Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, Creator of the universe, who has set us apart with His commandments and has called us to internalize the words of Torah. Please, YHVH, our Elohim, sweeten the words of Torah in our mouth and in the mouths of Your people, the family of Israel. May we and our offspring and the offspring of Your people, the house of Israel – all of us – know Your Name and study Your Torah for its own sake. Please uncover our eyes and open our hearts that we may carefully examine the marvels and mysteries of your Torah. Blessed are You, YHVH, who teaches Torah to His people Israel.
שׁוב
אל־ארץ – ‘’return to the land’’
Why?
History shows us that this world has not always been a safe place for the
Covenant people of YHVH. This situation is currently becoming worse and will
become critical in the last days. There are currently 15 million Jews in the
world. If Jews were not subject to the various genocidal attempts to completely
erase them from the face of the earth – what could the possible total number of
Jews in the world today?
Demographers -experts in the study of statistics relating to
the changing structure of human populations – calculate that for any comparable
ancient people group spared large population losses, the estimate today would
fall in the low-to-mid hundreds of millions – (100–200+ million)
Gen 31:3 And יהוה
said to Ya‛aqoḇ, “Return
to the land of your fathers and to your relatives. And I am with you.”
Gen 31:4 And Ya‛aqoḇ
sent and called Raḥěl and
Lě’ah to the field, to his flock,
Gen 31:5 and said to them, “I see your father’s
face, that it is not toward me as before, but the Elohim of my father has been
with me.
Before the great tribulation covenant people will
experience growing hostility especially from close associates and certain
religious groupings.
Mat
10:36 and a man’s enemies are those of his own household.
Gen 31:6 “And you know that I have served your
father with all my strength.
Gen 31:7 “Yet your father has deceived me and
changed my wages ten times, but Elohim did not allow him to do evil to
me.
Gen 31:8 “When he said this, ‘The speckled are your
wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And when he said this, ‘The streaked
are your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked.
Gen 31:9 “So Elohim has taken away the livestock of
your father and given them to me.
Gen 31:10 “And it came to be, at the time when the
flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and looked in a dream and saw the rams
which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and mottled.
Gen 31:11 “And the Messenger of Elohim spoke to
me in a dream, saying, ‘Ya‛aqoḇ.’
And I said, ‘Here I am.’
Gen 31:12 “And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and
see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and mottled,
for I have seen all that Laḇan
is doing to you.
Gen 31:13 I am the Ěl of Běyth Ěl, where you
anointed the standing column and where you made a vow to Me. Now rise up, get
out of this land, and return to the land of your relatives.’”
Gen 31:14 And Raḥěl
and Lě’ah answered and said to him, “Do we still have any portion or
inheritance in our father’s house?
Gen 31:15 “Are we not reckoned by him as strangers?
For he has sold us, and also entirely consumed our silver.
Gen 31:16 “For all the wealth which Elohim has
taken from our father is ours and our children’s. Now then, do whatever Elohim
has told you.”
An end time remnant will not leave this present world
system empty handed.
Before leaving Egypt, the Israelites, acting on YHVH’s
instructions through Moses, requested articles of silver, gold, and clothing
from their Egyptian neighbours. YHVH granted the Israelites favour,
causing the Egyptians to willingly give them these treasures, effectively
plundering them and leaving with great possessions.
YHVH predicted this event at the burning bush - Exo 3:21 “And I shall
give this people favour in the eyes of the Mitsrites. And it shall be, that
when you go, you shall not go empty-handed.
Exo
3:22 “But every woman shall ask from her neighbour and from the stranger
in her house, objects of silver, and objects of gold, and garments. And you
shall put them on your sons and on your daughters, and shall plunder the
Mitsrites.”
The Israelites followed these instructions,
as noted in Exo 12:35
And the children of Yisra’ěl had done according to the word of Mosheh, and they
had asked from the Mitsrites objects of silver, and objects of gold, and
garments. Exo 12:36 And יהוה gave the people favour in the eyes of the
Mitsrites, so that they gave them what they asked, and they plundered the
Mitsrites.
While there's no explicit mention of Israelites packing
literal household idols like Rachel did centuries earlier, the pattern is
similar idolatry lingered in their hearts and habits. They left Egypt
with Egyptian gold and silver (Exodus 12:35-36), some of which quickly became
the raw material for idolatry. YHVH repeatedly had to confront and purge this
"Egyptian baggage" from His people, as seen in the wilderness
rebellions and later warnings.
This echo’s broader biblical themes: physical deliverance
from bondage is one thing, but fully separating from idolatry (heart and
practice) is a longer process. Rachel's act in Genesis 31 serves as an early
illustration of how even those in covenant families could cling to or smuggle
along pagan objects/practices much like the Exodus generation did on a larger
scale.
There is a profound and direct link between idolatry
and Torah obedience in the Scriptures. In fact, idolatry is portrayed as
the ultimate form of disobedience to the Torah, while faithful obedience
to YHVH's commandments is fundamentally about exclusive loyalty to Him alone rejecting
all forms of idolatry.
Idolatry as the Core Violation of the Torah
The Torah places the prohibition against idolatry at the
very foundation:
Exo 20:2 “I
am יהוה
your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of
slavery.
Exodus 20:3: "You shall have no other gods before
Me." Exodus 20:4-5 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image...
you shall not bow down to them or serve them."
The entire Torah is built on this exclusive worship of
Yahweh. Jewish tradition (and many biblical scholars) emphasizes that accepting
idolatry effectively denies the entire Torah because it rejects the
foundational principle that YHVH is One and demands total allegiance. As one
source puts it: "Whoever endorses idolatry (in any form) rejects the
entire Torah; and whoever renounces idolatry accepts the entire Torah."
Deuteronomy 13 prescribes severe penalties (even death)
for anyone—prophet, family member, or entire city—who entices Israel toward
idolatry, showing how seriously YHVH views it as rebellion against the whole Torah.
Idolatry isn't just one sin among many: it's spiritual
adultery (e.g., Hosea, Jeremiah, Ezekiel), covenant-breaking on the deepest
level. Obeying the Torah means walking in faithfulness to YHVH alone; idolatry
is the opposite
This link becomes especially relevant when we look at the
end-time believers described as those "who keep the commandments of YHVH
and have the testimony of Yahshua Ha Mashiach" (Revelation 12:17).
In the wilderness experiences we discussed (Exodus
generation, Ezekiel 20's "wilderness of the people"), YHVH sifted out
those who clung to idolatry/Egyptian influences. The end-time parallel suggests
the same: commandment-keepers (Torah-faithful in heart, rejecting idolatry) are
protected, while those who compromise with idolatry face judgment.
Gen 31:17 So Ya‛aqoḇ
rose and put his sons and his wives on camels,
Gen 31:18 and he drove off all his livestock and
all his possessions which he had acquired, his property of the livestock which
he had acquired in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Yitsḥaq in the land of Kena‛an.
Gen 31:19 And when Laḇan
had gone to shear his sheep, Raḥěl
stole the house idols that were her father’s.
Gen 31:20 And Ya‛aqoḇ
deceived Laḇan the
Aramean, because he did not inform him that he was about to flee.
Gen 31:21 And he fled with all that he had. And he
rose up and passed over the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gil‛aḏ.
Gen 31:22 And on the third day Laḇan was told that Ya‛aqoḇ had fled.
Gen 31:23 Then he took his brothers with him and
pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of
Gil‛aḏ.
Gen 31:24 But in a dream by night Elohim came to Laḇan the Aramean, and said to
him, “Guard yourself, that you do not speak to Ya‛aqoḇ either good or evil.”
Gen 31:25 Then Laḇan
overtook Ya‛aqoḇ. Now
Ya‛aqoḇ had pitched his
tent in the mountains, and Laḇan
with his brothers pitched in the mountains of Gil‛aḏ.
Gen 31:26 And Laḇan
said to Ya‛aqoḇ, “What
have you done, that you have deceived me, and driven my daughters off like
captives taken with the sword?
Gen 31:27 “Why did you flee secretly and deceive
me, and not inform me, and I would have sent you away with joy and songs, with
tambourine and lyre?
Gen 31:28 “And you did not allow me to kiss my sons
and my daughters. Now you have been foolish to do this.
Gen 31:29 “It is in the power of my hand to do evil
to you, but the Elohim of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Guard
yourself, that you do not speak to Ya‛aqoḇ
either good or evil.’
Gen 31:30 “And now you have gone because you
greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you steal my mighty
ones?”
Gen 31:31 And Ya‛aqoḇ
answered and said to Laḇan,
“Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Lest you tear your daughters away from
me.’
Gen 31:32 “With whomever you find your mighty ones,
do not let him live. In the presence of our brothers, see for yourself what is
with me and take it with you.” For Ya‛aqoḇ
did not know that Raḥěl
had stolen them.
Gen 31:33 And Laḇan
went into Ya‛aqoḇ’s tent,
and into Lě’ah’s tent, and into the tents of the two female servants, but he
did not find them. And he came out of Lě’ah’s tent and entered Raḥěl’s tent.
Gen 31:34 Now Raḥěl
had taken the house idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them.
And Laḇan searched all
about the tent but did not find them.
Gen 31:35 And she said to her father, “Let it not
displease my master that I am unable to rise before you, for the way of women
is with me.” And he searched but did not find the house idols.
Gen 31:36 And Ya‛aqoḇ
was wroth and contended with Laḇan,
and Ya‛aqoḇ answered and
said to Laḇan, “What is
my transgression? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me?
Gen 31:37 “Now that you have searched all my goods
what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my brothers
and your brothers, and let them decide between the two of us!
Gen 31:38 “These twenty years I have been with you.
Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not
eaten the rams of your sheep.
Gen 31:39 “That which was torn by beasts I did not
bring to you, I myself bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand,
whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
Gen 31:40 “Thus I was! By day the heat
consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.
Gen 31:41 “These twenty years I have been in your
house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for
your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.
Gen 31:42 “Unless the Elohim of my father, the
Elohim of Aḇraham and the
Fear of Yitsḥaq, had been
with me, you would now have sent me away empty-handed. Elohim has seen my
affliction and the labour of my hands, and rendered judgment last night.”
Gen 31:43 And Laḇan
answered and said to Ya‛aqoḇ,
“These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this
flock is my flock, and all that you see is mine. But what shall I do today to
these, my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?
Gen 31:44 “And now, come, let us make a covenant,
you and I, and it shall be a witness between you and me.”
Gen 31:45 So Ya‛aqoḇ
took a stone and set it up as a standing column.
Gen 31:46 And Ya‛aqoḇ
said to his brothers, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap,
and they ate there on the heap.
Gen 31:47 And Laḇan
called it Yeḡar Sahaḏutha, but Ya‛aqoḇ called it Gal‛ěḏ.
Gen 31:48 And Laḇan
said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” That is why its name
was called Gal‛ěḏ,
Gen 31:49 also Mitspah, because he said, “Let יהוה
watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight.
Gen 31:50 “If you afflict (humble) my daughters, or
if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us; see,
Elohim is witness between you and me!”
Gen 31:51 And Laḇan
said to Ya‛aqoḇ, “See
this heap and see this standing column, which I have placed between you and
me.
Gen 31:52 “This heap is a witness, and this
standing column is a witness, that I do not pass beyond this heap to you, and
you do not pass beyond this heap and this standing column to me, for
evil.
Gen 31:53 “The Elohim of Aḇraham, the Elohim of Naḥor, and the Elohim of their father rightly rule
between us!” And Ya‛aqoḇ
swore by the Fear of his father Yitsḥaq.
Gen 31:54 And Ya‛aqoḇ
slaughtered a slaughtering on the mountain, and called his brothers to eat
bread. And they ate bread and spent the night on the mountain.
Gen 31:55 And Laḇan
rose up early in the morning, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed
them. And Laḇan left and
returned to his place.
Gen 32:1 And Ya‛aqoḇ went on his way, and the messengers of Elohim
met him.
According to the Book of Jasher (Chapter 31), Laban
breaks his covenant of peace with Jacob by sending his son to inform Esau that
Jacob is returning to Canaan. This action sets the stage for Esau to meet Jacob
with four hundred men.
Gen 32:2 And when Ya‛aqoḇ saw them, he said, “This is the camp of Elohim.”
And he called the name of that place Maḥanayim. (two
camps) – Rev 12?
Gen 32:3 And Ya‛aqoḇ
sent messengers before him to Ěsaw his brother in the land of Sě‛ir, the field
of Eḏom
"Ezekiel 20:35-38 suggests that the YHVH's people
will endure a wilderness experience like the Israelites endured after they left
the land of Egypt."
Eze
20:35 “And I shall bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and
shall enter into judgment with you face to face there. Eze 20:36 “As
I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of
Mitsrayim, so I shall enter into judgment with you,” declares the Master יהוה.
"Ezekiel 20:37-38 describes what will happen in the
wilderness of the people: (37) And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and
I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: (38) And I will purge out from
among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them
forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into
the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am YHVH." (possibly also
a future reference to the great tribulation)
Croley explains the sifting process (like a shepherd
counting sheep):
"The phrase 'pass under the rod' refers to a shepherd
counting his sheep as they pass under his rod to ensure none are missing or to
separate them. This implies a time of evaluation and separation in the
wilderness of the people." (great tribulation)
"YHVH will purge out the rebels and those who
transgress against Him. The rebels will not enter the land of Israel, meaning
they will not participate in the restoration blessings."
The "wilderness of the people" is not a single
physical desert (like Sinai or Petra exclusively) but locations outside of the
land of Israel (the nations of the earth) where YHVH's faithful people are
sifted, protected, and preserved amid persecution.
Amos 9:9-10 to reinforce that the end-time experience isn't
total destruction but divine discrimination: rebels removed, faithful
preserved worldwide.
Eph 4:1 I call upon you therefore, I the
prisoner of the Master, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were
called,
Eph 4:2 with all humility and meekness, with
patience, bearing with one another in love,
Eph 4:3 being eager to guard the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace –
Eph 4:4 one body and one Spirit, as you also were
called in one expectation of your calling,
Eph 4:5 one Master, one belief, one
immersion,
Eph 4:6 one Elohim and Father of all, who is above
all,a and through all, and in you all. Footnote: aSee Mrk_12:32, Mrk_12:34,
1Co_8:6, 1Ti_2:5, Mrk_12:29-34.
Eph 4:7 But to each one of us favour was given
according to the measure of the gift of Messiah.
This is the only reality that will survive the coming
apocalypse and preserve His chosen into all eternity.
Blessed
are you YHVH, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of
truth and have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH
giver of the Torah –
Additional
midrash:
I posed
the following question to AI for analysis:
‘’Is it
possible that a remnant end time generation will be identified as such because
they will have recognized and embraced the human track record as being one of
almost complete global catastrophic failure, covenant treachery and an almost
complete rejection and alteration of YHVH’s ways.
This
remnant will know they are as much part of the human condition as any one else,
but what distinguishes them is that they have faith that YHVH will do for
mankind what mankind is utterly unable to do for themselves – eventually YHVH
will bring healing and restoration for the most underserving of mankind –
through this faithful remnant.’’
(A) Yes,
it is not only possible — it aligns very closely with Wayne Croley’s teachings
on the end-time remnant, even though he doesn’t use those exact
modern-sounding phrases. His writings (especially the Ezekiel 20:35 article and
related pieces) portray the remnant as survivors who have confronted the
reality of humanity’s (and Israel’s) repeated failure, covenant-breaking, and
rejection of YHVH’s ways — yet they are distinguished by humble faith that YHVH
alone can accomplish what no human effort or self-improvement ever could.
The Contrast Croley Highlights: Rebels in Denial vs.
Remnant Who “Get It”
Croley repeatedly points to Amos 9:9-10 as describing
the end-time sifting in the “wilderness of the people”:
“All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which
say, the evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.” Vs 10
These are the ones in denial — they refuse to
acknowledge the catastrophic track record of covenant treachery, idolatry, and
alteration of YHVH’s commandments. They think “it won’t happen to us.” Croley
ties this directly to Ezekiel 20:38’s purging of “the rebels, and them that
transgress against me” who will not enter the restored land. The
rebels embody the very human condition you described: ongoing rejection and
self-deception.
In contrast, the faithful remnant (the “least grain” that
does not fall) survives because they do not live in denial. They have
faced the sword/persecution and the full weight of humanity’s failure — yet
they find grace (Jeremiah 31:2, which Croley quotes often):
“The people which were left of the sword found grace in
the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.” (Jer 31:2)
Croley emphasizes this grace is unearned — given to
survivors who have been sifted, pleaded with “face to face” (Ezekiel 20:35-36,
like the Exodus generation that repeatedly failed), and still trust YHVH’s
restoration.
The Remnant’s Defining Faith: YHVH Does What Man Cannot
Croley describes the remnant (Revelation 12:17’s “remnant of
her seed” who keep the commandments and have the testimony of Yahshua) as those
who endure Satan’s wrath precisely because they refuse to compromise with the
ultimate idolatry and covenant alteration (beast worship). They know the global
failure — they live in it — yet they trust YHVH’s supernatural provision,
protection, and final gathering.
He connects this to:
- The saved
remnant of Israel who “survive the horrors of the tribulation and will
trust Yahshua as their saviour when He comes to save His people and
destroy the wicked” (from his article “Who Will Populate the Millennium
Kingdom?”).
Croley stresses this is Satan’s wrath (temporary thumos),
not YHVH’s final wrath (orge), which believers avoid. The Day of the YHVH’s
wrath comes only after the tribulation, when Yahshua returns and gathers the
surviving remnant.
This two-group framework (Maḥanayim?)
is central to Croley’s teaching and appears across his articles (especially the
Revelation 12 Sign piece and his safe-places discussion). It shows YHVH’s
precise care: one localized miracle for Israel’s remnant, and worldwide
refining protection for the commandment-keeping believers who will help
populate the coming restoration.
Wayne Croley's Views on the 144,000
Croley addresses the 144,000 directly in several Q&A
articles on prophecyproof.org and in his book Prophecy Proof Insights
on the End Times (Chapter 13: "The Mysterious 144,000"). He takes
a straightforward, literal interpretation:
- Who
they are: Literal 144,000 people from the tribes of Israel (Revelation
7:4-8 lists specific tribes). He rejects symbolic views (e.g., the
Church as spiritual Israel or Jehovah's Witnesses' claims) and stresses
they are ethnic/national Israelites sealed for protection and service.
Jer 30:11 For I am with you,’ declares יהוה, ‘to save you. Though
I make a complete end of all nationsa where I have scattered you, yet I do not
make a complete end of you. But I shall reprove you in judgment, and by no
means leave you unpunished.’ Footnote: aSee Jer_46:28, Isa_34:2, Isa_45:17,
Dan_2:44, Amo_9:8, Hag_2:22.
Jer 30:12 “For thus said יהוה, ‘Your breach is
incurable, your wound is grievous.
Jer 30:13 No one pleads your cause, to bind up.
There are no healing medicines for you.
Jer
30:15 Why do you cry about your breach? Your pain is incurable. Because
of your many crookednesses, because your sins have increased, I have done this
to you.
Jer
30:16 However, all those who devour you shall be devoured. And all your
adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity. And those who exploit
you shall be exploited, and all who prey upon you I shall make a prey.
Jer
30:17 For I restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ declares יהוה, ‘for they have called you an outcast
saying, “This is Tsiyon, no one is seeking her.” ’
Jer
30:24 The burning displeasure of יהוה shall not turn back until He has done and
established the purposes of His heart. In the latter days you shall understand
it.b Footnote: bSee Jer_23:20.