Have compassion on us and help us

Mark 9:22
And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

The context of this was the boy who was demonized and the disciples could not help him. Jesus started saying "O faithless generation". Was our Lord referring to His disciples or the crowd and scribes? In any case, we know Yshua and His power is real, but so too is our human weakness and lack of faith at times. Even those who have been very closed to Yshua could not fully exercise His authority due to their lack of faith or the crowd's lack of faith. No matter the case, we can be certain that Yshua is there for us to call upon when we are in need.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire

Matthew 3:11
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John was fully aware of his mission. He followed God and called others to repentance, the exact message that God wanted His people to hear. However, he also realised that repentance is just the start. He knows he himself is a sinner who can only redeemed by grace because he cannot gain worthiness in any way. He then pointed to Messiah, the only One with the solution, and who is mightier than all before Him. Only Messiah  can baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Feast of Weeks - Shavuot - Pentecost

This is a comparison of the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) and Pentecost:
- celebrating end of the barley harvest and the first fruits of the wheat harvest
- fiftieth day of counting the harvest after Passover


God gave the Torah through Moses to the Jewish people <> God sent His Holy Spirit to the early Jewish believers

Celebrating the anniversary of God's covenant with Israel <> God fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit.


God appeared to Moses on Mt Sinai in the form of fire (Ex 19:18-19) <> Tongues of fire descending on disciples (Acts 2:3)

Jewish traditions associates multiple tongues with events at Sinai "every word proceeding from God's mouth divided into seventy tongues" (b Shab 88b)

Josephus mentioned strong winds that became a mighty tempest on the third day of Israel's stay at Sinai (J.Ant. 3:80) <> A sound like the "blowing of a violent wind" (Luke 2:2) 

Peter's proclamation of the gospel resulted in 3000 new believers (Acts 2:41) <> 3000 individual died when the nation rebelled against God by worshipping the golden calf at the bottom of Mt Sinai (Ex 32:1-29).


Shavuot is the day the Israelites offered God the first fruits of the harvest <> The Spirit begins God's work of redemption.


Ref: L Hirsch

I am Against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal

This is one of the often quoted passages when dealing with the topic of End Times prophecies. It names various nations with ancient names Magog, Rosh, Meshech, Tubal, Gomer and nations with recognizable modern names Persia, Ethiopia and Libya. There are many more qualified End Times commentators and students who have identified the modern nations of those ancient names so they will not be repeated here.

The first part reveals that a strong alliance will form against Israel but it is actually God who allow them to come together and will destroy them. Gog will lead this alliance from the North. It will have a vast army and will come against Israel when there is peace. God will let this happen so that He can reveal Himself and the world will know Him. God will bring great earthquakes, pestilence, bloodshed, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.



Ezekiel 38
Gog and Allies Attack Israel

1 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh,[a] Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia,[b] and Libya[c] are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.

7 “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. 8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

10 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” 17 Thus says the Lord God: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?

Judgment on Gog

18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My fury will show in My face. 19 For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, 20 so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ 21 I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”’

This was the Appearance of the Likeness of the Glory of the Lord

Ezekiel is introduced here as a priest living during the time of captivity of Judah and king Jehoiachin to the Babylonians. A vision of prophecy came to Ezekiel and he saw four creatures, each with four faces. The faces are that of man, lion, ox and eagle. The creatures were moving together without turning. The further description of the creatures reveal they were not normal creatures. The reference to motion and wheels within the wheels may indicate that they are some sort of devices.

Looking above the four creatures, there seem to be a figure of a man, surrounded by very strong brightness. The figure appeared to be on the throne. From the waist up the figure was brighter, almost like fire coming from within him. Ezekiel knew that this figure was the Lord and recognized His glory.



Ezekiel 1
Ezekiel’s Vision of God

1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions[a] of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3 the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans[b] by the River Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

4 Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. 5 Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. 6 Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze. 8 The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings. 9 Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward.

10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies. 12 And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went.

13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning. 14 And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning.

15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 17 When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. 18 As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them. 19 When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures[c] was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures[d] was in the wheels.

22 The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures[e] was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. 23 And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body. 24 When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings.

26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

Ezekiel Sent to Rebellious Israel

So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.

He Awakens Me Morning by Morning

This chapter starts with the description of Israel's situation of sin and transgression. God pointed out the consequences were the result of their own transgressions. God again tells of the future Messiah, and although the references can be quite general, there are some specific ones which were written of Messiah Yeshua. These includes "I gave My back to those who struck Me, And I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. Messiah was also referred to as Servant.



Isaiah 50
The Servant, Israel’s Hope

1 Thus says the Lord:
“Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce,
Whom I have put away?
Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you?
For your iniquities you have sold yourselves,
And for your transgressions your mother has been put away.
2 Why, when I came, was there no man?
Why, when I called, was there none to answer?
Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea,
I make the rivers a wilderness;
Their fish stink because there is no water,
And die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness,
And I make sackcloth their covering.”
4 “The Lord God has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned.
5 The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not rebellious,
Nor did I turn away.
6 I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
7 “For the Lord God will help Me;
Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He is near who justifies Me;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand together.
Who is My adversary?
Let him come near Me.
9 Surely the Lord God will help Me;
Who is he who will condemn Me?
Indeed they will all grow old like a garment;
The moth will eat them up.
10 “Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys the voice of His Servant?
Who walks in darkness
And has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord
And rely upon his God.
11 Look, all you who kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with sparks:
Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled—
This you shall have from My hand:
You shall lie down in torment.

Woe to Those who Go Down to Egypt for Help

Continuing from the previous chapter when God's people formed an alliance with Egypt to protect themselves against invaders, that act of not trusting God is another wrongdoing on their part. They trusted the physical, like chariots and horsemen, rather than the Lord.

However God reaffirms that He will come to the defence of His people and He will deliver them. It also mentions the defeat of Assyria by spiritual forces, not by physical man. It states quite clearly that Zion and Jerusalem are the fire and furnace of the Lord.


Isaiah 31
The Folly of Not Trusting God

1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
And rely on horses,
Who trust in chariots because they are many,
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
Nor seek the Lord!
2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster,
And will not call back His words,
But will arise against the house of evildoers,
And against the help of those who work iniquity.
3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God;
And their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out His hand,
Both he who helps will fall,
And he who is helped will fall down;
They all will perish together.



God Will Deliver Jerusalem

4 For thus the Lord has spoken to me:

“As a lion roars,
And a young lion over his prey
(When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him,
He will not be afraid of their voice
Nor be disturbed by their noise),
So the Lord of hosts will come down
To fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.
5 Like birds flying about,
So will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem.
Defending, He will also deliver it;
Passing over, He will preserve it.”
6 Return to Him against whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted. 7 For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold—sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.

8 “Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man,
And a sword not of mankind shall devour him.
But he shall flee from the sword,
And his young men shall become forced labor.
9 He shall cross over to his stronghold for fear,
And his princes shall be afraid of the banner,”
Says the Lord,
Whose fire is in Zion
And whose furnace is in Jerusalem.