Update: January 22, 2025
It's time to connect your life with the Bible.
Some people today that consider themselves a modern day disciple skip reading the only Bible that the disciples studied thinking that the Tanakh, aka the Hebrew Bible is a storybook full of archaic law that's been tossed aside.
Some say the Torah, which means God's teaching and instruction no longer applies despite the fact that Jesus taught "do not think" one jot or tittle has passed away at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:17-19).
Others tend to call the living voice of Almighty God the old law of Moses, despite the fact that what Moses did was write down what he was told to write down.
They also forgot about the Feasts of the LORD and that God told Zechariah in chapter 14 of the Bible that in the end, people will return to Jerusalem each year at the appointed time for Sukkot, the week long Feast of Tabernacles. Check it out for yourself in Zechariah 14:16-19. This passage describes a future time after the last attack on Jerusalem that the nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, during the Feast that must be fulfilled.
Here’s a brief overview of those verses:
Zechariah 14:16: states that those who survive from the nations that attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
Zechariah 14:17-19: emphasizes there will be consequences for nations that do not come to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast, indicating that they will face drought and other plague.
This prophecy highlights the significance of the week long Feast of Tabernacles and that it is not just for the Jewish people and that is is certainly not done away with, including its ordained sacrifices that are outlined in the book of Leviticus. Those Sukkot instructions are listed specifically in Leviticus 23:33-44.
Here's the kicker: for the first seven days of the Feast, specific offerings will be made each day.
Leviticus 23:36 states that on the first day, there is to be a sacred assembly, and offerings are to be made for seven days. Leviticus 23:37-38 details the offerings. On the first day, 13 young bulls, 2 rams, and 14 male lambs, along with grain offerings and drink offerings. Each day following, the number of bulls decreases, culminating in a total of 70 bulls over the seven days of celebration, symbolizing the 70 nations of mankind. Zechariah 14:21 states that in that future time, the sacrifices will be offered in Jerusalem.
This points to restoration and repentant return to Kingdom life in Jerusalem as it was meant to be.
The Feast wraps up on the eighth day, which is another sacred assembly described in Leviticus 23:36 and it involves additional offerings. The latter day Feast will be like a giant BBQ, a time of rejoicing and thanksgiving for the harvest and God's provision as noted in Leviticus 23:40, where the people are instructed to take branches and rejoice before the LORD.
It's also referred to as a blessing and a truth in God's sayings. You can find that in Revelation 19:7-9.
The context of this restoration is part of the broader theme of return, aka repentance and renewal among the people that choose God's ways over their own. That's the same Kingdom message Jesus declared:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 3:2
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17
Not only that, after the declarations to return to God's ways which is repentance, we see a hidden Zechariah connection to the nations beyond the Jordan as well as the Jewish people in the synogogues of Galilee:
"And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan." Matthew 4:23-25
Thankfully, the bright light of God's voice has and will never dim. That's why Jesus explained there's two witnesses to the Torah and the Prophets, heaven and earth. Bottomline, Jesus was saying Almighty God's teahcing and instruction recorded in the Torah and the writings of the Prophets are an eternal link that holds everything together:
"For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law [Torah] until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:18-19
The disciples of Jesus knew anything and everything written thousands of years before their day was certainly not old or done away with. That fact is embedded in the books now known as the "Gospels" that they wrote. Here's one example:
The day after the resurrection on the day of First Fruits, two disciples were on their way home walking on the Emmaus road. Along the way, they learned a big Bible lesson as they were schooled on the Hebrew Bible like a window into the living light of the Word of God.
The man we know as Luke wrote about their lesson that should be ours too saying"
"Jesus explained and began at Moses and all the Prophets... and expounded unto them in all the Scriptures, the things concerning Himself." Luke 24:27
King David set the stage a thousand years earlier when he wrote: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your Torah." (Psalm 119:18)
It seems that a man named Augustine of Hippo may have considered those two verses when he wrote this:
“The New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.”
You may have never heard of Augustine, but wrote that truth c. 396-430 AD, and his quote opens a window of understanding to the Newer Testament’s integration in the Word of God and the first trip Messianic prophecies of the Hebrew Bible Jesus taught the crowd about at the Sermon on the Mount that some sermons ignore about understanding Biblical living not only emphasizes love, mercy, and grace but the guidance of the voice of Jesus about the way of life in God's Kingdom.
Take a look at just a few of the many other connections from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that all disciples today need to study, know and understand:
| Gospel Connections | |
|---|---|
| Matthew 1:23 | Isaiah 7:14 |
| Matthew 2:6 | Micah 5:2 |
| Matthew 2:15 | Hosea 11:1 |
| Matthew 2:18 | Jeremiah 31:15 |
| Matthew 3:3 | Isaiah 40:3 |
| Matthew 4:4 | Deuteronomy 8:3 |
| Matthew 4:6 | Psalm 91:11; 12 |
| Matthew 4:7 | Deuteronomy 6:16 |
| Matthew 4:10 | Deuteronomy 6:13 |
| Matthew 4:10 | Deuteronomy 10:20 |
| Matthew 4:15-16 | Isaiah 9:1; 2 |
| Matthew 4:15-16 | Isaiah 42:7 |
| Matthew 5:5 | Psalm 37:11 |
| Matthew 5:21 | Exodus 20:13 |
| Matthew 5:21 | Deuteronomy 5:17 |
| Matthew 5:27 | Exodus 20:14 |
| Matthew 5:27 | Deuteronomy 5:18 |
| Matthew 5:31 | Deuteronomy 24:1 |
| Matthew 5:33 | Exodus 20:7 |
| Matthew 5:33 | Leviticus 19:12 |
| Matthew 5:38 | Exodus 21:24 |
| Matthew 5:38 | Leviticus 24:20 |
| Matthew 5:38 | Deuteronomy 19:21 |
| Matthew 5:43 | Leviticus 19:18 |
| Matthew 5:48 | Genesis 17:1 |
| Matthew 7:23 | Psalm 6:8 |
| Matthew 8:4 | Leviticus 14:2-3 |
| Matthew 8:17 | Isaiah 53:4 |
| Matthew 9:13 | Hosea 6:6 |
| Matthew 10:35-36 | Micah 7:6 |
| Matthew 11:5 | Isaiah 35:5 |
| Matthew 11:5 | Isaiah 29:18 |
| Matthew 11:10 | Malachi 3:1 |
| Matthew 11:14 | Malachi 4:5 |
| Matthew 12:3 | 1Samuel 21:6 |
| Matthew 12:5 | Numbers 28:9-10 |
| Matthew 12:7 | Hosea 6:6 |
| Matthew 12:18 | Isaiah 42:1 |
| Matthew 12:18-21 | Isaiah 42:1-4 |
| Matthew 12:40 | Jonah 1:17 |
| Matthew 12:42 | 1Kings 10:1 |
| Matthew 13:14 | Isaiah 6:9-10 |
| Matthew 13:35 | Psalm 78:2 |
| Matthew 15:4 | Exodus 20:12 |
| Matthew 15:4 | Deuteronomy 5:16 |
| Matthew 15:4 | Exodus 21:17 |
| Matthew 15:4 | Leviticus 20:9 |
| Matthew 15:4 | Proverbs 20:20 |
| Matthew 15:8-9 | Isaiah 29:13 |
| Matthew 16:4 | Jonah 1:17 |
| Matthew 17:10 | Malachi 4:5 |
| Matthew 18:15 | Leviticus 19:17 |
| Matthew 18:16 | Leviticus 19:15 |
| Matthew 18:16 | Deuteronomy 19:15 |
| Matthew 19:4 | Genesis 1:27 |
| Matthew 19:5 | Genesis 2:24 |
| Matthew 19:7 | Deuteronomy 24:1 |
| Matthew 19:18 | Exodus 20:12 |
| Matthew 19:19 | Leviticus 19:18 |
| Matthew 19:26 | Jeremiah 32:17 |
| Matthew 21:5 | Zechariah 9:9 |
| Matthew 21:9 | Psalm 118:26 |
| Matthew 21:13 | Isaiah 56:7 |
| Matthew 21:13 | Jeremiah 7:11 |
| Matthew 21:16 | Psalm 8:2 |
| Matthew 21:33 | Isaiah 5:1 |
| Matthew 21:42 | Psalm 118:22-23 |
| Matthew 21:44 | Isaiah 8:14 |
| Matthew 21:44 | Zechariah 12:3 |
| Matthew 21:44 | Daniel 2:34-35 |
| Matthew 22:24 | Deuteronomy 25:5 |
| Matthew 22:32 | Exodus 3:6 |
| Matthew 22:37 | Deuteronomy 6:5 |
| Matthew 22:39 | Leviticus 19:18 |
| Matthew 22:44 | Psalm 110:1 |
| Matthew 23:35 | Genesis 4:8 |
| Matthew 23:35 | 2Chronicles 24:21-22 |
| Matthew 23:38 | Psalm 69:25 |
| Matthew 23:38 | Jeremiah 12:7 |
| Matthew 23:38 | Jeremiah 22:5 |
| Matthew 23:39 | Psalm 118:26 |
| Matthew 24:15 | Daniel 9:27 |
| Matthew 24:15 | Daniel 8:13 |
| Matthew 24:15 | Daniel 11:31 |
| Matthew 24:15 | Daniel 12:11 |
| Matthew 24:21 | Jeremiah 30:7 |
| Matthew 24:29 | Isaiah 13:9-10 |
| Matthew 24:29 | Joel 2:10 |
| Matthew 24:29 | Joel 3:15 |
| Matthew 24:29 | Ezekiel 32:7 |
| Matthew 24:35 | Isaiah 51:16 |
| Matthew 24:37 | Genesis 7:4 |
| Matthew 25:41 | Psalm 6:8 |
| Matthew 26:24 | Psalm 22:1-31 |
| Matthew 26:31 | Zechariah 13:7 |
| Matthew 26:60 | Psalm 35:11 |
| Matthew 26:67 | Isaiah 50:6 |
| Matthew 27:9-10 | Zechariah 11:13 |
| Matthew 27:35 | Psalm 22:18 |
| Matthew 27:43 | Psalm 22:7-9 |
| Matthew 27:46 | Psalm 22:1 |
| Matthew 28:18 | Daniel 7:14 |
| Mark 1:2; 3 | Malachi 3:1 |
| Mark 1:2; 3 | Isaiah 40:3 |
| Mark 1:44 | Leviticus 14:2 |
| Mark 2:25-26 | 1Samuel 21:6 |
| Mark 4:12 | Isaiah 6:9 |
| Mark 7:6; 7 | Isaiah 29:13 |
| Mark 7:10 | Exodus 20:12 |
| Mark 7:10 | Deuteronomy 5:16 |
| Mark 7:10 | Exodus 21:17 |
| Mark 7:10 | Proverbs 20:20 |
| Mark 9:11 | Malachi 4:5 |
| Mark 9:44 | Isaiah 66:24 |
| Mark 10:4 | Deuteronomy 24:1 |
| Mark 10:6 | Genesis 1:27 |
| Mark 10:7 | Genesis 2:24 |
| Mark 10:19 | Exodus 20:12; 13-14 |
| Mark 11:9 | Psalm 118:26 |
| Mark 11:17 | Isaiah 56:7 |
| Mark 11:17 | Jeremiah 7:11 |
| Mark 12:1 | Isaiah 5:1 |
| Mark 12:10-11 | Psalm 118:22; 23 |
| Mark 12:19 | Deuteronomy 25:5 |
| Mark 12:26 | Exodus 3:6 |
| Mark 12:29-30 | Deuteronomy 6:4-5 |
| Mark 12:31 | Leviticus 19:18 |
| Mark 12:33 | 1Samuel 15:22 |
| Mark 12:36 | Psalm 110:1 |
| Mark 13:5 | Jeremiah 29:8 |
| Mark 13:12 | Micah 7:6 |
| Mark 13:14 | Daniel 9:27 |
| Mark 13:14 | Daniel 8:13 |
| Mark 13:14 | Daniel 11:31 |
| Mark 13:14 | Daniel 12:11 |
| Mark 13:24 | Isaiah 13:9; 10 |
| Mark 13:24 | Joel 3:15 |
| Mark 13:31 | Isaiah 40:8 |
| Mark 14:27 | Zechariah 13:7 |
| Mark 15:28 | Isaiah 53:12 |
| Mark 15:34 | Psalm 22:1 |
| Luke 1:10 | Leviticus 16:17 |
| Luke 1:17 | Malachi 4:5; 6 |
| Luke 1:32 | Psalm 132:11 |
| Luke 1:33 | Micah 4:7 |
| Luke 1:33 | Daniel 4:3 |
| Luke 1:55 | Genesis 22:18 |
| Luke 1:55 | Genesis 17:19 |
| Luke 1:73 | Genesis 22:16 |
| Luke 1:73 | Genesis 12:3 |
| Luke 1:78 | Numbers 24:17 |
| Luke 1:78 | Malachi 4:2 |
| Luke 1:79 | Isaiah 9:2 |
| Luke 2:21-22 | Leviticus 12:3; 4 |
| Luke 2:23 | Exodus 13:2 |
| Luke 2:24 | Leviticus 12:8 |
| Luke 2:34 | Isaiah 8:14; 15 |
| Luke 3:4-6 | Isaiah 40:3; 4; 5 |
| Luke 4:4 | Deuteronomy 8:3 |
| Luke 4:8 | Deuteronomy 6:13 |
| Luke 4:8 | Deuteronomy 10:20 |
| Luke 4:10-11 | Psalm 91:11; 12 |
| Luke 4:12 | Deuteronomy 6:16 |
| Luke 4:18-19 | Isaiah 61:1; 2 |
| Luke 4:25-26 | 1Kings 17:1; 9 |
| Luke 4:25-26 | 1Kings 18:1; 2 |
| Luke 4:27 | 2Kings 5:14 |
| Luke 5:14 | Leviticus 14:2 |
| Luke 6:3-4 | 1Samuel 21:6 |
| Luke 6:24 | Amos 6:1 |
| Luke 7:27 | Malachi 3:1 |
| Luke 8:10 | Isaiah 6:9 |
| Luke 10:4 | 2Kings 4:29 |
| Luke 10:27 | Deuteronomy 6:5 |
| Luke 10:27 | Leviticus 19:18 |
| Luke 10:28 | Leviticus 18:5 |
| Luke 11:30 | Jonah 1:17 |
| Luke 11:30 | Jonah 3:1-10 |
| Luke 11:30 | Jonah 4:1-11 |
| Luke 11:31 | 2Kings 10:1 |
| Luke 11:51 | Genesis 4:8 |
| Luke 11:51 | 2Chronicles 24:21-22 |
| Luke 13:27 | Psalm 6:8 |
| Luke 13:35 | Psalm 118:26 |
| Luke 13:35 | Jeremiah 12:7 |
| Luke 13:35 | Jeremiah 22:5 |
| Luke 14:8 | Proverbs 25:6 |
| Luke 14:26 | Micah 7:6 |
| Luke 17:3 | Leviticus 19:17 |
| Luke 17:27 | Genesis 7:7 |
| Luke 17:29 | Genesis 19:16 |
| Luke 17:32 | Genesis 19:26 |
| Luke 18:20 | Exodus 20:12 |
| Luke 18:20 | Deuteronomy 5:17-18 |
| Luke 19:46 | Isaiah 56:7 |
| Luke 19:46 | Jeremiah 7:11 |
| Luke 20:9 | Isaiah 5:1 |
| Luke 20:17 | Psalm 118:22; 23 |
| Luke 20:18 | Isaiah 8:14 |
| Luke 20:18 | Zechariah 12:3 |
| Luke 20:18 | Daniel 2:44 |
| Luke 20:28 | Deuteronomy 25:5 |
| Luke 20:37 | Exodus 3:6 |
| Luke 20:42-43 | Psalm 110:1 |
| Luke 22:37 | Isaiah 53:12 |
| Luke 23:29 | Isaiah 54:1 |
| Luke 23:30 | Hosea 10:8 |
| Luke 23:46 | Psalm 31:5 |
| Luke 24:46 | Isaiah 53:5 |
| John 1:1-5 | Genesis 1:1-5 |
| John 1:23 | Isaiah 40:3 |
| John 1:51 | Genesis 28:12 |
| John 2:17 | Psalm 69:9 |
| John 3:14 | Numbers 21:8-9 |
| John 4:37 | Micah 6:15 |
| John 6:31 | Psalm 78:24 |
| John 6:31 | Exodus 16:15 |
| John 6:45 | Isaiah 54:13 |
| John 6:49 | Exodus 16:15 |
| John 7:22 | Leviticus 12:3 |
| John 7:38 | Isaiah 55:1 |
| John 7:38 | Isaiah 58:11 |
| John 7:38 | Isaiah 44:3 |
| John 7:38 | Zechariah 13:1 |
| John 7:38 | Zechariah 14:8 |
| John 7:38 | Proverbs 18:4 |
| John 7:38 | Isaiah 12:3 |
| John 7:39 | Isaiah 44:3 |
| John 7:42 | Psalm 89:4 |
| John 7:42 | Psalm 132:11 |
| John 7:42 | Micah 5:1; 2 |
| John 8:5 | Leviticus 20:10 |
| John 8:5 | Deuteronomy 22:21 |
| John 8:17 | Deuteronomy 19:15 |
| John 9:31 | Psalm 82:6 |
| John 10:34 | Psalm 82:6 |
| John 12:13 | Psalm 118:26 |
| John 12:14-15 | Zechariah 9:9 |
| John 12:34 | 2Samuel 7:13 |
| John 12:34 | Psalm 89:30; 37 |
| John 12:34 | Psalm 110:4 |
| John 12:34 | Isaiah 9:7 |
| John 12:38 | Isaiah 53:1 |
| John 12:40 | Isaiah 6:9 |
| John 12:49 | Deuteronomy 18:18 |
| John 13:18 | Psalm 41:9 |
| John 15:25 | Psalm 69:4 |
| John 15:25 | Psalm 109:3 |
| John 15:25 | Psalm 35:19 |
| John 17:12 | Psalm 41:10 |
| John 17:12 | Psalm 109:8; 17 |
| John 19:24 | Psalm 22:19 |
| John 19:28 | Psalm 69:21 |
| John 19:36 | Exodus 12:46 |
| John 19:36 | Psalm 34:20 |
| John 19:36 | Numbers 9:12 |
| John 19:37 | Zechariah 12:10 |
| John 20:9 | Psalm 16:10 |
| John 20:17 | Psalm 22:22 |
Update: January 19, 2025 which is Tevet 19
It's said by some Bible scholars that the meaning of the number 19, revolves around God's perfect order concerning judgment in the Bible. Nineteen can also be seen as a number of transition and change.
The Hebrew Bible is alive and engaged with the significance of numbers that nevr age.
I can’t imagine the joy of the families of the first of three Israeli hostages released today on the 19th under a cease-fire agreement in Gaza. On October 7, 2023, the war in Gaza ignited when some 3,000 Islamic Jihad Hamas terrorists violently stormed into southern Israel. Those Amalek-like Hamas madmen viciously massacred at least 1,200 Jewish civilians and then abducted 251 people.
Like the Amalekites that attacked from behind targeting the weak as well as women and children, as the Israelites were leaving Egypt (Deuteronomy 25:17-19, Exodus 17:8-16). Hamas is now known for their brutal tactics and their attack on the vulnerable.
Today's three freed hostages are Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher.
You can read their report at The Times of Israel.
It just so happens that the Haftarah (The Prophets) portion of the ages old Torah reading for this week just so happens to be וארא "Va'era" which means "and I appeared."
The reading includes the Ezekiel 28:25-26 prophecy that will be read aloud in homes and synogogues all around the planet this week.
Ezekiel wrote this …
Thus says the LORD, “When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob.And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards.They shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt.
Then they will know that I am YHVH their God."
Who are the contemptable neighbors of Israel today?
Hamas and there are others too.
They all have a big time sword of judgment problem that's been described in the Bible for a very long time and it includes Messiah's second trip assignment to wipe evil off the face of the earth.
The prophetic stage was set when the shepherd David wiped out Goliath the Philistine when he defied the armies of the living God.
Yeshua (Jesus) described the coming battle against evil when he said,
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34
February 22, 2025: Today is Shevat 24 and it is believed that the last of the known six living hostages that have been held as slaves since October 7, 2023 have been set free in liberty today after over 70 weeks by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, but today they are in Israel.
According to the Times of Israel:
"Hostages Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed were released from Hamas captivity and returned to Israel on Saturday, in the largest single day of releases since the current hostage-ceasefire deal took effect. They are believed to be the final living hostages scheduled for release in the current first phase of the deal, with only four more hostages, all believed to be dead, set for release on Thursday.
The terror group paraded five of the six freed hostages on stages in propaganda-filled ceremonies in two locations in Gaza, handing them over to the Red Cross, while al-Sayed was released separately to the humanitarian organization later in the day, without a ceremony.
The men all looked frail and many had noticeably suffered dramatic weight loss.
Shoham, Shem Tov, Wenkert and Cohen were all taken captive on October 7, 2023 during the Hamas-led attacks and massacres, and had been held as hostages in Gaza for over 500 days.
Mengistu and al-Sayed both entered Gaza on their own accord in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and had been held captive by terror groups in Gaza for around a decade each.
The releases came hours after Hamas finally returned the body of Shiri Bibas; Israel said she had been brutally murdered by her captors along with her two small sons, Ariel, 4, and baby Kfir, whose bodies were returned on Thursday."
Is it any wonder that the Haftarah portion on this Sabbath from Jeremiah 34:8-10 reads in a simliar way to today's headlines? The situation was different in
"The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them, that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother.And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again.
They obeyed and set them free."
The last of the living hosatges were held over 70 weeks, but I could not help to be reminded of what Daniel recorded:
“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression..."
Once again, the Hebrew Bible is alive and engaged, it's not old.
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