Matthew 24 - Part 30

Neither [mede:G3366] On [en:G1722] The Sabbath Day [sabbaton:G4521]

In our examination of Matthew 24 we left off at the last phrase of verse 20, ...neither in (as Jay P. Green translates it) the sabbath day: But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:  Just as we saw that the term winter or cheimon (G5494) was translated tempest in Acts 27:20 (in which the New Testament churches come under the wrath of God as portrayed by the shipwreck) so too does this term sabbath or sabbaton (G4521) [which stems from the Hebrew shabbath (H7676)] relate to the word desolation, and refers to the second Great Tribulation period in the Bible, known as the 70-year Babylonian captivity.  Leviticus 26:33-35 maintains,  And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate [sh@mamah:H8077], and your cities waste. {34} Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths [shabbath:H7676], as long as it lieth desolate [shamem:H8074], and ye [be] in your enemies' land; [even] then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. [shabbath:H7676] {35} As long as it lieth desolate [shamem:H8074] it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths [shabbath:H7676], when ye dwelt upon it. Incidentally, Desolate (H8077) stems from the grandparent word H8074. H8074 also appears in verse 21 of 2 Chronicles 36:15-21, And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: {16} But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till [there was] no remedy. {17} Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave [them] all into his hand. {18} And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all [these] he brought to Babylon. {19} And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. {20} And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: {21} To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths [shabbath:H7676]: [for] as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath [shabbath:H7673], to fulfil threescore and ten years.  Please note that H7676 stems from H7673. 

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This brings us to verse 21 and the main theme of this chapter: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Great [megas:G3173] Tribulation [thlipsis:G2347]

The two expressions, great and tribulation only appear together in the following three passages, having to do with the first Great Tribulation (Affliction) period of Joseph's day (1879 BC - 1872 BC), as well as the third (and final) Great Tribulation of our day (May 21, 1988 - May 21, 2011), since the second Great Tribulation period, known as the 70-year Babylonian captivity (609 BC - 539 BC) was already mentioned earlier in today's study:

Acts 7:11 states: Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great [megas:G3173] affliction [thlipsis:G2347]: and our fathers found no sustenance.

And Revelation 2:22 acknowledges:  Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great [megas:G3173]  tribulation [thlipsis:G2347], except they repent of their deeds.

Revelation 7:14 further records the influx of the great multitude during the last 17 years of the Great Tribulation, known as the Latter Rain: And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great [megas:G3173]  tribulation [thlipsis:G2347], and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

84 Months = 42 Months Or 1260 Days [42 months spiritually points to the Great Tribulation - 1260 days to the 1955 years of the Church Age]

By the way, all three of these Great Tribulation periods have the number 84 in common. There were 84 months in the first Great Tribulation (that lasted 7 years), 840 months in the 70-year Babylonian captivity, and 8400 days in the 23-year Great Tribulation of our day. What is the spiritual significance of the number 84? 84 can be divided into the integers 42 and 42 for instance. The number 42 can refer spiritually to either 42 months, or 1260 days (based on a 30-day month) or 3 1/2 years, as we learn from James 5:17, Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months Keep in mind that each of these three Great Tribulation periods are chacterized by a period of "famine," followed by a period of "rain." Elijah and Moses are also represented as the "two witnesses" in Revelation 11:3-6, as they typify the "Law" (Moses) and the "Prophets" ( Elijah), or the Word of God:  And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. {4} These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. {5} And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. {6} These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy [Elijah historically]: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, [Moses historically] as often as they will. {7} And when they shall have finished their testimony [May 21, 1988], the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit [Satan] shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. {8} And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city [Jerusalem -typifying the churches and denominations], which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. {9} And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. {10} And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. {11} And after three days and an half [84 hours] the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

Please bear in mind that the "killing" of the two prophets is not literal, and is tantamount to the elect being driven out of the congregations (and thus silenced) according to John 16:2,  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 

God utilized the New Testament churches and denominations to get the Bible into the world for 1955 years - represented by the "1260 days" - and then His judgment fell upon them for their disobedience to His Word.  The famine that preceded the Latter Rain of our day lasted for 2300 

literal days (from May 21, 1988) when virtually nobody was saved in the world, represented by the three and a half days. However on September 7, 1994 the  Latter Rain began to fall (outside of the churches) on the world for the next 17 years, when the Gospel would penetrate the world as never before in human history, to reach the nations of the elect, and fulfill the Great Commission. 

Let's review Matthew 24:21 again: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Such As [hoios:G3634] Was [ginomai:G1096] Not [ou:G3756]

The three terms in Matthew 24:21 ...such as was not is referring to the Great Tribulation, as a unique time of intense spiritual deception (as was noted in verses 4-5, and 11 and we will encounter again in verses 23-24). These three words appear together again in four other citations, and we will consider three of them, including the parallel verse in Mark 13:19, For [in] those days shall be affliction, such as  [hoios:G3634] was [ginomai:G1096]  not [ou:G3756] from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.

In Mark 9:3 these terms are used in connection with the Master's transfiguration: And his raiment became [ginomai:G1096] shining, exceeding white as snow; so as hoios:G3634]  no [ou:G3756] fuller on earth can white them.

Revelation 16:18 renders these expressions exactly as in Matthew 24:21,  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as [hoios:G3634]  was [ginomai:G1096] not [ou:G3756]  since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, [and] so great. 

God is making the point that the Great Tribulation was unlike any other time in human history in terms of spiritual deception, which is why it says ...such as was not since the beginning of the world...

Since [apo:G575] The Beginning [arche:G746] Of The World [kosmos:G2889]

The next phase ...since the beginning of the world, is also comprised of three words that only surface together in this passage. However we do find that the terms, since and the beginning do emerge together in 21 other notices, and we can examine some of these: 

Since [apo:G575] The Beginning [arche:G746] 

Mark 10:6 declares this with respect to the marriage institution: But from [apo:G575] the beginning [arche:G746] of the creation God made them male and female.

John 8:44  includes these two terms regarding Satan's rebellion: Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from [apo:G575] the beginning [arche:G746], and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

2 John 1:6 highlights the fact that Biblical love is demonstrated by obedience to God's law: And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from [apo:G575] the beginning [arche:G746], ye should walk in it.

Lord willing, in our next edition we will continue our investigation of verse 21 as well as verse 22.

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Bible Graphemes - Hebrew

[Scriptures taken from Jay P. Green's KJV3 (Literal Translation of the Bible - LITV)

In our last edition we spent some time considering the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, Aleph/Beyt  אָב  in the word father, 'ab (H1), but today we want to flip those two letters around to form Beyt/Aleph and we want to add the letter Resh (the 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet) on the end so it looks like this: בָּאַר or Beyt/Aleph/ Resh, or ba'ar (H874). This word appears under the Beyt section in the Concise Lexicon To The Biblical Languages;  it is a verb that signifies to explain, plainly, and engrave it. It is only employed in three verses, each of which has to do with the Word of God. Let's look at one of them in Habakkuk 2:2, in which it is rendered and engrave it: 

And Jehovah answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it [ba'ar:H874] on the tablets, that he who reads it may run.

Ba'ar (H874) is also the shoresh or root of a "word family"  that includes three other nouns that are identically spelled, but pronounced as if there were vowels - hence the little "dots and dashes" - since Hebrew is only made up of consonants, which we will discuss in a later study): 

The first one is בְּאֵר (H875), which is a feminine noun that is primarily rendered as well. It is found for instance in verse 14 of Genesis 16:13-14, as the well: And she [Hagar] called the name of Jehovah, the One speaking to her, You, a God of vision! For she said, Even here I have looked after the One seeing me? {14} On account of this, the well [H875] was called, The Well [H875] of the Living One [chay:H2416] Seeing Me. [ra'ah:H7203] Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. Curiously, this well also has a name that is made up of three Hebrew words - Beerlahairoi - in which the well forms the first part of the name. 

The second noun in this "word family" is a proper noun (and identical to H875) בְּאֵר (H876) since it is the name of two places called Beer (which you might recall if you have been following BMI's study in Judges) as it only appears in Judges 9:21 and in Numbers 21:16-18, which declares: And from there they went to Beer [H876]; that is the well [H875] of which Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, Gather the people and I will give water to them. {17} Then Israel sang this song: Spring up, O well [H875], sing to it; {18} The well [H875] which the rulers dug, which the nobles of the people dug with their staves, at the word of the Lawgiver. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah. 

We know that Christ is both the Lawgiver as well as the Water of Life and the spiritual water that He gives His elect comes from the wells of salvation as Isaiah 12:3 reminds us (even though a different Hebrew term for well is used): And you shall draw waters out of the wells of salvation with joy.

The third noun is בֹּאר (G877) and only emerges in Jeremiah 2:13 as the term cisterns twice: For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, to hew out cisterns [H877] for themselves, broken cisterns [H877]  that can hold no water. Notice how God refers to Himself in this passage as the Fountain of living [chay:H2416] waters, which is the same word as of the Living One that was just discussed in Genesis 16:14.

Bible Graphemes - Greek

[Scriptures taken from Jay P. Green's KJV3 (Literal Translation of the Bible - LITV)

In our previous study we focused on the Alpha ἀ/Beta β in the word, father (G5), or ἀββα which we noted was derived from the Hebrew term for father or 'ab (H1). As we did in Hebrew, we want to flip the Alpha/Beta to  Beta/Alpha. The first entry in the Concise Lexicon To The Biblical Languages is the term Baal (G896), Βάαλ, comprised of the beta with two alphas, and ends with a lambda. Baal (G896) is derived from the Hebrew, בַּעַל, (H1168) and can refer to man or lord, as well as the false deity, Baal, which the Israelites were prone to worship, instead of the True, Living God of the Bible. G896 only surfaces in Romans 11:4, But what does the Divine answer say to him, "I reserved to Myself seven thousand men who did not bow a knee to Baal." (1 Kings 19:18) 

As mentioned previously in Jeremiah 2:13, Baal or any other false god would be one of these cisterns or wells that the Israelites "dug" (i.e.,  carved out of their own minds) and foolishly worshipped to their own detriment, instead of the Fountain or Well of Living Water, Who is the Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in John 4:5-6, 10-11, and 13-14, 

Image above: Map of Samaria

Image below: Presumed location of Jacob's Well

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And He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the piece of land Jacob gave to his son Joseph. {6} And Jacob's fountain [pege:G4077] was there. Then being wearied by the journey, Jesus sat thus on the fountain [pege:G4077]. It was about the sixth hour [Noon]....{10} Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, who is the One saying to you, Give Me to drink, you would have asked Him, and He would give you living [zao:G2198] water. [hudor:G5204] {11} The woman said to Him, Sir, you have no vessel, and the well [phrear:G5421] is deep. [bathus:G901] From where then do you have living [zao:G2198]  water [hudor:G5204] ?... {13} Jesus answered and said to her, Everyone drinking of this water [hudor:G5204]  will thirst again; {14} but whoever may drink of the water [hudor:G5204]  which I will give him will never ever thirst, but the water [hudor:G5204]  which I will give to him will become a fountain [pege:G4077] of water [hudor:G5204] in him, springing up into everlasting [aionios:G166] life. [zoe:G2222- from G2198] 

Another word that begins with Beta/Alpha is the word deep or βαθύς [bathus:G901] in John 4:11 referring to the depth of Jacob's well, which is illustrative of the depth of salvation, and God's Word as a whole. This term is also the "parent"  or root word for deepened [bathuno G900] or βαθύνω  which only emerges in verse 48 of Luke 6:46-49, and reiterates this same truth: 

And why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? {47} Everyone coming to Me and hearing My words, and doing them, I will show you to whom he is like: {48} He is like a man building a house, who dug and deepened [bathuno G900], and laid a foundation on the rock. And a flood having occurred, the stream burst against that house and could not shake it, for it had been founded on the rock. {49} But he who heard and did not perform, he is like a man having built his house on the earth without a foundation, on which the stream burst, and it immediately fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Bathus (G901) is also the root word for G899, bathos or βάθος, and found, for instance, in verse 10 of 1 Corinthians 2:-13, and translated as the depths:  But God revealed them to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths [bathos:G899] of God,   {11} For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of a man within him? So also no one has known the things of God except the Spirit of God. {12} But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit from God, so that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God. {13} Which things we also speak, not in words taught in human wisdom, but in words taught of the Holy Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things . 

This is what the Bereans were commended for in Acts 17:11, And these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with all readiness, daily examining the Scriptures if these things are so . 

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Bible Resources - Hebrew

Preface: Bible Ministries International aims to teach how to study the Bible, including the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Alphabet letters in order to discover patterns in the Masoretic and Received Greek texts (e.g., vowels, verb roots and stems, sounds, music, syntax, functions, etc.) This process allows one to come to truth by literal nuances found in both the Old and New Testaments, and by comparing spiritual things with spiritual things  [(pneumatikos with pneumatikos) or (dabar with dabar)] This also involves comparing context with context, spelling with spelling, letter shapes with letter shapes, in order to distinguish similarities and differences and to understand God’s words, sentences, poetry, songs, narratives, and discourses, which are "pregnant" with spiritual content. Ultimately, it is to empower God’s elect to see that the entire Bible testifies to “Christ”: the Messiah, the Anointed Prophet, High Priest, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords,  and His work of having built (and redeemed) His eternal Church from ...every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Revelation 5:9). The solid hope of God's people is to be gathered togther in the New Heavens and New Earth in which they, as His Bride, will praise, worship, and serve God perfectly throughout eternity.  To God Be the Glory. 

In this edition of Bible Study Resources we are only going to focus on Hebrew. The resource that we want to highlight is an excellent Hebrew Primer that is published by (Jay P. Green's) Sovereign Grace Publishers.  This tool is actually two books in one, The first half is A Hebrew Primer by Professor Charles Prospero Fagnani of Union Theological Seminary (New York) and is dated 1903. The second is An Introduction to Hebrew Grammar by Professor A. B. Davidson of New College, Edinburg. We will only be focusing on the Hebrew Primer in this edition, and on only one section which is devoted to vowel "signs" that we find in connection with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which is made up exclusively of consonants. 

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Bible Study Resources - Hebrew (Cont.)

Below you will find page 2 on the section titled The Vowel Signs. The Hebrew alphabet, is the source from which all other legitimate alphabets like Greek, are derived from (not systems of writing, like Egyptian hieroglyphics). Learning both the 22 consonants that make up the Hebrew alphabet as well as their vowel signs is key. 

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Prayer And Praise

• Our daughter Maria is missing again for which we covet your prayers. She has been missing for over a month, and her case has been assigned to a County Detective Unit.  

• Please check out our newly UPDATED website!

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We are pleased to announce that our NEW BMI app is now available:

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‍Also please pray for the following items that would help to expand our music ministry:‍

• BMI desires to obtain a series of music licenses in order to add to our music library, which would play 24/7 God-glorifying spiritual songs and hymns, except for those times during the week when we broadcast live studies. The up front cost for this is approximately  $ 2000.00 ‍

• BMI is also in the process of developing a prototype for a NEW Treasures From The Bible multimedia series. To do this we need a Yamaha CSP-170 digital piano that has the capability of adding a wide range of orchestral and individual instrument sounds that would be essential in creating such a program (since our 15 children are grown, and none of our 15 grandchildren live in this area). Just as the Rodecaster Pro Podcast Studio was a great blessing for which we are very grateful to those of you who donated for that purchase, we feel the same way about this piano, and how God might enable us to use it for His glory. We are still short $ 900. of the $ 4700. needed.  

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Raysh (Hebrew), Rosh (Aramaic, a brand of Hebrew), reading from right to left. It is the twentieth letter of the Hebrew and Aramaic alphabet and is a shoresh, or root made up of three consonants (above).  

The literal meaning of Raysh as well as Rosh is head. First, in Hebrew, it means the head of a man, 👨🏻‍🦰(Genesis 40:16); the head of animal, 🐍 (Genesis 3:15); the top of mountain, 🏔 (Genesis 8:5); the height of stars, 🌌 (Job. 22:12); chief, 🧔🏽 (Judges 10:18; 2 Kings 25:18); front, 🤴🏽(Micah 2:13); beginning, ⌚️ (Judges 7:19); sum,"=" (Exodus 30:12; Numbers 5:7); of Jehovah’s thoughts, ☝️(Psalm 139:17).

Secondly, in Aramaic, Rosh means head (a) of man, 👨🏿‍🦱  (Daniel 3:27); of an image, 🗿 (Daniel 2:32); as head, 🤴🏿 (Daniel 2:38); (b) chief, 👨🏽‍💼(Ezra 5:10); (c ) sum, essential content, ✍🏼 (Daniel 7:1). 

Thirdly, in our Received Greek New Testament, the Greek word for head  (protos) ΠΡΏΤΟΣ, comes from the Hebrew Raysh or Rosh in a family of adjectives, verbs, and nouns. For example, as an adjective or feminine noun, it refers to the prow of a ship, 🛥 (Acts 27:30,41). As a verb, to be first in rank, influence, 🥇 (Colossians 1:18). As an adjective, firstborn [from the dead], ⚰️ (Hebrews 12:23). 

But Where Are The A-E-I-O-U Vowels In Hebrew? 

This is a good question since we must know how to read and pronounce the words. Hebrew does have vowel marks called nikkud (ניקוד). In another lesson we will learn the names and pronunciations of the following Hebrew vowel signs that you find in the Masoretic Hebrew Bible. For now, try to remember that they make long, short, or ultra short sounds and tell us how to pronounce the shoresh or derived family of words. They are usually found beneath the consonant, but may be found on top or in the middle of the consonant. 

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                       Here are the 13 Hebrew vowel "points" (or nikkud):

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