Habakkuk 1:5 Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. -LORD God
May 2022 be a year of peace for you, your family, your friends, and your enemies.
The term εἰρήνη/eiréné is used 92 times in the New Testament. Peace or εἰρήνη/eiréné in the original Greek…
Strong’s Concordance defines the word as: a state of national tranquility; exemption from the rage and havoc of war.
Peace between individuals, that is harmony, concord, security, safety, prosperity, felicity.
Of the Messiah’s peace; the way that leads to peace through salvation; of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot; the blessed state of devout and upright men after death.
Romans 14:19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Romans 12:18 If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.
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Jewish people will use “peace” as a greeting or farewell to others. The term is “shalom” in the Hebrew. Shalom is used 237 times in the Old Testament.
Per Strong’s, shalom is defined as: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, safety, health, prosperity, quiet, tranquility, contentment, friendship; of human relationships and with God especially in covenant relationship.
Psalm 34:14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Peace is like a military guard. Peace crushes rebellions and it protects hearts and minds. Jesus is the answer, embodiment, and fulfillment of peace. In the end, peace wins.
Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Exodus 30:22-25 The LORD said to Moses, “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.
The Sanhedrin is getting ready for the arrival of the Messiah. As part of the preparations, anointing oil is being made.
The announcement was made on the Temple Mount in a sermon by the Spokesman of the Sanhedrin, Rabbi Hillel Weiss.
“The Temple and the Temple service benefit all the nations. For that reason, we made the announcement on the 27th of Cheshvan, the day that Noah exited the ark and made a sacrifice to God. At that time, God made a covenant with the entire world, promising never to bring another such catastrophic flood but also requiring that mankind (nations) perform the Seven Noahide Laws.”
“Christianity is especially susceptible to the impurity that is flourishing under the idolatry of liberalism. To their credit, they have a deep connection with chesed (loving kindness). Liberalism grew out of this. But chesed can be taken too far. Christianity must engage in justice which is one of the Noahide commandments. They must judge that some things are impure and unacceptable.”
In the passages from Exodus 23 describing the oil, the oil is described as holy six times. The Hebrew word for “holy” is qodesh. It means apart or sacred, separate. This is the same word used to describe the Spirit of God in the Old Testament. That is the Holy Spirit.
The Sanhedrin is following the directions of Moses as given by the LORD. Here is the composition of the anointing oil as understood by the modern day Sanhedrin.
1 kg = 2.2 pounds
Pure myrrh, 500 shekels weight (about 6 kg)
Sweet cinnamon, 250 shekels weight (about 3 kg)
“fragrant cane” (sometimes translated as calamus) 250 shekels (about 3 kg)
Cassia, 500 shekels (about 6 kg)
Specially prepared olive oil, one hin (about 6 liters, or 5.35 kg or about 1.5 gallons)
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Exodus 30:33 Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.
This oil is not to be reproduced by anybody for personal use. The would be perpetrator would pay a severe price. They would be “cut off” or karath in the Hebrew. This is the same verb used to describe Jesus the Messiah in Daniel 9:26. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy on the cross when He was “cut off”.
Daniel 9:26a Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah (Anointed One, Mashiach) will be cut off (karath) and have nothing…
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Additionally, the Sanhedrin has prepared ritually pure olive oil for the Menorah.
“We are now entering the time when the preparations for the Temple are almost complete. Now is the time for people to act, to show whether they will be part of the Temple or stand against the reappearance of God’s house in Jerusalem.” Rabbi Weiss, Sanhedrin Spokesman
Luke 4:17-21 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD.
And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” -Jesus
Jesus read and spoke these words in the synagogue of His home town Nazareth (Luke 4:16). Jesus is reading Isaiah 61:1-2a. He reads verse 1 completely. Jesus then stops reading in the middle of Isaiah 61:2. By reading these words, He was claiming to be the Messiah. In other words, “Here I am!!”
The stoppage of reading in the verse has lasted close to 2,000 years. At His first coming, Jesus was a suffering servant who died for our sins. His death freed us from the bondage of sin. Christ did not come in vengeance the first time, hence the pause. And we wait for the remainder of Isaiah 61:2b-11. It describes the future conditions of the nation Israel under the leadership of the Messiah, Jesus. He returns the second time in wrath and judgment.
At this point, many have stopped their analysis. There remains another question. Who is the prophet Isaiah quoting?
…to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD…?
Isaiah is quoting Moses who received instruction from God.
Leviticus 25:10 You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.
The context of the verses quoted is a description of the jubilee year. Release the inhabitants and freedom for all the slaves.
Is Jesus leaving a clue about the timing of His second coming? Will He return in a year of Jubilee?
Here are some prophetic implications. The seven year peace covenant between the antichrist and Israel would likely be confirmed in God’s fall holiday season. A jubilee year is proclaimed on the Day of Atonement, Tishri 10 after the end of a set of seven years per Leviticus 25:9.
The Bible tells us a jubilee year is proclaimed after a Sabbatical or Shemitah year (Leviticus 25:8-11).
This would allow for the culmination of the seven year Tribulation to occur one year after a Sabbatical or Shemitah year, a possible jubilee year by definition.
A jubilee year has not been kept by Israel in over 2,000 years (www.chabad.org). As for the timing of the next jubilee year…
In this topsy turvy world we live in today, where is our world headed? The best source to find that answer is the Bible, God’s communication to future generations of man.
Throughout the Old Testament there are more than 100 prophecies that foretold of a savior coming to earth to redeem man. Yet, all these prophecies were ignored by God’s own people.
However, Magi from Babylon, who had the history of Daniel teaching them, came looking for the Messiah. They were sure had been born.
In our lifetime, at least mine, we have seen the Children of Israel returned to their land in 1948 after 1,900+ years of exile. During most of that time, the Promised Land where their ancestors had lived for several thousand years had become a barren wasteland. But today, it is very productive in unbelievable ways.
photo: Wikimedia, Damascus
Are there prophecies told to us in the Bible that are yet unfulfilled? Yes. Let me give you a few.
Currently, the city of Damascus is the oldest continuously populated city having been in existence for more than 3,000 years. Yet Isaiah 17:2 tells us it will be destroyed and never again inhabited. Could this happen in our lifetime? Very possibly Yes. What is in the news almost weekly in the Middle East? Iran is shipping weapons to the Damascus airport to be further transported to it’s proxy countries bordering Israel. What is Israel doing? The munitions barely arrive before Israel destroys them. Think. When, not if, Iran develops an atomic bomb and brings it to Damascus to use against Israel. What is going to happen? Bingo! See, the makings of the fulfillment of this prophecy are clearly possible in our lifetime.
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Next, let me ask you what three Middle Eastern countries have troops in Syria on the border of Israel today? Russia, Iran and Turkey. You say yes. But, one is atheist; one is Sunni; and one is Shiite Muslim. So what do they have in common?
While once again what does our Bible, God’s word to mankind, tells us? In Ezekiel chapters 38 snd 39, we are told these three countries are going to come against Israel to take spoils and No nation will come to Israel’s aid.
Israel, besides it’s great agricultural products, has recently found abundant oil and natural gas reserves that are huge. Something that Russia dearly desire to have.
Until very recent times, you would say that of course America will come to Israel’s aid. However, it is very obvious that America’s current administration will never come to Israel’s aid.
So where does that put us? Once again, very clearly, this prophecy foretold by God to the prophets some 3,000 years ago has a very, very high potential of being fulfilled, not only in our lifetime, but virtually at any day now.
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Will these things happen before the “Church” is taken home to be with God in the pre-Tribulation Rapture? We. Don’t know. The Rapture could happen first or these prophecies could be fulfilled first. BUT, one thing is almost certain. These events are not years and years away. Clearly, they are most likely going to happen within the lifetime of the majority of the people alive today.
The question you must ask yourself, “What is my standing with God?”
At the final judgment day, will God welcome you to Heaven?
Or will He say, “Depart from Me, I never knew you?”
The following is from One For Israel Ministry, a Jewish and Arab ministry who believes that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
Established in 1990, ONE FOR ISRAEL began as a Bible college and has since expanded to a multi-faceted ministry with the express goal of reaching Israelis with the Good News of Yeshua, training and equipping the Body of Messiah in Israel, and blessing our community with Yeshua’s love.
The story and ministry of ONE FOR ISRAEL is part of something much larger – the miraculous restoration of the Jewish people and the miraculous unity between Jewish and Arab believers in Jesus.
We are seeing not only the physical restoration of Israel after a 2000-year exile, but a spiritual revolution is taking place right in front of our eyes. Jewish people are returning to their God and accepting the Messiah in numbers not seen since the early church! Not only that, but many Arab people are coming to the Lord and many Arab believers are finding a deep unity with their Jewish brothers and sisters.
ONE FOR ISRAEL exists to do ministry within this miracle.
We are Jews and Arabs, together serving Messiah Jesus, sharing the Gospel with Israel and the world, making disciples, training leaders, and blessing our communities in the name of Yeshua.
Could it be that the Fall Biblical festivals celebrated by Jewish people around the world have amazing insight into the Return of our Messiah!? Most Christians are aware that it was on the appointed day of Passover that our Messiah was crucified, some are aware that it was the Biblical feast of First fruits that He was Resurrected and the appointed day of Shavuot 50 that the Holy Spirt was poured out on the church. Dr. Erez Soref dives into the Biblical Appointed days in the fall and uncovers how they celebrate the past deliverance and our Messiah’s return to come!
Go deeper into these festivals with our articles online!
So, what if Jesus was not raised from the dead? What’s the big deal about the resurrection? Who cares? We are wasting our time with Christianity and the Bible if the resurrection is not true. Without the resurrection, we physically die and our bodies are eternally buried. Death wins. We are dirt and worm food. Our bodies become the byproduct of worm digestion…
Job 21:26 Together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them.
The gospel is not a New Testament phenomenon as some critics would have us believe. How many times have we heard, “The God of the Old Testament is a mean, cruel killer!” God is not an oppressive ogre who wants to crush you with His thumb. He has always been merciful, gracious, and forgiving. Honestly, if God smashed us like a bug any time we screwed up…would there be any humanity left? The good news has always been there. His redemption for humanity was promised from the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden. God delivered the “good news” to Satan.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.
Just in case anyone is wondering, the message of a sacrificial death for sin rings loud and clear in the Old Testament. The best example of the gospel in the Old Testament comes from the Prophet Isaiah about 700 years before Jesus Christ walked the earth. Look at the detail of these verses. It reads as a narrative of the events along with the accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Isaiah 53:3-12 He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 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. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
This book the Bible, says His Son, Jesus Christ, is physically coming back in the clouds to get His people the church, at the resurrection and the rapture. Then, He will return later to establish His kingdom on earth.
And that is good news. Jesus is the Messiah, just believe it.
John 20:31 But these are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
2 Samuel 7:8-17 “Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you. When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
The modern day Sanhedrin has recently released a new coin honoring the Davidic Kingdom. The Sanhedrin is looking to re establish the line of Israel’s ancient King David.
The coin is gold-plated. David in gematria (Hebrew numerology) equals 14, equivalent to the word ‘zahav’ (Hebrew for gold). The coin contains 14 grams of 14 karat gold.
To emphasize this point, the coin was issued on the seventh day of the month of Sivan, the day after the holiday of Shavuot. According to Jewish tradition, King David was born and also died on the holiday of Shavuot. On Shavuot, Jews read the Book of Ruth which describes her union with Boaz, the grandparents of King David. -Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
“The coin foreshadows the yearning for the return of the kingdom to Israel through the dynasty of the House of David, the Messiah of Israel, the judge of the world and who brings wisdom to it. We wait, the people of Israel for the redeemer, in flesh and blood, and even though he may tarry we continue to wait for him, every day. We commemorate US President Donald Trump in connection with his Messianic activities. Donald Trump is the numerical value of the Messiah, the Son of David, who comes from Edom. Which until now has taken great steps in the rebirth of Israel and the dignity of Jerusalem like a biblical figure which we mentioned first in the world by minting Trump coins.” -Rabbi Hillel Weiss, Sanhedrin Spokesman
Esther 9:20-22 Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same month, annually, because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
The setting of the story is in the book of Esther. The events of the story took place from 483-473 BC. The location is Susa of the Persian Empire. This would be modern day Iran.
Esther is a unique book in the Bible in that God’s name is not written or used. Even though God’s name is not seen, it is obvious Who is in control of the events of the narrative.
This is the decree for the celebration of the holiday Purim. The celebration is to take place in the Hebrew month of Adar on the 14th and 15th day. In the Gregorian year of 2019, that starts on Wednesday, March 20th and ends the next day on March 21st. Scripture tells us the holiday is to be celebrated every year.
See how God used a Jewish woman in the Persian Empire to save His people. For more information on the book of Esther and the holiday of Purim, click on the link below.
This Purim (5779/2019) has a unique set of circumstances surrounding the holiday. Purim is to occur on a Supermoon. This is a full moon where the moon is the closest it can be to the Earth in its orbit around the Earth.
This Supermoon is also the last in a set of three consecutive Supermoons. The next time a set of three Supermoons will take place is later this fall 2019. The last of those Supermoons will be during the Fall Feasts and the new Hebrew year 5780.
This year, Purim occurs during the spring equinox.
On a Hebrew calendar, the year 5779 is a leap year as well. That means one additional month of Adar.
Jewish rabbis believe they are very, very, very close to the unveiling of their Messiah.
Rabbi Pinchas Winston had the following analogy, “The arrival of the Messiah has an aspect that is like musical chairs. No one knows when the music will stop, but when it does, you might unexpectedly be caught unprepared and be left standing without a place to sit down. It is absolutely correct today to be paranoid.”
As a believer in the Messiah Jesus Christ or Yeshua HaMashiach, I concur with Rabbi Winston’s comments on the coming of the Messiah. The Rabbi’s statement is in complete alignment with words of Jesus Himself, Peter, the Apostle Paul, and John.
Matthew 24:44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Revelation 16:15 Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation…
Beloved… This is the noun form of the word αγαπαο/agapao or “love”. In this case, it is the Greek word Ἀγαπητοί/agapetoi. Per Strong’s Concordance, it can be translated as: beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love. Simply put, loved ones.
Jude is addressing “loved ones” in Jesus Christ. Believers in Jesus are loved.
…while I was making every effort to write you… Jude wants his audience to know he is focused. As a mindset, Jude has been continually intent to make it known to fellow believers. Jude also wants to communicate with σπουδή/spoude. The word can be translated as: haste, earnestness, diligence; earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after anything; to give all diligence, interest one’s self most earnestly. σπουδή/spoude is where we get the English word “speed”.
Jude is in a hurry to give it all he has to write and write and write to fellow believers.
Write about what??? This is the original, urgent intent of Jude’s letter …our common salvation…
Salvation or σωτηρία/soteria in the original Greek… Soteriology is the field of study of our “salvation”. Defined by Strong’s as: deliverance, preservation, safety; deliverance from the molestation of enemies in an ethical sense, that which concludes to the soul’s safety or salvation.
Messianic salvation as the present possession of all true Christians.
Future salvation is the sum of benefits and blessings which Christians, redeemed from all earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God.
A.W. Pink stated this is a fourfold salvation: saved from the penalty, power, presence and most importantly the pleasure of sin.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is our salvation. The Apostle Paul offers what many believe to be the definitive statement on the gospel. This is of the utmost importance as stated by the Apostle Paul. This is the priority. As believers in Jesus Christ we should draw a line in the sand and stick a flag in the ground over this issue. If a person does not get the issue of the gospel of Jesus Christ right, big time eternal problems.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…
Jesus Christ died. He was buried. And He was raised.
This is the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the ευαγγελιον/euaggelion. This is really “good news”.
Here is how Strong’s Concordance defines “gospel”. It is the glad tidings of salvation through Christ. This is the proclamation of the grace of God manifest and pledged in Christ. As the messianic rank of Jesus was proved by his words, his deeds, and his death, the narrative of the sayings, deeds, and death of Jesus Christ came to be called the gospel or glad tidings.
The resume of Christ is sequentially ordered in Strong’s definition of the gospel. The glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set up, subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom. After the death of Christ, the term comprises also the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the cross to procure eternal salvation for the men in the kingdom of God, but as restored to life and exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, thence to return in majesty to consummate the kingdom of God.
The issue of the gospel is not an intellectual decision. The gospel is a moral issue. Does God exist and does He take the issue of sin seriously? If so, then there is accountability. The issue needs serious attention. Eternal life and eternal death are on the line. The destination of your eternal soul is at stake. This is about getting your heart, soul, and mind right with the Creator.
This good news is for everybody! God does not discriminate. The most brutal, unsavory character can be saved from eternal hell if they believe the gospel message. One can think up the vilest person in their mind and that person too can be saved with their belief in Jesus Christ. We are all equal at the foot of the cross. Even a barbaric Scythian can be saved by the cross work of Jesus…
Colossians 3:11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…
Genesis 49:8-10 Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
The promise of the Jewish Messiah coming from the line of Judah has its foundation in Genesis 49. Israel or Jacob is on his death bed. His sons have been called and prophetic blessing is being announced. The focus is on the line of Judah.
Judah means “praised” in the Hebrew.
Judah’s family line was chosen by God because of His grace. Judah was far from perfect. He was greedy in dealing his brother Joseph (Genesis 37:26). Judah committed adultery with a prostitute. The result was a child. (Genesis 38:18).
Genesis 49:8a Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah was granted the birthright leadership position in the family as if he was the first born. Future leadership was to descend from the line of Judah. He was promised to be successful in matters of war and conflict.
Genesis 49:9a Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey… This is how the line of Judah started in King David. He was the little runt who challenged the giant Goliath. Like a lion’s “cub” or “whelp”, David was a kid when he approached battle. David was portrayed as overmatched “prey” against the giant Philistine. All he had was a sling and rocks.
Genesis 49:9b …he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? At some point, a future Messiah from the line of David will be stretched out, relaxed, comfortable, and in absolute control. He will be firmly established. Nobody will dare challenge Him.
Genesis 49:10a The scepter shall not depart from Judah… This was not fulfilled until King David 1,000 years before Jesus Christ. From the time of King David until the time of Christ, a king from the line of Judah ruled. There has been a gap of almost 2,000 years since the Jewish people were scattered from Israel in 70 AD. There will be another.
Genesis 49:10b …nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet… Some scholars take this phrase to be idiomatic language in reference to the genitals. Descendants are to come from “between his feet” is the idea. And these descendants are to be rulers.
Genesis 49:10c…until Shiloh comes… The definitive meaning of Shiloh is not clear. Strong’s Concordance defines the term as: he whose it is; that which belongs to him; tranquility. Ancient Jews took the term “Shiloh” to mean the Messiah.
Genesis 49:10d …and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. The idea in the Hebrew is the nations will be cleansed and purged. The Messiah is going to clean house.
Revelation 5:5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
John identifies the Lion of the tribe of Judah as Jesus Christ.
The Lamb of God is currently at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. And when He returns to Earth, He will rule and reign with a rod of iron as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
There is time now. Identify with the sinless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Write about what??? This is the original, urgent intent of Jude’s letter …our common salvation…
