Are We Ready To shakak ‘ad?

Are we ready to inhabit eternity?

And to be in His presence Who in

Isaiah 57:15 is called

“The One who inhabits eternity.”

Shochen Ad.  

   שֹׁכֵ֥ן עַד֙          

sheen/shin- kaph/kaf – nun – ayin – dalet

15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

The other Hebrew words are:

shakak ‘ad

The letters (recall no letters for vowels, a,e,i,o,u)

just consonants that make up the words are:

shin – kaf – kaf – ayin – dalet

Inhabit eternity

שׁככ עד

The Hebrew letters of the alef bet our Alphabet:

Another Hebrew word for eternity is: 

olam  עוֹלָם

INHABIT ETERNITY שׁככ עד

(reading from right to left)

Another Hebrew word for inhabit.

verb לָגוּר. live, dwell, reside, sojourn, lodge.

So what do these words mean

and where is eternity?

In the Hebrew mind it is simply:

what is at or beyond the horizon, a very distant time.

 

A common phrase in the Hebrew is:

l’olam va’ed

and is usually translated as:

forever and ever,

Another interpretation of the phrase

inhabiteth eternity is

abides forever.

שכן  can be translated:

to reside,

which implies: a stationary condition.

This could also be said of Ecclesiates 3:11

that eternity is in our hearts.

A place where it,

eternity,

stays continually.

In Hebrew the words used for

space are also used for time.

The Hebrew word qedem means east

but is also the same word for the past.

Gives us a little more insight into the scripture:

as far as the east is from the west so far are our transgressions removed from usto the east = they are in the past! gone!

The Hebrew word

olam

literally means:

beyond the horizon.

olam: long duration, antiquity, futurity

Original Word: עוֹלָם
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: olam
Phonetic Spelling: o-lawm’

When we look off into the distance it is very hard to make out any details and obviously what is beyond any horizon is impossible to see.

In Hebrew thought, this concept is the olam;

because the word olam is also used for time.

It is used for:

the distant past

or the distant future

with the understanding that:

this is a time that is difficult to either perceive or know.

Eternity is the most common translation of this word and has the meaning of:

an ongoing span of time that never ends.

Again, in the Hebrew mind/way of thinking, it is

that which is at or beyond the horizon,

a very distant time.

In Hebrew forever and ever,

is usually translated from the words

l’olam va’ed

is a common phrase but in the Hebrew it means:

to the distant horizon and again,

meaning: a very distant time and even further beyond that.

The one Hebrew word for

eternity – עד  –

spelled in Hebrew with the letters

ayin and dalet

or

AD

we often see these 2 letters after the numbers of a date.

They mean Anno Domini (AD) and before Christ (BC) and are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term Anno Domini is Medieval Latin and means ‘in the year of the Lord’, but is often presented using “our Lord” instead of “the Lord”, taken from the full original phrase “Anno Domini nostri Jesu Christi”, which translates to ‘in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ’.

עד  ayin dalet

is a Hebrew word with the same letters

ad meaning eternity

however, in the scripture verse in Isaiah 57:15

it’s not the usual word used.

For thus saith the High and lofty one that inhabited eternity ….

The word usually used is OLAM

(we looked at it in a previous post Olam hazeh olam haba.)

https://www.minimannamoments.com/olam-hazeh-and-olam-haba/

Eternity means forever.

AD comes from the word

ADAH which means: to advance, past by or come.

It means: past time, present time and future time.

This no doubt reminds the reader of

yesterday, today and forever…

He is forever the same – He is ADAH! 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

Hebrews 13:8

Hebrew scholars teach that it is related to the word

HADAH

which means to

STRETCH or MANIPULATE.

So we could understand from this that:

our Heavenly Father, Creator of His universes is

stretching or manipulating time.

It also reminds us of a day being as a 1000 years

and a 1000 years as a day….

Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.

Meaning our time is not the same as His time and it cannot be calculated in the same manner.

Malachi 3:6. For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

Isaiah 44:6

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.

2 Peter 3:9 and He is not slack concerning His promise, waiting for the precious fruit of the earth. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

Revelation 1:8 

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Is He stretching time for more souls to be saved as His children pray and ask for extended grace and mercy; or is it for His children TIME to get their lives right before He returns?

He is after all omni present, omniscient and omnipotent, everywhere all at once. Time does not affect Him for He lives/exists outside of what we experience as time.

This verse in Is 57:15 is actually telling us that He exists in the past, present and future simultaneously, which confirms the above descriptions of Him and His Word.

Human scientists are always trying to prove what believers already know to be true that…

God inhabits the past, present and future.

They try to go back in time and to go forward also; and try to prove that it is possible for something to exist in the past, present and future at the same moment. Their experiments are only supporting reality, not discovering or proving it! God’s Word has already told us.

He is ‘ADAH: to advance, past by or come.

We need to understand that existing outside of time as we know it, this is how He is able to spend every moment with each of us and can move through time to always be with every one of His children! Our concepts are so limited … This is why men ought always to pray…

Luke 18:1-8. And he spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint/lose heart

why?  

Because it’s a sign of spiritual life.

Just as the physical body needs oxygen, the spiritual life begins with prayer. Because He wills it and it is a statement of His eternal wisdom and truth. It is the command of absolute righteousness and justice, showing us the direction of His infinite goodness and love. It is impossible for us to fulfill His will, or employ the abilities and gifts He has imparted to us, unless we pray, communicating with Him.

Prayer is as timeless as the concept of eternity itself because the throne of prayer is always accessible,

Hebrews 4:16

and the Hearer of prayer is always willing; and because the power and privilege of prayer has a direct connection with the whole sphere of our daily life, and the whole circle of our daily needs.

As our petitions and intercession ascend before His Throne/presence they are reaching into His dimension and the realms of existence where God oversees everything and He and His angels/messengers, can move in and out of time to assist in the fulfillment of His will.

It is described as

the throne of Grace

Our Heavenly Fathers’ pictograph letters for this word, CHEN/channah, paint a picture of pitching a tent with Him, God/Adonai. Just like He pitched a tent/the Mishkan Tabernacle in the wilderness with His children of Israel. More at link below:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/ancient-pictographic-hebrew-language/

This is also where the Blood of our Messiah has been applied

His Blood cries Mercy 

and Mercy and Grace flow continually as His Blood speaks

and He intercedes for us.

Hebrews 12:13 says the blood of Jesus speaks better things than that of Abel. The blood of Abel cries for vengeance, the blood of Jesus cries for mercy.

So Are We Ready To Inhabit Eternity?

this means an Eternal Life …so what is that?

  This is eternal life…

John 17:1-5

verse 3… To KNOW God..

to know Him the one true God and Him whom you sent Jesus/Yeshua the Messiah.

Eternal life is not merely survival after death of these physical bodies …it is having intimate knowledge of the Father and His Son; His Spirit of Holiness is His agent by which this is achieved.

Relationship is accomplished and developed by

spending time with Him,

allowing His presence

to cover us and infuse us

with all that He is..

then we are changed from glory to glory.

If we do not know Him and Him Who was sent Jesus/Yeshua,

how can we be ready for eternal life…

The Hebrew word for

knowledge is DA’AT

using the letters dalet and tav.

The dalet is a picture of a door and the

tav is a picture of the cross…

more at 

https://www.minimannamoments.com/ancient-pictographic-hebrew-language/

Jesus/Yeshua said I am the door/dalet (4th letter) and His sacrifice on the cross/tav (last letter), opened the WAY back to our Heavenly Father. This is the WAY to KNOW/gain knowledge of Him. Jesus/Yeshua said …I am the WAY!

It tells us that it is not only gaining understanding and comprehending the acts and circumstances of the world that is important, but also, we are to gain the most intimate experience of the author and creator of all knowledge. In James He tells us to ask for wisdom which is:

the ability to apply the knowledge we gain.

James 1:5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

If we pray the will or heart of our Heavenly Father

then it is important that we have to first KNOW what that is;

and then it follows that we will be

praying concerning and in harmony with,

a heart that exists/lives/abides in the past, present and future.

Science has proven that it is indeed possible for something to exist in the past, present and future all at the same time.

Not that we needed proof!

There was an article published by Vanderbilt University about the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland; which is the world’s largest facility to smash atoms. This article said that it could be the first machine capable of causing matter to travel backwards in time.  This collider has succeeded in producing the Higgs bosom and some scientists predicted that it would create a second particle at the same time, called the Higgs singlet. (the god particle).

The Higgs boson is the fundamental force-carrying particle of the Higgs field, a field that gives mass to other fundamental particles such as electrons and quarks.

The Higgs boson is a wave in that field. Its discovery confirms the existence of the Higgs field.

How do particles get mass?

Particles get their mass by interacting with the Higgs field.

According to these scientists these singlets have the ability to jump into an extra, fifth dimension where they can move either forward or backward in time and reappear in the future or past.  In other words these particles can travel back in time to appear before the collisions that produced them.

It sounds completely crazy and yet our Heavenly Father does even more than this!

Here the word KNOW is used exactly as it is in Jeremiah 31:33 the passage promising Israel a new /renewed covenant.

This of course was fulfilled with Messiah Yeshua/Jesus coming in the flesh.

 The apostles explained, He is the image of God in 2 Corinthians 4:4, He is the image of the invisible God, the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature. Also Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3.

His physical appearance was and is not so important. Yeshua/Jesus revealed our Heavenly Father’s character and truth. As the sent one of the Father, Jesus/Yeshua perfectly represented the Father. 

He has gone to prepare a place for us…in eternity and is often quoted but many times misunderstood Bible verse. Jesus/Yeshua said that He would go to prepare a mansion for those who believe in Him. Many believe that these mansions are literal buildings in heaven where they will dwell. 

John 14:2 KJV “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”  In the NASB it says, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” 

In the Vulgate, the Bible translation into Latin, they used the word mansiones in that verse, and the King James Version followed by using mansions.

The word for “mansion” is μονήmonay.  

It means a dwelling, an abode.

In my Father’s house οικος (oikia) are many mansions μονη (mone): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. – John 14:2 (KJV)

The noun οικια (oikia), meaning house.

The verb μενω (meno)’s only pure derivation is the noun μονη (mone), which describes a

“place of remaining”, a home

We have a “place of remaining

being prepared for us by the

Messiah Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach

This place of remaining

is into/to the oikia – house of the Father.

Messiah is not telling us that heaven has compartments, or that we will have little places in which to live. He was likening it to their understanding in ancient culture, where a father’s house was where the extended family lived.  Rooms were often added on as the family grew through birth and marriage.  What He was doing was using the present-day illustration of a loving, tight, family community.

We are not to be so earthly and materially minded to interpret the scripture to our own liking and benefit, thinking people get promised mansions and riches. Why? because the values of the seen world are different from the unseen world, where God is, and they can distract us from the reality of His Kingdom in eternity..

So, Messiah is saying that in Hebrew/Aramaic,

a Beit-Av which literally means house of a father, 

and using the term,

My Father’s house is an idiom for my family.

He is preparing a place for us …

Prepare in Hebrew is – KUN –  כון –  Kap Vav Nun

Prepare can be understood in the life of Ezra

Ezra 7:10: “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”

 Ezra devoted himself to the Word of God. Jewish tradition teaches that his knowledge of the Torah was equal to that of Moses.  Not only was he determined to make sure he himself obeyed every letter of the law but he was zealous to make sure others followed the directions for life in the Torah teaching/law as well.  Ezra was responsible for restoring the Jewish identity which had been lost during the captivity when Hebrew men married non-Hebrew women and it was Ezra who helped initiate one of the greatest revivals in their history.  Specifically what made him so notable is written in chapter 7:10, he prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and teach it.

He prepared his heart to seek the word of God. Ezra was very motivated to prepare his heart. The word in Hebrew for

prepare is kun.

Spelled with the letters

Kap, Vav and Nun.

There are very many meanings for the word kun = prepared, ready, steadfast, firm, fixed, fashioned, establish, secure are just a few. Ezra prepared to seek the Word of God, by being steadfast in his goal and firmly fixed in his desire to KNOW God’s heart through the study of His Word. Jesus/Yeshua has gone to prepare, fix, fashion, establish, order, secure a place for us…

He is preparing a place for us in heaven/eternity

where we will dwell with our Heavenly Father

in close communion with Him – a place of remaining –

and there is room in eternity/heaven

for ALL whom He calls to salvation.

Further to this we are reminded that Jesus/Yeshua spoke in the Old Galilean dialect of Aramaic. The Aramaic Bible, Peshitta, uses the word bt which we render as beyt/beit house,

however, like the Hebrew, the letters b and t

could also be used to express the idea of

the place of the heart, 

which is identical to the Hebrew word bayith /house, which is the word used in Psalms 127.*

House – Place of the Heart – BAYITH – בית – Beth Yod Taw

When Jesus/Yeshua said: 

In my Father’s heart/house are many rooms.

 We must remember that only He can build that

place in His heart for us.

If we try to build that place with all our ministries and monuments to ourselves, our labors are all wasted.

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it.*

 The Apostle Paul tells us …

Do you not know that your body is the temple/sanctuary of The Spirit of Holiness who dwells within you, whom you have received from God, and you are not your own? 1 Cor. 6:19.

The heart of God is meant to reside in us and to abide – make His home in us.

Isaiah 57:15 contains an interesting phrase that is used nowhere else in the Bible. Here, our Heavenly Father is referred to as

One who inhabiteth eternity.

looking at the sentence construction and the context of the verse,  Isaiah’s description reflects symbols in which the Israelites found deeper meaning, that of:

the tabernacle and temple/sanctuary of God.

The entire verse says:

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones (KJV).

The phrase in Hebrew is עד שכן.

The first word, שכן means: to reside or inhabit.

This verb is in what is called the active participle form, which in the KJV was translated as: inhabiteth,

it indicates the action is ongoing,

both now and continuing in the future

or in modern English,

inhabiting.

The second word, עד, can mean either:

perpetual continuation; enduring future,

or time without end.

In the KJV the word in this verse was translated as: eternity.

Interestingly, this is the only time the word eternity appears in this translation of the Bible. The uniqueness of this combination of words allows for many different translations and interpretations.

One way of interpreting this verse is from the context of

a kingship, so some read the phrase

the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity

instead, as..

in the height as Holy One I sit enthroned,

or who sits enthroned forever.

This imagery is seen in Isaiah:

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up …Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory…Mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Isa. 6:1, 3, 5.

God’s kingship be seen as a royal representation for the great sovereign who from the exalted throne room extends the royal presence and the royal concern to His subjects.

Another interpretation of the phrase

inhabiteth eternity

is

abides forever.

שכן can be translated to reside,

which implies a stationary condition.

The following word, עד was cited before as:

implying perpetual continuation.

This second word could be seen as describing and adding to the first verb; then the whole phrase shows the eternal and unchanging nature of God.

This principle is repeated in the scriptures:

in Psalms, the author wrote,

even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Ps. 90:2

and 

thou [God] art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

Ps. 102:27.

and

For I am the LORD, I change not. Mal. 3:6.

Because our Heavenly Father is an eternal Being, He is not subject to mortality, to death or any other type of change

This interpretation changes the meaning of the verse and instead of the image of a royal setting, it now focuses on God’s unchangeable nature.  A king can be seen in relation to his subjects, but how can a supreme and unchangeable being possibly relate to those who are always changing?

Isaiah helps us answer this when he wrote this in chapter 55:8-9:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The high and holy place where our Heavenly Father’s residence is located is mentioned in Isaiah 57:15, as not being anywhere on earth, but in heaven/shamayim. 

We know that our Father has supernatural and eternal characteristics, and the words used in this verse do not necessarily describe one who is totally unreachable.

The verb שכן can mean to dwell and this word does not necessarily infer one that never moves at all, it can also mean: a move into a temporary place, in an as yet unspecified condition.

It can also be translated as: to rest; which implies some sort of transition/move/change. The word used for the Israelite tabernacle was משכן/mishkan, which is made using the same root letters as שכן/dwell. The tabernacle was a temporary structure that was moved many times during the Israelites journey in the wilderness. When they were finally settled in the promised land, they built a permanent place for their God: the temple/sanctuary.

The temple was not referred to as a משכן, mishkan

but as a הכל, a בית, or a מקדש. Temple/House.

The visible difference between the letters the Hebrew words used to describe the moveable tabernacle and the stationary temple, helps to further show the inferences of the word dwell – שכן. 

An interesting parallel is found in the New Testament where the Greek word σκηνη means tabernacle. John states: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” John 1:1, 14. The word translated as dwelt is εσκηνωσεν which literally means to tent or tabernacle.

Another connection can be made with the words Isaiah used because some scholars suggest that the translators may have favored this specific Greek word for tabernacle because in the spelling of the word, the consonants σ-κ-ν equal the Hebrew consonants for the word Shekinah – ש-כ-נ, which is God’s presence/Glory.

In this scripture, a divine and eternal being is seen as transitioning/moving from an eternal realm into a temporal realm!

The words used in these verses seems to refer to Israelites Egyptian exodus. God was not stationary during their time in the wilderness; He was seen as a powerful being/God who regularly made contact with them.

He temporarily left His heavenly dwelling place, to abide/be with the Israelites by means of the tabernacle.

Exodus 29:45-46

I will dwell [w-shakahn’ti] among the sons of Israel and will be their God. They shall know that I am YHWH their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell [l-shak’ni] among them; I am YHWH their God.

For us a dwelling is where we put down roots, where we intend to stay/abide; but how do you meet or speak with God when He is in the shape of a cloud by day and fire by night? The children of Israel needed a physical place to connect with Him, so the tabernacle/mishkan was built, providing that place for God’s shekinah/presence to be dwelling with them.

Connected with the word dwelling, is the concept of purpose.

If you dwell somewhere, you have a purpose to be there!

There for them, and now for us, our Heavenly Fathers’ purpose is our refuge and security, echoed in both in Ps.91. and in the letters of the Hebrew word for GRACE.

Deuteronomy 33:27-28

The eternal God IS a dwelling place [refuge: m’ohnah], and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He drove out the enemy from before you, and said, ‘Destroy!’ So Israel dwells [wa-yish’kohn] in security, the fountain of Jacob secluded, in a land of grain and new wine; His heavens also drop down dew.

John likened this image to Messiah, Who transitioned from heaven to earth, just as the God of the Israelites had done in the wilderness.

When the different translations are viewed in connection with the temple, it reveals a harmonious picture of our Heavenly Father, Who is an eternal King, whose rule over His people is with faithfulness, fairness and justice.

Even though He is superior and divine, He could be approached by His people in the Temple/His Holy palace. The temple was a place where sacred space meets sacred time. The verb שכן, as mentioned earlier, refers to dwelling in a certain place. The place where God dwells is considered sacred, referred to in Genesis 26:24-25, 28:12-18, 35:1; that, at the places where God appeared, altars and memorials were set up.

Connected to the concept of holy/sacred space,

is the element of

time

understood and contained in the word:

עד – ad – eternity

Our Heavenly Father sets apart

sacred time,

as shown in the Ten Commandments:

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy … wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Ex. 20:8-11. 

The Holy of Holies brought together both the elements of sacred space and sacred time. It was the most Holy Place within the tabernacle and the temple Ex. 26:34, and was to be entered only once a year on the Holiest day, known as the Day of Atonement. Ex. 30:10.

 

It was in this Holy of Holies that the

God of Eternity would appear on

His throne/the temporary dwelling place of His presence/shekinah/glory

above the mercy seat/kapporet/atonement

 to speak with His children. 

There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

Ex. 25:22

Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell [w-shakahn’ti] among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it…

Exodus 25:8-9

And so God’s presence hovered/fluttered above the mercy seat/kapporet of the Ark of the Covenant, which rested in the Tabernacle. It was the specific location for God to dwell among the people as they traveled through the desert. Recalling the first dwellers, (the cherubim guarding the Tree of Life), the mercy seat would include the representation of two cherubim facing each other with wings outstretched. From that location, the Life force of God/shekinah, would dwell and meet with the High Priest: this Jesus/Yeshua fulfilled and now we can dwell in His presence and He can dwell with/in us.

The children of Israel were without doubt changed by the miracles surrounding their release from Egyptian bondage and the evidence of their God among His people. It is evident that through the symbolism of the tabernacle, its presence and influence became integral in their lives and language. 

Isaiah used words in Hebrew that reflected his understanding of a supernatural deity as his description of our Heavenly Father is as One who inhabiteth eternity,

The words used by Isaiah describe God in terms of the tabernacle and show that even though He was the Supernatural, Divine King of His people the Israelites, whose rule was consistent. He was not unreachable mystical and totally superior but made the connection to dwell/tabernacle with them. After their journey through the wilderness, He continued to visit them in the temple specifically built for Him. Both the tabernacle/mishkan and the temple/sanctuary became the symbol for the place where the King of Heaven and all eternity manifested Himself as the God of Israel.

Jesus/Yeshua was the tabernacle/mishkan of God among us, bringing salvation and conquering death. Salvation, to the Israelites, wasn’t just personal redemption, it was returning the glory of God to the land of Israel. Jesus/Yeshua bought and brought personal redemption so that all prophetic scripture was fulfilled. The Fathers’ Spirit of Holiness/Ruach HaKodesh now abides/dwells with the believer and would be IN the believer.

Jesus/Yeshua dwelt with the Father, and His disciples would dwell in Him and He in them. The Father and Jesus/Yeshua will make Their ABODE within each and every disciple who loves Him. In essence eternity dwells within us!

It is worth repeating because, before He left He made this promise to His disciples/talmidim; and if we are one it is true for each of us:

John 14:1-3

Do NOT let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places;

if it were not so, I would have told you; for 

I go to prepare a place for you – (a place of remaining

where we will

inhabit eternity – shakak ‘ad.)

 If I go and prepare a place

(a place of remaining)

for you,

(where we will

inhabit eternity – shakak ‘ad)

I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. (forever in that place of remaining).

We are a dwelling place for Our Heavenly Fathers’ Spirit of Holiness until that day when we are called home to

the dwelling place/the place of remaining

prepared for us by the very One who abides/lives within us.

Are we ready to inhabit eternity?… and are we truly ready for eternity to dwell within us? Eternal life starts now for today is the day of salvation!

Shalom shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

… and…

it’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

In Which Kingdom Are We Dwelling?

A kingdom is a dom of a king

or a domain/dominion

a designated area of land

which is ruled over by a king/leader;

one who has dominion or

has dominated the dom-domain.

Today we may associate the word more with a webpage or website having a domain name in order to reach it!

NAS: him and obtain dominion; his domain [will be] a great

KJV: above him, and have dominion; his dominion [shall be] a great

INT: dominion a great his domain

Hebrew words for domain include:

noun. תְחוּם confines, territory, realm, scope, area

noun. דוֹמֵיין domain

noun שֶׁטַח surface, area, territory, field, zone

noun רָשׁוּת

Strong’s Hebrew: 4475. מֶמְשָׁלָה (memshalah) — rule …

memshalah: rule, dominion, realm

Original Word: מֶמְשָׁלָה

Phonetic Spelling: mem-shaw-law’

Here the translations of the verses use the words:

govern and rule as well as dominion:

Genesis 1:16 
HEB: הַמָּא֤וֹר הַגָּדֹל֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַיּ֔וֹם וְאֶת־
NAS: light to govern the day,
KJV: light to rule the day,
INT: light the greater to govern the day light

Genesis 1:16 
HEB: הַמָּא֤וֹר הַקָּטֹן֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַלַּ֔יְלָה וְאֵ֖ת
NAS: light to govern the night;
KJV: light to rule the night:
INT: light and the lesser to govern the night the stars

1 Kings 9:19 
HEB: וּבְכֹ֖ל אֶ֥רֶץ מֶמְשַׁלְתּֽוֹ׃ 
NAS: and in all the land under his rule.
KJV: and in all the land of his dominion.
INT: all the land his rule

We are most familiar with Genesis 1:26: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness and let them have dominion over fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

During the last 2,000 years Christianity followed in their own way and not the way of their Hebrew/Jewish/Israelite heritage and have missed out on special blessings as well as spiritual experience.

The Hebrew word yiredu is translated into our English Bible as dominion but the Hebrew language has a different rendering for this word. Without exception all the modern translations of the Bible follow the common teaching that the word yiredu comes from the root word radah; which means: 

dominion, or to subdue, 

to rule over,

to tread upon like in a winepress.  

It has been suggested that the root word is really yarad.

Here it would follow, that as the original inspired Word of God had no vowel dots, it would seem more correct to the original by using the root word yarad – to lower oneself, 

rather than radah – to rule over.

In the original Hebrew, the word starts with a letter Y – Yod

which is a picture of a heavenly messenger

or yarad which means to lower oneself

and not an R – Resh in radah,

which means to rule over…something to chew on at least!

A King makes it his domain, his own.

Melek מלך

Melech (מלך) is a Hebrew word that means king and may refer to: Melech (name) a given name of Hebrew origin. The title of king in ancient Semitic culture.

Strong’s Hebrew: 4428. מֶ֫לֶך (melek) — king

a male monarch; member of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation.

The word me•lech is mentioned over 1,000 times in the Bible, but only a handful of references refer to our Heavenly Father. Interestingly, the title me•lech is a part of God’s name in every Hebrew prayer.

All Hebrew prayers begin with

Blessed are You Lord, King of the universe.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha’olam 

ברוך אתה ה’ אלהינו מלך העולם

It raises a question as to why we see only a few references to our Heavenly Father as a King. An interesting note is that many of the Hebrew prayers were inspired by the Book of Psalms, where King is most frequently used in reference to Adonai. 

“Thus says the Lord the King of Israel…”

Isaiah 44:6

“The Lord is King for ever and ever”

Psalm 10:16

“and the Lord sits enthroned as King forever”

Psalm 29:10

“For the Lord Most High is awesome; he is a great King over all the earth”

Psalm 47:2

All other references of me•lech/king are of the many human kings mentioned throughout scripture.

It is noteworthy to mention that Messiah is also called

King Messiah.

In Luke 23:2 “They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king’”

Also in the New Testament:

Me•lech Me•la•chim va•A•do•ney ha•A•do•nim’

“…KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS”

Revelation 19:16

Strong’s Hebrew: 3566. כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ (Koresh) — a Person. king

Koresh: a Person. A king.

Original Word: כּוֹרֶשׁ.

Phonetic Spelling: ko’-resh

and saying,

The time is fulfilled, and the

kingdom of God

is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.

Mark 1:15

What is the gospel

It’s the good news,

 that’s what the Greek word euangélion meansgood news.

And what exactly is the good news?

In western Christianity the answer is usually something like, “Jesus died for our sins and we are forgiven.” 

That is good news, however, it isn’t exactly the biblical euangélion.   

The real good news is clear in Mark’s introduction of Jesus/Yeshua’s ministry in this verse. 

The good news is this:

God’s Kingdom is close and its time to repent.

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[ the Son of God,[ as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”[
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.

The writers of the new testament understood this.  In Paul’s opening statement in his letter to the Romans he says:

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, . .”  Not, the

good news of forgiveness

but rather the good news of God.

The kingdom is close to arriving.

It’s worth a second thought that Yeshua/Jesus preached the kingdom, while the church/ecclesia mostly preaches Jesus/Yeshua.  It is important to be aware that we may be preaching and teaching about Jesus/Yeshua, however we may lose the vision of the kingdom that He came to bring?

We first hear John speak In Matthew 3:2 repent because the kingdom of Heaven is here.

The word heaven in this verse is shamayim and it is used as a reverent and respectful way of avoiding speaking the divine Name/Hashem – YHVH/YHWH. Notice Heaven has a capital H when it’s referring to our Heavenly Father, while heaven refers to the sky or in some cases paradise. When reading, we often miss the use of the capitalized letter which is not a typo or misprint but indicative of the above observance.

Yeshua/Jesus instructed His listeners about the kingdom of God, however the phrase kingdom of God is not anywhere in the Torah/Towrah. It does have parallels in the Torah, (first 5 books); however, and it became more popular as the rabbis taught it so when Yeshua/Jesus spoke about the kingdom, it was familiar to the people because they knew what the rabbis taught. 

What is the definition of the Kingdom

Matthew 6:33…..

The kingdom of heaven /the kingdom of God

is tikkun ha’olam,

God’s redeeming work in this world. 

We are not simply waiting for heaven to come to earth and neither is it an escape from our earthly life.  It’s not just the hope of some special reward after our bodies die; rather it is doing with our Heavenly Father what He is doing right now. 

In Luke 4

it’s, as Yeshua/Jeus tells us, healing the sick, visiting prisoners, forgiveness of sins, encouraging those in despair, bringing light to the blind both physical and spiritual and caring for the poor.  It is giving hope in times of darkness, food to the hungry, health and deliverance to the captives; and making disciples.  The reason the Kingdom of God is close at hand, is because all of these godly actions are only as far away as our willingness to do them.  The gospel, the good news, is NOW, it is for everyone who has ever known the sadness and desperation of living in this broken sin sick world. The Kingdom of our Heavenly Father can be manifested anytime we choose to yield ourselves and experience His redemptive power. One day His Kingdom will be obvious and it will be manifest everywhere, until then, His Kingdom comes when we allow our Heavenly Father’s character to be shown to the world through our lives.

The Kingdom of God

אלוהים – elohim

מלכות האלוהים

The Kingdom of Heaven – מַלְכוּת הַש .

sha•ma•yim,

mal•choot ha•sha•má•yim

מַלְכוּת הַלְמַוּם

ממלכה

kingdom –

A nation having as supreme ruler a king and/or queen

Hebrew Translation. מַלְכוּת. 

More Hebrew words for kingdom.

noun מַלְכוּת. reign, royalty, monarchy, kingship, kinghood.

noun מַמלָכָה. realm, state, sovereignty.

מַּלְכוּ ‘malku’ meaning ‘Kingdom’ 4437

 Hebrew word מַּלְכוּ, malku (Strong’s 4437) translated ‘Kingdom’.

מַּמְלָכָה ‘mamlakah’ meaning Kingdom

 Hebrew word מַּמְלָכָה, mamlakah (Strong’s 4467) translated kingdom, king’s, reign, royal

From malak ; dominion, i.e. (abstractly) the estate (rule) or (concretely) the country (realm) — kingdom, king’s, reign, royal.

In ancient times kings were kings over cities and smaller areas. Often called empires.

Nowadays there are only a few countries who have a royal family or a king /queen ruling over them; and most are in name only, not having the full control or dominion over the land they are king/queen over.

In His conversation with Pilate, the scripture tells us that Messiah stated His kingdom is not of this world

His kingdom is the kingdom of the heavens

and is not yet visible to us and we live in it by faith because… it is an unseen realm, one purely spiritual in nature. There is a scripture that tells us that… 

the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ/Messiah and He shall reign for ever and ever. Revelation 11:15.

This tells us that it is yet to come and meanwhile, the adversary has Gods’ permitted rule and dominion as the prince of the power of the air and as Yeshua/Jesus said, in John 14:30 the prince of this world cometh…. He could not have offered them to Messiah during the wilderness temptations, if they were not his to offer.

The question is.. if we are children of light and the kingdom of the heavens is within us which kingdom are we living in and for?

They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

John 17:11, 15–16

We are in the world but not of it so……

where are we dwelling?

Ps 91:1 states that He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide …

so where are we dwelling?

Is it IN the kingdom of heaven?

The Kingdom of Heaven – מַלְכוּת הַש.

This phrase is very important to every believer.

It is made of two words:

kingdom and of heaven.

Recall Hebrew is written from right to left, therefore

kingdom is on the right followed by of heaven on its left.

If heaven is sha•ma•yim, then what is the ha in front of it?

It’s the definite article the. The word the is not a separate word in Hebrew as it is in English, but is a prefix that is a part of the word that it is defining.

The word sha•ma•yim was given by our Heavenly Father…

“And God called the firmament Heaven…”

Genesis 1:8

..after He divides the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. Therefore, this word in Hebrew only speaks of the biblical narrative; the word

water – má•yim

is a part of the word for

heaven – sha•ma•yim!

Recall that there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The kingdom of heaven is mentioned 22 times in the New Testament when searching for whole words (not combinations).

kingdom of heaven

מלכות השמים

malkut or mamlakah shamayim

mamlakah meaning Kingdom

Strong’s 4467

מַּמְלָכָה

used in

2 Sam. 7:13.

He shall build a house for my name,

and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

Hebrew word מַּלְכוּת, malkut Strong’s #4438

translated Kingdom used in

2 Chron. 7:18. Then will I establish the throne of your kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David your father, saying, There shall not fail of you a man to be ruler in Israel.

מַּלְכוּ malku meaning Kingdom Strong’s #4437

used in Ezra 7:13 Levites, in my kingdom, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with you.

Kingdom of Heaven & Kingdom of God.

We read of two different phrases in the gospels:  

kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God.

In Matthew, kingdom of heaven is used, while in Mark and Luke, kingdom of God is used. This is because in the Israelite culture of Messiahs’ day, and today, people show respect for our Heavenly Father by not pronouncing His Name. Another word is often substituted, e.g., heaven, the name (Hashem), or the mighty one.

For example, the prodigal son says to his father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.” The son is using the word heaven as a reference to God. Here, Matthew is preserving the culturally-correct quote kingdom of heaven while Mark and Luke are explaining that heaven is a reference to God.

The words that Messiah spoke were probably

Malchut shemayim – mahl-KUT shuh-MAH-eem;

which was a phrase used then in the rabbis’ teaching.

The word malchut is related to the word

melekh which we have noted means king.

Malchut is associated with the

actions of a king: his reign and authority,

and also anyone who is under his authority.

and shemayim is Hebrew for heavens.

(Shamayim is sometimes spelled Shemayim).

A simple way of translating it would be:

God’s reign,

or

how God reigns

or

those God reigns over.

But what does it really mean?

The basic understanding of the kingdom of heaven was

God’s reign over the lives of people who enthrone him as king.

We might think that God by default as its creator, is king over everything He created. In scripture, however, it’s assumed that after the fall and the tower of Babel, the world began to serve other gods and here, God ceased from being their king. Much of the world did not know God, however the Bible promises that one day, The LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. Zech 14:9.

The main question of Messiah’s day was when and how God would establish this kingdom over the world. It was believed that when the Messiah came, the Kingdom of God would arrive at the same time and all at once be established with great glory. Yeshua/Jesus clearly disagreed:

On one occasion, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied, The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20.

Yeshua/Jesus meant that: an individual is brought into the kingdom of God when they repent and choose, deciding to accept God as their King, this is something that happens in a person’s heart; it is not a political movement nor a visible display of God’s power. Messiah agreed with the teaching of the other rabbis who said that; when a person committed himself daily to love God with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength, (by saying the Shema), he had received upon himself the kingdom of heaven. Meaning: the person had put God on the throne over their life and entered under God’s king-ship, giving Him dominion and rulership.

One of the reasons Yeshua/Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God was to proclaim the fact that He is the Anointed King (Messiah) and this Kingdom is His Kingdom. The good news of the kingdom is that when Messiah, the Son of God arrived on earth, the Kingdom had arrived with Him. Yeshua/Jesus told His disciples to go out and heal the sick, and say that the kingdom of heaven is near, meaning: this Kingdom is arriving NOW on earth, not that it isn’t quite here yet…. fulfilling Balaams 4th prophetic word..

in Numbers 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel….. 

A Star out of Jacob is believed to be what the wise men allude to when they search for Messiah as a child and report,

We have seen his star in the east.  Matt. 2:2.

The word Sceptre used in Numbers 24:17 relates to rulership; Jacob used the word when he predicted that the sceptre would not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes; Shiloh was a name used to identify the Messiah, Gen. 49:10. Messiah’s birth, accompanied by the unique cosmic/heavenly sign/signal, was in Bethlehem of Judea. Matt. 2:1.

For us the message is that Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, the King, has arrived, and He is continually establishing His Kingdom as people repent and follow Him. He always described His Kingdom as One which was gradually expanding using descriptions with which we are familiar: like a mustard seed or a tiny bit of yeast that grows and grows. He is describing the groups of believers that start small, and grow as people join. The finale will be when every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess that Yeshua/Jesus is THE King of all Kings!

Note that the basic understanding of the Kingdom of heaven is our Heavenly Father and Messiah’s reign over people in this world. Often we understand it by likening it to heaven itself, leading us to think that Yeshua/Jesus was always talking about the place heaven, when in fact He was talking about His Father’s work in people’s lives. This leads us to understand that our Heavenly Father cares very little about the lives we live in the here and now, and that He is primarily focused on and cares very deeply about us and our final destination in heaven with Him.

We are not to always interpret the kingdom in terms of Messiah’s return; although of course when He does return His Kingdom will be beyond glorious. Sometimes in the 4 gospels we read the use of the word kingdom where Messiah’s return is referred to, or about His future Heavenly Kingdom, however, much of what He says about His Kingdom is about its’ reality in the here and now.

Which kingdom are we a citizen of/ a part of?

Which kingdom are we looking forward to?

Which kingdom has us in its grip?

Which kingdom have we given our heart, mind, life & strength to?

From David to Yeshua/Jesus, the everlasting kingdom rules and reigns; His kingdom is pure, righteous, holy and is without end.

Kingdom of God

Kingdom of light

Kingdom of darkness

Kingdoms of this world

The dom of THE King!

This kingdom is the kingdom of light

kingdom of light ממלכת האור

kingdom of darkness ממלכת החושך

Strong’s Hebrew: 2822. חֹ֫שֶׁך (choshek) 

darkness, night, obscurity

From chashak ; the dark; hence (literally) darkness;

figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness — dark(-ness), night, obscurity.

Choshek also spelled חוֹשֶׁך.

More Hebrew words for darkness.

noun חוֹשֶׁך. dark, murk, obscurity.

noun חֲשֵׁכָה.

The Domain of Darkness.

For He delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,” Colossians 1:13.

God delivers.

Strong’s Hebrew: 215. אוֹר (or) — to be or become light

Ohr’ Is The Hebrew Word For Light

– Light – אוׄר

It means: to see.

Obviously we understand the connection between seeing and light.

In Hebrew  the biblical prophet, the seer, is called 

ro-eh, which also comes from or, light.

LIGHT – NOOHRA (ARAMAIC)

‘OR (HEBREW) אור נהר

The Hebrew word is spelled Aleph, Vav, Resh.

The Hebrew word for light expresses

a connection between the natural and the supernatural.

No doubt that many reading this will have felt at one time or another that we are square pegs trying to fit in round holes! Our core values, convictions, responses, beliefs and feelings never seem to find a perfect equal and it’s in those times we must remember… this world is NOT our home and we are just passing through. We are not to build our piece of paradise here on this earth. The only firm foundations we are to lay down must be in our knowledge, understanding of our Heavenly Father and any building must be one of faith in the creator of all things, including the 1st paradise and the one into which we shall one day come.

Dwells is not a common word that we use every day. Once in a while we may hear someone say… 

it’s time to stop dwelling on that.

Meaning In other words, that we are stuck on an issue that has bothered us.

However the Biblical definition reveals another perspective.

יָשַׁב

Dwells is Strong’s #3427. 

 יָשַׁב (yashab) — to sit, remain, dwell

pronounced yaw-shab’

Genesis 4:20 
HEB: הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י יֹשֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה׃
NAS: he was the father of those who dwell in tents
KJV: he was the father of such as dwell in tents,

Dwells is defined as:

to sit down, to remain, to settle, to marry,

make to keep [house], and to return.

Most of the words used to describe Dwell, point to it as a permanent address/place. It’s not like a hotel/motel or a type of travel trailer used during holidays/vacations.

To dwell means: to set up housekeeping, plant flowers, grow trees, hang pictures, to marry and set up a home/ housekeeping.

All the promises of this psalm rest on this first few words and therefore Dwelling is not an optional choice.  Dwelling is an essential component for a believers lifestyle if we want to experience the benefits listed in Psalm 91.

It may be a good opportunity to reflect on exactly what this word means to us individually and furthermore, what does it mean to our Heavenly Father?

Looking at the Hebrew spelling of the word Dwell.

and remembering in Hebrew to read it from right to left

Bet Shin Yod….

Recall from previous posts that every Hebrew letter has a name, a picture, a number value, and a meaning. Interestingly, scientists have discovered that each letter also has a unique sound frequency. No surprise that our Heavenly Father’s chosen language is the only language known with ALL of these qualities!

The very 1st book tells us that His spirit moved upon the face of the waters…

Genesis 1:2
HEB: וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־ פְּנֵ֥י
NAS: of God was moving over
KJV: of God moved upon
INT: and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface

The word moved is:

merachapheth –  me·ra·ḥe·p̄eṯ – מְרַחֶ֖פֶת

which means:

to move rapidly, to flutter or to vibrate…

The Spirit of God vibrated over the earth and whatever were His vibrations which came from the sound of His kol/voice as He spoke.. all particles, atoms etc., vibrated in a symphony, synchronized with Him in perfect harmony and creation literally came into being. WOW!

 Deeper look at the word: Dwell.

יָשַׁב

Bet Shin Yod….

YOD יָ numerical value of 10

has a meaning of:

The outcome, the completion of something.

Also Means: Hand, Right Arm, Power – Right hand of God’s power, a Deed Done, to Work, to Cover, Allow, Hollow, Open Hand, and also refers to His Spirit of Holiness as is always hanging in the air overseeing.

SHIN שַׁ  numerical value of 300

has a meaning of:

Victory of good over evil, Holy Spirit

Is the picture of: Teeth or Fire and

means: Teeth, Fire, the Fiery zeal of God to consume all His enemies, Devour, Destroy, Something Sharp.

BET  ב numerical value of 2

has a meaning of:

 Divide or Division.

Is the picture of: House.

Means: House/Family; God’s word, God’s dwelling place

A deeper meaning behind the word Dwell could be said to be:

He who Dwells is one who has made the choice to live permanently in God’s house/BET– trusting in God and honoring His Word

There he will experience the activation of God’s right hand YOD of power covering him.

And God in His fiery zeal will consume SHIN all that tries to keep or draw him away from Dwelling.

We are His dwelling place and He is ours and when we choose to trust and obey Him, we live secure in His Presence.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Colossians 2:9-10 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

BECAUSE…

HE IS OUR BET/HOUSE—OUR SAFE/SECURE HIDING PLACE

2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! Amplified.

 He will pitch a tent over us and dwell – covering us with Himself.

Isn’t this a more preferable place to be, than in the adversary’s kingdom where stress is at an all time high and fears of every imaginable flavor abound? That kingdom, whose promises are always and inevitably too good to be true and those ventures that end in disaster and ruin. Luck and chance NEVER lead to victory and everlasting peace. The true kingdom is where the true shalom of a Heavenly Father with unconditional love is.

He longs to place us under that canopy where we can not only dwell in His kingdom but His kingdom can dwell in us too. We just have to do our part and make the choice to not just visit a couple of times a week…

but to live permanently to dwell in God’s house –

trusting in God and honoring His Word.

Thrones, dominions, powers, rulers, principalities and spiritual wickedness described in Ephesians 6.

1Tim. 1:17 so to the KING, eternal, imperishable, invisible…

One day we will hear the declaration of complete and total victory….

The kingdoms of this world

have become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ. 

Revelation 11:15

Yeshua/Jesus said when He was here

My kingdom is NOT of this world!

A principality is an area presided over by a Prince.

Jesus/Yeshua’s own words we

Can’t serve two masters ..god and mammon.

The world systems are comprised of commerce, buying and selling which requires some kind of currency; i.e. money/mammon and uses mens’ form of governments.

Trade – buying and selling, wealth, riches and pleasures.

The end times list includes

lovers of pleasures – not lovers of God.

The kingdoms are opposed to one another

The kingdoms of darkness and light…

good and evil…

holy and profane…

The world encourages a lifestyle of taking care of self FIRST.. self serving ..to save self, to better self, to advance self.

Are we building our own kingdom?

…trying to make our own paradise here on earth?

Are we continually trying to re establish our lost authority and dominion by building and creating our own kingdom where we are the king in control and safe within our domain?

This, by definition is seeking to save self and preserve our own life apart from Messiah who wants us to…. leave it all and go…seekig His Kingdom and His Way….

No where does scripture tell us to build our own kingdom; instead, we are to lay down our life and take up our cross.

So which kingdom are we in

and

in which one are we serving?

How does this understanding of the

kingdom and king and dominion

affect how we read the scriptures

when Jesus/Yeshua is teaching?

If we read Yeshua/Jesus’ sayings in terms of what our Heavenly Father is doing on earth, rather than in terms of heaven, it may give new insight to his words. When He said:

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Matt. 19:14.

Childlike trust is a model for a believer’s commitment to God. Those who are humble, know they can’t live without His care and direction, and they approach Him as children would to their father; these individuals are the ones that He really can teach and have a relationship with. Proud people who feel they have everything under control have a very hard time being under God’s king-ship.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matt. 6:33

If we devote ourselves allowing our Heavenly Father to direct our lives and do His will, He promises He will take care of our physical needs.

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matt. 6:10

Tavo Malkhutekha.

When we say this in what we term as the Lord’s prayer,

we often assume that your kingdom come

means we are waiting for you to return.

We interpret it as a request for Messiah to return quickly.

The two phrases

your kingdom come and your will be done on earth 

are really synonymous and are saying :

May all the peoples of the earth enthrone you as king! May everyone on earth know you and do your will!

There is no doubt we are all waiting for Messiahs return; however this is really a request for our Heavenly Father to use us in spreading the gospel/good news and establish His Kingdom on earth within every believer!

We cannot straddle both kingdoms with one foot in each and there is NO fence upon which to sit…we must decide and then live wholeheartedly in and for the kingdom we choose.

The words of this song should be our hearts cry for us not only to be within His Kingdom but to have the fullness of His Kingdom within.

Shalom shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

… and…

it’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

More Crusts & Crumbs

A closer look

at some Hebrew/Aramaic words in

 Genesis 1:3-4

This of course is a very familiar verse from Torah (Tow-rah). However in the course of research looking at the original Hebrew and Aramaic languages, and the translations of some of the words; the following meanings were revealed, which are not only interesting but further help to illuminate the scriptures.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

4 And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.

Berean Study Bible.

3 And Elohim said: Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And Elohim saw the light, that it was good. And Elohim divided the light from the darkness.

(An Original Translation Made Directly from

Ancient Hebrew and Aramaic Sources.)

“3 ¶ And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.

4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

Lamsa Bible – English Peshitta translation.

Above is Dr. George Lamsa’s famous Peshitta Old Testament English translation.

The Peshitta Old Testament is the Aramaic version of a Hebrew Old Testament version (older and superior to the current accepted Massoretic Hebrew version).

The Massoretic Text –

Nusakh Ham’mas’sora: נוסח המסורה,

refers to the authoritative Hebrew manuscript and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism.

The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocalization and accentuation known as the mas’sora/the Massoretic Critical Edition of 1894.

The name comes from the word masora, the Hebrew textual tradition of the Hebrew Masorites (or Masoretes). These Masorites were Jewish rabbis who took extreme care to copy the Hebrew text of the Old Testament without error.  

The Hebrew texts of the Bible were originally written with only the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which only represent consonantal sounds; meaning there were no vowel sounds a,e,i,o,u.

The Peshitta New Testament is believed to be the original New Testament and if nothing else, deemed far closer to the original than the Greek texts.

The Lamsa Bible utilizes this version,

containing the 22 books shared by the Eastern Peshitta

and the Western Peshitto, plus the extra 5 books

(2Peter, 2John, 3John, Jude, Revelation)

that are included in the Western Peshitto.

The Designation/Name – Peshito/Peshitta…

The word itself is in grammatical form, feminine,

meaning:

simple, easy to be understood.

It seems to have been used to distinguish the version from others which are filled with reference marks and signs.

As regards the Old Testament, the age of the Version is commonly agreed upon.

 

Returning to the verses in

Genesis/ B’resheet…

Let there be light then it was that God saw the light and it was good.

The sun, moon and stars were created on day 4 so this light was not from them.

LET THERE BE = yehi 

which expresses:

a desire or wish (let)..

I desire that there be light.

LIGHT – OHR

and also means:

understanding.

As our idiom says of letting light in to our minds/thinking:

the light (bulb) came on.

The word SAW as in God SAW the light

is the word RA’AH

which has a secondary meaning of:

EXPERIENCING.  

Finally the word for GOOD is TOV

which means: to be in harmony with God.

So it could read as:

God said I desire to understand and there was understanding.

God experienced this understanding and SAW that it was in harmony with Him.

Jesus/Yeshua – the Word and Wisdom,

were with Him in Genesis – the beginning – B’resheet.

Out of harmony with God – ra /evil – darkness

In harmony with God – tov/ good – light

Light – ra’ah – ohr = understanding – experiencing.

Further on in verse 26 We see the word: dominion.

Hebrew scholars teach YIREDU for DOMINION.

It comes from the root word RADAH which means:

to exert control over something – to overpower.

Did God really command us to overpower animals? Sometimes we are so one dimensional in our western thoughts and mind set, giving a singular, one thought narrow answer.

The root word here is apparently YARAD not RADAH

YARAD means

to DESCEND

to lower oneself and show respect.

Proverbs 12:10. A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.

Amplified Bible A righteous man has kind regard for the life of his animal,

God did not give us His creation to exert our control, cruelty and to overpower His creation; shooting it just for sport to hang trophies on our walls! But rather to

HUMBLE us…

To bring us down from our lofty prideful perch and to learn a few things about Gods’ beauty, character, love and mercy.

Our Heavenly Fathers’ creation is

HIS revelation of love to us.

It’s not there for us to do with as we please, to abuse and exert selfish desires and agendas with.

If we lower ourselves and show His creation respect –

if we YARAD –

His creation will speak to us and draw us

to the creator to love and respect Him with all our hearts.

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end. King James Bible He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:

Ecc. 3:11.

 

Not only did he make everything…….

He made it all beautiful in its time. 

We have a sense of eternity because God exists.

Romans 1:20.

The narrow gate leads to life

The difficult way leads to life 

Many don’t offer this as an evangelistic tool to win souls!

Many times, we hear and give only good news that God saves people by His sovereign grace through the atonement of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus and it’s Him who works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Here again we see the truth that we are not the one in overall charge our dominion and authority is imparted to those who believe and trust and obey! Its His good pleasure not ours!

We need to get the dynamics of this relationship inn its correct proper perspective. He made us for His pleasure He saved us to be His child and be part of His family and dwell eternally in His presence.

Ps 100:3 Know that the Lord he is God; he made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Below is a link to a free online site for the Aramaic Bible.

https://biblehub.com/galatians/5-1.htm Aramaic Bible in Plain English

Stand therefore in that liberty with which The Messiah has set us free, and do not be yoked again in a yoke of bondage.

Gal. 5:1…..

He set us free to serve Him

The Israelites groaned in their labors (avodah) and cried out, and their cry for help because of their labor (avodah) went up to God. Ex. 2:23

 “Let my people go, that they may serve (avad) me in the wilderness” (Ex. 7:16).

In this sentence the same word for labor and slavery

is being used to describe worshipping God.

The reason for this is that:

the same word, avad,

can mean

to serve or

to worship.

Exodus 20:22-24:8

To love Him and worship Him – to have a relationship with Him.

We did not do anything other than rebel against ignore and sin against Him.

If we are to live as His talmidim/disciples, we must remember that all efforts that have any worth or excellence are difficult. This chaim/life, is in fact glorious but at the same time, difficult, it is not to cause us to give up and be weak willed; it should stir us up to be those over-comers.

The question is do we really appreciate the salvation He provided?

Do we comprehend the miracle of new birth spiritually enough, to totally lay down everything and give our all to Him?

We have to work out that salvation Phil 2:12 everyday; and if He is not our life….. then it will be a constant struggle, trying to do things ourselves.

We must begin on the foundation of His redeeming life, now working in us and do what He commands us.

These commands are not grievous if we truly love Him.

If we spurn them, ignore them, choose to disobey them; then we are not truly a loving child whose grateful heart is fully given to Him; and we will remain full of our own ways – preferring them to His and will wander off track onto the broad way.

Interesting that Broadway is the NewYork name to its’ entertainment center. His way is THE WAY… we will fulfill all we are called here for and we will find we can do it HIS WAY.

If we fail, it’s probably due to us not walking in, and operating by the things He has placed within us. Obeying His spirit and practicing in our day to day lives, that Spirit which has been placed there. When a crisis comes, we will find the combination of His nature and ours will stand and not crumble.

The difficult things are the tests of our faith, not for Him, but for us; for us to see exactly where we are and what we truly believe.

Salvation requires

bravery and courage

and above all

holiness,

and will test us for all we are worth.

Why?

Because Hebrews 2:10 and He as a good father will not shield us from the requirements of son ship. God’s children who have a strong family traits to Jesus/Yeshua, are not weaklings, not pampered or spoiled children. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the life of a disciple/talmidim, and to be worthy leading a life like Daniel, with a spirit of excellence and faithfulness enduring in the ever-pressing harsh realities of lifes’ worldly temptations.

This life requires effort – our whole hearted participation and if it’s not born out of relationship rooted in love, joy and peace (ahava, simchah and shalom) together with total trust/faith in a GOOD Heavenly Father… that narrow door will seem unreachable.

It’s not hard if you love Him and that love should inspire our heartfelt thanks.

Thanksgiving in Hebrew is Todah =

heartfelt thanksgiving in today’s modern Hebrew.

it’s simply used for thank you Todah raba

תּוֹדָה רַבָּה 

The word comes from the root word;

YUDAH or JUDAH יהודה

From yadah; meaning celebrated;

Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites;

also of the tribe descended from the first,

and of its territory –

 pronounced ye-huw-dah 

From the verb הוד ( hod ), meaning: 

to be praise-worthy,

comes the noun הוד ( hod ), meaning:

splendor, majesty, vigor, glory or honor.

The importance of this name and its meaning rests in the fact that it is the source of the name of the people of Israel:

‘Ye•hu•dim’  = Jewish

The name “Yehudah”

(“Judah” in English)

in Hebrew it is spelled

“yud, heh, vav, dalet, heh”.

In the Torah, God has many names, however the most common is the Tetragrammaton – YHVH

as we pronounce it in English.

Judah means: a heartfelt thanksgiving or praise.

And of course was the name of one of the 12 sons of Israel.

Judah always led the WAY and went first on their journey.

Praise and heartfelt thanksgiving was first.

Spelled

Taw Daleth Hei Tav Dalet Hay

Taw letter represents the heartfelt thanksgiving

Dalet letter represents a doorway

Hei letter represents the presence of God.

So heartfelt praise and thanksgiving is a doorway to Gods presence!

Ps 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful to him, and bless his name. 

In Rev 3:20. Yeshua/Jesus calls the congregation of Laodicea neither hot nor cold …. but what made them that way?

He stands at the door and knocks He’s reminding them of TODAH that heartfelt thanksgiving opens the door to his presence

When He knocks let’s open that door quickly to His presence and give TODAH – heartfelt thanksgiving Todah to our redeemer Mashiach.

Probably the most important meaning of behold I stand at the door and knock is

the heart of Yeshua/Jesus which is:

to desire intimate fellowship with you and me. 

Revelation 3:20 says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Strong’s Hebrew: 8426. תּוֹדָה (todah) — thanksgiving

From yadah; properly, an extension of the hand, i.e. (by implication) avowal, or (usually) adoration;

specifically, a choir of worshippers —

confession, (sacrifice of) praise, thanks (-giving, 

The third Hebrew word for praise, Todah, means thanksgiving. 

It also means: Praise and thanksgiving; 

The offering of thanks or sacrifice of thanksgiving;

תּוֹדָה. 

תּוֹדָה tôwdâh, to-daw’; from H3034; properly, an extension of the hand, i.e. (by implication) avowal, or (usually) adoration; specifically, a choir of worshippers:—confession.

At this time in our walk when seemingly there may not be so much to give thanksgiving and praise for…Lets make sure we have not put out the…

…sign…

…but rather are offering Todah from our hearts…

a true sacrifice of thanksgiving! 

Shalom shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

A Sheilah and Smikhah?

A Question About Authority.

Who or What is a

Sheilah??

It’s a word used for a girl or a woman. This word first appeared in Australian English in 1832 with the spelling shelah.

It was initially used in Australia to refer to a woman of Irish origin, but from the late 19th century onwards it became a general term for a woman or girl.

And its also a girls name, sometimes spelled with an i and without the second h sheila;

and in Hebrew it is the word for

a question.

sheelah or shelah: request, thing asked for.

Mark 9:11-13 – And they put a question to him

(put something to someone) – to ask someone a question. 

and Matt 22:23-24.

They put to Him a sh’eilah

שאלה 

(with vowel points) שְׁאֵלָה

Then one of them, a lawyer,

asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,

Matt. 22:35 34. And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: 36“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”…

1905 In Greek eperótaó: to inquire of

Original Word: ἐπερωτάω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: eperótaó
Phonetic Spelling: ep-er-o-tah’-o
Usage: I interrogate, question, demand of.

Matthew 22:35 V-AIA-3S
GRK: καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν εἷς ἐξ
NAS: of them, a lawyer, asked Him [a question], testing
KJV: [which was] a lawyer, asked [him a question], tempting
INT: and questioned [him] one of

Matthew 22:41 V-AIA-3S
GRK: τῶν Φαρισαίων ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ
NAS: Jesus asked them a question:
KJV: Jesus asked them,
INT: the Pharisees questioned them

As noted above in Hebrew a

sh’eilah, sheelah or shelah

means:

request, thing asked for

Original Word: שְׁאֵלָה
Transliteration: sheelah or shelah
Phonetic Spelling: sheh-ay-law’

a question

or

a question about Torah or halakhah

usually posed to someone who was expected to give

an authoritive answer.

The question posed by the Tz’dukim /Sadducees is based on the law of the ‘Levirate marriage’ (Deut 25:5-10) wherein the brother of a man who dies without children is expected to marry his brothers widow in order to maintain the family line; (as Sadducees correctly state). The firstborn son of the new marriage would count as the dead mans child for inheritance purposes.

The Sadducees were an ultra-liberal, neo-political religious group of Jews who, like many Christians of today, would decidedly pick and choose what they did and didn’t want to believe with regards to their own religion.

They stood in direct contrast to the elite, ultra-conservative Pharisees who read, interpreted, and applied the Scriptures quite literally, practicing their faith upon an extreme “letter of the law” basis.

The Sadducees did not believe in angels, the existence of Hell, and denied the Resurrection – all three of which are firmly rooted in Scripture.

One of the most famous incidents concerning the Sadducees occurs when they approach Messiah with an excessively intricate question about the resurrection (Matt. 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27, Luke 20:27-40). Although this question was designed to distort, refute, and ridicule Jesus/Yeshua’s teaching about life after death, it ended up revealing the absurdity of the Sadducees’ own reasoning and inability to comprehend Holy Scripture.

It is interesting to note that although the Sadducees and Pharisees were polar opposites, they were each united by one common quest: to plot His demise and death.

The second word is

S’mikhah/Semikhah : סמיכה

Here in Matthew 21:23, we read that they asked Yeshua/Jesus

a sheilah about His smikhah

A question about authority.

NASB: When He entered the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?’ 

23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said,

By what authority doest thou these things?

and who gave thee this authority? KJV.

When they could give Him no answer He replied.. Matt 21:27. 

27 So they answered, “We do not know.” 

And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tellyou by what authority 

I am doing these things. 

By what s’mikhah סמכות I do these things

He went into the Temple area; and as he was teaching, the head cohanim and the elders of the people approached him and demanded, “What s’mikhah do you have that authorizes you to do these things? And who gave you this s’mikhah?” Yeshua answered, “I too will ask you a sh’eilah/question. If you answer it, then I will tell you by what s’mikhah I do these things. The immersion of Yochanan — where did it come from? From Heaven or from a human source?” They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, `From Heaven,’ he will say, `Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, `From a human source,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard Yochanan as a prophet.” So they answered Yeshua, “We don’t know.” And he replied, “Then I won’t tell you by what s’mikhah I do these things. Matt. 21: 23-27.

s’mikhah סמכות

In Hebrew means:

leaning or laying on of hands in the ordination ceremony

for a judge elder or rabbi.

S’mikhah has many more meanings and functions in the Kingdom. 

S’mikhah can mean:

anointing, ordination, transfer, or even authority.

Exodus 28:41. So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him.

Yeshua/Jesus, was legitimately challenged by the high priest and the elders of the people about the source of the s’mikhah that gave him the authority to teach in the temple. This authority is traceable back to the time of Moshe and is known as the great succession.

The great succession started in the desert when the children of Israel were discontented with the manna that YHVH had provided for them, in their hearts they longed/lusted for the food left behind in Egypt. They grumbled to Moses continually and by default to  Almighty God. This angered Him and He destroyed some of the people by sending fire to the outskirts of the camp. (Ex 18: 1-3). Even after the fire, some among the mixed multitude continued to complain, stirred up God’s anger once again; so He provided an answer to the cry for meat by sending quails and He also addressed Moses’ burden by relieving the load of authority that he carried:

Adonai said to Moshe, “Bring me seventy of the leaders of Israel, people you recognize as leaders of the people and officers of theirs. Bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit which rests on you and put it on them. Then they will carry the burden of the people along with you, so that you won’t carry it yourself alone. Num. 11:16-17. 

Moshe went out and told the people what ADONAI had said. Then he collected seventy of the leaders of the people and placed them all around the tent. ADONAI came down in the cloud, spoke to him, took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy leaders. When the Spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied -then but not afterwards. There were two men who stayed in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad, and the Spirit came to rest on them. They were among those listed to go out to the tent, but they hadn’t done so, and they prophesied in the camp. Num. 11:24-26.

This is s’mikhah, the transferring of the power of the Ruach HaKodesh/Gods’ Spirit of Holiness, that was upon Moses by the Almighty, to 70 other individuals.

When Moses was about to die, he asked the Lord God to provide continual leadership for the people after his death. God appointed Y’hoshua/Joshua, the son of Nun, to replace Moses and told him to perform s’mikhah so that some of the power of His Ruach Hakodesh that was on Moses may be transferred to Joshua/Y’hoshua:

Take Y’hoshua the son of Nun, a spiritual man, and lay your hand on him. Put him in front of El’azar the Cohen and the whole community, and commission him in their sight. Delegate to him some of your authority, so that the entire community of Isra’el will obey him. He is to present himself to El’azar the Cohen, who is to find out by means of the urim what ADONAI’s will is for Y’hoshua’s decisions. Then, at his word they will go out, and at his word they will come in, both he and all the people of Isra’el with him, the whole community.” Moshe did as ADONAI had ordered him. He took Y’hoshua, put him before El’azar the Cohen and the whole community, laid his hands on him, and commissioned him, as ADONAI had said through Moshe. Num. 27:15-23.

The principle of s’mikhah is that the person who lays hand must have something to transfer, because they can’t transfer what they don’t have. This principle is behind the great succession. The names of the seventy men that the power was transferred to from Moshe were recorded and kept as a document of continuance; so that there would always be seventy men in Israel to whom the people could go to resolve their problems. These men, before they died, would appoint their successor and lay hands on them. The successors name would then be recorded among those that rule and resolve the problems of Israel.

S’mikhah is the laying of hands, an event with an clear history in the Scriptures, as far back as Yitz’chak/Isaac, later, made more formal by Moses. It is a key function of the Body of Messiah Yeshua; S’mikhah is part of the foundation of understanding for all believers. The word itself carries different meanings and values depending on who is using it and for what purpose. 

Today, within the Body of Messiah, s’mikhah is concerned with the transfer of power; sometimes called the anointing or shekinah presence.  It is impossible to start or transfer divine power, unless it has first been given by His Rauch HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness.

The laying on of hands in the Tanakh/Old Testament, is a symbolic act that confers or transfers an office. This rabbinic ordination, allows the recipient the right to judge and to decide on points of halakhah, (Jewish traditional law). Here, the cohanim/priests and elders in Matt 21:24 are basically asking Jesus/Yeshua.

What kind of ordination did you receive that entitles you to teach as authoritatively as you do?  to decide points of halakhah as you do?  and to disturb the peace in the Temple courts?

With Messiah there was no obvious evidence of His s’mikhah, so the confrontation by the High priest and elders asking: 

What s’mikhah do you have that authorizes you to do these things? And who gave you this s’mikhah?”

was from a legalistic and political stance.

Messiahs reply.

Yeshua answered, “I too will ask you a

sh’eilah/question.

If you answer it, then I will tell you by what s’mikhah I do these things. The immersion of Yochanan — where did it come from? From Heaven or from a human source?” They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, `From Heaven,’ he will say, `Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, `From a human source,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard Yochanan as a prophet.” Matt. 21: 24-26.

If they say John/Yochanan received his s’mikhah from the Lord God, their position would be completely undermined because Yochanan/Johns mission was to identify the Messiah/Mashiach to Israel but they had not believed him and John/Yochanan had been killed.

The s’mikhah through their covenant had provided the children of Israel with a steady, reliable and controlled form of being governed. It had been their anchor in times of acute distress for example; While under Roman occupation it was deemed pointless trying to change the people of Israel through their authority and laws because the people always referred back to their leaders who had s’mikhah.

After the death and the resurrection of Messiah, a far greater challenge presented itself to the children of Israel. This began when ordinary men and women of h’derek/The Way, who had none of the legal or Tenakh/old Covenant training associated with s’mikhah; suddenly started to lay hands on others and do extraordinary miracles with a new kind of authority/s’mikhah.

The challenge to the established order was obvious. These were ordinary people who performed s’mikhah resulting in miracles by His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness.

An unprecedented change had taken place and everything said about Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, in whose name the s’mikhah were carried out, stood as a testimony against Israel’s leaders.

These leaders would have to realize that not only had they killed the Messiah/Mashiach but that the Lord God had moved His Spirit and divine inspiration from them, and placed it onto ordinary people those who were the believers in Jesus/Yeshua.

The reaction by this group of decision makers was to change the name s’mikhah to minnuy! This made a distinction between the older established tradition and succession of s’mikhah, and the people of h’derek/The Way. They drew very negative conclusions about the power behind the miracles being performed by making this distinction.

The priesthood comprising Aharon/Aaron and his sons were shadows pointing to Another, One that was to come, Who has the glory of the Almighty. We know the fullness of that glory is in Yeshua/Jesus, the high priest/cohen hakadol, in Whom the Father’s glory is reflected in an everlasting priesthood.

It becomes even clearer if a different kind of cohen, one like Malki-Tzedek, arises, one who became a Cohen not by virtue of a rule in the Torah concerning physical descent, but by virtue of the power of an indestructible life. Heb. 7:15-16.

Managing the sins of the people was the exclusive role of the priesthood, who must themselves be cleansed from sin before undertaking that role. In this process, the people confess their sins to the priests over an innocent sacrificial animal, where s’mikhah is performed and the sins of the people are transferred to the innocent sacrificial animal, whether this is performed for an individual or for an entire nation. The Tenakh includes many prophesies that sin would one day be borne by an innocent; One who had committed no sin. They spoke of the innocence of Messiah as the sinless lamb of God Who was prepared from the foundation of the earth for this very specific purpose.

Here is another application principle of the Body of Messiah and of s’mikhah, that one person does for all; and the example is drawn from the role of the High Priest, who once every year, confesses the sins of the whole nation by laying his hands upon an innocent creature, so that the creature may bear the sins of the people:

So it could be said likewise the body of believers in Messiah Jesus/Yeshua perform acts which are for the whole body. The body is intimately joined together as one, so it could follow that the act of s’mikhah performed by one is, the act of the one performing for the many, under the guide of the head/Messiah?

S’mikhah/authority does not come before understanding, it comes after truth and light have been received, the eyes of our understanding being enlightened. The laying on hands, when it happens, is to transfer power of His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness for a particular reason and purpose.

S’mikhah is performed in Jesus/Yeshua’s name: And these signs will accompany those who do trust: in my name they will drive out demons, speak with new tongues, not be injured if they handle snakes or drink poison, and heal the sick by laying hands on them.” Mark 16:17-18.

1And calling His twelve disciples to Him,Jesus gave them authority over uncleanspirits, so that they could drive them outand heal every disease and sickness.2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John. Matt.10:1

Mark 6:7  7Then Jesus calledthe Twelve to Him and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. 8

It is for us a sheilah/question of smikhah/authority because it is essential to know by whose authority do we minister?

Is it our own authority or that conferred by men and institutions; or because we have a title in front of our name and letters after it? Or is it truly smikhah from our Heavenly Fathers Ruach HaKodesh/spirit of Holiness, given, received and imparted to others in the name of Jesus the Messiah/Yeshua haMashiach?

It is indeed a serious ?  A Question About Authority!

Shalom shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

… and…

it’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.