Parsha #2: “Noach”
(Maftir: [Genesis 6:5 – 6:8] and Genesis 6:9 - 11.32)
Edition: 14j25
No Shirt – No Shoes – No Service
Greetings Sojourners, Friends and Readers!
[NOTE: Before reading this week’s reflection, if you have not read the reflection from last week entitled “God of Justice – God of Mercy”, I urge you to do so before continuing, as this week’s writings will build on the theme of last week’s work. You can find it in the Archive section of the Website, or simply by clicking HERE.]
This week’s reflection on Parsha Noach begins back in the Maftir of last week’s reading. The “Maftir”, which translates literally as “Dismisser”, is simply the last few words of the seventh segment (or Aliyah) or last section of the Parsha – the “Ending Words” we might say. When a reader is called to read the Haftarah in a synagogue service, he (or she - if it is in a conservative or reform synagogue) will first read the Maftir then continue with the Haftarah passage. The Haftarah includes the many passages from the writings of the prophets which are read in the Synagogue. The particular passage is related to, or connected to, the Torah passage by providing application or further insights which are provided in the prophetic writings. To put it in a way which is understandable – the Maftir works in a manner to remind the reader / listener of what the final thoughts of the passage were before continuing the new reading. In a similar fashion, when we watched the old serial westerns, or when we watch Television dramas today, they often begin with a review: “Previously in our programme….”. It refreshes our memory, in other words.
For today’s reflection, however, I go back to the Maftir – not just because it reminds us of last week’s parsha reading – but because it gives us some insight into what has happened over the past 1056 years since Elohim created the earth and the heavens.[i] The passage states clearly that, at least as far as mankind was concerned, everything had gone awry. It reads: “Adonai saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only. Adonai regretted that He had made humankind on the earth; it grieved His heart. Adonai said, “I will wipe out humankind, whom I have created, from the whole earth; and not only human beings, but animals, creeping things and birds in the air; for I regret that I ever made them…”
The presence of evil in our world is very real. Just as real is the presence of evil in the hearts of mankind. We are, simply put, unable to be good, to produce absolute purity, on our own. Since the Fall of Man as initiated by Adam and Havah in the Garden, we humans have been under the burden of sin and sinfulness and, in a myriad of cases, it (sin) governs how we interact with God’s creation. By the time of Noach, this reality of sin had, for the most part, clearly taken over. What must a world look like that is so ruled under the horror, the terror, of pure and unadulterated evil? The one thing that occurs to me is that mankind would not even know the difference between good and evil. I remember from my days in undergrad university psychology – that the term for this is not IM-moral but actually A-moral. Immoral deals with knowing right from wrong but doing wrong anyway. [The world of today is filled with thousands of people who daily live this way – from rulers and governors, big business tycoons, all the way to those living on the street.] Amoral, on the other hand is the condition of not being able to distinguish right from wrong in any way. Our prisons are filled with many people who live this way. In an amoral world, Bad and Good flow together and intermingle because there is no distinct difference in the mind of the perpetrator. [This, by the way, could possibly describe the beginning times of life. Genesis 1 relates that “darkness was over the surface of the deep”. Scholars have indicated that (far beyond our imaginative powers) the light and dark intermingled (just as good and evil does in Noach’s time), and until Elohim separated the light from the darkness, they were virtually indistinguishable. Once the two were separated, however, Elohim saw the Light and knew that it was Good, thus fulfilling the work of the first day of creation]. In other words, what Elohim sees, when He gazes upon humankind’s activity and thought processes, in the year 1056 from creation, is that mankind – you and me, at least in terms of our ancestors – was right back in the pre-creation condition of darkness.
In the Book of Psalms (14:2,3) we read: “Adonai has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.” In his letter to the believers at Rome, Sha’ul echoes this sentiment, quoting this psalm and other passages to back up his argument: “What then?” he writes, “If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, … But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous is He?... May it never be! For otherwise how will God judge the World?”... and finally Sha'ul ends his argument with this claim. “There is No fear of God before their eyes.” Such was the condition upon which God rested His eyes in 1056 Post Creation.
So what does Elohim decide to do? Note here, that I am intentionally using the Name of God introduced to us last week, in Genesis 1 – “Elohim”, the “God of Justice”, sitting at His immense drafting table, decides that He will simply ball up the blueprints and everything that goes with them, crumple them up in a ball and toss them into the garbage.
Is it possible that God could be so despondent? IF God is all seeing, all knowing, then He must have understood that this was a possible outcome, No? Of course! However, first of all, I know that we are created in the image of God, with all that that entails; and I know that we can become (sometimes overwhelmingly) despondent with the intricacies of life,… therefore it stands to reason that God must at least at times feel this way as well. And the fact that God can see all things – past, present and future – doesn’t eliminate the possibility that a negative outcome won’t upset Him. We have lots of instances when we may know something can backfire, or not go as we would like it, – yet when it happens we still feel disappointed. Why can’t we allow God that same privilege?
The trouble with the plans of Elohim outlined above, however, is that one man – ONE man – catches the eye and heart of Elohim, and it is at this precise moment that the “Adonai”, the “yud-heh-vav-heh”, the God of Mercy takes His place, front and centre, and we read at the end of the Maftir: “But Noach found grace in the eyes of HASHEM”.
Noach was the tenth generation after creation (including Adam). The evil mentioned above, according to the Talmud, began to take hold following Seth’s birth and came to fruition during the lifespan of Enosh. According to the teachings of Zohar, the evil began with immorality and idolatry, sins committed covertly before God. Following this, robbery began to run rampant, a sin which was obvious to all. Finally, Zohar explains, the whole earth was corrupted, that is to say that the sins of man had ‘infected’ all of creation. Such is the nature of sin, of course – it begins in private, but as the habit continues, we lose our shame and immorality becomes the accepted ‘norm’ until we blatantly sin even before God. We have already noted above how great it had become by the time of Noach and we have seen the response of Elohim. But something stopped him from completely destroying everything and ‘starting over’.
The use of the Name “HASHEM” is key to our understanding what goes on in the heart of God. The Name Elohim is used when describing God’s response to the evil of humanity. Suddenly, when speaking of Noach, however, the Name changes to "yud-heh-vav-heh" , or HaShem / Adonai – the Name of God associated with Mercy. Once again, we see that Elohim may look at the overall picture - here that of all humanity and creation together - and resolve to have justice, but when God is confronted with the righteousness of even one solitary figure, mercy trumps justice.
How do we know this is the case? That is an easy question to answer. Besides the use of the Names changing, indicating the overwhelming desire of God to show mercy, there are at least two strong indicators. Note that it is only Noach who has caught the attention of the Lord. Yet, when the time comes, Mrs. Noach (Na’amah [see Genesis 4:22]), Shem, Ham and Japheth, (Noach’s 3 sons), along with their wives, (8 people in all) were saved, even though they did not strike God as being particularly righteous. (This is mercy, “getting what you do not deserve”).
As final attestation to God’s mercy, look at the task which Adonai gives to Noach. He is to build an ARK, a large, ‘sea-going’ vessel. It will not be easy to hide from his neighbours. When Jethro Gibbs (NCIS) creates a boat, it is generally done in his basement. It is a secret project, more or less. Noach’s ARK was no secret. 450 feet (150 yd. long) [a Canadian football field is only 110 yards, goal to goal]; by 75 feet wide, (more than the frontage of a good sized city property) by 3 stories (45 ft) in height, with a ‘low-rise’ gabled roof. The neighbours would definitely notice such an edifice. And they would ask Noach, “Hey, neighbour; whatcha buildin’?”
Forget the ARK itself. What about the animals? I live in a small town where such a sight would make the front page – in fact a did a few weeks back when some domesticated Llamas from a near by farm ‘escaped’ and wandered up County Road 1. Even so, I suspect that even a mega-city – Toronto, Montreal, New York, Paris, etc. would be curious about pairs and groups of every living type of animal that existed (with the possible exception of the unicorn of course) that were sighted wandering, in order, up the main street of town. This was the case in Noach’s ‘village’. A pair of every unclean animal, seven pairs of what would become known as clean (kosher) animals come parading up the street, with no leader in sight, and suddenly turn into Noach’s farmyard and board the ARK. This would not go unheeded. Even strangers would have gotten caught up in the spectacle, followed along and eventually confronted the “zoo-keeper”: “Hey Pal, what’s happening?”
And that’s the whole point! God wanted them to ask! “Almighty God, the Father of Our Lord [Y’shua haMeshiach], desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness, and live…” (BCP pg 5) The mercy of God, the Grace of God for us, is that Adonai will give every possible opportunity to us so that we might turn (or re-turn) to Him and receive His Mercy, and live. If Noach was asked these questions, he could have told them “Well, seems that Elohim is concerned about the state of mankind, and so He’s going to make it rain and completely obliterate all life on earth.” In response to which, the people could have repented and been saved.
Elohim could have saved Noach from drowning any way he chose – even simply by perching him on a mountain top and stopping the flood waters short of the crest, but He didn’t. God could have snatched him up along with the animals, and placed them all in a coma in space while He performed His cleansing action, but He didn’t. He had him build a boat, and He filled it with the animals, so that humanity would happen by his property, ask that all important question, be transformed through salvation, and be welcomed on board. Except that every man, woman and child that came up to Noach made the decision to remain amidst the sin. Hear what the commentary in the SEASC says: “But instead of seizing the opportunity, Noach’s contemporaries scoffed at him. (Rashi)”
So, once again we see that God is a God of Justice and a God of Mercy. His need for Justice according to the plan of creation is tempered by God’s desire to show Mercy. However, and this is a major point, this will not always hold. There will come a time when the Mercy of God will be tempered by His sense of Justice.
We know of the end-time scenario. A few decades ago, the concept was made popular (that is, it was the talk on several lips around the world) by the “Left Behind” series of Novels. This fall, Hollywood is circulating a remake of the movie of the initial book of the series starring Nicolas Cage. The books and the movie deal with the Rapture (Greek: harpadzo; meaning “to seize upon by force, or to snatch up” ) and the seven year period of Tribulation reported by Sha’ul in his letter to the believers in Thessalonika: “When we say this, we base it on the Lord’s own word: we who remain alive when the Lord comes will certainly not take precedence over those who have died. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with God’s Shofar; those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise; then we who are left still alive will be “caught up” with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” and by Jochanan in several places in His account of the Revelation given him by God. But there are Older Covenant indications as well. From Deuteronomy, Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah[ii] and many other prophetic statements which point to a pair of periods of 1260 days, or 42 months or 3.5 years each, scholars deduce that the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation will be a last chance opportunity for mankind to make peace with God before it is too late.
A seven year period, provided for man to make peace with God. Once again the number seven plays into our lives. It began with the days of creation, (six days of labour with one day of rest). The astute reader may have noticed something about Noach’s situation.. 7 pairs of ‘clean’ animals are taken on board, and in a most precise manner in Chapter seven, verse four, God establishes His timetable: “in seven days time, I will send rain upon the earth, forty days and forty nights….” IF you think that this is a coincidence (7 days final warning about the flood, and 7 years warning before the final devastation of the earth), I suggest you might want to re-think your stand. I personally do not believe that anything God says or does or promises has anything to do with ‘co-incidence’. I know God to be trustworthy. He is faithful and just and when He states 7 days hence, or 7 years hence – I know by faith it will come about.
God may be a God of Mercy, but He is also a God of Justice, and when the time is up, it is up and the door will be closed…and like the restaurant sign puts it: "No Shirt, No Shoes – No Service!"
Shavua Tov!! - Have a Great Week!!
= = = =============================================== = = =
EndNotes
[i] The passage of time of 1056 years is based on a chart found in the Stone Edition Art Scroll Chumash, (SEASC) page 53. It indicates this as the birth of Noach and the beginning of a new era in the history of mankind.
[ii] Read over Deuteronomy 4:30-31; Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 12:1 and Isaiah 13:6-13 to see evidence of the 1260 day count of the Tribulation. Read also: Daniel 7:25 and 12:7; Revelation 11:2 and 3; or 12:6 or 13:5 regarding the Great Tribulation itself. See also Y’shua’s comments on it in Matthew 24:21.
Sources Include:
Stern, Rabbi David; The Complete Jewish Bible, Jewish New Testament Publications Inc, Clarksville, Maryland. 1998
Scherman, Rabbi Nosson et al, The Art Scroll Stone Edition Chumash, Mesorah Publications ltd Brooklyn NY, 2008
Zodhiates, Spiros, The Hebrew Greek Key Word Study Bible (The New American Standard Version) AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN 1990
Photo available through www.noah's Ark Images.
[NOTE: Before reading this week’s reflection, if you have not read the reflection from last week entitled “God of Justice – God of Mercy”, I urge you to do so before continuing, as this week’s writings will build on the theme of last week’s work. You can find it in the Archive section of the Website, or simply by clicking HERE.]
This week’s reflection on Parsha Noach begins back in the Maftir of last week’s reading. The “Maftir”, which translates literally as “Dismisser”, is simply the last few words of the seventh segment (or Aliyah) or last section of the Parsha – the “Ending Words” we might say. When a reader is called to read the Haftarah in a synagogue service, he (or she - if it is in a conservative or reform synagogue) will first read the Maftir then continue with the Haftarah passage. The Haftarah includes the many passages from the writings of the prophets which are read in the Synagogue. The particular passage is related to, or connected to, the Torah passage by providing application or further insights which are provided in the prophetic writings. To put it in a way which is understandable – the Maftir works in a manner to remind the reader / listener of what the final thoughts of the passage were before continuing the new reading. In a similar fashion, when we watched the old serial westerns, or when we watch Television dramas today, they often begin with a review: “Previously in our programme….”. It refreshes our memory, in other words.
For today’s reflection, however, I go back to the Maftir – not just because it reminds us of last week’s parsha reading – but because it gives us some insight into what has happened over the past 1056 years since Elohim created the earth and the heavens.[i] The passage states clearly that, at least as far as mankind was concerned, everything had gone awry. It reads: “Adonai saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only. Adonai regretted that He had made humankind on the earth; it grieved His heart. Adonai said, “I will wipe out humankind, whom I have created, from the whole earth; and not only human beings, but animals, creeping things and birds in the air; for I regret that I ever made them…”
The presence of evil in our world is very real. Just as real is the presence of evil in the hearts of mankind. We are, simply put, unable to be good, to produce absolute purity, on our own. Since the Fall of Man as initiated by Adam and Havah in the Garden, we humans have been under the burden of sin and sinfulness and, in a myriad of cases, it (sin) governs how we interact with God’s creation. By the time of Noach, this reality of sin had, for the most part, clearly taken over. What must a world look like that is so ruled under the horror, the terror, of pure and unadulterated evil? The one thing that occurs to me is that mankind would not even know the difference between good and evil. I remember from my days in undergrad university psychology – that the term for this is not IM-moral but actually A-moral. Immoral deals with knowing right from wrong but doing wrong anyway. [The world of today is filled with thousands of people who daily live this way – from rulers and governors, big business tycoons, all the way to those living on the street.] Amoral, on the other hand is the condition of not being able to distinguish right from wrong in any way. Our prisons are filled with many people who live this way. In an amoral world, Bad and Good flow together and intermingle because there is no distinct difference in the mind of the perpetrator. [This, by the way, could possibly describe the beginning times of life. Genesis 1 relates that “darkness was over the surface of the deep”. Scholars have indicated that (far beyond our imaginative powers) the light and dark intermingled (just as good and evil does in Noach’s time), and until Elohim separated the light from the darkness, they were virtually indistinguishable. Once the two were separated, however, Elohim saw the Light and knew that it was Good, thus fulfilling the work of the first day of creation]. In other words, what Elohim sees, when He gazes upon humankind’s activity and thought processes, in the year 1056 from creation, is that mankind – you and me, at least in terms of our ancestors – was right back in the pre-creation condition of darkness.
In the Book of Psalms (14:2,3) we read: “Adonai has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.” In his letter to the believers at Rome, Sha’ul echoes this sentiment, quoting this psalm and other passages to back up his argument: “What then?” he writes, “If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, … But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous is He?... May it never be! For otherwise how will God judge the World?”... and finally Sha'ul ends his argument with this claim. “There is No fear of God before their eyes.” Such was the condition upon which God rested His eyes in 1056 Post Creation.
So what does Elohim decide to do? Note here, that I am intentionally using the Name of God introduced to us last week, in Genesis 1 – “Elohim”, the “God of Justice”, sitting at His immense drafting table, decides that He will simply ball up the blueprints and everything that goes with them, crumple them up in a ball and toss them into the garbage.
Is it possible that God could be so despondent? IF God is all seeing, all knowing, then He must have understood that this was a possible outcome, No? Of course! However, first of all, I know that we are created in the image of God, with all that that entails; and I know that we can become (sometimes overwhelmingly) despondent with the intricacies of life,… therefore it stands to reason that God must at least at times feel this way as well. And the fact that God can see all things – past, present and future – doesn’t eliminate the possibility that a negative outcome won’t upset Him. We have lots of instances when we may know something can backfire, or not go as we would like it, – yet when it happens we still feel disappointed. Why can’t we allow God that same privilege?
The trouble with the plans of Elohim outlined above, however, is that one man – ONE man – catches the eye and heart of Elohim, and it is at this precise moment that the “Adonai”, the “yud-heh-vav-heh”, the God of Mercy takes His place, front and centre, and we read at the end of the Maftir: “But Noach found grace in the eyes of HASHEM”.
Noach was the tenth generation after creation (including Adam). The evil mentioned above, according to the Talmud, began to take hold following Seth’s birth and came to fruition during the lifespan of Enosh. According to the teachings of Zohar, the evil began with immorality and idolatry, sins committed covertly before God. Following this, robbery began to run rampant, a sin which was obvious to all. Finally, Zohar explains, the whole earth was corrupted, that is to say that the sins of man had ‘infected’ all of creation. Such is the nature of sin, of course – it begins in private, but as the habit continues, we lose our shame and immorality becomes the accepted ‘norm’ until we blatantly sin even before God. We have already noted above how great it had become by the time of Noach and we have seen the response of Elohim. But something stopped him from completely destroying everything and ‘starting over’.
The use of the Name “HASHEM” is key to our understanding what goes on in the heart of God. The Name Elohim is used when describing God’s response to the evil of humanity. Suddenly, when speaking of Noach, however, the Name changes to "yud-heh-vav-heh" , or HaShem / Adonai – the Name of God associated with Mercy. Once again, we see that Elohim may look at the overall picture - here that of all humanity and creation together - and resolve to have justice, but when God is confronted with the righteousness of even one solitary figure, mercy trumps justice.
How do we know this is the case? That is an easy question to answer. Besides the use of the Names changing, indicating the overwhelming desire of God to show mercy, there are at least two strong indicators. Note that it is only Noach who has caught the attention of the Lord. Yet, when the time comes, Mrs. Noach (Na’amah [see Genesis 4:22]), Shem, Ham and Japheth, (Noach’s 3 sons), along with their wives, (8 people in all) were saved, even though they did not strike God as being particularly righteous. (This is mercy, “getting what you do not deserve”).
As final attestation to God’s mercy, look at the task which Adonai gives to Noach. He is to build an ARK, a large, ‘sea-going’ vessel. It will not be easy to hide from his neighbours. When Jethro Gibbs (NCIS) creates a boat, it is generally done in his basement. It is a secret project, more or less. Noach’s ARK was no secret. 450 feet (150 yd. long) [a Canadian football field is only 110 yards, goal to goal]; by 75 feet wide, (more than the frontage of a good sized city property) by 3 stories (45 ft) in height, with a ‘low-rise’ gabled roof. The neighbours would definitely notice such an edifice. And they would ask Noach, “Hey, neighbour; whatcha buildin’?”
Forget the ARK itself. What about the animals? I live in a small town where such a sight would make the front page – in fact a did a few weeks back when some domesticated Llamas from a near by farm ‘escaped’ and wandered up County Road 1. Even so, I suspect that even a mega-city – Toronto, Montreal, New York, Paris, etc. would be curious about pairs and groups of every living type of animal that existed (with the possible exception of the unicorn of course) that were sighted wandering, in order, up the main street of town. This was the case in Noach’s ‘village’. A pair of every unclean animal, seven pairs of what would become known as clean (kosher) animals come parading up the street, with no leader in sight, and suddenly turn into Noach’s farmyard and board the ARK. This would not go unheeded. Even strangers would have gotten caught up in the spectacle, followed along and eventually confronted the “zoo-keeper”: “Hey Pal, what’s happening?”
And that’s the whole point! God wanted them to ask! “Almighty God, the Father of Our Lord [Y’shua haMeshiach], desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness, and live…” (BCP pg 5) The mercy of God, the Grace of God for us, is that Adonai will give every possible opportunity to us so that we might turn (or re-turn) to Him and receive His Mercy, and live. If Noach was asked these questions, he could have told them “Well, seems that Elohim is concerned about the state of mankind, and so He’s going to make it rain and completely obliterate all life on earth.” In response to which, the people could have repented and been saved.
Elohim could have saved Noach from drowning any way he chose – even simply by perching him on a mountain top and stopping the flood waters short of the crest, but He didn’t. God could have snatched him up along with the animals, and placed them all in a coma in space while He performed His cleansing action, but He didn’t. He had him build a boat, and He filled it with the animals, so that humanity would happen by his property, ask that all important question, be transformed through salvation, and be welcomed on board. Except that every man, woman and child that came up to Noach made the decision to remain amidst the sin. Hear what the commentary in the SEASC says: “But instead of seizing the opportunity, Noach’s contemporaries scoffed at him. (Rashi)”
So, once again we see that God is a God of Justice and a God of Mercy. His need for Justice according to the plan of creation is tempered by God’s desire to show Mercy. However, and this is a major point, this will not always hold. There will come a time when the Mercy of God will be tempered by His sense of Justice.
We know of the end-time scenario. A few decades ago, the concept was made popular (that is, it was the talk on several lips around the world) by the “Left Behind” series of Novels. This fall, Hollywood is circulating a remake of the movie of the initial book of the series starring Nicolas Cage. The books and the movie deal with the Rapture (Greek: harpadzo; meaning “to seize upon by force, or to snatch up” ) and the seven year period of Tribulation reported by Sha’ul in his letter to the believers in Thessalonika: “When we say this, we base it on the Lord’s own word: we who remain alive when the Lord comes will certainly not take precedence over those who have died. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with God’s Shofar; those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise; then we who are left still alive will be “caught up” with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” and by Jochanan in several places in His account of the Revelation given him by God. But there are Older Covenant indications as well. From Deuteronomy, Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah[ii] and many other prophetic statements which point to a pair of periods of 1260 days, or 42 months or 3.5 years each, scholars deduce that the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation will be a last chance opportunity for mankind to make peace with God before it is too late.
A seven year period, provided for man to make peace with God. Once again the number seven plays into our lives. It began with the days of creation, (six days of labour with one day of rest). The astute reader may have noticed something about Noach’s situation.. 7 pairs of ‘clean’ animals are taken on board, and in a most precise manner in Chapter seven, verse four, God establishes His timetable: “in seven days time, I will send rain upon the earth, forty days and forty nights….” IF you think that this is a coincidence (7 days final warning about the flood, and 7 years warning before the final devastation of the earth), I suggest you might want to re-think your stand. I personally do not believe that anything God says or does or promises has anything to do with ‘co-incidence’. I know God to be trustworthy. He is faithful and just and when He states 7 days hence, or 7 years hence – I know by faith it will come about.
God may be a God of Mercy, but He is also a God of Justice, and when the time is up, it is up and the door will be closed…and like the restaurant sign puts it: "No Shirt, No Shoes – No Service!"
Shavua Tov!! - Have a Great Week!!
= = = =============================================== = = =
EndNotes
[i] The passage of time of 1056 years is based on a chart found in the Stone Edition Art Scroll Chumash, (SEASC) page 53. It indicates this as the birth of Noach and the beginning of a new era in the history of mankind.
[ii] Read over Deuteronomy 4:30-31; Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 12:1 and Isaiah 13:6-13 to see evidence of the 1260 day count of the Tribulation. Read also: Daniel 7:25 and 12:7; Revelation 11:2 and 3; or 12:6 or 13:5 regarding the Great Tribulation itself. See also Y’shua’s comments on it in Matthew 24:21.
Sources Include:
Stern, Rabbi David; The Complete Jewish Bible, Jewish New Testament Publications Inc, Clarksville, Maryland. 1998
Scherman, Rabbi Nosson et al, The Art Scroll Stone Edition Chumash, Mesorah Publications ltd Brooklyn NY, 2008
Zodhiates, Spiros, The Hebrew Greek Key Word Study Bible (The New American Standard Version) AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN 1990
Photo available through www.noah's Ark Images.
