Genesis Introduction:

Pastor Scott Velain Genesis Introduction: Today I am extremely glad and honored that each and every one of you are here with me. Because today our Bible study night is going to take on a whole new dimension. As we began to build this ministry, we took our time going through the book of Acts. And we went through the book of Galatians, and the book of Hebrews, and the book of Romans, and the book of James, and throughout our studies into the New Testament I think we ve done a pretty good job at sifting through the traditions, and myths, and rituals of men. And as we taught, and preached the truth of scripture we ve thrown an awful lot of deception to the ground. We ve proven through the Scriptures that the apostle Paul never taught or preached against the law of God. And we have proven through the Scriptures that the apostle Paul never taught against circumcision, and we ve proven through the Scriptures that the apostle Paul himself always lived in observance of the law just as James tells us the Acts chapter 21 verse 24. And so, with the help of the Ruach Hakodesh, and through studying the word for ourselves We ve come to a higher maturity. But just as we often have said you cannot read any book from the middle to the end, and think that you have a complete understanding of any book. You wouldn t go to see a movie, and start in the middle. Because if you did you wouldn t know who the characters were or where they originated from, you wouldn t know the plot, or what the main idea of the movie was, or where the story was even headed. The only way that you could possibly understand what was going on in the movie, would be to go back and watch it from the beginning. And so today we re taking the first step in a journey that is going to change all of our lives. We re taking the first step in a journey that is going to deeply blessed us. We re taking the first step in a journey that s going to draw us closer to our father in heaven and his only begotten Son than we ve ever been before. And as we embark on this journey, I want us to make a commitment to stay together. This lifechanging journey will be a journey into what is known as the Torah. And before we get started, it s important that we understand the definitions of a few words. 1

These are the proper names of the different sets of books found within our Biblical canon. Now with that being said there are 66 different books found within our modern day Biblical canon. Some would argue that there are even more than just these 66 books that belong in our Biblical canon, and I too may be inclinded to believe that there are several books missing but as of today, most of the western world believes that there are indeed only 66 books in our Bibles. I should also mention the fact that there are other middle eastern Christian churches who include more than just 66 books in their biblical canon and we in the United States did too at one time. The original 1611 King James Version of the Bible originally had 80 books included in it. There were originally 39 books in the Old Testament, 14 books called the Apocrypha, and another 27 books in the New Testament. The 14 books of the Apocrypha were included in the original 1611 King James version for 274 years before they were removed in 1885. The Apocrypha books had always been part of the canon for nearly 2000 years before it was removed about a 100 years ago. Some say it was the Protestant church that removed them, and others say it was the printers who removed them in order to save the cost of printing the Bibles. Eiather way they were indeed removed and there has been a battle between biblical scholars that rages on to this day over whether or not the Apocryphal books should have ever been removed. There are arguments that claim that they should have been removed because they weren t included in the original Hebrew mazoretic texts and yet others believe that the history of what happened during the lost years inbetween the Old and the New Testaments can only be found in the Apocryphal books. And so the truth of the matter is left to the general public at large to try and figure out through prayer, study, and supplication. As for what we do currently have included in our modern day cannon The Hebrew name for the Old Testament, is the Tanakh. We ll often also hear the Old Testament being called the Torah. And it s important that we get these terminologies straight before we venture into the Torah. 2

Technically speaking Torah is the Hebrew name for the first five books of the Bible. The book of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are the first five books of the Bible that make up what is known as the Torah. These first five books are also known in the Greek language, as the Pentateuch. So, when you hear someone talking about the Torah or the Pentateuch, they re talking about the first five books of the Bible. These books are also sometimes called the books of Moses, because Moses was the author of these books. We will also sometimes here these books being called the law of Moses, but to be completely honest There is no such thing as the law of Moses. The law of Moses is God s law that was given to Moses by God to give to his people. And so as we move into the book of Genesis, it s important for us to know that when the Torah was written it was written in a very Hebrew culture. And much of that Hebrew culture still exists in what we know today as the Jewish culture. And so, it s important for us to know and to understand, that both the Old Testament and the New Testament was written by Hebrews, and it is entirely immersed in a very Hebrew culture. We have to remember that Moses himself was a Hebrew. It was Moses who received the Torah from our father in heaven on Mount Sinai around 1400 BC. Now if you were to ask a modern-day Christian today exactly what it was that Moses brought down from the mountain He would most likely tell you that Moses brought down two stone tablets that contain the 10 Commandments. But the truth is my friends, nothing could be farther from the truth. Moses brought down far more than two stone tablets with the 10 Commandments written on them. The 10 Commandments were just a tiny portion of what God gave Moses to bring back down that mountain. The truth is my friends that Moses brought down the Torah from the top of that mountain. All five books of the Torah were given to Moses by our father in heaven, and Moses in turn then gave them to us. Let there be no mistake about it my friends What we often hear called the law of Moses, is indeed the law of God, given to Moses by God to give to his people. Unfortunately, the word Torah is not found in our modern-day Bibles Even though it is found in the ancient texts. In our modern-day Bibles where the word Torah was used, we see the word law. And once again my friends it s important for us to understand why this is. Why is it that the early church changed the word Torah to the word law? They did this because the early church wanted to distance itself from the Jews. The so called early church fathers of the early church were by in large anti-semitic. And it was because of their deep-seated hatred for the Jewish people that they changed several words found in the original manuscripts. And so today, in most of our modern-day translations, we no longer find the word Torah. Another thing that we need to understand is that the word Torah does not mean law. The word Torah means teaching or instruction. But even though the word Torah does not mean law The Jewish people almost always equate the Torah with the law. In fact, if you were to ask a Jewish person in Israel to read you something from the law, the first thing he would do would be to open the Torah and 3

begin reading. The word Torah and the word law have become synonymous within modernday Judaism. And this is extremely important for the modern-day Christian to understand. What s also important for the modern-day Christian to understand, is that the word Torah and the word law often times include the writings of the ancient Rabbi s, and the wisdom of men. The original Torah and what is known as the law of our father in heaven Over time Came to include the wisdom of men. And this is what our Messiah railed against in the 23 rd chapter of the book of Matthew. It s written in the book of Deuteronomy that you shall not add too, or take away from, the word of God. But I would submit to you my friends that both modern-day Judaism, as well as modern-day Christianity, have both added to, and taken away from, our fathers word. Today, the word Torah has taken on a generic meaning, much like the word Coke or pop. The word Coke used to mean Coca-Cola. But today if you ask somebody if they want a Coke, they might say sure I ll take a Dr Pepper, or a Sprite. The word Coke has come to mean almost anything carbonated. And this is exactly what happened to the word Torah. Over time the word Torah is now often used to refer to all of the Old Testament, and sometimes even includes the oral law of Judaism and its Rabbi s and Sages even though the proper use of the word Torah refers only to the first five books of the Old Testament. The word Torah and the word law are both often times misused. The law when pertaining to the Bible, refers to the law of our father in heaven. But when today s modern day Jewish rabbis refer to the law They often times are not talking about the law of our father in heaven. They re often times talking about the oral traditions, rituals, and Commandments of the ancient Rabbis and Sages, that have been recorded in the Talmud. In other words The wisdom of men, has become part of the law of God according to modern day Judaism. And this is exactly what our Messiah hated about Judaism. Our Messiah told them that they had made void the word of God in order to hold onto their own traditions. He told them that they traveled over land and sea to make one prostolite (one follower) and when they did he was a two-fold child of hell more so than themselves. And so too has modern-day Christianity done the exact same thing. Many of today s modern day Christian traditions, rituals, and myths have nothing to do with our Fathers Torah, or his laws, commandments, precepts, or appointments. And so, both modern day Judaism, and today s modern-day version of Christianity have both missed the mark, and have both broken the commandment of God, by adding too, and taking away from his word. And so, as we begin our journey into the Torah, it s important that we get the language straight. And it s important that we understand what we re talking about, so that we can share the truth of God s word with our brothers and sisters who don t know any better. So once again the first five books of the Bible are called the Torah or the Pentateuch in Greek. Now with that being said there are two other groups of books found in the Old Testament. And these are known as the Ktuvim also known as the writings and the Nevim, which is also known as the Prophets. The writings include books like song of songs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, and 4

Ruth. The profits are known to be books like Amos, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jonah. So, these different sets of books, have different names. Over time all of these books began to be referred to as the Torah. So just like the word Coke can really mean any kind of soda pop So too does the word Torah often times refer to all of the books of the Old Testament. But to be honest, this is really a sloppy way of speaking when it comes to the different books found within our Old Testament. Now you will also hear the word Tanakh being used when someone might be referring to the Old Testament. The Tanakh is a made-up word. They simply took the T from Torah and the N from Nevim and the K from Ktuvim and added a couple of vowels and came up with the word Tanakh. When someone talks about the Tanakh they are referring to the whole Old Testament. So, the Tanakh which is sometimes called the Hebrew Bible, is simply another name for our modern-day Old Testament. And the Torah (again) pertains only to the first five books of what we know as our Old Testament. Now Just so that we can get a little bit more confusing We need to talk about the Talmud. You see there are other writings that come from the ancient rabbis and sages. This collection of writings is called the Talmud. And this Talmud is a series of books, much like an encyclopedia, that is nothing more than a collection of writings, and oral traditions of these Jewish rabbis and sages. None of which, are considered to be gospel, or God breathed, or God commanded, or God ordained. But over time, because these Pharisees and scribes, and their San Hedren, and their councils of men had incorporated all of these things into the Torah They became known as part of the Torah. And just to make things a little more confusing there are two versions of the Talmud. One is the Babylonian Talmud, and the other is the Jerusalem Talmud, and each of them consist of many different volumes of books. Something else that we need to understand, is that the title Old Testament is a man-made title. You will not find the title Old Testament anywhere in the original manuscripts. There is no such thing as the Old Testament as far as the Scriptures are concerned. The words Old Testament never appear in the Scripture anywhere. Hundreds of years after the death burial and resurrection of our Messiah, the early Gentile church created the titles Old, and New Testaments. And the idea of the Old Testament, is that the Old Testament refers to the covenants made between God and Abraham Isaac and Jacob, and Moses. And the idea behind the New Testament, is that it refers to the covenants made between God and mankind in general through the Messiah. The word testament and the word covenant are synonymous. They mean the same thing. Now today s modern-day version of Christianity, in many cases would have you believe that the original covenants have all been done away with. But as we read the Scriptures for ourselves, we find that the original covenants have in no way been done away with. Let s turn to Galatians 3:27-29: 5

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. It s kind of hard to sell someone the idea that the Old Testament covenant has been done away with when the New Testament says it clearly has not been done away with isn t it? But that s what many modern-day Christian Denominational charters want you and your children to believe. The promises and the covenants that our father in heaven gave to Abraham Isaac and Jacob have in no way been nullified or done away with, or nailed to some tree somewhere. The covenants that our father in heaven made with Abraham Isaac and Jacob still stand to this very day. And so too, do his laws, commandments, precepts, and appointments, just as our own Messiah has clearly told us in the book of Matthew. Matthew 5:17-20: Mat 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Mat 5:18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Mat 5:19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Mat 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Now many modern-day professing Christians will proudly proclaim that the word fulfill means that Jesus did it all for them at the cross, so they don t have to be bothered with our father s laws, commandments, precepts, or his appointments. But upon further study we find that the word fulfill is actually the Greek word pleroo. And the Greek word pleroo is the same Greek word used in Matthew 3:15: Mat 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. Mat 3:14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Mat 3:15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. So here we have the same word being used. The word fulfill. And our Messiah tells John the Baptist, that John must baptized him so that they can fulfill (Pleroo) all righteousness. So, if the word fulfill means abolish Then that would mean that all righteousness would be abolished. When Yeshua told John the Baptist to baptize him They abolished all righteousness. Does that make any sense? Of course not. And the reason that it doesn t make 6

any sense, is because the word fulfill does not mean abolish. And just to go one step further If our Messiah is telling us in Matthew 5:17, that he came to abolish the law, then how is it in the very next sentence he says that not the crossing of the T or the dotting of an I is going to pass away from his father s law until heaven and earth pass away and all things are accomplished in verse 18? And of course, once again we know that heaven and earth does not pass away, and all things are not accomplished until Revelation chapter 21, clear the back of the book! So once again my friends we find that what we re being told in our modern-day Christian houses of hopelessness does not hold water. Where I come from my friends, you might say that dog won t hunt. Now with that being said Some of our fathers commandments have indeed been completed buy our Messiah. For instance, we no longer sacrifice animals as an atonement for sin. Our Messiah paid the penalty for sin once and for all, and so there is no more need to sacrifice animals for the atonement of sin. And there are other laws and commandments that we will find throughout the Torah that we cannot keep today, because many of the commandments given in the Torah require a temple, and the Levitical court system put forth by our Father in Heaven, and an earthly high priest None of which we have today in this Babylonian world that we now live in. However We keep the laws, commandments, precepts and appointments that we are able to keep, because we are commanded to keep them. Once again, just for anyone who might be new Let s turn to the apostle Paul for more insight on this well-known biblical fact. And we won t go any farther into this topic here today, because we have plenty of teachings on 7

this particular topic at our website at holyimpactministries.com. So, if you don t already know that the laws, commandments, precepts and appointments of our father in heaven still stand to this very day We would like to invite you to visit us at holyimpactministries.com. All of our teachings are free and so are the downloadable PDF files that go along with them. The only thing it ll cost you will be the time it takes to sit down and view the video teachings, or to read the manuscript that comes along with the teachings. What we need to understand about the book of Genesis, is that the book of Genesis is one of the most often attacked books of the Bible. The book of Genesis this often attacked by atheists, and those who believe in the Big Bang theory, and evolution, among others. Many have tried to discredit the book of Genesis over the centuries But through archaeology, and biology, and through ancient writings that have been unearthed over the centuries, all of these attacks have been found weighed and wanting. Every one of these attacks against the book of Genesis have been laid to rest over and over and over again. The truth my friends, is that the book of Genesis is the bedrock of all Scripture. I ve often thought that another name for the book of Genesis might have been the book of origins. Because the book of Genesis is all about the origins of mankind. The book of Genesis tells us not only where man came from, but what he was made of. It tells us why man was made. It tells us who man was made by. The origins of mankind can only be found in the book of Genesis. The book of Genesis also tells us the origins of the universe. It tells us who made the heavens and the stars, and how they got there. It tells us the origins of government, and how God s people are to be governed. It tells us the origins of marriage, being between one man and one woman and not only who invented marriage, but who ordains marriage. 8

You know it s somewhat ironic, but as were speaking about the book of Genesis, which could very easily have been called the book of origins There s actually a movie coming out this year entitled origins. This movie was written by a man by the name of Dan Brown. The same man who wrote the da Vinci code. Of course, this man is an atheist and a conspiracy theorist and a writer of fiction novels who has made a boat load of money out of planting a seed of doubt in the minds of many would be Christians who go to watch his movies about secret societies, and fictitious beings who challenge the reliability of our God breathed Scriptures. And I would submit to you my friends that it is no coincidence that in these last days, such a movie should come out with such a title, written by such a man. This movie entitled origins is nothing more than a weapon that s being used to test the endurance of God s people. This movie entitled origins is being used to attack the very book that we are studying The book of Genesis. And this is just one more reason that I believe that God has put it in my heart to preach and teach his Torah to his people at this very point in time. There are those who believe in a cosmic event. They believe that a firecracker went off in the middle of nowhere, and that man was created accidentally out of chaos. They believe that nothing came together with nothing, and created a Big Bang, and out of the chaos of that Big Bang came a drop of water, and out of that drop of water a lizard appeared out of nowhere, and through thousands and thousands of years of evolution that lizard grew feet and walked out of the water and then over thousands of more years that lizard with feet grew some arms And over thousands of more years that lizard with feet and arms grew the head of a monkey And over thousands of more years that lizard with feet and arms and a monkey head evolved into a monkey body. And then over thousands of more years that monkey body evolved into a caveman, and then over thousands of more years that caveman became a Neanderthal, and then over thousands of more years that Neanderthal evolved into an upright walking man. All by accident, all out of chaos, all out of a lot of smoke and mirrors. And they say were crazy? The book of Genesis helps us understand, why we were created, and what the purpose of life is. We also know that Moses who was inspired by the Ruach Hakodesh of God was the author of the first five books of the Bible (also known as the Torah). We also know that our very own Messiah gives credit to Moses being the author of the Torah in John 5:44-47 Joh 5:44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Joh 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. Joh 5:46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. Joh 5:47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?" And it s important to make note of what we see here in verse 44. How can you believe, when 9

you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? This is exactly what s happening today my friends. Man is only interested in his own wisdom. Man is only interested in receiving glory from other men. It is because of the vanity of men, that men continuously want to turn to their own philosophy, and their own theologies, and their own hermeneutics, and their own understandings, rather than turning to the wisdom of God. Moses was the author of the Torah. And it was Moses who first wrote of our Messiah. How many modern day Christians do you suppose even know that? Our Messiah is all over the writings of Moses, and Moses himself prophesied about our Messiah in the Torah. Lets turn to John 5:39: Joh 5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, Joh 5:40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. Joh 5:41 I do not receive glory from people. Joh 5:42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. Joh 5:43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. Joh 5:44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Joh 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. Joh 5:46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. Joh 5:47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?" Now just to be clear, one might ask Where did Moses ever prophesy about Jesus in the Torah?. The truth is that our Messiah if found all throughout the Torah but just to name a couple of places specifically lets turn to Genesis 3:15; Gen 3:14 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. Gen 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." That seed of the woman was indeed our Messiah who crushed the head of the serpent at the cross. Another place can be found in Deuteronomy 18:15-19: Deu 18:15 "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers it is to him you shall listen Deu 18:16 just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.' 10

Deu 18:17 And the LORD said to me, 'They are right in what they have spoken. Deu 18:18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. Deu 18:19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. And of course we find the authentication of Moses all throughout the New Testament writings: It s important for us to understand the very reason that mankind fell in the first place. We fell because we did not trust in the word of God. We fell because we trusted the word of the serpent over the word of our father in heaven. And this is exactly what s happening today friends. Men today do not trust the word of God. Men today do not trust the book of Genesis, and what it says. They choose to believe that they themselves are far too wise, and far too astute, and far too intelligent to believe what is written in the God breathed Scriptures that they hold in their very hands. And this my friends is a shame. It is a sad, sad shame. The book of Genesis has two main divisions. The first portion is Genesis 1 through 11, and it pertains to creation, and the descendants of Adam to Abraham. The second division, is chapters 12 through 25. And they pertain to God s redemptive plan through Abraham. Throughout the book of Genesis were going to see several major themes. One is the value and the purpose of human life. Another major theme would be the reality of sin and the triumph of good over evil. Another theme that will come across in the book of Genesis is the judgment and the mercy and the grace of the one true God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Another theme that we ll see is 11

God s faithfulness to his covenant promises. Our father never makes a promise that he is not fully equipped and able to keep. And often times our father s promises do not come to fruition when we think they should. Our father fulfills his promises in his good time not ours. And this just brings us back to why it is that we need to trust our Father and what his word says. As we begin to read through the book of Genesis we re going to find that our father spoke, and it was so. There are all kinds of doctrinal theologies and philosophical understandings about who it was that created the heavens and the earth. There are all kinds of doctrinal theologies and philosophical understandings about how things came to be. But if we simply take the time to open the book and read Scripture for ourselves most of these doctrinal theologies and manmade philosophical understandings, and doctrines would all melt away. Were also going to find our Messiah Yeshua, Hamashiach all throughout the book of Genesis. It amazes me how many modern-day professing Christians today think that Yeshua Jesus is only spoken of in the New Testament. And it amazes me how many modern-day professing Christians today still think that the Gentiles were not being saved until the New Testament. And it amazes me how many modern-day professing Christians today still think that the Holy Spirit is only mentioned in the New Testament. I can promise you this my friends We re going to see a lot of things in our father s Torah before we ever see them in the New Testament. And what s also important to understand is that as much as 50% of the New Testament is nothing more than quotes from the Old Testament. Of course, today s modern-day Christian does not recognize these Old Testament quotes, because they ve never read the Old Testament. However, as we venture into our study into our father s Torah, I think it s safe to say that we re going to recognize a lot of things in our father s Torah that we may have thought was only exclusive to the New Testament. But then again This is what happens when you read a book from the back to the front, instead of from the front to the back. We re going to also see some very significant things that may have never meant anything to us before but now in the proper context, is going to open our eyes to the truth and a much larger picture than we would have ever imagined. For instance After Adam and Eve had partaken of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, our father took the skins of animals and covered them. Now often times when we read that we don t take the time to contemplate what that covering represented. We don t take the time to contemplate why that animal had to lose its life in order to cover Adam and Eve. The very blood that that animal shed represents the blood of our Messiah who also covered us so that our sin can no longer be seen by our father in heaven. We will soon see that everything that our father did, he did for a reason. Everything that our father did and commanded, pointed to his only begotten son that would come from the loins of Abraham, and the very body of David. 12

When our father in heaven promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, and that he would have more children than there were stars in the sky, Abraham probably thought that he was going to see these things before he died. Little did Abraham know that the seed that God was talking about was going to be Yeshua Jesus. Yeshua Hamashiach would be the seed of Abraham that would bring about the offspring of Abraham, that would become more than the stars above, and finally make Abraham the Father of many nations. What we will see, and soon come to know and understand in our Fathers Torah, will not only help us to better understand the New Testament but it will also help us to understand the overall plan of our Father from the very beginning of our existence. The very Logos of our Father in Heaven will become clearer than it has ever been. And the blessings that will be poured out upon those who study these books will be immeasurable. So be sure to mark your calendars, and be sure to join us next Wednesday evening at 7pm eastern standard time when we begin our journey into the Torah, and the book that started it all The book of Genesis. 13

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