Today, more and more Christians and Jews are hearing the divine call to wake up and engage with one another. Root Source is answering that call: knowledgeable, Orthodox Israeli Jews teaching Christians around the world online about Jewish concepts, ideas and thought, to more deeply understand the roots of their faith, in an informal and loving manner. Root Source enables and encourages dialogue and relationships between Christians and Jews, and empowers Christians to learn like Jews have been learning for centuries. Our Israeli Jewish teachers know you are a Christian, and respect your identity and your faith. Root Source gives you access to world-class Jewish biblical teaching online, helping you learn deeper and reach higher in your Christian faith, with the opportunity to ask any question openly. Our members are often surprised at how quickly they can learn deeper biblical truths from Orthodox Jewish teachings and directly and practically apply those teachings to their own Christian faith. Current and planned courses cover topics such as Jewish Prayer, Torah and Hebrew Scripture, Jewish Life, Hebrew Language, History of Israel, and Jewish interpretation of current events.
About the AUTHORS Gidon ARIEL A visionary and pioneer in Jewish-Christian relations, Gidon made Aliyah to Israel when he was 14 and spent close to a decade in advanced Jewish studies institutes (Yeshivas) and the IDF. Gidon serves in the IDF reserves as a Captain in the Military Spokesperson s Office after spending over 20 years in the Armored (Tank) Corps. Raised an Orthodox Jew, he has kept Jewish traditions his entire life, and is a seasoned Hebrew and Judaism Instructor. Gidon is the owner of several Webbased marketing businesses, and has been working with Christian organizations in Israel, the USA and internationally since 2005. Bob O DELL Bob is a hi-tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, a proisrael Christian with experience in different streams of the Christian faith. He has worked with Jews in Israel continuously since 1988, and in 2000 co-founded Wintegra (a successful hightech Israeli startup) with an Israeli. Wintegra was sold in 2010 to PMC-Sierra. Since 2013, Bob has focused on working with Orthodox Jews interested in entrepreneurial and philanthropic endeavours. Root Source has become Bob s top focus since it was founded on Nissan 1, 5774 (April 1, 2014). He serves Root Source as an unpaid volunteer.
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5 Why do solar eclipses seem ominous and negative? On August 21, a total solar eclipse will darken the skies of the United States for the first time in 38 years, and cut across from coast to coast for the first time in 99 years. Is the negative internet hype justified? Is there anything good that might come about because of this eclipse? Let s investigate both sides, and then you decide.
6 Solar eclipses are generally considered to be negative because they darken the earth. In a Total solar eclipse the moon does cover up, or eclipse, 100% of the sun. But not the whole earth. Only those in the black dot see the full eclipse at any one moment. And the majority of people in the lighter shaded area would not notice the eclipse, unless they knew when to look for it. For people who read the Bible, the biggest biblical support for the idea of an eclipse being negative comes from the prophecy in the book of Joel that says The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and[dreadful] day of the LORD comes. JOEL 2:31 Clearly a dark and somber scripture. http://root-source.com/eclipse-offer/
7 Are there verses in the Bible that ask us to celebrate the darkening of the sun? Hold on to that question, as we will revisit it later. But first we should ask ourselves, does Joel 2:31 refer to a solar eclipse at all? Let us first state that question clearly and fairly: While a solar eclipse may not be the complete or ultimate fulfillment of that verse, the fair question is whether a total solar eclipse is at least a foretaste, a glimpse, a forewarning of things that this verse predicts? Many people would emphatically answer yes to that question, based on the ominous feeling that eclipses induce. But do the facts support that answer? Are there any reasons to question that answer? First, only people in the path of that black dot really see the sun eclipsed. That s merely 1% of the earth. Second, we must look at the duration. The solar eclipse on August 21 will only last two minutes and forty seconds (2:40) maximum. This is far less than the three hours of darkness when Jesus died at Golgotha. This is important because that day was, according to the Apostle Peter, a great and dreadful day of the Lord [Acts 2:20], thus at least partially fulfilling the verse from Joel! 2017 Solar Eclipse: Hype or Hope?
8 Golgotha (It is Finished), (oil on canvas), Gerome, Jean Leon (1824-1904) Could a solar eclipse have been partially responsible for the darkness on that day? No! Passover is at the time close to a full moon. a solar eclipse is only possible during a new moon. Lastly, there is the issue of the plain meaning of the words the sun shall be darkened. Does an eclipse result in the sun being darkened at all? No. And for those 1% who see the full eclipse, they see this - not darkness, but the sun s amazing corona that most people consider to be awesome, amazing, beautiful, unforgettable. Still, even if the Joel scripture doesn t fit the pattern of solar eclipses, that does not mean that solar eclipses are not negative. http://root-source.com/eclipse-offer/
9 Were dark times in America preceded by foreboding solar eclipses? To answer that we must look to history. September 11, 2001 was unarguably the most recent negative event of note in America s recent history. There WAS a total solar eclipse 3 months earlier that year over Angola Africa. It passed nowhere near the United States OR Osama Bin Laden. The Twin Towers of World Trade Center burning, 2001. What about Dec 7, 1941, and the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor? The closest eclipse was two and a half months earlier, over China. It missed Japan AND the United States. 2017 Solar Eclipse: Hype or Hope?
10 The biggest negative economic event in the United States and Europe in the last 100 years was the Great Depression that began in October 1929. There was an eclipse about 5 months earlier in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, but nowhere near the USA and Europe. The path of the solar eclipse in 1929. The Great Depression, 1929. http://root-source.com/eclipse-offer/
As we look at all of the total solar eclipses in the last 100 years, can we find a statistical correlation between the eclipses and significant negative events around the world? The fact is that most years have an eclipse, and negative happen every year. What does it prove? We find no clear correlation between eclipses and negative events. What we do find is opportunities to influence the data by cherry-picking the events. 11 The path of the solar eclipse in 1945. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941. 2017 Solar Eclipse: Hype or Hope?
12 Take for the example of the eclipse that touched America in 1945. It occurred after the end of World War Two in Europe and the defeat of Hitler. That would be clearly positive. It occurred before the end of World War Two in Japan, and that is also clearly positive, unless you were rooting for Japan. But the eclipse touched America and Russia, not Japan, so perhaps it should be viewed from the standpoint of America and its WW2 allies? In that case it should be positive. But then again the bomb brought forth the dawning of the nuclear age, which was then considered more positively, yet more negatively today. What this example demonstrates is how easy it is to pick facts that allow you to reach any conclusion you want to reach. Again, we can find no statistical correlation between eclipses and negative events. Indeed, many negative events have occurred in America since the last eclipse to touch the contiguous states in 1979, or Alaska in 1990, or Hawaii in 1991. In fact amazingly, it might be easier to make the positive case than the negative one. We had a strong economic rebound in the 1980s, and in the 1990s the USSR threat was dismantled, and the USA enjoyed being the undisputed leader of the world. So what do you think? How do you rate the idea that Eclipses precede negative events? q Very Strong q Strong q Weak q Very Weak http://root-source.com/eclipse-offer/
13 Now let s switch and look at the HOPE. Is there Biblical evidence for the argument that Total Eclipses are a hopeful sign? The heavens tell of the glory of God; and their expanse declare the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. PSALM 19:1 Solar eclipses are in the daytime. Lunar eclipses are at night. This verse begs the question: are eclipses telling of the glory of God? Let s continue in verses 4 and 5, speaking of the heavens... In them He has placed a tent for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber.. PSALM 19: 4-5 Jerusalem sunrise (photo by Bob O Dell). Here, the revealing of the sun is considered to be as awesome as the eve of a wedding. This is an amazingly very positive verse when it comes to the sun revealing itself. Certainly a glorious sunrise fits this idea. But 2017 Solar Eclipse: Hype or Hope?
14 why would the appearance of the sun following a solar eclipse be excluded? This dramatic sight is called the diamond ring effect. Now, as said before, a total solar eclipse happens at the time of a New Moon and a lunar eclipse happens at the time of a full moon. What does the Bible have to say about the new moon and full moon? Psalm 81:3 says blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. Is this good or bad? Let us read the verses in context: Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob. Raise a song, strike the timbrel, the sweet sounding lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. Clearly, there is nothing negative here. Now consider this: some of those new moons will have had total solar eclipses. Some of those full moons will have had lunar eclipses as well. Does the verse restrict the rejoicing in any way to certain new moons? No it does not. But we still have not dealt with one last issue. The fact remains that the sun, which is glorious, is hidden during a solar eclipse. Is there biblical support for the moment in which the sun is hidden to be considered good? http://root-source.com/eclipse-offer/
Have you ever heard of a man named Bezalel? Let us hear him being introduced by God himself in Exodus 31:2-4: See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze. EXODUS 31: 2-4 Why was Bezalel given great skill by God? To make the holy items for the tabernacle: The ark, the lampstand, the altar of incense and so forth. Judah is the tribe of the Messiah, and notice the messianic language being used here: a spirit of wisdom and understanding. This Messianic language is repeated in the famous Messianic chapter: Isaiah 11. Next we must ask, when was this Messianic figure, Bezalel s work to be completed? All his work had to be prepared for the tabernacle to be dedicated on the first day of the Jewish year, that is Day 1 of the month of Nissan. According to the Hebrew calendar, the month begins when the moon is new. In other words, the Tabernacle dedication, the day the Glory of the Lord descended, could have been a day when the world experienced total solar eclipse! Finally, consider the name Bezalel. I have called by name Bezalel, says God. The name Bezalel in Hebrew is Bezal El. El means God, and Bezel? in the shadow of. Bazel-El. In the shadow of God. In the shadow (or protection) of God. Could it be that to be in the shadow of God, or by metaphor, the shadow of the sun, is a positive thing? Remember that this man Bezalel is foreshadowing the Messiah. 15 2017 Solar Eclipse: Hype or Hope?
16 Is it possible that we have been missing God s intention regarding solar eclipses for thousands of years? Could eclipses be an opportunity to rejoice and worship and praise God? To celebrate? Could they be foreshadowing something about the nature of God as he plans to further reveal himself to the world? It is hard to find any chapter in the bible more hopeful than Psalms 91. And how does this famous chapter begin? He who dwells within the shelter of the Most High will reside within the shadow of the Almighty. So to review: The heavens declare the glory of God. The sun is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. The messianic figure Bezalel finished his work for a celebration on the New moon. And the name Bezalel means in the shadow or protection of God. And our great HOPE is to reside within the shadow of the Almighty. The Total Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017. Hype? or Hope? You decide. http://root-source.com/eclipse-offer/
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