Study Notes Week 7

Torah Study Notes for Week 7 of the Torah Reading Cycle

Read
Aloud together to hear the Word (Leviticus 23:1-3; Nehemiah 8:1-4; Luke 4:16-17)

  • Torah (T): Bereshiyt (Genesis) 7:1-24
  • Prophets (P): Ezekiel 14:12-23
  • Apostolic (A): Matthew 24:23-44
  • Additional (ADD): Jubilees 5:19-20

Torah Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

Bereshiyt (Genesis) 7:1-24

7:1 [Elohim](LXX) said to Noaḥ, “Come with all of your household into the ark, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation. 2 You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female. 3 Also of the [clean](LXX)(SP) birds of the heavens, seven and seven, male and female, [and of all the unclean birds, one pair, a male and a female,](LXX) to keep seed alive on the face of all the land. 4 In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the land for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy every living thing that I have made from the face of the ground.” 5 Noaḥ did everything that [Elohim](LXX) commanded him. 6 Noaḥ was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the land. 7 Noaḥ went into the ark with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters. 8 Clean animals, unclean animals, birds, and [of](LXX) everything that creeps on the ground 9 went by pairs to Noaḥ into the ark, male and female, as Elohim commanded Noaḥ. 10 After the seven days, the floodwaters came on the land. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noaḥ’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the heaven’s windows opened. 12 It rained on the land forty days and forty nights. 13 In the same day Noaḥ, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noaḥ—and Noaḥ’s wife and the three wives of his sons with [him],(LXX) entered into the ark— 14 they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the land after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15 Pairs from all flesh with the breath of life in them went into the ark to Noaḥ. 16 Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as Elohim commanded him; then [Elohim](LXX) shut him in. 17 The flood was forty days [and forty nights](LXX) on the land. The waters increased, and lifted up the ark, and it was lifted up above the land. 18 The waters rose, and increased greatly on the land; and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 The waters rose very high on the land. All the high mountains that were under the whole heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the [highest](LXX) mountains to a depth or more than 15 cubits. 21 All flesh died that moved on the land, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the land, and every man. 22 All on the dry land, in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. 23 Every living thing was destroyed that was on the face of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the heavens. They were destroyed from the land. Only Noaḥ was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 The waters flooded the land one hundred fifty days.

  1. What is righteousness?
    1. צַדִּיק tsadiyq (H6662) means to be straight, upright, or lawful in personal conduct or in a judicious sense when passing judgement on others. צַדִּיק tsadiyq is equivalent to the Greek word δίκαιος dikaios (G1342) which means to be innocent, faultless, and guiltless in one’s observance of divine laws and keeping the commands of God. In a judicial sense, δίκαιος dikaios is rendering to each his due and passing just judgment on others.
  2. Noaḥ is the first person called “tsadiyq” by Elohim in all of Genesis and men listed in the Bible, once in Genesis 6:9 and here again in Genesis 7:1. This is obviously does not mean other men like Enoch, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, etc did not lead righteous lives, but not of them were called righteous by Elohim.
      1. Genesis 6:9 These are the birthings of Noaḥ̣: Noaḥ̣ was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. Noaḥ̣ walked with [the Elohim].(MTT)
      2. Genesis 7:1 [Elohim](LXX) said to Noaḥ, “Come with all of your household into the ark, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.
    2. Noaḥ is also called a “preacher or proclaimer of righteousness” in 2 Peter 2:5; “For if Elohim didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartaros, and committed them to pits of darkness to be reserved for judgment; 5 and didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noaḥ̣ with seven others, a proclaimer of righteousness, when he brought a flood on the world of the impious.”
    3. Ezekiel 14:12-23 The word of YHWH came to me, saying, 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand on it, and break the staff of its bread and send famine on it, and cut off from it man and animal— 14 though these three men, Noaḥ̣, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness…”
  3. Can men and women attain righteousness today?
    1. Isaiah 64:5-6 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time. Shall we be saved? 6 For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
    2. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; 27 but Elohim chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. Elohim chose the weak things of the world that he might put to shame the things that are strong. 28 Elohim chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that don’t exist, that he might bring to nothing the things that exist, 29 that no flesh should boast before Elohim. 30 Because of him, you are in Messiah Yeshua, who was made to us wisdom from Elohim, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 that, as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in YHWH.” (cf. Jeremiah 9:24)
    3. Matthew 5:17-20 “Don’t think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the Torah, until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
    4. Matthew 19:16-30 Behold, one came to him and said, “[Rabbi],(mss) what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” 17 He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good?](mss) No one is good [but one].(mss) But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” Yeshua said, “ ‘You shall not murder.’ ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ‘You shall not steal.’ ‘You shall not offer false testimony.’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 20 The young man said to him, “All these things I have [observed].(mss) What do I still lack?” 21 Yeshua said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions. 23 Yeshua said to his disciples, “Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.” 25 When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Looking at them, Yeshua said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter answered, “Behold, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Yeshua said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many will be last who are first, and first who are last.
  4. More Clean than Unclean
    1. 7:2 You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female. 3 Also of the [clean](LXX)(SP) birds of the heavens, seven and seven, male and female, [and of all the unclean birds, one pair, a male and a female,](LXX) to keep seed alive on the face of all the land.
  5. 7:4 In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy every living thing that I have made from the face of the ground.” 5 Noaḥ did everything that [Elohim](LXX) commanded him. 6 Noaḥ was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. 7 Noaḥ went into the ark with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters. 8 Clean animals, unclean animals, birds, and [of](LXX) everything that creeps on the ground 9 went by pairs to Noaḥ into the ark, male and female, as Elohim commanded Noaḥ. 10 After the seven days, the floodwaters came on the earth.
  6. 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noaḥ’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the heaven’s windows opened. 12 It rained on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 In the same day Noaḥ, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noaḥ—and Noaḥ’s wife and the three wives of his sons with [him],(LXX) entered into the ark— 14 they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15 Pairs from all flesh with the breath of life in them went into the ark to Noaḥ. 16 Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as Elohim commanded him; then [Elohim](LXX) shut him in. 17 The flood was forty days [and forty nights](LXX) on the land. The waters increased, and lifted up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. 18 The waters rose, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 The waters rose very high on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the [highest](LXX) mountains to a depth or more than 15 cubits. 21 All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All on the dry land, in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. 23 Every living thing was destroyed that was on the face of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the heavens. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noaḥ was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 The waters flooded the earth one hundred fifty days.
  1. “…then Elohim shut him in.”
    1. Reminder of the fish prepared by YHWH for Jonah
      1. Jonah 1:17 YHWH prepared a huge fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
      2. Jonah 2:1-10 Then Jonah prayed to YHWH, his Elohim, out of the belly of the fish. 2 He said, “I called because of my affliction to YHWH. He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried. You heard my voice…” Then YHWH spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on the dry land.
      3. Matthew 12:39-41 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, for they repented at the proclaiming of Jonah; and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here.
      4. Mathew 24:37-39 As the days of Noaḥ̣ were, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in [those](mss) days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noaḥ̣ entered into the ark, 39 and they didn’t know until the flood came and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
  2. Gopher wood גֹפֶר gopher (H1613) is only used once in the entire Hebrew Bible and describes an unknown wood not found since Noaḥ’s time.
  3. Josephus Now all the writers of barbarian histories make mention of this flood, and of this ark; among whom is Berosus the Chaldean. For when he is describing the circumstances of the flood, he goes on thus: “It is said there is still some part of this ship in Armenia, at the mountain of the Cordyaeans; and that some people carry off pieces of the bitumen, which they take away, and use chiefly as amulets for the averting of mischiefs.” Hieronymus the Egyptian also, who wrote the Phoenician Antiquities, and Mnaseas, and a great many more, make mention of the same. Nay, Nicolaus of Damascus, in his ninety-sixth book, hath a particular relation about them; where he speaks thus: “There is a great mountain in Armenia, over Minyas, called Baris, upon which it is reported that many who fled at the time of the Deluge were saved; and that one who was carried in an ark came on shore upon the top of it; and that the remains of the timber were a great while preserved. This might be the man about whom Moses the legislator of the Jews wrote.”

שָׂטָן satan (H7854) means “to oppose” and is commonly translated as adversary or one who withstands or resists. is equivalent to the Greek word διάβολος diabolos (G1228) which means prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely and is most often transliterated to “devil”.

  • Job 1:6-9, 12 Now on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before YHWH, Satan also came among them. YHWH said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered YHWH, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” YHWH said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil.” Then Satan answered YHWH, and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 12 YHWH said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only on himself don’t stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of YHWH.
  • Job 2:1-4, 6-7 Again, on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before YHWH, Satan came also among them to present himself before YHWH. YHWH said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered YHWH, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” YHWH said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause.” Satan answered YHWH, and said, “Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. YHWH said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of YHWH, and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to his head.1 Chronicles 21:1 Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to take a census of Israel.
    Zechariah 3:1-2 He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before YHWH’s angel, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary. 2 YHWH said to Satan, “YHWH rebuke you, Satan! Yes, YHWH who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this a burning stick plucked out of the fire?”
  • Mark 3:22-30 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.” 23 He summoned them and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end. 27 But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder unless he first binds the strong man; then he will plunder his house. 28 “Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme; 29 but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is [guilty of an eternal sin.].” (mss) 30 —because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
  • Mark 4:13-15 He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
  • Luke 4:1-7 Yeshua, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 Yeshua answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” 5 The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I want. 7 If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.” 8 Yeshua answered him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’ ”
  • Luke 22:31-32 The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have all of you, that he might sift you as wheat, 32 but I prayed for you, that your faith wouldn’t fail. You, when once you have turned again, establish your brothers.”
  • John 13:26-27 Yeshua therefore answered, “It is he to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judah, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him. Then Yeshua said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
  • Acts 5:3 But Peter said, “Hananiah, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land?
  • Acts 26:14-18 When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 “I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said, ‘I am Yeshua, whom you are persecuting. 16 But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will reveal to you; 17 delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you, 18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
  • 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles, that one has his father’s wife. 2 You are arrogant, and didn’t mourn instead, that he who had done this deed might be removed from among you. 3 For I most certainly, as being absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as though I were present, judged him who has done this thing. 4 In the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, when you are gathered together with my spirit with the power of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, 5 you are to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Yeshua.
  • 2 Corinthians 12:7 By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, a thorn in the flesh was given to me: an angel of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively.
  • Revelation 2:9 “I know your works, oppression, and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
  • Revelation 2:13 “I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. You hold firmly to my name, and didn’t deny my faith in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
  • Revelation 2:24 But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira—as many as don’t have this teaching, who don’t know what some call ‘the deep things of Satan’—to you I say, I am not putting any other burden on you.
  • Revelation 3:9 Behold, I make some of the synagogue of Satan, of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but lie—behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
  • Revelation 12:9-10 The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Revelation 10 I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah has come; for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night.
  • Revelation 20:2 He seized the dragon, the old serpent, who is the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years,
  • Revelation 20:7 And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison

Apostolic Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

  1. Matthew 24 reiterates with further detail a central message of Yeshua’s ministry – namely, the impending judgment of Israel decreed to fall upon that generation.
    1. Brief explanation of the three most common interpretations of the apocalyptic, end-times prophecies in the Apostolic Scriptures:
      1. “The principal systems of exposition interpretation may, however, be reduced to three, which are commonly known as the Preterist, the Continuous-Historical, and the Futurist. The Preterists hold that the larger part of the prophecy of this book was fulfilled in the overthrow of Jerusalem and pagan Rome. The Continuous-Historical school of interpreters find most of these prophecies fulfilled in the history of the Roman Empire and of modern Europe. The Futurists maintain that the book relates mainly to events which are yet to come, and which must be literally fulfilled at the end of the world” (Terry, M. 1893. Biblical Hermeneutics, p.356).

Premise:

Apart from His imminent death and resurrection, the clearest and most powerful prediction that Jesus made was of impending judgment on Israel. Furthermore, in harmony with apocalyptic prophecy throughout the Tanakh, Yeshua taught that this judgment would coincide with the “day of the Lord” – i.e. the “coming” of the Judge Himself to carry out His judgment on the Land of Israel via the agency of the armies of surrounding pagan nations.

  1. Judgment was prophesied to that generation:
    1. “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matt. 24:34)
    2. “Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of Gehenna? Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation” (Mat. 23:33-39)
    3. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who witnessed to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near…Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves… He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 1:1-2; 22:12,20)
  1. Exploring the Apostolic portion in detail:
    1. Vs. 23-28: Yeshua’s words were intended to prepare His church for their deliverance.
      1. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather” (Mat. 24:23-28)
    2. The Apostles repeated this message in their epistles to prepare the early church to be aware of and prepare for their deliverance from the coming judgment:
      1. “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thes. 2:1-2).
    3. The most logical context for Paul is the warning provided by Yeshua to His disciples in Matthew 24 and Luke 21:
      1. “Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand— then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains” (Mat. 24:15).
      2. “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near” (Luk. 21:20).
        1. The context is Daniel, Hanukkah and the desolation of the Temple by Antiochus Epiphanes.
  2. The escape of the Jerusalem church is described in the historical writing of both Josephus and Eusebius.
    1. The siege of Jerusalem occurred in stages over a period of three and half years (66-70 CE). It was not clear to the inhabitants of the city how far Rome would pursue victory in the ancient city because Emperor Vespasian and later his son, Titus, were both somewhat sympathetic and respectful of the Jewish people and their Temple. The ultimate downfall of the city was caused by the rebellious and unrepentant zealots who falsely believed that the God of Israel supported them in their cause of resistance to Rome.
      1. From Josephus, Book of the Wars, Preface.4: “For that it was a seditious temper of our own that destroyed it, and that they were the tyrants among the Jews who brought the Roman power upon us, who unwillingly attacked us, and occasioned the burning of our holy temple, Titus Caesar, who destroyed it, is himself a witness, who, during the entire war, pitied the people who were kept under by the seditious, and did often voluntarily delay the taking of the city, and allowed time to the siege, in order to let the authors have opportunity for repentance”.
    2. For reasons that are not clear, approximately one and half years before the final and horrific end to the siege of Jerusalem, Titus pulled his army back from the siege around the city which allowed a very brief window for the remnant of Believers in the city to escape to Pella. These events occurred during the festival of Sukkot and both Josephus and Eusebius record that there were miraculous signs in the Temple that signaled to the followers of the Way that it was time to leave the city.
  3. Vs. 29 – Yeshua is using imagery and symbolism characteristic of the genre of apocalyptic scripture.
    1. “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Mat. 24:29)
      1. Common apocalyptic language drawn from Isaiah 13, Ezekiel 32 and elsewhere.
      2. Perhaps a specific reference to Joel:
        1. “I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.” (Joel 2:30-32). 
  4. Vs. 30 and 39 – Yeshua establishes that it will be His coming that brings judgment on unrepentant Israel.
    1. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.  For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Mat. 24:30,39)
      1. Luk. 13:35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
      2. Mat. 26:64 Hereafter you shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven”.
      3. Rev. 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen” (ref. Zec. 12:10).
  5.  Vs. 31 — A principle of scripture is that before judgment falls on the nation, the elect (i.e. righteous remnant) are sealed and marked so as to be spared and protected.
    1. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other” (Mat. 24:31)
    2. Others examples:
      1. The marking of the doors in Egypt with the blood of the Pesach (Ex. 12:13)
      2. The marking of the remnant who wept over the idolatry in Jerusalem (Eze. 9:1-6)
      3. The sealing of the 144,000 before the judgment (Rev. 7:2-8)
    3. By marking or sealing His remnant, He gathers them together for protection and/or removal from the judgment. 
      1. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Mat. 23:37).
      2. “But you will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all people because of My name. And yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are inside the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled” (Luk. 21:16-22)
      3. “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the land, holding back the four winds of the land, so that no wind would blow on the land or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the land and the sea, ‘Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads’” (Rev. 7:1-3).
  6. Vs. 32-34
    1. “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Mat. 24:32-34).
      1. The parable of the fig tree refers to Yeshua’s final entry to Jerusalem and the judgment pronounced on the religious authorities at that time (Mat. 21:18-22).
    2. See also the Parable of the Tenants (Mat. 21:33-45)
      1. “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit…So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed [the son].Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,’ they replied, ‘and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time’…When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them” (Mat. 21:33-34,39-41,45)
  7. Vs. 36-44 – Yeshua compares the coming judgment to the days of Noaḥ and emphasizes that it will be sudden and unexpected.
    1. 36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noaḥ.38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noaḥ entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
      1. Key Points #1 – The primary purpose of Yeshua’s words is to exhort the disciples (and those they would teach) to be sober, alert and prepared for the day of judgment.
        1. “[F]or you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then, let’s not sleep as others do, but let’s be alert and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night” (1 Thes. 4:5-7)
        2. “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ…The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer…Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 1:13;4:7;5:8)
    2. Key Point #2 – Those who perished in Noaḥ’s day did not heed the prophetic warnings to repent and allowed dissipation to dull their senses and miss the signs of the times.
    3. Key Point #3 – Those taken and those left refer to those who would join the remnant of Believers fleeing Jerusalem before the final siege and those who would not.
      1. “Taken” = G3880 — paralambanó – “to take, to receive, to take along, to accept”.
      2. paralambánō (from 3844 /pará, “from close-alongside” and 2983 /lambánō, “aggressively take”) – to take (receive) by showing strong personal initiative.
      3. “Left” = G863. aphiémi  — “to send away, to leave, to abandon”.
        1. To connect these verses with the “rapture” is to insert meaning from other passages in scripture.

Does anyone have specific questions or need any clarification from what was said during the Summary or Exhortation?

Application & Discussion
Living the Word and following Yeshua (Acts 2:37; Romans 2:13)
Questions, input, and sharpening (Proverbs 27:17; Luke 2:46)

Romans 2:13 For it isn’t the hearers of the Torah who are righteous before Elohim, but the doers of the Torah will be justified.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.

    1. What questions or comments came up during your family’s discussion of this week’s study?
    2. “What other related Scriptures did you find during your study of this week’s portion?”
    3. Have you ever experienced something from this study or something related to it?
    4. “What changes do you need to make in your life to align with what you learned during this week’s Torah Study?”
Additional Study Notes