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

From guilt to glory: Yom Kippur & the believer’s transformative journey

This study explores יוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים Yom Kippurim, the Day of Atonement in the Bible, which stands as a pivotal moment in the redemptive story, bridging the gulf between Heaven and Earth. Rooted in Leviticus 16 and echoed in Hebrews 3–10, this sacred day reveals the Messiah’s eternal work of covering sins, transgressions and iniquities.

From the Passover lamb’s blood on the doorpost to block the LORD’s destroyer to the high priest’s incense-shrouded entrance into the Holy of Holies, the themes of Yom Kippur point to the ultimate sacrifice of Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ), the Melchizedek priest who cleanses our consciences from the stain of a life separated from the presence of the Creator (Heb. 9:14).

Confronting the depths of the human heart, as seen in Genesis 4, Psalm 51, Isaiah 1 and Matthew 5, Yom Kippur calls us to a posture of brokenness and contrition, that we might experience the transformative power of forgiveness and restoration.

Categories
Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

Heaven in our likeness: Adam & Eve’s revolutionary views on God (Genesis 2–3; Isaiah 42)

God made mankind as the pinnacle of creation. He created us to aspire to do things beyond our reach, to learn about the world beyond our horizons and to change our environment.

Men and women are pre-programmed to seek out our purpose in relation to each other and to the world at large. This gives us the ability to either accomplish great good in the world or great evil.

And that’s where the lessons come in from Adam and Eve’s choice between the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life, recorded in the Torah reading רֵאשִׁ֖ית Beresheet (“in the beginning,” Gen. 1:1–6:8). We can learn from them to choose the path that leads to life, rather than the one that leads to death.

Categories
Discussions Torah

Genesis 1:1–6:8: The Creator shows why to ‘have no other gods before [Him]’

Some Bible versions translate Gen. 1:1 as “In the beginning, God created…” or “In the beginning of God’s creating the heavens and the earth….” בְּרֵאשִׁית Bereysheet (Genesis) is not a science book. It is not designed to teach you how God created anything. The purpose of the beginning of Bereisheet is to teach us who God is, what He did and how powerful He is, much like Devarim (Deuteronomy) starts with reminding the people who God is and why the Ten Commandments say to have no other gods before Him.

Categories
Discussions Torah

Genesis 4:7-25: The way of Cain

Cain’s offering was not rejected because it was the wrong offering. It was rejected because of the condition of Cain’s heart. God warns Cain that he has let sin into his heart and his house. God instructs Cain that he is to rule over sin not to allow the sin to rule over him, but the sin in Cain’s heart was too pleasurable to him.

Categories
Discussions Torah

Genesis 1–4 recap

Because of a technical error, only part of the discussion was recorded.

Categories
Discussions Torah

Genesis 4:16-26 — Lessons from Cain’s family

Names are very important in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Bible. The names of Cain’s descendants tell an interesting story about the anguish he and those after him felt about separation from God.

Categories
Discussions Torah

Genesis 4:8-15 — ‘Mark of Cain’ is mercy not racism

https://hallel.info/wp-content/uploads/file/081101%20Genesis%204vv8-15%20-%20mark%20of%20Cain%20is%20mercy%20not%20racism.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:41 — )Subscribe: RSSMany have thought the "mark of Cain" is dark skin or some other physical trait. Actually, it was a mark of mercy. That mercy claimed the life of Messiah Yeshua.