In Genesis 28-31, the transformation from Jacob the deceiver to Israel the overcomer is a lifelong journey and one that the book of Revelation underscores is essential for those who enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Discover in this study of the Torah reading ויצא Vayetze how our entry into the kingdom of the Messiah calls for a lifetime journey from slavery to freedom.
Esau was not the innocent victim of his brother Jacob’s conspiracy we read about in the Torah reading תולדות Toldot (“generations,” Genesis 25:19–28:9). We learn through the companion passage in Malachi 1 that Esau knew that he didn’t value his birthright or his blessing from his father, Isaac, the legacy of faith in God passed down from Abraham. God separated Jacob and Esau for very good reasons. And God will take care of your future — if you follow Him faithfully.
Ancient views on the opening verses of Torah reading חיי שרה Chayei Sarah (“Sarah’s life,” Gen. 23:1–25:18) about the funeral for the pivotal matriarch of Israel remind us that we all go through phases of our lives. Like Sarah, Abraham and other key leaders of the people of God, we get a new name — character, reputation and legacy — when we are delivered from our old life of bondage to things that keep us separated from the Kingdom of Heaven. In this study, we explore why embracing our “new name” as a “new creation” of Heaven is essential to this transformation.
Does God judge the nations based on what they don’t know? The Torah reading וירא Vayera (“he appeared,” Genesis 18-22) illustrates through Abraham’s dealings with Sodom-Gomorrah and Philistia that Heaven judges the Gentiles by their conduct, specifically on how they take care of other people, aka the Golden Rule.
In the Torah reading Lech Lecha (“go forth,” Genesis 12–17), we see some key motifs from Abram/Abraham’s life that are repeated or echoed elsewhere in Scripture. Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) is the ultimate expression of these messages from Heaven.
Though separated by roughly 4,000 years, the “preacher of righteousness” who led his family to “rest” through the Flood foreshadowed the Righteous One Who would bring rest to the world. Here are several reasons why the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
Interpretations of the book of Revelation are numerous, but one key to understanding the mysterious imagery is to find where the same images appear earlier in the Bible. Discover in this study on the Feast of Trumpets how the account of the Exodus and the writings of the prophets Joel, Zechariah, Isaiah and others reveal how the seven trumpets of Revelation point to judgment starting at the house of God.