Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
As the Festival of Sukkot comes to an end, the yearly reading through the Torah begins again.
The division of the Bible into chapters and verses came quite late in history. Before that, Jewish people had divided the Torah, the first five books, into sections called "parashot" (portions). We read one "parasha" (Torah portion) each week, and we invite you to read along with us!
Each week, a faculty or staff member from ONE FOR ISRAEL Bible College willguide us through a brief study of the traditional Jewish Torah reading portion from a Messianic Israeli perspective.
Dr. Erez Soref, President
of ONE FOR ISRAEL
FIVE ALIVE! READ THE TORAH WITH US
Genesis 1:1 – 6:8
בְּרֵאשִׁית Bereshit (In the Beginning)
Though many believers tend to think of the books of the law as old and outdated, our desire in these weekly studies is to show you that these FIVE books are very much ALIVE!
This week we are looking at the very first Torah portion, “In the Beginning.” The opening chapters not only introduce the key themes of the Torah – land, seed, and blessing – they also lay the foundation for the future Messianic hope.
You don’t have to go far in either the Hebrew Scriptures or the New Testament before you hit them – those lists of unpronounceable names! The lists and genealogies in the Bible have been a source of much consternation (and sometimes merriment) as hapless readers struggle through exotic and multi-syllabled Middle Eastern names in their Bible study groups. Do we really have to bother with these lists? Is it so bad to just skip them?
As controversy continues to swirl around Brett Kavanaugh since his hearing, several prominent charismatic leaders have spoken up in his defense, including Tim Hill, Samuel Rodriguez and Paula White-Cain. They see the sexual-assault accusations against Kavanaugh as fierce spiritual warfare that Christians must combat with intercession.
"We need to remember that we are battling the powers of wickedness that are the same as the ones that fed off of the shedding of innocent blood during the days of Jezebel," prophetic voice Cindy Jacobs says. "Spirits such as Molech and Jezebel are still at work to influence the political process."
Best-selling author and well-respected theologian R.T. Kendall shared with me in an interview his spiritual insight into the situation.
"I just pray that Judge Kavanaugh does get endorsed," Kendall told me. "I think he's a brilliant choice by President Trump. And what is going on at the moment to derail him, to me, is from the satanic world. Satan doesn't want anybody like that in the Supreme Court. And it would give a great advantage to the views that are most closely akin to Scripture."
I find Kendall's insight compelling, especially since he is not only a good friend but also perhaps my favorite Bible teacher. He received his doctorate at Oxford University. And although that was his primary reason for moving to London many years ago, God opened up a surprise opportunity for him there to pastor Westminster Chapel for 25 years. I've been blessed to attend several services there.
But Kendall is not only a phenomenal preacher; he's a prolific writer as well. When I asked him how many books he's written, he wouldn't answer but said instead, "That's like the sin of David numbering the people." Suffice it to say, he's written many books, though I think the one that has impacted me the most is Total Forgiveness. Many have read that book and seen their lives transformed by Kendall's teaching.
I'm pleased to say Charisma House has published several of his books, including The Presence of God, Whatever Happened to the Gospel and his latest, Popular in Heaven, Famous in Hell.
Kendall says the idea for his latest book started several years ago when he was invited to preach in a particular church. He crafted a sermon he felt the congregation needed to hear, but he was concerned the congregation would not appreciate it. He called one of his friends, John Paul Jackson—who is now in heaven—and expressed his concern.
"And John Paul said, 'I always ask, "Will it be popular in heaven?"'" Kendall says. "... And I was gripped by that phrase: 'Will it be popular in heaven?' And I realized we should make decisions that make the angels smile, the sainted dead rejoice."
The second half of his book title came years before when one of his mentors, Rolfe Barnard, preached a sermon called "A Man Who Was Known in Hell." The sermon comes from Acts 19, when the sons of Sceva started casting out demons as if it were a game. When they rebuked one particular demon in the name of Jesus, that evil spirit replied, "Jesus I know, and I know Paul, but who are you?" and proceeded to beat the men.
"We're not known in hell because we don't disturb the devil," Kendall says. "We don't do anything that terrifies Satan. ... I cannot think of anything more wonderful than to be a threat to the devil and that I would be famous in hell. And that has been my goal. I would rather be famous in hell than famous on the earth."
If more believers had that mindset, imagine how much more God's kingdom would expand! We don't have to sit back and watch the news unfold, including the Kavanaugh hearing.
Unfortunately, many Christians refuse to get involved in politics and instead hide within their prayer groups, waiting for Jesus to return. But, in my opinion, that worldview is completely unbiblical. In fact, that's one of the reasons I wrote God and Donald Trump and now its sequel, Trump Aftershock. I wanted to share the untold story of God's hand in Trump's election and what our president has accomplished since then.
My main point in Trump Aftershock is that if Trump's election was an earthquake, then all his pro-Christian decisions since then are the aftershocks. The book releases Nov. 6, but you can click here to pre-order it now on Amazon. In the meantime, visit trumpaftershock.com to read sample of the book free!
I hope that as believers read Trump Aftershock, they see just how important it is to intercede for our nation and vote for biblical values. If every Christian did that, just think what we could accomplish in the spiritual realm. Listen to my interview with R.T. Kendall below and learn how you can live a life that makes heaven applaud and the devil tremble.
Steve Strangis the founder of Charisma Media and president of Christian Life Missions. He is also the author of the best-seller God and Donald Trump. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to subscribe to the Strang Report podcast, and here to sign up for the Strang Report newsletter.
Moshe went up from the steppes of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, opposite Yericho, and Hashem showed him the whole land Deuteronomy 34:1 (The Israel Bible™)
וַיַּעַל מֹשֶׁה מֵעַרְבֹת מוֹאָב אֶל־הַר נְבוֹ רֹאשׁ הַפִּסְגָּה אֲשֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵי יְרֵחוֹ וַיַּרְאֵהוּ יְהֹוָה אֶת־כָּל־הָאָרֶץ Hear the verse in Hebrew
va-YA-al mo-SHEH may-ar-VOT mo-AV el HAR n’-VO ROSH ha-pis-GAH a-SHER al p’-NAY y’-ray-KHO va-yar-AY-hu a-do-NAI et kol ha-A-retz
A Joyous Completion
This verse is taken from the weekly Bible portion V’ZotHabracha, the final portion of the Torah. In it, Moses blesses each of the tribes, as is customary in the Bible for parents to bless their children before dying. When Moses is done, God instructs him to ascend the mountain where he will survey the land before being “gathered to his fathers”. Finally, the Torah ends with a reckoning of what it was that made Moses so unique.This portion is read today, on the holiday of Simchat Torah, in which the Torah reading cycle is completed and restarted, amid much joyous celebration.
