“Seek Yahweh while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him. Turn to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah 55: 6-7

דרשו יהוה בהמצאו קראהו בהיותו קרוב׃

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The Pope and Me: A True Story

Katie and I have been exploring Israel for more than 2 decades.  At first, we focused on the whole country.  It’s small, so that wasn’t difficult.  Our mission was made a lot easier, because we were blessed to have an Israeli exchange student living with us in Virginia in 2002.  Her name is Noam.

Noam was 15-years-old at the time.  She arrived in August and joined the track team at the school she attended.  Within 2 weeks of her arrival, Noam contracted malaria.  She had visited Kenya with her family before coming to the United States, and she was bitten by an infected mosquito.  The incubation period for the disease allowed her to settle in with us before it hit her.

If you have never been up close and personal with someone who has malaria, it’s hard to explain what the disease does to a person.  In the early days of the disease, victims of malaria are as dependent as young babies.  They are so weak that simply moving around is difficult.

Noam thought she was about to die.  She was so weak that either Katie or I had to help her to the bathroom when she needed to throw up.  Anyone who has had children knows that strong bonds form when people are that close.

“Close” isn’t the right word.  “Intimate” is more accurate.  The bond that developed between Noam, Katie, and me is like the bond that develops between parents and their children.  We love her like we love our own daughters.  Time and distance have not changed that.  We still think of Noam as our Israeli daughter.

My best friend in Virginia is a senior faculty member in the University of Virginia Medical School.  He took Noam under his wing while she was in the UVA hospital, and she got the best medical care possible.

Below is a picture of Noam in the hospital in 2002.  She was weak and tired, but she could still smile.  I took this picture in the emergency room at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville.  We took Noam to Martha Jefferson, because she developed a high fever.  The doctor examined her, drew blood, and discovered that she had malaria.  Since Martha Jefferson was not equipped to deal with malaria patients, the emergency room doctor transferred Noam to the UVA hospital, and infectious disease specialists took over.

Noam’s parents, Ishai and Hanita, were very concerned. Their daughter was about 6,000 miles from home living with people they didn’t know.  Imagine how you would feel if you were in their shoes.  They were helpless in a critical situation.  They had to rely on Katie and me to do what was right for Noam.

We took care of Noam the same way we would have cared for Melanie or Rebekah if they had contracted a deadly disease.  That became obvious to Ishai and Hanita, so a bond developed between them and us even though we had not met in person at that time.

Below is a picture of Noam (left) playing cards with Melanie (center) and Rebekah (right).  We were at my parent’s house in Athens, Georgia for Thanksgiving in 2002.  By that time, Noam had recovered from malaria.

Below is a picture of Rebekah, Noam, and Melanie (left to right) that I took in 2003.  We were in the Negev near Mitzpe Ramon.  It’s a town in Israel overlooking the Arava, the deepest depression on Earth.  This is the drop-off point.  The Dead Sea sits at the bottom of the Arava.  It’s about 1,450 feet below sea level.  For several weeks in 2006, Katie and I lived in Sapir. It’s a small town in the Arava.  As the crow flies, Sapir is about 20 miles from Mitzpe Ramon.  By road, it’s more than 60 miles.

Noam and her parents know about our love for Israel.  Over the years, they have taken us to lots of places in Israel that few tourists ever see.

Below is a picture that Katie took in 2006.  I’m on the left; Noam is in the center; and Noam’s friend Sarai is on the right.  We were in Timna Park.  It’s about 10 miles north of Eilat, a town in Southern Israel on the Red Sea.  It’s about 60 miles south of Sapir where we lived.  At that time, Noam and Sarai were in the IDF.  They were spending the weekend with us, and we drove to Timna Park to do some exploring.  Timna Park is where King Solomon’s mines are located.  In the Bible, this area is called “the wilderness”.  Moses led the Children of Israel through here.  There is a life-size replica of the Tabernacle in Timna Park. It’s worth seeing.

When Katie and I visit Israel, we enjoy spending time with Noam and her family.  Her brother, Dror, and her sister, Ayala, are close to us, too.  Noam is married now.  Her husband, Chen, and her daughter, Roni, are part of our family.  Dror is married now.  His wife, Dikla, and their sons, Tamir and Bar, are part of the group.

Below is a picture that I took in 2018.  Katie is in the foreground, and Noam is standing behind her.  We were at the beach in Tel Aviv with Chen and Roni.  They live a short walk from the beach.

For more than a decade, Katie and I have spent most of our time in Israel in Jerusalem.  It’s like a second home to me now.  I love it.  When I’m in the United States for too long, I yearn to return.  Every time I go there, Yahweh does something special.  I never know what He has in store for me to see and do.  I go there full of anticipation. Yahweh enjoys putting on a show for me, and I enjoy being a part of it.

Katie and I are exploring Yahweh’s holy city at the micro level.  We try to leave no stone unturned.  When Yahweh opens a door, we walk through it, and He enjoys opening doors.  As a result, we have become experts of a sort on Jerusalem.  Our goal is to understand what is really going on in Yahweh’s holy city and what has gone on there in the past.  We take our time and talk with Israelis, real experts, to uncover the facts.  They enjoy helping us as much as we appreciate them doing it.  For example, see “Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount”.

In 2013, Katie and I attended Noam’s wedding in Tel Aviv.  The bride and groom ask members of their families to hold up the poles for the chuppah under which the wedding ceremony is performed.  Each of them picks 2 people, one for each of the 4 poles.  Noam picked Dror and me.  I was humbled and honored.

Below is a picture that Katie took at Noam’s wedding.  I am standing on the left. Hanita is standing in the center. Ishai is standing on the right.  The 2 women sitting are Hanita’s mother and her mother’s care-giver.

Before the wedding, Katie and I were standing around talking with Noam and one of her friends.  Her friend knew that we were staying in Jerusalem, so she said, “Noam, you should show Neil and Katie around Jerusalem.”

Noam started laughing and said, “Neil and Katie show me around Jerusalem.”  This story is about one of those times.

Here Comes the Pope

In 2014, Katie and I were planning a trip to Jerusalem.  We were there for most of the month of May.  Shortly after we finalized plans for our visit, Pope Francis announced that he was going to Jerusalem, too, and his trip would overlap ours.  I think that was the first time a pope had ever visited Jerusalem.

I am not a big fan of the Catholic Church for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who knows Yahweh.  (See The Trilogy.) Candidly, I’m not a big fan of religion.  (See “I Hate Religion and Yahweh Does, Too” and “Religion is a Terrible Thing”.)

The pope was up to no good in 2014.  In 2015, he would recognize a Palestinian state.  His 2014 visit was part of that process.  (See “Vatican to Recognize Palestinian State in New Treaty”.)

The pontiff presents himself to the world as Yahweh’s intermediator. That’s ridiculous.  The Messiah is the Intermediator.  From Yahweh’s perspective, the pope is a political leader of a man-made religion who is elected by a corrupt College of Cardinals.  The Catholic Church has a long, sordid history of taking sides against Yahweh. I am not casting aspersions at true believers who call themselves “Catholic”, but I am saying that the institutional Catholic Church doesn’t represent Yahweh. The importance of that statement will become obvious before too long.

Recognizing a Palestinian state on land that Yahweh promised to Abraham’s descendants through Isaac and Jacob is the exact opposite of what Yahweh wants to happen.  Yahweh made that clear in the Bible.  (See His Name is Yahweh: Revised Edition.)  Anyone representing Yahweh would know that. The pope is no exception.

Joel 3: 1-3

“For behold, in those days and at that time [when Yahweh returns], when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat [a.k.a., the Kidron Valley].  Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel [Judah is one of the 12 tribes of Israel, not all 12 of them], whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.  They have also cast lots for My people, traded a boy for a harlot and sold a girl for wine that they may drink.” (Joel 3: 1-3)

The pope was planning the division of the Promised Land.  He wasn’t representing Yahweh, so he must have been representing Satan.  As Yahweh told Joel, He has plans for people who do what the pope did.  If the pope was really one of Yahweh’s people, he wouldn’t have been so foolish.

Below is a video that I took in the Valley of Jehoshaphat.  Today, it’s known as the Kidron Valley.

Security for the Pope was Tight

The pope is a head of state, so I knew that security would be tight during his stay in Israel.  The pope was supposed to be in Jerusalem on Sunday and Monday, and Noam was coming to Jerusalem on Monday to spend time with Katie and me.  We were taking her to the City of David for 2 tours, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Francis’ visit threatened to interfere with our plans.

I wanted to avoid the pope.  On Friday before his arrival, Katie and I set out to discover the details of his schedule for Monday.  Our goal was to move through Jerusalem on Monday without coming into contact with the pope and his entourage.

We went to the Vatican compound in the Old City of Jerusalem to meet with the priest in charge of security for the pope’s visit.  We walked up on him as he was finalizing plans with the Israeli official who was responsible for the pope’s security.  Below is a picture that Katie took of them talking as we approached.

Both of them were gracious and hospitable. The priest asked us to join them.  That surprised me.

At first, the priest thought we wanted to attend a function where the pope would be present, and he told us that seeing the pope in person would be impossible.  I explained that we were trying to avoid the pope and the security around him so we could visit the City of David without much interference.  He understood and told us how to accomplish our objective.

As we were about to leave, the priest said, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

I was feeling a little frisky and they were very nice, so I said, “There is one other thing.  How did the pope learn that we would be in Jerusalem on Monday?”

The priest and the Israeli official started laughing.

I thought, Why not continue?  So I said, “There is another thing.  Where does the pope buy those big hats?”

Both of them started laughing so hard that they were almost crying.  I thanked them for their time, said goodbye, and left them in stitches.  It was fun for us and for them.  Like I said, they were very nice.  They were not offended at all.

Below is a video that I took that day.  We entered the Old City through New Gate and made our way to the Vatican compound.

The City of David

Noam arrived at the Central Bus Station on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem early Monday morning.  Katie and I met her there, and we walked back to our hotel.  As we were walking east on Jaffa Street toward King George Street, I told Noam, “We are going to see the pope today in the City of David.”

Noam knew what we had done to avoid the pope, so seeing him was highly unlikely.  She said, “It’s possible.”

Below are 3 pictures to introduce Noam’s family.  They were taken in August 2019:

1. In the first picture, Noam and Roni are standing in front of the King David Hotel.  The YMCA Three Arches Hotel is across the street in the background.
2. In the second picture, Katie and Chen are talking while Roni is playing.  You can see Noam’s leg in the picture on the left.  The picture was taken at the YMCA Three Arches Hotel in the outside eating area. Katie and I stop here to have a glass of wine on our way back from the Old City in the evenings at least a couple of times a week when we are in Jerusalem.  It’s on 1 of 3 routes home for us. We alternate routes for the fun of it. Typically, we go to the Old City one way and come back another.
3. The third picture shows Roni standing in front of the YMCA Three Arches Hotel.  She’s pouting.  I love that picture.

Back to the City of David

Our morning tour went off without a hitch.  No pope in sight.  When the morning tour ended, we walked to Mamilla Mall for lunch at Café Rimon.  We sat and talked until about 3:30, because our afternoon tour was from 4:00 to 7:00.

To get from Mamilla Mall to the City of David, we walked through the Old City.  The route took us through the Jewish Quarter and out Dung Gate near the Kotel.  It’s right beside the Temple Mount.

Below is a picture that I took in 2003.  Even though the picture is dated, the landmarks that I want you to see are clearly visible.

On the left in the picture, you can see a gate through the Old City wall.  That’s Dung Gate.  We walked through Dung Gate, and Israeli security people were everywhere.  No one was being allowed to cross the street.  I walked up to an Israeli soldier and told her that we had a tour in the City of David in just a few minutes.

She said, “No problem.  The pope is leaving town.  He’s on the way to the airport now.  His motorcade will be by here any second.  We will open up the street as quickly as the motorcade passes by.  You won’t have any more problems.”

We stood on the curb while the pope’s motorcade passed by.  It took only a few seconds.  No one was in front of us.  We saw the pope’s car, but he was on the other side.  We couldn’t see him, but we were not in the City of David.

The Tyropoeon Valley

The City of David sits at the base of Mount Moriah.  At the southern tip of the City of David, 3 valleys converge: The Kidron Valley, the Hinnom Valley, and the Tyropoeon Valley (a.k.a., the Central Valley).

The Kidron Valley and the Hinnom Valley are visible today, but the much smaller Tyropoeon Valley was filled in millennia ago to enlarge Jerusalem.  It can’t be seen today.

The ancient City of David didn’t occupy any part of the Tyropoeon Valley.  In David’s and Solomon’s days, it was a steep, rugged ravine separating Mount Moriah from what people call “Mount Zion” today.  That’s a misnomer.  The City of David is Mount Zion.  (See “Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount”.)  In the 2003 picture above, the Tyropoeon Valley is hidden under the parking lot circled in yellow.

The Tyropoeon Valley has been built over many times since King David was alive.  Ma’alot Ir David Street is the approximate western boundary of the ancient City of David.  It’s the road between the red and yellow circles in the 2003 picture above.  In other words, when the pope’s motorcade passed by while we were standing in front of Dung Gate, we were near the base of what people call “Mount Zion” today.  We were not on Mount Moriah, and we were not in the City of David.

The road between Dung Gate and the parking lot (Ma’ale HaShalom Street) is actually a bridge over the upper end of the Tyropoeon Valley.  You can’t tell that it’s a bridge from the 2003 picture, but from inside the City of David excavation area, you can see the support structure for the bridge.

Below is a picture of the City of David and the Temple Mount from the air.  The ancient City of David is outlined in red. You can see the Kidron Valley to the east of the City of David and the Temple Mount. The slope of the Kidron Valley is very steep. It’s so steep that anyone trying to climb it would have great difficulty. Ma’alot Ir David Street sits atop the precipice of the Tyropoeon Valley on the eastern side of the valley. The street also marks the approximate location of the wall around the western side of the City of David. The slope of the Tyropoeon Valley on the western side of the City of David was at least as steep as the slope of the Kidron Valley on the eastern side of the city. The red circle in the picture is where Noam, Katie, and I were standing at about 4:00 when we saw the pope’s car on our way to our evening tour. As you can see, we were not in the City of David.

King Herod built Antonia Fortress for Roman occupiers in the 1^st century BC. He was the Roman’s puppet king. His allegiance was to Rome. Herod built the fort to impress his Roman masters. That was about 800 years after David and Solomon died. The fort was north of the City of David. By that time, Jerusalem had grown considerably, and the Tyropoeon Valley had been virtually filled in completely. Romans completed the process of filling in the Tyropoeon Valley after they destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Antonia Fortress was home to more than 6,000 Roman soldiers and more than 4000 support personnel. That’s more than 10,000 people. All of their equipment was stored at the fort. In other words, it was not small. The dimensions of the Temple Mount are identical to the typical dimensions of Roman forts in occupied territories. That is a telling clue, but it’s not the focus of this discussion.

The City of David is ancient Jerusalem. It’s the city of Jerusalem that is talked about in the Old Testament, i.e., the Tanach. That’s where David and Solomon ruled. It is in the area outlined in red in the picture above. David and Solomon ruled from the City of David long before Israel became part of the Roman Empire.

Since David conquered Jerusalem, Israel’s enemies always attacked the city from the north, because the city was impregnable from the east, south, and west. Antonia Fortress was built to protect the city from the north. Yahweh’s Temple was in the City of David south of Antonia Fortress. For details, see “Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount“.

The video below shows an aerial view of Jerusalem near the Old City.  Part of the video is a flyover of the City of David:

• At 3:59 in the video, you are approaching the City of David from the south.
• At 4:44 in the video, you are directly over the southern tip of the City of David where the Kidron Valley and the Hinnom Valley converge. You can see the street on the western side of the City of David. It’s Ma’alot Ir David Street. The lower end of the Tyropoeon Valley is on the eastern side of Ma’alot Ir David Street.
• At 5:27 in the video, you are directly over the northern tip of the City of David. You can see Ma’alot Ir David Street. It separates the City of David from the Tyropoeon Valley. On the eastern side of Ma’alot Ir David Street, you can see an archeological dig. That’s where the Tyropoeon Valley used to be. The dig will not extend to the floor of the Tyropoeon Valley, because that would entail the destruction of important archeological sites. Yahweh’s Temple was directly across Ma’alot Ir David Street from the archeological dig. In the 2003 picture above, Yahweh’s Temple was in the area circled in red, and the archeological dig is under the parking lot circled in yellow. This area is changing constantly.
• The flight continues on to the Kotel on the western side of the Temple Mount. That entire area was part of the upper end of the Tyropoeon Valley. The Temple Mount was not part of the City of David. That’s why Yahweh’s Temple could not have been there despite what most people believe today.

Our Afternoon Tour

As quickly as the pope’s motorcade passed by, we walked across the street, took a left, and walked to the intersection of Ma’alot Ir David Street and Ma’ale HaShalom Street.  The main entrance to the City of David is about 70 yards south of that intersection.

Below is a video that I took that day.  In the video, the trek from the City of David to the Temple Mount is not in the City of David.  It’s in the Tyropoeon Valley. It was part of Jerusalem during Roman occupation about 800 years after David and Solomon died.

Our afternoon tour ended at about 7:00.  When it was over, we walked back to the corner between the red and yellow circles in the picture above from 2003.  We were on the red circle side of the street or in the ancient City of David.  The other side of the street is not in the City of David. It’s the precipice of the Tyropoeon Valley.

When we reached the corner, Israeli security people were everywhere, and they wouldn’t let us cross the street.  I asked one of the soldiers what was going on, and she said, “The pope’s motorcade is about to pass by.  He’s on his way out of town.  We’ll open the street as quickly as his motorcade passes by.”

In the aerial photo above showing the City of David and the Temple Mount, the yellow circle marks the exact spot where Noam, Katie, and I were standing. Clearly, it is in the City of David. It’s also very close to the spot where Yahweh’s Temple was built. In fact, we may have been standing in the Temple complex. It’s possible that we were standing where Yahweh’s Temple was located. Excavation can determine the exact locations of Yahweh’s Temple and the Temple complex.

I said to the soldier, “That’s strange.  We were held up crossing the street at 4:00 when the pope’s motorcade was on its way to the airport. Was there a problem?”

She replied, “Prime Minister Netanyahu called the pope as he was on his way to the airport and asked him to come back for another meeting.  The pope has been in a meeting with the prime minister since then.  He’s really leaving this time.  I promise.”

Once again, we were on the curb.  No one was between us and the pope’s motorcade.  This time we saw the pope, and this time we were in the City of David.

The pope’s car is in the picture below.  You can’t see him in the picture, but we saw him.  Katie took this picture.  My camera was in my vest pocket.  I didn’t even know that Katie had captured this shot until we returned to the United States.  I’m telling you this because everything that happened took place in just a few seconds.  There was no time to prepare.

Noam has a great story to tell.  Later, I reminded her about what I had told her that morning as we were walking from the bus station to our hotel.  She remembered it well.

It’s Not a Parking Lot Anymore

Below is a video that was prepared by the City of David Foundation.  It shows what used to be the parking lot across the street from the City of David.  It’s not a parking lot anymore.  It’s a major archaeological site.  Again, see “Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount”.

Below are 2 pictures that I took in 2016.  When I took the first picture, I was standing on the sidewalk across the street from Dung Gate.  The view in the first picture is looking over the archaeological site where the parking lot and the Tyropoeon Valley used to be.  Beyond the archaeological site, you can see the entrance to the City of David.  There are flowers across the top of the entrance.  The intersection where we saw the pope is about 70 yards to the left (north) of the entrance to the City of David.

I took the second picture from the same spot.  It is looking straight at Dung Gate.  It’s the vehicle entrance to the Kotel and the Temple Mount.  For obvious reasons, security near Dung Gate is always tight, and the closer you get to the Kotel, the tighter the security gets.

Calculating Probability

What is the probability of the events I discussed in this SnyderTalk editorial happening unless Yahweh made them happen? As you think about that question, consider the picture below. It’s the same picture I included above, but I want it to be front-and-center in your mind.

I also want you to think about this: The pope’s motorcade was accompanied by Israeli security vehicles front and back. They traveled at a steady speed. I don’t know how fast they were going, but 25 mph is my best guess. They didn’t slow down or stop for anything including stop lights and pedestrian crossings.

Also, the distance between the red and yellow circles in the picture above is about 150 yards. It’s a short distance, but one location is in the City of David and the other is not. That’s key.

This is a recap of what happened:

1. At about 4:00, we were on our way to the City of David. When the pope’s motorcade passed by, we were standing on the curb in front of Dung Gate in the area marked by the red circle in the picture above. No one was in front of us. The pope was supposed to be leaving town. We were delayed for only a few seconds, and the window of opportunity that we had to see the pope was no more than 2 or 3 seconds. We saw the pope’s car, but we didn’t see him. At that time, we were not in the City of David.
2. At about 7:00, we were leaving the City of David, and we were held up a second time. Again, Israeli security people said that the pope was on his way to the airport to leave town. We were standing on the curb in the area marked by the yellow circle in the picture above. No one was in front of us. Again, we were delayed for a few seconds.  Again, our window of opportunity to see the pope was 2 or 3 seconds. This time, we saw the pope, and this time, we were in the City of David.
3. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s and the pope’s schedules were changed on the fly in such a way that we were able to see the pope while we were “in the City of David”.
4. At about 7:00 if the pope’s motorcade had passed by a few seconds earlier or a few seconds later, we would not have seen him.
5. If the prime minister’s meeting with the pope had lasted a few seconds longer or a few seconds shorter, we would not have seen the pope.
6. If the pope had done anything differently after his meeting with the prime minister (an impromptu conversation, a bathroom break, anything whatsoever) that altered his schedule by just a few seconds in either direction, we would not have seen him.
7. If Noam, Katie, or I had done anything differently (slowed down to chat, tied a shoe, bought a bottle of water, anything whatsoever) that cost us just a few seconds, we would not have seen the pope.
8. We had to be in that exact spot at that exact time, or we would not have seen the pope.
9. We could not plan our arrival at that spot, because the timing of our tour was not under our control. The exact time of our arrival was in Yahweh’s hands.
10. It was perfect, split-second timing, and Yahweh did it for Noam’s benefit.

Seeing the pope sounds like a small thing, and it is. But seeing him under those circumstances delivered a big message. Yahweh was showing Noam, Katie, and me that He can do anything. He is in complete control, and we can have faith in Him.

The probability of those things happening without Yahweh’s direct intervention is zero. I could not have made it happen, and nothing I did could have prevented it from happening exactly the way it played out. It was Yahweh, pure and simple.

Normally, Yahweh tells me things. That was the first time in my life that He allowed me to call the shot.  Unbeknownst to the prime minister and the pope, they were dancing to my tune, and Yahweh made sure that it came off with precision. There is an important message in that, too, but now is not the right time to explain it.

This incident actually occurred. Nothing I said is fabricated or exaggerated.  Noam, Katie, and I are witnesses.  It was not coincidence.

I say that because people who don’t know Yahweh tend to interpret things that can’t be explained easily, highly improbable or impossible things, as mere chance.  There are no coincidences.  That’s especially true in Jerusalem.  Too many impossible things have happened to me in Jerusalem to believe otherwise.  I have many other stories like this one to tell.

Yahweh was putting on a show for Noam, Katie, and me.  We were the only three people who knew what I told Noam that morning.  The people standing with us on the curb at 7:00 saw only the pope’s car with him in it.  The three of us witnessed a miracle being performed. It was a small miracle, but it was a miracle nonetheless. There is no other reasonable way to interpret the facts.

Yahweh works in mysterious ways.

Final Points

Noam lived with Katie and me in Virginia while I was beginning to write His Name is Yahweh.  Hebrew is Noam’s native tongue.  To do my job properly, I needed to understand the exact meanings of many Hebrew words.  Noam was a tremendous help.  She was happy to answer my questions, and she was right there with me.

As I said, Yahweh works in mysterious ways.  When I needed help, Yahweh sent me Noam.  At that time, she was a 15-year-old girl.  Today, she is a grown woman with a family of her own.

I haven’t told you this, but Noam is very smart.  She became an intelligence officer in the IDF, and today she is an electronics engineer working with a high-tech startup in Tel Aviv.  Yahweh knows how to put on a show, and He is always faithful.  He makes sure that I have exactly what I need when I need it.

Yahweh used Noam to bless me, and I know He used me to bless her.  A few days after our pope sighting, Yahweh told me to deliver a message to Noam. This is the message:

“Noam, there is an Elohim in Israel, and His Name is Yahweh.”

When I refer to Yahweh in conversations with Noam, she knows exactly who I am talking about. She has heard me talk about Him for almost 2 decades. She has watched me deliver many presentations about my book His Name is Yahweh. Ishai, Noam’s dad, and Katie were with us when I delivered the message above.

Most of my readers don’t know Hebrew. Noam does. Elohim is a plural word. El is the singular form of Elohim.

When referring to Yahweh, it is best to refer to Him in the plural unless we are calling Him by a specific Name for a purpose, a Name like El Shaddai for instance. That is not my opinion. That’s what Yahweh does.

For example, Genesis 1: 1 says,

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Elohim is the Hebrew word that is translated as “God” in that verse. Again, it’s a plural word. As I said, Yahweh refers to Himself in the plural form throughout the Scriptures.

Now, take a look at John 1: 1-5:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

Yahweh is the Creator in Genesis 1: 1 and the Creator in John 1: 1-5.

More than 800 times in the Old Testament (the Tanach), Yahweh combines His Name with Elohim. He is “Yahweh Elohim”. Most modern English Bibles translate “Yahweh Elohim” as “the LORD God”.

He is not “the LORD God”. He is “Yahweh Elohim”. That’s not a semantic issue. It’s a right v. wrong issue. Words matter, and where Yahweh is concerned, words matter a lot.

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“I pray…that they may all be one, even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one. I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

John 17: 21-24

See “His Name is Yahweh”.