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Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

Lifeline for the world: Blessings of Israel’s 12 tribes, Solomon and the 12 disciples (Genesis 49; 1Kings 2; John 13–17)

One of the key lessons from the blessings of the 12 founders of the tribes of Israel in Torah reading ויחי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26) is that ancestry doesn’t mean much if each generation doesn’t carry on the legacy handed down. We can learn from these blessings and from the final messages of King David for Solomon (1Kings 2:1–12) and of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) for the Twelve (John 13–17) what Heaven wants us to pass on to our children and to the world.

We all have to choose spiritually and physically (belief in action) to follow what is right to receive the blessings that God has for us to further the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Prophets and Writings

John 13:36-38: Shepherd Friend of God

In a sobering interchange between the Messiah and one of His closest students during a pinnacle Pesakh (Passover) celebration, Yeshua challenged Simon Peter to truly become a key shepherd, foretold by prophet Zechariah, by becoming such a friend of God that he wouldn’t fear being persecuted to death.

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Apostolic Writings Appointments With God Atonement Discussions Jubilee Sabbatical Year

John 13:34-35: How new is Yeshua’s ‘new command’?

Is Yeshua’s “new commandment” in John 13:34-35 really new? An answer is taught through God’s appointed times of Yom haKippurim (Day of Atonement), Shmittah (sabbatical year) and Yobel (Jubilee year).

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Apostolic Writings Discussions

John 13:21-30: Yehudah ish Kariot receives but rejects Bread of Life

Simply being in the same place where God’s Spirit is present and working wasn’t enough for Yehudah ish Kariot (Judas Iscariot, “man of Kariot”). It isn’t enough for us either. That is why a simple morsel of food from Yeshua’s hand blessed the 11 other closest students but cursed Yehudah.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Luke 22:7-38; John 13:1-20: Passover of Yeshua: Faith that Messiah makes us ‘greater’

At the beginning of His great final message and prayer with His 12 closest students (John 13-17; Luke 22:7-38), Yeshua was not calling them to be servants but friends. Servants and masters do not love each other but friends do. Our lives are more temporary than we think. Our lives can be very short or very long. We can make our lives long in the short time we have when we put our lives in God’s hands. God is taking us over the horizon, beyond what we can see. We have to have faith to walk with God when we can’t see where he is taking us.

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Appointments With God Discussions Passover Torah

Messiah our Passover

We are continuing our Passover discussions leading up to the Passover itself. This is some additional background we need to cover before we partake of our annual Passover feast.

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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.