1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
For the past two weeks we have examined lessons from the OT account of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt in hope of avoiding the errors and attitudes of the children of Israel. This week we will draw connections between the Exodus and the prophecies in the book of Revelation.
One of the central figures in the Exodus, was the Egyptian ruler, Pharoah. The Hebrew spelling for “Pharoah” (“peh”-“resh”-“ayin”-“hey”) literally describes who the man was. The outside letters (“peh” – “hey”) spell the Hebrew word “Peh” which means “mouth” in English. The inner two letters (“resh”-“ayin”) form the word “Rah”, the name of the ancient Egyptian sun god. So, “Pharoah” in Hebrew, identified him as, “the mouth (or voice) of Rah”.
But the word “rah” has another meaning in Hebrew, that is, “evil”, “wicked”, or “bad”. Adding this meaning describes someone who speaks with “godlike” authority, yet is evil. We can see here a strong similarity to the “beast” of Revelation 13, as this “beast” was given a mouth to speak blasphemy against God; [Revelation 13:5].
The apostle John warned that antichrists are already here among us, and while we may be aware of the various manifestations of the antichrist spirit in our culture, and elsewhere, we also are expecting a final revelation of a “Man of Sin” known as “The Antichrist”. His way is being prepared that the whole world may receive and worship him.
“The whole world”, but not true believers in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ). Yet, not to be deceived as the Lord warned us, [Matthew 24:24] will require spiritual discernment. We must test the spirits, as the Apostle John instructed us: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God…” [1 John 4:1]. Our spirits and our minds must be informed by the Word of God, according to simple and true gospel of Yeshua’s death for sin, and resurrection from the dead.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
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Between Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur are ten days. These days are known as “Yamim Noraim”, “the Days of Awe” — or also translated, the “Awesome days”. In Judaism it has been long believed that these days seal your fate for the upcoming year — and also allude to your final destiny, concerning whether your name continues to be written in the Book of Life.
One of the major themes of Rosh Hashana is called Akedat Yitzchak, which means the Binding of Isaac. According to Jewish tradition, God told Abraham that the ram’s horn – otherwise known as a shofar – should be blown on Rosh Hashana to remind people of the sacrifice that God provided Himself when Abraham was about to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah.
Rosh Hashanah traditionally marks the Jewish New Year. “Shanah” is a unique Hebrew word meaning “to repeat, revise, or go over again”. As we begin the new year, with fall, then winter, spring, and summer, we remember the cyclical pattern of time in God’s creation. The nature of life is to repeat itself — to continue in a cycle, marked by Rosh HaShannah — a New Year. Although time is moving in a direction toward a definite destiny determined by the Creator, it does so in cycles … truly, “what goes around comes around”.
On Wednesday this week, we will celebrate the Biblical festival of Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) otherwise known as Rosh Ha Shana. What’s interesting about Rosh Ha Shana (the Jewish celebration of the New Year), is that it doesn’t fall on the first day of the first month. It falls on the first day of the seventh month! It’s difficult for outsiders to understand this concept, but it all makes sense if we study how the Jewish year begins and how God is outlining this age according to the Jewish feasts.
As we just celebrated one of the highest holy days of all the feasts of the Bible, Yom Turah (Feast of Trumpets) known in modern times as Rosh ha Shana (Head of the Year).
True story! In 1940, a large and wonderful Christian family, the Rudolph’s, announced the birth of their 20th baby! Though the baby was not expected to live, having been born prematurely and with polio, she defied all odds. She did live, but by the time she was four she had suffered polio, pneumonia and scarlet fever. This little girl was badly crippled with hardly any use of her left leg. While her brothers and sisters enjoyed running and playing outside, she was left confined to braces.
The concept of ownership often influences how one can view the world, but if we recognize the truth that our time here is short and we can’t take anything with us, it will change our perspective. We are simply stewards of what has been entrusted to us. I’ve been running Worthy and its sites for 25 years, and I’ve never thought I was an owner but rather a steward of a ministry.