Want to understand the Bible better?

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Pete Rambo

Here are two huge resources that will enrich your understanding of Scripture.

The foundation is everything, whether construction or a good movie, starting in the middle of either without a proper foundation leads to bad results…  Even Yeshua said the house must be built on a solid rock, not sand.  Notice, He is speaking of lawfulness versus lawlessness….

Scripturally, the first five books form a foundation that must be understood, else everything that follows can be misunderstood and twisted (according to Peter).  One fabulous resource offered here is the weekly Torah Portion notes as we study through the foundational first five books.  Each week Ray Gardner’s study notes as well as Hebrew word Insights by Ephraim and Rimona Frank are posted for free.  Download.  Print. Share.  Access online.  etc…  These are a HUGE resource.  Ray’s Notes alone are $100 for the whole set….

A second resource that I HIGHLY recommend for any who have never seen it, is the teaching by 119 Ministries titled ‘The Lost Sheep.’  You may think you know what that phrase meant, but I have a seminary education and that video, about 90 minutes long, gave me a better overview of Scripture than any course I took and paid hundreds of dollars for.  Seriously, you will not invest a better 90 minutes in your Bible study than this video.  You will have a better understanding of the overarching story of Scripture than most pastors after watching that…  Seriously.

So, enjoy those resources.  This week’s notes are up!!

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Stunning sunset this evening…

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Pete Rambo

image

So often in Scripture the heavens and the earth are called as witnesses to God’s covenants.  Yeshua (Jesus) says, ‘Not one jot or tittle of the Torah and the Prophets will pass away before heaven and earth do.’

Heaven and earth witnessed when Yehovah, the unchanging Creator, blessed the seventh day and rested.  There is ZERO record or hint of Him ever changing it as the enduring witnesses testify.

Shabbat Shalom!  THE day of rest began at sundown with the stunning last glow pictured above….  I stood on the hood of my car in the middle of the road to get a few shots!

http://bible.com/1/gen.2.2.KJV

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Open question, re: Noach

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Pete Rambo

Reading this portion, Genesis 6:9-11:32, reminded me of a question I have not found a good answer to….yet.   Maybe some of you have thoughts you are willing to share.

The Noach portion has clear lessons for those living in the last days, and I think some explicit details are meant to be unlocked and understood.  So, the recurring question:  What is the significance of the VERY specific dates in the text regarding the day it began and the day it ended?  Lengths of phases, I.e. rain for 40 days, dry for 40, etc are important, but the specificity of dates is a bold highlight in the text.  What is the relevance?

Thoughts?

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Noach, some useful stuff…

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Pete Rambo

I learned today from Ray Gardner that this Portion, Noach, is his favorite Torah Parasha because of all the end times themes. I have posted his Study Notes on the Torah Portion Page. While my favorites are the Joseph portions, I have to say that Noach ranks very high on my list.  So much so that one of the most useful insights I have gleaned from Noach, I have made into several different teachings.  You may really enjoy these as a means of sharing the Truth with others.

First, an image from YouVersion friend, Steve King:

Noach by Steve King

This portion offers an amazing defense of the seventh day Sabbath.  Here are several version of the teaching Continue reading →

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Dismantling a huge old oak…

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Pete Rambo

All the wind and water in SC has been hard on old trees.  Particularly ones that are dead in the middle.  Here’s a pic of me 15′ up running a chainsaw  dismantling one.  Takes time and is dangerous.  The tree doesn’t appreciate big limbs being removed, but it has to be cleaned up.  The key is figuring out which part/support to remove when.

image

A metaphor.

http://bible.com/100/exo.20.8-11.NASB

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New Torah Portion Notes Addition

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Pete Rambo

Since spending a week with Ephraim and Rimona Frank in Israel at the Bney Yosef Congress, I have been receiving their weekly Hebrew Insights into the Parashat.  Why it has not occurred to me sooner, I do not know, but today I asked their permission to post/add them to the Torah Portion page with Ray Gardner’s notes.  They emailed a prompt, ‘yes.’  So, they should be an additional weekly offer on that page for additional insight into the weekly portion.

B’resheet, the first portion is up.  I’ll edit the introductory notes to that page as I get time…

Other websites and resources of theirs that you may enjoy can be found linked on http://www.israelitereturn.com/creation-revisited/

Enjoy!!

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Beer Cheese…. (Recipe)

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Pete Rambo

In addition to the excellent spiritual fulfillment in worship and Frank’s teaching, our trip to Kentucky for Sukkot was a ton of fun.  Besides being introduced to Leonard Newlin’s ‘Kentucky Krack,’ our host, Wade Barrow, served up some beer cheese and pretzel crackers on two occasions.

IMG_20151010_133659591_HDRNow, beer cheese may be common in other parts of the country, but in the backwoods of South Carolina, we’ve never heard of such!  After I had a few addictive bites, I read the ingredients list and determined that it was easy enough to make and announced that I would try as soon as I got home.  Besides, at the $5-$8 per container they were paying, I figured if I could break the code, I could save them enough for their daughter’s college education…  LOL!

Well, today I got the itch and it is every bit as easy as I thought!

The largest chunk of cheese available to us was a round of goat cheddar we made about 18 months ago.  Continue reading →

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Experience Sukkot in 11 quick minutes!!

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Pete Rambo

More than once, I have been asked, “Sukkot?  What do you do?” Well, here is a neat torrid video of the Sukkot we attended with Beit Minorah in Winchester, KY.  The one disappointment (expressed by the one who sent me the link) is that the aerial video shot by a drone occurred after many tents had come down.  So, don’t think all the joyful faces in the video slept in those couple tents…  LOL.

Also, special bonus, for those who have only heard of Jefferson College at Pilot View, all of this occurred in/around the beautiful building Abba has led them to acquire!  Check it out!

In many respects, it reminds me of what I think an old time camp revival was like…  The cool part about Sukkot is that God, in His Word, promises to meet His people at this appointed time each year.  Who needs to schedule the Holy Spirit for revival…  He already told us when/where He would meet us!

With this much fun, who wouldn’t like to spend a week ‘Sukkot’-ing!  Or, ‘If this is bondage, give me more!!’  [Or, as friend, Ken Rank says, ‘If this is bondage, throw away the key!!’]

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Farmers, skinny cows and dream interpretation

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Pete Rambo

This week at Sukkot, Frank Houtz taught a series that included a segment about dream interpretation in Scripture.  One particular part tickled me….  (and, is a great lesson in hermeneutics.)skinny-cows

Generally, Christendom defends eating whatever they want, clean or unclean, by referring to Peter’s vision in Acts 10.  Unfortunately, to arrive at that interpretation, one has to violate a principle of hermeneutics that says the dream or vision is not itself the interpretation, rather the interpretation given in Scripture is the literal meaning of the dream or vision.  To explain, Peter’s vision is not the literal meaning, rather, Acts 10:28 is the literal interpretation of his vision.  Acts 10:28 says,

Acts 10:28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

Scripture defines for us exactly what the vision means and we can take it no further by implying some other meaning contrary to established Scripture, both present and future.

To believe the dream or vision is itself the interpretation is pretty absurd, because we would have to maintain the same rule throughout Scripture.  Here is where I got tickled. Continue reading →

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Torah Notes for Bereisheet are up.

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Pete Rambo

I just received and posted Ray Gardner’s Torah Study Notes for Bereisheet, ‘in the beginning.’  Now is a great time to begin a study through the foundational books for all of Scripture, the Torah of Moshe.

Enjoy!

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It’s a GREAT time to start… In the Beginning…

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Pete Rambo

How well do you know and understand the foundation of all of Scripture?  If you want to

The house built on the rock is the house built on Torah. Just ask the Master. Matt 7:21-28

The house built on the rock is the house built on Torah. Just ask the Master.   Matt 7:21-28

have a significant gain in understanding the basis of your faith and glean great understanding of all of Scripture, then endeavor to read and understand the foundation, and this week is a GREAT week to begin!  This week is the first week of the annual Torah Cycle.

All of Judaism and most Messianic believers read through the Torah each year on a reading schedule that keeps everyone on the same page for mutual study and sharing.  The reading schedule includes significant ties to the Prophets, Gospels and Apostolic writings.  So, to help all who wish to join in and gain insight, the schedule is linked below in multiple formats.  Remember that we also host Ray Gardner’s Torah Study Notes with 15-40 pages of neat insights into the Hebrew words, prophecy and our Messiah.  Investing a year in this cycle as well as experienceing the feasts during the year will dramatically increase your knowledge and understanding of Scripture as a unified whole.  Join us!!

Torah Cycle 2015-16 .doc

Torah Cycle 2015-16 .odt

Torah Cycle 2015-16 .pdf

 

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‘Kentuck Krack’ and ‘Tent-Mahal’

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Pete Rambo

Last night we made it home from Sukkot in north central Kentucky with Beit Minorah.  We had to pull up stakes early because I had to be at work today, the high Sabbath, but in His mercy, Abba allowed that work be cancelled today due to the ‘epic rain event’ in South Carolina.  We are resting!!

What a terrific Sukkot!  Living outside the Land, we have to battle a work and holiday schedule that often competes with Yah’s prescribed appointed days of rest and fun, the Moedim.  As a result, we only managed to escape work on Wednesday afternoon and make the drive to the Beit Minorah Sukkot gathering in Kentucky.  (A special ‘Thank you’ to Penney and Vicky for giving me the time off seeing as how we are short-handed at work…)

On our way home, we stopped in Knoxville to have a late lunch with two sisters, brothers-in-law, a niece and five nephews.  One question they asked was, ‘What do you do at Sukkot?’  So, before explaining ‘Kentucky Krack’ and ‘Tent-Majal,’ I’ll relate a bit about Sukkot for any who might not be familiar… Continue reading →

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The Blessing of a Rainy Sukkot

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Pete Rambo

Camping and rain are generally not considered to be a blessing… And, having spent a few years in the military with countless days in the bush, I concur.

The one big difference is Sukkot, or the fall Feast of Tabernacles, spoken of in Leviticus 23, the Feast that all believers in Messiah will keep in the future. See Zechariah 14:16-21.

Israel has very dry summers and most rain comes in the winter months.  Rain during Sukkot is considered a blessing from Yah and portents His Hand of blessing for the coming year.  So, most desire the relative discomfort of a rainy day during Sukkot because of the portent of blessing.

IMG_20151002_130035287This year my wife and a couple sons have the blessing of spending the last few days of Sukkkot with Frank Houtz and Beit Minorah, (see website for beautiful pics of last year’s Sukkah!) of Winchester KY.  We came to fellowship with good friends Frank Houtz and Wade Barrow, both of whom we met in Israel at the First Bney Yosef National Congress back in May.  The excuse we used was our invitation to come teach a little map reading and land navigation course.  Accomplished some of that, but the inclement weather has prevented setting up and running a land nav course on Wade’s farm, as we had planned.

So good to have time to fellowship with them again, meet Ken Rank face to face and get to know lots of other mishpocha (family) we have
Continue reading →

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Jerusalem Post: “Yosef is Alive!!”

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Pete Rambo

This morning, friend and Israeli who lives in the Land, Ephraim Frank emailed an amazing advertisement from the Jerusalem Post.  Below is an image of a FULL PAGE ad they ran on the eve of Sukkot, the Feast of Ingathering!!  See the following two images, then read on, there is more!!

JPost ad 1

Continue reading →

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“Ask About Me” tees…. Get one!

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Pete Rambo

A couple of weeks ago we saw a really neatask about me tee t-shirt campaign on TeeSpring that we wanted.  So, all six  family members ordered a t-shirt in various colors like the one on the right.  The front says, ‘Ask about me…‘

We wore them to the National Shabbat in north Georgia and received multiple requests concerning where we got them, but the campaign was closed.

Well, local Messianic friend, Julian couldn’t stand it and did the research.  With an order of just 10 shirts, the campaign will re-open.

So, if you want one, here is the link!!  Go get one!

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