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two witnesses, Genesis 19, Yasher 19, Revelation 11 3, angels vs messengers, two or three witnesses

Two Witnesses Mark The Beginning Of The End

Two witnesses. I have heard people talk of the two witnesses my entire life. But I am ashamed to say that these two witnesses might just as well have been called the “two Smiths.” Until this week I never realized that they are Yehovah’s eyes, the two men that He needs to confirm His judgments on a wicked people.

Two Witnesses Are Required For Any Death Sentence

 Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two witnesses, or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil from among you. (Deu 17:6-7)

“One witness shall not rise against a man (eesh) concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses the matter shall be established. (Deu 19:15)

If we do a search for the phrase “Two Witnesses” in all of what most people call the “Bible” we will find that there is only one place that talks about two men who are called “two witnesses.” That phrase is only found in the NT commentaries in the book called “The Revelation of John.” Before this week I would have said that you will not find “two witnesses” in Torah. But I am always learning, and this week was no different.

And I will give power to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Rev 11:3)

Look at that! The two witnesses are called, “My Two Witnesses.” So cool, in light of what we saw today.

The Two witnesses, Are Men; Not Angels!

AND he [Abraham] saw Yehovah coming towards him, by Mamre’s strong tree, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men [enoshim, plural of eesh] were coming to him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Master [adoni], if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.” (Gen 18:1-3)

Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, “Here now, my master [adoni], please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.” (Gen 19:1-2)

Angels!? I hate the use of all “religious” words that mislead men who want to  know Yehovah and His eternal and unchanging ways. The word malach or malak is often translated as angels, but they are “messengers” who are sent (shalach) by Yehovah to speak and act on His behalf. Throughout Genesis chapters 18 and 19 these supposed “angels” are called “enoshim,”  the plural form of “eesh” or “man”. The three men in chapter 18 who come to Abraham, and the two men who come to Lot in chapter 18 are known by them.

Elohim is not a eesh, that He should lie, nor a son of adam, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num 23:19)

So Who Were These Three Men?

The answer to this question comes when we understand what a sent one, a shalach, actually is. I like to use the example of Eliezer who was sent by Abraham to find a bride for his son Isaac when describing who a shalach is. What Eliezer did was as if Abraham had done it. What Eliezer said was as if Abraham had said it. The gifts Eliezer gave were as if Abraham had given them and the decisions Eliezer made were as if Abraham had made them. Was he Abraham? No, and yes. He was his sent one, Abraham’s shalach.

For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of Yehovah, and Yehovah has sent us [shalachim, plural of shalach] to destroy it.” (Gen 19:13)

Moses too was sent by Yehovah. Listen to what Yehovah tells Moses about Aaron and then Pharaoh.

So the anger of Yehovah was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as Elohim. (Exo_4:14-16)

So Yehovah said to Moses: “See, I have made you as Elohim to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send Israel’s seed out of his land. (Exo 7:1-2)

Who Were Yehovah’s The Two Witnesses?

I’m going to suggest to you that Abraham and Lot both knew these men. Both of them recognized them from a distance, came to them, bowed down to them and called them “my master” or “adoni.” Who would Yehovah use to represent Him on the earth at this time and who would both Abraham and Lot trust without question? There is only one man, and his name is Shem. We saw in Genesis 14 that he was the melchi-zedek (the righteous’ king) and also, as we saw in Yasher the adoni-zedek (the righteous’ master). Noah [who died when Abram was 58] and Shem raised Abraham and taught him the ways of Yehovah for 39 of his first 49 years. Would it make sense that the three men who first came to Abraham were Shem, Eber and one other? Would it make sense that both Abraham and Lot would run to them,  bow down with their faces to the ground and call him (Shem, the leader of the three) adoni (my master) when they greet him? Shem was the one who was carrying the same “Rod of Elohim” that Moses is going to carry in the future. Do Abraham and Shem greet every passerby this way?

The Two Witnesses Have To Be Men Who Are Mature In Understanding Yehovah’s Word

Only Shem and Eber fit the bill for the destruction of Sodom. But Sodom is just a shadow picture of the main event, which is the destruction of the earth for the second time. Who will Yehovah use this next time to represent Him? Men who are still thinking in terms of “the children of Israel” and don’t know who the Ezrach or the Ger (who dwell with them) are? Men who have never learned Yehovah’s created purpose for ‘the man’ and the man’s woman? Men who have never left the kingdom of their birth and who teach men to obey “the law of the land”? Or men who are still teaching others to keep a Seder, a foot-washing ceremony, or communion service instead of a real Exodus 12 celebration?

No, the two witnesses whom Yehovah will use in the future to represent Him on the earth will be Ezrach men who teach other men to leave the kingdoms of their birth and then, at Passover, come into covenant / cutting with Yehovah.

I still have much to say on this subject, but you will have to listen to the video to find out more.

Two Witnesses Mark The Beginning Of The End

2G24 Genesis 19 & Yasher 19:45-60 – The Two Witnesses
[Click here to download this audio mp3]

Copyright © 2015 Providence Ministries, All rights reserved.

For more teachings like this one (beginning at Genesis 1), visit our Join Us for Sabbath page.

Please Contact Michael to help support his work in building Yehovah’s kingdom on the earth.

Providence Ministries is NOT incorporated with any kingdom of this world. Providence Ministries is an affiliate of the Director of Ecclesiastical Enterprises, a Washington State acknowledged corporation sole of the ecclesia on file with the Secretary of the State. This charitable ministry is not for profit and maintains its nontaxable status consistent with 26 USC 508(c)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to 501 (c)(3) organizations special rules as a “mandatory exception.

genesis 17, my covenant, my cutting,

Genesis 17 – My Covenant / My Cutting

Abram, what an amazing man he was;  he had the ability (after walking with the Creator for almost 100 years) to hear the voice of Yehovah and do what He requested. In Genesis 17 Yehovah speaks to Abram in a vision and gives him a new name (Abraham); and Sarai, bone of his bone and the flesh of his flesh, also gets a new name (Sarah).

The name Abram [אברהם] is spelled (right to left) aleph, bet, resh, mem and means “Exalted Father” or “High Father.” He is the father of the spiritual seed who dwell in heaven; men who have left their elohim (the lawmakers and judges of their birth) whom they previously served and now follow Abram as he follows THE Elohim and Creator of all things.

The addition of the “hey, [ה]” to Abram’s name made it Abraham [אברהם], and this “hey” added yet another dimension to his high or exalted fatherhood, it adds an eternal dimension.

Genesis 17 is the prelude to Genesis 18 which describes the birth of the spiritual man, Isaac, at the “Time of Life” which falls on the “appointed time” or the “moed.” The “Time of Life” is what Passover was called before it was called Passover. The “Time of Life” (the time that Isaac was born) and the Passover (the time which Israel’s seed was, and is, born) are tied together in the Torah in many ways. The 430 year time-line from Exodus 12, the 400 year prophecy from Genesis 15, the words “that very same day” in Genesis 17 and Exodus 12, the “appointed time” of Genesis 17, Genesis 18, Leviticus 23, Exodus 12 and others.

Genesis 17 – My Covenant / My Cutting

However, the tie between Genesis 17 (the “Time of Life”) and Exodus 12 (Passover), which I want you to see clearly today, is about what Yehovah calls “My cutting” [בריתי]. It is a compound word that is used 23 times in the Torah, 9 times in Genesis 17 alone. Be·ri·ti’ is translated in most bibles as “My Covenant,” but I believe this to be yet another religious word designed to mislead and distract men, who wish to seek and pursue righteous.

And I will make My cutting between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.” (Genesis 17:2)

As for Me, behold, My cutting is with thee, and thou shall be a father of many people. (Genesis 17:4)

Yehovah cutting and Abram’s “fatherhood” seem to be connected.

As I said, be·ri·ti’ [בריתי] is a compound word; the suffix “י” [yad], when added to a noun, says “my.” The Hebrew word that the yad is being added to, in this case, is be·rit’ [ברית], which means “a cutting.” Together they say, “My Cutting.”

Again, we get trapped by these religious words, and few people have seen what I am trying to show you today; even Jeff Benner in his Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible wants to call the Hebrew word be·rit’ a “covenant;” but read carefully how he defines the be·rit’.

[ברית]
“A covenant is instituted through a sacrifice of a choice, fatted, animal which is cut into two and the parties of the covenant pass through the pieces. If one party fails to meet the agreements of the covenant then the other may do the same to them. (see Genesis 15:10,17 and Jeremiah 34:18-20)”

Now read it again and substitute the word “cutting” for “covenant.”

Here are the verses he suggests that we read. We do not cut a covenant; the cutting IS the agreement; and passing through the pieces seals the agreement! Oh my – this is so cool!

Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. (Gen 15:10)

And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. (Gen 15:17)

And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant [בריתי, be·ri·ti’], who have not performed the words of the covenant [ברית, be·rit’] which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. Their dead bodies shall be for meat for the birds of the heaven and the beasts of the earth. (Jer 34:18-20)

Genesis 17: 10 – His Cutting

And now look at what Yehovah says what His cutting actually is!

This is My cutting which you all [men] shall keep, between Me and you all and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised. (Genesis 17:10)

The cutting that Abraham made, and the cutting that all the spiritual seed of our “high father” made, and will make, is circumcision! And all our seed will pass through the literal cutting when they are conceived.

Genesis 17 goes on to describe who is to be circumcised.

  • Genesis 17:11 Abraham
  • Genesis 17:10 Every male of Abraham’s house (We are talking about his gates, he has over 1000 men with him at this point.)
  • Genesis 17:12 The 8 day old male and every male bought with money (these are permanent servants)
  • Genesis 17:13 He who was born in Abram’s house

But understanding this cutting goes still deeper. As I said, Genesis 17 is a prelude to Genesis 18; and we will see that it is fundamental to our understanding what is happening in Exodus 12. Please take note of who is to be circumcised in Exodus BEFORE the Ger can draw near and eat the Passover and become as one born in the land; or what must happen before the Passover / the “Time of Life,” the moed, appointed time that Isaac was born AND the moed that all Israel’s seed is born.

  • But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. (Exo 12:44)
  • And when a stranger [Ger] dwells with thee and wants to keep the Passover to Yehovah, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land [Ezrach]. For no uncircumcised person [always men] shall eat it. (Exo 12:48)

Ishmael was not the promised and spiritually born seed.

  • Ishmael did not come from Abraham’s body; Hagar was “a woman” given to him by Sarah who was “bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.” Oh – and Hagar did not get a new name, only Sarah did.
  • The birth of Ishmael does not fit both the 400 year prophecy, or the 430 years to that “very same day” of Exodus 12.
  • Ishmael never passed through Abraham cutting; while Isaac, the spiritually born seed, did.

Genesis 17 is just preparation for the coming big event which is prophesied in Genesis 18, the “Time of Life.” Here is a much more in-depth teaching on Genesis 17. I hope you will enjoy it.

Genesis 17 – My Covenant / My Cutting

2G21 Genesis 17
[Click here to download this audio mp3]

Copyright © 2015 Providence Ministries, All rights reserved.

For more teachings like this one (beginning at Genesis 1), visit our Join Us for Sabbath page.

Please Contact Michael to help support his work in building Yehovah’s kingdom on the earth.

Providence Ministries is NOT incorporated with any kingdom of this world. Providence Ministries is an affiliate of the Director of Ecclesiastical Enterprises, a Washington State acknowledged corporation sole of the ecclesia on file with the Secretary of the State. This charitable ministry is not for profit and maintains its nontaxable status consistent with 26 USC 508(c)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to 501 (c)(3) organizations special rules as a “mandatory exception.”

X abram become abraham X apointed time X book of jasher X circuncision of Abraham X ezrach X Genesis 17 X genesis 18 X ger X michael didier torah teacher X moed, stranger, time of life

The Time of Life

The Time of Life and the Passover are intimately related; it is the day that the spiritual man is born.

Genesis chapter 18 follows 17! That may sound obvious to some, but these chapters are very closely linked. The casual reader will miss what is there. I did not see it until I read the same account in the book of Yasher. Here is what it said.

Yasher 18:1-4 (1) And Abraham rose and did all that Elohim had ordered him, and he took the men of his household and those bought with his money, and he circumcised them as Yehovah had commanded him. (2) And there was not one left whom he did not circumcise, and Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin; thirteen years old was Ishmael when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. (3) And in the third day Abraham went out of his tent and sat at the door to enjoy the heat of the sun, during the pain of his flesh. (4) And Yehovah appeared to him in the plain of Mamre, and sent three of his ministering angels to visit him, and he was sitting at the door of the tent, and he lifted his eyes and saw, and lo three men were coming from a distance, and he rose up and ran to meet them, and he bowed down to them and brought them into his house.

Genesis says,

Then Yehovah appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. (Gen 18:1)

The Time Of Life Is The Moed

Born in the Land, abram become abraham, apointed time, book of jasher, circuncision of Abraham, ezrach, Genesis 17, genesis 18, ger, michael didier torah teacher, moed, stranger, time of lifeGenesis chapter 18 recounts the visit of Yehovah’s three messengers (all men) sent to Abraham, while he was sitting at the door of his tent in the heat of the day, who tell Abraham that Sarah, his woman, will have a son when Yehovah returns to them at the “moed,”  the Time of Life, in the following year. Continue reading The Time of Life