Matthew 24 - Part 29

In our examination of Matthew 24 we have arrived at verse 20 which states: But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: As I mentioned in our last study the word winter or cheimon is only used in a four other citations, besides the parallel verse in Mark 13:18. The most prominent one surfaces in Acts 27: 20, in which it is translated as tempest, in this historical parable that depicts God's judgment beginning at His own house first, which is typified by the irreparable shipwreck that takes place in this chapter: And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest [cheimon:G5494] lay on [us], all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. Please note that this last phrase is referring to the ship itself, and not the people on board, who made it safely to shore as Paul predicted; the destruction of the ship thus typifies the New Testament congregations and denominations, worldwide and without exception, that God abandoned and would never use again. Why don't we take a closer look at Acts 27:20.

Sun [helios:G2246] ...Stars [astron:G798]

The terms sun and stars denote important spiritual connotations. The sun represents the Lord Jesus Christ, as we read in Revelation 1:16, And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun [helios:G2246] shineth in his strength. This is also seen in Malachi 4:2 pointing to the Messiah as well: But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun [shemesh:H8121] of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. The term, stars, on the other hand identify with God's elect according to Hebrews 11:12, Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, [so many] as the stars [astron:G798] of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. Actually both of these words, sun and stars are found together in the parallel verse to Matthew 24:29, which is Luke 21:25, And there shall be signs in the sun [helios:G2246], and in the moon, and in the stars [astron:G798]; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;  So for the sun and stars to not appear for many days in the context of this ship (which represents  all churches and denominations worldwide, and without exception) signifies that Christ is no longer present in that formerly divine institution, and neither are His elect people. Keep in mind that this cannot be referring to the actual celestial timekeepers because if that was the case physically, none of us would be alive. 

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This parallels what we have learned about in Matthew 24:29, concerning our present "day" of judgment in which there is no active salvation taking place: Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun [helios:G2246] be darkened, and the moon [typifying the Word of God] shall not give her light, and the stars [aster:G792] shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

No [ou:G3756] Small [oligos:G3641] Tempest [cheimon:G5494]

The term tempest which is translated winter in Matthew 24:20 is modified by the two words, no small. No is a particle coveying the "absolute negative" and small is a adjective. Together they reinforce the fact that what was taking place spiritually is no less than God's judgment beginning at His own house first as 1 Peter 4:17 profoundly acknowledges, along with its Old Testament counterpart in Jeremiah 25:29 respectively:

For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first [begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?

For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished?... 

These next citations illustrate how God employs these two expressions, no and small together:

Verse 19 of Acts 12:18-19 records the intense commotion that must have ensued when the 4 quaternions of guards realized that their prisoner was missing, and thus their own lives would be forfeited as a result: Now as soon as it was day, there was no [ou:G3756] small [oligos:G3641] stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter. {19} And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that [they] should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and [there] abode.

Verse 12 of Acts 17:11-12 testifies to the power of search[ing] the Scriptures daily, and how God used His Word in the lives of His elect during the "day" of salvation, since ...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  (Romans 10:17): These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. {12} Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not [ou:G3756] a few. [oligos:G3641]

Acts 19:23-24 describes the uproar that was started by Demetrius the silversmith in Ephesus when he and his fellow craftsmen quickly recognized that their means of financial gain might be severely curtailed by the Gospel that Paul was preaching: And the same time there arose no [ou:G3756]  small [oligos:G3641]  stir about that way. {24} For a certain [man] named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no [ou:G3756] small [oligos:G3641] gain unto the craftsmen; 

Lay On [Us] [epikeimai:G1945]

The next term that we want to turn our attention to is lay on [us] or epikeimai, referring to the no small tempest that engulfed the ship. This word is found in six other Scriptures, and we will take a look at three of them:

In Luke 5:1 it is translated as pressed upon: And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon [epikeimai:G1945] him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, [or Galilee or Tiberias; from the Hebrew, Kinnereth (H3672) signifying a harp, which spiritually points to declaring the Word of God, which the Lord did frequently at this location; it is the lowest fresh water lake on earth] 

John 21:9 renders this as thereon: As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, [epikeimai:G1945] and bread.

1 Corinthians 9:16 expresses this as is laid upon: For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon [epikeimai:G1945] me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

This ship was caught in the midst of this huge storm that God orchestrated and although the sailors tried their best to save the ship they were unsuccessful because the ship was destined for destuction by the will of God, and it typifies the spiritual destruction that took place in the New Testament churches and denominations. 

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All [pas:G3956] Hope [elpis:G1680]

The next two words in Acts 20:27 are all hope which appear together in five other passages; one of these is Romans 15:13, in which it emerges twice: Now the God of hope [elpis:G1680] fill you with all [pas:G3956]  joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope [elpis:G1680], through the power of the Holy Ghost. However, Acts 20:27 is the only reference in which all hope was taken away, as we shall shortly see.

That We [hemas:G2248] Should Be Saved [sozo:H4982]

The following two expressions, that we should be saved, surface together in eight other citations. One of these also takes place on a body of water, albeit much smaller, namely the Sea of Galilee as was mentioned earlier in our study. This account is in verse 25 of Matthew 8:23-27, And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. {24} And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. {25} And his disciples came to [him], and awoke him, saying, Lord, save [sozo:H4982] us: [hemas:G2248] we perish. {26} And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. {27} But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Was Taken Away [periaireo:G4014] 

The term, was taken away, is only found again in three other citations,  one of which is in verse 40 of Acts 20 and it is quite revealing: And when they had taken up [periaireo:G4014] the anchors, they committed [themselves] unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. We understand that this was a nautical procedure in order for them to keep sailing, but as always these words, like any other verse in the Bible, is dripping with spiritual truth, but we only have enough space to investigate one of these terms - anchors. The word for anchors is akgura (G45) and it is also found in verses 29-30, (as well as in one other most significant Scripture): Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors [akgura:G45] out of the stern, and wished for the day. {30} And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors [akgura:G45] out of the foreship [i.e., the prow],    

Verse 29 tells us that they had lowered four anchors to keep the ship stationary, but now they had taken up those anchors, in order to allow the ship to commence sailing again. The other verse in which anchor appears is in verse 19 of Hebrews 6:18-20, That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope [elpis:G1680] set before us: {19} Which [hope] we have as an anchor [akgura:G45] of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; {20} Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Please note the word, the hope, in verse 19 which is the identical word found in Acts 27:20 (at the top of this page), and how God ties that in to Melchisedec (Who is Christ, and His atonement at the foundation of the world, according to Psalm 110:4) in verse 20  This gets even more interesting as we research the root or parent word that akgura (G45) stems from, which is akgale (G43), which we discover only arises in verse 28 of Luke 2:25-32 and rendered as arms, referring to Simeon who was told by God that he would not die without first seeing the Messiah: And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name [was] Simeon; and the same man [was] just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. {26} And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. {27} And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, {28} Then took he him up in his arms [akgale: G43], and blessed God, and said, {29} Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: {30} For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, {31} Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; {32} A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

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Mysterious Bible Graphemes - Hebrew 

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

Introduction: I would like to clarify the purpose for this new column, which is based on the critically important Bible study principle found in 1 Corinthians 2:13, 

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]. 

There is only one alphabet in the entire world which is the Hebrew/Aramaic alphabet, from which every other alphabet is derived, including the Greek alphabet, even though there are numerous "systems of writing," such as hieroglyphics, etc. (Aramaic is a Hebrew dialect, and was the language of the common people in Jesus' day; the books of Ezra and Nehemiah are written in Aramaic.) We also want to keep in mind that God is the Word, as John 1:1 declares In [the] beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. God not only established the Hebrew alphabet, He created the ability for man to communicate with each other. Remember that originally there was but one spoken language, according to Genesis 11:1, 6-7, and 9: And the whole earth was of one lip [saphah:H8193] and of one speech [dabar:H1697 - "word"]...{6} And Jehovah said, Behold, the people [is] one, and the lip [saphah:H8193] one to all of them, and this they are beginning to do, and now all which they have purposed to do will not be restrained from them. {7} Come, let Us go down and confuse their language [saphah:H8193] so that they cannot understand one another's speech [saphah:H8193]... {9} On account of this its name is called Babel, because Jehovah confused the language [saphah:H8193] of all the earth there. And Jehovah scattered them abroad from there on the face of all the earth. Could that one language be Hebrew? We also recognize that God created man with a mouth, tongue, teeth, nose, vocal chords, and lungs by which to breath, speak and pronounce letters, words and sentences intelligibly in order to first commune with God His Creator, and secondly, with his fellow human beings. Keep in mind that God Himself initiated the process of communicating with mankind, His highest creation.

Objective: The objective of this column is to show by comparing spiritual with spiritual the connection between a.) the Hebrew letters and Greek letters along with their spiritual connotations; b.) to investigate which Greek words stem from their Hebrew counterparts. We will do this on the next page when we encounter the Greek equivalent for the word "father," which is pater (G3962). This is somewhat similar to performing a "word bridge" in which an Old Testament passage is quoted in the New Testament; by examining the corresponding words in both Hebrew and Greek, one arrives at a greater spiritual comprehension by synthesis, as opposed to simply looking at only the Hebrew or Greek verse individually; this can be done without a direct quote as well.

Aleph/Bet   אָב

The first two Hebrew letters are Aleph/Bet from which we derive our English word, alphabet. This is also the case with the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, namely the Alpha/Beta. The Aleph/Bet is the very first Strong's number entry, which is the term father or 'ab (H1). This expression father can denote a father of a family or of a tribe, an ancestor, and many spiritual connotations involving God as the elect's Heavenly Father, as one sees from Genesis 17:5, which reveals God's declaration to Abraham, in which 'ab (H1) is rendered a father: 

And your name no longer shall be called Abram ['Abram:H87] ("exalted father"), but your name shall be Abraham ['Abraham:H85] ("father of a multitude") For I have made you a father ['ab:H1] of many nations. Please note that both Abram and Abraham are compound words that begin with 'ab (H1). 

Another word is the name, abadon (H11), signifying destruction (and spiritually points to Christ); it is derived from the Hebrew verb, abad (H6) which denotes perishing or destroying.  

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Mysterious Bible Graphemes - Greek

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

In this section we want to focus on the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, namely the Alpha/Beta from which our English word alphabet is derived. 

Alpha ἀ /Beta β

Actually there is a Greek word that stems from the Aramaic word, father or 'ab (H2), which is the equivalent of the Hebrew word for father or 'ab (H1) that was discussed earlier. This is the expression, ἀββα, [abba:G5] made up of two alphas and two betas, and only found in the following three passages: 

Mark 14:36 records: And He said, Abba [abba:G5], Father [pater:G3962], all things [are] possible to You; take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You [will].

Romans 8:15 declares: For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again to fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption by which we cry, Abba!  [abba:G5],  Father! [pater:G3962]

Galatians 4:6 maintains: And because you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba!  [abba:G5],  Father! [pater:G3962]

What is unique about these foregoing verses is that they also contain the main Greek word for Father or pater (G3962) right next to ἀββα, thus confirming the relationship between the Hebrew/Aramaic word for father and the corresponding Greek word.

The term for Abraham in the Greek also begins with the ἀβ and is Abraam (G11), which stems from the Hebrew, Abraham (H85). One of the passages that contains the most references to Abraham is in John 8, in which it surfaces nine times in verses 33, 37, 39-40, 52-53, and 56-58. Please note the interplay between the term father [pater:G3962] and Abraham [Abraam:G11] in this dialogue:

They answered Him, We are Abraham's [Abraam:G11] seed, and we have been in slavery to no one, never! How do You say, You will become free?...{37}  I know that you are Abraham's [Abraam:G11]  seed, but you seek to kill Me, because My Word is not given room in you...they answered and said to Him, Abraham [Abraam:G11] is our father. [pater:G3962] Jesus said to them, If you were children of Abraham [Abraam:G11], you would do the works of Abraham. [Abraam:G11]  {40} But now you seek to kill Me, a man who has spoken the truth to you, which I heard alongside [of] God. Abraham [Abraam:G11] did not do this...{52} Then the Jews said to Him, Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham [Abraam:G11] died, and the prophets, and You say, If anyone keeps My Word, he will not taste of death to the age, never! {53} Are You greater than our father [pater:G3962] Abraham [Abraam:G11] who died? And the prophets died! Whom do You make Yourself? {56} Your father [pater:G3962] Abraham [Abraam:G11]  leaped for joy that he should see My day, and he saw, and rejoiced. {57} Then the Jews said to Him, You do not yet have fifty years, and have You seen Abraham? [Abraam:G11]  {58} Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham [Abraam:G11] came to be, I AM!

Let's look at one more word, which is also the name, Abaddon (G3), as we saw in Hebrew that begins with the ἀβ. The Greek name Abaddon only surfaces once in the New Testament in Revelation 9:11, And they have a king over them, the angel of the abyss. [abussos:G12] In Hebrew his name [was] Abaddon (G3), and in Greek he [has] the name Apollyon.  Please  note the term abyss (G12), which too, begins with the ἀβ. 

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Bible Study Resources - Hebrew

Once again we are featuring A Concise Lexicon To The Biblical Languages (by Green and Robinson).

What is most noteworthy in terms of this newsletter is the fact that the very first entry in the Hebrew section is the word, אָב father ['ab: H1] , made up of the aleph/bet ['ab: H1] that we have been discussing. And it isn't it remarkable that these two letters form the basis for not only the word, alphabet in both Hebrew and Greek, (and from which every other alphabet in the world is derived from), but both Aleph אָ as well as Bet ב literally denote "Ruler (or Chief) of the House" Who is God Himself? And this Triune God (Who is both Eternal and Infinite) not only created this universe by speaking words comprised of letters that He Himself created, so man could communicate with God but also with our fellow man. 

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Bible Study Resources - Greek

In this section we have highlighted in the Concise Lexicon the alpha/beta words ἀβ that we discussed earlier:

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“Kids Only”

 Treasures From The Bible - The Wonder of the Word 

Preface  

Children today need to learn how to study the Bible, and for this a child needs to know the original languages of Scripture. We read for example in 2 Timothy 3:15a, And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures...One great reason to learn Hebrew is the ability to understand God’s original words, rather than through a translation. The BMI Beacon  accordingly now includes this insert designed for children to assist parents in this task, especially if their children are home-schooled.  Lesson themes will include Paradise (as a picture of the new heavens and new earth) the coming or Advent of Christ, the Comforter,  and Jesus ruling in the day of judgment having conquered His enemies (i.e., the antichrist, sin, death, the grave, sorrow, pain, and  suffering, etc.) 

Module One, Lesson One  א  ב 

Objective: Start to learn the Hebrew alphabet (backwards and forwards) by starting with Group I. There are five groups altogether, and each upcoming lesson will introduce the next group in order. Altogether there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet (reading from right to left):

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‍Image One. Above is a chart of the Hebrew aleph-bet. These letters will be discussed in this Kids Only section of the Beacon through a series of modules and lessons. An audio clip, game, and dot-to-dot exercises will soon be available, Lord willing.

The first letter, Aleph is in the upper right hand corner and is read from right to left (Green and Robinson)

Image Two. Five of the above letters have different forms (shapes) when one of these letters appears at the end of a word. These letters are called the "final" letters (or sophit in Hebrew). (Green and Robinson)

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Image Three. Several of the letters in the alphabet are very similar and can be easily confused with other letters. This is common as you first start out, but soon you will be able to spot the difference between these letters. You may want to hang on to this chart and refer to it as needed (Green and Robinson).

In upcoming issues, Lord willing,  we will also feature links to "sing and tap alongs" in which the Scriptures are sung and put to music by utilizing instruments such as the bassoon, clarinet, flute, cello, and piano, etc.

Group I: The first four letters of the alphabet- 

 1. Alef  א 

2. Bet   ב    

3. Gimel   ג

4. Dalet ד

Children’s Bible Story: Judges 5 Abinoam, the father of Barak (Barak means "lightning" and spiritually portrays the Lord Jesus)

Read Judges 5 preferably using Jay P. Green's  Literal Bible (LITV) or KJV 3 Bible. 

• Hebrew original word: אֲבִינֹּעַם

• Grammar: Proper Name Masculine•

•Transliteration: Abinoam

•How to say it: (ab-ee-no'-am)• What it means: "my father [Abi]  is delight [noam]"

References

Davidson, A. B., et al. Hebrew Primer and Grammar. Sovereign Grace Publishers, Inc., 2001. In text citations: (Davidson et al.)

Green, Jay P. Interlinear Bible. Hendrickson Publishers, 1986. 

Green, Jay P., and Maurice A. Robinson. A Concise Lexicon to the Biblical Languages. Sovereign Grace Publishers, 2001. 

“Learn Biblical Hebrew: Introduction: AHRC.” Learn Biblical Hebrew: Introduction  www.ancient-hebrew.org/learn/learn-biblical-hebrew-introduction.htm.

The Hebrew Alphabet, www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_One/Aleph-Bet/aleph-bet.html.

In text citations: (The Hebrew Alphabet) 

 Wigram, George V. The Englishmans̀ Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament: Numerically Coded to Strongs Exhaustive Concordance. Baker Book House, 1985. In text citations: (Wigram)

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A Word About Finances

In case you are not aware, like most 501 (c) 3 non-profits there are but two times in the year when we are able to “get ahead” financially. One of these is at Christmas with year-end donations, the other is at tax time. As the Lord leads, would you consider making an extra gift above your regular giving if at all possible. If you are not a monthly donor, would you pray about becoming one? Our monthly prayer and faith partners are the lifeblood of this ministry and enable us to “feed God’s sheep” worldwide. Each of our staff are also volunteers and we do not receive a salary. Because our home is also our global headquarters for all our studio programming and administrative departments, we do receive a housing allowance from BMI. From time to time individuals have asked us about naming BMI in wills, annuities, and trusts. If you are interested in something of this nature please check with your financial advisor.

Prayer And Praise

• Our daughter Maria is missing again for which we covet your prayers. 

• Please check out our newly UPDATED website!

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

Android:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bmi.bmius.org

Apple:  https://apps.apple.com/.../bible-ministries.../id1566518602 

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 $ 2900. of the $ 4700. needed.  

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