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Apostolic Writings Discussions Prophets and Writings

Luke 6:20-26: Sermon on the Mount vs. Sermon on the Plain, part 2: Beatitudes in Isaiah 61

The focus of Isaiah 61 is the status of the poor. Notice there are several similarities between that passage and Yeshua’s “happy are”/“woe to” discourse, commonly known as the Beatitudes.

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Apostolic Writings Life With God Prophets and Writings Torah

Firstfruits of the Kingdom of God illuminate a dark Earth

The Kingdom of God is rarely discussed on Christian talk radio, yet it is an overwhelming theme throughout Yeshua’s teachings recorded in the New Testament. Consider the spiritual implications of the line “your time has come to shine all your dreams are on their way” in Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Perhaps it is the time for the Firstfruit saints to shine like the sun and have their dreams come true, as described by the prophet Daniel. Those times may be close at hand.

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Appointments With God Discussions Pentecost/Shavuot Prophets and Writings

Book of Ruth and Shavu’ot: Return of and redemption for Israel and the nations

Traditionally, the book of Ruth is studied during Shavu’ot in most Jewish congregations. We have studied the surface story of Ruth in the past, but this study will dig deeper. Ruth had no right to an inheritance from God. She disregarded her birth family and follows her mother-in-law, Naomi, and Naomi’s God for the rest of her life.

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Discussions Prophets and Writings

2nd Samuel 16: Chaisitic structure of betrayal: Of David, Yeshua and Israel

Ziba comes to David with some of Mephibosheth’s wealth and brought it to David on the pretext of pledging loyalty to David. Ziba tells David that Mephibosheth has purposefully refused to flee with David and stay behind to possibly gain the throne for himself. This chapter structured to highlight betrayal to show us that a particular individual, David was betrayed and that His descendant, the Messiah would be betrayed in a similar way.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Prophets and Writings

2nd Samuel 15:30-32: How does the Bible define the symbols of a covered head and bare feet?

Daniel addresses a question raised during the last study of 2nd Samuel 15 about David’s going the Mount of Olives to pray with a covered head and bare feet in this excursus. In many places in the Bible, covering a man’s head is an act of shame or mourning. Why does God command His priests to wear head coverings? Why did Paul write in 1st Corinthians 11 that a man should pray or prophesy with his head “uncovered”?

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Discussions Prophets and Writings

2nd Samuel 15 — Absolom as a haSatan figure to the Messiah

Daniel elaborates on the chiastic structure of 2nd Samuel 15–20 by showing a couple of simpler chiastic structures in Numbers 7, which was discussed during the Torah study.

The one in 2nd Samuel is the largest chiastic structure that Daniel has presented so far. However, the focus of this chiastic structure, as in most chiastic structures, is the Messiah. God places these chiastic structures in the Bible to reveal clues about the role of the Messiah or events that will occur in the Messiah’s life on earth.

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Discussions Prophets and Writings

2nd Samuel 15: Absolom names himself king of Israel

Absolom’s political life begins after he retuned to Israel after his exile. He quickly gains the favor of many and he usurps David’s throne for a time. He stole the hearts of the people by claiming he just wanted to be a judge of Israel as Samuel and his predecessors had been judge. However, it is in Absolom’s heart to become king all along by crowning himself in Hebron, the city where David had become king. David leaves behind 15 people including five spies and 10 concubines.