Get the Leaven Out!

Hebrew Chet "ח" = Letter of Life

As Passover approaches and the new year begins on God's calendar, I've been taking inventory of my heart, actions, and speech and looking for the "leaven" or those things which need to be purged before the day of observing our deliverance begins.

The practice of removing all Chametz (yeast, leaven, sourdough) from one's house is an ancient one. It is actually the source from which the practice of spring cleaning hails.

This year I caught myself thinking that since the ultimate practice is meant to examine our hearts and minds for sin, since Messiah came to illuminate all things in their fullness, perhaps the physical and symbolic practice wasn't necessary this year. After all, I have learned so much in the past two years, I have a much deeper understanding of the appointed times and purposes, maybe I should simply focus on the spiritual practice instead of clinging to the letter of the law. Nearly as soon as that thought crossed my mind, Yeshua: my Shepherd, my Redeemer, my Rabbi began to teach me a lesson.

"And this day shall become to you a remembrance. And you shall celebrate it as a festival to YHWH throughout your generations – celebrate it as a festival, an everlasting law. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. Indeed, on the first day, you cause leaven to cease from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that being shall be cut off from Israel. And on the first day is a set-apart gathering, and on the seventh day, you have a set-apart gathering. No work at all is done on them, only that which is eaten by every being, that alone is prepared by you. And you shall guard the Festival of Matzot (Unleavened Bread), for on this same day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. And you shall guard this day throughout your generations, an everlasting law. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month in the evening. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, that same being shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether sojourner or native of the land. Do not eat that which is leavened – in all your dwellings you are to eat unleavened bread. ” Exodus 12:14-20

My Yeshua, my Rabbi = My Salvation, My Teacher

I had already casually gone through my main pantry and removed the dehydrated starters, yeast packets, baking agents and breads the week prior. I placed them on the counter to ensure maximizing usage until the day of purging would come.

A few days later, my husband, who works full-time from home, and my children, who attend school full-time from home, were unexpectedly invited to 'Bring Your Kids to Work' Day, followed by a baseball game. I cannot recall the last time I have been alone in the house for more than 30 minutes.

Before the paradox of choice, or analysis paralysis could overtake me with this unexpected chunk of undisrupted time, I was instantly pulled to my knees in praise and prayer. A mixture of groanings and thanksgiving, of singing and weeping. He was there with me and calling me to pay attention.

Once I pulled myself up and started to tidy up, I noticed a few moths that had started to increase over the past few days, and the phrase "where moth and rust destroy" kept echoing in my mind. So I decided it was probably the best time to get into my cabinets and figured out the source of them, and really clean out the heart of my home.

As I began to pull out the contents from every corner, cabinet and recess of the kitchen it dawned on me that the kitchen is fondly referred to as the "heart of the home" for a reason, and that this ancient ritual continues to have great relevance and wisdom even when you consider terms like this being used today.

Lesson one: You thought you got it all !

Should it have come to anyone's surprise that the ver first object lesson was a quick and simple one? That although upon initial inspection I assumed I had addressed all of the leaven only to find that nearly double of the initial purge was still hiding in deep places and behind other objects that wasn't seen? Of course not! This little revelation caused an instant and out-loud laugh and I then understood this was going to be the start of a larger teaching. Of course we think we know what our sins are, that we are self-aware and totally in possession of the flaws and spaces we need further sanctification, maturity and refinement, but the truth is, blindness is just that, blindness. We cannot see our blindspots, it doesn't matter how introspective we think we are for "the heart is deceitful above all things". However our Master Rabbi has given us the mirror to inspect ourselves. We are made in the image of God, and our assignment is to reflect Him upon the earth. James the Just, the brother of Yeshua understood this concept and pointed us to the mirror in his letter:

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror— for once he looks at himself and goes away, he immediately forgets what sort of person he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect Torah, the Torah that gives freedom, and continues in it, not becoming a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts—he shall be blessed in what he does. James 1:23-25

In the wilderness God ordered the tabernacle to be made and walked through in an exact mirror to our process of sanctification.

• Only one entrance into the courtyard (faith in Messiah), separated by white linen (purity/righteousness) from the unclean world.

• Immediately cleansed by the blood of a sin or guilt offering (blood of atonement)

• Followed by a washing in the bronze laver (being baptized and made into a new creation) in order to continue to approach the Holy place.

How illuminating it was to find out that Burnished Bronze which both the Altar and the Wash Laver are made from, were Mirrors. A blend of bronze and tin, and the women of Israel gave up these mirrors for the construction of the tabernacle vessels.

We enter into this faith by trust and devotion to Yeshua, and through His Word, His Torah, we are shown the true reflection of our image. The image we see when we come to the mirrored altar of repentance should be very different than the image we see when we then look into the mirrored wash basin after burying that old dead leaven and washing it away. It should look less and less like our own image and more and more like His each time we bring what we find to the altar of repentance. This altar is also known as the altar of Grace & Mercy and it has always been, that part never changed, only the revelation of the true blood by which this altar reconciles us.

Lesson two: it's not always leaven

Inspired by the great revelation of the insane amount of unrecognized leavening agents, I was moved to look into cabinets and cupboards that would never contain leaven. Realizing that I probably have not scoured these cabinets since we moved in over four years ago, this was a timely venture. I was disgusted at the amount of expired goods I found in our baking aisle, and I am talking about way way past expiration dates!

Even though these items weren't technically "leaven" these represented old, unusable, unfruitful things long neglected or needing to be let go of that have no ability to nourish or create anything good. I thought about what things still occupy my attention, time, and resources that are not His things. How much of my identity is still anchored in the physical rather than the spiritual, and how much of that is taking up precious space inside of my heart and mind that could be used for more of Him to pour into me.

Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word! Psalm 119:37

Lesson three: Deception & Bad Doctrine

Leaven is described as the "Hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and also as The Kingdom of Heaven." So how do we reconcile this? Leaven is actually Doctrine, and Good or Bad - "A little leavens the whole lump!" Once I made my way to my 'health' cabinet the real horror began. Clutching the proverbial pearls the entire way through, I endured the hell that is meeting yourself from just five years ago while in there.

Supplements I now know are gimmicks, substitute ingredients that have now been proven just as unhealthy as the thing they were substituting, powdered replacements for real and true nourishment. My former life as a seeker in the flesh was the most cringe-worthy stop in this day of learning with my Maker.

But oh what clarity comes with conviction! The humbling reality of who we really are compared to Him. That we will never possess God, as we are but simple and blind in our current state and circumstance. That if we keep the humble and lowly heart of the seeker of being His Possession, that we will be made complete on The Great and Terrible day of YHWH.

Lesson four: Don't despise your journey

The final discoveries were perfectly timed to complete a perfect teaching by the Perfect Teacher as I found the remnants of false gods, manmade traditions, and pagan worship practices that were dressed up as sentimentality and familial bonding. Practices that demanded time, money, energy and devotion at the altar of culture. Shadows of lifeless adversaries of He who Created Me, which I would bow in front of with my family year after year. A whirlwind of obligation that never once took me to a place of deep fellowship with the Father or the Son.

The contrast I now have experienced, after following what are His days, His feasts and His rest has proven to be the well-fitted yoke and lighter burden.

Had I not wallowed in the former, I wouldn't have the comparison, it wouldn't be a felt and known experience in my body and my spirit. This is the same experience I had coming out of the secular world. Justification is the freely offered gift, but sanctification is a lifelong process.

Being pulled out of murky waters into less murky waters is a refreshing and purifying experience, but it must continue over and over again until we see Him.

Just as Noah was delivered by the Ark and was called out of it in order to join God in repopulating the earth, many of us have been called into salvation through a physical representation that is not quite the fullness of the reality of who actually saves us and we are called out of Babylon, a representation of mixing the Holy and the Profane, the blending of His things and the worship of other nations and their gods.

For many, the very thing that drew us near to Him, is what we are called out of to be with Him when He reveals Himself to us. In His mercy, He knows how far off we really are from His Holiness, and He makes a way that draws us nearer and nearer with each day that we accept the fuller picture of what it means to be a pleasing and radiant bride to Him. A call that for most of us, is too far off for us to accept when we first encounter Him. So this is the beauty of the journey, of the process of sanctification. It is both learning more about Him and about ourselves.

Through the mirror of the Word of God, we see more of who He is which is our goal, and more of who we are, which is what we need to shed.

He will not be unequally yoked :

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What harmony does Messiah have with Belial? 2 Corinthians 6:13-15

Lesson five: The mirror is for you to hold up to you, not others

This should be pretty self-explanatory. If you're reading this and all you can think of is the litany of ways you hope that I see the faults you see in me, or that someone else needs to see, then you're missing the point of the exercise.

I write this not for you the reader, but for me, a way to galvanize this beautiful moment of correction and conviction from my creator.

Lesson six: We are not beyond the need of Object Lessons:

This experience was a reminder that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

2 Timothy 3:16-17

It was a reminder that Messiah "did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it."

God's instructions were not removed at the cross - our rap sheet was.

This is what allows us to continue to come into communion with Him as He teaches us, convicts us, and gives us the fulfilled and perfect complete sacrifice of Himself by which we are to lay our guilt upon in the manner of the tabernacle.

It was another reminder that these things are written for us to walk as He walked in order to become like Him. It was an immediate call to remember that although He came in the flesh and revealed the ultimate meanings of these practices and commandments, we are still but infants in our ability to walk them out, and the eternal nature of the Appointed Times and Commandments are there for us to be instructed by Him as we prepare for the wedding feast.

And to Summarize at a perfect lesson seven:

God's calendar, instructions & shadows are all there for our benefit, it is crucial to remain in a state of humility to God in all things, never thinking we "have" Him figured out, never "comfortable" in our faith. In all things, working out our salvation in fear and trembling, lest we wander outside the dividing wall of that which keeps us under the covering of the Blood of the Lamb.

Genesis 7 • Purging the Chaos of the Sea, Appetite, & Identity

Wrestling with the Waters: Mystery of Sea Life in the Flood

Reading Genesis 7 again, you'd think the story of Noah and the flood would be straightforward. After all, it's one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. But a recent group discussion brought fresh eyes to the passage—especially verse 23—and opened up an entire ocean of interpretation and theological questions.

Someone raised a deceptively simple question: What about the fish?

Genesis 7:23 reads, “Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out.” But just a verse earlier, the text clarifies that “everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.” So... fish and other sea creatures weren’t included in that description. They’re not breathing through nostrils, right? Does that mean they were spared?

That sparked a lively unraveling of not just translation differences (hello, KJV vs. NASB), but also the importance of how we interpret scripture—what some refer to as hermeneutics. As one person noted, “You can’t point to a verse in the Bible and say, ‘There’s my theology.’” The Bible narrows in and clarifies itself as you read on.

What starts broad (“every living thing”) is honed in later (“everything that moved along the ground”).

It's a good reminder that scripture doesn’t spoon-feed the reader. You have to engage it—ask questions, chase context, compare translations, and let the Bible interpret itself. The Hebrew word “nephesh”, often used about beings with the breath of life, came up—a distinction that may or may not include sea life. Even the act of breathing comes into discussion. Dolphins and whales, for example, have nostrils. Do they count?

We went deeper, literally and figuratively, into the symbolism of the sea. Some offered a fascinating take: the flood may have also affected sea life due to the violent current, underwater upheaval, and the massive mixing of freshwater springs and salty seas. There’s scientific backing too—sediment layers around the world bear evidence of a cataclysmic event, laid down not gradually, but suddenly and powerfully. Could even fish survive such trauma?

And then came the real twist: what if the sea wasn't spared because it was safe, but because it already represented chaos?

This idea—drawn from Genesis, Revelation, and prophetic books—paints the sea not just as a habitat but as a symbol of disorder, evil, and even demonic activity. “The beast comes out of the sea,” someone noted, and Revelation describes a new world where “there is no longer any sea.” The sea was where the spirit of God hovered in Genesis 1, yes—but also where chaos lived, awaiting God’s order. In that view, perhaps God didn’t need to destroy sea life. The sea already contained the chaos, or was the very embodiment of it, making the flood a purging of everything into the sea.

This idea found support in later verses: demons cast into pigs rush into the water, and when cast out, they seek rest from “arid places.”

Water isn’t just a neutral element—it’s loaded with spiritual weight. Some saw a potential thread tying Genesis to Romans 8, where Paul says all creation is groaning, awaiting redemption. Even animals, even birds. Even fish?

And then came a surprising moment of beauty: a story was shared about a woman who had a near-death experience and described blades of grass singing in heaven. It echoed scriptures saying all of creation praises God—even inanimate things. “The rocks will cry out,” Jesus said. If even grass and stone can sing, who’s to say fish don’t worship, too?

That brought us full circle to the flood. Was the sea life spared not out of oversight, but for a specific, symbolic reason? Did God allow the waters to retain the chaos while cleansing the earth above? Or did the violence of the flood devastate everything, including the creatures of the deep?

In the end, the question remained unresolved, but maybe that was the point.

Studying the Bible isn’t about finding one perfect answer. It's about drawing closer to truth, wrestling with the text, and discovering the layers within it. Whether it’s parsing the meaning of “nephesh” or contemplating why the sea might not exist in the world to come, the goal is to keep exploring, together. Drawing nearer to God.

One thing’s for sure: Genesis 7 is about more than a boat. It’s about identity, judgment, worship, and even chaos itself—and in that stormy sea of ideas, we might just find the breath of life.

Clean and Unclean: Filters, Food, and Faith

One of the more thought-provoking ideas that came up during our discussion was around clean and unclean animals—not as an arbitrary set of dietary rules, but as deeply symbolic and even practical. From someone's “pet theory” about why certain animals are deemed clean or unclean, especially from a modern biological lens.

Pork, for example, is considered unclean. We now know that pigs have functioning sweat glands; they can’t purify toxins. Shellfish and bottom feeders like shrimp and mussels? They're nature’s filters. They consume the impurities in the water. You can drop a pile of mussels into the filthy water, and in a week, the water is crystal clear—because the mussels absorbed the filth.

And it’s like God’s saying, “Yeah, don’t eat that. That’s what I’m using to clean everything else.”

One might ask in light of the statements of Messiah, “How is not eating pork or shellfish an act of love for your neighbor?” The answer seems to come back to stewardship. We’re depleting the earth’s natural filters through our consumption. The cleaner animals—the ones meant to restore and purify creation—are being wiped out to satisfy our cravings. That affects everyone. Disease spreads, water becomes toxic, and suddenly it’s not just about dietary preference, it's about public health, economics, and environmental impact.

It’s not just the pollution—it’s also the way we raise animals now. Farming, or more accurately, mass agriculture, has deviated from God’s intention. Animals aren’t grazing freely anymore. They’re confined, force-fed things they were never meant to eat—soy, corn, processed slop. And then we consume them and wonder why sickness increases.

But God’s guidelines weren’t just about physical health. There’s a spiritual symbolism, too. Clean animals chew the cud—they meditate on what they consume. Spiritually, God wants us to be like that: not just consuming everything the world throws at us, but reflecting, discerning, and meditating. Unclean animals eat whatever’s in front of them. God calls us to be set apart—to not eat whatever is on offer, physically or spiritually.

When Peter has that vision in Acts 10, and God tells him to eat what was previously unclean, it’s not about food. It’s about people. The Gentiles represented symbolically as unclean animals, are being brought in. God isn’t making pork clean. He’s making people clean.

Even the ocean—this massive, chaotic place where all things eventually flow—serves as a symbol. It’s full of unclean creatures, scavengers, and filters of the earth. So when we’re told not to eat them, it’s not random. It’s a reflection of our identity: who we are, what we participate in, and what we reject.

This tied into a deeper discussion about food and identity. The topic of food idolatry—specifically sugar and junk food. It’s not just about sugar. It’s about surrender. It's about that haunting question from God: "Am I enough for you?"

That vulnerability cracked open something powerful. We talked about food as more than fuel. It’s an object lesson. God teaches through object lessons—he always has. Food becomes a way to reflect what we’re taking in spiritually. Are we feeding on junk? Are we being filled or just numbed? Are we starving for real nourishment—deep, rich fellowship and truth?

“This idol is part of the false identity I grew up with. I’m trying to strip that away and replace it with my identity in Him.” took us further.

That resonated deeply. So many of us are trying to shed false versions of ourselves—what the world told us we were, what our families, culture, or even our trauma shaped us into. And God, in his love, uses something as ordinary as food to invite us into sanctification.

There was expressed gratitude for having a Bible-believing husband and the kind of fellowship we were having that day—real, deep, vulnerable. “I’ve been starving for this,” and we realized together it wasn’t just a metaphor.

We also reflected on how popular psychology today often vilifies restriction. “Don’t restrict, just listen to your body,” we’re told. But in the Bible, self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. It’s not restriction—it’s discipleship. To be a disciple is to be disciplined. Modern culture tells us that restricting yourself is a form of oppression. God says it’s a path to freedom.

The world tells us to indulge our cravings. God says to crucify the flesh.

Someone else summed it up in such a relatable, raw way: “If that fruit in Eden had been a cupcake, I would’ve been done. I’m not even kidding. That cupcake is crack cocaine to me.”

This is the reason for gathering together, to help encourage, strengthen, and hold up the mirror of God's Word to each other. We’re gathering, chewing the cud together, filtering through what’s clean and what’s not, both in our fridges and in our hearts, and God is meeting us in it.

“Shut In by God: Time, Identity, and the Days of Noah”

In this week’s study, the conversation turned toward the mysterious depths of biblical numbers and timelines—where theology meets prophecy and symbolism meets reality.

Reflecting on the profound symbolism of numbers in Scripture, the number seven stands for perfection and completeness, a rhythm built into the very fabric of creation. But it was the number eight that sparked awe—a symbol of eternity, the Eighth Great Day as the beginning of the new heavens and the new earth. “It’s the next week,” “the beginning of forever.” One person’s mind was completely blown by that idea. “Why do you think the number eight looks like the infinity symbol?” A cosmic wink from God Himself.

That moment unraveled into a deeper dive into time itself. The 120 years God gives before the flood (Genesis 6:3)—often debated as a lifespan limit—might instead point to a broader prophetic timeline. If 120 jubilees (50 years each) equal 6,000 years, could it be that God laid out the entire span of human history before the flood even began?

Creation itself becomes a divine blueprint: each “day” of the creation week represents a thousand years, according to Peter. This idea aligns with the millennial reign of Christ and the belief that we’re nearing the end of the sixth “day,” standing on the threshold of the Sabbath rest, the seventh millennium.

Despite all the calculations and clues, “You can’t know the day or hour.” But Jesus was clear: you must know the season (Matthew 24). And we’ve been given breadcrumbs—signs in the heavens, disruptions on earth, and changes in society that feel eerily familiar to the “Days of Noah.”

The conversation turned toward identity, both personal and cultural. The flood wasn’t just because of external wickedness, but the internal corruption of the heart—a society that looked advanced, educated, and even peaceful, but had completely lost sight of who they were created to be. “They were sacrificing babies in temples,” someone said. “We do it today too—just not in stone temples. In the womb.”

It’s the same sin—whitewashed and rebranded—but as destructive as ever. And just like in Noah’s day, it’s our identity that’s under attack. The divine institutions—responsible dominion, marriage, and family—are being dismantled, not just by culture, but by confusion. Boys raised without fathers, girls raised without mothers, and adults more unsure of who they are than ever before.

“We're living in a society that tells people their identity is in their trauma, in their addiction, in their confusion,” one person said, “But our identity is in Christ.”

That’s the power of the gospel—both in salvation from sin, and restoration of identity.

Like the ark, we’re “shut in” by God, sealed in His mercy, called His children. Just as God shuts the door on the ark, He shuts us in, protects us, and marks us as His own.

But the same door of mercy that closes behind us also closes to others—and that’s why the urgency of the gospel is so great.

“If we had the cure for cancer,” someone added, “wouldn’t we tell everyone? We have the cure for death—why would we keep it to ourselves?”

The session ended with a reflection on language—how even our words shape our thinking. In English, we say “I am depressed,” as if we become our emotions. But in older languages, it’s “I feel depressed.” This subtle difference reveals a deeper spiritual issue: we’re identifying with brokenness instead of truth.

And that’s the devil’s oldest trick—getting us to forget who we are. The good news? God still speaks, still calls, still clothes us in Christ, and still shuts us in with His love.

The door is closing. But for those inside, the flood means deliverance.

Genesis 3&4 • The Ministry of Death

"For you are dust, and to dust you will return." Genesis 3:19b

This week we dove into Genesis 3 &4 and some of our group's takeaways included:

Toil, Curse, & Birth Pains

When God distributed the consequence for disobedience in the garden, we are told that man would now toil to eat as the ground was now cursed and that women would bring forth children in pain. A question raised was how relevant can that be in our modern society when many are born into privilege without even a sense of hardship to provide sustenance. This took us on a discussion and discovery that the Hebrew word for "Toil" in our English translations has a meaning that includes "worry." This made a lot more sense, that the abundant security that was previously known in the boundaries of the garden would no longer be the same now that the knowledge which was forbidden had been accessed. We are also told that women would now have both sorrow and conception increased and that children would be brought forth in pain.

When I think deeply about these words, I notice that a result of the eating of the fruit was increased worry, sorrow, conception, and bringing forth children in pain.

Again, what is the fruit? Knowledge was not yet meant for man; knowledge man had not yet been taught and matured into. So now, having eaten of that knowledge, Adam and Hava (Eve) had become accountable for that knowledge. They had gained the knowledge of how far the nature of man was from the nature of God, which leads immediately to worry and sorrow, and God increases her conception, and yet the knowledge that she now possesses will cause bringing forth children to be pain. For when you know the vast distance between the two natures, that will cause pain as we raise our children. Solomon writes:

"For in much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow" Ecclesiastes 1:18

This cannot mean that the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is bad because God declared all of creation "good." So where does the sorrow come from?

There are a few verses that come to mind to unearth this mystery.

"In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent." Acts 17:30

With the revelation of the resurrection now to go forth into the world, God reveals that He will no longer overlook ignorance, as He has revealed Himself to the world.

Peter warns those who seek to gain knowledge without having the ability to see it through:

For if—after escaping the world’s pollutions through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua the Messiah—they again become entangled in these things and are overcome, the end for them has become worse than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after learning about it, to turn back from the holy commandment passed on to them.  What has happened to them confirms the truth of the proverb, “A dog returns to its vomit,” and “A scrubbed pig heads right back into the mud.” 2 Peter 2:20-22

This is reminiscent of the great philosopher who once said:

"With great power comes great responsibility." Which is often attributed to either Voltaire of the 18th century or Uncle Ben from Spiderman

So is the case with knowledge. With increased knowledge comes increased accountability. Without the maturity that comes through trusting in the Lord and testing, knowledge will most certainly bring sorrow, worry, and pain. This answers so many questions about why the world is the way it is today. We have been increasing in knowledge of all sorts of things, and yet lacking in our trust and reliance on God.

Sin alone has no Power, only God's Word.

The time spent revisiting the events of Eden this time around and the realization that eating of a tree which was declared to be "good" by the Creator, a tree I believe embodies the Torah, God's instructions and result of either following them or not is what Paul is explaining in his second letter to the Corinthians:

Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that Bnei-Yisrael could not look intently upon Moses’ face because of its glory—although it was passing away— how will the ministry of the Ruach not be even more glorious? For if there is glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness overflows even more in glory. For even what was glorious is not glorious in comparison to the glory that surpasses it. For if what is passing away is glorious, much more what remains is glorious. 2 Corinthians 3:7

Paul is trying to explain the nature of something so profound, it is incredibly difficult to hold onto it in one's mind. I admit I can only really sift it into clarity for a fleeting moment or two and words completely fail me, but I will still try to gain the ability to clarify it each time.

I believe that Paul is attempting to explain that sin, a transgression of the Law (Torah) does not have the power to corrupt, condemn, or cause an impact over God's creation due to the nature of the act itself. That what gives Sin the ability to cause any result is due to the Word spoken by God. So eating of the tree of Knowledge is not what caused death to come into creation, God's authority over reality and what God speaks is what gives that act power. Therefore, if God is making a decree that something leads to death, that alone is what makes the thing lead to death. That these standards are not able to be discerned as 'good' or 'bad' by our human minds, that they are only 'good' or 'bad' because God has declared them to be so, and when He gives a consequence for violating His standard, it is the declaration, the decree, that allows the act to cause any result. That is why Paul is referring to the Torah as "The Ministry of Death."

When Paul states that the "Ministry of Death" was passing away, while the "Ministry of the Ruach" will be even more glorious than the former, Paul is not disparaging or tossing aside the former. In fact, Paul calls it glorious as well!

Both the Way of Life and Death are found in the written word of the Torah:

“I call the heavens and the earth to witness about you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life so that you and your descendants may live, by loving Adonai your God, listening to His voice, and clinging to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell on the land that Adonai swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give them. Deuteronomy 30:19-20

The Ministry of death is the power that God's decrees give over us, the Word is what gives it the power of death. The Ministry of the Spirit gives us the power to overcome the Ministry of Death. God cannot reverse His Word, He can, however, use His Word to give us the power to Overcome the decree of the former. When Paul says "is passing away" Paul knows that with the power to overcome the Ministry of the 1st, by the power of the Ministry of the 2nd, that the result (the power of sin and death) are slowly and will finally pass away.

We see this exemplified in the story of Esther: The King cannot reverse the decree that sentences the Jews to death. However, Esther gives a decree that provides the ability for them to defend and overcome the condemnation of the first decree.

Self preservation begats violence.

The Gospel is born out of this moment, our blessed hope, and the first covenant promise between God and Man is made.

I will put animosity between you and the woman—between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel. Genesis 3:15

From here, we are introduced to the next generation, the first generation to be brought forth from the womb, out of the Garden, which is now guarded by a Kerubim, a warrior angel and a flaming sword.

This brought to mind that the only way for us to return to Eden is that one must do so by way of the Sword (Word of God) and by being refined in Fire.

Now the man had relations with Eve his wife and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I produced a man with Adonai.” Then she gave birth again, to his brother Abel. Abel became a shepherd of flocks while Cain became a worker of the ground. Genesis 4:1-2

Something I never noticed before is that in the record of the births of Cain & Abel, there is not a second conception recorded for Abel. This goes against the pattern of the way births are recorded in the Bible. So here we are with the first set of Twins, two seeds and two outcomes. However, we also are presented with the concept that that which appears to be reality here in this world, in this age, is always the exact opposite of the reality of Heaven.

Cain, who keeps the best of his possession, the fruits of his labor for himself appears to walk away with his life, he gets married, has kids, builds a city even. Meanwhile, Abel, the one who obediently offered the very best he had to God loses his life and seemingly the hope of the promise which would have obviously been sitting upon his shoulders in the hearts and eyes of his parents along with it.

God Declares the End from the Beginning.

Upon the birth of Seth we are given a foreshadowing of things to come and the nature of God's reality in the names of the three sons:

Cain or Qayin in Hebrew means to possess or to acquire.

Abel or Hevel in Hebrew means to be empty, or vapor.

Seth or Sheth in Hebrew means Appointed.

And so here is the hidden message: The one who possesses slays the one who empties himself and each is appointed. What do Yeshua & Paul reveal to us about this dichotomy?

"He who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it forever." - John 12:25

"For God did not destine us for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah." - 1 Thessalonians 5:9

The promise of the seed is partially confirmed through Cain & Abel. We see the first of the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent displayed. The seed of the Woman, which ultimately will be fulfilled in Messiah, and then even more fulfilled in those who identify with Him as the obedient remnant, The Bride of God. The seed of the serpent is that of the adversary, of rebellion, who opposes the commands and trust in God.

Cain, the seed of the serpent, the one who works to acquire in this life, though he has the appearance of possessing blessing, is appointed to wrath. Abel, the one who empties himself and gives everything asked of Him to God, though he has the appearance of having been slain, of having lost everything, is appointed to Eternal Life.

But Adonai said to him, “In that case, anyone who kills Cain is to be avenged seven times over.” So Adonai put a mark on Cain, so that anyone who found him would not strike him down. Then Cain left Adonai’s presence and dwelled in the Land of Wandering, east of Eden. Genesis 4:15-16

In this passage is another foreshadowing of the fate of the seed of the serpent. Cain is given a mark of protection under the threat of being avenged by God. He left the presence of God and wandered. We know that Israel wandered in the desert due to their disobedience, they were marked for wrath after not entering the Land of Promise, and yet their offspring were spared to enter the land with Joshua and Caleb instead.

In Revelation 7, a remnant is marked with a seal, 12,000 of each of 12 tribes during the tribulation, who are referred to as Servants of our God. As with all of the rebellions in Genesis, there does appear to be a reversal of a greater magnitude for each of these instances.

The fate of those who follow in "The Way of Cain" is given as a stark warning to the reader in the book of Jude.

Woe to them! For they went the way of Cain; they were consumed for pay in Balaam’s error; and in Korah’s rebellion, they have been destroyed. Jude 1:11

I have spent much time trying to connect the similarities in the three examples listed by Jude, and only now, after studying the names of Cain, Abel, and Seth, does it resonate clearly. They all desired to possess or acquire carnal things of this age. Cain kept the choice fruit of the work of his hands, Balaam betrayed Israel for pay, and Korah desired to possess authority not given by God over the assembly. They all were destroyed due to rebellious hearts, all three of them, of the seed of the serpent.

The Paths of Life & Death are not obvious.

The pattern of twins is also key to pay attention to in the rest of the Bible. I noticed we have these twins, we have multiple sets of twins recorded in the lineage of the story of Israel, and this week I also noticed again the two(2) Lamechs and the two(2) Enochs. One in the line of the seed of the serpent, and the other in the line of the seed of the woman.

The path to destruction and the path to eternal life will feel very similar to the untested heart. We are only in the 4th chapter of The Treasure of God's Word, and there is a whisper to us that we must keep ourselves guarded from this deception. It will not be obvious to an untrained eye. It will always look nearly identical to the truth.

This is why we are commanded to study and talk about it all along our way in our night and in our day, and to train up our children in God's Torah!