Shabbat Shalom

Candace Long: I'm Candace Long, welcome to the second hour of Shabbat Shalom. Today's Torah portion, Shemot, teaches what the Bible recorded concerning the birth of Moses and how he was raised up to deliver God's people.

However, when I was researching the backstory of the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth and the development of the different races and what they each had to go through, I discovered part of Moses's life that is not recorded in scripture. I want to share it because I find it significant in light of Black History Month, which we will be celebrating in just a few weeks. I'll be pulling from my book, Letters to Aleah: A Personal Journey of Generational Healing, which I dedicated to my brothers and sisters of color.

The ancient historian Jasher tells us what happened during the 49-year period following the incident in Exodus 2 where Moses ran away from Egypt after he killed an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew slave and the deed was made public. We next find Moses in Midian, because that's where scripture picks up the narrative. But Jasher tells us all about this missing 49-year period.

According to Jasher, Moses was 18 when he ran away from Egypt and away from the presence of Pharaoh and escaped to the camp of Kikianus, who was the king of Kush, known today as Ethiopia. Moses lived and fought alongside the Kushites for nine years during their wars against the nations that were coming against them. The king, the princes, and all of the fighting men loved Moses.

Jasher writes, "For he was great and worthy. His stature was like a noble lion. His face was like the sun and his strength was like that of a lion, and he was counselor to the king." At the end of nine years, King Kikianus became ill and died. And Jasher writes, "The people of Kush stripped off each man his garments and cast them upon the ground and made a great heap and put Moses on top. They rose up and blew with trumpets and made Moses king on that day."

Moses was 27 when he became king of Kush, where he ruled for 40 years. Now, I mention this backstory for two reasons. Number one, God used Moses to show great love for the descendants of Ham, because they received the light that he brought them. For so long, people of color have been made to feel unworthy or cursed, that their entire race was doomed to be servants all of their lives, largely communicated by whites, I might add. But that was never God's intention to communicate. Remember, Moses married a woman of color and was very close to his father-in-law, Jethro.

Second big lesson is that these 49 years were ones of testing and forging Moses's character, his leadership skills, and the extent to which he would sacrifice himself for a people who were being oppressed. These 49 years were his exile. So just as the people were put through an oppressive exile to test each one of their characters to determine their worthiness to be redeemed, so the Lord tested Moses, the one who would become the deliverer.

Last week, Andrew Gabriel Roth began the first of a five-part series called Back to Basics. His purpose is to equip us to hang on to faith in the midst of unprecedented challenges to that faith that are all around us. His unique lens is looking at the ancient and extremely rare Aramaic texts used in his Apostolic Writings translation of the New Testament. Today, he turns our attention to the first two gospels of Matthew and Mark and shares some of the research features that bring us closer than ever to capturing the original message of the Messiah and his apostles.

Andrew Gabriel Roth: I'm Andrew Gabriel Roth, and welcome to the Most Misunderstood Passages in the New Testament. Thank you for spending part of your Sabbath with me. Today's episode is called Back to Basics Part 2, Matthew and Mark. Last week, we began the first of a five-part series called Back to Basics. The purpose was and is to equip all of you to hang on to faith in the midst of unprecedented challenges to that faith that are all around us.

We began with looking at the ancient and extremely rare but reliable Aramaic text used in my Apostolic Writings translation and how each manuscript has a unique and special faith journey all of its own to tell on its way to deepen our faith like never before. Now, this week, we turn our attention to the first two gospels of Matthew and Mark and look at how the features and research of the Apostolic Writings, and in many cases only the Apostolic Writings, bring us closer than ever to recapturing the original message of the Messiah and his apostles.

One special feature of the Apostolic Writings that I want to continue to emphasize from last week, moving on forward through this series, is the special use of color throughout the text to show the interconnectedness of both parts of our Bible to each other. Specifically, the Apostolic Writings uses red ink to signify when Yeshua is speaking. But also, and quite surprisingly, blue ink for the times when the First Covenant or Old Testament text is being quoted, or on the few occasions where our Heavenly Father Yahweh is speaking directly in the New Testament.

So often, Yeshua will begin speaking, and so the text will appear in red. But when he quotes from First Covenant, all of a sudden you'll see the color shift to blue. And then you will get a reference to where from the Old Testament the quote is. So these visual clues that are unique to the Apostolic Writings can instantly alert the reader to deep connections between visual clues and the scriptures they are attached to and, in turn, associations that Yeshua intended by quoting that scripture that may have become lost because they'd been overlooked as First Covenant scripture.

I'm going to give you some examples of this. Take, for example, Matthew 10:35 through 36, when Yeshua says, "For I have come to divide a son from his father, a daughter from her mother, and a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law, and a man's adversaries will be from his own family." Now that seems pretty straightforward, but the Apostolic Writings tags this text in blue because it was first said by the prophet Micah.

When we then refer to what Yeshua is pointing to as opposed to what he actually says, we find out this is far more than just family squabbles in general. It is actually a sign of the end of the world. I know that sounds extreme, but it's true. So let me quote this from you, Micah 7, verse 7 through 13, and I think you'll see where I'm coming from here.

"But as for me, I will watch expectantly for Yahweh. I wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall, I will rise. Though I dwell in darkness, Yahweh is a light for me. I will bear the indignation of Yahweh because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light. He will bring me out to the light, so beautiful. He will bring me out to the light and I will see his righteousness."

"Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her, who said to me, 'Where is Yahweh your God?' My eyes will look on her at that time. She will be trampled down like mire in the streets. It will be a day for building your walls. On that day, your boundary be extended. It will be a day when they will come to you from Assyria and from the cities in Egypt, and from Egypt even to the Euphrates, even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain. And the earth will become desolate because of her inhabitants on account of the fruit of their deeds." Micah 7:7 through 13.

The point is, without seeing that critical text in blue that Yeshua partially refers to and without being given the actual verse for immediate reference and searching out, Yeshua's much wider point about the salvation of the whole planet being on the line here would get completely missed. But not with the Apostolic Writings.

Another important quote that Yeshua does, which most assume he said first but didn't, is in Matthew 11:29 through 30, which reads, "Bear my yoke upon you and learn from me that I am tranquil and meek, and in my heart you will find rest for your souls, for I am pleasant and my burden is light." What's fascinating about this case is that Yeshua is inspired very strongly by Psalm 55, verses 20 to 23.

But he also expands its application while at the same time when you go and consult that Psalm 55, the Psalm will explain more of where Yeshua is coming from. So both quotes kind of help each other. It's really fascinating. Here's one of the surprises: that this is in response to a horrible betrayal. Let's go back to the Psalm, starting with verse 20.

"He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him. Those who are at peace with him, he has violated his covenant. His speech was smoother than butter, but his heart was war. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. Cast your burden on Yahweh and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. But you, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction. Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days, but I will trust in you." Psalm 55:20 to 23.

So now we see Yeshua's intent in how he chooses to adapt Psalm 55. It's not just that anyone who follows him has an easier time in terms of learning from him. It's also the case that sinners and betrayers who have done the most horrible things against their family and friends will find a compassionate and caring Master to learn from and, if they repent, get back to Yahweh. And again, this only happened, this extra dimension to Yeshua's teachings, because the Apostolic Writings highlighted that key phrase in blue to alert you that it was from First Covenant and where to look in that collection of writings to get the rest of the message, which is even more wonderful than we ever thought before.

This is information and deep connections that every believer needs to know. And yet if our Bibles are not helping us in this regard, if they are not making these connections plain, then much of what our Lord and Savior Jesus told us will not come across. And that's a tragedy.

Finally, we have one more little surprise from Yeshua quoting from Psalm 55, and that is who we cast our burdens on. In the gospels, Yeshua emphasizes his own intimate relationship with his Heavenly Father and so tells the crowd that he will bear their burdens. While that is absolutely correct and true and not surprising, when we go back to the Psalm, we find out that casting our burdens on Yeshua actually helps him cast those same burdens on his Heavenly Father. Because when we go back to it, it says, and I quote, "Cast your burden upon Yahweh and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." I think that's pretty remarkable.

And our final example in Matthew before moving on to some in Mark is in Matthew 26, verse 31, where Yeshua said, and I quote, "All of you will be offended by me this night. For it is written, 'Strike the shepherd and the sheep of his flock will be scattered.' But after I have risen, I will be in Galilee before you." Now, where does that come from, strike the shepherd and the sheep of his flock would be scattered? It's from Zechariah 13, verse 7.

But we find also in the verses immediately before and after 13:7, remarkable details about Yeshua's last moment. And he is proclaiming it before that has happened, which is really amazing. And he also is talking about through Zechariah the future of those who believe in him. So this is going to be from Zechariah 13, verses 6 through 9. And one shall say to him—get ready for this, this is going to surprise you—one shall say to him, "What are these wounds within your hands?" Then he shall answer, "Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." Wow.

"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd and against the man that is my fellow, says Yahweh of Hosts. Strike the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn my hands upon the little ones," followers. "And it shall come to pass that in all the land, says Yahweh, two parts of it shall be cut off and die, but the third shall be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tried." I'm getting a Paul vibe on this. "They shall call on my name and I will hear them and I will say, 'It is my people.' And they shall say, 'Yahweh is my mighty one, my God.'" Wow.

Do you see the amazing full picture that the First Covenant quote only hinted at when it appears only partially in the gospels? Yeshua does this on purpose, I believe, so that he can pack so much more information from those who will recognize what that quote says before and after that, meaning things that he referred to but did not have to say outright. But again, this is another insight courtesy of the Apostolic Writings, my Aramaic-to-English translation, tagging that saying as blue, meaning Old Testament, then giving you the verse so that you can get the rest of the information, recover the rest of a completely new message, at least for many of you, from the Messiah.

Okay, so now we move on to the gospel of Mark. In this case, we begin with a bit of a mystery, something that could potentially create an allegation of contradiction. I need you to bear with me; this is a little bit challenging, but I will walk you through it. So our Aramaic and Greek copies open Mark with two separate quotes from two different prophets. Yet the text of Mark 1:2 only credits Isaiah with both of these quotes.

Let's look at what the footnote there, with an insight exclusive to the Apostolic Writings, has to say on this matter. Quote, "The statement of 'Behold, I will send my messenger before your face to prepare your way' is Malachi 3, verse 1. But the line of 'A voice which cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of Yahweh and straighten his paths' is Isaiah 40, verse 3."

This is a very interesting reading that is shared across all sources of the New Testament, in Aramaic, in Greek, and in Latin. However, in the second century CE or AD, at least one ancient authority recognized the problem of attributing the Malachi statement to Isaiah. The church leader Irenaeus, writing around 175 CE in his famous work, Against Heresies, eliminates this problem by saying it was written by the "prophets," plural, rather than only mentioning Isaiah.

Irenaeus not only may have revealed the earliest version of this reading in Greek, but he also has serious fluency and skill in Aramaic, sometimes called Syriac, and a good deal of his works were translated very early on into Aramaic and Syriac as well. But there is still another amazing twist. And it comes from the ninth-century Aramaic writer Isho'dad of Merv. Isho'dad was an eyewitness to the Aramaic gospel harmony known as the Diatessaron. Now, there is a lot to discuss about the Diatessaron, both good and bad, but we'll have to reserve that for another time.

The bottom line is the Diatessaron was written in Aramaic in the late second century. Isho'dad noticed this variant and said, "It is written in Mark 1, verse 2, 'prophets,' plural." And that was referring to the Diatessaron. The bottom line is this: it is very close to showing what the original Aramaic version, and perhaps the original Greek version too, might have been for Mark 1, verse 2.

So that's a great discovery. And while it is true that neither the Aramaic nor Greek versions of Mark 1:2 resolve the matter in the current manuscripts that are still with us, this is what the Apostolic Writings did that nothing else has done. The cutting-edge biblical research done in the Apostolic Writings and nowhere else with that, we were able to get as close as possible to finding the answer, that the original reading existed through historical investigation even when the manuscript record failed.

And finally, consider the case of Mark 11:17, when Yeshua confronts the money changers for excessive usury, using two scriptures at once. I'm sure you guys will remember this if you haven't figured it out already. "And he would teach and say to them, 'Is it not written that my house, which is the temple, will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of robbers.'"

So let's get to what Yeshua means by applying these verses. We go first with Isaiah 56, verses 1 through 2, and then come to verses 7 through 8. "Thus says Yahweh, 'Keep judgment and do justice, for my salvation'—or Yeshua—'is near to come and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this and the son of man who lays hold of it, who keeps the Shabbat from polluting it and keeps his hand from doing any evil. Even them I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon my altar.'"

Now, all that to lead to this: "For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people, all nations. Yahweh Elohim, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, 'Yet will I gather others to him beside those that are gathered to him.'"

So notice what goes on here, that Yeshua identifies himself with his own name when he's quoting from this chapter of Isaiah or referring to it. And that first verse says "salvation," which is what Yeshua's name is. See Matthew 1:21. Then he says his righteousness will be revealed. And the Hebrew and Aramaic word for "to reveal" or "revelation" is very much sounding like Galilee, where Yeshua was raised. Very interesting and not a coincidence. Then his followers from all the nations go to the holy mountain of Moriah where the temple is and offer joyful sacrifices to Yahweh of Hosts. It is a stunning picture, what is intended for the nations to come in and do the Torah along with their brother Jews. So this is what your one new man actually looks like.

And now let's look at the last part, the warning from Jeremiah 7, 11 through 13. "Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, says Yahweh. But go now to my place which was at Shiloh"—that's where the Ark of the Covenant was before the temple was built—"where I set my name at before and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now because you have done all these works, says Yahweh, and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but did not hear from you, and I called you, but you did not answer."

So instead of the peaceful future for the temple and the Jewish people by upholding righteousness—that's the first part, the Isaiah part—a house of prayer for all nations, Yeshua by quoting Jeremiah 7 is leaving the heavy lifting to Jeremiah to explain the destruction that awaits his sinful people, even to this second temple, as it did for Shiloh. Yeshua doesn't have to say that directly; he's pointing to the Torah scholars and say, "Look this up and understand what it means." That the second temple, like Shiloh, would become an abandoned shell of its former self that becomes then a den of thieves.

So something to think about, that we join these conversations in the gospels often in the middle of it, and there's a lot of things that Yeshua probably said before and after that for whatever reason didn't get written down. But—and this is the good news about the good news—by going back and looking at the full context of the scriptures Yeshua does quote, we get to go further into his overall intentions. So that's what I wanted to share, and Shabbat Shalom.

Candace Long: You can learn more about Andrew Gabriel Roth and how to get his book, The Apostolic Writings, in his handout, which you'll find on our ShabbatShalomRadio.com page. I'm Candace Long, your host for Shabbat Shalom.

One of the interesting observations from our Torah studies is that Genesis listed both Jacob's sons and grandsons when the names were given of the 70 descendants that went into Egypt, whereas here in Exodus 1, only the sons' names were mentioned. A leading 16th-century Italian rabbi, Sforno, explained why. He observed that the level of righteousness of Jacob's sons were able to resist the corrupt atmosphere of Egypt and preserved the moral and spiritual grandeur of Jacob's family. As a result, the slavery did not begin as long as those sons were alive. The 19th-century Jewish leader Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky explained that Jacob was like the sun and his sons were like the stars. When the sun is out, stars are not visible. But when the sun sets, the stars take over the sky. The presence of their light was what kept hope alive during the exile.

That story reminded me of a lesson in the latter days that I released in 2022 concerning one of the key markers that I was observing then of living in the latter days. It is a mindset I see still in a lot of believers. It's called Think Twice Before Leaving Your First Estate. If you have been battling against confusion, self-doubt, distraction, and unrest, this episode is for you. In it, I examine the most insidious attack that was hitting us then. I personally witnessed highly respected ministry leaders crash and burn and die prematurely when they were hit by it, and it took me years to understand how this enemy strategy operates. You will learn seven incredible lessons that God teaches to help us stay on course and maintain the godly walk of our forefathers. Be instructed.

I'm Candace Long with Lessons in the Latter Days, offering biblical commentary to make sense of the times that we're living in. Today I want to talk about one of the key markers of living in the latter days, and it is a mindset that I'm seeing in a lot of believers. I'm talking about the feeling of discontent with where God has you.

In these days, the spiritual battle to capture believers and throw us off course is intense. Jesus said in the latter days wickedness would multiply, and it has. Today's atmosphere is charged with spirits of distraction, spirits of chaos, spirits of unrest, and spirits of discontent. And this onslaught is only going to increase the closer we get to the kingdom. Today's topic is called Think Twice Before Leaving Your First Estate.

The phrase "leaving your first estate" is biblical language which comes from the book of Jude, which is the last of the General Epistles in the New Testament. It's written by Jesus' brother Jude. Jude wrote to plead with the believers about the dangers that they were in and introduces a concept that I've been writing about for some time. Jude writes, "Admission has been secretly gained by some who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly persons who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness."

Now who was it that secretly gained access and infiltrated this group of believers? A few verses later Jude writes, "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Let's break this out a little bit. Each angel was created and placed in a specific territory and given a positional ranking and authority in the heavenly realm. This was their primordial assignment by their Creator, God Almighty. This is what's called their first estate. God gifted each one of them, anointed them, entrusted them with stewardship of their place within the heavenly order.

And then something shifted, and they were filled with something called concupiscence. Now this is a word that we don't use much these days, but it's a great word. Concupiscence means a lust for the forbidden. Some of the angels began to lust after and became obsessed with something outside of the realm assigned to them. And pretty soon they despised where they were. They wanted out of the restraints placed on them and they wanted to be free.

So Jude says they left their first estate and they came to earth. They had sex with women and created their own race. And that action of leaving their first estate so violated God's created order that he destroyed that generation in the flood. And then he threw those angels into a prison underneath the earth, where they are to this day.

The apostle Peter writes about this as well in 2 Peter 2. He says God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of nether gloom to be kept until the judgment. Now we may think these rebellious fallen angels are in prison and so everything's fine, they can't hurt us, right? Wrong.

Let's return to Jude, who tells us that a group of ungodly people with wrong spirits have infiltrated the early believers, creating havoc. And Jude relates them to those who were long ago designated for this condemnation. So what is going on here? Let me try to unravel it.

After studying this phenomenon for many years, here's my understanding of the dangers those believers were in and what is happening to many believers today. It goes back to a group called the Nephilim, the race of beings that came from the union of earthly women and those fallen angels. The Nephilim have mixed DNA. They are part angel, part human. One of our early forefathers, the seventh patriarch Enoch, whom Jude refers to, wrote a whole book about these beings. It's called today The Lost Book of Enoch. And Enoch explains that we have two different classifications of beings.

The fathers of the Nephilim were the fallen angels, and yes, they are chained up underneath the earth without redemption. But because the Nephilim are part human, when they died, God did something else with their spirits. God referred to them as evil spirits and he sentenced them to roam the earth in torment continually, knowing they will eventually be cast into hell at the final judgment.

Now we need to understand that the number of these evil spirits is growing because the population of mixed DNA beings has been growing with constant intermarriage. So millions of these evil spirits are frantically roaming around looking for someone to inhabit. They are on assignment by Satan to destroy as many children of God as possible, especially now that the day of the Lord is so near.

These spirits invade humans who are vulnerable and open to receiving them. But you need to understand that these invading beings are infiltrating groups in every sector of life. I believe these are the intruders that Jude was calling out. They pretend to be godly and they gain admission or somehow get accepted by the group as normal. But they are not. Hear me. They are not fully human.

Now this sounds like science fiction, but it is a biblical reality and is a latter days phenomenon. Jude describes these beings as ungodly, grumblers, malcontents, following their own passions, loud-mouthed boasters, and experts in flattering people to gain advantage and weasel their way in. Jesus said many times, "You shall know them by their fruits."

I have literally spent years researching and writing about this phenomenon and how they go about invading people, and I've published this research in two monographs which you can find in my online store at CandaceLong.com/store. I'll put links to these two monographs in the description notes to this podcast. One of them is called How to Spot the Decoy in Your Midst. The other is Part 2, Beware the Religious Spirits.

I want to read a short section from the Decoy monograph so you will understand the danger that Jude is exposing, and it's a danger that you may be facing. It all begins with someone who looks like you and me but who has been invaded by an unclean spirit. My research has led me to identify the specific spirit that opens the door to this invasion. It is called the spirit of guile.

Psalm 32 teaches us, "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." Now the reason the Lord hates guile so much is because it is pretense. It is untruth. It originates from the father of lies, who is Satan. The Hebrew word for guile is *remiyah*, which means treachery or deceit or false. It comes from the root word *ramah*, which means to shoot or betray, as if causing someone to fall. In the New Testament, the word for guile is *dolos*, from a root that means a decoy, a trick, a bait.

Now let's examine what happens in this decoy strategy. When hunting ducks, a hunter often uses a decoy, a mechanical duck that looks, swims, and quacks like a real duck. And from a distance you can't tell the real ducks from the decoys floating around in the water. But remember, the purpose of a decoy is to lure and attract real ducks to that lake that the hunter intends to shoot and kill.

I believe what we are seeing today is that the enemy is creating religious-sounding decoys and positioning them close to believers with a high calling. Jude calls these religious decoys "false teachers" who come into a group for the sole assignment of creating discontent, factions, and division. They are gifted in flattery. They're masters at telling you how gifted you are and fill your head with the great things they see you doing for God. And you like that somebody notices you and pretty soon you begin to see yourself as having no real purpose in what you're doing now. You begin to grumble at your pitiful life, and a desire grows to find significance someplace else. So you conclude, "I'm not staying where I am now. I'm going to pursue the greatness that everyone sees in me."

After walking with the Lord over 50 years, I want to tell you this is a dangerous lure as old as time. It is the lure of leaving your first estate. I've not only fallen for it myself, but I have seen godly ministers crash and burn and die prematurely because of this deceptive trap. One of our greatest temptations is looking at someone else's success and feeling like squat, like we are going nowhere. I hear from people all the time who go from job to job. They're restless wherever they are. Companies are going out of business because owners cannot find workers willing to work. Today's workers want high-paying jobs but do not have the skills that God wants to develop in them, nor do they have the patience to earn his advancement.

He requires a work ethic of excellence, a character of humility, and a joy in serving others, not seeking to be stars and all that. Those qualities God wants in his children come only through the refining fire, and that fire begins in your first estate where you start out. If you love God but are wrestling with unrest, I hope you'll listen a few more minutes because this is an important juncture of your journey. The goal is how to find rest and significance where you are now.

As I wrestled with this issue a few years back, I stood outside my deck one evening and I looked up at the heavens. The sky was so clear, the moon brilliant, the stars unusually bright, and revelation began to come. And unbeknownst to me at the time, I was about to be taught an incredible lesson from the Creator of that sky.

Psalms 19 tells us the heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech and night to night declares knowledge. That night, the stars spoke volumes. In Genesis 1, we read that God set the stars in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.

Now from down here at a casual glance, the stars all look alike. And yet God said he set each star in its place. The Hebrew word for set is the word *natan*, which means to appoint, assign, to charge. So the stars were not given the freedom to just roam around there at will. They were appointed to shine in a specific sector of the heavens. They were each given the power to rule over that realm of the sky and given the ability within itself to produce light and shine it over those who live on earth below it. In the time remaining, I want to share seven lessons that I found in the stars that night.

Lesson number one: a star is defined as a luminous object of plasma held together by its own gravity. Plasma is scientifically referred to as the fourth state of matter, along with solids, liquids, and gases. So in my pea brain, that says to me that there is nothing external making that star keep itself together. God gives that star the freedom to come apart, just like he gives us. He says in Deuteronomy 30, "I have set before you this day life and good and death and evil. Therefore choose life that you may live." That choice is internal. It is an action of your will to decide to remain where God has placed you and to shine there, no matter how obscure and hidden you may feel.

Lesson number two: according to NASA, the larger the star, the shorter its life. Once a star has fused all the hydrogen in its core, nuclear reactions quit, they cease, and soon the star collapses. Eventually, the outer layers are sloughed off and provide the building blocks for a new generation of stars. Now this is a powerful lesson because the primary need that we all have is significance. We want to be seen, heard, appreciated, and valued. But the more we are seen and the larger than life that we become, the closer we are to collapsing.

Lesson number three: a star is created to give light on the earth, not to reflect on itself in the mirror thinking how great thou art. Its very purpose is to serve others. If it loses its way and refuses to give light as it was created to do, it is useless by the Creator and it will implode. I have been a composer since I was 13, and in my day won a lot of awards with my songs and music. And people have often said to me, "You're going to be a star one day. Remember me when you make it big." And over the years many have tried to get me to promote my music more. But I found for me that whenever I entered into the mental space of trying to promote myself and push my music in front of people to be heard, something dies inside. I can feel it. And I finally had to lay it down. Seeking after my own glory is like a star that is turned inward and marvels at its own ability to shine.

Lesson number four: the thing that makes a star shine are the nuclear reactions within its core. A nuclear reaction is defined as a process whereby something external collides with its internal core. But it is in this very collision of forces that produces light. This is the way God designed it. I look back over the decades of my journey with God and it hasn't been easy. Jesus said in John 16, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world." People are hurting out there and they need comfort and direction from those who have survived their internal implosions. If God means for his light to shine through you, then you will have to endure many nuclear reactions that upset the core of who you are. But I promise you that if you remain in his presence, what he gives you will light the way for somebody else.

Lesson number five: remain in position until God shifts things by his hand and not yours. When one star envies another whose light may be brighter, whose place overhead reaches more people, that's when to watch out and keep humbling ourselves before God every day. Isaiah wrote, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning." Lucifer refused to remain in position. He was no longer content with his place, high and mighty as he was. It is God who exalts and removes kings, and once you push yourself out there on your own rather than God's doing, you can never return, and those who depended on you to be where God put you now have only a black hole where you once stood.

Lesson number six: every star set in place by God has a positional and relational responsibility to those stars next to it. If one star is more dominant and shines a little brighter, the less bright one still plays an important role. It is the contrast of light distinguishing one star from another that points the way and provides guidance to those who live underneath and who look to that star grouping or constellation for guidance. The Father wants his stars to glory in whatever light they have been given because each is precious in his sight.

And lesson number seven: do not become enamored by your own light. This was Satan's downfall. If you walk in any level of giftedness, there will be many who bow inwardly in your presence. I remember hearing the story of a famous worship leader who fell from grace in a sexual scandal. This man's gifting was bringing others into God's presence. So leaders did what the world does all the time: they tried to buy that anointing by hiring him as worship leader. They clamored after him. If they could get him for their event, it would be a sellout. People would be moved in their worship experience and, of course, give more money to the ministry. Musicians puffed him up with flattery, hoping some drip of his anointing would fall on them. After falling from grace, he resurfaced and was asked to speak to a sparsely attended group, and I was able to get the recording of that talk and I listened intently.

He said, "I was given a powerful anointing to bring people into God's presence, but everyone put me on a pedestal. I was showered with adoration, praise, and money. I was sought after by leaders wanting me to align with their ministries. It was very seductive. I began to take my giftedness for granted and felt entitled to the attention and the praise and all the money. And slowly I began to lose something I never dreamed I would lose. I lost my reverence for God. My pride caused me to fall in the worst possible way and hurt many people. I lost my marriage, my family, my reputation, and everything else dear to me." Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is that reverence and awe that keeps us in position where we have been set by God.

In closing, if you are battling feelings of discontent and restlessness, thinking that you've missed your moment, that voice is not God. The Father knows every gift that he put inside of you. He delights in you, and he watches to see how well you steward the light you are given to shine where you are now. If you steward it well, he may well advance you. But when he does, he wants to make sure you have it firmly within yourself to serve others and walk humbly before your God.

You will find this episode and all the others at CandaceLong.com/podcasts. In this program's notes, I'll put links to the two monographs that I mentioned earlier. I want to thank you for being with me today and I hope you join me again next time for Lessons in the Latter Days.

Thank you so much for listening. If you want to access the entire series of Lessons in the Latter Days and you're on our main page at ShabbatShalomRadio.com, just click on the word "podcasts" in the menu bar at the top. Coming up in our final hour, Rabbi Michael Washer will teach us how God used Israel as the gauge and the boundaries for the Gentile nations. Following him in the final half-hour, I will share an episode that may be difficult for many believers to hear. It's called Navigation Alert: Two Dangers Ahead. Beginning in 2020, we entered a season that opened the door to disorientation and affliction. This is a critical warning, showing how to get back on course before it's too late. Stay tuned for our final hour coming up next on WEZE 590, which you can access directly on ShabbatShalomRadio.com.