This week we are going to continue with 1Cor 11.1-16 and the subject of head coverings. Again, the key to understanding this portion is v3 and we are going to continue with verse 10 and will intermingle commentary with the verse.
v10....Therefore, the woman ought to have authority (a ruling power, like a husband or father) on her head (v3), because of of the angels (who usurped authority that wasn't theirs and fell).
v11....However, in the Lord neither is woman independent of man nor is man independent of the woman(but together are complete).
v12....For as the woman originated from man, so also the man has his birth through a woman and all things originate from God.
v13....Judge for yourselves, is it proper for a woman (remember, woman in many cases is to be understood as "wife", especially here) to pray to God uncovered (by going against her husband's authority..no!).
v14....Does not even nature teach you that if a man has long hair, it is dishonorable to him..
v15....but if a woman has long hair it is a glory to her. For her hair is given to her for a covering.
v16....But if one is inclined to be contentious, we have no other practice nor have the churches (don't bother to argue about this because the Scriptures teach this headship concept).
So, with that in mind let's briefly look at Num 30. 1-16. This chapter is called the Law of the Tongue and it has to do with the power of the spoken word and it is based on tribal concepts and customs. These concepts would be carried down even after Israel was settled in their own land. When congregations were established, these concepts were used to keep order not only in the congregation, but also the family. The basis for this Torah instruction is found in Gen 3.16. Basically, the heads of the tribes were told that if a man makes a vow, he better keep it. Also, if a woman makes a vow but lives in her father's house and her father hears the vow, he can annul the vow. But, if he does nothing the vow stands. The same is true for a wife.The husband can annul her vow on the day he hears of it, but if he says nothing then it stands. The point is the daughter and the wife have a head over them and they cannot usurp authority over their "head". This basic order goes all the way back to Gen 3.16 and when Paul is giving this basic instruction in 1 Cor 11 he is drawing from many verses and concepts found in the Torah. This concept in 1 Cor 11 is nothing new and is merely passing on to the Corinthians what was already being taught since creation. The Corinthians had a particular problem at that time because of the Greek religious cults that told women that they didn't have to listen to men, that they were independent and could do what they wanted to. Well, once these pagan people became believers they still carried some of their old religious concepts with them and that's why Paul had to deal with it. This is not saying that a man is better than a woman but that there was an order established since creation and the Corinthians had no idea about them, so Paul is establishing a biblical order for their congregation. Remember, he praised them in 1 Cor 11.2 for holding fast to the "traditions" (Jewish concepts and laws in line with Scripture) and this one of the concepts he is teaching them. Now, in light of what we have learned so far about authority, next week we'll look at 1 Cor 14.34-36 and 1 Tim 2.11-15 in the New Testament and hopefully clear up some misinterpretation concerning these verses.

Q. In 1 Cor 11.1-16 it talks about a woman having her head covered. Does this mean a woman should be wearing a head covering or what is Paul trying to say.
A. No, Paul is not telling women to cover their heads with a head covering but he is laying out what the proper behaviors are in public worship concerning the husband-wife relationship. This teaching is based on several passages in the Torah, particularly Num 30 where it says that a wife is under her husbands authority when it comes to what she says she is going to say or do. This concept will also come up in 1 Tim 2.11-12 and I will deal with that verse later. But first, let's go 1 Cor 11.1-16 verse by verse so that we can get it into context. In verse 1 he says that the people should imitate Paul as he imitates Messiah. He them praises them in v 2 because they are holding fast to the "traditions" as he delivered them to the Corinthians. The word traditions is the Greek word "paradosis" which means the traditional and biblical concepts found in the Torah and the ones he taught, not all the man-made traditions the Jewish people had at the time. Now, v 3 is the key to understanding this whole passage. He lays out the line of authority and the roles that each should play. It seems that the Corinthians still had Greek concepts about the roles of men and women that were not consistent with the Scriptures. He tries to show that this authority does not mean that men were better, smarter and more capable than women but he is laying out what the biblical roles for each were. Messiah is the "head" of every man and the man is the "head" of every woman. In this context "man" and "woman" should be understood as husband and wife. So I am going to write the verse from now on and then add commentary that will bring out what Paul is trying to say.
v4....every man who has his head covered (by anything else but Messiah. This could be his own wife, family, an organization or whatever interferes with what Messiah has told him to do) while praying or prophesying disgraces his head (Messiah)
v5....but every woman who who has her head uncovered (against the ruling authority in her life like a husband or father..Num 30, Eph 5.22) while praying or prophesying disgraces her head( her husband, father or biblical ruling authority) for she is one who and the same with her whose head is shaved (done to an adulteress. So she is like a "spiritual" harlot).
v6....for if a woman does not cover her head (goes against her husbands authority) let her have her hair cut off (not literally but he is saying she is like an adulteress); but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off and her hair shaved, let her cover her head (come under her husband's authority)
v7....for a man ought not to have his head covered (by any other authority than Messiah) since he is in the image and glory of God (who made him) but the woman is the glory of man ( in Greek there is a definite article before man. It means a definite man, "a" man, in this case Adam)
v8....for man does not originate from woman, but woman from man (that's why her husband is her authority)
v9....for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake.
Next week we will pick up in verse 10 and then look at a few other passages in the New Testament in light of our understanding of 1 Cor 11. 1-16 which will hopefully clear up some misunderstanding.

Q. In Matt 3.10 it says that "the axe is already laid at the root of the tree." What does that mean?

A. These words were spoken by John the Baptist as he was preaching along the Jordan, preparing people for the coming of the Messiah. They were to get ready spiritually and repent from all the false teachings that they were hearing from the religious leaders. The prevailing thought was that God wasn't going to judge them because they were His children and the Temple was there and they were exempt from a few things, most notably faith in the Lord. Now, not everyone believed this but John was speaking to a mixed crowd and some thought that because they were Jewish they had something special (3.9) and God would never do away with Israel. Many knew the prophecies of Daniel and knew that Rome was the fourth kingdom predicted and believed that Messiah was coming. As a result, he would do away with Rome and establish Israel as the head of the nations. What they didn't see was that prophecy was going to take two thousand years to be fulfilled and the Messiah was going to be cut off and the nation would be destroyed and scattered among the nations. Rome had already conquered Israel and was already in the land administering Roman rule, although they allowed the Jews to practice their religion. So, John was telling the people to get ready, judgment was coming and the "axe" (Rome) was already at the root of the "tree" (Israel). In other words, the Lord has already moved in with His instrument of judgment (Rome/axe) and if the people did not turn to the Lord they were going to be cut down. Matt 15.13 says that every plant that was not planted by the Lord was going to be "cut down" and that happened in 70 A.D. during the first Jewish revolt.

Q. Will all Christians be raised at the first resurrection or will some be raised at the first resurrection and some be raised at the end of the thousand years?
A. The resurrection is going to happen in stages and at different times. All believers will be in what is called the first resurrection even though it happens in stages and several thousand years apart in some cases. Once you know the stages you can read a verse and know when it is talking about. Dan 12.2 talks about the the righteous and unrighteous being raised but it may be thousands of years between the two. So, let's look at the stages. First, Yeshua was raised from the dead as we all know (Mt 28.1-7; Mk 16.1-11). But, what many fail to see is that others were resurrected within hours and were seen in the city (Mt 27.50-53). So, the first resurrection has already started. It's been two thousand years since that first stage but the next stage is coming up at the Natzal, or rapture, before the Tribulation period begins (1 Thes 4.13-18; 1 Cor 15.50-53). This will include every believer from creation and also those who are alive at the time. They will have their bodies changed to enter into the eternal state with the Lord and then return to earth with Him at His Second Coming. The bodies of all unbelievers will remain in the earth. In the middle of the Tribulation there will be the resurrection of the two witnesses (Rev 11.11-12). Then, at the beginning of the Messianic Kingdom those believers that died during the Tribulation will be raised (Rev 20.4-6). Those who survived the Tribulation will enter the Messianic Kingdom in natural bodies and were not killed when Yeshua returned and judged the nations (Mt 25). They will have children, but some will believe and others won't and this will go on for a thousand years. Lastly, at the end of the Messianic Kingdom, all unbelievers will be judged. Some will still be in natural bodies at the end of the thousand years but those who have died during the seven thousand years of human history will be raised at the Great White Throne judgment and stand before God (Rev 20.11-15). This is not for salvation but for judgment because they rejected eternal life. The resurrection of believers who died during the Messianic Kingdom is not mentioned in these verses but can be assumed. It could be that they are resurrected first and changed and will be present for the confirmation of their being justified by faith by the Lord. Their eternal state has been already assigned to them. Further light may be cast on this as the Messianic Kingdom goes along. After that, all unbelievers will be present and judged on their works because they rejected salvation by faith. As a result , they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, an eternal sate of separation from God and from that point God leads only those justified by faith into what is called the Olam Haba, or the World to Come. So, in conclusion, believers who have died will have a part in the first resurrection even though it happens in stages and at various times. Any unbeliever who has died will wait till the Great White Throne judgment and be raised and judged at that time.

Q. What does it mean when it says "the veil of the Temple was torn?"

A. This is a very mystical expression and let me explain some things. The expression is found in many places but I assume you are referring to the phrase in Mt 27.51. The veil that was torn was the outer veil leading into the Holy Place of the sanctuary, not the Holy of Holies. That had two veils and it could be entered by walking between the veils. This outer veil of the gate on the Ulam (porch) of the sanctuary was made of four colors. Blue indicating the heavens; linen, or flax, was brownish in color symbolizing the earth; scarlet indicating fire and purple stood for the sea. This veil had stars and the known planets on them and it was called the "panorama of the heavens." This gate to the sanctuary where the veil stood opened by itself for 40 years after the death of Yeshua. This curtain, or "the heavens", was opened on the 9th of Av and other occasions for the people to look into the holy of holies and so the veil being taken away was done before (Josephus, Wars, Bk 5; Hertz Siddur p. 959; Kaplan,Torah Anthology, p 91). The "tearing" or opening of this veil meant that the deeper things of God will now be understood, or open. When Stephen in Acts 7 or John in Rev 4 saw the heavens "opened" it meant access to the hidden, the mystical. It meant you are about to understand the deeper things of God and in Stephens case he was going there in person. So, with that in mind when it says in Psa 84.10 that "I would rather stand at the threshold (door) of the house of my God" now you know why. To be a "door man" in the house of God means that you can "open" up to the people the mystical, hidden, deep things of God. So, when Yeshua died on the cross and this veil was torn, opened, so the people already knew what this meant and that God was revealing something very deep and access to the things of God to be revealed was now accomplished for anyone who believes. There were many, mystical things going on when this happened and the writings of the Gospels and Epistles brought out so much more about redemption, salvation, propitiation and everything associated with the blood of Messiah and what it accomplished. God gave the people a sign just at the right moment to say that He was about to take the people deeper into the things of heaven and that its mysteries were about to opened to the people, and that's exactly what happened. And not everything has been revealed yet so that door is still open to us today.I hope this answers your question.

This week we are going to continue with our subject of Biblical Eschatology. Eschatology is understood in the biblical sense as pertaining to the Messiah and the Redemption of Man and creation. History is seen as a 7000 year period, 6000 years of man's history from creation to the 2nd coming of the Messiah followed by a 1000 year Messianic reign of Messiah (Psalm 90.4, 2 Pet 3.8). The creation week is a blueprint of this 7000 year plan of God. Six days (6000 years) man works and then he rests during the Lord's Day, or Sabbath of God (1000 years). The weekly Sabbath (on the seventh day) is a rehearsal for the coming Messianic Kingdom. Eschatology and the 7000 year plan of God is seen from 6 reference points. First in the historical sense and that is where you see the Lord working in history as you read the Scriptures, on a literal level. Second, some Scriptures refer to the Messiah's 1st coming. Third, some Scriptures refer to His second coming. Fourth, other verses refer to the Birth pains of the Messiah or the Tribulation period. Fifth you read other verses and they refer to the Messianic Kingdom and lastly the Olam Haba or the World to Come, which refers to life on earth after the 7000 years have been completed. At this point in man's history, creation was less than 6000 years ago and we know this because the Messianic Kingdom has not arrived yet. Eschatology is studied from the context of the Biblical Festivals found in Lev 23 and the Temple services. You will soon come to realize that all of the Tanach, or Old Testament, teaches the Messiah and his coming. In Jewish thought, the world will endure for six thousand years: two thousand in the age of desolation (tohu), then two thousand in the age of instruction followed by two thousand in days of Messiah. This was believed well before the coming of Yeshua and that is exactly how it has played out. That is why Jewish calendars number the years from creation, not how they are known on other calendars. The current year is 5771 but we are closer to the year 6000 than people realize. In the book "Seder Olam Rabbah" it says that in counting the years that they did not count the years of the Persian kings not mentioned in Scripture, which was approximately 210-250 years. So that means we are closer to the coming of Messiah in the Rapture than the current year on the Jewish calendar reflects. What that means is when Rosh Ha Shanah comes beginning the year 6001 from creation, the Lord will descend from Heaven and resurrect those who have died in Him and those alive at the time will be changed and meet Him in the air in what is commonly known as the rapture, or the Natzal, if you are familiar with Jewish thought. Now, there are some concepts to know if you are going to understand Eschatology. First, history is unfulfilled prophecy and prophecy is unfulfilled history (Eccl 1.9, 3.15) Second, there is a saying "Here now, but not yet" and that comes from Num 25.17. Third, prophecy is not limited in time, some can have numerous fulfillment's. Lastly, you do not look at a prophecy on one level, but four. They are the Peshat, Remez, Drash and Sowd level. When there seems to be a contradiction, it is not seen as that because prophecies are looked at on these different levels Let me illustrate this for you. Say you are in a mall and you are on the ground floor. You look up and there are four stories. All of the action is going on at the same time. If you look at the second level you see a woman with a baby. You see something else on the third floor, and yet something else on the fourth. They all are happening at the same time but it depends on what level you are looking at. It's the same with prophecy. You may look at the literal event in Scripture like the birth of Isaiah's son in Ch 8-9 but at another level you see the Messiah. Yeshua was called the "son of Joseph" on the literal level but at a deeper level that is a Messianic title going back to Joseph, the son of Jacob. When you see the crucifixion on a tree, with thorns and a garden you are on a literal level, but on a deeper level you see the Garden of Eden and on and on it goes throughout Scripture. You must get to know these other levels, the 7000 year plan of God, the festivals and the Temple and Bible prophecy will mean much more and knowing the Word will keep you out of a lot of false interpretations. I can't tell you how many times it kept me from being disturbed by so called "prophecy experts" over the last 20 years. All I have to do is check into their understanding of the festivals, the Temple and its services, the 7000 year plan of God and other things to find out if they have anything valid to say. In most cases, they haven't got a clue so I try to rightly divide what they say with the Word of Truth. There is so much more to this subject and I have not even scratched the surface but hopefully this gives you a starting point in going deeper into this subject and answers your question.

Q. What is your view of eschatology?

Q. What is your view of eschatology?
A. I understand eschatology with a Hebraic mindset and that is how I will answer the question. I think that this question is very important so I am going to give some basic understandings and concepts so that you can check them out and hopefully it will help you understand the Scriptures. When starting out new with someone, there are certain areas that I begin with. First you start with Time, and that is where your question comes from. You should also know the geography of the land. You should also have a working knowledge of the Temple and its services. In addition you should know Israeli history because it shows the Lord dealt with his people history in the Scriptures. Another thing is to read the Scriptures as if you were Jewish. Replace the English terms with Hebrew and so on. Also. study the Hebrew language. Every letter teaches Messiah, there are Torah Codes written into the text, Midrashic Name Derivations (MND's), Chaistic structure, Gematria, parallelisms and Hebrew poetry. Most believers today have no concept of what these are but all of these are Biblical and can be found in the text. God used these concepts in the Bible to communicate.You should also be familiar with the culture and ceremonies outside of Scripture, although they can be found in the Scriptures. These are also called "life-cycles". This area would include birth ceremonies, names, Jewish weddings, circumcision, redemption of the first-born, death and mourning and so on. All of these, by the way, are related to eschatology and have a role in understanding it. But, your question relates to the concept of time and that is where we will start. I am going to give some basic information that you will need to know and I will try and put it in a systematic way so that you can refer back to these things and do your own research to expound on them. I have never written about some of this so I hope I can communicate it. Some things are much easier to teach in person.
Think of your thoughts as trees in a secret garden. On each tree there are leaves of words and these "leaves" are blown by winds which utter a myriad of meanings. For instance I'm going to give you an exercise in this concept. I am going to list some things down and you think about who I am talking about. The answer will be very simple. First, I am thinking of someone in history. He left an indelible imprint on mankind. Without a biological miracle in his mother's womb his birth would have been impossible. Second, as an infant he was called the Son of God. Third, he was taken to Egypt to preserve life. Fourth, He returned to the Promised Land and was hated by all those around him, despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. Fifth, he was hated so much he was executed by the Romans. Sixth, he came to life on the third day. Lastly, he will never die again. Now, if you were thinking this applied to Yeshua, you're right, but it also applies to Israel. You see, these "leaves of words" when blown by the wind has many meanings and one will have to expand out of their little box to get what the Lord is trying to communicate. This little exercise is meant to convey such a fact in a small way. So, with all that in mind we can go on to the next level and talk about your question and hopefully expand on a few things, and we will start there next week as we let the wind blow our tree with leaves of words and go into understanding the concepts associated with Biblical Eschatology.