Genuine

 

Zechariah chapter 14, vs 1 – 9                         select verses in sequence

14:1 הנה יום-בא ליהוה וחלק שללך בקרבך

14:2 ואספתי את-כל-הגוים אל-ירושלם למלחמה ונלכדה העיר ונשסו הבתים והנשים תשגלנה ויצא חצי העיר בגולה ויתר העם לא יכרת מן-העיר

14:3 ויצא יהוה ונלחם בגוים ההם כיום הלחמו ביום קרב

14:4 ועמדו רגליו ביום-ההוא על-הר הזתים אשר על-פני ירושלם מקדם ונבקע הר הזיתים מחציו מזרחה וימה גיא גדולה מאד ומש חצי ההר צפונה וחציו-נגבה

14:5 ונסתם גיא-הרי כי-יגיע גי-הרים אל-אצל ונסתם כאשר נסתם מפני הרעש בימי עזיה מלך-יהודה ובא יהוה אלהי כל-קדשים עמך

14:6 והיה ביום ההוא לא-יהיה אור יקרות יקפאון

14:7 והיה יום-אחד הוא יודע ליהוה לא-יום ולא-לילה והיה לעת-ערב יהיה-אור

14:8 והיה ביום ההוא יצאו מים-חיים מירושלם חצים אל-הים הקדמוני וחצים אל-הים האחרון בקיץ ובחרף יהיה

14:9 והיה יהוה למלך על-כל-הארץ ביום ההוא יהיה יהוה אחד ושמו אחד

… the day of the LORD ( YHVH ) is coming … the LORD ( YHVH ) will go forth and fight against those nations who gather against Jerusalem to battle … on that day … the LORD ( YHVH )’s feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which lies before Jerusalem on the East … the Mount of Olives will be split in two from East to West by a very wide valley … half of the mount will move North and the other half will move South … you will  flee by the valley … and … the LORD ( YHVH ) will come with all His holy ones on that day … there will be continuous day … living waters will flow out of Jerusalem … half to the Eastern sea and half to the Western sea … the living waters will continue in summer as in winter … and … the LORD ( YHVH ) is One .. He is King over all of the earth … His Name is One …

 

… a key passage in our understanding of the second coming of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ … our … LORD … Savior … Teacher … Friend … the One who has redeemed all humankind by His … life … death on the cross … and … resurrection from the dead … we thank God for the blood of Jesus Christ Who has purchased for us both our redemption and salvation … that is … life with God forever …

 

… sometimes in one’s memory and sometimes in everyone’s memory … that is … in the way things are remembered … something can be left out … sometimes this is accidentally … sometimes it is on-purpose … in either case … what is forgotten can impact the understanding of other related … items … places … and/or … events … a good example of this type of situation is addressed in this bible study … it is about something that was forgotten about the Hebrew ( Jewish ) temple … what has been forgotten was well known at the time of Jesus Christ … at the time of Esra … at the time of Daniel … at the time of Solomon … at the time of David … and … now no one is sure … though perhaps many folks are certain … the temple of the LORD was centered on what is now termed the Temple Mount in Jerusalem of Israel right at the location of the Dome of the Rock  or was it …

 

… the ancient structure of the Hebrew ( Jewish ) temple of the LORD was most certainly located on the Temple Mount that was built by Herod however while the Temple Mount represents an area of about 35 to 36 acres … the actual sanctuary and Holy or Holies represented an area of about 0.07 to 0.15 acre … the city walls of Jerusalem that were built by Solomon lie directly North and adjacent to the walls of the City of David in the shape of a large right footprint with its large toe pointing toward Adam on the East side of the Jordan river where the Jabbok river flows into the Jordan river some thirty miles up stream … when Solomon built the first temple it was at the South Eastern heal of that foot print adjacent to the North wall of the City of David and at the point where the East wall of Jerusalem meets the wall of the City of David … this is where the Temple Mount is today … this original site was the most prominent high point for both the City of David which is lower on the hill named Moriah and the gentle raising slope of the City of Jerusalem on Mount Moriah … looking East from that vantage point is the Mount of Olives directly across the Kidron Valley … our intent in this bible study is not to enter a long standing argument regarding the placement of the temple on the Temple Mount for there are many reasons on all sides for the placement of the original temple built by Solomon and its two subsequent versions … that is … the rebuilt temple following the Babylonian captivity … and … the upgraded temple and Temple Mount platform constructed by Herod … the Holy Bible tells us all three were built on the same foundation so essentially in the same place on what is now the Temple Mount … our purpose in this bible study is to consider a physical structure that was an integral component of all three temple stages but is often not considered in the dialogs related to the temple of the LORD’s placement on the Temple Mount … the consideration of this one integral component more importantly leads to a consideration of the primary use for the Water of Cleansing and as a secondary benefit this consideration also pinpoints the exact location where the temple of the LORD stood …

 

… the unconsidered physical structure that was an integral component of the temple complex was termed the Red Heifer Bridge … this was a viaduct that stretched from the East Gate of the temple to the Mount of Olives … the Red Heifer Bridge was a high causeway across the Kidron valley … on that causeway a red heifer would be sacrificed and then burned to ashes to enable the creation of the Water of Cleansing … the original need for the causeway did not originate in the writings of Moses but rather as developed human dogmatic interpretation of that scripture … this interpretation required that action to be performed at a distance of 2,000 cubits … on the horizontal plain of … and … in direct sight of … the Holy of Holies of the temple … not a requirement from God but an interpreted need … dogma … the 2,000 cubits was a dogmatic requirement related to the distance which a person could travel on a Sabbath day … these requirements placed the slaughter and incineration of the red heifer at about two thirds the distance between the East Gate of the temple and the approach to the Red Heifer Bridge on the Mount of Olives … essentially … high above the Kidron Valley … interesting …

 

Ezekiel chapter 10, vs 18 - 19

10:18 ויצא כבוד יהוה מעל מפתן הבית ויעמד על-הכרובים

10:19 וישאו הכרובים את-כנפיהם וירומו מן-הארץ לעיני בצאתם והאופנים לעמתם ויעמד פתח שער בית-יהוה הקדמוני וכבוד אלהי-ישראל עליהם מלמעלה

… the glory of the LORD ( YHVH ) rose from the threshold of the temple and stopped above the Cherubim … the Cherubim lifted their wings and rose from the earth … they rose with their wheels beside them … the glory of the God of Israel was above them … and … they stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the temple … the house of the LORD ( YHVH ) …

 

Ezekiel chapter 11, vs 22 - 23

11:22 וישאו הכרובים את-כנפיהם והאופנים לעמתם וכבוד אלהי-ישראל עליהם מלמעלה

11:23 ויעל כבוד יהוה מעל תוך העיר ויעמד על-ההר אשר מקדם לעיר

… with their wheels beside them … the Cherubim lifted their wings … and then … with the glory of the LORD ( YHVH ) above them they ascended from the middle of the city Jerusalem … and … they stopped on the mountain that is east of the city …

 

… the current understanding by most folks places the temple at the time of Jesus in the center of the Temple Mount complex with the East gate of the temple lined up with the Eastern Gate of the Jerusalem city wall … though … perhaps a more genuine view of the temple placement in the Temple Moun complex is more toward the South East end of the Temple Mount complex adjacent to the North wall of the City of David … with the East gate of the temple lined up with the Red Heifer Bridge … so … the Red Heifer Bridge would have been near or at the junction of the East walls of the City of David and the City of Jerusalem … essentially at the South East corner of the walls of Jerusalem and the North East corner of the walls of the City of David … … the Red Heifer Bridge was part of the Temple Mount complex … attached to the city wall and extending East to the Mount of Olives … it did not have general public access …

 

… on the date that we call Palm Sunday of 32 AD … our Lord Jesus Christ entered the city of Jerusalem on a donkey … He entered through the East Gate of the city wall …  the  following Thursday Jesus was captured and taken across the Red Heifer Bridge … to the High Priest …

 

… our bible study moves forward with a consideration regarding how history is remembered … the Hebrew ( Jewish ) folks who returned from captivity in Babylon built the second temple at Jerusalem … not all but most folks who are Hebrew ( Jewish ) believe in the resurrection of the dead for life with God forever … a very nice consideration … made real … for us … as Christians … by Jesus Christ God our Lord and Savior … our references in Zechariah and Ezekiel … speak … to us … and also in every time period of history … also … to the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people … that … the Messiah will stand on the Mount of Olives which is East of Jerusalem … consequently … for many centuries the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people of Israel chose to be buried on the Mount of Olives opposite the East Gate of the Temple because that is where the Messiah will stand … interesting … it’s a pretty big cemetery … the Red Heifer Bridge was a real part of the second temple at Jerusalem from the initial building of the second temple through 70 AD when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by the Romans … some fragments of history tell us that the Red Heifer Bridge was originally a wooden causeway between the temple and the Mount of Olives however when King Herod the Great rebuilt the second temple the Red Heifer Bridge became a stone causeway … the foundation where the Red Heifer Bridge was attached to the city wall is still there … it is of some significance to folks who feel that the Dome of the Rock was not built on the foundation of the Hebrew ( Jewish ) temple but rather some distance North on the Temple Mount platform towards the middle of the Temple Mount platform centered pretty much in line with the Eastern Gate of the Jerusalem City Wall … the Hebrew ( Jewish ) temple was located on the South East quadrant of the Temple Mount platform with the East Gate of the temple opening at the colonnade of Solomon onto the Red Heifer Bridge which provided a raised path to the Mount of Olives over the Kidron valley … the Hebrew ( Jewish ) cemetery on the Mount of Olives is in direct line with the Red Heifer Bridge causeway and also the East Gate of the Temple … interestingly … about two thirds to the Mount of Olives side of the Red Heifer Bridge from the temple is the required 2,000 cubits from the location of the Holy of Holies at the temple if that South East corner of the Temple Mount platform was the actual site of the temple … additionally … the Jewish Temple Leadership tended to make additional rules beyond those defined by the Word of God … the Water of Cleansing was made when the red heifer was burned to ashes however one additional rule they made said the water to make the Water of Cleansing must get to the site of the red heifer ashes sinlessly … to achieve that goal … children before the age of reason … were used to carry the water from the Kidron Valley brook below through tunnels under the Hebrew ( Jewish ) cemetery on the Mount of Olives so the children would not sin by accidently stepping on a grave … the tunnels which were dug to permit the movement of this water are still there today under the cemetery …  interesting but not the focus of our bible study …

 

… Jerusalem would often swell with a million or more pilgrims for the festivals of the LORD ( YHVH ) … historical accounts tell us that people would be arriving a week or more in advance of a scheduled festival for personal spiritual preparations … no doubt the folks with status and a higher end of equity would stay in various accommodations within the city of Jerusalem however the far majority would camp in the Kidron Valley on the East side of Jerusalem … their access into Jerusalem and to the temple was a controlled path much like any national park or museum in any country today … this is the great crowd of people who greeted Jesus Christ as He rode a donkey into Jerusalem on what we term Palm Sunday in the year … 32 AD …

 

John chapter 12, vs 12 - 19                                 select verses in sequence

12  וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת כִּשְׁמֹעַ רַבִּים מִן־הָעָם מִן־עוֹלֵי הָרֶגֶל כִּי יֵשׁוּעַ בָּא יְרוּשָׁלָיְמָה

13  וַיִּקְחוּ כַפּוֹת תְּמָרִים בְּיָדָם וַיֵּצְאוּ לִקְרָאתוֹ וַיָּרִיעוּ הוֹשַׁע־נָא בָּרוּךְ הַבָּא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָֹה מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל

14  וַיִּמְצָא יֵשׁוּעַ עַיִר וַיִּרְכַּב עָלָיו כַּכָּתוּב

15  אַל־תִּירְאִי בַּת־צִיּוֹן הִנֵּה מַלְכֵּךְ יָבוֹא לָךְ רֹכֵב עַל־עַיִר בֶּן־אֲתֹנוֹת

16  וְכָל־זֹאת לֹא־הֵבִינוּ תַלְמִידָיו בַּתְּחִילָּה אַךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר לֻקַּח יֵשׁוּעַ אַחַר כָּבוֹד זָכְרוּ אָז כִּי־כֹה כָּתוּב עָלָיו וְכֹה גַם־עֲשׂוּ לוֹ

17  וְהָעָם אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ אִתּוֹ הֵעִידוּ בְפִיהֶם כִּי קָרָא אֶת־אֶלְעָזָר מִן־קִבְרוֹ וַיְחַיֵּהוּ מִן־הַמֵּתִים

18  וְעַל־כֵּן יָצְאוּ הָעָם לִקְרָאתוֹ אַחֲרֵי שָׁמְעָם כִּי עָשָׂה אֶת־הָאוֹת הַזֶּה

19  וְהַפְּרוּשִׁים אָמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל־אָחִיו הַרְאִיתֶם כִּי יְדֵיכֶם לֹא תַעֲשֶׂינָה תּוּשִׁיָּה וְאַחֲרָיו כָּל־אָדָם יִמְשֹׁךְ

… the next day … the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus Christ was coming to Jerusalem … they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him … singing joyfully … Hosanna … blessed is the One Who comes in the Name of the Lord … the King of Israel … Jesus rode into Jerusalem sitting on a young donkey fulfilling the prophecy … look your King comes sitting on a donkey’s colt … the Pharisees said to one another … we can do nothing … the world has gone after Him …

 

… so … Jesus rode through a million folks on that day … thinking about it … when it came time … on Thursday night … the Pharisees and temple guards who came to arrest Jesus Christ with an armed mob and Judas did not walk through the Kidron Valley with those million people whom Jesus Christ had been teaching in the temple courts for four days … rather … to get to where Jesus was at the Garden termed Gethsemane and after the arrest to get back with Him to the High Priest at the temple … they would have used secure extension of the temple platform … the Red Heifer Bridge … this was the best path to both Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives and then back to the house of the High Priest at the temple site … the High Priest actually had two houses … one by the temple on the temple platform … and … the other was in a wealthy district built into the North East corner of the city wall … the Red Heifer Bridge was the quickest and safest path regardless of which of his houses the High Priest was at …

 

… consider the timing of the events which followed the arrest of Jesus Christ … Jesus was on the cross by 9 AM that next morning … the folks in the Kidron Valley would not have known about any of the previous night’s events or that morning’s actions which resulted in His crucifixion … the many faithful pilgrems for the Passover festival … that is  … the Hebrew ( Jewish ) folks who greeted Jesus Christ on Palm Sunday … 32 AD … and … who for four days listened to the teachings of Jesus Christ in the temple courts … they were not aware of any of these event or the much smaller group of priests and temple people who stood before Pontius Pilot and called for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ … an interesting consideration … we give thanks and praise to Jesus Christ God our Lord and Savior …

… we have some pictures and graphic considerations to support this dialog at …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biZLTAvNRtg

 

Redemption

 

Isaiah chapter 63, vs 1 + 7 - 9            select verse segments

                                                                                not necessarily in order                                      

 

63:1 מי-זה בא מאדום חמוץ בגדים מבצרה זה הדור בלבושו צעה ברב כחו אני מדבר בצדקה רב להושיע

63:2 מדוע אדם ללבושך ובגדיך כדרך בגת

63:3 פורה דרכתי לבדי ומעמים אין-איש אתי ואדרכם באפי וארמסם בחמתי ויז נצחם על-בגדי וכל-מלבושי אגאלתי

63:4 כי יום נקם בלבי ושנת גאולי באה

63:5 ואביט ואין עזר ואשתומם ואין סומך ותושע לי זרעי וחמתי היא סמכתני

63:6 ואבוס עמים באפי ואשכרם בחמתי ואוריד לארץ נצחם

63:7 חסדי יהוה אזכיר תהלת יהוה כעל כל אשר-גמלנו יהוה ורב-טוב לבית ישראל אשר-גמלם כרחמיו וכרב חסדיו

63:8 ויאמר אך-עמי המה בנים לא ישקרו ויהי להם למושיע

63:9 בכל-צרתם לא צר ומלאך פניו הושיעם באהבתו ובחמלתו הוא גאלם וינטלם וינשאם כל-ימי עולם

 

… Who is this Who is coming with garments of glowing colors … majestic in apparel … in the greatness of His strength … it is … He Who speaks with righteousness … He Who is mighty to save … let us … praise the LORD ( YHVH ) for the abundance of His lovingkindness and compassion according to the goodness which the LORD ( YHVH ) grants to His people … it is the LORD ( YHVH ) Who says … these are My people … I AM their Savior … and … for their affliction He was afflicted … and so … He saved them … in His love and mercy He redeemed them … He has lifted them up and carried them … for they are His children …

 

… a little bit more comprehensive reading of Isaiah chapter 63 will indicate to the reader that here as in many other places in the Holy Bible the Word oF God is speaking to three very distinct groups of people on earth and throughout our six thousand year history … redemption and salvation are addressed to one of those three groups of people … the children of God … another group addressed are those folks who make a free will choice to embrace evil through sin … these the Holy Bible term the wicked … while they are alive the Holy Bible tells us that they have the opportunity to repent and become children of God however it is a very difficult process for an individual … the third group addressed by the Holy Bible are the folks between being a child of God and wickedness … the Holy Bible calls out to them to repent before it is too late … the content and context of Isaiah 63 serves as a nide example of the Word of God speaking to all three groups at the same time … for some who are not aware of the three groups or the reason for the urgency … some scripture can seem harsh … however … with a view of these three groups one can understand that the wrath of God is directed to evil and the wicked while His lovingkindness is directed to His children …

… redemption has come to humankind through the … life … death on the cross … and … resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ Who is God - our LORD - our Savior - our Teacher - our Friend … He is Yahweh ( YHVH ) … He is Yeshua our Messiah … we are the children of God because of this redemption … which … from the time Adam and Eve left Eden to now and up to the new heaven and new earth … the definition of the righteous children of God extends to quite a few different categories of folks … including …

 @ all unborn of humankind who die in the womb for any reason …

@ all children who die before they reach the age of reason … the age of reason is when an individual of humankind becomes accountable for the consequences of their free will decisions …

@ all adults of humankind who die after they have reached the age of reason however cannot be held accountable for the consequences of their free will decisions because pf some physical or mental infirmity which has impaired their ability to make free will decisions with an understanding of both the  accountability and/or consequences of those free will decisions …

@ all Hebrew ( Jewish ) people who are older than the age of reason and fortunately for a life attentive to the Word of God and His will … do not meet the criteria … cut off from the people of God …

@ all other adults of humankind who are older than the age of reason and who confess that Jesus Christ is their LORD and Savior … and … who believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day …

 

… this list is not necessarily complete or inclusive however it provides the list documented for us in the Holy Bible … the impact of this understanding in our current time frame is that the anticipated … rapture of the church … will actually be the … rapture of the righteous children of God … essentially those redeemed and saved by Jesus Christ who have not unfortunately as adults have not recognized and accepted the opportunity offered to humankind with the … life … death on the cross … and … resurrection from the dead … of our LORD Jesus Christ … at the time of the … rapture of the righteous … the migration of the true Christian church to meet with Jesus Christ in the sky also include the migration of all children under the age of reason and all unborn children … and others … the tribulation time period will have no neonates and no children … each person will have the accountability and consequences of their free will choices … 

 

Romans chapter 10, vs 8 – 13

… the Word of God is near us … it is in our heart and in our mouth … it is the Word of faith … for … when we confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is LORD … and … we believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead … we are saved … for with the heart a person believes and this results in righteousness … and … with one’s mouth a person confesses resulting in salvation … scripture says … everyone who believes in Him will not be disappointed … for … there is no distinction between Jew and Greek … our LORD Jesus Christ is LORD of all … all who call upon Him abound in the riches of His salvation for us … everyone who calls on the Name of the LORD will be saved …

 

Psalm 139   vs 13 – 16

139:13 כי-אתה קנית כליתי תסכני בבטן אמי

139:14 אודך על כי נוראות נפליתי נפלאים מעשיך ונפשי ידעת מאד

139:15 לא-נכחד עצמי ממך אשר-עשיתי בסתר רקמתי בתחתיות ארץ

139:16 גלמי ראו עיניך ועל-ספרך כלם יכתבו ימים יצרו ולא אחד בהם

 

… LORD ( YHVH ) … You formed my inward parts … You wove me in my mother’s womb … I am fearfully and wonderfully made … I give thanks to You … for … wonderful are Your works … my soul knows this very well … my frame was not hidden from You … skillfully I was made in the depths of the earth … I was made in secrete … and … Your eyes saw my unformed substance … the days of my life were written in Your book … before there was yet any of them …

 

Ephesians chapter 1, vs 3 - 14

… blessed be God our Father … the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … Who has blessed us in Jesus Christ with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places … for … just as He chose us in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love … He also destined us for adoption as His children through Jesus Christ … according to the good pleasure of His will … to the praise of His glorious grace that He freely bestowed on us in Jesus Christ … His beloved Son … for … in Jesus Christ we have redemption through His blood … shed on the cross … for … the forgiveness of our sin and trespasses … according to the riches of His grace that he lavished on us … with … all wisdom and insight … He has made know to us the mystery of His will … according to His good pleasure … that He set forth in Jesus Christ … a plan for the fullness of time … a plan to gather up all things in Jesus Christ … things in heaven and things on earth … so … in Jesus Christ we have obtained an inheritance … and … we are destined according to the purpose of Jesus Christ … Who accomplishes all things according to His counsel and will … so that we who have set our hope in Jesus Christ … will live for the praise of His glory … in Jesus Christ we have heard the Word of truth … the gospel of our salvation … and … when we believed in Jesus Christ … we were marked the seal of the promised Holy Spirit … this is the pledge from God of our redemption … our inheritance as God’s own people … to the praise of His glory ...

 

John chapter 16, vs 6                              Jesus Christ speaking

… I AM … the way … the truth … and … the life … no one comes to the Father except through Me …

 

John chapter 8, vs 42                              Jesus Christ speaking

… I have come here from God … I have not come on My own … God sent Me …

 

John chapter 14, vs 7                              Jesus Christ speaking

… if … you know Me … you know My Father as well … you know Him … and … have seen Him …

 

Ephesians chapter 1, vs 7 - 10

… in Jesus Christ we have redemption through His blood … the forgiveness of our sin and trespasses … according to the riches of His grace … that He lavishes on us … for … with all wisdom and insight … God has made know to us the mystery of His will … according to His good pleasure set forth in Jesus Christ … a plan for the fullness of time … which is … to gather up all things in Jesus Christ … things in heaven and things on earth …

 

Colossians chapter 1, vs 19 - 22

… in Jesus Christ … all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell … and … through Jesus Christ God is pleased to reconcile to Himself all things … whether on earth or in heaven … by making peace with us through the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross … and … so … we who were once estranged and hostile to God in our mind and doing evil deeds … Jesus Christ has now reconciled to God … through the death of His body … in order … to present us as … holy in His sight … blameless and without blemish … irreproachable which is free from accusation … before Him …

 

Mark chapter 10, vs 45                          Jesus Christ speaking

… the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve … to give His life as a ransom for many …

 

Romans chapter 3, vs 24 - 26

… we are justified by the grace of God … through our redemption that is in Jesus Christ … Whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood on the cross … a grace which is received by us through faith that Jesus Christ is God … this shows God’s righteousness and divine forbearance in that He has passed over our sin … God is just and God Himself justifies everyone who has faith in Jesus Christ …

 

… the English noun in Romans chapter with the English translation … propitiation … is the Greek noun … HILASTERTON … Strong# Greek 2435 … with the literal meaning … to appease the wrath of God … or … the lid of the Ark of the Covenant … the root of HILASTERON is the Greek verb … HILASKOMOS … Strong# Greek 2433 … with the literal meaning … to show mercy … or … to forgive … or … to show favor … so … we again find HILASTERON used in Hebrews chapter 9, vs 5 with reference to the Mercy Seat ( e.g. lid of the Ark of the Covenant ) represented by Hebrew noun ( KAPPORETH ) in quite a few scripture passages of the Old Testament including … Exodus chapter 25, vs 21 … and … Exodus chapter 30, vs 6 … this concept is very consistent with the principal of Kinsman Redeemer … for … God’s love for us is independent of our sinful nature … God loves us because He created us  … so … God Himself has redeemed us from evil/sin so we will be able to receive His grace and live with Him forever … the reference to Hebrew noun … KAPPORETH … the Mercy Seat ( e.g. lid ) of the Ark of the Covenant applies because God established for the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people the Day of Atonement so that on one day of each year their High Priest could approach the Ark of the Covenant and sprinkle the blood of a sin sacrifice on the KAPPORETH ( e,g. lid ) to make atonement for the sins of the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people that year … essentiality propitiation …. 

 

John chapter 3, vs 16 – 21                   Jesus Christ speaking

… God so loves the world that He gave His only Son … so … that … everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have life with God forever … God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world … rather … that the world might be saved through Him … everyone who believes in the Son is not condemned … however … those who do not believe in the Son are condemned already because they have not believed in the Name of the only Son of God … so … this is the judgment of God … the light of God has come into the world through His Son … and … many people love darkness rather than the light because their deeds are evil/sin … for … everyone who does evil/sin hates the light of God and they will not come into the light so that their deeds may not be exposed … however … everyone who does what is true will come to the light so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God …

 

Matthew chapter 20, vs 28                                 Jesus Christ speaking

… the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve … to give His life as a ransom for many …

 

Colossians chapter 1, vs 13 - 14

… God has delivered us from the domain of darkness ( e.g. evil/sin ) … and … transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son … our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ … in Whom we have redemption … which is the forgiveness of sins …

 

Romans chapter 5, vs 8

… God has shown His love for us … in that … while we were still sinners … Jesus Christ died on the cross for us …

 

Romans chapter 6, vs 23

… the wages of our sin is death … however … the free gift of God is life forever with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior …

 

 

Hebrews chapter 9, vs 15

… Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant … so that … those who are called will receive the promise of life with God forever … this is our inheritance which we receive by faith that Jesus Christ is God … for … Jesus Christ died as a ransom for us … to set us free from evil/sin …

 

1 Timothy chapter 2, vs 6

… Jesus Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all …

 

Titus chapter 2, vs 11 – 14                   select verse segments

not necessarily in sequence

… Jesus Christ gave Himself to redeem us from all lawlessness … in order to … purify for Himself a people for His own possession … who are zealous for good works by the grace of God in order to bring salvation to all … and … in doing so … He is training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions in this present age … as we wait for the Blessed Hope ( e.g. Rapture ) which is the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior … Jesus Christ …

 

Galatians chapter 1, vs 4

Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins … to deliver us from this present age of evil/sin … according to the will of His Father …

 

John chapter 10, vs 10                           Jesus Christ speaking

… I have come that you might have life … and … have it abundantly …

 

1 Peter chapter 1, vs 18 - 19

… it is not with perishable things like silver or gold that we have been redeemed from the empty way of life that was  handed down to us through each generation from the times of our earliest ancestors … rather … we have been redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ … Who is the Lamb without blemish or defect …

  

Revelation chapter 5, vs 9 - 10

… they sang a new song … worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals … for … You were slain … and … by Your blood … You have ransomed people for God from every … tribe … language … people … and … nation … so … You have us a kingdom and priests to our God … and … we will reign on the earth …

 

1 Corinthians chapter 6, vs 19 - 20

… our body is the temple of the Spirit of God ( Holy Spirit ) … He is within us … provided for us by God Himself … therefore … we are not our own … we have been redeemed with a price … the precious blood of Jesus Christ … so … let us glorify God in our bodies …

 

Ephesians chapter 4, vs 30

… we have been sealed … for the day of redemption … by the Spirit of God ( Holy Spirit ) …

 

… so … the word translated as English verb … sealed … is the Greek verb … SPHRAGIZO … Strong# Greek 4972 … with the literal translation … to seal … as in to signify ownership or authorization … the verb represents a legal signature or something equivalent to a legal signature …

 

John chapter 14, vs 16                           Jesus Christ speaking

… I will ask the Father … and … He will give you … another Advocate ( the Spirit of God …  Holy Spirit ) … Who will bpth … help you … and … be with you … forever …

 

John chapter 14, vs 26                           Jesus Christ speaking

… the … Advocate … the … Spirit of God ( Holy Spirit )… Whom … the Father will send in My Name … will … teach you all things … and … He will remind you of everything that I have said to you …

 

Colossians chapter 1, vs 12 - 14

… let us give joyful thanks to our Father … Who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ … God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of His Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ … Whom He loves … and … in Whom … we have redemption … which is … the forgiveness of sins …

 

1 Corinthians chapter 1, vs 30

… Jesus Christ  is the wisdom of God for us who believe that He is God … that is … He is our … righteousness … holiness … and … our redemption …

 

Romans chapter 5, vs 10

… while we were still sinners God reconciled us to Him through the death of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior … and now having been reconciled … we will also be saved through His life … the life of Jesus Christ …

 

Galatians chapter 2, vs 20

… the life I now live in this body … I live by my faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God … Who loved me … and … Who gave Himself for me on the cross … consequently … I have been crucified with Jesus Christ … and … I no longer live but Jesus Christ lives in me …

 

2 Peter chapter 3, vs 9

… our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is not slow in keeping His promise … rather … He is patient not wishing that anyone who can avoid it will perish because of evil/sin … and so … He waits for everyone to come to repentance …

 

Romans chapter 2, vs 4

… God’s … kindness … forbearance … and … patience … is intended to lead us to repentance …

 

Romans chapter 8, vs 23

… we are the first fruits of the Spirit of God ( Holy Spirit ) … waiting eagerly for adoption as the children of God which comes with the redemption of our bodies …

 

Luke chapter 21, vs 26 - 28                                 Jesus Christ speaking

… people will faint from terror being apprehensive of what is coming on the world … there will be signs in the sun and the moon … nations will be in anguish … there will be perplexity with the roaring and tossing of the sea … at that time … the Son of Man will come in a cloud with power and great glory … so … when these things begin take place lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near …

 

John chapter 20, vs 31

 … believe that Jesus is the Christ … the Son of God … and … by believing you will have life in His Name …

 

Romans chapter 3, vs 22

 … righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe … for … all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God … so … we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ … 

 

… so … the unborn and children who die without reaching the age of reason are saved through this redemptive process automatically … and … for those of us who lived to reach the age of reason our redemption is received through our faith in Jesus Christ … note also that for some portion of the rest of mankind there is a criteria referenced by Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 25 …

… the cornerstone or if you prefer the capstone of our redemption as adults  is the reality and our faith that Jesus Christ is God … note that in select verses we have reviewed the principle of repentance … repentance is a spiritual tool for both the unbeliever as well as for those who have faith in Jesus Christ and who are saved … with repentance an individual makes a free will choice to seek and draw closer to God …

 

2 Chronicles chapter 15, vs 2                           God speaking

15:2 ויצא לפני אסא ויאמר לו שמעוני אסא וכל-יהודה ובנימן יהוה עמכם בהיותכם עמו ואם-תדרשהו ימצא לכם ואם-תעזבהו יעזב אתכם

…. the LORD ( YHVH ) is with you when you are with Him … if you seek Him - He will let you find Him … but if you forsake Him - He will forsake you …

Zechariah chapter 1, vs 3                    God speaking

1:3 אסף אדם ובהמה אסף עוף-השמים ודגי הים והמכשלות את-הרשעים והכרתי את-האדם מעל פני האדמה נאם-יהוה

… return to Me … and … I will return to you … thus says the LORD …

 

Malachi chapter 3, vs 7                         God speaking

3:7 למימי אבתיכם סרתם מחקי ולא שמרתם שובו אלי ואשובה אליכם אמר יהוה צבאות ואמרתם במה נשוב

… return to Me … and … I will return to you … says the LORD of Hosts ... 

  

Galatians chapter 4, vs 9

4:9  וְעַתָּה אַחֲרֵי אֲשֶׁר־יְדַעְתֶּם אֶת־הָאֱלהִים וְיוֹתֵר שֶׁנּוֹדַעְתֶּם לֵאלׂהִים אֵיךְ תָּשׁוּבוּ אֶל־הַתִּיקּוּנִים הָרָפִים וְהַדַּלִּים הָהֵם אֲשֶׁר תִּרְצוּ לְהִכָּנֵעַ לָהֶם כְּבַתְּחִלָּה

… now that you have come to know God … or rather … to be known by God …

 

James chapter 4, vs 8

4:8  לָכֵן הִכָּנְעוּ לִפְנֵי הָאֱלׂהִים הִתְיַצְּבוּ נֶגֶד הַשָּׂטָן וְיִבְרַח מִפְּנֵיכֶם

… draw near to God … and … He will draw near to you …

 

Isaiah chapter 41, vs 10                        God speaking

41:10 אל-תירא כי עמך-אני אל-תשתע כי-אני אלהיך אמצתיך אף-עזרתיך אף-תמכתיך בימין צדקי

… do not fear … I AM … with you … do not be afraid … for … I AM your God … I will strengthen you … I will help you … I will uphold you with My victorious right hand …

 

… God seeks to abide with His people … the children of God … to dwell with them … to share Himself with them … for them to share themselves with Him …

 

Isaiah chapter 7, vs 14

 7:14 לכן יתן אדני הוא לכם אות הנה העלמה הרה וילדת בן וקראת שמו עמנו אל

… the LORD ( YHVH ) will give you a sign … the virgin will  be with child and she will give birth to a son … and the name of the child will be … Emmanuel …

 

… the Hebrew name … EMMANUEL … is the combination of 3 Hebrew words …

EMM                    means:                               with

ANU                     means:                              us

 EL                         means:                              God

  

Isaiah chapter 9, vs 6 + 7   

 9:6 לםרבה המשרה ולשלום אין-קץ על-כסא דוד ועל-ממלכתו להכין אתה ולסעדה במשפט ובצדקה מעתה ועד-עולם קנאת יהוה צבאות תעשה-זאת

9:7 דבר שלח אדני ביעקב ונפל בישראל

… to us a child is born … a son is given … and the  government will be on His shoulders … He will be called …  Wonderful Counselor … Mighty God … Everlasting Father … Prince of Peace … and … of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end … He will reign on David’s throne upholding justice and peace from that time on and forever …

 

Name of God:                                EHVEH              

… is the first person singular tense of the Hebrew word: HAVA

EHVEH means  “ I am “

Exodus chapter 3, vs  14 (burning bush)

John chapter 18, vs 4 - 6

               

Name of God:                       YHVH                       pronounced  YAHWEH 

… is the third person singular tense of the Hebrew word: HAVA  

YHVH means  “He is”

YHVH   - spelling of YAHWEH used on most Jewish web sites

- found 6,824 times in the Old Testament

 - Jewish folks do not speak this word because they believe that the word is too HOLY to be spoken, we respect this …

 YHWH              

- spelling of YAHWEH used on most Christian web sites

- In Christian Old Testament translations the word YHVH is  usually translated LORD  (all capitals)                           

Genesis chapter 15, vs 7 // Exodus chapter 20, vs 2

 

… Christians can speak the name YHVH however we should be considerate of any Jewish folks who may be present … the Hebrew root word for YHVH is:  ﬣ וּ ﬣ   which means … "to exist“ … for many Jewish people this is an unpronounceable word out of reverence for God … that is … the unspeakable name of God … to us this perspective is one of valid reverence and we respect it … on many Jewish web sites YHVH is the English alphabet acronym that is used … most Christian web sites seem to use YHWH because it seems more phonetic …  we feel that for the Christian the use and pronunciation of God's name as Jesus Christ, Yahweh, etc. is also an act of reverence …  Hebrew is a written language of ideograms, that means each of the 22 Hebrew letters represent … an object … an action … as well as a number … the 22 letters can also be grouped to form nouns and verbs like every other language … Hebrew is written from right to left ///

 

YHVH        =      יִ ﬣ וּ ﬣ

 

 ﬣ           Hebrew Letter               HA        

means:               Behold

 

וּ              Hebrew Letter                VAV      

means:               Nail (like a construction nail)

 

יִ               Hebrew Letter               YOD     

means:               Hand (closed hand)

               

Literal Meaning of YHVH is 

        Behold the Hand, Behold the Nail

 

Name of God:                                YESHUA                           

in English  =   Jesus

YESHUA  means:                         YHVH  is my Salvation   or

                                                                YHVH has become my salvation

 YESHUA is a combination of two Hebrew words:

                                                                - YA  an abbreviation of YHVH

                                                                - SHUWAH means Salvation

  

Leviticus chapter 26, vs 11 – 12

26:11 ונתתי משכני בתוככם ולא-תגעל נפשי אתכם

26:12 והתהלכתי בתוככם והייתי לכם לאלהים ואתם תהיו-לי לעם

… I will put my dwelling place among you … I will walk among you … you will be My people …

 

Ezekiel chapter 37, vs 27

37:27 והיה משכני עליהם והייתי להם לאלהים והמה יהיו-לי לעם

… My dwelling place will be with them … I will be their God … and … they  will be My people …

 

Psalm 145, vs 18

145:18 קרוב יהוה לכל-קראיו לכל אשר יקראהו באמת

… the Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth …

 

Isaiah chapter 65, vs 24

65:24 והיה טרם-יקראו ואני אענה עוד הם מדברים ואני אשמע

… before you call … I will answer … while you are still speaking … I will hear …

 

John chapter 14, vs 23                           Jesus Christ speaking

14:23  וַיַּעַן יֵשׁוּעַ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אִישׁ כִּי יֶאֱהָבַנִי יִשְׁמֹר אֶת־דְּבָרַי וְאָבִי יֶאֱהַב אֹתוֹ וְאֵלָיו נָבֹא וְשָׁכַנּוּ אִתּוֹ

… if anyone loves Me … he will obey My teachings … the Father will love him … We will come to him … and … make Our dwelling with him …

 

Faith … at some point after World War II … people noted and adopted into their lives the development of high fidelity audio … now some 70 or more years later these devices now seem primitive … however our modern audio components in every electronic device that uses audio in one way or another delivers the same anticipated quality of sound promised by high fidelity … this original promise of high fidelity represented the duplication and delivery of sound as an accurate copy of the original source with high precision in repeated listening sessions … a musical record is a good example … so way back when … high fidelity technology was incorporated into … movie theaters … color televisions … radios … record players … eventually various types of audio tape players … and … other various types of audio media players that developed over the years … the key term in this definition is … fidelity … the definition of our English noun fidelity can be applied on one level to human relationship … like marriage or personal partnerships or corporate contractual relationships … the term fidelity represents in this context … commitment … that is … the degree of faithfulness to a … person … cause … contract … or … belief … as demonstrated by … commitment … loyalty … and … support … alternatively … the noun … fidelity … can be applied to the definition of … the degree of exactness with which something is copied or reproduced … in terms of … accuracy … precision … exactness … and … correctness … the storage and playing of music from a record is a good example … the English word fidelity originates from the classical Latin verb … FIDES … a well used verb in Roman … literature … performing arts … and … business … with the best literal meaning being … the trust between two or more persons or parties who are in a defined specific relationship … examples include … marriage … other types of personal commitment and/or relationships … and … business contractual relationships … the literal meaning of … FIDES … includes the concept of … privileges … and … responsibility … for all persons or parties in the relationship with the inclusion of a specific reference to the accountability and legal consequences regarding both parties in a business or personal relationship … the Romans also extended the meaning of … FIDES … into their religion … the verb was personified into a noun as the name of a worshiped perceived divinity termed … FIDES … one of the fifteen spirits who together were called … the VIRTUEs … in the great Roman epic poem termed the AENEID … the first two of the ancient Roman Virtues are FIDES and PIETAS are present … in this context … FIDES represents faithfulness … that is sticking to a commitment and seeing it through all circumstance even if there is a bitter end … essentially … not quitting … while … the Virtue PIETAS represents … piety … that is essentially … doing the right thing … our English word … faith … comes from a period of time around 1400 AD with the Middle English noun … FEITH … its best literal meanings include … trust … or … loyalty … we see this primitive noun in our expression … bona fide … and … FEITH came into Middle English from the Old French noun … FEID ( also spelled FOI ) … which originated as both a spoken and a written word in a period of time around 1300 AD … the best literal meanings for FEIDI include … trust … or … confidence … in a person or thing … FEID comes from the Classical Latin verb … FIDES …so … when we encounter our English noun … faith … in an English translation of the Holy Bible … it is a word that came to be spoken and written some where around six or seven hundred years ago … many have a good understanding of their personal faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior … and … many have a good understanding of this word’s meaning as we read its use in various English translations of the Holy Bible and/or listen to other folks in dialog … therefore … we thought it both interesting and prudent … in this bible study … for a review and analysis of our understanding of … faith … as it is translated to English from the Greek text of select New Testament scripture verses …

 

Hebrews, chapter 11, vs 1

... faith is the substance of things hoped for … the conviction of things not seen …

 

… depending on the English translation one might be using … both … substance … or … assurance … are very reasonable translations for the Greek word … HUPOSTASIS … Strong# Greek 5287 … the best literal translation for this noun is … a support … because … the literal meaning is something that stands under a structure to support … like the foundation of a bridge or the foundation of a building …

 

… the Greek word translated here as … conviction … is … ELEGCHOS … Strong# Greek 1650 … the best literal meanings include … a legal proof … or … a legal guarantee … like a property deed is the legal proof of land ownership … or … a marriage certificate that is the legal proof of relationship … or … a legal contract between two companies … the root of ELEGCHOS is Greek verb … ELEGCHO … Strong# Greek 1651 … the best literal meanings include … to convince with compelling evidence … or … to persuade …

 

… the English phrase … not seen … is a portmanteau for the translation to the English word … seen … which has as its root Greek verb … BLEPO … Strong# 991 … the best literal meanings include … to look at …. to perceive …  to take heed of … to see … this portmanteau is used only one other time in the Holy Bible or any where else in literature for that matter and again in Hebrews chapter 11 but in verse #3 … by faith the world was created by the Word of God so that what is seen ( the portmanteau ) was made out of things that are not visible … so … back in verse #1 the … not … is Greek adverb … OU … Strong# Greek 3756 … a good literal meaning is … not …

 

… the English phrase … hoped for … is Greek verb … ELPIZO … Strong# Greek 1679 … the best literal meanings include … to hope in someone or something … or … to trust in someone or something … or … to have confidence in someone or something … the root of ELPIZO is Greek noun … ELPIS … Strong# Greek 1680 … the best literal meanings include … a hope or trust or confidence or expectation that someone has in someone or something … 

 

… the English word … faith … is Greek noun … PISTIS … Strong# Greek 4102 … the best literal meanings include … trust … or … confidence … there are many analyses which would find … faith … the best literal meaning however that term did not exist until the 12^th and 13^th century’s in France and England … at the time that the Gospels and other books of the New Testament were written … just about every verse that has the English word … faith … in the New Testament regardless of the translation version … the original Greek word is PISTIS … as an example … Jesus Christ saying in … Luke chapter 18, vs 8b … when the Son of Man comes will He find faith on earth …

 

… when we consider the text of Hebrews 11, vs 1 … faith is the substance of things hoped for - the conviction of things not seen … the text is a definition of faith which contains two provisions that represent the key actions central to that definition … hoped for … and … not seen …

 

… as we read Hebrews 11, vs 1 … the translated English text tells us that the object for action that these two provisions … what is hoped for … and … what is not seen … effect is our English noun … things … the  translation of the English noun … things … for both occasions of PRAGMA that are found in this verse is the translation is for the Greek noun … PRAGMA … Strong# Greek 4229 … the best literal meaning of PRAGMA is a reference to … multiple repetitive actions performed habitually to maintain relationship which are both practiced and practical … note that PRAGMA does not refer to a physical object or a period of time or a person or persons or any other physical tangible but rather to multiple sequences of various actions which are necessary to maintain relationship as exampled in marriage or corporate contracts or legal documents or many other aspects of life … our English word … pragmatic … comes from PRAGMA … the root of PRAGMA is Greek verb … PRASSO … Strong# Greek 4238 … the best literal meanings include … to commit to do something … or … to accomplish … the root of PRASSO is Greek verb … POTEO … Strong# Greek 4160 … the best literal meaning is … to perform practical actions for the manufacture or construction of something … perhaps a good way to look at it is the example of multiple activities which a couple do together repeatedly while maintaining relationship … or … if you prefer … the repetitive activities of legal relationship that two companies will pursue that have a shared contractual relationship … of interest in this analysis when tracing the meaning of this word PRAGMA to its root verb PRASSO … we find additional clarification in that verb’s definition as an action performed repeatedly or habitually ... by extension … an action which is practiced resulting in some level of accomplishment ... and so … the use of this word PRAGMA is not a reference to something or some theoretical action ... but rather to ... practical and repeated activities – that is practiced endeavors - which work well based on mutual agreement - cultural consensus - the situation and common sense … of additional interest is a return to our review of the Roman Latin verb … FIDES … which in general usage would represent the meaning of our English noun … trust … but which has a literal and legal definition of … that trust between two or more persons or parties who are in a defined specific relationship … so … both PRAGMA and FIDES define a concept of both … privileges … and … responsibility … for all persons or parties in a relationship with the inclusion of a specific reference to the accountability and consequences required of both parties in a business or personal relationship … in our analysis … the take away for a best understanding of PRAGMA is …  repetitive practiced actions which are mutually beneficial to each participant sharing the relationship … interesting …

 

Romans chapter 10, vs 17

… faith comes from what is heard and what is heard comes from the Word of God …

 

Luke chapter 8, vs 50                             Jesus Christ speaking

… do not fear … only believe … and … she will be saved …

 

… so here in Luke 8, vs 50 … the English word … believe … is the translation of Greek verb … PISTEUO … Strong# Greek 4100 … the best literal meanings include … to believe … or … to have faith in … or … to trust in … the root of PISTEUO is Greek noun … PISTIS … Strong# Greek 4102 …

 

Romans chapter 5, vs 1 – 5                 select verse segments in sequence

… we are justified by faith … in which … we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ … through Whom … we have obtained access to the grace in which we now stand … and so … we celebrate in our hope of sharing the glory of God forever … God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Spirit of God ( Holy Spirit ) … Who has been given to us …

… the Greek noun translated in Romans 5, vs 1 as … faith … is … PISTIS … Strong# Greek 4102 …

 

John chapter 14, vs 6                              Jesus Christ speaking

… I AM … the way … the truth … and … the life … no one comes to the Father except through Me …

 

John chapter 3, vs 13 – 18                   Jesus Christ speaking

… no one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven … the Son of Man … and … as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness … even so must the Son of Man be lifted up so that everyone who believes in Him will have everlasting life … for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life … for God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world but that the world might be saved through Him … everyone  who believes in Him is not judged … however … those who does not believe are judged already, because they have not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God …