WRITINGS
“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham…” (Genesis 22:1, NKJV).
This verse provides a rather puzzling question. If God is omniscience, meaning that He is all-knowing, why does He need to test Abraham? And, if He already knows the outcome of the test with Abraham then why is the test even necessary? To discover an answer we will turn to Midrashic commentary; Genesis Rabba 55:2.
“Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1, NKJV).
In this opening chapter in Genesis we see that God has chosen Avram (Abram), yet it gives us no indication for what motivation? Noah’s election in previous chapters is obvious for the Lord said that Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. He had found favor in God’s eyes and was chosen to save a remnant of humanity.
God's name is the most frequently used noun in the Hebrew Bible, occurring over 6,800 times. It is spelled with only four consonants: Yud, Hey, Vav, Hey (יְהוָה), and is called the “Four-Letter” name of God, or the “Tetragrammaton” in Greek. This is God’s written name because He is the Word of God, and we know that Yeshua is the word of God who came in human form. In other words, God’s written word came to life. Hence, the “word became flesh.”
The story of Chanukah takes place about two-hundred years before the birth of Christ during the time of the second temple in Jerusalem. A small group of Israelites led by a family of Aaronic priests, called the Maccabees (Hebrew meaning hammer), had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in what is called the Maccabean Revolt. This was not just a fight against a foreign occupying presence, but a spiritual battle against the Hellenization and assimilation of the Jewish people into Greek culture and idolatry.
There is a growing hunger within the church to understand its Hebraic foundation, often call the Hebraic roots of the church. This does not imply in any way that gentile believers suddenly become Jewish, or that Jewish believers loose their ethnic and cultural identity in following Christ.
“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.’ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:1-3, NKJV).
Many are saying they are under increased spiritual attack. I have watched some respond with warfare, and others fall into a state of despair. Neither one is necessarily correct until we understand the reason for an attack. Many questions therefor arise: Am I doing something wrong? Am I living in sin? Am I being disciplined by God? Is my armor incomplete? Should I be praying more? Is my faith lacking? Am I doing something right, therefore the enemy is trying to thwart my efforts? Or, am I simply being tested by God? These are all valid questions from a human perspective, but they may or may not necessarily be God’s perspective.
Many are asking questions about the recent Shemitah (Sabbatical—Hebrew שְׁמִטָּה), and possible upcoming Yovel (Jubilee—Hebrew יוֹבֵל) year. This article attempts to explain some of the mysteries and confusion surrounding these biblical events.
The following is a pre-tribulation apologetics response to commonly asked questions about the general timing of the rapture of the church. A very Hebrew reply is a discussion framed around questions. Is the rapture pre-tribulation, middle, or post-tribulation? That is the fundamental question this white paper seeks to answer. It is stated in response to these frequent questions and attempts to explain through validation with scripture. Stitching together Old and New Testament prophecies is challenging, mainly because they are not spoken chronologically. Time is necessary to confirm the fulfillment of prophecy.
I was invited to lead a Saturday morning consecration service at an African-American church in northeastern Washington, D.C. The church meets inside a converted small colonial white house perched on a street corner across from a local market. This is an established working-class neighborhood surrounded by government housing projects. The pastor and the congregation are spirit-filled and deeply hungry for their Hebraic roots.
The Bible tells us that the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ. Jesus further spoke that if we searched the scriptures, we would find they entirely testify of Him. Therefore, every dream or every vision that is truly from the Lord, and every word uttered by the power of the Holy Spirit must also correlate with scripture, and therefore, must also point to Jesus. If not, it is a false prophecy.
The Lord has shown me that we are a generation that will prepare the earth for His return. There will be great trials but also a harvest. Although we may not see it now, what we sow in the Spirit of our heavenly Father will have an eternal purpose and build a foundation of righteousness upon which Christ will establish His eternal kingdom. We are merely forerunners and messengers and must remember that it is His kingdom, and He will create it.
