Category: Stone Altars to God

Bible Study, Devotional, Feast on This, Stone Altars to God

Stones of Remembrance 6: Abraham’s 5th Altar

mrshlovesjesus

Read Genesis 22 thru 25

What did God do to Abraham in Genesis 22:1? 

Was Isaac Abraham’s “only” son?  The Hebrew word for “only son” is yachid (yah-cheed); Strong’s #3173.  Using a Strong’s concordance/dictionary, what are some of the definitions of the word yachid in the Hebrew?  Jesus is God’s “only son,” but angels are also called “sons of God” in Genesis and Job. What do you think is meant by the term “only son?”

Zechariah 12:10 says the house of David and the people of Jerusalem will mourn for the one they pierced “as one mourns for his ________  ______.”  How does Hebrews 11:18 shed light on this?

The parallels between Isaac and Jesus are so profound, we know God wanted us to see in Isaac a type and foreshadow of the promised Seed that would one day crush the head of the serpent. This website lists a whole bunch of these parallels, but here are the ones I found that I thought were pretty neat…

The mountain

Look on a map to find where Mount Moriah is located. Draw it on your personal map. In the coming chapters of this Bible Study we will make visits back to this mountain, and I don’t want to spoil the fun, especially when we get to David’s altar to God, but this mountain is just a treasure trove. These are some websites I found with lots to share about it (The Rich History of Moriah,… Mount Moriah,…and What is the Significance of Mount Moriah in the Bible).  “And Abraham called the place, “YHWH-Will-Provide, as it is said to this day (Genesis 22:13b), ‘In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided'” Genesis 22:14.

The donkey ride

What type of animal did Abraham saddle up for the journey to the mountain top?  Read Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John12:12-19; what type of animal was Jesus placed upon? Why a donkey? Have a peek here.

The journey

Abraham’s journey with Isaac to the place of the altar was 3 days, at which point the mountain was still afar off (Genesis 22:3-5), so more than 3 days, possibly another day, for a total of 4.

Jesus’ journey to the cross followed the timeline of the Passover (Exodus 12:3-6). The Passover lambs are chosen on Nissan 10, which is when Jesus made His triumphal entry (Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19). The lambs are inspected (as Jesus was, and He was found to be blameless – Matt.26:59-60; 27:19,24; Luke 23:4,14-15,22); And on Nissan 14 the spotless, defectless Passover lambs are slain, which is when Jesus breathed his last (Matthew 27:2, 50; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31,42) – Preparation Day is Thursday, the day before Sabbath; Sabbath begins at dusk on Friday. In this instance Passover landed on Preparation day. Total of 4 days.

A promise made

In Genesis 22:5 Abraham said to his young men, “the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”  Why did Abraham say “we” would come back when he was taking Isaac to sacrifice him (Hebrews 11:19)?  Likewise Jesus said “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also” John 14:3.

The wood

The wood for the sacrifice was laid on Isaac (Genesis 22:6;) to carry.  The wooden cross was laid on Jesus to carry – John 19:17. Isaac was bound and laid upon the wood (22:9). Jesus was laid upon the wooden cross and bound to it with nails (Mark 15:24; John 20:25). This happened as prophesied in Isaiah 53:5

The knife

Abraham raised a knife to slay his son (Genesis 22:10). One of the soldiers raised a speer to pierce Jesus and make sure He was dead (John 19:34). He was pierced for our transgressions – Isaiah 53:5; John 19:32-37; 1 John 5:6-8; Dt.19:15; John 8:17-18; 1 Tim. 5:19.

The altar

Isaac was laid upon an altar made of rocks with the wood put in order upon it (Genesis 22:7-9). Jesus was laid upon a wooden cross atop a barren hilltop that is said to have resembled a skull cap, which was likely a very large rock (John 19:17-18), perhaps the place where King David took the skull of Goliath (1 Sam. 17:54), therefore aptly named the-place-of-the-skull (Gol-goth-a). The names Gol-iath and Gath are even sort-of hidden in the name Golgotha. Click on those links to discover the meanings of those names. Golgotha, like Gethsemene, was where Christ’s blood was pressed out like a drink offering, which, in addition to a grain offering, was to accompany all offerings of blood. Christ’s crucifixion served as the blood sacrifice and the firstfruits grain offering, and the drink offering all in one. Goliath’s name means exposer or one that uncovers, and isn’t it interesting that in researching all of this, such a wonderful mystery would be uncovered?

The ram’s horns, caught in the thicket

Just before Abraham plunged the knife into his son, he was told to STOP! “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns” (Genesis 22:13a).

“And they clothed Jesus with purple and they twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head (Mark 15:17); Jesus’ head wrapped in thorns – (John 19:2)

The anxiousness

Isaac was trusting and willing, but he spoke to his father, look the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb (Genesis 22:7)? Jesus, being obedient to death — even death on a cross (Philippeans 2:8), began to be troubled, sorrowful, and deeply distressed He fell on the ground to His face and prayed 3 seperate times for this cup to be removed. His sweat was as great drops of blood. (Luke 22:39-46)

The faith

Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb…” Genesis 22:8. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac…concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19). Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6; Romans 4:3,18,22; James 2:23).

Jesus, speaking of His body said, “Destroy this temple,and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19.) Jesus said He had the power to lay down His life and the power to take it up again (John 10:18).

The Angel

Who do you think was the Angel who called to Abraham from heaven and stopped him from slaying Isaac?  Does your Bible cross reference other places in scripture where this Angel is also mentioned?  Could the Angel be Jesus?

Hebrews 9:15
For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Hebrews 12:24
and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Hebrews 8:6
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

Ephesians 2:13-18
But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace

Galatians 3:19
Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.

(Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Christ,-The-Mediator)

Job, in his time of suffering on earth, lamented that there was no mediator for him in God’s court of law (9:32-33). But a mediator was promised (Galatians 3:19) who would take away the sin of the world and make sin-sick men holy, as God is holy. Christ is the only true mediator between God and man, because He is the ONLY one to ever live who was both fully God and fully a man, knowing the divine nature of God and His pure holiness, but being able to sypmpathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15).

❤ ❤ ❤

When the Holy Spirit puts it into our hearts to chase down a rabbit hole in the scriptures, you can be assured Jesus is waiting there. Jesus says that we will seek Him and find Him when we search for Him with all of our hearts. The veil to the Holy of Holies is ripped in two from heaven to earth so that we may enter into His presence and have fellowship with Him. Isn’t the Bible fascinating? I love the mysteries and the deep and hidden things of God, the crumbs that fall from the Master’s table, that are waiting to be found, don’t you?

If the Bible has always been just a dusty old book with crazy old stories for you, I hope that something I’ve found here will change your mind. Please know that it is a totally different book when the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us. If we are born again, believers in Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, the Bible will come to life for us as we read it in a way we could have never imagined. That is one of the amazing things about it. Through it we have relationship with our Creator and Savior and He has fellowship with us.

Has your faith ever been tested? It is a refining process (Job 23:10).

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When Jesus comes for His bride will He find you faithful? Do you know Him? Do you want to know Him? There is no magical prayer, or complicated formula. All you have to do is ask, believing, and you will recieve Him.

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Let’s continue reading…

Where did Abraham return to after the Mount Moriah experience (Gen. 22:19)?  Where did Sarah die (23:2)?  In that verse it says Abraham came to mourn for her. Did this mean he was not with her when she died? This was the place of Abraham’s 3rd altar (Gen.13:18).  Who are the sons of Heth (Gen. 10:15)?  How much silver merchant’s money did Abraham pay to purchase a burial place for Sarah (Gen. 23:16-18)?  Were there witnesses to the transaction?  Write out Genesis 23:19-20. Check out this article about the burial place that Abraham purchased. Who else is buried in this grave – Genesis 25:8-10; 35:27-29; 47:29-31; 50:12-13?

Perhaps you have lost a spouse?  Did you have the means to pay for the funeral and burial at a cemetery? Would you expect that a hundred, two hundred, three hundred years later that burial plot would still be there? This one of Abraham’s is almost 4000 years?

Where did Abraham send the oldest servant of his house to fetch a bride for Isaac?  What did he make him do in Genesis 24:2-3?  Can you draw Abraham’s family tree from the info you find in Genesis 11:26-29; 22:20-24; and 24:15?  Use a blank sheet of paper to sketch out Abraham’s lineage.  Add it to the pages of your book and remember to keep adding to it as we go along.  Make notes of the scripture locations for your information.

How did the servant know he had chosen the right bride?  What did the servant do in 24:21?  Whose daughter was Rebekah?  Isaac and Bethuel were cousins. (How important is it to you that you or your children marry within the family-of-God?) What did the servant give to her in verses 22 and 47?  What did the servant do in 24:48 & 52?   What did the servant give as a bride gift and as a dowry in verse 53?  What was the blessing her family spoke to her when they sent her off (vs. 60)?  How is this blessing similar to what God spoke over Adam and Eve in Gen. 1:28, Sarah in Gen. 17:16, and God’s blessing on Abraham through Isaac in Gen. 22:17?  How is this similar to Jesus’ blessing on Peter in Matthew 16:18?  Isaiah 45:18; Matthew 28:19.  Has anyone ever spoken a blessing over you?  Have you ever spoken a blessing over your children, grandchildren, or family members?  Where did Sarah die (23:2)? Where was she buried (23:19)?  Mark these places on your map.

Where was Isaac living at the time (Gen.24:62)?  What did Isaac do in the evening (Gen. 24:63)? Isaac and Rebekah became husband and wife in whose tent (Gen. 24:67)?  Who did Abraham then take as a wife in Gen. 25:1 (but was she a “wife?” See 1 Chron.1:32)?  How many children did he have with her?  Where did he send those sons to live (Gen.25:6)? And where did Ishmael live (21:21; 25:18)? Who inherited all of Abraham’s wealth (25:5)?  Mark all of these places on the map.

What is the exact wording of 25:8?

What do you think it means that he was “gathered to his people?”  Is this a physical thing – being buried together in a family grave, or a spiritual thing?  Who does the act of gathering (2 Kings 22:20; 2 Chr.34:28)? The same was said of Ishmael in 25:17; and Isaac in 35:29; and Jacob in 49:29 & 33; Aaron in Numbers 20:24; Moses in Deut. 32:50; and Joshua’s generation in Judges 2:10.  Were all these people buried with their family in a mass family grave? 

What is Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:19-31)?  Is Abraham’s bosom the same place as “Paradise” (Luke 23:43; John 20:17; Acts 1:9; 2 Cor. 12:2,4; Luke 14:14; 1 Thes. 4:16)?  Is it the good side of Hades (or Sheol) as believed in ancient Greece and Rome? I challenge you to do some research on that.

Where did the Garden of Eden, the Paradise on earth, go? Did it just die, or was it taken up in the spiritual realm?  Are there other places in the Bible where people are said to be gathered?

“Do not foresake the GATHERING of yourselves together.” Hebrews 10:25. What do you believe this verse to mean? Have a peek HERE for some interesting perspective.

What are some other gathering places? The table (Hebrews 13:2), a wedding (John 2)? Not sure where I am going with that, but I like the thoughts it provokes.

Where was Abraham laid to rest (Gen. 25:9-10)?  Who buried him (25:9)?  Where did Isaac choose to live (25:11)?  We know that Ishmael lived in the Sinai Peninsula (which was considered Egypt from the earliest of Bible times).  Mark all of these places on the map.  It seems that Isaac and Ishmael had an amicable relationship, doesn’t it?  They remained close neighbors all their lives, buried their father together, and never had any known conflicts. Isaac’s son Esau would later marry one of Ishmael’s daughters (Gen.28:9), in what appears to be a show of maturity, and an attempt to please his father and mother. 1 Chronicles 1 and 2 go into detail of the lineage Abraham’s children. 1:27-31 is his son Ishmael. 1:34-37 is his son Isaac. 1:38-54 is his son Esau (who does Gen. 36:1,8-9 say Edom is?). And 2:1-17 is the family of Jacob/Israel. Compare the genealogies of Genesis 36 and 1 Chronicles 1&2 with all that we know so far.

Personal application

How does all of this apply to us?  Has the Holy Spirit spoken to your heart about anything as we’ve studied His word? Can you think of an experience you’ve had with God similar to any of the characters in this story? Abraham certainly had quite a full life, with much scripture devoted to him.  He was a go-getter right to the end.  He lived in relative peace in the land God brought him to.  There was never an issue with his servants, and even his children did not quarrel with one another.  He fared well and was prosperous.  He was blessed and was a blessing. 

Has God ever asked you to give up something precious to you, as Isaac was to Abraham?  Was it hard for you to give it up or did you trust that God is ultimately good and would work all things together for good?  Ever had a child (or other family member) that you loved dearly almost be taken from you by tragedy?  Have you ever thought about where our spirits go when our bodies die (1 Cor. 5:3; 2 Cor. 5:6-7)?  Have you ever wanted to step in and help your kids choose a mate wisely? Perhaps you’ve prayed God would bring them a good spouse, of good moral character, to love, honor, and cherish, and who would love, honor, and cherish them back?   If you have small children or grandchildren, you could begin praying NOW for their future spouses.  God, knowing the future, can help to lead them to the spouse that will be a good, godly fit, a good provider, a good helpmate, a good friend, a good mother/father, evenly yoked for the work of God’s kingdom, etc.  Start the conversations young, how important it is to choose a spouse wisely.  Do you have regrets over the spouse you chose? Do you feel blessed that God gave you a good spouse? Maybe share with your kids some of the concerns you have that may help them choose a spouse wisely in this day and age (std’s, unplanned pregnancy, ungodliness, temper issues, having a kind heart, how they treat others, etc.), and some mistakes you made and the consequences you suffered that you would hope they would avoid. There is a wonderful movie (for teenagers) which can help with this conversation.  It’s called *Because of Gracia.  It’s a beautiful movie every parent of teenagers should see.

Project (an altar that I can build): 

Make a shield bookmark for your Bible.  Color the front of it, and on the back of it write several scriptures that speak of God being a shield for us, starting with Genesis 15:1; Deut.33:29; Psalm 115:9-11; Ephesians 6:16; 1 John 5:4.  When done we can laminate it.  How nice to make up several bookmarks and give them to friends and family.

OR, if we are very ambitious we can make a banner (flag) in the shape of a shield and embroider the scriptures along its edges, and then hang it on our wall.  We could also worship God with it at church, if we belong to a church that uses flags and banners in worship.  OR, we could fly on a flag pole at our house; OR hang it on a pole and march with it in a city parade. 

I sketched this design for such a banner when I was a member of my church’s worship team.  I had always intended to sew one together, but other projects vied for my time and I never got around to it!

 “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” Psalm 119:2 

[*] Five Stones Films | BecauseOfGracia.com | ©2018 GRACIA FILMS, LTD

Bible Study, Devotional, Feast on This, Stone Altars to God, Testimonies & Personal Stories

Stones of Remembrance 4 – Abraham’s 3rd Altar

mrshlovesjesus
Read Genesis 12 thru 21, and whatever else comes up   

Let’s talk about it…

Here are some things we might want to research: 

What is the last known address for Abram (13:18)? Who came to celebrate victory with Abram there (14:18)? Who did God say He is in 15:1?  What promise did God make in this place in 15:5?  Fill in the blanks of this sentence from 15:6: “Abram ________ in _____ ________ and ________ accounted it to him for ___________” (See Romans 4:4).  This is also the place of the split animal covenant/promise between God and Abram.  Draw little symbols on the map of all that we learn.

Where was Hagar from?  How and when might Sarai have acquired her (12:10)?  Where did she run away to (16:7)? Who appeared to her there?  Draw Hagar’s location on the map, also draw the well and label it with its name (16:14).  Draw an angel there also. What did God/Angel tell her to do in 16:9?

Where was Abraham when the three men visited (18:1)?  What did Abraham do for them (18:6-8)?  What message did they deliver to Abraham (vs 10)?  Who were the three men (18:17,20-22 & 19:1)?  Draw them eating under the trees at Hebron on the map.  What did the angels come to do? Where was Sodom (Gen. 13:10-11; 14:3,10)? This website gives an estimated population of around 40,000 to 65,000 for the townships of Sodom and Gomorrah at that time. In this video (beginning around the 3:33 minute mark) the Bible teacher says archeaology has discovered between 1.5 and 5 million bodies in graves in the Sodom and Gomorrah area. Taking such numbers into account, do you remember how many righteous men needed to be in the city for God to spare the city (Gen. 18:23-32)? That’s a LOT (no pun intended) of depravity.

Three men visited Abraham in 18:2, and then in verse 16 the men rose to go to Sodom, but it seems that one of the three was the LORD and He stayed behind to have a special conversation with Abraham. How many arrived in Sodom, and where did they find Lot (19:1)?  What did Lot compel them to do (19:2-3)?  Remember who the inhabitants of Sodom were (Gen. 10:6-20)?  What did the people of Sodom want to do to the men (19:5)? Might this be related to what happened with the sons of God and the daughters of men in Noah’s day? And, what Ham did to his father (Gen. 9:22,24) after the ark landed. (Sexual perversion).

The two men escorted Lot, his wife and two of his daughters out of the city (19:16) and then who brought down the fire and brimstone (verse 24)? Why do you think Lot’s wife looked back (see Gen.19:14)? Where did God tell Lot to flee to? Why, would you imagine Lot was afraid to go to the mountains – that some evil would overtake him and he would die there? Could it be that he knew about the pagan worship practices that took place in the high places?

***We’ll actually study, in a later posting to these stone-pile-studies, about the Moabites (who were the descendants of Lot through his firstborn daughter). They hired Balaam to seek an oracle in the high places (Numbers 22 & 25); also the Ammonites (which were the descendants of Lot by his younger daughter) who were the people who sacrificed their children to Molech (Leviticus 18:3,21-25). Sadly, Bible history tells us that Solomon took wives of both the Moabites and Ammonites and followed in their wicked ways (1 Kings 11:5,7), and he burned incense in the high places to their gods. Canaan, of course was the land of, and the people of Ham, Noah’s perverted son. The Canaanites were giants in the eyes of the spies when they and Joshua and Caleb peeked into the Promised Land for the first time.

So since Lot was afraid to go to the mountains, what city did the LORD allow Lot to flee to (19:22-23)? What happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (19:24)?

Did Lot remain in Zoar (vs 30)?  Why not? Make a little note on the map where Moab and the place of the Ammonites was, and note from whom those two people groups descended from.

Where did Abraham move to (20:1)?  What happened there?  Abraham told the TRUTH and Abimelech FORGAVE and welcomed them to stay.  He also paid Sarah’s fine for bringing a curse on them (20:11-16).  This is where Isaac was conceived and born.  What did Abraham do when Isaac was eight days old? What did Abraham do when Isaac was weaned?  What did Sarah see Ishmael do (21:9)?  Where did Hagar run to (vs 14)?  Is this the same place she ran to before (Gen. 16:13-14)?  What name did she give to GOD? Is this the well that’s in dispute in 21:25,31 the same well God showed to Hagar when she ran away twice?

Where did Ishmael dwell and what did he become (vs 20-21; 25:18)? What prophesy was spoken over his life (16:11-12; 17:20; 21:18-21; 25:12-18)? Where have we heard of the Pishon River before (Gen.2:11)? Mark the Wilderness of Beersheba and the Wilderness of Paran on the map. Draw a well in the wilderness of Beersheba with Hagar and Ishmael beside it, and then of Ishmael shooting an arrow in the Wilderness of Paran. What did Abraham plant in Beersheba? And beside what landmark did Abraham and Abimelech sware an oath?

Personal application

Have you ever been led by fear, as Lot was, running from one bad decision to another? Has your choice of where to live ever seemed like paradise at first, but then turned out to be the worst place imaginable to raise a family, a real nightmare on Elm Street? And what about Abraham, the newcomer to the Promised Land, and obviously surrounded by some scary folks. He also was led by fear at times and it caused him to feel like he had no choice but to tell a lie. Have you ever been surrounded by scary people who made you feel scared to tell the truth about who you really were? Ever been caught in a lie, but forgiven of it by someone you least suspected would ever forgive you?  Has anyone ever paid a fine or a debt that you owed? Is there someone you need to forgive. Or someone you might need to confess the truth to and ask forgiveness?  How has forgiveness changed your life? Do you know a single mother raising a son/child? Maybe you are that single mother – do you have a testimony of how God has been the God-who-sees your circumstances and been a comfort and help to you? Write your testimony down so that you can reflect on it later and not forget what God has done for you, and share it with the people around you. You could be an encouragement to others you didn’t even know were going through the same things you are. You are also welcome to share it in the comments section below.

Project  (an altar that I can build)

Forgiveness jar:  Make a jar where, before I go to bed at night, I can place little notes upon which I’ve written and expressed forgiveness for every little offense that came up that day.  Rather than be tempted to gossip about the offender, or harbor anger or bitterness toward the offender, let me choose to be intentional to speak blessings to the situation, apply God’s promises to it, and place those offenses in the forgiveness jar.  When the jar is full, empty it out in the fire pit and start all over with an empty jar.

My grandmother always had home-baked cookies in her freezer so she could set out a spread of coffee, tea, and at least something sweet for drop-by visits.  It was a marvel to me though, how she could throw together a meal at a moment’s notice, with several sides, when anyone stopped by.  Her house was always neat and tidy, and herself presentable by, at the latest, midmorning.  Food was love in her house and her table welcoming.  She wasn’t lazy about preparing meals, or stingy about sharing.  I want so much to make my table an altar of showbread for God and the people I love; a place where people are gathered around and the Lord is present with us.


 “So a book of remembrance was written before Him.” Malachi 3:16b 
Bible Study, Feast on This, Stone Altars to God

Stones of Remembrance – 3: Abraham’s 2nd Altar

mrshlovesjesus

Read Genesis 12


One of the most exciting things about the times we live in is that archeology is uncovering so much about the Bible. Jews returning to their homeland are sharing more and more about their knowledge of faith and history. It is truly opening a world up to all of us that has laid dormant for centuries. You might want to look into collecting a few books or DVD’s about Bible Archaeology. I recommend the books written by Adam Zertal , also Aaron Lipkin‘s videos, and Randall Price‘s books, (and more Randall Price), and also the Written in Stone – documentary series by Gordon Robertson on DVD (there are 4 titles in this series at this writting, and two in production: House of David, Secrets of the Temple, Jesus of Nazareth, Kings and Prophets, and coming soon…Oracles of God – Part One – Old Testament, and Part 2 – New Testament). They can be ordered by calling 1-800-700-7000. There are lots more I could recommend, but I’ll leave it there for now. Also, get your hands on some Messianic Jewish publications, such as the series of books written by Rabbi Jason Sobel (The Rock, The Road, and The Rabbi, Mysteries of the Messiah, and Alligning with God’s Appointed Times).

Click this link to watch a clip of Written In Stone, Kings and Prophets: https://www.cbn.com/giving/special/kingsandprophetsdvd.aspx

Our wonderful, amazing Bibles are coming to life with so many beautiful layers. Where one may pick up the scriptures and read for its historical content, another sees the copies and shadows in all the words and stories of the Old and the New, with Jesus waiting to be discovered between every line and paragraph. Yet another sees the veiled prophecies being whispered in the Old and utterly shouted in the New for anyone to hear if they will simply tune their ears to hear and their eyes to see through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The word of God is truly living and active, powerful, and the same yesterday, today, and forever. A masterpiece of love from our Creator.

Using a map from your Bible, locate the locations of Bethel and Ai. And if you’d like you can download and print this map that I have provided, and then mark where Bethel an Ai are on it, draw a mountain in between them, and then draw a dotted line from Shechem down to the mountain. You can even draw a small tent on top of the mountain. In the white space to the right of Israel draw a rock pile and then draw an arrow over to the mountain where Abram’s camp is, which is where that rock pile altar was. Do your own research on these places. What do their names mean? What has been discovered about them? What events have taken place in these areas? What pieces of archeology have been discovered from these areas, and perhaps are being held in the British Museum, or somewhere else? Did Charles Warren write anything about them in his explorations?

What did Abram do after he built this altar (Genesis 12:8)? So, this altar was his place of prayer. Try to draw praying hands on top of your little illustration of the altar.

What does the name Bethel mean (see Genesis 28:19). Does the center margin of your study Bible say what the Hebrew word for Bethel means?

What caused Abram to go to Egypt? Why did he feel he needed to lie to them about Sarai? How did the Egyptians treat Abram (12:16), and what caused them to discover Abram’s lie (12:17)? What part of Israel did Abram return to (13:3-4)? Draw a dotted line to show Abram’s travels to Egypt and back. What was the reason for Abram and Lot to have to part company? What area did Lot choose? The “plain of the Jordan” is thought to have been the south end of the Dead Sea. It was once lush and green. What cities were there where Lot pitched his tent (13:12)? Where did Abram move to (13:18)? Mark this on the map. Draw the altar and some trees in the white space to the right of Israel and draw an arrow over to Hebron.
Lot got caught up in a battle between which kings (14:1-17). Do you recall from our Noah chapter who the Rephaim are? See Ezekiel 32:27; Numbers 13:33; Deut. 2:11,20,21; 3:11; 2 Sam. 21:19; Josh. 11:22. They are related to the Nephilim of Genesis 6:1-5. And the Zuzim in Ham – the son of Noah who saw his father’s nakedness.

Was Abram victorious in getting Lot back? Who met with Abram right after his victory (14:18) and what did the two of them exchange? Who came to Abram in chapter 15:1? (See John 1:1) …And what event took place between the Word and Abram (Gen.15)? Look on a map and see how much land God was giving to Abram (vs 18). Could the “river of Egypt” be the Pishon (Gen. 2:11)? The Pishon skirted the whole land of Havilah (Gen.2:11), which was the Sinai Peninsula, which was Egypt – and the land Ishmael would later inhabit (Gen.25:18). What body of water skirts the land of Havilah today? This is all part of a puzzle we are putting together.


Personal application: How does this apply to me? Do I have a place of prayer where I go to meet with God? Has God’s Spirit met me there and moved me with love / vision /courage? Have I ever felt like I had to lie about something as a matter of life and death? Did my lie find me out? Ever had to split up with a family member, or felt the need to offer them something that rightfully belonged to you? And after getting them out of a tight spot, once, did you have to bail them out again not long after? Did you seek God for His grace to handle it all with mercy? Is the relationship with that person damaged beyond repair now or has God granted you reconciliation? Ever won a battle over an enemy? Ever given or received a blessing from a priest of God? (Lots to think about!)


Project (an altar that I can build)

Promise Box: Type out the scripture verse, Jeremiah 29:11-13, on pretty paper in a pretty script to fit on the lid or around the base of a small round hatbox. Glue the verse onto the box, along with additional favorite fabrics, ribbon, or scrapbooking images, etc. and then decoupage the box with Mod Podge.

Blessing Box: Type out the scripture verse, Genesis 14:19, replacing Abraham’s name with mine.
Once the box is decorated, write current life issues on pages of pretty stationery and on the flip-side write a Bible promise (from a Bible Promise Book) that’s applicable to the issue. Add them to the Promise Box.
OR write out ways God has blessed me each day and add to Blessing Box before going to bed at night.

OR fill the box with random acts of kindness cards that can be done each day to bless others. Find a set of printable random acts of kindness cards at mrshlovesjesus.com.

“And you shall remember the Lord your God,”
Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV)

Bible Study, Feast on This, Stone Altars to God

Stones of Remembrance-2, Abraham’s First Altar

mrshlovesjesus

Read Genesis 8 to Genesis 12

Interesting thing about this name Ra’ah. It is listed here as Strong’s Hebrew word #7200. It means to see intellectually, to look upon, inspect, regard, perceive. God revealed Himself, He appeared to Abram, and Abram perceived Him, Abram saw God with spiritual eyes, dimly, as in a mirror, veiled. We know that it was a perception because of John 1:18 and Exodus 33:20. You might be interested in what the folks over at GotQuestions.org have to say about people in the Old Testament “seeing” God. Later in Genesis we will read about the God-who-Sees-Me (Genesis 16:13), El Roi in Hebrew, which is the Strongs Hebrew word #7210. It comes from the word/name Raah, but means a sight, an appearance, a spectacle, a gazing-stock, a vision. And then there is Ra’ah (Strong’s # 7462) which is mentioned in Psalm 23:1, the Lord-my-Shepherd (the one who watches over His sheep). You can read about this name HERE.

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Here are some things we might want to research: 

What does the name Abram and then Abraham mean?  What does the name Sarai and then Sarah mean?  What also happened at the time God changed Abram’s name?  Why might God change a name? What happened in 17:17 and 18:12?  Research what the name Isaac means (21:1-7) – if you own a study Bible it should tell you in the margin what the Hebrew word for Isaac is in verse 3. Do you know what your name means? Does it reflect your character or a trait about you?

Consult the map in your Bible to find the places Abraham traveled to, and draw with colored markers on your own map a dotted line of his travels, coming down from (Haran), then to Shechem, then Bethel, and then a dotted line going south and west toward Egypt.  Draw hills to show the hill country.  Put dots where the cities were.  Also, draw little illustrations of the altar that Abraham built at Shechem.  If you have the journal book for this study there is a map on page 197 that you can use. Make a sticky-note of all the details of the altar and stick it next to your illustration. 

Put God’s name, “Jehovah Raah” next to this altar in your Bible and on your map.

What type of structure did the Nimrodians build in Gen. 11:4? Did you know that there are step pyramid structures all over the world? Here, DuckDuck it and see for yourself (CLICK).

https://www.ancient-code.com

What did the people build the Nimrodian structure out of (Gen. 11:3)?   What was their goal for building it (Gen. 11:4)?  What was their fear in vs.4?  What happened in verse 8? 

How many continents are there on the earth? Do you know? In the midst of all the building and babbeling there’s a man’s name that is mentioned in Genesis 10:25. The verse even tells us what his name means. Peleg. “The earth was divided (#6385) in his days.” Genesis 11:9 says the builders of that tower were scattered abroad, over the face of all the earth. Could God have broken the continents apart as a way to scatter them, as it appears by the land shapes on a globe? Could this be why there are strange stone structures of amazing similarity all over the world? Isn’t it strange that giant’s bones have been found all over the globe, but not a single tool has surfaced which lends a hint to how these structures were built?

How many nationalities of people can you list from all the continents of the earth today? How many languages are spoken on planet earth? How are they related to each other?

https://lamarzulli.net/2019/01/11/the-supernatural-the-mysterious-moundbuilders/
This is fascinating stuff to me. It proves that the Bible is true and accurate. Perhaps that is why all evidence of Nephilim, when it is discovered, is immediately rushed away to some secret holding place and we never hear of it again. You would think that the findings of giant skelletons would be headline news, but they’re not. It’s all hidden away. I can almost feel my dad being interested in all this stuff. It would have fascinated him too, I think!!!! Anyway, I’m putting the link to LA’s first video about the moundbuilders, and the serpent mounds here>> https://youtu.be/x5tLy2_KKeY and once you click to watch it you will see his other videos. If not, these are the links to other of his videos and You Tube channel… https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySeXTLuH6wSJveZrA-sz9A and https://www.youtube.com/user/TheLamarzulli/videos. He has traveled all over the world, at his own expense, and investigated all sorts of strange structures, earth mounds, stone structures, brick structures, etc. If you click the subscribe button on his You Tube channel you will be notified when he uploads new ones. You can watch them all and stay in the loop with his work.

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“Abram/Abraham believed in the LORD and it was accounted to him as righteousness.”

Genesis 15:6; Genesis 3:6; Romans 4:3, 18 and 22; James 2:23

How is God’s plan for Abram in Gen. 12:1-3 different from the Nimrodians plan in Gen. 11:4? What was the command God gave to Abram in Genesis 12:1? Why would God send him to the land of the Canaanites (the giants)? Have you ever wondered where the Garden of Eden was? Look up the geographic hints in Genesis 2:8-15. Do some digging to see if you can come up with an approximate location. I’ll give you a hint. I believe it is the most hotly contested plot of land on the earth even still to this day. We’ll venture more down that rabbit trail in a coming chapter. Suffice to say, Abraham was a brave man.

Did Abram go alone as God asked – Gen. 11:31 & 12:4?  Why did he “dwell” in Haran (Acts 7:4)?  If Abram had obeyed God and not taken any family he might not have dwelled in Haran so long.  He’d have had time to dig wells and plant gardens in Shechem, Bethel, or Hebron before the drought hit, which could have prevented him from having to flee to Egypt, where Sarah acquired Hagar. And if he hadn’t brought Lot, he wouldn’t have had to split the land or deal with that whole mess.  But I think we can all sympthize with Abraham. How many of us would have gone alone into a proverbial “Sherwood Forest?” It’s sometimes scary to go into a dark room of our own houses. I wonder if Abram chanted the scriptures that I chant when I am scared, “God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” 2 Timothy 1:7. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” 1 John 4:18.

Who were Abraham’s other children (Gen. 23:1-6)?

What are the days of Lot (Luke 17:28-33) compared to?  What does “they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built” mean, do you suppose?

Highlight the words CURSE and BLESS in Genesis 12:2-3.  Use a highlighter to highlight in your Bible every instance when you see the words BLESSED, CURSED, ALTAR, MOUNTAIN, and GOD’s NAME. Research other places in scripture where Abraham’s story is told (Acts 7:2-8; Romans 4:9-25; Hebrews 11:8-12); what can we glean from these passages?

Personal application

As you read the story can you imagine yourself in Abram/Abraham’s, or Sarah’s, or Lot’s, or any of the other character’s shoes? 

Mark all the places you read about on the map and draw little pictures to show mountains, trees, water wells, the locations of towns, a dotted line to mark Abram’s travels, altars, people, etc. 

Does anything in this passage of scripture remind you of a time when God appeared to you, promised you something either by a word that jumped off the pages of scripture at you while you were reading, or deposited into your heart as you were praying, or was spoken to you by a prophet, or preached from the pulpit and you knew it was a word from God for you, or by some other means, or has God ever shown you something that He wanted to give to you, or moved you to a new land?  Has there ever been a time in your life when you knew what God wanted you to do, but you didn’t quite obey Him and suffered consequences because of it? 

If you are in Christ, there is therefore now no condemnation.  I hope you know that no sin has overtaken except what is common to man.  Our flesh is constantly at war with our Spirit.  The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.  When we quench the Holy Spirit, kick against the goads so to speak, when He is trying to lead us in the way we should go, and we let the flesh have its way, it just gives the flesh more power in our lives.  When we confess our shortcomings to God, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, giving more power to the Spirit. 

Do you have a testimony of some struggle you’ve overcome by the power of God?  Maybe it was a hard fought battle, but praise God, He brought you to a place of victory.  Perhaps you struggled with fear?  A health issue?  Sexual sin?  Worry?  Maybe it was something else.  Please share your testimony! Share the details and praise God for the victory! 

Project (an altar that I can build)

I planted two trees, one on either side of the front door of my home.  At the base of each tree I set a large stone.  On one stone I wrote the word BLESSING, and on the other stone I wrote CURSING.  I wanted those trees (and stones) to serve as reminders to me every time I entered or left my home to be a blessing in this world rather than a curse.  I wanted them to remind me to show love, to be patient & kind, to give and bless and serve others with the love of God, both coming and going, remembering that I will receive a blessing from God for allowing His Spirit to move and work in me.

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“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul.”

Psalm 66:16
Bible Study, Feast on This, Stone Altars to God

Stones of Remembrance – Rock/Stone/Pillar/Mountain/Altar

mrshlovesjesus

Okay, here is your second assignment, should you choose to accept… 

Find the definitions for each of the Hebrew and Greek words listed below, and then make a note of all the Bible addresses where each is found.  What is the most common word used for “stone” in Hebrew (and Greek). Can you find every place in the Bible where a stone/rock/pillar/altar is mentioned?

I did not include it in my spreadsheet, but also look up the word MOUNTAIN and make a note of all of the mountains as well. What is the Hebrew word for mountain? Is there more than one? What is the Greek word for mountain, and is there more than one? What is the definition of each, and where are all found in the Bible? When a mountain has a name, list the names and what each one means. Go deeper…find if there is any history or mythology related to any of them. This website might be useful to you: (https://www.abarim-publications.com/NaLi/Mountains_Bible.html)

I love a good game of hide-and-go-seek. I love an Easter Egg hunt. I love a good mystery. How about you? Funnzies! Let’s dig.

BTW: You are free to print out these pages so you can write your research on them and tuck them into your book. To print: highlight all of the text, then right click on your mouse, and choose print.

Here is a great website to help you in your research of Old Testament Hebrew: 

Old Testament Hebrew Lexical Dictionary: (https://www.studylight.org/lexicons/eng/hebrew.html)

Hebrew words for

Stone(s)

Strong’s #Hebrew wordDefinition
68eben 
6697tsuwr 
5619caqal (saqal) 
7275ragam 
6872tsrowr 
1496gaziyth 
8068shamiyr 
810eshek 
6344pachad 
2789cheres 
5553cela 
2106zaviyth 
2687chatsats 

Rock(s)

5553cela 
4581mauwz (maowz) 
2496challamiysh 
3710keph 

Greek words for

Stone(s)

Strong’s #Greek wordDefinition
3034lithazo 
3035lithinos 
3036lithoboleo 
3037lithos 
2642katalithazo 
2991laxeutos 
4074Petros 
6344pachad 

Rock(s)

4073petra 

Here is a terrific website to help you in your research of New Testament Greek: 

New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary: (https://www.studylight.org/lexicons/eng/greek.html)

Hebrew words for Altar

Strong’s #Hebrew wordDefinition
4196mizbeach 
4056madbach 
741arieyl 

Greek words for Altar

Strong’s #Greek wordDefinition
2379thusiasterion 
1041bomos 

Hebrew words for Pillar(s)

Strong’s #Hebrew wordDefinition
4676matstsebah 
4678matstsebeth 
4690matsuwq 
4552micad (misad) 
547omenah 
5982Ummah 
5324natsab 
5333netsiyb 
8490tiymarah (timarah) 

Greek word for Pillar(s)

Strong’s #Greek wordDefinition
4769stulos 

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” Proverbs 25:2

Bible Study, Feast on This, Stone Altars to God

Stones of Remembrance-1: Noah’s Altar

mrshlovesjesus

 Read Genesis, chapters 1 through 8

So, I guess God likes BBQ as much as the rest of us. Lol! It is a pleasant aroma, isn’t it? Thank you for joining me on this great adventure!!!!!!! Studying the Bible is going to be work, but with a great reward. I hope you are up to the task. I pray I am as well. If you would like to be informed when a new post for this study is posted, please click on the blue follow button under my profile (on the right side of this screen). There should also be a button that pops up at the bottom of the screen when you scroll up.

I’ve thought a lot about why Noah’s altar is the first one to start us out. It certainly couldn’t be more relevant for our day. The Bible tells us that the “last days” shall be as the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37). Therefore I feel like God really wants us to pay close attention to all the details and compare similarities. This might be a great time to research all the places in the Bible where Noah appears (https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Noah). I feel like the study of Noah’s altar is like the sounding of a trumpet in our day, to help us to be ready. And just as Noah was “taken up” in the ark, so shall believers in Christ be taken up at some point (pre, mid, or post) the Great Tribulation of the last days. (Have you studied the three viewpoints of the rapture? You may be interested in Perry Stone’s perspective, or Joel Richardson’s, and you might find these websites interesting: https://www.midtribulationrapture.com/index.html and https://www.gotquestions.org/midtribulationism.html). I’m personally praying that I may escape all that is about to happen (Luke 21:34-36; Romans 2:3; 1 Corinthians 10:13), that I may be ready, watching, and worthy to stand before the LORD if He should come today! How do I make myself ready? I first have asked Jesus to come and live in me, forgive my sins and wash me clean of them, and I fill my lamp with oil daily by being in the word and prayer, and living for Jesus instead of chasing after worldly desires. I pray that I will know His voice when He calls. I pray for a spirit that yields to the desires of the Father and not my flesh. I pray to be a blessing in this world, which means I pray that I will be a friend to you and that my words will encourage you, and make you to seek the Lord in your life.

I want to begin our studies in Genesis, chapter One. I believe that reading the Bible through with this theme in mind is a great way to read the Bible through.

Write Genesis 1:1-5 in a notebook:

Thinking about verse 1… Have you ever heard of the “Chaotic Earth” or “Gap” theory?  Research it.

http://www.doctrinalstudies.com/pdf/D051009.pdf

http://www.doctrinalstudies.com/pdf/D160315.pdf

Let us test the things we’ve heard (1 John 4:1; 1 Thes 5:21), and study to show ourselves approved, workers who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). 

This gray area (gap, perhaps, in verse one), some believe, is the golden age, from where all myths and legends originate.  The first thing I want for us to do is investigate the original Hebrew for these first verses to see where there might be room for such theory in the word of God.

This is a terrific resource for study: https://biblehub.com/text/genesis/1-1.htm. When you view that page, click the arrow to continue to verse two, etc. Did you notice the little Hebrew word that isn’t translated into anything in English (on this website)?  Here is a neat explanation of that little Hebrew word here: https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/a-little-word-with-a-big-meaning/

Please notice the word “was” in verse 2.  The Hebrew word which has been translated into “was” here, also appears elsewhere in scripture (111 times), and is usually translated into these words: become, has become, became, have, has been, etc. (https://biblehub.com/hebrew/hayetah_1961.htm).  So what happens to the nuance of that sentence when we use the word “became” instead of “was?”

And now notice the word “darkness.” The Hebrew word used is CHOSHEK. The Word Study Old Testament dictionary defines this word literally as darkness or obscurity, but also figuratively as falsehood, ignorance, blindness, hiddenness, judgment, misery, destruction, death, sorrow, and wickedness.  It has a negative spiritual connotation.  Exodus 10:21-22 and Isaiah 45:7.  Choshek accompanied God’s appearance on Mount Sinai (Exodus 14:20; Deut. 4:11; 5:23).  It can refer to the darkness of the grave (1 Sam. 2:9; Job 10:21; 18:18; 34:22; Ps. 88:12; Eccl. 6:4).   (http://www.doctrinalstudies.com/pdf/D051009.pdf)

Matthew 4:16             2 Corinthians 4:6                     Acts 26:18

Isaiah 9:2                     1 Peter 2:9                              Matthew 10:27

John 1:5                       Ephesians 5:8                          Mark 4:22/Luke 8:17

Luke 1:79                     John 8:12                                 Luke 12:3

The Apostle John expounds on the Light of Genesis 1 verse 3.  And he does it again in Revelation 21:23-24.  If the “light” is a person (John 1:1-14), then it stands to reason that the “darkness” could be also.  In this particular passage there is a conjunction added to the beginning of the word so that it isn’t just darkness, but and darkness.  The deep is also the same reference as Sheol, Tartarus, Gehenna, the Bottomless Pit, the Abyss, the Lake of Fire, and Outer Darkness – chambers of the underworld. Look up Strongs 8415 and the word it comes from 1949. Was Satan here on the earth trying to interfere with what God wanted to do? (2 Peter 2:4)  See this article: https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/sheol-hell-torment-abyss-tartarus-gehenna-fire-darkness/. This is also another resource you may want to visit: https://www.abarim-publications.com/NaLi/2darkness.html.

For some reason I keep thinking of Job in my spirit as I review this.  Where was Satan in Job 1:7 & 2:2?  Gen. 1:2

God confronted Satan, knowing his thoughts that he had set his wicked heart on the servant Job, who was unlike anyone else on the earth.  What were Job’s character traits in verse 8?  In the same way Satan set his wicked heart on the creation and Adam and Eve, who were like nothing else God had ever created.  They were made in God’s own likeness.

God made a garden for Adam (Gen.2:8), God made a hedge around Job (vs 10).

Satan accused God, saying Job only loved Him because God had blessed him and made his life easy.  In the garden Satan accused Eve of being naïve, and God of having secrets.  Satan is the ultimate busy-body who sows discord among the brethren.  God gave man the freewill to choose, good or evil.  And it’s important for us to realize that our lives, our birthright has been challenged from the very beginning.  It is important for us to understand that there is a battle going on here.

If there is a prophecy in Genesis 3:15 about the “seed” of the serpent and the “seed” of the woman, that the serpent’s seed will bruise the heel of the woman’s seed, but that her seed will crush the serpent’s head, and that this is speaking of the Christ as the woman’s seed (Jesus’ geneology traces back to Adam and Eve (Luke 3:23-37) through their son Seth, and Satan as the serpent, then it leaves the door open for the theory that Satan spawned a race of beings. This is 100% conjecture on my part, but I’m also just throwing out a thought, that Cain’s story could also be a sort of parable and a prophecy of the same. Two begotten, one with a good heart and one with a dark heart. One approved by God and one warned of the evil in his heart. The one, with evil crouching at his door, is consumed with hate for the goodness of his brother and he kills him (as Christ was killed). In fact, the Bible says that Satan entered into Judas, and then Jesus commanded him to go and do quickly what was in his heart to do (Luke 22:3; John 13:27). There is a mark associated with Cain (Genesis 4:15), as there is also a mark associated with the Beast of Revelation 13:16-18. God made Cain a vagabond and a fugitive on the earth (the word Nod means wandering), and where does Satan say he comes from when he presents himself before the throne of God – Job 1:6-7 and 2:1-2 – as a wandering nomad with no home. Why did Jesus use parables in His ministry? I believe for the same reason that the whole Old Testament is a book of parables – true stories with hidden meanings – so that only those with righteous souls, who search for the Lord with all of their hearts will find what they are really saying.

Notice Cain’s descendents (Genesis 4:16-25): Enoch built a city (a kingdom of his own) and called the name of the city Enoch (could his city be in the area of Memphis or Cairo and the great pyramids of Giza?) Below is a fascinating interview with Ken Klein (he made several documentaries) which investigates the origin of the great pyramids. It begins with some alien stuff that I’m not sure about and honestly makes me uncomfortable, but if you fast forward to about a quarter way into it, it gets interesting. I am not convinced that his theory that Enoch-of-Seth built it though (no documents, no writings on the wall, nothing has been found inside to support his thesis), and I’m also questioning that it could be the altar and pillar of Isaiah 19:19-20 for a few reasons, and I’ll get into all of that in a later chapter of this study, so you’ll want follow so you don’t miss anything, but his explorations of the pyramids themselves, and the details that he brings to light about them are what is incredibly fascinating.

This last video came from https://www.youtube.com/user/kenkleinproductions. The following is the link to his productions collection: https://www.kenkleinproductions.net/Films.cfm, however the links at this website take you to Vimeo, where the films are no longer available.

Using the DuckDuck search engine, type in “Enoch and the Great Pyramid” to find many interesting websites on the subject.

Four (or is it 5) generations from Enoch-(of-Cain) were these descendants who had amazing knowledge of things: Jabal, knew about geography and survival skills, as a dweller in tents and expert in husbandry; Jubal, was a gifted musician and perhaps the inventor of the listed musical instruments (which in those days was a way of passing along history, myths, and legends); and Tubal-Cain, who was an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron – which were needed for building and hunting and warfare. These, I suspect, were the people who would want to preserve knowledge, and make sure it was flood-proof and fire-proof. Why would God’s people be afraid of vital information perishing in a flood or a fire? Why would they think God would not teach them all that they needed to know again after a catastrophic event? Man, and evil beings have always been attracted to knowledge, for instance, the tree of knowledge in the garden. The fallen ones are the ones who would want to preserve knowledge and be afraid of God destroying things. Fallen ones would also be interested in marking a “portal” to the heavens (in my humble opinion).

There are interestingly three ages of man, history tells us: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. The Bronze age was approximately in 3300 to 1200 BC (BCE). Interestingly this age ended abruptly with a simultaneous collapse of several prominent civilizations (The History Channel – http://www.history.com). The Iron Age was approximately 1200 to 600 years Before Christ, a long time after Enoch’s descendants walked the earth.

So, did Cain’s descendants die off completely in the flood, or could some of them have survived the flood? Did the Nephilim, the giants, all die off in the flood, or did some survive the flood? Genesis 6:4 seems to concur that there were survivors after the flood. Why, might we wonder, did God allow survivors? I go back to the garden and the two trees. Choice. Free will.

What if the gods of Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, Babylonian, etc. “mythology” aren’t myths after all?  What if they are really the sons of Cain, who received their amazing gifts of knowlege from fallen angels, or were they the Nephilim, and everything we’ve ever read about them (being myths) is actually myth itself? The stories of them have no doubt been greatly convoluted and extravagantly exaggerated, but could there be a hint of truth to the fables?

Check out this website which lists all the “other gods” mentioned in the Bible: (https://www.abarim-publications.com/NaLi/Other_gods_Bible.html). They also have a list of all the giants too (https://www.abarim-publications.com/NaLi/Giants_Bible.html).

  • At this point in my personal studies is where I happened to find Skywatch TV on one of the religious networks on my TV. Derek and Sharon Gilbert teach quite a lot about the little g gods, the titans of old, and have also written several books on the topic. I encourage you to go look them up and consider prayerfully what they have to say. It is extremely interesting and scholarly information. Here is the link to another one of their videos: Giants of the Underworld.

Derek and Sharon Gilbert do an excellent, in-depth Bible Study called, Unraveling Revelation.  You can view an episode of that series (( HERE )) <–this link will open in a new window and take you to their channel on Rumble. All of their programming is also available for free on their TV and phone apps, available for Roku, Android, and iPhone. 

Also, Timothy Alberino has authored a book titled, Birthright, which I recommend.  If you are not a reader you can find Rumble interviews (( HERE )).  He has been a guest on SkywatchTV, Prophecy Watchers, and others.

What do the Hebrew words for “sorry” and “grieved” mean in Gen. 6:7

When the Bible says that God was sorry that He had made man, and that He was sorry that He had made man on the earth, what are your thoughts?  Was God disappointed in man?  Angry with man?  Or was He sorry to see how completely corrupted man’s DNA had become through the cunning of the evil one?  Noah was the only human that “was perfect in his generations.”  Noah was the only uncorrupted human DNA left on the earth.  When God saved Noah, He saved His seed from the brink of extinction. Is our DNA being manipulated today? Is there anyone alive today who’s DNA has not been corrupted? Our food is genetically modified. The animals we eat may also be altered with horomones, etc. Have immunizations altered our DNA? Hmmmm, food for thought.

Who are the daughters of men? Could they be the daughters of Cain – the son who became jealous and angry with Abel and God (Gen. 4:5-8; Ephesians 4:26-27; Romans 12:18-19; James 3:14-16)? Was it eventually all women, including Noah’s wife?  We know that somehow the giants survived the flood as Gen. 6:4 tells us they were here afterward, and were living in Canaan (Numbers 13).

Who are the “sons of God?” Were they fallen angels (Job 1:6 & 2:1; Luke 10:18; John 12:31-32; Isaiah 14:12; Revelation 9:1; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 12:3-9), who brought into existence the race of “giants” (Nephilim)? …The “mighty men who were of old, men of renown?” …the corrupt beings (6:2,4,13)?

Are these Nephilim the serpent’s “seed” (Gen. 3:15)? Were angels created with the ability to “be fruitful” or to “become one flesh” (Matthew 22:30)? Did they have knowledge of another way to make children? Perhaps Satan counterfeited what he saw (at the time of the curse upon him) would be God’s technology for placing a baby into the womb of Mary? The thing is, when God creates, His creation is perfectly “good,” but when Satan counterfeits, it all becomes chaos, violent, and ugly. Wheat vs tares. Could the Nephilim, when they died, be demons today?

(The Book of Enoch could shed some light on this. The Book of Enoch is not considered “inspired” to be included in the Bible, but is valued for its historical content, and passages of the Bible do refer to its writings, such as Jude 1:6-7 and 2 Peter 2:4. What is interesting is that there is evidence of “giant’s” all over the world. There are curious stone structures all over the world that one has to wonder how they could have been built, if not for giants, and what were they built for? L.A. Marzulli has been on the trail of the Nephilim for many years, and has documented many, many, many of the strange stone structures on many continents. You can find the DVD’s and books of his research at ProphecyWatchers.com). And Derek and Sharon Gilbert have written books, such as Giants, Gods, and Dragons, and Veneration, which delve into this topic. Perhaps one explanation for the similar structures being all over the world is found in the 10th and 11th chapters of Genesis, the tower of Babel (11:9), and Peleg (10:25). I wonder if God broke the continents apart at that time. The families of the Canaanites were dispersed (Noah’s son Ham being the father of the Canaanites, and Nimrod being his grandson). All the inhabitents of the earth would have had the shared knowledge of the building of the tower of Babel. They would have wanted to preserve their collected knowlege of the celestial maps and the seasons. Meh, it’s a good theory anyway.

Are these large humans mentioned anywhere else in scripture (Ezekiel 32:27; Numbers 13:33; “Rephaim” Deut. 2:11,20,21; 3:11; 2 Sam. 21:19; Josh. 11:22)?

Were angels intended to marry (Matthew 22:30)?

Isn’t it curious that our months, days, planets, and many of the constellations are named after mythological entities? Is it possible that they aren’t “myths” after all?

What might be the rulers, powers, principalities, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12)?

As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, and ____________________________________________________________________________ (Matthew 24:38) (Luke 17:26-27).

What was the earth filled with (Gen. 6:11,13)?

What does Noah’s name mean?

What does it mean to be perfect in one’s generations as Noah was (Gen. 6:9)?

What were the names of Noah’s sons (Gen. 9:18)?

What did his son Ham see and do to his father in Gen. 9:22, 24? Please research this, because the wording in the Hebrew suggests an act of incest. Keep an eye out going forward in this study for perverted sexual activities and who it is connected with. Is Ham the reason that there were giants in the land “and also afterwards?” Genesis 6:4

Who was Ham the father of (Gen. 9:22)?

Where did the Canaanites go to live (Gen. 10:18-19)?

What do the Hebrew words for “sorry” and “grieved” mean in Gen. 6:7?

Was man almost at the point of extinction? Was Noah the last man alive with pure DNA? Did God save humanity from the brink of extinction in order to preserve the “seed of the woman?”

Highlight CURSED in verse 9:25 and BLESSED in verse 9:26. Why was Ham cursed?

Who did Noah bless?

Look on the map and find Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey. Turkey is the area shown in white with light gray bodies of water just above and below it. Going south from the center of Turkey you can see the darker gray areas and Israel, which is cut off on the bottom of the map. If you follow the eastern border of Turkey, and continue on the squiggly line, it leads to the Persian Gulf. That squiggly line divides Iran from Iraq.

Did you know that the highest point of Mount Ararat is 16,854’ above sea level? That’s a no kidding mountain. Mount McKinley in Alaska, renamed Denali, is North America’s tallest mountain at 20,310 ft. above sea level. Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevadas in California stands at 14,500 ft. Mount Rainier in Washington State is 14,417 ft. Pike’s Peak sits at 14,115 foot, and the Grand Teton, sits at 13,775 feet. That makes Ararat taller than any mountains in the lower 48 – just to give some perspective. The tallest mountain in the world is of course Mount Everest in the Himalayas. It towers into the heavens at 29,029 ft. After the Himalayas are the Andes Mountains, and then the Alaskan.

What time of year was it when Noah and the ark began to float, and when it was able to be exited (https://biblicalcalendarproof.net/articles/noahs-flood-and-gods-calendar)? I’m sure no matter what time of year it was, that it was cold up there where the ark landed. I’ll bet Noah didn’t stay up in that mountain for long.

Do you remember what Noah planted after he left the ark, perhaps at the foot of Mount Ararat?

Piece of trivia: Turkey and Iran have an ideal climate for grape cultivation, and both are the most massive producers of grapes in the world today (according to WorldAtlas.com), so if we have the chance to nibble a grape from Turkey, how cool to think they might be a descendant of the very grapes Noah planted.

As you are reading your Bible for this Bible study, be on the lookout for every time a mountain is mentioned in scripture. Highlight every time you see one and draw a little diagram of a mountain in the margin of your Bible. 🗻

Draw a rock in the margin of your Bible every time a rock, or stone, or pillar, or rock pile is mentioned. 🪨

Watch also for names given to God. You can circle them if you’d like. The first title for “God” in the Bible is the Hebrew word Elohim. It appears in Genesis 1:1. It is Strong’s #430. In this first usage it is a masculine noun in plural form. In Genesis 2, LORD is added to God to become “LORD God” in English. LORD is Strong’s #3068 and is the Hebrew word Yahweh. It is the covenant name of God connecting Him with His people Israel. The Jewish people never pronounced this name, and only used the consonant letters when writing the name. They often substituted Adonai (Strong’s #136) in its place out of reverence. By Genesis chapter four, “the LORD” is starting to be used. Noah built his altar to “the LORD” Yahweh.

What does the Bible say the flood is an antitype (foreshadowing) of in 1 Peter 3: 18-22; Romans 6:4-5; John 3:5?

Personal application: How does all of this apply to me?

Have you ever felt alone in a crowd? Ever been in a situation like Noah, where you might have felt like a square peg in a round hole? Perhaps persecuted and battered verbally for being so goody-goody? Perhaps you sometimes feel utterly alone, a total misfit in society, with no one to really hang out with, except perhaps maybe your family; where you feel surrounded by evil, violent people whom you definitely can’t trust?  Noah had no friends.  His descendant Abraham had no friends.  His ancestor Adam had no friends.  He only had his family. But, these men all had one friend in common – Proverbs 18:24; Luke 7:34; Hebrews 13:5; and John 15:14, the same friend we also have in common with them  (https://www.gotquestions.org/friend-stick-closer-brother.html).

Have you ever felt God calling you to do something and as you submitted to His will endured great criticism from just about everyone around you? Did you let it dissuade you, or make you more determined?

Have you ever been on the side of evil, violent people who persecuted faithful believers (Saul/Paul, Acts 22)? Would you consider yourself perfect in your generations, or a sin sick person from a long line of sin sick persons? Has God delivered you from the familial curses passed down to you from sin sick ancestors? Has God ever knocked you off your high horse and showed Himself to you in such a way that it led to your spiritual salvation? Have you been born again? Water baptized? Received the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Do you know if you were to die today where you would go…heaven or hell? Why?

The word of God tells us that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no man comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6)! There is no one good. No one righteous. No one deserving of God’s mercy. There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). We must confess Him in order to have eternal life (Romans 10:9-10). His sacrifice saves us, if we will accept it, reach out and take His free gift. Have you reached out and taken His free gift?

A very bold woman once asked me if I were to die today would I know where I was going? The Holy Spirit would not let her words fall to the ground until I made a decision. I’m so eternally grateful that God put her in my path, that she had the courage to be obedient to the feeling in her heart, and I want to be that person for you. Not only has God given me peace in my Spirit that I belong to Him, but Jesus has, over time, made me a better person. He has washed my sins away and turned my heart of stone into a heart of flesh. I make mistakes from time to time, but my Savior always gently disciplines me and sets my feet back on the right path.

Would you like someone to pray with you to receive Jesus as your Savior? You are welcome to leave a comment and I will pray for you, but there are also people you can call who will pray with you. Please call 1-888-NEED-HIM, there is someone waiting and available who will pray with you at any time of the day or night.


Project (an altar that I can build):

I had the idea to make a little altar of my own that would help me to remember Noah’s altar in the scriptures, and also give me a way to start a little converstation with others if they should happen to see my altar and ask what that rock, or pile of rocks means. For this chapter, Noah’s Altar, I thought to make a time capsule from a waterproof container (perhaps a mason jar with a tight fitting lid, or an ammo box, or a large geocache container). Fill it with a hand-written copy of my testimony of salvation, along with a small Bible (with the Roman’s Road verses marked in it (or printed out and tucked in at the first address – which is Romans 3:16-19). I thought to also make a copy of the old hymn, Amazing Grace, and tuck that in there too. Once I had everything assembled I could go bury the container somewhere in my yard, perhaps under a tree, or by my fence at the corner, or maybe in one of the flower beds, Once buried I could place a stone on top of it with the name “Elohe Yeshua” (God of my salvation) painted on the stone with a good weather-resistant, outdoor acrylic paint.

Wouldn’t it be neat if perhaps someday, when I’m dead and gone, someone, perhaps new owners of the house, found my little time capsule? I will pray my little altar is a blessing to the finder, and life-changing for them. Will you make one with me?

“He only is my Rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. He only is my Rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62:2, 6

“The LORD is my Rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).  For who is God except the LORD?  And who is a Rock, except our God?”  Psalm 18:2, 31

“‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation.” Psalm 89:26

“I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.”
Psalm 77:11-12 (KJV)

Holy Bible
Bible Study, Stone Altars to God

Stones of Remembrance, An Introduction

mrshlovesjesus

Hello and welcome to my new adventure series.  This virtual tour bus will be heading out soon.  Watch for new posts to follow this one.  This little rabbit trail will take us down some rather crude roads and narrow mountain trails where the ride might get bumpy, but hold on!  The views are breathtaking.  We will be traveling the paths of the ancients and making stops at each of the rock pile altars they sat up.  Be prepared to do some camping at each one, and to collect a few stones of your own. 

I wonder if you realize that we are about to embark on an incredible journey together, if you care to join me.  We will be taking a jaunt through the entire Old Testament together, in fact, the whole Bible, but we are going to do it Indiana Jones style (I hope you packed your pith and hiking boots).  You’ll need a journal and something to write with.  If you don’t have a journal and would like one, you may send a request to mrshlovesjesus@gmail.com. 

We might have to crawl through some spider webs, wade through waters infested with snakes or rats, and take a leap of faith now and then.  It will be time consuming, and perhaps even tedious at times, as most excavation work is, but I promise you, the little shards of pottery that we uncover will start to take shape soon and when glued together will become the most interesting pot you can imagine. 

I want to confess, right out of the gate, that I am not a qualified, certified, pedigreed (or anything remotely close to any of that) Bible teacher.  I’m a Bible explorer.  A curiosity seeker.  A student.  A forward observer, a greyhound chasing after a rabbit on a stick.  A person who just wants to know all of the very fascinating, multi-layered, and mysterious words of the Bible, which the LORD left behind for us as His primary means for communication.  The glory of the Word is that it is filled with mystery, and secrets, and ciphers, and in fact there is a verse that tells us if we will seek the Lord we will find Him when we search for Him with all of our hearts.  So that’s who I am – a searcher, on a hide-and-go-seek mission. It’s not about having heads filled with knowledge – but having our hearts satisfied with spiritual milk and being guests of a bona fide feast of the choicest morsels of scriptural meat at the Lord’s table. 

At this moment I’m feeling a little bit like a young girl inviting her date home to meet the parents for the first time.  I’m a little nervous.  I feel vulnerable. But God’s love compels me to take action.  I want you to see the personality of my God, and love Him with me, and I already know He loves you.  I’m excited to hear what you think of Him, and His word, and this wonderful rabbit trail He has put us onto.  That’s why I’ve chosen to blog and not just make a book.  This way we can have koinonia (that’s a Greek word for fellowship).

One of the things I want us to be mindful of while we are reading the scriptures is the names of God.  God’s names won’t always jump right off the page at us, because many of His names are veiled behind His attributes.  Names meant things in Bible times.  They identified the person’s nature (personality, temperament, spirit, disposition, etc.).  When the Bible was translated into English many of the Hebrew names for God were rendered by their meaning and so it will often require us to use a Word Study Bible to find them. For instance, when we read “the Lord of Hosts” we will have to look up the original word for Lord and the original word for Hosts to come up with the Hebrew name, Yahweh (or Jehovah, or Adonai, or Elohim, etc.) Sabaoth/Tsabaoth). 

The Hebrews didn’t dare to utter God’s name, or even write it.  They had such a reverence for the sacredness of God’s names, which I wonder might be the reason the translators translated it the way they did. In fact Jew’s today even render the writing of God as G-d and Yahweh as YHWH (the four Hebrew letters yodh-he-waw-he, known as the tetragrammaton). They substituted a special title in place of God’s name when spoken.  My oh my, how unlike our culture in the western world today, where there is soooooo little reverence for the name of God, using it mostly as an exclamatory phrase, or worse yet, profanity.  

Just like God’s names mean something, so do each of the characters in the Bible, and I want us to look those up as well.  Adam, for instance, was created from the dust of the earth – dust of the earth in Hebrew is Adamah, therefore God called him Adam. Eve was the one God had created to bring forth life, all life on earth; her name means life.  I love the Abarim Publications website for researching Biblical names.

Do you know what your name means? 

Make a note of every mountain, every body of water, every town, and in fact, I would love us to make our own pictorial map of the Holy Land and mark all the places as we go along.  If you are feeling particularly creative and ambitious, and have room on a wall of your house, you can get a large piece of bulletin board paper, pin it to your wall, and make a giant map.  You can use a projector to get the proportions of the Middle East land masses correct.  You can draw all the little altars, and wells, and towns, and rivers, etc.  You can make a timeline as well, a pedigree chart, a calendar or list of holidays.  I encourage you to be as in-depth as you want to be.

Here’s something else… 

If we get to a passage that just seems weird, be prepared!  We are most certainly going to camp out there for a while and dig.  If it’s weird, it’s important!!! We’ll first use scripture to explain scripture, and after that we’ll look to trusted, historical, outside sources – one of my favorite online resources is GotQuestions.org.  We’ll also see what others have found in such resources as the Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus, Philo, the Book of Enoch, and so on.  Yes, they are extra biblical, but they are history books and valuable for their historical content.  BUT, we will measure all such resources against the scriptures and keep only the things that line up.

So, right out of the gate this study gets pretty interesting pretty fast!  You may or may not have ever heard, or thought about the things we’re about to dive into, or even heard them explained, or preached about from the pulpit, or even in a Bible study class.  Get used to this.  It’s going to happen a lot in this study. 

What I find so fascinating is that in Luke 19:40, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for wanting His disciples to be quiet as He entered Jerusalem.  Jesus replied to their request that if the people were to be silenced even the rocks would cry out. Well, I’m here to tell you, THE ROCKS ARE CRYING OUT!!!!!   Much history has been lost to the sands of time. Wars have buried cities, burned treasures, and smothered the story-tellers.  Bad men have suppressed the truth and buried it under rubble or carried it away.  But, when God’s chosen people returned to their Promised Land, doors began opening to excavation, and archeology has unearthed some pretty fantastic evidence.  Jewish Rabbis have come to faith in Messiah Jesus and are sharing their great wealth of knowledge and rich heritage of scripture in ways that show the deep layers and hidden mysteries of the scriptures, which have been stolen away for centuries, in fact two millennia.   This is the great adventure we’re going to be embarking on.  So buckle up Buttercup and prepare to have your mind blown.

God is raising up people, moved by the Holy Spirit, to use their talents, their money, their resources, and their connections to pull back the curtains on this dusty old book.  They are making movies, and documentaries, and making You Tube videos of the tours they conduct. I believe the fullness of time has come and that God is revealing the truth and accuracy of the Bible to this generation for a reason.  It is an exciting time to be alive.

Bible Study, Christmas, Devotional, Feast on This, Stone Altars to God

The Lamb of God

mrshlovesjesus

About this time last year the Holy Spirit put it in my heart to study the altars in the Old Testament — you know — the large stone (or pillar) or rock-pile altars that the patriarchs erected and dedicated as a testimony to God and of God’s magnificent working in their lives. I honestly didn’t realize how many of them there were until I began studying them. I studied them in great depth, line-upon-line and precept-upon-precept, and to my utter amazement the Lord began showing me wonderful and awesome things, mysteries, hidden away in each of them. Things that one only finds when they slow down enough to spend the time looking, digging, hunting, searching, praying, asking. I have been blessed to have had the time this year to do just that. It has been a magnificent journey and I want to share everything I’ve found with you, but it won’t all fit in this post. So I will share just one of these very special things, one that relates to this holiday we are celebrating.

I was reading about Jacob in Genesis, and his return to the Promised Land from his uncle Laban’s house. Jacob purchased land from Hamor, the father of Shechem, and set up an altar in probably the same vicinity as his grandfather Abraham’s first altar. Unfortunately circumstances kept him from settling down there, and he continued journeying southward with his wives (Rachel, who was pregnant), all of his children, and his plenteous flocks of sheep, towards the part of Israel where his father Isaac had lived out his last days. On the way, Rachel went into labor, near a place called Ephrathah, also known as Bethlehem. Her labor was very hard. Her baby survived, but Rachel herself died. In childbirth Rachel named the boy baby Ben-Oni, which meant son of my sorrow, but Jacob named him Benjamin, which meant son of the right hand.

Now Jacob buried his beloved wife where she died and set up a headstone for her grave, a grave that is there to this day. Jacob then traveled a little further and pitched his tent “beyond the tower of Eder.” Now, I made that bold for you because it’s the thing the Holy Spirit stopped me at, and the thing I want to talk about. I’ll bet if you were reading the scriptures (Gen. 35:21) you might have glossed right over that detail and not thought a thing about it – as I also have a hundred times. But this time the Holy Spirit made it bold for me and spoke to my heart that there was a mystery there, a prophecy right there in that tower, and in this story, that He wanted me to find.

watchtower-shepherds-fields-bethlehem-circa-1934

So I looked up “tower of Eder” in my Bible dictionary and found that in Hebrew it was called Migdal Eder, which means Tower of the Flock, and it is indeed famous. Oh precious Jesus, my heart is beating so fast. Please help me to write this so that You might be glorified in spite of my fumbling words.

Migdal Eder would one day be the special place where the most special lambs would be born, the ones without spot or blemish that would be used as the sacrifices for Passover, later, when the temple was built in Jerusalem (according to the Mishnah). According to my research of various Jewish websites, these special lambs were watched over by Levitical shepherds. When the ewes of the flocks started into labor they were taken inside the ceremonially clean ground level part of the tower to birth their baby lambs. It was kinda like a cave in there. The lambs were then wrapped tightly in strips of cloth and laid in a manger to keep them safe until they could be carefully inspected by the priestly shepherds whose lot had fallen to do that. Are you starting to feel something stir in your spirit?

Here is a prophecy of the birth of Messiah in Micah 5:2

“But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” And the prophecy is remembered at the birth of Jesus in Matthew 2:6 “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.”

Luke 2:4-7 then also tells us: “Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in the manger, because there was no other lodging place for them in Bethlehem”

Many Messianic websites suggest that Jesus was born in the watchtower of Eder, not a lowly and dirty stable, as has been portrayed for years, but the very clean, bug free, and very special place where ALL the lambs were born who would become a PASSOVER SACRIFICE in Jerusalem.

.

“And there were shepherds abiding in the fields…” These descendants of Jacob were keeping watch in the fields by night for wolves or other predators that might try to harm their sheep when the angels of God burst on the scene. According to my research the sheep were only in the Bethlehem hills during the green springtime of the year, during lambing season. Later in the summer they would be moved to the harvested fields where they would eat the stubble and deposit fertilizer for the next crops. And then they would winter in the wilderness, as the law required. These particular shepherds were no doublt familiar with the scriptures of Genesis, Micah, and Isaiah, which said:

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people… (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), by the God of your father who will help you” Genesis 49:10, 24-25.

And they knew just where to go look because of the other prophecy in Micah…

“And you, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, even the former dominion shall come. The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.” Micah 4:8

Jesus was born in the land of Judah, the land of King David, the land of Boaz – the kinsman redeemer, and was The Lamb of God without spot or blemish. He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:14; Ezekiel 34:11-31; Psalm 23;) Ezekiel prophecied of whose ministry was to the lost (Matthew 18:10-14; Luke 15:1-7; Luke 19:10) and scattered sheep of Israel, and He died as the Passover Lamb (Mark 14:12; John 1:29; John 10:14-16; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:19; Hebrews 4:15; Revelation 5:6) who takes away the sin of the world.

“Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground… Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows ; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted, but He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted…He was led as a lamb to the slaughter…For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin…by His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities…Because He poured out His soul unto death…And He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53

Do you remember what Rachel named her son? And what Jacob renamed him? They perhaps didn’t even know it, but it was a prophecy of the baby boy who would one day be born there, right there, who would be the Son of His Father’s right hand (Mark 16:19), but the sorrow of His mother (Matthew 2:18 & Jeremiah 31:15; Luke 2:33-35 & John 19:25).

And if that isn’t incredible enough, Rachel’s name even means “Ewe.”

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.” … Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!!! Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer (our Boaz from Bethlehem)! “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ Messiah comes from the seed of David (the king) and from the town of Bethlehem, where David (the shepherd boy) was from?” John 7:42. (John 10; Psalm 23).

The SHEEP GATE

Sha’ar – “gate” hasso’n – “flock” One of the gates of Jerusalem rebuilt by Nehemiah (Neh 3:1,32; 12:39). It was located between the Tower of the hundred (Migdal Meah) and the upper room of the corner (3:1,32) or gate of the guard (12:39). It is most likely the sheep gate mentioned in John 5:2; 10:1-10.

In a book, written by A. W. Pink, a minister of the gospel, p28 of Studies in the Scriptures, published 1926 – 1927, Rev. Pink writes:

“And led Him away to Annas first. The Saviour was neither ‘driven’ nor ‘dragged,’ but led: thereby the Holy Spirit informs us, once more, of His willing submission. He offered no resistance. With infinitely greater ease than Samson of old, could He have burst His bonds ‘as a thread when it toucheth the fire; but as prophecy had announced, ‘He was led as a lamb to the slaughter’ –gentle and tractable. Here also He fulfilled not only prophecy but type: each animal that was to be offered in sacrifice was first led to the priest (Lev. 17:5), so Christ was first brought to Annas. The road followed from the Garden to the house of the high priest was also significant. Gethsemane was at the foot of Olivet, on the east side of Jerusalem, beyond the brook Cedron. In journeying from there to the City, the gate through which they would pass was “the sheep gate:” (Neh. 3:1, 32; 12:39; John 5:2 and see our notes on the last). The “sheep gate” was nigh unto the Temple, and through it the sacrificial animals passed (first having been fed in the meadows adjoining the Cedron [today called the Kidron – the Kidron Valley]; so also went the true Lamb on this occasion! Note a striking contrast here: Adam was driven out of the Garden (Gen. 3:24), Christ was led!”

Isaiah the prophet wrote the words, “he was led as a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7,8), and in the New Testament it was the apostle Philip who explained the passage to an Ethiopian eunuch, whom he met on the road to Gaza, who was reading it, apparently out loud. Philip asked if the man understood what he was reading, and beginning with that scripture, he preached Jesus to him (Acts 8:26-39).

This was Jesus’s own testimony about himself:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the Shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice … I am the door of the sheep…I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly! “ John 10:1-10 NKJV

Jesus entered the sheepfold by the same door that all of humanity entered – the womb of a woman. He entered His ministry after being baptised and confirmed by the Holy Spirit (as a pattern for us to follow) as a symbol of rebirth (John 3:1-17; Mark 16:16; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:24; Romans 6:4-14; Colossians 2:12-13; 1 Peter 3:21). And He became the perfect Passover Lamb in the same way as all the other Passover lambs that ever were since the institution of the Passover observance. He is the door. He is the Way. The scriptures told us ahead of time, so that when such things began to pass we would know it was of God.

If I may be so bold as to ask, have you made Jesus your Ebeneezer – your Stone of help (1 Sam.7:12)? If you have please write down and share your testimony with others. I would LOVE to hear how you came to know Jesus also. You are welcome to leave your testimony in the comments section below. The Lord only knows how many hearts will be touched by our experiences with Jesus. We shall also overcome our enemy by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimonies (Revelation 12:11)!

So, as the patriarchs did with stones, let us also memorialize Yeshua Jesus in our lives (Dt.6:6-9) as living stones being built up a spiritual house. Let us be for Him altars of testimony so that when our kids, or our friends, or our neighbors ask, “What is this faith that you have; what is this pile of rocks all about?” we can tell them of all the mighty things the LORD has done for us, knowing that if we should be made silent, even the stones themselves would cry out (Luke 19:40)!!!!! Just as the stones of Rachel’s grave and those of the Migdal Eder are surely crying out to us now in Doxology to God! Amen! Bless you so much!

“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

1 Peter 1:19

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it, but narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

I have updated my post in December 2022 to share with you several others with credentials who have found this passage of scripture and researched it and taught on it, so that you may know by the witness of two or three others that this trustworthy.

Continue your research here

Continue your research here
Continue your research here
Continue your research here

A Lamb’s Tale and a Mysterious Tower, by Mini Manna Moments

The Christmas Prophecy of Bethlehem, by Gary Stearman (Prophecy Watchers)

The Secret of the Shepherds, by Christine Darg

Continue your research here