When you look at all these items of Israel’s Tabernacle that are recorded in the Torah reading תְּרוּמָה Terumah (“contribution,” Exodus 25:1–27:19), God is giving us a picture in words what Moses saw in Heaven. I’m sure that words fail to describe how much beauty Moses saw in vision in heaven.

In this study

Why did God need a house? What’s the purpose for the Tabernacle?Temples of the Holy Spirit

The King James Version calls the “kapporet” on top of the Ark of the Covenant a “mercy seat,” but this imagery could be misleading. This container is not a chair for God to seat Himself upon. God is spirit, and when He would appear in the Tabernacle, He would appear in a cloud and in light. When you hear the word “kippur” your mind should immediately think of Yom Kippur, the day in which our transgressions and iniquities are covered. 

The KJV translators were not foolish. They understood what Yom Kippur was, but the reason they called the kippur of the ark the “mercy seat” is they wanted the readers to understand that the kapporet is where mercy from HaShem was dispensed. This particular cover had a special function, and by calling it a “mercy seat” the translators were doing their best to convey that in English. 

Why did God need a house? 

There have been many books written about the construction plans for the tabernacle. I can’t even begin to have the time to read and relay all the Jewish and Christian commentaries about what these different items represented and their physical and spiritual meaning. 

All of us had to learn how to follow God. The children of Israel were blessed beyond measure that they had God Himself following them around in the cloud by day and the fire by night. He was already amongst them. God was on the mountain and they were camped surrounding the mountain. Why did God want or need a tabernacle? 

We don’t have a temple today. We have churches, but we don’t have a physical temple. If God is able to dwell with us now without a temple, why couldn’t He have done so back then? 

There is an inherent problem with God dwelling with people since He is Holy and human beings are not. 

Why did God want to live in someplace that can be seen? One thing to think about is that people who engage in idolatry do not literally worship the idol. The physical idol is simply something that has been made to help them focus their attention and prayers from that prototype towards the “god” represented by that idol. The idol is still an object that you are putting in front of God. Idols are also made from things that we consider valuable, such as gold, silver, copper, etc. 

God wants us to bring our cares to us directly. He loves us and doesn’t need middle men to hear and answer our prayers. 

Our churches and synagogues are meeting places so we can worship God and come together to learn about God. Some are more beautiful than others. We can learn about God in a beautiful building, or we can learn about God in a plain utilitarian building. A church or synagogue with no people meeting to worship God is just a building. The holiness that the building had is gone when no one comes there. 

In this study

Situational ethics only work when the founding principles are soundA thorny Bible issue: SlaveryHeart of the matter on servitudeTorah’s poison pill for slavery reaps its due of wicked hearts (Jeremiah 34:8-22)Philemon: Prime cuts of TorahThe Master came as the LORD’s Servant

The Torah portion מִּשְׁפָּטִים Mishpatim (Exodus 21–24) contains the “Book of the Covenant” (Ex. 24:7), which runs from Exodus 21–23. God’s directions are often referred to as מִצְוֹתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וְחֻקֹּתָיו mitsvateiv umishpateiv v’khuqoteiv (Deut. 8:11, “His commands, His statutes and His ordinances”).

The word משפט mishpat can be understood to mean judgment, decision or case. Here are key examples the Bible of mishpat:

* Moshe (Moses) settled the משפט mishpat — case — on Zelophehad’s daughters’ inheritance (Num. 27:5).* Yehoshua (Joshua) took over משפט before Eleazar the priest and Urim from Moshe (Num 27:21).* Shlomo (Solomon) builds a אוּלָם הַמִּשְׁפָּט ulam ha-mishpat (hall of justice), i.e., a courthouse. We have also halls of justice in our country, which are set up to communicate fairness, continuity, impartiality and wisdom. * Psalm 119 uses משפט in 22 places together with תורה torah. This could point to decisions that come from God also being as weighty and instructive as His commands and instructions.

Situational ethics only work when the founding principles are sound

Just as it was then, it is true today that it requires wisdom to put the Torah and the mishpat into practice in our daily lives. 

The mishpatim (משפטים) are first situational, but principles underlie them. So, we must be careful in the Torah to determine what is for a given situation or for all situations. 

Even today, it’s important to figure out whether a higher court’s ruling is “narrow,” only for a given case or specific situations, or “broad,” creating precedent for application of legal principle to other cases.

We see this with the writings of the apostle Paul as well. There are issues that he addresses that apply on a very narrow basis, but other issues he address that establish a precedent that should be followed by all communities that acknowledge Yeshua as Messiah. 

Case law is wise situational application of principles: “If [insert bad situation], then do this.” That’s different from, “I want you to [insert bad situation].”

But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching. 1Timothy 1:8-10 NASB

There are some in the body of Messiah who say that all of the Torah has been thrown out and are totally irrelevant to believers in Messiah. But fortunately, there are also many believers who understand that without the Torah,

In this study

‘Where I put My Name’: Worshipping in Spirit and in truthA father-in-law’s duty: Boss or counselor?Why Amalek was so badSpirit of Moshe, Spirit of Messiah (Exodus 18)Spirit of discernmentDiscernment vs. judgmentWhat is the pearl of great price?Discernment and judgment are gifts from GodWhat does it mean to judge impartially?The Torah: God’s owner’s manualShopping for a good judgeGod’s patience is bountiful but not limitlessBetter to be punished sooner rather than laterGod’s holiness (Exodus 19; Revelation 21)

The Torah is our instruction by HaShem of how to follow Moses’ instruction to choose life, rather than choosing death. It is our instruction manual on how to live righteously while on earth. God also clearly tells Moses that he is to make duplicates of what he was shown that was in heaven. In other words, God is not asking us to be something that He is not or asking us to do something that He will not do Himself.

‘Where I put My Name’: Worshipping in Spirit and in truth

Most of us have celebrated God’s holy festivals and we have celebrated them in many places all over the US and even at sights internationally. It is our tradition at Hallel Fellowship that (if possible) we will rent a place to meet together for all of God’s festivals but particularly during the pilgrimage festivals of Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkot (Tabernacles/Booths).

We as a fellowship trust and have faith that wherever God’s people are gathered together, in His Name, He is there.

However, by the strict letter of scripture, the last place that God specifically placed His name was at the Temple in Jerusalem, which has long since been deserted and destroyed. Over the past 2,000 years, there have been some who have tried to restore the Temple in Jerusalem, but God has made sure that could not happen through various supernatural events.

For example, shortly after Titus destroyed the Temple, some tried to rebuild it but God sent an earthquake and that effort was halted. God prevented any opportunity to rebuild where he wants placed his name.

Yeshua (Jesus) told the Samaritan woman (known by tradition as St. Photini):

“Jesus *said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:21–24 NASB

At Hallel Fellowship, we know when the appointed times are, and we have decided to meet with each other and with God at those times, because we know that as long as we’re meetin...

In this study

‘These things happened as examples for us’ (1Corinthians 10:1–13)‘Is the LORD with us or not?’ (Exodus 17:1–7)

In the Torah reading בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach (“when he sent,” Ex. 13:17–17:16), descendants of Israel have escaped Egypt, and they were on their way to a new land — as a new nation. God was calling on them to leave everything about Egypt in Egypt and become His “peculiar” people. They were to look to the example of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Yosef as examples of how to follow God’s instructions wholeheartedly.

The question we have to ask ourselves is, have we learned from our ancestors successes and mistakes regarding the walk with HaShem?When you are adopted or grafted into God’s people, their ancestors become your ancestors, just as when people leave their home countries and take the oath to become American citizens, our Founding Fathers, such as Washington, Jefferson, Madison, etc.,  become their Founding Fathers, too. 

The question that immigrants have to ask themselves is whether are they really grafting themselves in to their adopted nation or not. When we read about the children of Israel who left in the Exodus, it seems their hearts never left Egypt, which caused them a lot of difficulty because God refused to allow the generation whose bodies left Egypt but their hearts still remained there. 

We should desire to be free of our former life, not take it with us. When Paul tells us that our “old self” is dead after we become part of God’s people (Rom. 6:4–7; Eph. 4:20–24; Col. 3:6–11), we should believe that and walk in it. We should not allow the old way of life to have a foothold in us or allow it to pursue us. The “old man” died in the sea of baptism. 

The LORD delivers us and then we meet God at the mountain, learn who God really is and then travel with Him towards the Promised Land. But we have to trust the One who took us out, feed us our daily bread, gave us water and washed us clean, brought us to the mountain and walks with us.

“You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.” Exodus 15:17 NASB

A similar phrase is also quoted in ancient Canaanite literature, and it could explain more about why the inhabitants of Jericho were afraid of Israel four decades after the sea crossing (Josh. 2:8–11). See more on this in this study.

‘These things happened as examples for us’ (1Corinthians 10:1–13)

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” 1Corinthians 10:12–13 NASB

This chapter is part of a discussion in chapters 8–10 on divisions in the congregation of Corinth:

* In 1Corinthians 8, Paul introduces the issue of food sacrificed to idols and that those who know the truth about idols have to work patiently with those who don’t yet.* In 1Corinthians 9,

The God that spoke to the Pharaoh of Joseph was the same God Who spoke to the Pharaoh of Moses, who we meet in the Torah reading וארא Va’era (“I appeared,” Exodus 6:2–9:35). God does not change or grow, but He expects us to grow and change for the better. When we do, He is pleased. When we don’t, He is not pleased. 

God showed great favor to the “Pharaoh who knew Joseph” because this Pharaoh accepted the warnings given to him by God and by Joseph. He and his people were blessed because of his humility and wisdom. 

On the other hand, the “Pharaoh who did not know Joseph” had no excuse to forget the lessons of his predecessor. The Pharaoh who Moses confronts showed a pattern of arrogance and hardheartedness for many years before Moses came along. Pharaoh could have relented and truly repented, but he did not. So he (and his people) suffered because of his arrogance and selfishness.

Similarly, the chief priests wouldn’t relent from their jealousy against Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ), yet Paul turned did turn away from his equally zealous persecution of believers.

In this study

Did God forget about His people’s suffering?Who hardened whose heart?Messiah Yeshua is accused of working miracles via demonsApostle Paul and Pharaoh of Moshe: Lessons in humilityGod of plagues or God of the ‘small voice’?

The way that God revealed Himself to Abraham, Issac and Jacob is not the same way He revealed Himself to Moses and Aharon, as recorded in the Torah reading וארא Va’era (“I appeared,” Exodus 6:2–9:35). God gave Moses and the children of Israel the laws of Torah, but He did not give the entire Torah to the patriarchs. God did not put upon the patriarchs the same duties and obligations that He placed on Moses, Aharon and the children of Israel in that generation.

The way that God revealed Himself to Pharoah through Moses was also not the same way that He had revealed Himself to the Pharaoh “who knew Joseph.” 

This is what happens when people grow up. The more they grow, the more they learn and the more that is expected of them.

God chose Abraham because he was intuitively righteous, as he was only a few generation away from Noah, but after 400 years in Egypt, the children of Israel were further away from the righteous history of Noah and the Patriarchs. God had to give them a lot of instruction that He didn’t need to give the Patriarchs.

Did God forget about His people’s suffering?

“Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.”Exodus 6:5 NASB

God is not a man, that He forgets. When it says that God “remembered” the covenant, this simply means that God sees that the time is ripe for Him to fulfill His Promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and liberate the children of Israel from Egypt. God only needs a few faithful people to accomplish a great feat in history.

“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”Deuteronomy 31:6 NASB

In this study

God is our witness (Exodus 3–4)‘Sign for you that it was I Who sent you’Staff becomes a snake then a staff againLeprous handWater turned to blood‘His name will be Immanuel’ (Isaiah 7–12)Impending Assyrian invasion (Isaiah 8:1–18)‘To us a child is born’ (Isaiah 8:19–9:7)Mercy of the remnantBranch of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1–12:6)

God is our witness (Exodus 3–4)

The LORD remembers His people and walks with them in their suffering. He promised to be with His people through their suffering. God’s memory goes far beyond our own. When we put up a statute, pillar or memorial to a particular historical event or historical figure, those are set up so that the memory of the event or the person goes on after their death and that future generations will remember that event.

‘Sign for you that it was I Who sent you’

“And He said, “For I will be with you, and this is the sign for you that it was I Who sent you. When you take the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” And Moses said to God, “Behold I come to the children of Israel, and I say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “Ehyeh asher ehyeh [I will be what I will be],” and He said, “So shall you say to the children of Israel, ‘Ehyeh [I will be] has sent me to you.'” Exodus 3:12-14, The Judaica Press Translation

In Exodus 4, Moshe (Moses) was given three signs to show the leaders of Israel. Some commentators see parallels between Israel’s suffering in Mitzraim (Egypt) and deliverance and those signs.1

Staff becomes a snake then a staff again

The Hebrew word for staff מַטֶּה matteh (H4294) can also mean tribe.2 When Moshe throws the staff down to the ground, it turns into a snake, and that could represent when Yosef (Joseph) and Ya’akov (Jacob) led sons of Israel into Egypt. The nation became something detestable and scorned in Mitzraim.

When Moshe grabs the snakes tail and it becomes a staff again, that could represent the Exodus, when the people of Israel became their own nation again. The plagues and the destruction of the army of Mitzraim in the sea underscored that the people of scorn had become a people with power.

Leprous hand

What’s translated as “leprosy” in the Bible was not just a physical condition but also a spiritual malady. A key example is Miriam’s affliction as a מְצֹרַעַת metzor’at (leper). As punishment for her slander against her younger brother Moshe, she is described as being dead, like a still-born child (Num. 12:10–12).

The descendants of Israel were spiritually dead while ...

For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel…. Romans 9:6 NASB

In this study

Was Yosef’s oath to bury his father in Canaan evil?Ya’akov’s final blessings for the 12 sons/tribes of Israel (Genesis 49)Reuben’s blessingShimon’s and Levi’s blessingYehudah’s blessingZebulun’s blessingIssachar’s blessingDan’s blessingGad’s blessingAsher’s blessingNaphtali’s blessingYosef’s blessingBenyamin’s blessingKing David’s parting words for Solomon (1Kings 2:1–12)Messiah’s parting words to His closest students (John 13–17)

Was Yosef’s oath to bury his father in Canaan evil?

“Now the days for Israel to die drew near, and he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor before you, put your hand under my thigh, and you shall bring about mercy and truth for me so as not to bury me in Egypt, but I will lie down with my fathers, and you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do according to your word.” Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. And Israel did obeisance upon the top of his staff.” Genesis 47:29–31 New English Translation of the Septuagint

Why did Ya’akov (Jacob) make Yosef (Joseph) swear an oath to bury him in Caanan when Yeshua has taught us that our “yes” should be “yes” and our “no” should be “no” (Matt. 5:33–37; James 5:12)? Ya’akov understood after 17 years living in Egypt that the Egyptians considered themselves racially superior to all other people and their land superior to all other lands. They could not fathom why someone would want to be buried in Canaan, which they considered a loathsome land and the people who lived there as loathsome people. 

When the days of mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak to Pharaoh, saying, ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me. Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.” ’ ” Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.” Genesis 50:4–6 NASB

By Ya’akov’s making Yosef swear an oath to him to bury him in Canaan, he knew that Yosef would be able to appeal to Pharaoh to accept Ya’akov’s last request. 

Ya’akov’s final blessings for the 12 sons/tribes of Israel (Genesis 49)

After Yosef swore to bury him in Canaan, Ya’akov gave his final prophesies and bequests to his sons. He speaks of them in the order of their birth.

Reuben’s blessing

“Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and the beginning of my strength, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

In this study

‘You shall not enter My rest’Where do blessing and knowledge truly come from?Similarities between the spies of Mitzraim and Canaan to Yeshua’s ‘spies’ to the Lost Sheep of Israel

Yosef appeared to have prophetically but deceptively accused his brothers of spying on Mitzraim1 in the Torah reading ויגש Vayigash (“he approached,” Genesis 44:18–47:27). But in a sense, they were infiltrating the land as part of the Genesis 15 prophecy given to Abraham that his descendants would go down to Mitzraim and be delivered from it over four centuries.

In Joshua 14:5–16, a secondary haftarah (parallel reading) to Vayigash, Kalev (Caleb) at age 85 recalls his being the delegate for the tribe of Yehudah (Judah) to spy out Canaan (Numbers 13) at age 40. Of the 12 delegates from Israel, only Kalev ben Yefunah and Yehoshua (Joshua) ben Nun reported that entering the Promised Land would be possible by Heaven’s help (Numbers 14).

‘You shall not enter My rest’

Because of the rejection of those who sided with the 10 other delegate-spies, Israel proper would have to be “born again” with the second generation for rejecting Heaven’s grace in entering His “rest,” i.e., the Land (Psalm 95; Hebrews 3–4).

The 12 spies, including Kalev (as a representative of Yehudah) and Yehoshua (as a representative of Ephraim), were sent out to spy the Land. Like the other 10 spy-delegates, they saw giants, large clusters of grapes and produce, big walls around cities. But those two trusted — had faith — God was with them, while the other 10 trusted in human will and might.

Four decades later, Yehoshua as Moshe’s successor sent two spies into the Land, particularly Yericho (Joshua 2). In God’s providence, the men went to the home of Rahab, who chose to trust the God of Israel over the gods of Canaan, and her family was saved from death when Israel entered the Land. 

Where do blessing and knowledge truly come from?

Back to the reading Vayigash, the Pharaoh had enough faith and common sense to understand that the reason his land was blessed was because of God’s calling on Yosef. 

At this point in history, Yosef was consolidating Egypt from several minor kingdoms into a united kingdom under the Pharaoh. And this Pharaoh granted Yosef leadership over all of Egypt. The Creator of Heaven and Earth is acting through superpowers such as Egypt and the Hittites to preserve Israel and his descendants. God gave this pharaoh enough faith in the Creator that he was willing to plan far in advance for the famine to come. 

In the mobilization leading up to the U.S. involvement in World War II, many people sacrificed to put their resources behind opposition to a common threat. So too, Pharaoh gave Yosef control over a famine-prevention campaign with similar life-and-death consequences. 

Caleb and Joshua as leaders of Yehudah and Ephraim were united in their faith in God, just as Ezekiel prophesied would happen again, as those tribes led the 10 to be reunited in and by Messiah’s hand (Ezek. 37:15-28). 

Similarities between the spies of Mitzraim and Canaan to Yeshua’s ‘spies’ to the Lost Sheep...

In this study

Why was Joseph toying with his brothers?Hidden Messiah, Leper MessiahLegacy of those who say ‘yes’ to HeavenSolomon’s splitting the baby & Judah’s sacrifice for his brothers

Their father Jacob said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.” Genesis 42:36 NASB

Why did Joseph consider Benjamin so important that he manipulated his brothers to bring Benjamin to Egypt and then to try to keep Benjamin in Egypt at the expense of his brothers? One reason may be to further fulfill the prophetic dreams that God had previously revealed to him when he was shown that all of his brothers would bow before him.

Medieval Jewish commentator Rashi pointed out about this part of the Torah reading מקץ Miketz (“from the end,” Gen. 41:1–44:17) that Jacob suspected his sons were complicit in Joseph’s death/disappearance. Jacob had some animosity and irritation towards his 10 sons, although he loved them. Benjamin, however, was unique. He was the son of Jacob’s beloved wife and was not in any way complicit on Joseph’s disappearance/death and all the love and affection that Jacob could no longer give to Joseph was doted upon Benjamin.

When Joseph gave Benjamin five times the provisions (Gen. 43:34), Joseph was testing his brothers. However, Joseph also gave the brothers, including Benjamin a lot of intoxicants and he was able to observe how they treated each other when they were under the influence of alcohol and their guard was down.

When a person is evenly mildly under the influence of alcohol, they tend to talk more freely about what they like, or what they don’t like. Joseph was trying to see if he could provoke the brothers to make snide comments, jokes or funny looks about the fact that the Viceroy of Egypt was favoring Benjamin over them.

Why was Joseph toying with his brothers?

Everything Joseph did was to provoke jealously and to make it easy for the brothers confess any disdain they may have towards Benjamin. They could discard him to save themselves if they hated Benjamin as much as they had hated Joseph when he was younger.

I’m sure that Benjamin, as Joseph’s full brother, looked, acted and talked enough like Joseph that living around him was a constant reminder of Joseph and if they held that against Benjamin, Joseph was willing to concoct a scenario to take Benjamin away from them forever. But the brothers did not respond that way at all. They never threw Benjamin under the bus. Instead, they blamed themselves and what they had done to Joseph for all the intrigue and drama that was happening to them in Egypt.

“Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”  1Corinthians 10:11 NASB

It’s important to understand how and why Joseph tested his brothers so harshly. These tests Joseph inflicted on his brothers were recorded for us, not only to use as a righteous example, but also for us to understand how the Messiah would act and how others would treat Him when He came ...

Just as there was one door to Noach’s ark and the salvation it offered from the waters of the flood, there is only one Door to salvation to save us from the eternal destruction of wickedness that will come at the final judgement.

Noach tried to warn his generation of the trouble that laid ahead for the earth, Yeshua (Jesus) did the same in His generation, and He has called each generation of His followers to warn their generation of the coming “time of trouble.”

As the proverb says, history may not repeat itself, but it rhymes. And studying the history of the world from the Torah1 is how we can know what will happen, even if we don’t understand exactly when these things will happen.

In this study

‘Enter the Ark’ (Gen. 7:1)Noach built a word?Days of Noach = Day of the Lord‘Good soil’ = swimming upstream

Genealogy has become a more popular hobby in these days, and people are even looking to DNA to help them find relatives that one can’t easily track from written records. The opening Bible passages of בְּרֵאשִׁית B’reisheet (“In the beginning,” Gen. 1:1–6:8) and נֹחַ Noach (Gen. 6:9–11:32) give us the testimony of the origins of the world, Abraham, the people of Israel and all the other peoples, nations, groups and languages on the earth. The Bible is really history and bears an authentic testimony about the intention and actions of the Creator in this world.

The story of Noach (Noah) explains why we have tall mountains, and deep oceans. From the Flood and its aftermath, we understand why animals fear humans and why people eat all manner of animals in the first place? We also see how humanity has declined from the time of Noach when people live to be over 900 years old to the time of Abraham when people lived on average less than 200 years. We see the breakdown of humanity’s perfection from long life to brief life.

Is the origin of life a tree (common ancestor) or an orchard (multiple lineages)? Genesis tells us that God created different kinds of creatures that are distinct from each other. This has become even more clear over the last 150 years since the days of Mendel and Pasteur, who taught us that life comes from life. People used to believe that rats sprang into existence from garbage and that flies sprang into existence from feces, but careful study of biology disproved the theory of abiogenesis.

Studies of DNA point to humanity’s coming from three female lines (called mitochondrial DNA) and one main male genetic line (called Y-DNA). The Bible gives us a better explanation of how the world works than evolution. In Noach, there is a mix between human action and the work of God. There is a lot of evidence of the Flood in the geology of the earth. The Bible has a better explanation for these physical phenomena than evolution.

The Bible also has a better explanation of why the world is so violent and why the people of the world speak so many different languages, yet these languages retain common linkages even after 5,000-plus years.

‘Enter the Ark’ (Gen. 7:1)