These events usually result in wildlife death. It appears humanity is the cause of this particular event.

Just because something can be naturally explained does not mean the event did not happen.

A preview of things to come…

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Unleavened Bread: Matzah

Posted in Gospel, Prophecy, Spring Feasts with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on April 10, 2016 by paulthepoke

The second of God’s holidays is Unleavened Bread or Chag haMatazt in the Hebrew. The holiday begins on the 15th of Nisan and runs for seven days.

The directions for Unleavened Bread are noted in Exodus 12:18-20. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land. You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.

The focus of the week is to live a life without leaven, the symbol for sin. Leaven is not to be in the house. Leaven products are not to be consumed. Bread without yeast, matzah, is to be eaten.

What does the matzah look like? In the most fundamental Judaism homes, matzah is an irregular, round shaped piece of bread. It resembles a cracker or wafer in thickness. There are even rows of tiny holes on the wafer bread. The cracker-like bread appears to be striped.

Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.

1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. Peter is quoting Isaiah 53.

Jesus is the unleavened bread. He is the bread of life. John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.  

John 6:48 I am the bread of life.

John 6:50-51 This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.

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Trend Update: Temple Red Heifer/Priest Identification, April 2016

Posted in Prophecy, Sanhedrin, Temple, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , on April 6, 2016 by paulthepoke

Exodus 28:1 Then bring near to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to minister as priest to Me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

The Temple Institute is looking for a few good men. The Institute has begun the second stage towards building the Temple. They are trying to identify a list of Jewish priests who will be eligible to prepare the red heifer ashes and serve in the Temple.

The term for these priests is kohanim.

Here is the potential resume for such priests or kohanim. The man must be from the line of Aaron and be able to offer proof. He must have been born and raised in Israel. The kohan must not have come in contact with the dead (people or animals). The potential priest cannot have been born in a hospital. He should have no history of visiting a hospital. If the candidate has visited a cemetery, he is discarded. These are some of the ceremonial cleanliness laws noted in the Law or Torah of the Bible.

An eligible list of potential priests will begin training for the preparation of the red heifer ashes. The ashes from the sacrifice of the red heifer are necessary for purification prior to the building of the Temple. Directions for red heifer purification and priestly function are noted in Numbers 19:1-10.

The Temple Institute is committed to raising a red heifer. Not just one, but raise a herd of red heifers. I guess it is time to throw numbers at the issue instead of waiting for one to be born and finding it. The Temple Institute has joined forces with a cattle rancher in Israel. They have applied the best of breeding techniques, genetics, and embryology. Frozen embryos of red angus cattle have been implanted in Israeli cattle.

Numbers 19:1-2 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which is no defect and on which a yoke has never been placed.

http://paulthepoke.com/2015/08/02/trend-update-temple-red-heifer-august-2015/

“This is a huge jump for the Temple Institute and a huge leap for the Jewish people. For the first time in 2,000 years, after miraculously returning to the Land of Israel, we are beginning the process of reinstating the Biblical purity of the Jewish priesthood.” -Rabbi Chaim Richman.

Kohanim have recently begun lighting the menorah using pure olive oil for first time in nearly 2,000 years.

The Sanhedrin have recently begun marking time as directed in the Bible with the identification of the new moon or Rosh Chodesh for the first time in 2,000 years.

http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/64632/third-temple-closer-than-ever-search-begins-eligible-jewish-priests-jewish-world/#HtJxxqZpMisUHfAt.99

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/210006#.VwB-ifkrJD8

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Passover: Hyssop

Posted in Gospel, Prophecy, Spring Feasts with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 3, 2016 by paulthepoke

Exodus 12:22 You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.

Hyssop is used in the directions of the Passover celebration for the Israelites.

The Hebrew word for hyssop is ‘ezowb. Per Strong’s Concordance it is a plant used for medicinal and religious purposes.

Many conjectures have been formed as to what this plant really was. Some contend that it was a species of marjoram (origanum), six species of which are found in Palestine. Others with more probability think that it was the caper plant, the Capparis spinosa of Linnaeus. This plant grew in Egypt, in the desert of Sinai, and in Palestine. It was capable of producing a stem three or four feet in length. -NET Bible

Psalms 51:7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Hyssop is like bleach for sin. Purify or chata’ in the Hebrew means: to bear loss; to make a sin-offering; to purify from sin; to purify from uncleanness.

Numbers 19:18 A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched the bone or the one slain or the one dying naturally or the grave.

Hyssop is required for ceremonial cleanliness when a person came in contact with dead bodies or dead animals. Cleanliness kept the Israelite from being cut off from the assembly.

Leviticus 14:52 He shall thus cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the running water, along with the live bird and with the cedar wood and with the hyssop and with the scarlet string.

Another example of ritual cleaning involves the use of hyssop in a leprous house. Hyssop is involved in the law of leprosy (Leviticus 14:33-57).

Jesus Christ’s work on the cross is our purification for sin. John 1:29 Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  Jesus is the sacrificial paschal lamb. Christ’s crown of thorns is the brushed blood on the lintel of the door. He is the shed blood on the doorposts with His outstretched arms on the cross.

John 19:29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.

1 John 1:7b … and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

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Trend Update: Torah/King David/Coming Messiah, April 2016

Posted in Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on April 1, 2016 by paulthepoke

Hosea 3:4-5 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.

This is the history of Israel since the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In 70 AD they were dispersed out of the land to all the nations. In the early 20th century the Jewish people returned to the Promised Land. In 1948, Israel became a nation again. Now, in the early 21st century we even hear of Jews who believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah. And that number is growing.

In 2016, Rabbi Yosef Berger finished writing the Torah on a scroll. The ceremony was on the seventh day of the Hebrew month Adar (February 15th on a Gregorian calendar). This day is believed to be both the birthday and the death of Moses.

Rabbi Berger is one of several rabbis in charge of King David’s tomb in Jerusalem’s Old City. David’s tomb is located on Mount Zion. The scroll is to be kept at David’s tomb. It is the rabbi’s dream to present the scroll to the Messiah upon his arrival. The rabbi believes this will help fulfill the requirements to bring about the coming of the Messiah.

The shofar or ram’s horn was blown to consecrate the occasion.

According to Yalkut Shimoni and his teachings from the 13th century, the Messiah will not return until three things are done…“No signs of redemption will be shown to Israel until they seek these three things – the kingdom of heaven, the dynasty of King David, and the building of the Temple.”

It is believed that, “Writing a scroll housed on Mount Zion, where King David is interred, and adjacent to the Temple Mount, will accomplish all three goals in one action,” the rabbi explained.

Actually, Jesus Himself makes a couple of statements regarding conditions of His return.

Matthew 23:39 “For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The Shema prayer was recited at the end of the ceremony.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Rabbi Berger’s next project…a book of Psalms written by King David.

Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/64082/special-torah-scroll-written-messiah-completed-photos-jewish-world/#WYFSD9ZXMJeQgtGj.99

Rabbi Yosef Berger

 

 

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