Category: Appointments With God

Categories
Apostolic Writings Appointments With God Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah Trumpets

How to be ready for the Day of the LORD without fear or panic (Joel 2; Matthew 24; Ezekiel 33; 1 Thessalonians 4–5)

Created by ChatGPT, this digital oil painting in thick palette-knife style shows a collage-like scene under a dark, stormy sky, with faint churches, homes, and believers from different cultures in the background, centered especially on Nigerian believers. In the middle, a small group of worshippers stands with hands lifted inside a bright vertical column of golden light, symbolizing hope, readiness, and steadfast faith amid trouble. The background is muted and smoky, while the central figures are warmly illuminated. Text overlay reads: “How to be ready for the Day of the LORD without fear or panic (Joel 2; Matthew 24; Ezekiel 33; 1 Thessalonians 4–5).” A Hallel.info watermark is included.

Awaken to the true meaning of Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets, aka Rosh Hashanah) — far beyond shofars and New Year customs like apples and honey. This study explores the biblical call to “blow the trumpet in Zion” (Joel 2), stay alert amid rising lawlessness (Matthew 24), and resist “spiritual gravity” in an age of comfort and distraction. Discover how repentance (teshuvah), watchfulness, and the armor of God prepare believers for the Day of the LORD without fear, panic or failed end-times date-setting.

Categories
Appointments With God Prophets and Writings Torah readings Trumpets

Yom Teruah (Festival of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah) readings

Renowned blower Robert Weinger of Shofar So Good blows two horn trumpets in Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock mosque on the site of the Holy of Holies of the Temple behind him. (ShofarSoGood.com)

The first day the seventh month on Israel’s calendar is a biblical triple-header memorial festival: Rosh Chodesh (New Moon), Yom Teruah (Day of Blowing Trumpets) and Rosh Hashanah (New Year). There are also a number of connections between and lessons in the mentions of trumpets in the Apostolic Writings (New Testament) and the themes of this festival. Here are Bible readings related to the festival and other details to get you ready to celebrate.

Categories
Apostolic Writings Discussions Jubilee Prophets and Writings Sabbatical Year Torah

Is modern debt a new kind of slavery? Bible laws that break today’s shackles (Leviticus 25:39–26:2; Isaiah 24; John 13)

Created with ChatGPT, this palette-knife oil digital painting shows a young adult walking through a cityscape built from giant credit cards, loan agreements, bills and collection notices, with heavy chains wrapped around the ankles. Ahead, a radiant shofar on the horizon sends out golden light that breaks the chains, symbolizing release from financial bondage. Text overlay: “Is modern debt a new kind of slavery? Bible laws that break today’s shackles (Leviticus 25:39–26:2; Isaiah 24; John 13).” Hallel.info watermark.

We rightfully cringe at the bondage described in Leviticus 25:39–26:2. But are the chains of debt on us today somewhat similar? In this study, we look at the Jubilee and Shemitah laws against today’s student loans, consumer debt and collapsing social trust. Parallel passage Isaiah 24 exposes what happens when nations cross God’s economic and moral boundaries, while John 13 reveals a radically different Master who uses authority to serve. Discover how biblical freedom resets identity, land, wealth and power in a world trapped by debt and chronic anxiety.

Categories
Discussions Jubilee Prophets and Writings Sabbatical Year Torah

Debt, poverty and the Bible: How Shemitah and Jubilee break the cycle (Leviticus 25; Deuteronomy 15; Jeremiah 11)

A thick oil palette-knife painting of a Mark Twain-like 19th-century traveler overlooking a barren, decayed Jerusalem beneath an overcast sky. Text overlay: “Debt, poverty and the Bible: How Shemitah and Jubilee break the cycle (Leviticus 25; Deuteronomy 15; Jeremiah 11).” Hallel.info watermark. (Created by ChatGPT)

How are the Bible’s weekly Sabbath, sabbatical years and the 50-year Jubilee actually linked? And what do they reveal about debt, poverty, land use and Israel’s modern history? In this deep-dive study of Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Jeremiah, we connect Torah cycles to Mark Twain’s haunting visit to Jerusalem, modern agriculture and God’s long memory. Discover why ignoring divine rest laws reshapes economies, communities and even empires — and why generous release of debts may still change our future in ways we rarely expect.

Categories
Apostolic Writings Appointments With God Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

Spiritual detox: What the Bible really says about breaking free from toxic patterns (Leviticus 22–23; Zechariah 14; Colossians 2)

Digital palette-knife oil painting created by ChatGPT, showing weary older Israelites looking back toward shadowy Egypt while a younger generation moves through the desert toward a bright Promised Land. The image includes the text “Spiritual detox: What the Bible really says about breaking free from toxic patterns (Leviticus 22–23; Zechariah 14; Colossians 2)” and a Hallel.info watermark.

Detoxing from sin more than personal. It’s cosmic. This study connects Leviticus 23, the Shema prayer (Deuteronomy 6), Zechariah 14, and Colossians 2 to show how God’s “appointments” detox both spiritual leaders and everyday people from toxic habits, false religion, and spiritual distractions. Discover how unleavened bread, the Sabbath, and the festivals of the LORD all point to the Messiah as our ultimate detox, restoring us from slavery to freedom and leading us back toward the garden of God’s presence.

Categories
Apostolic Writings Appointments With God Atonement Discussions Torah

Day of Atonement: A simple guide to Yom Kippur, forgiveness and Jesus (Leviticus 16; Titus 3; Hebrews 9–10; Luke 18)

This ChatGPT-created digital painting in an oil palette knife style depicts Yeshua's parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9–14. A proud Pharisee stands praying confidently in the foreground while a humble tax collector bows with head lowered in the background inside the Temple, illuminated by warm golden light. The image includes the text overlay, "Day of Atonement: A simple guide to Yom Kippur, forgiveness and Jesus (Leviticus 16; Titus 3; Hebrews 9–10; Luke 18)," and a Hallel.info watermark in the lower left corner.

Discover how Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) brings to fullness Leviticus 16 and is detailed description of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). We connect Titus 3; Hebrews 9–10; and Luke 18 to show how Yeshua, our merciful High Priest, provides Heaven’s ultimate covering, removing and purposefully forgetting our sin, transgression and iniquity. Trace the journey from each of our “house of bondage” to the Promised Land of freedom and the meaning of Yom Kippur’s two goats. And we learn what it means to humbly trust (have faith) in His finished work.

Categories
Apostolic Writings Appointments With God Discussions Pentecost/Shavuot Prophets and Writings Torah

Can outsiders belong to God’s people? The Bible’s bold answer at Pentecost (Ruth 1–4; Ezekiel 1–3; Acts 1–2, 10)

A storytelling split-scene digital painting created by ChatGPT in a richly textured oil palette knife style. On the left, Ruth stands in a glowing wheat field at sunrise, holding gathered stalks of grain and reaching toward the distant hills of Israel beneath a golden sky. On the right, the Roman centurion Cornelius sits with his household inside a modest stone room as radiant light descends from above, symbolizing the Holy Spirit in Acts 10. A luminous river of light flows from Ruth’s harvest field into Cornelius’s home, visually connecting the inclusion of outsiders among God’s people across Scripture. Warm gold, amber, and earth tones unify the two scenes into a single hopeful narrative about God gathering the nations. The image includes the text overlay: “Can outsiders belong to God’s people? (Ruth 1–4; Ezekiel 1–3; Acts 1–2, 10)” and contains a Hallel.info watermark.

Discover how Shavuot (Pentecost), the Book of Ruth, Ezekiel’s chariot vision, and Acts 1–2 weave a single story: God gathering a harvest from all nations. In this study we explore Ruth’s bold “Your people will be my people,” exile and restoration in Ezekiel, Peter’s Shavuot message, and the New Covenant promise of the Torah written on our hearts by the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). Learn how law and Spirit unite to transform identity, obedience, and hope.