Jude also quotes “the assumption of moses”, another false book. Many of those new testament guys had a lot of baggage and believed all kinds of lies and false teachings. Why else were there so many warnings about all the false teachers? It says there were priests, pharisees, helenists, romans, and people from all nations who joined.

Great teaching! Well explained points 👍

My first reply vanished,that, thank you brother for sharing Elohims Wisdom with others, genesis is myffavorite. B,less you join. Yahweh bless you, and guard you Yahweh make his face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you Yahweh lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace Shabbat Shalom to your home. Amein

Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be continuing in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: And it came to be in the days of Amraphel king of Shin'ar, Aryok king of Ellasar, Kedorla'omer king of Eylam, and Tid'al king of Goyim, that they fought against Bera king of Sedom, Birsha king of Amorah, Shinav king of Admah, Shem’eber king of Tsevoyim, and the king of Bela, that is Tso'ar. All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim, that is the Salt Sea. Twelve years they served Kedorla'omer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. And in the fourteenth year Kedorla'omer and the kings that were with him came and struck the Repha’im in Ashteroth Qarnayim, and the Zuzim in Cham, and the Emites in Shaweh Qiryathayim, and the Choriym in their mountain of Se'ir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. And they turned back and came to En Mishpat, that is Qadesh, and struck all the country of the Amaleqites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Chatsetson Tamar. And the king of Sedom, and the king of Amorah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Tsevoyim, and the king of Bela, that is Tso'ar, went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim, against Kedorla'omer king of Eylam, and Tid'al king of Goyim, and Amraphel king of Shin'ar, and Aryok king of Ellasar - four kings against five. And the Valley of Siddim had many tar pits. And the kings of Sedom and Amorah fled and fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. And they took all the goods of Sedom and Amorah, and all their food, and went away. And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sedom, and his goods, and left. And one who had escaped came and informed Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshkol and brother of Aner, and they had a covenant with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he and his servants divided against them by night, and struck them and pursued them as far as Chovah, which is on the left of Dammeseq. So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. (Genesis 14:1-16) This is the first recorded war in Scripture, and Abraham is undoubtedly involved. The five kingdoms, or, to be more precise, vassal kingdoms, a vassal kingdom or state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, similar to the status of a vassal in medieval Europe's feudal system. Vassal states were common among Near Eastern empires dating back to the Egyptian, Hittite, and Mitanni conflicts, as well as ancient China. The use of vassal states continued throughout the Middle Ages, with the Ottoman Empire being the last empire to do so. And after 12 years of being subject to four kingdoms, these five vassal kingdoms rebelled against Kedorla'omer, King of Eylam in the 13th year. And Lot was caught up in the battle and taken prisoner. Abraham would eventually save his nephew from danger. What is interesting is that as we look at the names of these kings, we can take a look at the prophetic symbolism of them: Amraphel is Strong’s H569 meaning sayer of darkness: fall of the sayer, who was the king of Shinar Strong’s H8152 meaning country of two rivers. Aryok is Strong’s H746 meaning lion-like who was the king of Ellasar Strong’s H495 meaning El is chastener. Kedorlaʽomer is Strong’s H3540 meaning a handful of sheaves. He was the king of Eylam which is Strong’s H5867 meaning eternity. Tidal is Strong’s H8413 meaning great son. He was the king of goyim which is the plural of goy Strong’s H1471 meaning nation, people. These four kings represent a ruler who is full of darkness and beyond the two rivers. Whom the eternal El will use to punish a nation. This will be the case in the future when Yahweh uses Babylon, a nation beyond two rivers, to punish the children of Yisra'el for their sins. Yahweh will often punish His children when they sin by putting darkness in their lives. This is no different from the five kings who rebelled. We should remember that Sedom and Amorah were wicked: But the men of Sedom were evil and sinned before Yahweh, exceedingly so. (Genesis 13:13) Yahweh had rightly punished the five kings for the evil and sin they had committed before Him. And the names of these kings have prophetic meanings as well: Bera is Strong’s H1298 meaning son of evil. Who was the king of Sedom Strong’s H5467 meaning burning. Birsha is Strong’s H1306 meaning with iniquity. And he was the king of Amorah which is Strong’s H6017 meaning submersion. Shinav is Strong’s H8134 meaing splendour of the father. Who was the king of Admah Strong’s H126 meaning red earth. As we can see, these cities would perish through burning, submersion, and destruction. They received the full punishment of Yahweh as He reigned fire down and completley destroyed them: The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Tso'ar. And Yahweh rained sulphur and fire on Sedom and Amorah, from Yahweh out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. (Genesis 19:23-25) The city is still an example to those who would live wickedly to this day, as Kepha or as he is commonly called, Peter tells us: and having reduced to ashes the cities of Sedom and Amorah condemned them to destruction - having made them an example to those who afterward would live wickedly, (2 Peter 2:6)

Awesome brother love this study, it's refreshing and clearly spoken and edifying. Praise Our Father Yahweh with His son Yahshua foreverlasting.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be continuing in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: And Abram went up from Mitsrayim into the South, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him. And Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Beyth El, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beyth El and Ai, to the place of the slaughter-place which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the Name of Yahweh. Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. And at that time the Kena'anites and the Perizzites dwelt in the land. Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. “Is not all the land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I go to the left.” And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of the Yarden, that it was well watered everywhere - before Yahweh destroyed Sedom and Amorah - like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Mitsrayim as you go toward Tso'ar. So Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Yarden, and Lot moved east. Thus they separated from each other, Abram dwelling in the land of Kena'an, and Lot dwelling in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent as far as Sedom. But the men of Sedom were evil and sinned before Yahweh, exceedingly so. And after Lot had separated from him, Yahweh said to Abram, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land which you see I shall give to you and your seed forever. “And I shall make your seed as the dust of the earth, so that, if a man could count the dust of the earth, then your seed also could be counted. “Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” So Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built a slaughter-place there to Yahweh. (Genesis 13:1-18) As was previously said, Abraham left Mitsrayim and in verses 3-4 we see that he returned to the starting place between Beyth El and Ai, where he had established the location for the slaughter, and once more he called on the name of Yahweh. Here, it is clear that Abraham had learnt a valuable lesson and would have called the name of Yahweh while offering a sacrifice of repentance, confession, and thanksgiving. The Hebrew word that is translated as up comes from the root word alah Strong’s H5927 meaning, to go up, ascend, climb, approach, go. A derivative of this root word, is the word that is used for the phrase, whole burnt offering, which is the root word olah Strong’s H5930 which means, whole burnt offering, ascent, staircase, stairway. The olah offering represents total submission to Yahweh, just as Messiah offered His body as an olah offering. As an acceptable act of devotion before Yahweh, we must similarly offer our bodies as a daily living sacrifice. We must devote our entire lives to the service and worship of Yahweh. Despite going down to Mitsrayim, Abraham had learned his lesson and then went up from Mitsrayim, symbolizing a complete withdrawal from the world and its enticing lusts of the flesh. This chapter 13 teaches us a valuable lesson about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which are not of Elohiym: Because all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world. (1 John 2:16) And by all accounts, we can see how Abraham was not motivated by the flesh, but rather by Yahweh's promise. Abraham may have failed the previous test, but he passed the next one, which was one of lust for things like riches. Instead, he would be a peacemaker between him and his nephew Lot. The problem between Abraham and Lot was not one of land, famine, or wealth, but of the heart. Lot's heart had become focused on wealth and worldly success since Mitsrayim, whereas Abraham only wanted to please Yahweh. It was bad enough that they were arguing, but the pagan people of the land were watching and listening. When believers argue, their testimony of Yahweh suffers. Rather, as the Psalmist says, it is far better to have unity among brethren: See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity - (Psalms 133:1) Unity is fragrant and fruitful in the Spirit of Yahweh, but disunity turns that fragrance into a stench and a garden into a desert. Lot is an example of someone who looked to the flesh and followed what he could see rather than relying on Yahweh. The world's wisdom and wealth may appear to be satisfying at first, but they will ultimately disappoint. Abraham lived in Yisra'el for Yahweh and others, not for himself. But in Mitsrayim, he lived for himself. When Abraham returned to Yahweh's slaughter place in Kena'an, he put Yahweh first and gave Lot a choice of where to live. And the true believer in Messiah walks in the same way that Yahushua did, disregarding his own rights and gladly giving up his life for the sake of others. He did, according to Paulos: ...doing none at all through selfishness or self-conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each one should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. For, let this mind be in you which was also in Messiah Yahushua, who, being in the form of Elohiym, did not regard equality with Elohiym a matter to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and came to be in the likeness of men. And having been found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, death even of a stake. (Philippians 2:3-8) In contrast, Lot was not serving others, but rather his own self-interest. Instead of looking to Yahweh, he looked to the plains of Yarden and came to a halt there. And herein lies Lot's lesson: the eyes see what the heart loves. We either see Yahweh and turn to love Him, or we see the world and turn to love it. Abraham could take Lot out of Mitsrayim, but not Mitsrayim out of Lot. With Lot and many like him, the outlook determines the outcome. Abraham's gaze was fixed on Yahweh's set apart city. He saw the coming King and went on to walk with Yahweh and receive the blessing. Yahushua mentions this when He says: Your father Abraham was glad that he should see My day, and he saw it and did rejoice. (John 8:56) Lot was fixated with the worldly cities of Sedom and Amorah and the men who lived in them, and he was eventually entrapped by them and had to be rescued from danger and death. As a result, a schism developed between Lot and Abraham. And Abraham had about 300 menservants who he could arm for battle: And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. (Genesis 14:14) This gives you an idea of the size of the crowd accompanying Abraham, and Lot was probably in roughly the same position. Because the land was simply too small for all of them to graze their cattle and sheep together, conflict arose between Lot's servants and Abraham's servants. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. And at that time the Kena'anites and the Perizzites dwelt in the land. (Genesis 13:6-7) Abraham called Lot and said to him: Let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. Is not all the land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I go to the left. (Genesis 13:7-9) Abraham and Lot parted on good terms, and one went with his family, flocks, and herds to one place and settled there, while the other went to another, preventing further animosities and contentions. Abraham teaches us to be peacemakers and that while there will be schisms between brothers, we should seek peace even in the midst of those schisms. And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of the Yarden, that it was well watered everywhere - before Yahweh destroyed Sedom and Amorah - like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Mitsrayim as you go toward Tso'ar. So Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Yarden, and Lot moved east. Thus they separated from each other, Abram dwelling in the land of Kena'an, and Lot dwelling in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent as far as Sedom. But the men of Sedom were evil and sinned before Yahweh, exceedingly so. (Genesis 13:10-13) So Sedom and Amorah were like the Garden of Eden, and Lot looked down at the lush tropical area and decided to move down that way. So Lot begins to travel toward Sedom, drawn in some way by this evil city. There does appear to be a certain allure to sin. Satan makes it appear very appealing. As the proverb goes: There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12)

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be continuing in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: And from there he moved to the mountain east of Beyth El, and he pitched his tent, with Beyth El on the west and Ai on the east. And he built there a slaughter-place to Yahweh, and called on the Name of Yahweh. (Genesis 12:8) The name Beyth El is Strong’s H1008 means, house of El which was on the west and Ai Strong’s H5857 which means, heap of ruins which was on the east. In other words, Abraham was presented with a clear choice; to the west (sea, water) or to the east (ancient, old). He would have to choose whether to follow Yahweh's Word and allow His Word to wash him, or to return to the ruinous heap of his past, from which he had emerged to follow Yahweh's Word. While Abraham was constructing an alter and calling on the name of Yahweh, he chose to face south rather than west or east: And Abram set out, continuing toward the South. (Genesis 12:9) The Hebrew word for south is negeb Strong's H5045 From an unused root meaning to be parched; the south (from its drought); specifically the negeb or southern district of Judah, occasionally, Egypt. So the question becomes why did he choose to go south? The answer is in the next verse: And a scarcity of food came to be in the land, and Abram went down to Mitsrayim to dwell there, for the scarcity of food was severe in the land. (Genesis 12:10) The Hebrew word that is translated as scarcity of food comes from the root word ra’ab Strong’s H7458 which means, famine, hunger, famished. We must understand that Abraham's travels had nothing to do with him simply having the desire to move; moving was always dangerous and difficult. Rather, Abraham's movements were influenced by the never-ending search for water for his flocks, as well as a full-fledged famine that threatened his family's survival. In a sense, Abraham appears to have taken his gaze away from the Mighty Teacher, Yahweh, who had appeared to him, possibly due to the physical reality of a lack of sustenance. When things get tough, we must keep trusting in Yahweh, holding fast to His sure promises, and not looking to the world for solutions to our problems and struggles. Leaving his family and traveling to an unknown land required a huge leap of faith. He saw Yahweh and heard His Word of promise after he arrived. Why, then, did Yahweh allow a famine after they expected to settle down and enjoy their new home? To teach Abraham and Sarah a fundamental lesson in the school of faith, a lesson that we must all learn and that is triumphs are frequently followed by tests. This principle was seen in Yisra'el's history after being delivered from Mitsrayim. This triumph of freedom came after the necessary testing, in which they were without water, hungry, and attacked by the Amalekites. And throughout this one of the most powerful enemies of their faith wasn't those physical objects, no it was pride. And it's not only theirs but all of mankind's. When you win or experience a victory, you may become confident and begin telling yourself that you can defeat any enemy at any time, and you may begin to rely on your previous experience and growing knowledge of the Word, rather than entirely on Yahweh. After a great victory, expect the enemy to attack, or Yahweh to put you to the test, or both. This is the only way for our faith to grow. Yahweh uses difficult circumstances in your life to strengthen your faith and keep you from trusting anything other than His Word. Running away from the problem will not work. Abraham went "down to Mitsrayim" instead of remaining in the land and trusting Yahweh to help him. The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘went down’ comes from the root word yarad Strong’s H3381 which means, to come or go down, descend. In the Scriptures, Mitsrayim is a symbol of the world system and its bondage, while the land of Yisra’el is a picture of the inheritance of blessing that Yahweh has for us. Abraham would soon regret moving south to Mitsrayim because it would expose him to worldly ideas and practices. Mitsrayim was a fantastic and reliable fertility region for shepherds living at the southern end of the Middle East, similar to what Mesopotamia was for those living to the north, ideal for Abraham's flock but ultimately unwise.

Yahweh bless you brother ,,love it

As usual you did an awesome job with this and shared some very important concepts to our service to Yahweh!! Thank you for your faithfulness and I love you!!

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be continuing in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: So Abram left, as Yahweh had commanded him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the beings whom they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Kena'an. And they came to the land of Kena'an. And Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. At that time the Kena'anites were in the land. And Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “To your seed I give this land.” And he built there a slaughter-place to Yahweh, who had appeared to him. And from there he moved to the mountain east of Beyth El, and he pitched his tent, with Beyth El on the west and Ai on the east. And he built there a slaughter-place to Yahweh, and called on the Name of Yahweh. And Abram set out, continuing toward the South. And a scarcity of food came to be in the land, and Abram went down to Mitsrayim to dwell there, for the scarcity of food was severe in the land. And it came to be, when he was close to entering Mitsrayim, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at. “And it shall be, when the Mitsrites see you, that they shall say, ‘This is his wife.’ And they shall kill me, but let you live. “Please say you are my sister, so that it shall be well with me for your sake, and my life be spared because of you.” And it came to be, when Abram came into Mitsrayim, that the Mitsrites saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. And Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her before Pharaoh, and the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. And he treated Abram well for her sake, and he had sheep, and cattle, and male donkeys, and male and female servants, and female donkeys, and camels. But Yahweh plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not inform me that she was your wife? “Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? And so I was going to take her for my wife. Look, here is your wife, take her and go.” And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had. (Genesis 12:4-20) If we only read the Old Covenant, we would not know where Abraham received his marching orders from Yahweh. The Genesis account appear to imply that while temporarily settled in Haran, Abraham, now known as Abram, received his call. But, according to Acts 7, before he arrived in Haran, presumably on the family's journey from Ur, Yahweh appeared to Abram: And he replied, “Men, brothers and fathers, listen: The Elohiym of esteem appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Aram Naharayim, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, ‘Come out of your land and from your relatives, and come here, into a land that I shall show you.’ (Acts 7:2-3) It is important to note that Abraham's family was just as pagan as the rest of the world at the time. Furthermore, separation was implied in Yahweh's command for Abraham to leave his country, leave his father, and leave his family. What Abraham had to do could not be accomplished by remaining among a people, including his own family, who were completely devoted to the paganism of the time. We must remember that Abraham, who was 75 years old at the time, was so ingrained in his culture that he would have found it difficult to leave. He must have felt some trepidation or hesitation, as we all would if we were asked to simply get up and leave our pagan families. If it were that simple and straightforward, the forced separation of Abraham and those who would accompany him would not have been necessary. It is human nature to resist letting go of familiar things, even when those familiar things are weighing us down or even destroying us. In our minds, the security of the familiar present, no matter how terrible or hollow, is preferable to the discomfort of facing an unknown future of change. And, when left to our own devices, we frequently attempt to move forward into renewal while remaining tied to all that must be left behind. Separation, in some form or another, is required for serving Yahweh. Separation can be used by Yahweh to accomplish good in ways we never imagined. The death of a spouse or parent may be the cause of the separation. And, like Abraham, it's possible that, for the purpose Yahweh has for you, you can't stay tied to the old, no matter how painful that separation is. Of course, the concept of separation is central to Messiah's teachings. Although it is not usually recognized as such, it appears that these are just a few of Yahushua's statements that are causing us so much trouble. If anyone comes to Me and does not love less, his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and his own life too, he is unable to be My taught one. (Luke 14:26) The Greek word to love less is miseo Strong's G3404 meaning to hate, pursue with hatred, detest, by extension to love less. Hate in ancient times meant to love less. And loving less your father and mother, wife, children and brothers and sisters and even ones own life is part of that separation from this world and the flesh. When you are called by Yahweh, you must be prepared to be at odds with those closest to you, as Abraham was with his family. You realize you can't be bound by the past, especially a bad past; that His calling outweighs any other reason for your existence. Let's hear what else Yahushua has to say about this: Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword, for I have come to bring division, a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - and a man’s enemies are those of his own household. (Matthew 10:34-36) As no other before Him, the Messiah came to divide and separate. The sword mentioned by Yahushua is a symbol of division rather than of killing. And He understands that the circumstances of being set apart for Yahweh will be heartbreaking for some. As a result, He goes on to say: ...Amein, I say to you, when the Son of Adam sits on the throne of His honor, you who have followed Me in the rebirth, shall also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Yisra’el. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many who are first shall be last, and the last first. (Matthew 19:28-30) Separation, which is frequently expressed in Scripture using words like set-apart, sanctified, or distinction, must occur in some form if one is to be a believer. This is due to the fact that the primary change in a human's nature as a result of salvation is that he or she becomes set apart. So, by accepting Yahweh's insistence on separation, Abraham ratified the covenant Yahweh made with him. In other words, Abraham fulfilled his part of the bargain simply by leaving Haran, his family, and his nation and traveling to Kana'an. The rest of the covenant's terms, which would take centuries to develop and implement, were on Yahweh.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be talking about renewal of the mind. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: But Elohiym has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all matters, even the depths of Elohiym. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? So also, the thoughts of Elohiym no one has known, except the Spirit of Elohiym. And we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from Elohiym, in order to know what Elohiym has favourably given us, which we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Set-apart Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual matters with spiritual matters. But the natural man does not receive the matters of the Spirit of Elohiym, for they are foolishness to him, and he is unable to know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual discerns indeed all matters, but he himself is discerned by no one. For “Who has known the mind of Yahweh Who shall instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Messiah. (1 Corinthians 2:10-16) What needs to be renewed if we have the mind of the Messiah? What is wrong with our minds? One major issue is that the relationship between our minds and hearts has become perverted, with the roles being reversed. The proper function in relation to the mind is to make decisions, whereas the heart's proper function is to sense and feel things as a servant of the Spirit-renewed mind. Even though we have the Messiah's mind, many of us do not walk in it. Let's start with the heart's function. The heart is represented as merry, glad, stubborn, exultant, hateful, spiteful, loving, and so on throughout Scriputre. In other words, the heart feels and understands things in a way that our other faculties do not. It wonders how an answer can achieve a level of comprehension that goes beyond the mere comprehension of facts, as the proverbs say: So that you make your ear attend to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; (Proverbs 2:2) The Hebrew root word used here for incline is natah Strong’s H5186 meaning, to stretch out, spread out, extend, incline. What is interesting to note is that the Hebrew word for tribes comes from this root, which is mattah, Strong's H4294, meaning a staff, rod, branch, a tribe, a branch of a vine, and is used to refer to Yisra'el's tribes as well as Mosheh's rod. Yahweh's Word is for all the tribes (branches) of Yisra'el and when we see the meaning of these words, we are quickly reminded of our Master's words about the vine: I am the vine, you are the branches. He who stays in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit. Because without Me you are able to do nothing! (John 15: 5) To open our hearts to understanding is to ensure that we are true branches. And being attached to the vine gives us the proper mindset to have because when we submit to His words and ways, He gives us His thoughts on a matter. The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wrong pours out evil. (Proverbs 15:28) The Hebrew word translated as ponders comes from the root word hagah Strong's H1897, which means to moan, growl, utter, speak, muse, declare, and meditate, and in the context of this proverb it expresses the meaning of meditating and thinking about how to respond. People frequently speak without thinking and later regret the words they spoke in haste and without forethought, which is why we must not let our heart hurry with our words: Do not be hasty with your mouth, and let not your heart hurry to bring forth a word before Elohiym. For Elohiym is in the heavens, and you on earth, therefore let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:2) Which is why Ya'acob tells us to: ...be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, (James 1:19) And, because the heart is the seat of our fallen emotions, we are warned not to follow it: And it shall be to you for a tzitzit, and you shall see it, and shall remember all the commands of Yahweh and shall do them, and not search after your own heart and your own eyes after which you went whoring, (Numbers 15:39) Because the heart is prone to whoring or adultery, we wear tzitzit at the corners of our garments to remind us to keep Yahweh's commandments: Make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself. (Deuteronomy 22:12) so that you remember, and shall do all My commands, and be set-apart unto your Elohiym. (Numbers 15:40) And if we do follow or trust our own hearts, we become fools, according to proverbs: He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely is delivered. (Proverbs 28:26) The heart should never be trusted. And the heart should not make decisions in our lives. Why? Because emotions can shift as quickly as the wind. Indeed, the prophet Yirmeyahu, or Jeremiah as he is more commonly known, tells us: The heart is crooked above all, and desperately sick - who shall know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) The heart, then, is more deceitful than any other part of us, more likely to mislead, misrepresent itself, and lie. When left to its own devices, the heart is the most selfish and, as a result, the most dishonest instrument we have. Now that we know about the heart, what about the mind? The mind's function is to objectively know and then decide what to do with what is known. The mind's function is to set the course for all other faculties to follow. It is not the function of the heart. However, in order for it to function properly, we must balance it. And how do we go about doing so? We focus our minds on the Spirit: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the matters of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the matters of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5) Yahweh works through us in such a way that the Spirit rules the mind and the mind directs the heart. Psalms puts it this way: I bless Yahweh who has given me counsel; my mind also instruct me in the nights. (Psalms 16:7) The Hebrew word for mind is kilyah Strong's H3629 a kidney (as an essential organ); figuratively the mind (as the interior self). As a result, the mind is an important part of the decision-making process. It teaches the rest of me how to process information and determine the objective truth of Yahweh's Word. When we let our hearts rule, however, objective truth becomes skewed and twisted. And we must remember that the heart may plan man's steps, but Yahweh directs them: A man’s heart plans his way, But Yahweh establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9) In other words, Yahweh is the one who tells the mind where to go and the heart is to follow.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be talking about renewal of the mind. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good. For to wish is present with me, but to work the good I do not find. For the good that I wish to do, I do not do; but the evil I do not wish to do, this I practice. And if I do that which I do not wish, it is no longer I who work it, but the sin dwelling in me. I find therefore this law, that when I wish to do the good, that the evil is present with me. For I delight in the Torah of Elohiym according to the inward man, but I see another torah in my members, battling against the torah of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the torah of sin which is in my members. (Romans 7:18-23) Adam and Chawah gave us another engram, and that is a battle of the mind. Or a law, if you will. This law is in constant war with Yahweh's law. Inadvertently, Chawah placed Satan at the center of her life rather than the Tree of Life. Then Satan could and did, through sin, transgression of the Torah, and disobedience, elevate the tree of knowledge to fill the vacuum. From that error, we inherit the mental rut of placing too much importance on Satan. We must keep in mind that Satan is not the center of life; Yahweh is, and Satan's power is no where near equal to the Father's. Although it might appear like Satan is in charge of all that is happening right now, to over come Yahweh's children, but life is a pilgrimage in which Yahweh is raising children with whom to have fellowship with in eternity. As a result, we do encounter challenges from the devil and his allies as we journey toward preparing to spend eternity with Yahweh, but these are relatively minor incidents in history and do not have a significant impact on our Father's overall plan. What is that plan, exactly? to make His children mature and perfect like He is. And Yahweh accomplished that through His Son, Yahushua. How did His Son accomplish that? He lost his life so that we might be justified. Sin, not Satan, was the reason that Yahushua had to die on the tree as Paulos tells us: Therefore, having been declared right by belief, we have peace with Elohiym through our Master Yahushua Messiah, (Romans 5:1) Since the beginning of time, Yahweh has known that the Messiah's tree would have to be the price paid for His creations' ability to exercise free choice and become His sons and daughters. As you can see, Yahushua came to accomplish the Father's work: Yahushua said to them, “My food is to do the desire of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. (John 4:34) “But I have a greater witness than that of Yochanan, for the works that the Father gave Me to accomplish, the works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. (John 5:36) And what works was that? To suffer for the sins of mankind: For as Yonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of the great fish, so shall the Son of Adam be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40) and said to them, “Thus it has been written, and so it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations, beginning at Yerushalayim. (Luke 24:46-47) And Yahushua did not fall victim to Satan because he triumphed in the Garden of Eden. Yahweh's plan has always been to transform humanity into His image, which means Satan loses. Hear that, beloved ones, as you go through the trials and tribulations of this life. Satan is defeated, and you are being transformed into Yahweh's image as a result of your suffering. That is cause for celebration. We often give Satan too much credit where he does not deserve it, giving him too much power over our lives. And mistaken over-emphasis occurs for a variety of reasons, the first of which was Chawah's error, which created a track in our minds. The solution is not to yell at Satan to leave us alone, but to defeat him through the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony: And they overcame him because of the Blood of the Lamb, and because of the Word of their witness, and they did not love their lives to the death. (Revelation 12:11) This means that the battle has already been won for us by Yahushua the Messiah's blood, once and for all as the writer of what is commonly called John tells us: My little children, I write this to you, so that you do not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Intercessor with the Father, Yahushua Messiah, a righteous One. And He Himself is an atoning offering for our sins, and not for ours only but also for all the world. (1 John 2:1-2) And a few verses down it says: I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I wrote to you, fathers, because you have known Him from the beginning. I wrote to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of Elohiym stays in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. (1 John 2:13-14)

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be talking about renewal of the mind. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: But death reigned from Adam until Mosheh, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the favourable gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass many died, much more the favour of Elohiym, and the gift in favour of the one Man, Yahushua Messiah, overflowed to many. And the favourable gift is not as by one having sinned. For indeed the judgment was of one to condemnation, but the favourable gift is of many trespasses unto righteousness. For if by the trespass of the one, death did reign through the one, much more those who receive the overflowing favour and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life through the One, Yahushua Messiah. So then, as through one trespass there resulted condemnation to all men, so also through one righteous act there resulted righteous-declaring of life to all men. For as through the disobedience of one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One many shall be made righteous. (Romans 5:14-19) Every human being possesses many deep spiritual roots as part of our heritage from Adam and Chawah (Eve). Sin is not merely legal descendancy from parent to child, but generation to generation as seen in the commandment not to have any mighty ones against Yahweh's face: You have no other mighty ones against My face. You do not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth, you do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, Yahweh your Elohiym, am a jealous El, visiting the crookedness of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving-commitment to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My commands. (Deuteronomy 5:7-10) And we know how to drink in the rudimentary ways of evil as instinctively as newborn babies know how to drink in milk. Similarly, our spirit naturally turns to Yahweh. And within that instinct are the fundamental ways of seeking, fleeing, loving, rebelling, accepting, rejecting, searching and desiring. In other words, deep roots and ruts are a part of us even before we can walk or talk. Paulos, in writing to the Romans, wasn't merely telling us that we are sinners so that we would accept salvation. He was teaching about the devestaing reality of our sin, transgression of the Torah, from age to age, from person to person. So that we can understand sin's power in our minds and then transform our minds and renew them through a power far greater than sin, namely Yahweh. Paulos also taught that we instinctively know Yahweh in our spirits and that this knowledge is corrupted by sin: For the wrath of Elohiym is revealed from heaven against all wickedness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known of Elohiym is manifest among them, for Elohiym has manifested it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible qualities have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, both His everlasting power and Mightiness, for them to be without excuse, because, although they knew Elohiym, they did not honor Him as Elohim, nor gave thanks, but became vain in their reasonings, and their undiscerning heart was darkened. (Romans 1:18-21) Mosheh tells us that there were two trees that began our first parents' journey in decision-making on whether to choose Yahweh or to choose sin: And Yahweh Elohiym formed the man out of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils breath of life. And the man became a living being. And Yahweh Elohiym planted a garden in Eden, to the east, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground Yahweh Elohiym made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:7-9) Mosheh distinguishes between those trees that sprouted from the ground and contrasts them with the "Tree of Life" and the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil." There is no mention of those two trees growing from the ground. They appear to produce a different type of fruit than those grown in the ground. Trees can represent the personality of each individual. For example, the Psalmist tells us that if a man is firmly planted by the river, he will bear much fruit in season: Blessed is the man who shall not walk in the counsel of the wrong, And shall not stand in the path of sinners, And shall not sit in the seat of scoffers, But his delight is in the Torah of Yahweh, And he meditates in His Torah day and night. For he shall be as a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That yields its fruit in its season, And whose leaf does not wither, And whatever he does prospers. (Psalms 1:1-3) Yahushua, the Messiah, who gives us eternal life, is represented by the Tree of Life: And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of Elohiym and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2) As we can see, the tree of life is the character of Yahushua the slain lamb, bringnig healing to all who come to eat of it, just as it was for Adam and Chawah (Eve). Now, the tree of knowledge of good and evil symbolizes evil characteristics that must be cut down for: ...the axe is already laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, then, which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:10) In other words, the tree from which we eat determines the character we produce. In this way, you are what you eat. When we eat of Yahushua, His character becomes our character, and He heals others through us. Amein, amein, I say to you, he who believes in Me possesses everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of the heaven, so that anyone might eat of it, and not die. I am the living bread which came down out of the heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever. And indeed, the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. (John 6:47-51) Adam, at anytime, could have eaten from this tree of life and lived for eternity without sin. But he chose to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which is disobedience, sin. It is worth noting that the command to not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil was given to Adam long before Chawah (Eve) existed: And Yahweh Elohiym took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to guard it. And Yahweh Elohiym commanded the man, saying, “Eat of every tree of the garden, but do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat of it you shall certainly die.” (Genesis 2:15-17) Yahweh, in His infinite wisdom, has never revealed whether Adam carefully told Chawah and she forgot, or whether he failed to tell her accurately or not at all. But we do know that Adam was present when Chawah was deceived: And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, and she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)

Interesting and edifying. Thank you brother. HalleluYah for Yahshua

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be talking about renewal of the mind. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: Be aware, lest some fall short of the favor of Elohiym, lest some root of bitterness spring up to crowd in and through it defile much. (Hebrews 12:15) And the Greek word for bitterness is pikria Strong's G4088 and means: bitter gall, extreme wickedness, a bitter root, and so producing a bitter fruit, metaphorically bitterness, bitter hatred. And comes from the root word pikros Strong's G4089 meaning bitter, metaphorically harsh, virulent. Bitterness has strange effects on the mind and is something we must avoid at all costs. It is like a slow poison, one negative thought leads to another, and soon we’re tossing and turning at night, replaying hurtful interactions and making a new plan to get even. What a destroyer of ourselves it can be. It can do physical harm. When our hearts and minds are filled with bitterness, our glands produce destructive chemicals that tear through our bodies and cause, in some cases, irreparable damage. If not removed immediately, it has the potential to defile an entire population. If we don't guard against bitterness, we'll be consumed by the poison that leaves us in a pit of despair. True freedom and joy come from accepting the good news of Yahweh's favor and extending it to those we are least inclined to love. The cure for bitterness is not vengeance, but rather receiving Yahweh's favor and then giving it to others. So the question is, "How does the renewed mind obtain freedom from the flesh in order to follow Yahweh's instructions?" We've all heard bitter believers in Messiah misinterpret Scriptures, oblivious to the fact that their minds had not yet been renewed and that they were still serving the foul passions of their hearts. So we must once again ask, "What is it that enables our minds to choose Yahweh's instructions?" There are two answers to this question. The first is that we who believe in Messiah must impale the flesh on a daily basis in order to calm the storms in our hearts. Two, our devotion and service to the Spirit must be so tender and full that we, as believers in the Messiah: Do your (our) utmost to present yourself (ourselves) approved to Elohiym, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of Truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) These are the things that make us want to keep the carnal mind dead, but even if it is dead, we still need to go deep into our ruts. "What are ruts?" you may wonder. There are two kinds of them. The first are tracks, thought patterns in our minds that were not taught to us or chosen by us through experience, but are part of us as givens, inherited simply because we are Adam and Chawah's (Eve) descendants. The second is our thinking patterns. We built them into our lives in infancy and early childhood, so deeply that we may not be aware of their existence, even though they guide and can entrap us on a daily basis. There are also combinations of inherited and acquired ruts. We all have deep mental ruts, whether we are born again or not. They frequently serve as unchecked rivers of fleshly passions that rise to control us. As a result, Paulos wrote: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohiym. (Romans 12:2) Pavements were not always present on roads, as they are today. Most country roads were flooded as a result of the rains. Horses, buggies, and cars would soon carve deep ruts that stretched for miles. When the ruts were too deep, the slightest bump would tear out the oil pan if the driver wasn't careful. The same can be said for our minds, which inherit deep ruts. Our minds are so deep that we lose flexibility, and even the smallest bump in life threatens to rip out the oil of joy in the Spirit. This is where we need the Spirit's guiding hand to take the wheel of our lives and get us out of our rut. Deep ruts are often the mental shape of deep roots within us. Now what are the roots? Roots are hidden ways of receiving nourishment and fulfillment from Yahweh, others, ourselves, and nature. In other words, a habitual manner of receiving. It is a system for getting, not giving. Roots are hidden in the same way that we learn to walk and talk as children until they become automatic behaviors. By the age of six, the way we walk and talk has developed into a pattern. Only when we are exposed to others do we realize that our way is not always the same as others. It takes a lot of effort to break out of those patterns or deep ruts. For some, they may alter their walking and talking patterns, and it is only when they are excited that those old patterns emerge. What we must understand is that roots are much more than just walking and talking. They are also ways of reaching beyond ourselves to drink what we need from others. Water and nutrients are naturally sought by roots, which race through cambium cells into every branch and leaf. Our spirit reaches out to Yahweh, others, our own inner wells, and nature, drinking in affection, acceptance, love, approval, embrace, and much more. However, they also drink rejection, refusal, criticism, and bitterness. We drink from our fathers' and mother's wells even in the womb, sensing invitation, welcome, embrace, or rejection. By the age of six, these roots have matured. By the age of twelve, we are busy constructing and establishing the strong trunk of character on which our personality's limbs and leaves will depend on for the rest of our lives. In this case, deep ruts either bless, hinder, or completely prevent us from receiving nourishment. Our root system has been tainted by what we inherited as well as the circumstances we were born into. And the heart of our system is our root system. And because it is the heart, Yahushua tells us that this is where wickedness dwells: But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and these defile the man. For out of the heart come forth wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, whorings, thefts, false witnessings, slanders. (Matthew 15:18-19) These are inherited characteristics from Adam and Chawah (Eve). And these are universal to all of us, and no one is immune. As Paulos correctly points out: for all have sinned and fall short of the honor of Elohiym, (Romans 3:23) Thus, the reason our minds require constant renewal is that it is difficult to remove that which is deeply embedded within ourselves. Only with Yahweh's guidance can we receive this healing of the mind.

Brother, your words are much needed to hear truly achi. Thank you Yah our father for treproving and chastising . I am afraid of his chastising.

chastising. Don't know what happened. Brother,looking forward to the next portion. Our Father shower you achi with all you need ,you, and Taharah. Amein

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be talking about renewal of the mind. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: For Elohiym has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7) Now, there are some caveats to the previous teaching on renewal of the mind and that is sometimes what we think and feel is actually what we think and feel. And often, when we say that something is not what we think or feel, we are referring to fabricated feelings and thoughts that are the exception rather than the rule. So, how do we tell them apart? One would be that whatever we feel or think, which Yahushua would not entertain as His, is a signal to us that we need to track that thing to its roots and bring it to death on the tree. But if we've already fought our way to the tree, its reappearance is nothing more than the self attempting to reclaim the throne to control us. All that is required is to pause and reflect on what one is thinking and feeling, and it will gradually become easier to distinguish what is reality and what isn't, simply due to a lack of driving power in the old habitual way. It is critical to understand this because the way Yahweh heals ensures that old feelings and thoughts will resurface as we grow in Him. We must remember that they will arise frequently, but we have the power, love, and self-control of the Spirit to guide us through them. Dealing with deep roots is difficult and will take a lifetime to remove. Yahushua says that we will always have wheat and tares: Another parable He put before them, saying, “The reign of the heavens has become like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat and went away. And when the blade sprouted and bore fruit, then the darnel also appeared. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? From where then does it have the darnel?’ “And he said to them, ‘A man, an enemy did this.’ And the servants said to him, ‘Do you wish then, that we go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the darnel you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I shall say to the reapers, First gather the darnel and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my granary.” ’ ” (Matthew 13:24-30) Yahushua tells us here that we must sometimes leave the darnel in place so that both the wheat and the darnel do not become uprooted. In other words, we have both good and bad roots, and attempting to uproot them at the wrong time may cause more harm than good. That is why we surrender that task to Yahweh's Spirit. His Spirit is the one who wields the axe. When a tree is cut down, however, men almost never dig out the roots. Instead, they simply leave it there. The author of Hebrews instructs us so that we would not fall short of the favor of Elohiym that: ...no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, by which many become defiled, (Hebrews 12:15) We must keep in mind that those old ways of acting and feeling are long gone. But their roots have been left in the soil of our lives, ready to spring up and cause trouble again. One may ask, "Well, why didn't He just take them out all together?" Because Yahweh, in His wisdom, knew that if He did remove them, this would lead us to our over confidence. We would soon be tempted by the sin of pride. As a result, we would uproot both the good and the bad in ourselves bearing no fruit unto the Master. Thus, thrown into the fire because we would be of no use with no fruit. So, Yahweh leaves our sin nature intact within our roots so that we can bear good fruit, and if we do not understand how He heals, we may face two difficulties. The first is that we may wonder, "If I still have roots, what did my healing accomplish?" Well, before we face our old nature and die to it on the tree, it has us. We act impulsively and sometimes compulsively, blinded by forces within us that we are unaware of. And we, by ourselves, lack the ability to overcome whatever we are aware of. It is in our repentance and forgiveness that Yahweh's Spirit come in. Once we are aware of our sin nature, we can put it to death on the tree and transform our lives. It is nothing we can do in and of ourselves, but it is His Hand that causes the change needed, which would require simple trust in His work in our lives. Time and patience are the key ingredients. The second difficulty which may arise if we don't comprehend the way Yahweh heals us, is the fear that we may have never been healed at all. Our carnal mind then uses that fear to regain control over us. Thus the reason why Paulos wrote: For Elohiym has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7) When we are unable to trust and are overcome by cowardice, our carnal mind takes over the functions of the renewed mind and maintains its own fleshly self-discipline and self-control, or lack thereof. If we are to find freedom to think and feel in new ways, our carnal minds must die on the tree. What most people don't realize is that healing of the mind and death on the tree are synonymous. Yahweh heals us and restores the mind, which is the being or the soul: The Torah of Yahweh is perfect, bringing back the being; The witness of Yahweh is trustworthy, making wise the simple; (Psalms 19:7) But the one thing in the way of our mind being restored or brought back is, sin or the transgression of the Torah. And Yahweh's only answer for sin is death: ...The being that is sinning shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4) And Yahushua the Messiah has become that death for us: And He Himself is an atoning offering for our sins, and not for ours only but also for all the world. (1 John 2:2) This means our carnal mind cannot be retrained or adjusted; it can only die on the tree along side Yahushua with our renewed minds being resurrected along side Yahushua with His mind taking the throne. The only antidote we know to the carnal mind's desire to control is to abide in Yahweh moment by moment through prayer in order to gain insights through which He sets us free. Yahweh's love must so overwhelm us and our prayers that we cannot help but know and celebrate His wonderful favor and praise Him who does the work. And through all of this, it also helps to keep things as simple as possible. The more we try to complicate things in our prayer life, the more our minds will tend to try and regain control over our lives. Detaching our root systems from Yahweh's nurture inevitably reconnects us to our carnal roots and resurrects the carnal mind to rule our flesh.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be talking about renewal of the mind. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of Elohiym, to present your bodies a living offering - set-apart, well-pleasing to Elohiym - your reasonable worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohiym. (Romans 12:1-2) The Greek word for renewal is anakainosis Strong's G342 meaning: a renewal, renovation, complete change for the better. From Strong's G341 anakainoo to cause to grow up, new, to make new, new strength and vigour is given to one, to be changed into a new kind of life as opposed to the former corrupt state. And it is our mind that we need to cause to grow up and change into a new kind of life but often what prevents that is the already currupted state that it is in. It needs to be cleansed and conform to the image of Yahweh. Our brains function like computers. A mind maintains a kind of track that it never leaves after a method of thinking has become ingrained, unless shocked or forced off. Furthermore, before a new way of Messiah can be established, the mind must first learn new ways of thinking, new trains of thought, and new actions where we can truly be free, as Paulos says: Now Yahweh is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of Yahweh is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17) True objectivity is not possible for the carnal mind. The Spirit or the flesh influences our thoughts: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the matters of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the matters of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace. Because the mind of the flesh is enmity towards Elohiym, for it does not subject itself to the Torah of Elohiym, neither indeed is it able, and those who are in the flesh are unable to please Elohiym. (Romans 8:5-8) Every follower of the Messiah must contend with a two issues in their mind. First, they must root out and destroy the practiced tracks of thinking that they may never have realized are bondages. And without the Spirit's help, they cannot do this. Second, they must seek new roots in the Spirit, in the mind of Messiah. Again, as Paulos says: ...we have the mind of Messiah. (1 Corinthians 2:16) We must know that if we are walking as Yahushua did, then we have His mind in us. The carnal mind resists giving up control. The Messiah's mind is within us and is a source of limitless knowledge. However, we need to let go of our old thought patterns and develop strategies to let Yahushua's mind permeate every channel of our thinking processes. And the way we transform ourselves into that thinking is through the Torah, Yahweh's instructions. This means that the mind will have external and internal warfare. Our minds are like Herod, who would kill the Messiah in us if it could. Ironically, our minds' job is to guard and keep us on the right path. This is why we have the Spirit, so that He can rule over us. But the mind will not, again, let go of its rule. And our minds is like the man of lawlessness who: ... opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohiym or that is worshipped, so that he sits as Elohiym in the Dwelling Place of Elohiym, showing himself that he is Elohiym. (2 Thessalonians 2:4) So our carnal minds exalts itself above all that is called Elohiym. Why? So that it sits as Elohiym in Yahweh's Dwelling Place, showing itself to be Elohiym. Naturally, the mind's function is to merely suppress the additional senses that might otherwise overwhelm us. If it didn't, we would be in turmoil while attempting to react to a large number of stimuli at once. Our minds also believe that the Messiah poses a danger to the throne it currently occupies. It has no faith that the Spirit will perform as well as it can. Furthermore, the mind must die, which it will not do, in order to give up control. And the real issue isn't the fruits we bear, but who is in charge of assisting us in bearing those fruits. The struggle is really for headship, and the primary purpose of the Spirit is to install Yahushua as Master in every area of our lives. He came to deliver all those: ... who throughout life were held in slavery by fear of death. (Hebrews 2:15) And it is the threat of death to our supposed self-control, our carnal minds' predominance over all that we think and do, fear of what aweful things we suspect we might do if we let go, this is what chains us to the lifelong bondage of our fleshly ways of thinking. It is interesting that Yahushua was impaled on Golgotha, the Skull, the residence of the mind, the first and last residence of sin in mankind. And this is the place where our Master expects us to die, as He tells us: ... “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his stake, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. (Matthew 16:24-25) When we keep the carnal mind, mental self-control, we place self on the throne and succumb to Satan's temptation all over again. And whoever lets go of the throne finds wisdom, for the mind set on the Spirit is truly attuned to the things of the Spirit. What we have to realize is that roots lie beneath the surface, and we have to allow the Spirit to lay the axe to the roots of our sin nature, as Yochanan or as he is commonly called, John, aptly warns us: “And the axe is already laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, then, which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:10) However, many are unaware that there is a root system in our minds to begin with and have not fully grasped Yahweh's way of healing, the need to wage battle to defeat ingrained thought patterns, nor the necessity of creating new thought patterns. It takes more than just making a conscious decision to alter our thinking. Our minds have deep ruts, or long-practiced ways of thinking, which are difficult to get out of. When we first learn about Messiah, we frequently think, "Aha, we get it! The truth is that we don't have it. Our minds start down new paths, yet the old ruts remain in place. The carnal mind is hiding behind old ruts and trying to take back power. In fact, those old ways of thinking and feeling which come back to haunt us have no true reality. It is the mind trying to pry its way back onto the throne. They are simply habitual ways of thinking and feeling, not what the born-anew believer really thinks and feels at the moment, although the carnal mind would have you believe that it is. Paulos tells us that: I have been impaled with Messiah, and I no longer live, but Messiah lives in me. (Galatians 2:20) Also: And if Messiah is in you, the body is truly dead on account of sin, but the Spirit is life on account of righteousness. (Romans 8:10)

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be continuing in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: And Yahweh said to Abram, “Go yourself out of your land, from your relatives and from your father’s house, to a land which I show you. “And I shall make you a great nation, and bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing! “And I shall bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you. And in you all the clans of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3) The literal command given to him was "Go yourself out," which is written in Hebrew as lech lecha. This phrase translates the command "you go," or more accurately, "you walk," and is derived from two words: The first word lech comes from the root halach Strong’s H1980 which carries the meaning, ‘to walk, to live, manner of life, cause to live’ and literally speaks of how one lives. It is used as a verb indicating that it is an active expression of one’s life. The second word lecha comes from the root word attah Strong’s H859 which means, ‘you (in the masculine singular form)’. Yahweh's command to Abraham was straightforward, get up and leave your land. Which would include his father's house. We can learn a lot from this clear command and see the important lessons contained in these words that need to be heard today, as Yahweh's call and command to His Remnant Bride to: "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. (Revelation 18:4) We must emphasize that Abraham was already a man who knew Yahweh at this point. He did not hear a random voice telling him to get up and leave one day, but he knew the voice of Yahweh, which is important for us to see because so many today claim to hear the Creator's voice telling them what they must do, despite the fact that they have no relationship with Yahweh and do not walk in His ways. This phrase could also be translated as 'walking you shall walk,' as it expresses the urgency of walking in accordance with Yahweh's instructions and how obedience to His Word will cause and enable us to walk away from lies and traditions of man-made systems of worship. The call to 'walk and come out' that is issued here has a cost. And the cost is leaving behind what you know and who you know, including close family if necessary. 'Leaving the land' can represent our ability to hear the call to leave the 'things of the world/flesh' or the "man-made systems" of worship rooted in pagan traditions. As a result, the vast majority of the remnant few who heed the call to leave the falsified and twisted pagan system, lose the close relationships they once had with their family and friends. This is because their families are trapped in that system and they see no reason to leave it. Abraham was told not only to leave, but to leave all in order to go to what Yahweh would show him. Leaving all is certainly a huge part of the call to obedience, but many do not recognize where they are to go next, and as a result, they frequently end up forsaking all worship altogether, or end up falling into another man-driven system of worship, possibly one that assumes the need to run after rabbinical teachings, which they feel are necessary to understand Yahweh, which too, is a part of the lies and traditions that are false. We are to rise and abandon all false ways of man-made worship in order to follow the truth; and the land that Yahweh speaks of is the land that He promised, and it represents the land where His Kingdom rules apply. In other words, we are to get out of the institutions of false traditions and lies in order to enter His Kingdom, as we submit and surrender to His Torah instructions. The Good News is all about Messiah and His Word, which equips us to become citizens in which He came in the flesh to proclaim and call us into. Correctly responding to His clear call will cost us everything, as our Master Yahushua says: Amein, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for the sake of Me and the Good News, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come, everlasting life.” (Mark 10:29-30) "Get yourself walking away!" is another way to understand what Abraham was called to do, because he couldn't get to where he was called to unless he left where he was. So, too we must leave from where we are to get to Yahweh's Kingdom. In theory, it sounds fairly simple, but so many people fail to leave what should be left behind and thrown away, and as a result, they become mixed up and confused. When we leave behind our fathers' inherited lies, passed down through twisted traditions rooted in pagan worship, we must recognize that we have a destination, and that destination is the Kingdom of Yahweh. Abraham personifies this through his obedience, and because of that he was given a promise. And that promise was that Yahweh would make Abraham's name great and cause him to be a blessing. And I shall make you a great nation, and bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. (Genesis 12:2) This means that Abraham and his descendants will become a people; by definition, a separate nation, one that did not exist previously. And, if that is to happen, Abraham and Sarai must have children, and their children must have children, and so on, until there is a sufficient number of these descendants who remain identified with one another to be counted as a nation some time in the future. In other words, Yahweh is going to favor Abraham. Yahweh will treat Abraham as special, and wonderful things will happen to him that he does not deserve, but Yahweh has chosen to do anyway. What Yahweh does for Abraham will benefit more than just him. What Abraham does in obedience to Yahweh will be a blessing to others: “And I shall bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you. And in you all the clans of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) This is a serious warning, not just to Abraham, but to all the peoples of the world from that point forward: Yahweh expects people to recognize that Abraham has been chosen by Him and that he is to be respected and honored. On the other hand, Yahweh will take it personally if anyone chooses to be an enemy of Abraham. That is, He will judge those that line up against Abraham.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be continuing in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was a hundred years old and brought forth Arpakshad, two years after the flood. And after he brought forth Arpakshad, Shem lived five hundred years, and brought forth sons and daughters. And Arpakshad lived thirty-five years, and brought forth Shelach. And after he brought forth Shelach, Arpakshad lived four hundred and three years, and brought forth sons and daughters. And Shelach lived thirty years, and brought forth Eber. And after he brought forth Eber, Shelach lived four hundred and three years, and brought forth sons and daughters. And Eber lived thirty-four years, and brought forth Peleg. And after he brought forth Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and brought forth sons and daughters. And Peleg lived thirty years, and brought forth Re'u. And after he brought forth Re'u, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and brought forth sons and daughters. And Re'u lived thirty-two years, and brought forth Serug. And after he brought forth Serug, Re'u lived two hundred and seven years, and brought forth sons and daughters. And Serug lived thirty years, and brought forth Nachor. And after he brought forth Nachor, Serug lived two hundred years, and brought forth sons and daughters. And Nachor lived twenty-nine years, and brought forth Terach. And after he brought forth Terach, Nachor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and brought forth sons and daughters. And Terach lived seventy years, and brought forth Abram, Nachor, and Haran. And this is the genealogy of Terach: Terach brought forth Abram, Nachor, and Haran. And Haran brought forth Lot. And Haran died before his father Terach in the land of his birth, in Ur-kasdim. And Abram and Nachor took wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nachor’s wife, Milkah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milkah and the father of Yiskah. And Sarai was barren, she had no child. And Terach took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur-kasdim to go to the land of Kena'an. And they came to Haran and dwelt there. And the days of Terach came to be two hundred and five years, and Terach died in Haran. (Genesis 11:10-32) Now we'll focus on Abraham because that's where our story needs to go: This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was a hundred years old and brought forth Arpakshad, two years after the flood. (Genesis 11:10) This chapter concludes by tracing Shem's ancestors, whom Yahweh chose to make famous in order to bring man to unity His way. It now takes us all the way to Abraham, beginning with Shem. We also get some good background information on Abraham and his family. For example, Abraham's father's name was Terach, and he had two brothers named Nachor and Haran. Lot was Haran's son, but Haran died. Abraham married a woman named Sarai, as we can see. Some believe that Abraham and Sarai were brother and sister according to this verse: And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this matter?” And Abraham said, “Only because I said to myself, the fear of Elohiym is not in this place, and they shall kill me for the sake of my wife. “And yet, she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. (Genesis 20:10-12) This appears straightforward, but the problem is that Yahweh Himself has declared that such a union is an abomination in His eyes: ‘But you, you shall guard My laws and My right-rulings, and not do any of these abominations, the native nor stranger who sojourns among you, because the men of the land who were before you have done all these abominations, and thus the land became defiled, (Leviticus 18:26-27) And the abonination would be an illicit relationship with his sister: ‘The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you do not uncover. (Leviticus 18:9) Yahweh would not allow such a brother-sister relationship and call them righteous. Because their lineage would usher in the Messiah, I doubt Yahushua would have come from an incestuous line. So, how do we reconcile this passage? If we look closely at the verse and understand Shem's lineage, we can see that they had sons and daughters all the way up until Terach: And after he brought forth Arpakshad, Shem lived five hundred years, and brought forth sons and daughters. (Genesis 11:11) With the exception of Terach, this phrase, "and brought forth sons and daughters," is mentioned in every generation: And Terach lived seventy years, and brought forth Abram, Nachor, and Haran. (Genesis 11:26) Consider this further: And Terach took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur-kasdim to go to the land of Kena'an. And they came to Haran and dwelt there. (Genesis 11:31) Terach referred to Sarai as his daughter-in-law, despite the fact that supposedly she is also his daughter. Why would he marry one of his sons to his daughter? This makes no sense, but it does make sense if Sarai was Abraham's cousin through his grandfather's line, as I'll explain. Nachor, Terach's father, did have daughters, as we now know: And after he brought forth Nachor, Serug lived two hundred years, and brought forth sons and daughters. (Genesis 11:23) This would make Sarai Abraham's relative, such as a cousin, and the Hebrew word for sister is achot Strong's H269 meaning sister, half sister, relative, beloved, bride, (figuratively) of intimate connection. In Genesis chapter 29, Laban is called Ya'acob's "Brother": Then Laban said to Ya'aqob, “Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for naught? Let me know, what should your wages be?” (Genesis 29:15) And we know that Laban is actually Ya'acob's uncle: And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well. (Genesis 24:29) The point is that, "brother," can be used in the sense of being ones relative. So, this would make Sarah His cousin which would be in keeping with Leviticus 18 and keeping the Messianic line pure for the Messiah. The word Father can also mean grandfather and a good example of that is used twice in 2 Samuel 9:7, once for Yehonathan and a second time with Sha'ul refering to Mephiyvosheth: Dawid then said to him, “Do not fear, for I shall certainly show you loving-commitment because of Yehonathan your father, and shall return to you all the land of Sha’ul your father, and let you eat bread at my table continually.” (2 Samuel 9:7) So, there is precedent for father to be used as a grandfather. So when Abraham says: “And yet, she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. (Genesis 20:12) It is a Translation error and should be thus translated: and also, she is truly my relative, grandaughter of my grandfather, only not the granddaughter of my grandmother, and she became my wife; So Abraham was telling the truth while also safeguarding the Messiah's lineage. In this, we see Yahweh preserving the Messianic line.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's study we will be continuing in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now unto the teaching: And all the earth had one language and one speech. And it came to be, as they set out from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shin'ar, and they dwelt there. And they said to each other, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens, and make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over all the face of the earth.” Then Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And Yahweh said, “Look, they are one people and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do! And now, they are not going to be withheld from doing whatever they plan to do. Come, let Us go there and confuse their language, so that they do not understand one another’s speech.” And Yahweh scattered them from there, over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. That is why its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth, and from there Yahweh scattered them over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:1-9) We were given a thorough overview of the ancestry of the world's nations in Chapter 10. In Chapter 11, we take a step back and look at Nimrod and the reasons behind the earth's population's rapid and extensive dispersion. We're told that up until the time of Nimrod, everyone on the planet spoke the same language. People were apparently dispersing at a very measured rate, and they remained quite linked to the common language because they didn't separate themselves from each other; instead, they just expanded. Take note of the direction in which they flourished, which was east. Also, the wording says Noach's descendants came "from" the east to Shinar, rather than moving to the east. That's a little perplexing, because Shinar is to the south and east of where they came from. Shinar is located near the Persian Gulf in modern-day Iraq, in an area dominated by the city of Basra. Shinar and Sumer are the same location; just from different languages. They have now moved away from Yahweh by going east from where He had placed them. And we shouldn't automatically interpret what they did by moving as evil. After all, they were essentially carrying out Yahweh's command to repopulate the planet: And Elohiym blessed them, and Elohiym said to them, “Be fruitful and increase, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over all creeping creatures on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) Going East, on the other hand, represented their desire for independence from Yahweh. A lot like some of us who couldn't wait to reach adulthood so we could be free of our parents' authority. Nimrod established the city of Babel, which is now known as Babylon. He took over the rulership at some point during the city's early development, which was common practice at the time. And, over time, Babel grew into a massive city, with estimates ranging from a mile square inside its walls to five times that size. And then there's the Tower, the Tower of Babel. The tower was technically a Ziggurat, or step pyramid. In modern-day Iraq and Iran, several ancient Ziggurats have been discovered. And this particular Ziggurat was built for two stated reasons: to make a name for themselves, to be famous. And just to make sure they weren't scattered: And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens, and make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over all the face of the earth.” (Genesis 11:4) What's interesting is that Yahweh did not allow them to become famous, so they were scattered. Yahweh made another person famous, and his name means "famous," which is Shem. So, instead of Nimrod's line becoming famous, Yahweh would allow Shem's to become famous. Shem's name may also mean "reputation," as it conveys a sense of power and authority. Nimrod, for example, means "mighty hunter," which was his reputation. So they built a tower to the heavens to demonstrate their power and authority. Furthermore, anyone aspiring to be a dictator (as Nimrod did) must demonstrate that he is all-powerful in order for the people to submit to him. That was a big part of what Nimrod was up to. The wording indicates that man was to scatter, disperse, and repopulate the entire world even before Noach. That was Yahweh's instruction. Those orders had not been misplaced or forgotten; they had simply gone unnoticed. But, now, led by Nimrod, they set out to openly defy Yahweh's order to disperse. They rebelled against the command to be fruitful and increase, saying to themselves, "Let us band together." Let's just congregate in this area. Construct a temple in honor of another might one and rub it in the face of Yahweh to show Him how we feel about His instructions. Is this something you've heard before? It should be because modern men say, "Yahweh, your ways are old and obsolete." We have accumulated so much superior knowledge that we can not only solve our own problems, but we can do it better than you. In fact, You and those backwards people, those sheep herders, who stick to You and Your ways, are a hindrance to where we, humanity, want to go. We don't need any help from you, thank you very much. We don’t need Your silly Torah instructions. We can make our own, as we need them, and relevant to each situation. And we can produce life and manufacture it to our specifications. Marriage? between a male and a female? great for times long past, not necessary for today. Nimrod set an example as to how to rebel against Yahweh and rub it in His face. Nimrod's actions are identical to what our secular humanistic culture is leading us to do today. Pure and simple rebellion. In verse 5 says that: ...Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. (Genesis 11:5) Again, we're describing Yahweh's activities in human terms, as if Yahweh were coming down to inspect things. In reality, Yahweh is omnipresent. The prefix "omni-" comes from Latin and means "all." That is to say that Yahweh is everywhere as the Psalmist says: Yahweh has looked from the heavens; He has seen all the sons of men. He looked from His dwelling place on all the inhabitants of the earth - (Psalms 33:13-14) So, we see that Yahweh's eyes are on every place as the Proverbs says: The eyes of Yahweh are in every place, Watching the evil and the good. (Proverbs 15:3) Yahweh’s characteristic of being present in all ranges of both time and space is omnipresence. Although Yahweh is present in all time and space, He is not locally limited to any time or space. He is everywhere right now. No molecule or atomic particle is too small for Him to be fully present, and no galaxy is too large for Him to encompass. But if we were to remove creation, Yahweh would still know about it, for He knows all possibilities, whether they are actual or not. In other words, He was present throughout the event. However, for our understanding and from our point of view, Yahweh was moving in this space and time to demonstrate His action in the event. And, as we can see, His action was to put an end to Nimrod's rebellion. Yahweh accomplished this by giving everyone different languages. When Yahweh looked at the people, He saw a people who were united. They had a single language when they were united, and they all spoke with one voice. That is, the people were intrinsically linked and inseparable. And Yahweh was not pleased. But what's so bad about them banding together? All for one, and one for all? Isn't this the cry of every congregation in our country? Unity, unity, unity. You see, mankind's definition of unity is a false doctrine. The people in Babel had a leader, and they had a vision and a purpose that they thought were good; thus, they had unity because they all thought it and wanted it. However, when we examine the Scriptures, we see Yahweh dividing, electing, and separating rather than unifying. In fact, later when we see Yisra'el wind up in Egypt and then when we study the laws of Leviticus, we see Yahweh constantly telling the people to separate themselves from unclean and unholy people; to separate pure and impure things like food, animals, and behavior; separation was His intention for Nimrod and his followers.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries, in today's study we will continue in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now onto the teaching: And the beginning of his reign was Babel, and Erek, and Akkad, and Kalneh, in the land of Shin'ar. From that land he went to Ashshur and built Nineweh, and Rechovoth Ir, and Kelach, and Resen between Nineweh and Kelach, the great city. And Mitsrayim brought forth Ludiym, and Anamim, and Lehavim, and Naphtuchiym, and Pathrusim, and Kasluchim, from whom came the Philistines and Kaphtorim. And Kena'an brought forth Tsidon his first-born, and Cheth, and the Yebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite, and the Chiwwite, and the Arqite, and the Sinite, and the Arwadite, and the Tsemarite, and the Chamathite. And afterward the clans of the Kena'anites were spread abroad. And the border of the Kena'anites was from Tsidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Azzah, as you go toward Sedom, and Amorah, and Admah, and Tseboyim, as far as Lasha. These were the sons of Cham, according to their clans, according to their languages, in their lands, in their nations. And also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Yapheth the elder, children were born. The sons of Shem: Eylam, and Asshur, and Arpakshad, and Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram: Uts, and Chul, and Gether, and Mash. And Arpakshad brought forth Shelach, and Shelach brought forth Eber. And to Eber were born two sons, the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Yoqtan. And Yoqtan brought forth Almodad, and Sheleph, and Chatsarmaweth, and Yerach, and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diqlah, and Obal, and Abima’el, and Sheba, and Ophir, and Chawilah, and Yobab. All these were sons of Yoqtan. And their dwelling place was from Meysha as you go toward Sephar, a mountain of the east. These were the sons of Shem, according to their clans, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. These were the clans of the sons of Noach, according to their generations, in their nations. And from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood. (Genesis 10:10-32) We see a clear picture of the Anti-Messiah as we analyze the 10 "reigns," if you will, of Nimrod, which fits with the theme of good versus evil that runs throughout Scripture. With 10 sons, Haman, who attempted to assassinate the Yehdim during the reign of Ester, is a representation of the evil rule and reign of the enemy who seeks to usurp the Messiah. Tragically, many people follow this cruel deceit because they are ignorant of the Torah and the Prophets. In Dani’el we are also told of the 4th beast that has 10 horns, which speak of the 10 kings that will reign: This is what he said, ‘The fourth beast is the fourth reign on earth, which is different from all other reigns, and it devours all the earth, tramples it down and crushes it. And the ten horns are ten kings from this reign. They shall rise, and another shall rise after them, and it is different from the first ones, and it humbles three kings, (Daniel 7:23-24) This is consistent with what Yochanan witnessed in Revelation, when he reports that the 10 kings who would rule under the beast for an hour are represented by the beast that the whore rides and has 10 horns: And he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast covered with names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. (Revelation 17:3) “And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a reign, but receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.( Revelation 17:12) The point of all this is to say that Nimrod's kingdoms were evil kingdoms, and the earliest of these was Babel. Now his 10 cities or territories are shown below, along with their meanings: Babel - Strong’s H894: confusion (by mixing) Erek - Strong’s H751: long Akkad - Strong’s H390: subtle Kalneh - Strong’s H3641: fortress of Anu Shinʽar - Strong’s H8152: country of two rivers Ashshur - Strong’s H804: a step Nineweh - Strong’s H5210: abode of Ninus Rechovoth Ir - Strong’s H7344: broad or wide places or streets Kelach - Strong’s H3625: vigour Resen - Strong’s H7449: bridle This gives us valuable insight into the power of the enemy over those who are misled by his cunning and twisted lies. The following may be inferred from these 10 names and their meanings, which serve as a clear mirror of the anti-messiah's work: The Enemy confuses by mixing and slow deceit. His fortress is between two rivers. The enemy provides a step that is broad and wide. The enemy is strong and bridles those who are on the broad path. We have heard this before when Paulos tells us: Let no one deceive you in any way, because the falling away is to come first, and the man of lawlessness is to be revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohiym or that is worshipped, so that he sits as Elohiym in the Dwelling Place of Elohiym, showing himself that he is Elohiym. Do you not remember that I told you this while I was still with you? And now you know what restrains, for him to be revealed in his time. For the secret of lawlessness is already at work - only until he who now restrains comes out of the midst. And then the lawless one shall be revealed, whom the Master shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth and bring to naught with the manifestation of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth, in order for them to be saved. And for this reason Elohiym sends them a working of delusion, for them to believe the falsehood, (2 Thessalonians 2:3-11) Now, Paulos tells us in Romans chapter 1 that Yahweh gave man over to a mind that was devoid of Him since man did not want to retain Him in his mind. Therefore Elohiym gave them up to uncleanness in the lust of their hearts, to disrespect their bodies among themselves, who changed the truth of Elohiym into the falsehood, and worshipped and served what was created rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amein. (Romans 1:24-25) They were abandoned by Yahweh to their own baser desires. Yahweh also let them believe a lie because they didn't want to hear the truth about Him. What does Yahweh do since they don't want to accept the truth? He allows them to be deceived into believing a lie by saying, "Oh, you don't want to believe the truth, then go ahead and believe a lie." Can we observe man's degradation, the downward spiral? We certainly can in this day and age. We can see these very things of which Paulos warned and spoke about, as man has sought to eliminate Yahweh from his mind, from his life. We see the inevitable consequences in a society that is going deeper into the cesspool of immorality. We can see the downward trend of being filled with all unrighteousness, they held the truth of Yahweh in unrighteousness, but now they don’t even hold the truth anymore, and He gave them over to worthless minds and thus: having been filled with all unrighteousness, whoring, wickedness, greed, evil; filled with envy, murder, fighting, deceit, evil habits; whisperers, slanderers, haters of Elohiym, insolent, proud, boasters, devisers of evils, disobedient to parents, without discernment, covenant breakers, unloving, unforgiving, ruthless; who, though they know the righteousness of Elohiym, that those who practise such deserve death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practise them. (Romans 1:29-32) In the society in which we live in, we observe the unavoidable results of man's attempts to exclude Yahweh from his life. Our civilization is dominated by precisely these things. And the anti-messiah's strong delusion aims to accomplish these things in order to deprave mankind to the point of lawlessness. However, those who are of Eber and have crossed over won't be duped into breaking the law. And it is because of this that Abraham's descendants were chosen by Yahweh from the beginning: But we ought to give thanks to Elohiym always for you, brothers, beloved by the Master, because Elohiym from the beginning chose you to be saved - in set-apartness of Spirit, and belief in the truth - (2 Thessalonians 2:13)

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries, in today's study we will continue in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now onto the teaching: And this is the genealogy of the sons of Noach: Shem, Cham, and Yapheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. The sons of Yapheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Yawan, and Tubal, and Meshek, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Yawan: Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Donaniym. From these the coastland peoples of the nations were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their clans, into their nations. And the sons of Cham: Kush, and Mitsrayim, and Put, and Kena'an. And the sons of Kush: Seba, and Chawilah, and Sabtah, and Ra'mah, and Sabteka. And the sons of Ra'mah: Sheba and Dedan. And Kush brought forth Nimrod, he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter and was in the face of Yahweh, therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter in the face of Yahweh.” (Genesis 10:1-9) Most people commonly skip over Genesis chapter 10 and the reason for this is usually that the content is about as exciting as reading a dictionary, a dictionary full of difficult names that seemingly have little impact on our lives today. However, what we have to keep in mind is that family lines are always important to Yahweh. And it would be good to learn the family tree in order to not make the same mistakes as they did. Now we have already seen Yahweh divide, select, and separate; this was a big element of Noach's blessing of his three sons, because the blessings caused division. We see this principle established early on when Yahweh separated light from darkness and good from evil. We saw it when He split humanity into male and female. We saw it when Sheth was in the righteous line and his brother Qayin was in the wicked line. We can see it now, with Shem being the good line, Cham becoming the evil line, and Yepheth becoming the fruitful line. And, if we follow this pattern all the way to the New Covenant, we find Messiah as the "seed of the woman," who had to come from a separate familial line from all others. Let us keep in mind that these are the paths through which the "seed of the woman," Chawah, would finally arrive. Understanding Yahweh's ways and patterns requires knowing this information regarding family lineages. And with the statement, "And this is the genealogy of the sons of Noach," we follow Yapheth's line for a little while, Cham's line for a little while, and then when we get to Shem's line, we continue to follow Shem's generation because Abraham will come from Shem. Abraham will be the father of many nations, as Yahweh promises him: As for Me, look, My covenant is with you, and you shall become a father of many nations. And no longer is your name called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, because I shall make you a father of many nations. (Genesis 17:4-5) It is from Abraham that the seed, the Messiah, will come: And Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “To your seed I give this land.” And he built there a slaughter-place to Yahweh, who had appeared to him. (Genesis 12:7) And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice. (Genesis 22:18) But the promises were spoken to Abraham, and to his Seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,”who is Messiah. (Galatians 3:16) The geneaologies will form ethnic groupings of their own. We won't be following the other lines in the Scripture as closely as Shem's since it's really all about Abraham's line, which is where Messiah will finally be born. And with that, we get to Yapheth, the first geneaology mentioned: The sons of Yapheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Yawan, and Tuval, and Meshek, and Tiras. (Genesis 10:2) Gomer was more or less the father of the ancient Sumerians. Magog was the Scythians, the area of Russia. And Madai was the father of the Medes. Yawan, the Greeks. They believe Tuval and Meshek are the ancient Moskobi, or modern-day Moscow. And Tuval, Tubal or Thobel, the Thobelians in his time were called Iberians, a people in Asia, that dwelt near the Black sea; and in Albania was a place called Thabilaca. And Tiras or Thiras, which the Greeks call Thracians, and in Thrace was a river called Atyras which was a man's name Odrysus who is the same as Tiras. And so we see that, basically, you’re getting into the Asian European nations as descendants of Yapheth. And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Yawan: Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodaniym. (Genesis 10:3-4) Togarmah is assumed to be the Armenians, but Ashkenaz is actually the Germanic people. So you're heading into the European area, Scandinavia, and eventually England, with all the ancestors. Yapheth is the ancestor of the Caucasian people. And the countries' coastland peoples were split into their own regions from these: From these the coastland peoples of the nations were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their clans, into their nations. (Genesis 10:5) Now the second geneaology, the sons of Cham: And the sons of Cham: Kush, and Mitsrayim, and Put, and Kena'an. And the sons of Kush: Seba, and Chawilah, and Sabtah, and Ra'mah, and Sabteka. And the sons of Ra'mah: Sheba and Dedan. (Genesis 10:6-7) Some of Cham's descendants migrated south to Africa, while others migrated east to the region of Kena'an. A portion of them, the Phoenicians, created the city of Sidon and also the city of Tyre, which is located on the Mediterranean's northern coast. And finally, Yisra'el would be the one to inherit the land they occupied. Now the narrative comes to a halt for a few verses to focus on Nimrod, a crucial figure in Cham's lineage: And Kush brought forth Nimrod, he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter and was in the face of Yahweh, therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter in the face of Yahweh.” And the beginning of his reign was Babel, and Erek, and Akkad, and Kalneh, in the land of Shin'ar. From that land he went to Ashshur and built Nineweh, and Rechovoth Ir, and Kelach, and Resen between Nineweh and Kelach, the great city. (Genesis 10:8-12) The Hebrew root word that is used here for began is the root word Chalal Strong’s H2490 which means, profane, bore to pieces, kill, wound, defile, pollute, violate, to run into or through as with a pointed weapon or tool; pierce a hole through. Alternate Translations: begin, in the sense of pressing in. Nimrod was a profaner rather than a worshipper of Yahweh. He was pressing in to kill, wound, defile, pollute, violate and to run a weapon through the things of Yahweh. So that he could claim himself to be a mighty one amongst people. And it says in some translations that, “he was a mighty hunter before Yahweh”, which is not a good saying, as some believe. Why? Because at the time, people were putting Nimrod ahead of Yahweh.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries, in today's study we will continue in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. And now onto the teaching: And the sons of Noach who went out of the ark were Shem and Cham and Yapheth. And Cham was the father of Kena'an. These three were the sons of Noach, and all the earth was overspread from them. And Noach, a man of the soil, began and planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in her tent. And Cham, the father of Kena'an, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. So Shem and Yapheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father, but their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. And Noach awoke from his wine, and he knew what his younger son had done to him, and he said, “Cursed is Kena'an, let him become a servant of servants to his brothers.” And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the Elohiym of Shem, and let Kena'an become his servant. “Let Elohiym enlarge Yapheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem. And let Kena'an become his servant.” And Noach lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. So all the days of Noach were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died. (Genesis 9:18-29) When we look at both Adam and Noach, we can see that their patterns are comparable. If it is true that we should look for patterns in order to comprehend Yahweh and His ways, then we should look for a discernible pattern that began with Adam, from whom all men would descend, and continues with Noach, from whom all men would descend after the flood. And we do, of course see a pattern. Let us mention a few found in the Torah. Adam was elevated to the position of authority over all of creation. Noach was elevated to the authority of the purified new world. Yahweh blessed them both and told them to be fruitful and increase: And Elohiym blessed them (Adam and Chawah), and Elohiym said to them, “Be fruitful and increase, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over all creeping creatures on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) And Elohiym blessed Noach and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase, and fill the earth. (Genesis 9:1) Adam was placed in a garden and given the task of working it, that is, tilling it and caring for it as the world's first farmer: And Yahweh Elohiym took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to guard it. (Genesis 2:15) Noach began as a gardener as well, for he was the first to plant a vineyard, as the new world’s first farmer: And Noach, a man of the soil, began and planted a vineyard. (Genesis 9:20) Adam had some fruit and his nakedness was exposed: And He (Yahweh) said, “Who made you know that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” (Genesis 3:11) So too Noach had some fruit and his nakedness was exposed: And he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in her tent. (Genesis 9:21) Adam had three sons, among whom one, Sheth, was to be the line of righteousness, through which the Messiah would come: And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Sheth, “For Elohiym has appointed me another seed instead of Hevel, because Qayin had killed him.” (Genesis 4:25) Noach too had three sons, among whom one, Shem, was to be the line of righteousness, through whom the Messiah would come: And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the Elohiym of Shem, and let Kena'an become his servant. (Genesis 9:26) There are a few more similarities, but that's enough to show how the patterns repeat; and history itself is cyclical, repeating because of Yahweh's established patterns. And because of this pattern of starting the earth new Noach was fruitful and increased with three sons. And we are now introduced to the three separate lines of ancestry from whom every human alive today comes from: And the sons of Noach who went out of the ark were Shem and Cham and Yapheth. And Cham was the father of Kena'an. (Genesis 9:18) We are all descendants of one of Noach's three sons, and many of us are descended from all three. Notice that Cham is referred to as "the father of Kena'an" among the three sons. With the Hebrew pattern in this verse, a father's familial identity is tied up in his son, which is rare. Usually, it's the other way around. We'll immediately figure out why that is as we continue on. And he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in her tent. (Genesis 9:21) All modern translations have "his tent" but the Hebrew spelling of this word should be translated as "her tent." The English translation is in error. In the modern Bedouin culture, which is very similar to the ancient Hebrew culture, the family tent is owned by the wife. Therefore, it is possible that the Hebrew text may use the word "her tent" in reference to this cultural context. Now what Cham does next causes his line to be cursed: And Cham, the father of Kena'an, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. (Genesis 9:22) The term became uncovered is from the root word galah Strong’s H1540 and means, ‘to uncover, remove, to be uncovered’ So, what did Cham see when he saw the nakedness of his father? According to some, Noach was the one who was actually naked. But consider this scriptural text, which suggests that the nakedness Cham saw was his own mother: The nakedness of your father’s wife you do not uncover, it is your father’s nakedness. (Leviticus 18:8) Cham saw his father's nakedness, or rather, gazed at his father's nakedness; that is to say, his own mother. And this was code word for the fact that they had relations; and instead of trying to prevent it, and cover his father's nakedness, he went and told his brothers. The Hebrew word that is translated as told comes from the root word nagad Strong’s H5046 and being written in the hiphil active tense, which is the causative action of the verb, can be rendered as meaning, ‘to declare, announce, publish, proclaim. As a result, we can see that Cham did not try to keep this quiet, but rather made a big deal about it with his brothers, mocking his father in the process. Cham should have handled the situation discreetly and responded in the way Paulos instructs us to and that is with love: “Love is patient, is kind, love does not envy, love does not boast, is not puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not seek its own, is not provoked, reckons not the evil, does not rejoice over the unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth, it covers all, believes all, expects all, endures all.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) As Paulos shows us again, Cham could have carried the burden with meekness: Brothers, if a man is overtaken in some trespass, you the spiritual ones, set such a one straight in a spirit of meekness, looking at yourself lest you be tried too. Bear one another’s burdens, and so complete the Torah of Messiah. (Galatians 6:1-2) Cham, on the other hand, did not act in a meek manner and thus did not walk according to Yahweh's Torah. And so, we must learn from this account because we too may see the sins, nakedness, of many of our brothers, for which we must restore them to the Truth and help them get clothed in righteousness again and not announce it to all and thus mocking them. The language in these passages also suggests that some sort of sexual immorality occurred, and Kena'an looks to be the result of Cham and his mother's union. As a result, a cursed line was born. As a comparison to Cham's action, we have to take note of the fact the Noach's other two sons acted in an appropriate manner and that is: So Shem and Yapheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father, but their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. (Genesis 9:23) They showed their father respect by doing what was right. And kept the matter private and covered the sin as they loved their parents as the scripture clearly states that: Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions. (Proverbs 10:12) Hatred will only cause turmoil if you are filled with it and in the end everyone is going to despise you. If you're a loving person, they're willing to overlook your flaws. Now, those who are hateful look at you and look for flaws in your character. And when they do they are pleased to have located it. It makes them happy when they can spot a flaw and point it out. Peter or Kepha reminds us of this fact when he says: And above all have fervent love for one another, because love covers a great number of sins. (1 Peter 4:8) A hateful person will always carry the stones to throw, but a loving person will drop the stones and look to their own sins. And instead of ridiculing his parents, Cham should have learned to cover the sin in his own heart and then cover his parents as his brothers did. And that is the reason Noach blessed Shem and Yepheth because of their loving character, whereas Cham's hatred was cursed because he chose not to love: And Noach awoke from his wine, and he knew what his younger son had done to him, and he said, “Cursed is Kena'an, let him become a servant of servants to his brothers.” And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the Elohiym of Shem, and let Kena'an become his servant. “Let Elohiym enlarge Yapheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem. And let Kena'an become his servant.” (Genesis 9:24-27)

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries, in today's study we will continue in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment below. And now onto the teaching: As we begin to read Genesis 9, we will notice the vast differences between the Old World before the Flood and the New Post-Flood World. Let's read: And Elohiym blessed Noach and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase, and fill the earth. “And the fear of you and the dread of you is on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the heavens, on all that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea - into your hand they have been given. “Every creeping creature that lives is food for you. I have given you all, as I gave the green plants. “But do not eat flesh with its life, its blood. “But only your blood for your lives I require, from the hand of every beast I require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood is shed, for in the image of Elohiym has He made man. “As for you, be fruitful and increase, bring forth teemingly in the earth and increase in it.” And Elohiym spoke to Noach and to his sons with him, saying, “And I, see, I establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you, and with every living being that is with you: of the birds, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. “And I shall establish My covenant with you, and never again is all flesh cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again is there a flood to destroy the earth.” And Elohiym said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living being that is with you, for all generations to come: “I shall set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. “And it shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud, and I shall remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living being of all flesh, and never again let the waters become a flood to destroy all flesh. “And the rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I shall see it, to remember the everlasting covenant between Elohiym and every living being of all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:1-17) The landscape had changed, and the animals now feared man. This is evident in verse two: And the fear of you and the dread of you is on every beast of the earth... (Genesis 9:2) Before the flood, man was a vegetarian, and Yahweh had instructed him to eat only plants: And Elohiym said, “See, I have given you every plant that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed, to you it is for food. “And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to every creeping creature on the earth, in which there is a living being, every green plant is for food.” And it came to be so. (Genesis 1:29-30) However, since the flood, Yahweh has added meat to man's diet. As a result, Yahweh declares that man can now eat meat but not have blood: But do not eat flesh with its life, its blood. (Genesis 9:4) What's interesting is that Ya'acob, also known as James, would make a ruling for the early assembly based on Noach's instruction, which is: but that we write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols, and from whoring, and from what is strangled, and from blood. (Acts 15:20) Meaning that this instruction still applies to new believers in Messiah. That is, when an animal is strangled, the blood remains in the flesh. So the butchering method was to cut it so that the animal would bleed. They were to eat it after the blood bled out of it. This is most likely for sanitary reasons as well as a spiritual purpose. The life of the flesh being in the blood, and the recognition of the importance of blood for life, all pointed to Yahushua Messiah and His blood to be shed, His life to be given for our sins. As a result, there is a high regard for blood and the equating of blood with life. Blood was to be used only for sacrifice and never for human consumption. Because the source of life, blood, was simply too sacred for man to consume. And we can see that the significance of blood is transferred from animals to humans. Taking human blood is expressly prohibited in the case of murder. Yahweh delegated to man the responsibility of enforcing justice for the murder of a human being: But only your blood for your lives I require, from the hand of every beast I require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood is shed, for in the image of Elohiym has He made man. (Genesis 9:5-6) Yahweh had previously dealt with it Himself. But now, when another is killed by his own hand, man will feel a profound sense of loss. As a result, a man who murders another man will have justice given to him by his fellow man. Remember what happened when Qayin murdered his brother? It was expulsion from Yahweh's presence. He even went so far as to place a sign over Qayin to deter others from taking matters into their own hands and harming him. Separation from Yahweh was enough punishment. Yahweh was entrusting man with the responsibility of being his brother's keeper and He was accomplishing this by establishing a new government on Earth. Now, the way that man has maintained this government is unjust. But that doesn't change the fact that this is the foundation of human government. And Yahweh holds man accountable for disobeying His Torah. And Yahweh appoints man leadership to uphold His laws, as Paulos tells us: Let every being be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from Elohiym, and the authorities that exist are appointed by Elohiym. (Romans 13:1) And since they are appointed by Yahweh, to rebel against leaders is to rebel against Him: So he who opposes the authority withstands the institution of Elohiym, and those who withstand shall bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:2) These appointed leaders are commanded by Yahweh to care for those they lead: For those ruling are an object of fear, not to good works, but to evil. Do you wish to be not afraid of the authority? Do the good, and you shall have praise from it, for it is a servant of Elohiym to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for it does not bear the sword in vain. For it is a servant of Elohiym, a revenger to execute wrath on him who practises evil. Therefore, it is necessary to be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of the conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are servants of Elohiym attending continually to these duties. Render therefore to all what is due to them: tax to whom tax is due, toll to whom toll, fear to whom fear, respect to whom respect. (Romans 13:3-7) Leaders make mistakes and must be held accountable for them. And accountability does not imply that the flock polices every single action taken by the leader, nor does it imply that fellow elders devise a strategy to ensure that a more senior leader follows their goals. Accountability, on the other hand, serves as a spiritual guard rail for leaders and flock alike, ensuring that they are not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: but encourage one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened by the deceivableness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13) There are some things that Yahweh's children can do to help leaders from falling victim to sin, and that is to: Understand that leaders are there to help you, not the other way around. They are Yahweh's servants and must heed His instructions on what to do and what not to do for his people. And it is our responsibility as Yahweh's people to ensure that the leader understands his role. We must understand that sin, which is the transgression of the Torah, is widespread in the world. And if you see sin present, it is our responsibility to notify the elders of the current sin in the leader. Yahushua gives step-by-step instructions on how to approach the discipline of a person caught in sin. Matthew 18 tells us: And if your brother sins against you, go and convict him, between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be established. And if he refuses to hear them, say it to the assembly. And if he refuses even to hear the assembly, let him be to you like the nations and a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17) We must be cautious here because a local leader or government may have different instructions on how to approach them. My advice is to learn the proper procedure for confronting said leader. This may have to be done via letter or petition, but please understand and study your local laws so that you are prepared. When leaders care for the sheep well, the flock will see how the great Shepherd ultimately cares for them. This is why we require capable leaders. The honor of Yahweh is at stake. So we should follow Paulo's advice and have: ...petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all men, for kings and all those who are in authority, in order that we lead a calm and peaceable life in all reverence and seriousness. For this is good and acceptable before Elohiym our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4) The point is that Yahweh appoints these leaders, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they do what they are appointed to do. However, this should always be done with the utmost love, respect and prayer.

So. Beautiful brother. (((((((Yohanna))))))).

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries, in today's study we will continue in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. Now onto the teaching: And Elohiym remembered Noach, and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark. And Elohiym made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. And the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were stopped, and the rain from the heavens was withheld. And the waters receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters diminished. And in the seventh new moon, the seventeenth day of the new moon, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased steadily until the tenth new moon. In the tenth new moon, on the first day of the new moon, the tops of the mountains became visible. And it came to be, at the end of forty days, that Noach opened the window of the ark which he had made, and he sent out a raven, which kept going out and turning back until the waters had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for its feet and returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of all the earth. So he put out his hand and took it, and pulled it into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. And the dove came to him in the evening, and see, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in its mouth. And Noach knew that the waters had receded from the earth. And he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return to him again. And it came to be in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the new moon, that the waters were dried up from the earth. And Noach removed the covering of the ark and looked, and saw the surface of the ground was dry. And in the second new moon, on the twenty-seventh day of the new moon, the earth was dry. And Elohiym spoke to Noach, saying, “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. “Bring out with you every life form of all flesh that is with you: of birds, of cattle and all creeping creatures - the creeping creatures on the earth. And let them teem on the earth, and bear and increase on the earth.” So Noach went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him, every beast, every creeping creature, and every bird, whatever creeps on the earth, according to their kinds, went out of the ark. And Noach built a slaughter-place to Yahweh, and took of every clean beast and of every clean bird, and offered ascending offerings on the slaughter-place. And Yahweh smelled a soothing fragrance, and Yahweh said in His heart, “Never again shall I curse the ground because of man, although the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, and never again strike all living creatures, as I have done, as long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:1-22) Chapter 8 begins with Yahweh remembering Noach. However, He not only remembered Noach, but Yahweh also remembered all living creatures. We can see that Yahweh values His living creatures. And Man is certainly elevated above the animals, given dominion over them, but we are made of the same material as the animals: dust. And Yahweh imbued both animals and humans with the same neshemah, or spirit of life. And because both humans and animals are made from the spirit of life, it hurts Yahweh that it became necessary for animals to be slain on a regular basis for sacrifice in order to atone for men’s sins. And it must have hurt Him even more when the Father of all things told Noach and his descendants that they could now slaughter countless thousands of His beloved living creatures for food. We are even told that He knows when a sparrow falls from the sky: Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground without your Father. (Matthew 10:29) How detailed is Yahweh’s knowledge of all of His living creatures? And if He is so concerned about the sparrow and knows when it will fall, He is also concerned about you when you fall. As a matter of fact, it says that: ...even the hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matthew 10:30) That’s how concerned Yahweh is with you. If only we could understand how deeply our Father cares about us, His children. And that we are more valuable than the sparrow just as Yahushua says: So do not fear, you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:31) So we need not be worried about if we are valuable to Yahweh. We are and when one believes this to be true then nothing that satan can throw at them can move them from Yahweh. Nothing and I mean nothing can separate us from His love for us, as Paulos tells us: Who shall separate us from the love of the Messiah? Shall pressure, or distress, or persecution, or scarcity of food, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (Romans 8:35) "But I've failed Yahweh so miserably," you may say. You may be able to condemn yourself, but Yahweh and Yahushua aren't. And right now Yahushua is making intercession on your behalf: My little children, I write this to you, so that you do not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Intercessor with the Father, Yahushua Messiah, a righteous One. And He Himself is an atoning offering for our sins, and not for ours only but also for all the world. (1John 2:1-2) And all you need is to understand how much Yahweh absolutely loves you. And Yahweh's love is based not on you, but on His own nature to love. As a result, it is consistent and permanent. May Yahweh help us to understand what the length, breadth, depth, and height of His love is and to open our eyes to see it. Beloved one, you are worthy and we all need to repeat that to ourselves every day, so please say this to yourself, “Yahweh sees me as worthy.” And not only say it but believe it to be so, because Yahweh says so. Remember He saved Noach and His family and all the living creatures. He thinks of them as important, so He also thinks of you. All of you listening today are important enough for Yahweh to send His Son to die on your behalf. The point is every small thing that Yahweh created is imporant to Him, that is why it grieves Him when they die. That is why He gives us His breath, His wind. And Genesis 8:1 uses the word wind when it says: ...And Elohiym made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. (Genesis 8:1) The Hebrew word used here for wind is ruach Strong's H7307 From H7306; wind; by resemblance breath, that is, a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions). So, just as in creation, when the earth was void and without form and the spirit moved over the waters, we see here that, after the destruction of wickedness, His breath would again move over the waters and restore His order, and the waters subsided, indicating how His judgment had now subsided. And this wind was more than just a weather event; it was real and literal, but it also had a spiritual component because it came from Yahweh. It came to bring life back to the earth. The water receded for the next 150 days after rising for 150 days. The wooden Ark bobbed around in the floodwaters until it came to rest on the mountains of Ararat on the 17th day of the 7th month. But it would be some time before they could leave the Ark. After forty days, Noah dispatched a Raven, a scavenger bird and an unclean animal. The raven kept flying out and then returning, symbolizing Satan, who roams the earth looking for whom he can devour. The raven would only do this until the earth's waters dried up. The Hebrew word for raven is oreb Strong’s H6158 and comes from the primitive root arab Strong’s H6150 which means, ‘to grow or become dark, to become evening, turns to gloom’, and certainly represents a clear and vivid picture of Satan and his works and all who follow him are sons of darkness and children of the night. The Raven did not return, indicating that it had found food, most likely dead things, and a place to nest in the now exposed mountaintops. Then Noach sent out a dove which is the Hebrew word Yonah Strong’s H3123 from which we also get the name of the prophet that was sent to Nineweh in order to call a people to repentance. The dove is a clean bird, and it is worth noting that Noach sent out the dove to see if the waters had receded, but it returned, indicating that it had no food source or place to nest. This is a representation of the call to repentance that has gone out, even while the wandering raven is flying around, implying that, even while Satan may be leading many astray through his cunning craftiness and trickery, the pure Word of Elohiym has gone out and the call to repentance has been made loud and clear. When the dove couldn't find a place to rest, it returned, and Noach waited another seven days before sending it out again; it returned with an olive leaf, and he sent it out again after another seven days, but it didn't return.

Very powerful brother and much needed, praise Yahweh in Yahshua for his spirit dwells in you.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries, in today's study we will continue in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. Now onto the teaching: And all flesh died - the creeping creature on the earth - birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming creature that swarms on the earth, and all mankind. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. So He wiped off all that stand, which were on the face of the ground - both man and beast, creeping creature and bird of the heavens. And they were wiped off from the earth. And only Noach was left, and those with him in the ark. And the waters were mighty on the earth, one hundred and fifty days. (Genesis 7:21-24) There is very little information about the Flood itself, but there are a few things we should be aware of. Numbers, for example, have a lot of meaning in the scriptures. Following the number 7, 40 is the second most frequently used number in the scriptures. It is typically used in the context of a trial or testing, for example: And the children of Yisra’el ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Kena'an. (Exodus 16:35) It can denote what we might consider a transition from one era to another: And the days that Shelomoh reigned in Yerushalayim over all Yisra’el was forty years. (1Kings 11:42) And we see that it rained for 40 days before the tops of mountains appeared and the window in the Ark was opened: In the six hundredth year of Noach’s life, in the second new moon, the seventeenth day of the moon, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. (Genesis 7:11-12) It's worth noting that it wasn't just 40 days of rain that caused the earth's oceans to overflow; the fountains of the great deep also broke open and water poured from them. This vast underground cavern, or network of caverns, which had previously been filled with water, now spewed onto the surface. Now we have heard the word “deep” before when the Spirit of Elohiym had moved on the face of the deep in Genesis 1 where it says: And the earth came to be formless and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohiym was moving on the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2) This was where the darkness was, but Yahweh covered it. Perhaps Yahweh removed His Spirit, causing the great deep to empty and the waters within the caverns to break up, thus judging the entire earth. What's also interesting about the deep, also a pit, is that Satan will be cast into the pit of the deep at the end of time: And I saw a messenger coming down from the heaven, having the key to the pit of the deep and a great chain in his hand. And he seized the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and he threw him into the pit of the deep, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should lead the nations no more astray until the thousand years were ended. And after that he has to be released for a little while. (Revelation 20:1-3) Is it possible that the source of the floodwaters and the location where Satan will be imprisoned for 1000 years are the same? It appears likely. Getting back to Genesis 7. The rain started on the 17th day of the second month. And Noach and his family were given seven days to board the Ark before the skies opened up from above and water welled up from below. Then something truly remarkable happened: Yahweh physically closed the Ark's door and sealed them in. What better illustration of Yahweh's authority over all things than He Himself closing that door, sealing the fate of all other inhabitants of the world to death but Noach and his family He saved alive. And keep in mind that these events show Yahweh's patterns; they never change, as He says about Himself in Malachi: For I am Yahweh, I shall not change, and you, O sons of Ya'aqob, shall not come to an end. (Malachi 3:6) If you want to understand all of the scriptures in a much more satisfying way, look for the pattern, which will explain Yahweh's mind on the matter as much as He has chosen to reveal it to us. So what is the pattern shown to us here? The pattern is that Yahweh shelters His chosen ones in the midst of storms. Yahweh is our refuge in the midst of life's storms. We will face storms in life, but we have the assurance of shelter in Him. The presence of Yahweh in the midst of life's ups and downs gives us hope and the courage to persevere. When everything is raging on the outside, when we are falling apart on the inside, and when everyone seems to be against us, may we never forget that Yahweh has a plan for us. His hands are always on us. He is holding our hands and guiding us in the right direction. He is removing obstacles. He is removing all of the trash that the storm has brought our way. A storm can be anything and strike us whether or not we are prepared. There may be warning signs of an impending storm, but it can strike at any time, leaving us befuddled. Whether it's a disease or illness, a death in the family, stillbirth or miscarriage, financial crisis, an accident of any kind, a rebellious child, a divorce or relationship breakdown, job loss, a family member addicted to drugs or alcohol, abuse, natural disasters, going through rejection of any kind, things not working out as we expected, people turning against us, false accusations, storms come in all shapes and sizes. We don't always know what to do. It seems easy to panic and act in fear. Storms cause us to lose our bearings and we have no idea where to begin. And often times, because of it, we reach our wits' end. The amazing thing is that when we are at our wits' end, that is when we find Yahweh. We learn that we never have to face anything in life alone; we have an all-powerful, ever-present Mighty One. When we call on the name of the Mighty One, He is always willing to help us. Yahweh is always willing and ready to shelter us during storms. Yahweh is aware of everything that has occurred, is occurring, and will occur in the future. Nothing escapes His notice. He has promised that no temptation will be greater than our ability to bear, and that when the storms do come, He will provide a way out: No trial has overtaken you except such as is common to man, and Elohiym is trustworthy, who shall not allow you to be tried beyond what you are able, but with the trial shall also make the way of escape, enabling you to bear it. (1Corinthians 10:13) Know that He will bring you through the trials, but He will not remove them. It is up to us to look for Him in the storms, and when we know He is with us, we can bear it. Yahweh is both our refuge and our strength. When everything seems to be going wrong, we turn to Him. He is our shield and first line of defense. For You shall be a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the spirit of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall. (Isaiah 25:4) Yahweh tells us to close the doors against the spirit of ruthlessness that rages in the world: Go, my people, enter your rooms, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little while, until the displeasure is past. (Isaiah 26:20) And during the storm that is raging on in the world we know that Yahweh is our dwelling place and underneath are His everlasting arms: “The Elohiym of old is a refuge, and beneath are everlasting arms. And He drives out the enemy from before you and says, ‘Destroy!’ (Deuteronomy 33:27) We have everything we need in Yahweh. There is nothing to be afraid of because we know whose we are and who we run to. We are the Most High's children, the King of kings and Master of masters. We are protected by Yahweh, just as Noach was during the storms. And when Noach was in the ark the waters continued to accumulate on the earth's surface until the highest mountaintops were 15 cubits, or about 25 feet, under water. And all living beings where destroyed.

Excellent

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries, in today's study we will continue in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. Now onto the teaching: And Yahweh said to Noach, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. Of all the clean beasts take with you seven pairs, a male and his female; and of the beasts that are unclean two, a male and his female; and of birds of the heavens seven pairs, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. For after seven more days I am sending rain on the earth, forty days and forty nights, and shall wipe from the face of the earth all that stand that I created.” And Noach did according to all that Yahweh commanded him. Now Noach was six hundred years old when the flood-waters were on the earth. And Noach and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Of the clean beasts and of the beasts that are unclean, and of birds, and of all that creep on the earth, two by two they went into the ark to Noach, male and female, as Elohiym had commanded Noach. And it came to be after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noach’s life, in the second new moon, the seventeenth day of the moon, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. On that same day Noach and Shem and Cham and Yapheth, the sons of Noach, and Noach’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark, they and every life form after its kind, and every beast after its kind, and every creeping creature that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. And they went into the ark to Noach, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. And those going in, male and female of all flesh, went in as Elohiym had commanded him, and Yahweh shut him in. And the flood was on the earth forty days, and the waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. And the waters were mighty and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters were exceedingly mighty on the earth, and all the high mountains under all the heavens were covered. The waters became mighty, fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died - the creeping creature on the earth - birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming creature that swarms on the earth, and all mankind. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. So He wiped off all that stand, which were on the face of the ground - both man and beast, creeping creature and bird of the heavens. And they were wiped off from the earth. And only Noach was left, and those with him in the ark. And the waters were mighty on the earth, one hundred and fifty days. (Genesis 7:1-24) When we read other books about the animals entering the Ark, we sometimes see them entering two by two. However, this is only part of the picture because, if we look closely at verse 2, we can see that some animals appear in single pairs and others in groups of seven. That is, 14 of each clean animal and only 2 of each unclean animal were allowed to enter the Ark. “Of all the clean beasts take with you seven pairs, a male and his female; and of the beasts that are unclean two, a male and his female; (Genesis 7:2) We can see here that Yahweh has always thought of clean and unclean and gave mankind instructions concerning it. This is consistent with Yahweh's character and would be passed down to future generations. As a result, those who choose to walk in Yahweh's ways are imprinted with His image . Remember that Yahweh loves life and wants nothing to do with death. He regards life as tahor, or clean which is Strong's H2889 meaning pure in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense. And He considers dead things to be "tamei," or unclean which is Strong's H2931 meaning foul in a religious sense. As seen in the following scriptures: And Yahweh said to Mosheh, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aharon, and say to them: ‘No one is to be defiled for the dead among his people, except for his relatives who are nearest to him: for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother; and for his maiden sister who is near to him, who has had no husband - for her he is defiled. ‘A leader does not defile himself among his people, to profane himself; (Leviticus 21:1-4) He who touches the dead of any human being is unclean for seven days. (Numbers 19:11) The concept of clean and unclean is strange in today's Western mindset. And we most often mentally bypass these words, skipping over them to get to the "good" parts of the Scriptures. In the Scriptures the idea of being clean is the idea of being ritually pure, and unclean is the idea of not being ritually pure. And there had to be a substitute on your behalf to make you clean. And the only way to remedy that was through animals. And only clean animals may be used in Yahweh's animal sacrifices, as seen in the following chapter of Genesis: And Noach built a slaughter-place to Yahweh, and took of every clean beast and of every clean bird, and offered ascending offerings on the slaughter-place. (Genesis 8:20) And we can see that Yahweh established clean and unclean foods to be eaten even in Noach's day. And Noach passed these instructions down to his sons and they passed it down all the way to Abraham, who was familiar with Yahweh's laws: ...because Abraham obeyed My voice and guarded My Charge: My commands, My laws, and My Torot. (Genesis 26:5) Abraham would have passed it down to his sons, who would have passed it down to their sons, and so on until Mosheh wrote Leviticus 11 which says: Speak to the children of Yisra’el, saying, ‘These are the living creatures which you do eat among all the beasts that are on the earth: (Leviticus 11:2) However, until Noach stepped off the Ark, they only ate plants and fed the animals plants.

Let Taharah be made whole and fully Kosher.

IS it correct to say then that Yahushua is our ark- of the new covenant ? He is totally Kosher! Yahweh bless you and Taharah, let her be made Praise Yah, wonderful message dear brother.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries, in today's study we will continue in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. Now onto the teaching: “Make yourself an ark of gopherwood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with a covering. “And this is how you are to make it: The length of the ark is three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. “Make a window for the ark, and complete it to a cubit from above. And set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. “And see, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under the heavens - all that is on the earth is to die. “And I shall establish My covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. “And of all the living of all flesh, two of each, you are to bring into the ark, to keep them alive with you - a male and a female. “Of the birds after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, and of all creeping creatures of the ground after their kind, two of each are to come to you, to keep them alive. “As for you, take of all food that is eaten and gather it to yourself. And it shall be food for you and for them.” And Noach did according to all that Elohiym commanded him, so he did. (Genesis 6:14-22) Yahweh gives detailed instructions for the Ark here, and Noach chose to accept Yahweh's means of salvation for him and his family by following its instructions exactly. We can also see here that salvation is a collaborative effort between mankind and Yahweh. Yahweh's role is to provide it; mankind's role is to accept it through free will. But, as much as salvation is by favor, we have obligations to Yahweh, some of which require actions on our part. Yahweh told Noach and his family at this point that He would soon destroy mankind because they were wicked, and that the only way to avoid that destruction was to accept Yahweh's way of escape, that is to say, His way of salvation. So it took a lot of faith on Noach's part to believe Yahweh when it took 120 years, even when it didn't seem like it would happen during those years. In Hebrew the Ark is called a tevah Strong's H8392 Perhaps of foreign derivation; a box: - ark; it is the same term used for the basket that baby Mosheh would be placed in centuries later. A tevah is a box like craft that is not the same thing as a boat or a ship. It is simply a device that floats, rudderless, and without a crew to operate it. The idea is that a tevah is guided only by Yahweh’s hand and mankind is but a passenger. The Ark is to be of gopher wood, a type of wood that is unknown. It was to be enormous: 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and almost 5 stories in height. It would hold its precious cargo of life on 3 decks, and have a skylight and one entry ramp in its side. Notice in verse 18 that 4 men with their wives may enter the Ark: “And I shall establish My covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. (Genesis 6:18) This is the total number of people who will be saved. Kepha or Petros mentions this when he says: And did not spare the world of old, but preserved Noach, a proclaimer of righteousness, and seven others, bringing in the flood on the world of the wicked, (2Peter 2:5) Take note that the entire life on land and in the air is to be brought aboard, from lizards to birds. As a launching point for new life, the entirety of life is to be saved. So Yahweh desired to save not only humans but also animals. This demonstrates that Yahweh is concerned with preserving life rather than death. He cares about life, no matter how insignificant it appears. From the largest reptiles, such as dinosaurs, to the smallest birds. Yahweh was so concerned about them that he gave Noach specific instructions on how to care for the animals and themselves through food. I want to address this because food is such a contentious issue among people, even causing severe divisions within groups. Genesis 1 explains what food was at this point in history, plants: And Elohiym said, “See, I have given you every plant that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed, to you it is for food. “And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to every creeping creature on the earth, in which there is a living being, every green plant is for food.” And it came to be so (Genesis 1:29-30) Humans and animals were fed exclusively by plants. Did this imply that some animals did not eat other animals and that man did not consume meat at this time? No, because Yahweh defined food as plants, it meant that when animals or humans ate animals, they were eating things that were not food at the time. We know that Noach was instructed to bring food for his family and the animals into the Ark. This begs the question of what exactly is food? Food is what our bodies require as a source of nutrition. The larger question, however, is who determines what is appropriate and what is not. What should be consumed as food is contrasted with what could be consumed as food but should not be. The answer to the question is that it is Yahweh who defines what food is and what it isn't, as seen in Leviticus 11 and Dueteronomy 14: And Yahweh spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying to them, “Speak to the children of Yisra’el, saying, ‘These are the living creatures which you do eat among all the beasts that are on the earth: (Leviticus 11:1-2) “Do not eat whatever is abominable. “These are the living creatures which you do eat...(Deuteronomy 14:3-4) After all of these verses, Yahweh lists the animals we are to eat as well as what He considers abominable. Of course, Hebrew tradition has created a plethora of rules and regulations on the subject, much of which are highly dubious. Rules have been devised that appear to go far beyond the Torah's simple description of what constitutes proper eating. But the bottom line is that when Scripture uses the term "food," it always refers to what Yahweh has given men to eat. So when we read about Yahushua and the Pharisees talking about food, it's not about clean and unclean foods, but about washed hands: Then there came to Yahushua scribes and Pharisees from Yerushalayim, saying, “Why do Your taught ones transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” (Matthew 15:1-2) The Pharisees had the written Torah. But, in addition to the written Torah, they developed oral traditions. And these oral traditions frequently superseded the Torah. Traditions have a way of becoming so ingrained in our beings that breaking them is more difficult than breaking almost anything else. And Yahushua was not one to follow traditions simply for the sake of following them, especially if they contradicted His Father's Torah. In fact, Yahushua finally tells them a parable and says: ...“Hear and understand: “Not that which goes into the mouth defiles the man, but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” (Matthew 15:10-11) And the point of the parables is that eating is not what defiles you but what comes out of the does. Besides that, Kepha/Petros asked: ...“Explain this parable to us.” (Matthew 15:15)

"We must allow Him to place us where we need to be to be a part of the building that He wants us to be." HalleluYah!!

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries, in today's study we will continue in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. Now onto the teaching: And the earth was corrupt before Elohiym, and the earth was filled with violence. And Elohiym looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt - for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth - and Elohiym said to Noach, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And see, I am going to destroy them from the earth. (Genesis 6:11-13) In the days of Noach, the earth had become so wicked before Elohiym that violence had engulfed it. This was a dark time of rebellion and utter disregard for Yahweh, and when we consider how corrupt it must have been, we can begin to recognize just how sinful it was, as we see how the world today is becoming increasingly wicked and violent, with very few people seeking Yahweh. The Hebrew root word used for corrupt is shachath Strong’s H7843 which means, destroy, ruin, spoil, pervert, corrupt. As there was no regard for Yahweh, the earth was rotting away, because of transtression of the law. Even Yahushua gives us a snapshot of what life was like in Noach's time when He says: And as the days of Noach, so also shall the coming of the Son of Adam be. For as they were in the days before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noach entered into the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also shall the coming of the Son of Adam be. (Matthew 24:37-39) When Messiah says that in the days before the flood, the people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, He means that they were feeding on the flesh and had no regard for marriage that Yahweh put together as set apart. He is not saying that getting married in the last days is wrong, but rather that, just as in Noach's day, when we treat marriage as common in becoming unequally yoke with unbelievers, there will be a profaning of the "institution" of marriage in the last days. As Paulos teaches us: Do not become unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness and lawlessness? And what fellowship has light with darkness? (2Corinthians 6:14) The Hebrew word for “violence” is chamas Strong’s H2555 which means, violence, wrong, malicious. When people turn away from the Torah, their lives inevitably descend into a violent and malicious rebellion against the need to walk according to the Torah. Man's corrupted doctrines that have shaped us, after Messiah, has inevitably caused many professing believers to be angry at the thought of simply obeying the Torah and have thus corrupted their lives into a state of lawlessness, assuming that Yahweh's favor has given them license to not obey His commands. Pay attention to the warnings in these scriptures: Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men. Her priests have profaned the set-apart place, they have done violence to the Torah. (Zephaniah 3:4) Her priests have done violence to My teaching and they profane My set-apart matters. They have not distinguished between the set-apart and profane, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean. And they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned in their midst. (Ezekiel 22:26) What we see, as a repeated woe against a corrupted Yisra’el, was the fact that they had corrupted their ways and had done violence to the Torah of Yahweh; and the same is happening today, as false priesthoods are not teaching the masses the difference between the clean and the unclean, or the set-apart and profane. As a result, these prophets were greedy. They were always emphasizing the importance of giving to them. And by doing so, they were essentially telling Yisra'el that Yahweh is always broke. His treasury had run out of funds, and you had better save Yahweh this week or there would be nothing to give to the poor and needy. What the false prophets were doing was stealing from the treasury and extorting people from all walks of life; the rich, the poor, and widows. They just didn't care who they stole from. They not only extorted from the people, but they also violated His Torah. They had profaned Yahweh's set apart things by failing to teach the difference between what is set apart and what is profane. They also did not distinguish between clean and unclean. They even kept their eyes hidden from Yahweh's Sabbaths. False priests and prophets are no different today. The sad part is that they are doing all of these things in the Name of Yahweh. And Yahweh's word about them then is no different than today and that is: “And her prophets have coated them with whitewash, seeing a false vision, and divining a lie for them, saying, ‘Thus said the Master Yahweh,’ when Yahweh had not spoken. (Ezekiel 22:28) They tell people that they see a vision, and if you send them money, they will be blessed. Yahweh clearly says that He has not spoken to such persons. Instead, these people that give money to these false prophets and priests are oppressed by them: The people of the land have practised oppression, and committed robbery, and have wronged the poor and needy. And they oppressed the stranger without right-ruling. (Ezekiel 22:29) The false priest and prophets practiced oppression, committed robbery, wronged the poor and needy, and were without right ruling because that is what they were being taught to do by those who were supposed to teach them what is clean and unclean. Yahweh has a hedge around His people. But sin, the transgression of the Torah, breaks down that hedge. Now Yahweh is looking for someone to stand and to build up that hedge and stand in the breach: And I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the breach before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it - but I did not find one! (Ezekiel 22:30) Of course, Yahushua, His Son, is the one who came and stood in the breach for us. He has reconciled us to Yahweh through His blood, and those who believe on Him will be considered righteous in Yahweh's eyes. To defeat a corrupt world like ours today, we must stand in the breach alongside Yahushua, but how? Well, there are some scriptural examples that we can see for us to follow, and that is: Then He said that He would destroy them, Had not Mosheh His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, To turn away His wrath from destroying them. (Psalms 106:23) This psalm summarizes the sins of Yisra'el in the wilderness, primarily concerning the golden calf. With his petition on their behalf, Mosheh "stepped between Yahweh and the people" by standing in the breach. Thus saving Yisra'el from Yahweh's wrath. There are several people in scripture who stood between Yahweh and others and set an example for us to follow. Stephanos, or as he is commonly called, Stephen, prayed for those stoning him: And they were stoning Stephanos as he was calling and saying, “Master Yahushua, receive my spirit.” And kneeling down he cried out with a loud voice, “Master, do not hold this sin against them.” And having said this, he fell asleep. (Act 7:59-60)

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries, in today's study we will continue in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. Now onto the teaching: And Noach brought forth three sons: Shem, Cham, and Yapheth. (Genesis 6:10) Yapheth is the last son of Noach and in Hebrew, as we know, means, "Open," and is one that always leaves his options open, and will either call on the true name of Yahweh, thus taking the narrow path, or reject it by continually being on the broad path that leads to destruction. And those who leave things wide open for them never do what they are supposed to do. This is referred to as procrastination. This is one of the characteristics of those who follow Yapheth. Procrastination is defined as "the act or habit of putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention." While the word itself is not found in the Scriptures, we can find a similar word and that is what we call "lazy," as this Proverb demonstrates: The hand of the hard worker rules, But the lazy is put to compulsory labour. (Proverbs 12:24) The Hebrew word used here for lazy is remiyyah Strong’s H7423 which means, deceit, treachery, slothful, slack, idle, which is the same Hebrew word used for deceit. This is why Yahushua talks about the Parable of the Talents: “Watch therefore, because you do not know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Adam is coming, for it is like a man going from home, who called his own servants and delivered his possessions to them. “And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability, and went from home. “And he who had received the five talents went and worked with them, and made another five talents. “In the same way, he with the two also, he gained two more. “But he who had received the one went away and dug in the ground, and hid the silver of his master. “And after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “And he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents. See, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ “And his master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant. You were trustworthy over a little, I shall set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ “Then he who had received two talents came and said, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents. See, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant. You were trustworthy over a little, I shall set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ “And the one who had received the one talent also came and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed, and being afraid, I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “And his master answering, said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. Then you should have put my silver with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to him who possesses ten talents. ‘For to everyone who possesses, more shall be given, and he shall have overflowingly; but from him who does not possess, even what he possesses shall be taken away. And throw the worthless servant out into the outer darkness - there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 25:13-30) Why is this an act of deceit? Because if one says they are going to do something and doesn't do it, they have lied to themselves and others, and worst of all, they have lied to Yahweh. The Greek word here for lazy is Strong's G3636 okneros sluggish, slothful, backward from Strong's G3635 okneo to feel loath, to be slow, to delay, hesitate from oknos (hesitation). And unless a person has no physical disabilities and does not do what they are supposed to do or say they will do, Yahushua refers to them as a "Lazy servant." Those who exhibit Yapheth's traits are those who habitually delay and fail to complete tasks. In doing so, they deceive themselves and others, and, worst of all, they deceive Yahweh. So Yahushua tells us that their talents will be taken away and they will be cast into outer darkness, where they will weep and gnash their teeth. One cure for procrastination is more diligence, regardless of the task. And we must heed Paulos' words when he says: And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Master and not to men, knowing that from the Master you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Master, Messiah, you serve. (Colossians 3:23-24) The key here is our hearts. If we devote all of our efforts to serving Yahushua rather than men, we will receive the reward that the Master desires to bestow. We must have a clean heart and a repentant heart in order to put forth the effort necessary to serve Him. We should not put off anything we do for Yahweh, whether it's healing a broken relationship or dealing with anger. We should be the polar opposite of Yapheth and willfully and habitually do what needs to be done. We have no reason to procrastinate because our service to Yahweh motivates everything we do. In short, procrastination is a bad habit with eternal consequences.

Brother, I love this message. Thank you. HalleluYah.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries, in today's study we will continue in Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. Now onto the teaching: And Noach brought forth three sons: Shem, Cham, and Yapheth. (Genesis 6:10) Cham was Noach's youngest son, and his name means "hot" in Hebrew. He is the personification of those who are "hot-headed." He also represents those who are rebellious and evil, since they willfully refuse to follow Yahweh's plain commands and choose to do their own thing, and are so cursed by Yahweh. As a result, they, like Shem, have a trait that follows them around, and that trait is rebelliousness. The first thing that Cham did was to rebel against his father, Noach, and usurp his authority by going in and seeing his father's nakedness: And Noach, a man of the soil, began and planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in her tent. And Cham, the father of Kena'an, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. (Genesis 9:20-22) Now, the nakedness of one's father is a controversial topic and one that can be remedied through scripture. In Leveticus 18, we see what that the nakedness of : ...your father’s wife you do not uncover, it is your father’s nakedness. (Leviticus 18:8) And from this scripture, we can see that Cham had sexual relations with his father's wife and then produced Kena'an, which is the reason why Noach cursed Kena'an: And Noach awoke from his wine, and he knew what his younger son had done to him, and he said, “Cursed is Kena'an, let him become a servant of servants to his brothers.” (Genesis 9:24-25) We can see many things that Cham did in this act, but the thing we are focusing on is rebellion. Cham rebelled against Yahweh's authority structure given to man. Paulos tells us about this authority structure when he said: And I wish you to know that the head of every man is the Messiah, and the head of woman is the man, and the head of Messiah is Elohiym. (1Corinthians 11:3) Cham was rejecting both Yahweh's and his father's authority by seeing the nakedness of his father's wife. As a result, that which was supposed to be a blessing to him became a curse. So too if we rebel Yahweh will take away that which was supposed to be a blessing to us and turn it into a curse. We would do well to respect Yahweh's authority structure that He put in place and know the blessing that comes with it. Paulos urges that: ... prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all men, for kings and all those who are in authority, in order that we lead a calm and peaceable life in all reverence and seriousness. For this is good and acceptable before Elohiym our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4) Yahweh tells us what rebellion is in 1 Samuel 15 when He says through the Prophet Shemu’el: “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, He also does reject you as King.” (1Samuel 15:23) The word in Hebrew for Rebellion is "Meri" which is Strong's H4805 meaning rebellion, rebellious. And comes from the root word "Marah" and is Strong's H4784 meaning to be contentious, be rebellious, be refractory, be disobedient towards, be rebellious against. Rebellion is a mindset that opposes authority. Cham demonstrated this with his deeds against Yahweh and his father. But it didn't begin with Cham; it began at creation. Yahweh placed Adam and Chawah in the Garden of Eden and gave them instructions on what they should and should not do. However, Adam's rebellion against Yahweh resulted in a great deal of misery that resulted all the way up to Cham, to even us today. And we see the consequence of that rebellion all around us. And the consequences for those who choose to be rebellious is that they are delivered into the hands of their enemies: “But they became disobedient and rebelled against You, and cast Your Torah behind their backs. And they kill Your prophets who had warned them, to bring them back to Yourself. And they worked great blasphemies. “Therefore You gave them into the hand of their enemies, who distressed them. And in the time of their distress, when they cried to You, You heard from the heavens. And according to Your great compassion You gave them saviours who saved them from the hand of their enemies. (Nehemiah 9:26-27) Those who exhibit Cham's traits will be given over to Satan, their adversary. That is, until they confess their faults, return to Yahweh, and pray to Him. The next consequence for a rebellious person is that they dwell in a dry land: Elohiym makes a home for the lonely; He brings out into prosperity Those who are bound with chains; Only the rebellious shall dwell in a dry land. (Psalm 68:6) To put it in another way, Yahweh will expel them from the promised land. And if they are not in the promised land, they are not in the presence of Yahweh. Being separated from Yahweh and in the hands of their foes is the punishment. And those who have Cham's characteristic are exiled from Yahweh and are dry and have no hope in them. The final consequence of rebellion is that Yahweh's hand will be against them: “If you fear Yahweh, and shall serve Him and obey His voice, and not rebel against the command of Yahweh, then both you and the king who reigns over you shall follow Yahweh your Elohiym. “But if you do not obey the voice of Yahweh, and shall rebel against the mouth of Yahweh, then the hand of Yahweh shall be against you, as it was against your fathers. (1 Samuel 12:14-15) That is, if someone rebels against Yahweh, He will bring about judgment and punishment. Cham was punished for his crime against his father and Yahweh. So too, those who have the characteristics of Cham are judged and punished by Yahweh. As a result, His Spirit turns on them: But they rebelled and grieved His Set-apart Spirit, so He turned against them as an enemy, and He fought against them. (Isaiah 63:10)

Love you brother very good. Thank you.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's teaching we will continue on in our study of Genesis. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. Now unto the teaching: And Noach brought forth three sons: Shem, Cham, and Yapheth. (Genesis 6:10) One of the commands that Yahweh gave to all mankind was to be fruitful and increase: And Elohiym blessed them, and Elohiym said to them, “Be fruitful and increase, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over all creeping creatures on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) Which was then given to Noach and his sons: And Elohiym blessed Noach and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase, and fill the earth. (Genesis 9:1) As a result, Noach now has the commandment that was given to Adam at the beginning. With the exception of Noach and his three sons and their wives, the race that began with Adam was wiped out. And now Noach was resuming his mission to carry out that command. Noach accomplished this through his three sons, Shem, Cham, and Yepheth. Now, Shem is Strong’s H8035 meaning, name. And Cham is Strong’s H2526 meaning, hot. And Yepheth is Strong’s H3315 meaning, opened. And we know that Yepheth was the oldest of Noach's sons, according to Genesis 10: And also to Shem, the father of all the children of Ever, the brother of Yapheth the elder, children were born. (Genesis 10:21) We also know Cham was the younger son since Noach awoke from his wine and discovered what Cham had done: And Noach awoke from his wine, and he knew what his younger son had done to him, (Genesis 9:24) As a result, Shem would be the middle child. Since Noach only had three sons, Yepheth, Shem, and Cham would be the sons birth order. We can observe three different types of people in the world when we look at these three sons. Let us examine them to see what kind of son we are and what we need to do to fix ourselves and become the son Yahweh desires. Shem, that is “Name,” is the son through whom Yahweh chose to bring the Messiah into being. People who call upon the Name of Yahweh and receive salvation, walk upright and steadfastly, and teach others Yahweh's righteousness are characterized as Shem. They have four characteristics and that is: One is that they have salvation. This may seem obvious, but what does salvation mean? Well, Kepah/Petros, or as he is commonly called, Peter, tells us: And He did not spare the old world, but saved Noah the eighth one, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the wicked. (2Peter 2:5) The Greek word translated saved here is Strong's G5442 phulasso meaning to gaurd, to watch, keep watch, have an eye upon: lest he escape, to protect one from a person or thing, to keep from being snatched away, preserve safe and unimpaired, to observe. Many people today, on the other hand, substitute additional Scriptural words and concepts for the word "salvation," resulting in muddled doctrines and misunderstanding. However, we must return to employing scriptural terminology in order to fully comprehend scriptural themes. And Yehudah, or Jude, as he is commonly called, gives us an example of what salvation looks like when he says: But I intend to remind you, though you once knew this, that Yahweh, having saved a people out of the land of Mitsrayim, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. (Jude 1:5) This word here for saved is Strong's G4982 sozo meaning to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction, to save one (from injury or peril) to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health, to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue, to save in the technical biblical sense, in a negative sense it means, to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment, to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance. And Yehudah was simply reminding us of what it says in Exodus: Thus Yahweh saved Yisra’el that day out of the hand of the Mitsrites, and Yisra’el saw the Mitsrites dead on the seashore. (Exodus 14:30) The entire occurrence of Yisra'el's coming out of Mitsrayim is referred to in the Scriptures as being saved out of Mitsrayim. As a result, the entire event of coming out by the blood of the Lamb and being baptized in the cloud and in the sea is referred to in the Book of Jude as having saved the people. The experience of Yisra'el breaking free from Egypt's bonds is similar to that of Believers breaking free from the bonds of sin and becoming free to choose whom they would serve. For what purpose did Yahweh save His people? Why did Yahweh bring out His people? Mosheh tells us what the answer is and that is Yahweh: ...brought us out from there, to bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. (Deuteronomy 6:23) Notice that Yahweh’s purpose for bringing them out by the blood was so that He might bring them in. But did the generation that was brought out by the blood enter in? No, all that generation, except Yahushua son of Nun and Kalev son of Yephunneh, died in the wilderness. They failed to enter in. Now, consider Yahweh's larger motivation for delivering them and giving them the Promised Land: For He remembered His set-apart word, To Avraham His servant. So He brought out His people with joy, His chosen ones with singing. And He gave to them the lands of the nations, And they inherited the labour of peoples, In order that they might guard His laws, And watch over His Torot. Praise Yah! (Psalm 105:42-45) So the bigger goal is to follow His instructions, freely, often known as His Torot or Laws. We are not free to do whatever we want, but we are free to do what Yahweh desires. It is the Messiah within us who enables us to do so. And if Messiah is in you, the body is truly dead on account of sin, but the Spirit is life on account of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Yahushua from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Messiah from the dead shall also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit dwelling in you. (Romans 8:10-11) And those who have the Spirit set their minds on living according to the Spirit: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the matters of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the matters of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6) And the Spirit teaches those to submit to Yahweh's Torah, which is the opposite of what the flesh does: Because the mind of the flesh is enmity towards Elohiym, for it does not subject itself to the Torah of Elohiym, neither indeed is it able, (Romans 8:7) Those who possess Shem's qualities desire life and peace, so they live by the Spirit, obeying Yahweh's commands and submitting to Him. The next characteristic of Shem is they walk upright. In Isaiah 26:7, we read that one of Yahweh’s titles is upright: The path of the righteous is uprightness; O upright One, You weigh the course of the righteous. (Isaiah 26:7) We can see that Yahweh is not only upright, but that He has also made humans to be upright. We discover in Ecclesiastes 7:29 that: ...Elohiym made man upright, but they have sought out many devices.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29) Man has become a twisted mess as a result of his evil devices, and he is far from the Creator's purposes. Yahweh has not given up on man, despite the fact that he is twisted from his initial upright stance. In fact, Psalm 25:8 shows that Yahweh continues to instruct sinners in the right path: Good and upright is Yahweh; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. (Psalm 25:8)

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's teaching we will be talking about Yahweh's summer fruit basket. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. Now onto the teaching: “And it shall be in that day,” declares the Master Yahweh, “that I shall cause the sun to go down at noon, and shall darken the earth on a day of brightness, and shall turn your festivals into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation, and bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head, and shall make it like mourning for an only son, and its end like a day of bitterness. “See, days are coming,” declares the Master Yahweh, “that I shall send a hunger in the land, not a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the Words of Yahweh. “And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east - they shall diligently search, seeking the Word of Yahweh, but they shall not find it. “In that day the beautiful maidens and strong young men shall faint from thirst, those swearing by the guilt of Shomeron, who say, ‘As your mighty one lives, O Dan!’ and, ‘As the way of Be’ersheva lives!’ And they shall fall and never rise again.” (Amos 8:9-14) Yahweh had undoubtedly bestowed physical gifts on Yisra'el, but in addition to the physical blessings, He had also given them His Word through Mosheh and the Prophets. All of His people had access to His Word, and they were to bear the fruit of it. Today is no exception. Everyone has access to His Word. Yahweh promises Amos, however, that He will turn their festivities into mourning. Why? Because they refused to eat His Word. We, too, have the abundant fruit of His Word at our disposal today, and if we do not eat of it, we will not bear any good fruit that should last. We are to eat daily of His Word. We cannot rely on past meals for today and expect to survive, although for many, the only word they are seemingly eating is that which they hear on Shabbat if their ears are open and they are not distracted by the world. If you do not eat from His Word, it is an offense to Him and you will not be able to live fruitfully. Yahushua said in the Fourth Gospel commonly called John: “I am the living bread which came down out of the heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever. And indeed, the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” The Yehudim, therefore, were striving with one another, saying, “How is this One able to give us His flesh to eat?” Yahushua therefore said to them, “Amein, amein, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Adam and drink His blood, you possess no life in yourselves. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood possesses everlasting life, and I shall raise him up in the last day. “For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood stays in Me, and I in him. “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me shall live because of Me. “This is the bread which came down out of the heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this bread shall live forever.” (John 6:53-58) He also said, quoting from Deuteronomy while being tempted: “But Yahushua answered him, saying, “It has been written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of Elohiym.’” (Luke 4:4) “And He humbled you, and let you suffer hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, to make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of Yahweh. (Deuteronomy 8:3) There are people who argue that we don't have to follow Yahweh's every word, but without it, we would not be able to live a fruitful life with the summer basket that He desires for us. And those who don't hear Yahweh's word, He will take it away from them and send a famine of not having it in their lives. As the prophet Yeshayahu says: And He said, “Go, and you shall say to this people, ‘Hearing, you hear, but do not understand; and seeing, you see, but do not know.’ (Isaiah 6:9) Even today, they hear but do not understand. Thus for some Yahweh has taken away His voice from them. Yehudah had abandoned the living Elohiym at this moment and began again to worship idols. Although there were instances of spiritual change, they were mainly superficial. They never made it into the heart of the nation. Yahweh, on the other hand, was not about to let them perish in silence. They weren't going to pay attention to the witness, but Yahweh would still be faithful and bear witness to them. And it is an intriguing aspect of Yahweh that even if a person isn't going to reply or listen, Yahweh will still give them a chance. Yahweh will continue to communicate with them and He will never stop talking, because He desires all to repent. And so Yahweh told Yeshayahu that: “Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and shall turn and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:10) That is, send them a message. Deliver Yahweh's message to them. They won't be able to use it as an excuse. They'd have no defense against the impending doom that was going to hit them. Despite this, Yahweh would still continue to warn them and provide opportunities until the area was desolate and just the last person remained. Yahweh will keep bearing witness. They aren't listening even though Yahweh continues to witness to the world today. They're making light of Yahweh's witness. However, we must continue to bear witness. Yahweh will not leave Himself without a witness. It's encouraging to know that Yahweh never abandons us until our final moments. Even at the end of what we think to be our lives, there is always the possibility of bearing fruit. Even if we don't see it, He always has a plan for us. And even if you don't think you can grow fruit, trust Yahweh to produce the fruit He desires in you. This reminds me of the thief who died with Yahushua. Even in his final hours, he asked to be with the Master in the kingdom: And he said to Yahushua, “Master, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) And what was Yahushua's response to this repentant theif? “Amein, I say to you today, you shall be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) Yahweh will bear fruit, and Yahushua will say to us, "Today you shall be with me in paradise." The caveat is that IF we hear Yahweh's Word and we let His word grow inside of us, then we will enter into the joy of our Master. In Amos 8:11 it tells us that Yahweh will: ...send a hunger in the land, not a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the Words of Yahweh. (Amos 8:11) The truth is, there are many who do not have an ear to hear what Yahweh is saying. They just don’t hear the Word of Yahweh. It isn't that Yahweh isn't speaking; it's simply that they are unable to hear Yahweh's Word. It's just a mess of words to people who don't hear; it doesn't make sense to them. You see, the problem is never on Yahweh’s side. It isn’t that Yahweh isn’t speaking; it’s that we’re not listening. It really isn’t that Yahweh can’t hear. Our lifestyles have made it inconsistent for Yahweh to respond. As once again, Yeshayahu tells us: Look, the hand of Yahweh has not become too short to save, nor His ear too heavy to hear. But your crookednesses have separated you from your Elohiym. And your sins have hidden His face from you, from hearing. For your hands have been defiled with blood, and your fingers with crookedness; your lips have spoken falsehood, your tongue mutters unrighteousness. No one calls for righteousness, and no one pleads for truth. They trust in emptiness and speak worthlessness; they conceive trouble and bring forth wickedness. (Isaiah 59:1-4) Now, note what happened because they weren't hearing Yahweh's Word, since there was a famine for His Word: “And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east - they shall diligently search, seeking the Word of Yahweh, but they shall not find it. (Amos 8:12). As they searched for something that would please them, they would get restless. Consider the current state of global unrest. How come people walk from sea to sea, from north to east, looking for anything to satisfy them? If you don't hear Yahweh's Word and your heart isn't fulfilled with it, you'll find yourself looking for something to fill the vacuum in your life. This unrest always results from your hearts' no longer hearing Yahweh's voice or His Word. That void causes the restlessness, and as a result: “In that day the beautiful maidens and strong young men shall faint from thirst, (Amos 8:13) Meaning that those who are supposed to have strength and who are at the prime of their lives won't have an answer to the destruction that is going on around them. They will realize before it's too late that they can't live without the Word of Yahweh. And they will faint because they will be exhausted in trying to find an answer as to why things are going on as they are. We need the Word of Yahweh, especially when things seem to be falling apart in our lives. Yisra’el had the Temple and they had the Torah teachings, yet they did not hear them. Today, there is still plenty of bread and water, so to speak, as there are many assemblies to choose from and plenty of Torah instruction available, but true obedience to His commands is severely lacking.

"Fruit of the word". I'm happily anticipating the next teaching Yohannan!

Seeking new understanding, listening for revelations. And Giving Praise, loving each other as Yahshua loved all of us. Yes thee is no difference today. Read revelation 1to 3,reveals . Brother, you are precious .Ty.

Brother we are blessed. Praise Yahweh, for Yahshua. HaleluYah.

Part 1 Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's teaching we will be talking about summer fruit basket. If you want to follow along I will be posting this in the comment box below. Now onto the teaching: Hear this, you who are swallowing up the needy, to do away with the poor of the land, saying, “When does the New moon pass so that we sell grain, and the Sabbath so that we trade our wheat, to make the ephah small and the sheqel large, and to falsify the scales by deceit, to buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals, and sell the chaff of the wheat?” Yahweh has sworn by the Excellency of Ya'aqob, “I shall never forget any of their works. “Shall the land not tremble for this, and everyone mourn who dwells in it? And all of it shall swell like the River, heave and subside like the River of Mitsrayim. (Amos 8:4-8) The fruit of stewardship was the next to be exposed as being bad. When you look at Yisra'el at the time they were being addressed here, you can see that they had forgotten everything Yahweh had done for them, from being brought up from nothing to having everything, from being delivered from slavery to living in the Promised Land and being established as a mighty nation, a chosen and set apart nation as Yahweh had promised: ‘And now, if you diligently obey My voice, and shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession above all the peoples - for all the earth is Mine - ‘and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a set-apart nation.’ Those are the words which you are to speak to the children of Yisra’el.” (Exodus 19:5-6) They forgot who they were and where they belonged, and the answer to the question of what they did with what they had been given is a tragic one. They had suffocated the poor as their wealth had made them greedy and selfish, and as a result, they refused to aid them and took advantage of them. They were so consumed by their desire for wealth, fleshly pleasure, and ego that they didn't even keep the Sabbath as the Sabbath, preferring to get ready for business as soon as it was done. They didn't delight in Yahweh on the Sabbath; instead, they were thinking about business and couldn't wait to trade and make shady transactions in order to enrich themselves by deception as Yeshayahu or as he is commonly called Isaiah tells us: “If you do turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My set-apart day, and shall call the Sabbath ‘a delight,’ the set-apart day of Yahweh ‘Honored,’ and shall honor it, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in Yahweh. And I shall cause you to ride on the heights of the earth, and feed you with the inheritance of Ya’aqob your father. For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken!” (Isaiah 58:13-14) How do you keep the Sabbath? Do you delight in Yahweh, not in your own ways, pleasures, or words? If so, the promise is magnificent and certain: He will lead you to ride on the heights of the earth and feed you Ya'aqob's inheritance. Yisra'el was only going through the motions because they knew they had to keep the Sabbath, but their hearts were not in it. Many people today are doing the same thing, they may have left the false system of worship and tried to keep the Sabbath as a rule, but their hearts have not yet accepted the genuine delight of it. It is a delight in Him with His word as a set-apart assembly increasing in relationship with Yahweh who loves us, not just a break from the everyday grind. You will not want the day to end if you delight in Him, soaking up every instant of His presence. On Shabbat, do you find yourself thinking about business and other matters? Let us learn from Yisra'el's errors and make every effort to enjoy His Sabbath. Trust Yahweh that when you delight in Him, He will take care of the rest, so you don't have to. The love of money and business gripped Yisra'el, so they eagerly awaited the end of Shabbat. They were also robbing their own people for unjust gain through deception, as they would falsify the value of goods being traded, raising prices even for the poorest among them and robbing Yahweh in the process. They utilized false scales, overpriced goods, and even exploited the poor by gathering up their fields for little to nothing instead of assisting them, and then selling the "chaff" of the wheat. As a result, when people bought grain with chaff, they got defiled grain rather than clean grain. This is also a reference to selling the droppings of the fruit that was supposed to be given to the poor and the stranger, and they would have no right to sell that which was Yahweh's: ‘And when you reap the harvest of your land, do not completely reap the corners of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. ‘And do not glean your vineyard or gather every grape of your vineyard, leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am Yahweh your Elohiym. (Leviticus 19:9-10) It was all about the money no matter who was taken advantage of and in the process they were in fact deceiving Yahweh. In fact Malachi talks about robbing Yahweh when they kept part of the the tithe for themselves: “For I am Yahweh, I shall not change, and you, O sons of Ya'aqob, shall not come to an end. “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My laws and did not guard them. Turn back to Me, and I shall turn back to you,” said Yahweh of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what shall we turn back?’ “Would a man rob Elohiym? Yet you are robbing Me! But you said, ‘In what have we robbed You?’ In the tithe and the offering! “You have cursed Me with a curse, for you are robbing Me, this nation, all of it! “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, and let there be food in My house. And please prove Me in this,” said Yahweh of hosts, “whether I do not open for you the windows of the heavens, and shall pour out for you boundless blessing! “And I shall rebuke the devourer for you, so that it does not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor does the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” said Yahweh of hosts. “And all nations shall call you blessed, for you shall be a land of delight,” said Yahweh of hosts. (Malachi 3:6-12)

Thank you for this teaching. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing before You, O Yahweh, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) Amein and HalleluYah!

Achi, I'm inquiring to Yah. Thank you. HAVE you study psychology ,? Or given through His word. Praise Yahweh!

Shalom and welcome to Light of the Hill Ministries and in today's teaching we will be talking about summer fruit basket. If you want to follow along I willl be posting this in the comment box below. Now onto the teaching: Appearances can be deceiving, as we've seen many times in our lives when what seemed right, good, and safe turned out to be dreadfully wrong and even hazardous to our lives in Messiah. It is also true that many people spend much of their lives attempting to project happiness and joy while inside they are plagued by fear, doubts, and stress that is silently killing them. They put on a fake smile in front of others to avoid confronting deeper issues that are conveniently suppressed under the pursuit of fleshly lusts and worldly passions that consume their lives and leave no room for seeking out that which is truly real. Do we each look deeply into the mirror of the Word without forgetting what we see when we take a genuine look at our own lives? Yahweh poses the following question to Amos: This is what the Master Yahweh showed me, and see, a basket of summer fruit. And He said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” And Yahweh said to me, “The end has come upon my people Yisra’el, no longer do I pardon them. (Amos 8:1-2) As we count each day towards the celebreation of Shavu'ot what fruits will we bear and what fruit are we bearing at this moment? What do we truly see? Yahweh asks what is in our summer fruit basket. We either are rejoicing before Yahweh under the heat of trials and bearing the fruit the comes out of it, or we are pretending that the fruit is good and in this process we find that we are covering up what is deep inside us all. Are we only keeping an appearance of being fruit filled by going through the motions while inside we are allowing the fruit of the flesh to grow. And thus rotting us and killing us inside. And while we might think that we see the fruit, what does Yahweh see when He asks you? Are you willing to see what He sees through the mirror of His Word and look beneath the surface of appearance to the heart of obedience? Because if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror, for he looks at himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what he was like. (James 1:23-24) Are we willing to allow the mirror to show us our true selves so that we can be doers of the word? This is an opportunity to look inside of ourselves and examine the fruit basket of our lives to see what we need to fill it with. When we think of a basket of summer fruit, we think of something that is both fresh and nourishing. When we gaze at them, they are likewise pleasing to the eye. That is exactly what Amos observed, but what appeared to be fruit was shortly revealed by Yahweh's words to Amos: ...The end has come upon my people Yisra’el, no longer do I pardon them.(Amos 8:2) Why did Yahweh say this? Well, we know that: A refining pot is for silver and a furnace for gold, But Yahweh tries the hearts. (Proverbs 17:3) Yahweh is the one who examines our hearts and fruits, and Amos was told that Yisra'el's fruit had gone rotten. What do we do when fruit turns bad? We toss them out. This is exactly what Yahweh was ready to do to Yisra'el, and if our fruit is rotting, He will do the same to us. The fruit of righteousness must be evident in our daily lives and must never become stale and rotten due to disobedience, lack of use, or neglect, but must rather be fresh every day. Daily reading Yahweh's word, allowing it to grow inside of us till it bears the fruit He wants. Yahweh was speaking to the Scattered Tribes, and they are often referred to as Ephrayim, which means "doubly fruitful." And as you can see, they didn't bear any fruit. Yahweh found their fruit to be stale and unappealing. They didn't go to Yahweh daily. They had the fruit of unrighteousness rather than righteousness, and so as we consider the fruit of obedience in the context of this chapter, let us look at areas that were lacking that we would do well to heed and take great care to not be found lacking the true fruit of righteousness and obedience. We must remember that the end had come for Yisra'el and this is the same language that Yahweh had given to Noach when He said: and Elohiym said to Noach, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And see, I am going to destroy them from the earth. (Genesis 6:13) Yahweh tried their hearts and their fruit was revealed to be rotten or fake. Yet Yahweh is looking for a heart that is in Spirit and Truth: But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father also does seek such to worship Him. Elohiym is Spirit, and those who worship Him need to worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24) There will be a time in the future when Yahweh will not pardon those who do not worship Him in Spirit and Truth and in verse 3 Yahweh tells Amos that: ..the songs of the Temple shall be wailing in that day,” declares the Master Yahweh...,” (Amos 8:3) Yisra'el was not creating the fruits of worship while singing the songs they were singing. The same phenomenon continues today, where many people happily sing along to worship melodies and recite the words of a song or psalm of praise, but the fruit of their life indicates the polar opposite of what they declare with their lips to Yahweh, revealing that their hearts are distant from Him. Many of us have memorized a worship song, and when we are in the place of an assembly, when it plays, we sing it, but our hearts are full of other things inside it. You see, our baskets may not be as fresh as we think they are. Rather, it is a stench of rottenness in Yahweh's nostrils. This kind of fruitless attempt at worship will be turned into mourning and wailing on that day. Singing psalms and spiritual songs with the lips only while the heart is rotten and one’s life is full of compromises will be severely dealt with on that day when Yahushua comes for His Bride. What do you see in the basket of your heart? Do you see what Yahweh wants you to see? If you don't know what's in the basket, ask Him to show you. This raises the question of how we can re-fill the basket with true worship. Yahushua tells us that: This people draw near to Me with their mouth, and respect Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men. (Matthew 15:8-9) Yahushua warns us not to be far from Yahweh and not to worship Him vainly. The writer of Hebrews tells us how we can draw near to Yahweh and that is: ...with a true heart in completeness of belief, having our hearts sprinkled from a wicked conscience and our bodies washed with clean water. (Hebrews 10:22) What it means is that a true heart is a humble one, an unblemeshed concience that we have confidence to enter into His throne room of favor. It is a heart that has been purchased with the blood of Yahushua, the Lamb of Yahweh. It is a heart that has been cleansed by His blood and covered in the righteousness of His garment so that we may enter into the most Set Apart place where He is. All this leads one to draw near to Yahweh and all who have been cleansed from sin, transgression of the Torah, are encouraged to draw ever closer to Yahweh with a fervent faith because they are a new creation in Messiah: Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creature - the old matters have passed away, see, all matters have become new! (2Corithians 5:17) And it is because our clean heart that old matters have passed away and we may now draw near to the one who loves us. Yahweh’s Word is true and His promises are sure, so let us go into the presence of Yahweh with a sincere heart that is fully trusting Him. Knowing that our guilty consciences have been set free from the guilt of sin, through Messiah’s precious, redeeming blood. It is by faith in Him that we have been made clean and now let us draw near to Him boldly entering His throne of favor. This is how to get the fresh fruit back into our basket. We cleanse our heart and we do that by being humble towards Yahweh asking Him to forgive our sins. He then washes us clean by the blood of His Son Yahushua. And now we are ready to worship Him in Spirit and Truth. May our worship, be it in song or in the words of our mouth - that is our daily speech, may it be pleasing to Him, no more crude jokes and filthy talk, throw it away that we may be found to have only that which is good come out of our mouths. Let us agree with the Psalmist who declares to Yahweh: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing before You, O Yahweh, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) Let us re-fill the basket with the correct fruits Yahweh wants to bear and that is: ...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness, gentleness, self-control... (Galatians 5:22-23) HalleluYah! In the next teaching we will be talking about the fruit of stewardship, Yahweh willing. If you like this teaching, please comment, like, share and subscribe to the channel, and click on the notification button to be notified of the next teaching. Yahweh bless and shalom to your homes.