By Keith Mathenia August 8, 2026
This Parsha is called Re’eh, which means “see”, from the first verse which is D’varim 11:26.
D’varim (Deuteronomy) 11:26
See, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse:
רָאָה
Strong’s H7200
Ra’ah (not Re’eh? Vowels?)
Primitive root
See, look, behold, consider, perceive
Several translations use the word “behold” which implies not just looking with your eyes, but contemplating what you are looking at with your mind. “Behold the grandeur of the Grand Canyon.” You could say “See the grandeur of the Grand Canyon”, but saying it that way loses some of the impact. Behold implies something greater than just seeing. It’s first use is in the 4th verse of Scripture in B’reshit (Genesis).
B’reshit (Genesis) 1:4
And Elohim saw (ra’ah) the light, that it was good; and Elohim divided the light from the darkness.
Again, beheld, works a little better here. God didn’t just “see” it with His eyes. He beheld it. He contemplated what it meant to see it. And from that contemplation, he remarked about it that it was good. This was Day 1 of creation. Elohim calls the light good, but He doesn’t describe the darkness.
Darkness
חֹשֶׁךְ
Strong’s (H2822)
Kho’shek
Dark, Darkness, obscurity
Outside of the creation account in verse 4 in chapter 1 of the creation account, Kho’Shek is not used again for the entirety of the book of Be’reshit (Genesis). The next time we see this word is until the 9th plague in (Exodus).
Shemot (Exodus) 10:21
And יהוה said unto Moshe, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness (kho’shek) over the land of Mitzrayim, even darkness (kho’shek) which may be felt”
Darkness is almost always associated with evil in scripture.
Tehillah (Psalms) 107:10-11
Such as sat in darkness and in Tzal-Mavet (shadow of death) , being bound in affliction and iron, because they rebelled against the words of Elohim, and showed contempt for the counsel of Elyon (Most High).
Mishlim (Proverbs) 2:11-14
11 Discretion shall watch over you, discernment shall guard you; 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, from the men that speak perverse things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perversion of evil;
Yesha-Yahu (Isaiah) 5:20
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that change darkness into light, and light into darkness; that change bitter into sweet, and sweet into bitter!
God has set before you blessing and curses. Blessing for those who follow His Word and curses for those who don’t. It is He that says Yahuda will be destroyed. And it is He who says Yerushalayim shall be inhabited and the cities of Yehudah shall be built. God first speaks it and then he does it. We see an example of that in:
Yesha-Yahu (Isaiah) 45:1(a)
“Thus says יהוה to His anointed, to Koresh, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him,…”
This verse is a prophecy of Isaiah. Or more appropriately, it’s a prophecy of YHWH through Yesha-Yahu. It is part of a prophetic message that Yehudah will be rebuilt. But before I dive into that, I’m going to tell you a story.
There was a guy named Benjamin Roden born 1902 in Bearden, OK. He was born to Jewish parents, but converted to Christianity.
But like many Jewish converts, he brought some of his Jewishness. One of those being he continued to keep the feast of Purim and Passover. This is likely what attracted him to the Seventh Day Adventist Church. He joined one of their churches in 1940 while living in Kilgore, Texas. The SDA’s (for short) kept the sabbath (of course that’s in the very name of the denomination). But most of them also kept a kosher diet too. So it’s easy to see how that would appeal to a Jewish convert.
However, the SDA’s believe a number of other things that I don’t agree with. SDA’s were founded by a lady named Ellen White in the late 1800’s. Here is one of the things she wrote:
The Lord has given me a view of other worlds. Wings were given me, and an angel attended me from the city to a place that was bright and glorious. . . . . I begged of my attending angel to let me remain in that place. I could not bear the thought of coming back to this dark world again. Then the angel said, ‘You must go back, and if you are faithful, you, with the 144,000, shall have the privilege of visiting all the worlds and viewing the handiwork of God.
Although SDA’s have tried to distance themselves from this, it’s clear she believed only she and other SDA’s with her would comprise the 144,000 of the book of Revelation. Being attracted to the SDA’s, it’s likely Benjamin Roden believed this too. But, he later became influenced by a group called the Shepherd’s Rod movement that splintered off SDA. The leader of this Shepherd’s Rod was convinced the apocalypse would happen in 1959. When no such apocalypse occurred Benjamin Roden became disillusioned with this group, so he split off and opened a new church near Waco.
He claims to have had a midnight encounter with God, where God told him Jesus’ name had been change to “The Branch”. He continued to have beliefs in an oncoming apocalypse and that only his group would survive it. After he died, his wife ran the church for a while until a new leader emerged. This new leader wrestled the church away from Roden’s son. The name of that new leader was Vernon Howell. Vernon Howell later changed his first name to David. By taking the first name of David, Vernon suggested he had ties to the biblical King David. He also changed his last name to Koresh. By taking the last name of Koresh, Mr. Howell claimed to have biblical ties to Koresh, King of Persia, who most people know as King Cyrus. He named his first son Cyrus. And the church outside Waco became known as Mount Carmel of the Branch Davidians. Cyrus was 8 years old when he died in the fire at Waco.
Vernon Howell assumed the name Koresh from the Hebrew name in Isaiah 45:1 in our parsha. Why? David Koresh claimed to be the second coming of Jesus. But, Vernon Howell was not Jewish. How can a non-Jewish man be called Mashiak (the Messiah)? Let’s read Isaiah 45:1 again:
Yesha-Yahu (Isaiah) 45:1(a)
“Thus says יהוה to His מָשִׁיחַ (Mashiak, anointed), to Koresh, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him,…”
Koresh is YHWH’s Mashiak! This is the only occurrence in scripture where the word Mashiak is used for a goy (a gentile).
Koresh is Persian, the King of Persia. It was this verse that Vernon Howell used to claim he, as a gentile, could be Mashiak. That is probably why he called himself Koresh.
There are a number of people to whom Mashiak is used in scripture. And in fact, the first Mashiak in scripture is a sinner.
VaYikra (Leviticus) 4:3
if the anointed (Ha Mashiak) Kohen (priest) shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto יהוה for a Khatat.
Although it’s easy to see how the High Priest can represent Mashiak, He made him who knew no sin, to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God to Him.
And another Mashiak:
Shmu’el Alef (1st Samuel) 16:6-7
6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he beheld Eli’av, and said, “Surely the anointed (Mashiak) of יהוה is before Him.” 7 But יהוה said unto Shmu’el, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him; for it is not as man sees: for man looks on the outward appearance, but יהוה looks on the heart.”
This is the story where Samuel eventually anoints David after going through all the sons of Jesse first. And even Jews see the symbolism in Mashiak ben David how he points to the true Mashiak.
And a third scripture that does point directly to Mashiak:
Dani’el (Daniel) 9:25
25 Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the D’var to restore and to build Yerushalayim unto Mashi’akh, a prince, shall be seven weeks; and for sixty-two weeks, it shall be built again, with broad place and moat, but in troublous times.
Most references to Mashiak in scripture are to the High Priest and to His prophets and especially David, all of whom point us to the true Mashiak, Yeshua, as we see in Daniel chapter 9. So, who is this Koresh that Isaiah is speaking about? Isaiah the prophet of scripture wrote this about 700BC and he provides this name Koresh, who will restore Israel. But at the time Isaiah wrote this, Judah and Jerusalem had not even fallen, much less need to be rebuilt.
But that’s what make him a “prophet”. Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 587 BC, about 100 years after the time of Isaiah. And they were in Babylon for 70 years after that. Let’s read more of Yesha-Yahu’s prophecy.
Yesha-Yahu (Isaiah) 44:28-45:1
28 …that says of Koresh, ‘He is My shepherd, and shall perform all My pleasure’; even saying of Yerushalayim, ‘She shall be built’; and to the Heikhal (Temple), ‘My foundation shall be laid’.”
1″Thus says יהוה to His anointed, to Koresh, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him, and to loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and that the gates may not be shut.
Then:
Yesha-Yahu (Isaiah) 45:4
4 For the sake of Ya’akov My servant, and Yisra’el My elect, I have called you by your name, I have surnamed you, though you have not known Me.
Isaiah predicted the name of this king as Koresh, but Jeremiah predicted the timing of it more precisely.
Yirme-Yahu (Jeremiah) 25:11-12
11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and a waste; and these nations shall serve the king of Bavel seventy years. 12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Bavel, and that nation, says יהוה , for their iniquity, and the land of the Kasdim (Chaldeans); and I will make it perpetual desolations.
The kingdom of Babylon was in the area we now call Iraq. And they are the ones who besieged Jerusalem and carried many away to Babylon. However, 70 years later, the Persian empire conquered the Babylonian empire. The Persian kingdom was centered in what we know today as Iran. This Persian empire was known for respecting the religious customs of the lands they conquered, which was their M.O. for building their empire. Not so much by killing everyone, enslaving them, dragging them away. They were a bit more benevolent. And to keep their subjects happy, they allowed their vassal states to keep their own religion.
That’s why they made the decree to support rebuilding the Jewish Temple in Israel. We see that decree being made in Ezra.
Ezrah (Ezra) 1:1-2
1 Now in the first year of Koresh king of Paras, that the D’var (Word) יהוה by the mouth of Yirme-Yahu might be accomplished, יהוה stirred up the spirit of Koresh king of Paras (Persia), that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 2 “Thus says Koresh king of Paras, ‘All the kingdoms of the earth has יהוה , the Elohim of heaven, given me; and He has charged me to build Him a house in Yerushalayim, which is in Yehudah.
You see this decree was made in his very first year as king over Babylon. Koresh had been king of Persia since 559 BC. But immediately after he concurred Babylon in 538 BC, he issued a decree to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. So, in Ezra, the first year, was the first year AFTER he conquered Babylon.
Most of the western world calls this king, Koresh, as Cyrus. Cyrus is a “latinized” form derived from the Greek Kyros, which is the “greek’ized” version of Koresh. So we get from Koresh into Greek, then into Latin and then into English as Cyrus. Most of your English bibles will change the name of Koresh to Cyrus for that reason.
So, we have a starting point for our Daniel 9 clock. It’s 538 BC. We count 69 sevens from there, or 483 years. So, 538 BC, minus 483 years, gets us to 55 BC. Did Yeshua come on or before 55 BC? Well, no. There was a bit of a delay. But the delay is captured by several other decrees.
There were two more later decrees about rebuilding Jerusalem by Persian Kings. And there was a 4th decree by the Jews themselves to repopulate the city. And amongst all these various decrees we do see Yeshua appear within the time predicted by Daniel 9. I covered that in a little more detail once before. And in a previous drash I covered the modern Balfour Decree of 1917 to re-establish Israel yet again. Virtually in our day. And with a few delays, not unlike the delays in Ezra’s day, Israel was reborn as a nation for the Jewish people.
So, if the Daniel 9 clock repeats itself, 483 years from 1917 is the year 2400 AD. Is that right? I don’t know. But let’s kick around some other possibilities.
Jews believe they’ve been keeping track of years, since the time of Adam. That’s why if you look at the Jewish year for 2026 on Hebcal or any other Jewish date converter, it will tell you this is the year 5786. Now, there’s no way to know if this is accurate or not and some have speculated how many years it’s off, and whether that makes a difference in anything. However, taken at face value this says we are 214 years away from the year 6000 on the Hebrew calendar. 214 years from now would be the year 2239.
Jews have long believed the 6th thousand year to be significant. It comes from a concept of the world-week as part of the repeating patterns of 7’s God has built into creation. This concept means each day of creation stands for a 1000 years. It can be found in;
Tehillah (Psalm) 90:4
For a thousand years in Your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
We also see Peter repeat this in 2 Peter 3:8.
It’s been understood in Jewish tradition that the 7th day, or 7th 1000 years is a sabbath rest for the world, just like God declared the 7th day a sabbath rest at creation. Additionally, they’ve traditionally broken down the first 6 days as I’ve shown in this chart.
| Day | Name | Time (~1000 years each) |
| 1 | Days of Man | Adam – Noah (1056) |
| 2 | Days of Man | Noah – Abraham (1948) |
| 3 | Days of Israel | Abraham – David (~3000)(1000BC) |
| 4 | Days of Israel | David – Mashiak |
| 5 | Days of Mashiak | ~4001 – 5000 (30AD – 1000) |
| 6 | Days of Mashiak | ~5001 – 6000 (1000AD – ?) |
| 7 | Day of LORD | Millennial Kingdom (Mashiak) |
So, Jews have had to tap-dance around this concept for the last 2000 years or so or otherwise recognize that Yeshua is the Mashiak. So, now, they don’t assign any meaning to the first 6 days and just declare the 7th day to be for Mashiak. So you can see when their calendar hits the year 6000, they have a great expectation of something special beginning. Even the appearance of Mashiak.
So, I could see this leading to a “great awakening” among the Jewish people, which the book of Hitgalut (Revelation) points to. It certainly could happen sooner. But, if it happens according to this clock, it’s over 200 years away. However, as Yeshua “came” and was “cut off” almost 2000 years ago, maybe the Jewish “clock” is off and this Day of YHWH is much closer.
I’ve stated before that I believe there will be many doomsday prophets predicting the “end of the world” as the years 2030 – 2033 approach, because this puts up exactly at the end of the two days for Mashiak. However, as there was an “apparent” delay of Yeshua’s first coming after 55 BC, I’ve previously provided some evidence that might point to a delay in His second coming. And another one that I’ve thought of comes from the prophetic nature of the feasts. We see the fulfillment that Yeshua made in the Spring feasts of Pesach, Unleavened bread, and Shavuot (Pentecost) as recorded in the Brit Chadasha. And using that as a shadow or picture of Yeshua’s work, we see His future fulfillment of the Fall feasts, in Yom Terruah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.
So, in the “timeline” of feast fulfillment, we are AFTER the spring feasts but BEFORE the Fall feasts. That puts us in the long hot summer where Yeshua says we are to harvest the wheat, which is bringing in souls through the Besorah (the Gospel). We’ve been at that for nearly 2000 years. However, summer days are longer than spring and fall days. By a few hours, depending on latitude. But Israel is about the same latitude we are and they experience longer daylight hours during the summer just as we do.
If a average day is as a 1000 years, could it be that these longer days are pointing to a time slightly longer than a 1000 years? If so, then dates of Yeshua’s return out to 200 or 400 more years, could still be considered falling within the 2 days of Mashiak. And not too terribly out of character with the delay of Mashiak from 55 BC to 30 AD. This is not slow in keeping his promises as people count slowness according to man’s time. His ways’ are not man’s ways. He is patient, not wanting anyone to perish. He is giving extra time for everyone to come to repentance. But with His patience scoffers will say “Where is the promise of his coming?”
People have predicted His second coming forever now. They are all dead and gone. And everything continues on just as it always has. If they are saying that now, how much more will they say that 400 years from now (if He tarries)? But if He tarries, it’s not because He has forgotten His promises. It’s because of his compassion and patience, wanting all to come to repentance.
Have you come to repentance? Hasn’t God shown His patience for you? How much longer will He wait for you? He may not wait any longer. The year 2030 is coming soon. It could be then. I’m not saying it won’t be. Or it could be even sooner. I’ve thrown around a lot of ideas here. So, clearly I don’t know for sure.
He has set before YOU a blessing and a curse. A blessing if you repent from any darkness and follow Him as children of the light. If you make His Mashiak, Yeshua, LORD of your life, your salvation is with HIM.
And He is coming soon.
Shabbat shalom.