The "Falling Away First" (pdf)

2 Thessalonians 2:3: Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day will not come, unless there comes a falling away first, and that servant of sin is revealed: the son of perdition,

   In this study, I will periodically interject (with red ink) to point out to the reader that commentaries or definitions do not necessarily point to one not of the Faith (in the Law of Mosheh), but one who is of the Faith. The reader may also come to find that these comments, and especially the conclusions arrived at by Yahshua ARIYL HaKohen may not be found in commonly wide spread literature. But I am confident that the evidence pointed out will prove shockingly true and irrefutable in the analogies.

   The natural and common thought has been that this “falling away” is speaking from the perspective of believers who are judging those who are not of the Faith as “falling away”. It may become more apparent should the reader recall the Scriptural teaching that Yahweh is not judging the “world” at this time, He is judging His House. Moreover, if the reader looks only to a final end-time Pope to fit this description, then it should also become obvious that this final end-time Pope is not, and has not been at anytime in his life of the true Faith in order for him to “fall (away)” from it! They have already done this since the beginning, but this is speaking of an end time scenario, q.v.     

Vol. 4: Analytical lexicon of the Greek New Testament

ἀποστασία, ας, ἡ as a condition resulting from changing loyalties revolt, desertion; as a religious technical term; (1) apostasy, rebellion (2TH 2.3); (2) defection, abandonment (AC 21.21)

   One who was loyal and then changed etc.

Concise Oxford English dictionary (11th ed.)

apostasy /«Èpst«si/

■ n. the abandonment or renunciation of a belief or principle.

–     origin ME: from eccles. L. apostasia, from late Gk alt. of Gk apostasis ‘defection’.

apostate /Èap«steIt/

■ n. a person who renounces a belief or principle.

■ adj. having abandoned a belief or principle.

–     derivatives apostatical adj.

–     origin ME: from eccles. L. apostata, from Gk apostatēs ‘apostate, runaway slave’.

Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary

———————

apos•ta•sy \ə-ˈpäs-tə-sē\ n

pl -sies [ME apostasie, fr. LL apostasia, fr. Gk, lit., revolt, fr. aphistasthai to revolt, fr. apo- + histasthai to stand — more at stand] 14c

1           : renunciation of a religious faith

2           : abandonment of a previous loyalty : defection

———————

de•fec•tion \di-ˈfek-shən\ n

²de•fect \di-ˈfekt\ vi

[L defectus, pp. of deficere] 1596

1           : to forsake one cause, party, or nation for another often because of a change in ideology

2           : to leave one situation (as a job) often to go over to a rival 〈the reporter defected to another network〉 — de•fec•tor \-ˈfek-tər\ n

Concise Oxford English dictionary (11th ed.)

defect ² /dIÈfEkt/

■ v. abandon one’s country or cause in favour of an opposing one.

–     derivatives defection n. defector n.

–          origin C16: from L. defect-, deficere (see defect ¹).

   Will an end-time Pope defect to the only opposing Authority, doctrine (which would be to Yahweh’s 613 Laws)? Why would the writers of the Scriptures warn of this, if in fact this is what they meant?

Exegetical dictionary of the New Testament

ἀποστασία, ας, ἡ apostasia apostasy

Acts 21:21 as an accusation against Paul: you teach apostasy from Moses; 2 Thess 2:3: the Anti[messiah] causes rebellion before the end. H. Schlier, TDNT I, 513f.; W. Bauder, DNTT I, 606–8.

Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains

39.34 ἀνίσταμαι^e; ἐπανίσταμαι; στάσις^a, εως f; ἐπίστασις^b, εως f; ἀποστασία, ας f; ἀκαταστασία^a, ας f: to rise up in open defiance of authority, with the presumed intention to overthrow it or to act in complete opposition to its demands—‘to rebel against, to revolt, to engage in insurrection, rebellion.

ἀποστασία: ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ ἔλθῃ ἡ ἀποστασία πρῶτον ‘for not until the final rebellion takes place’ 2 Th 2.3.

Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary

in•sur•rec•tion \ˌin(t)-sə-ˈrek-shən\ n

[ME insureccion, fr. AF, fr. LL insurrection-, insurrectio, fr. insurgere] 15c : an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government syn see rebellion

re•bel•lion \ri-ˈbel-yən\ n

14c

1           : opposition to one in authority or dominance

2     a      : open, armed, and usu. unsuccessful defiance of or resistance to an established government

     b      : an instance of such defiance or resistance

syn rebellion, revolution, uprising, revolt, insurrection, mutiny mean an outbreak against authority. rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful 〈open rebellion against the officers〉. revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government) 〈a political revolution that toppled the monarchy〉. uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion 〈quickly put down the uprising〉. revolt and insurrection imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds 〈a revolt by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders〉 〈an insurrection of oppressed laborers〉. mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection esp. against naval authority 〈a mutiny led by the ship’s cook〉.

Concise Oxford English dictionary (11th ed.)

revolt

■ v.

1      rise in rebellion.

†     refuse to acknowledge someone or something as having authority.

†     [as adj. revolted] archaic having rebelled.

2      cause to feel disgust.

■ n. an attempt to end the authority of a person or group by rebelling.

†     a refusal to obey or conform.

–     derivatives revolting adj. revoltingly adv.

–     origin C16: from Fr. révolte (n.), révolter (v.), from Ital. rivoltare, based on L. revolvere (see revolve).

   So this person is in an insurrection/rebellion/revolting against what is the only Scriptural Authority/established government, which would be Yahweh and His 613 Laws (also known as the Law of Mosheh).

   Now if one thinks this refers to the insurrection/rebelling/revolting of an end-time Pope, then one must also have to believe that the “faith” this Pope was in and consequently “falls away” from (which would in fact be paganism) would also have to believe that this same “true faith/authority/government/paganism” that he “falls away” from, is the same “true paganism” that will succeed against him (and the world!) and forever reign from then on!     

Vol. 33: 1, 2 Thessalonians

2. Eschatological Error Corrected (2:3–10)

2:3

Apostasia indicates an act of abandoning or moving away from a position formerly held...In the New Testament, however, verbal forms related to apostasia are commonly used in religious contexts rather than political (Luke 2:37; 8:13; 1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 2:19; Heb 3:12; but see also Acts 5:37). Religiously it means to desert one’s faith.

Jewish apocalypticists expected a general rebellion against the teachings of Moses at the end of the age (Jub 23:14–23; 1 Enoch 91:3–10; 1 QpHab 1:5, 12–13; 2:1–8). It is possible that the apostasy Paul was referring to was not a Christian apostasy but this expected Jewish apostasy that would signal the end and lead to the coming of the man of lawlessness…however, it is possible that the coming of the lawless one does not follow the apostasy but is coincident with it or even antecedent to it. If either is the case, than we probably should understand the deception of vv. 9–10 (produced by the lawless one) as the engine driving the apostasy.,, The apostates in such a scenario would have been those who fell away from the worship of the true [Creator] in favor of following the deceiver. If Paul was expanding on Jewish apocalyptic thought, these who apostasize would most logically be Jews, not pagans (since pagans have no relationship from which they could apostatize)…. Thus it seems likely that the apostasy Paul had in mind expanded on Jewish apocalyptic expectations and envisioned a dramatic and climactic falling away from the worship of the true [Creator]…

The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures

(2 Thessalonians) 2:3. Having stated the issue and identified the sources of the false teaching, Paul proceeded to warn his readers against being deceived. The Thessalonians must not be deceived by any person, no matter how credible he might appear to be, or by the way anyone might present his teaching, claiming the authority of [Yahweh] or [holy] men. New [Believers] tend to be gullible because they are not yet grounded in the truth of [Yahweh’s] Word (cf. Eph. 4:14). But all Christians can be misled by impressive personalities and spectacular appeals. The antidote to poisonous heresy is a good strong dose of the truth which Paul proceeded to administer.

One major event is the rebellion (lit., “the falling away,” hē apostasia, from whence comes the English word “apostasy”). This is a revolt, a departure, an abandoning of a position once held. This rebellion, which will take place within the professing [House of Yahweh], will be a departure from the truth that [Yahweh] has revealed in His Word. True, apostasy has characterized the church almost from its inception, but Paul referred to a specific distinguishable apostasy that will come in the future (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 4:3-4; James 5:1-8; 2 Peter 2; 3:3-6; Jude). He had already told his readers about it (2 Thes. 2:5).

Some interpreters have taken this “departure” as a reference to the Rapture of the church (e.g., E. Schuyler English, Rethinking the Rapture, New York: Loizeaux Brothers, 1954, pp. 67-71), but this is not too probable. D. Edmond Hiebert refutes this view that apostasia here refers to the Rapture (The Thessalonian Epistles, p. 306). Some scholars believe that this apostasy (called by Paul “the” apostasy) will consist of people turning from [Yahweh’s] truth to worship the Anti[messiah], who will set himself up in [Yahweh’s] temple and claim to be [Yahweh] (v. 4). If this is so, then the judgments of the day of the Lord will occur in the second half of the seven-year period preceding Christ’s second coming.

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon

646 ἀποστασία [apostasia /ap·os·tas·ee·ah/] n f. Feminine of the same as 647; TDNT 1:513; TDNTA 88; GK 686; Two occurrences; AV translates as “to forsake + 575” once, and “falling away” once. 1 a falling away, defection, apostasy.

647 ἀποστάσιον [apostasion /ap·os·tas·ee·on/] n n. Neuter of a (presumed) adj. from a derivative of 868; GK 687; Three occurrences; AV translates as “divorcement” twice, and “writing of divorcement” once. 1 divorce, repudiation. 2 a bill of divorce.

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament)

686 ἀποστασία (apostasia), ας (as), ἡ (hē): n.fem.; ≡ Str 646; TDNT 1.513—LN 39.34 rebellion, an abandonment, an apostasy (Ac 21:21; 2Th 2:3+)

687 ἀποστάσιον (apostasion), ου (ou), τό (to): n.neu.; ≡ Str 647—LN 33.41 βιβλίον ἀποστασίου (biblion apostasiou), notice of divorce, certificate of d. (Mt 19:7; Mk 10:4); without βιβλίον (biblion), (Mt 5:31)+

The new Strong's dictionary of Hebrew and Greek words

646.     ἀποστασία apŏstasia, ap-os-tas-ee´-ah; fem. of the same as 647; defection from truth (prop. the state) [“apostasy”]:— falling away, forsake.

647.     ἀποστάσιον apŏstasiŏn, ap-os-tas´-ee-on; neut. of a (presumed) adj. from a der. of 868; prop. something separative, i.e. (spec.) divorce:— (writing of) divorcement.

   Please notice that this is “apostasy” from being in the “state” of truth. The reader should be aware that “truth” by Scriptural definition is the Law of Yahweh (Psalm 119:142, 151). This further shows that this would not refer to a truth/Law-practicing end-time Pope.

   As one can see, this word “apostasy” also comes from a word that means “divorce”. Now it should be obvious that a man would have to be “married” or “joined”/practicing Faith with a “woman” (a Faithful congregation etc) in the first place in order for him to later think to “divorce”. Now if one thinks this “man” is this end-time Pope, then since when did he practice the Faith (in the Law of Mosheh) in order to come to such a “divorce”?

A handbook on Paul's letters to the Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 2.3.

Final Rebellion translates a single word (cf. RSV “rebellion”) which in secular Greek mean “desertion,” often associated with treason and rebellion against a lawful ruler. In the Greek Old Testament, including the deuterocanonical books (or Apocrypha), the word is used to describe unfaithfulness to God or the denial of God. This is the meaning of the closely related English word “apostasy.” Acts 21.21, the only other place in the New Testament where this term is used, speaks of those who “abandon the Law of Moses” (TEV ). The element of rebellion is perhaps implied, and is certainly present in later verses of the present chapter, but the central meaning is that of being unfaithful to, abandoning, or denying something or someone. A previous relationship with the person or belief denied is strongly presupposed…

Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words

3. apostasia (ἀποστασία, 646), “a defection, revolt, apostasy,” is used in the NT of religious apostasy; in Acts 21:21, it is translated “to forsake,” lit., “thou teachest apostasy from Moses.” In 2 Thess. 2:3 “the falling away” signifies apostasy from the faith. In papyri documents it is used politically of rebels.¶ Note: For “mighty fall,” Rev. 18:21, rv, see violence.

Theological dictionary of the New Testament

ἀποστασία.

A later construction for ἀπόστασις. The word presupposes the concept ἀποστάτης “to be an apostate,” and thus signifies the state of apostasy, whereas ἀπόστασις denotes the act. Politically an ἀποστάτης is a “rebel” (Polyb., V, 41, 6; 57, 4: τοῦ βασιλέως; Diod. S., XV, 18: τῆς πατρίδος), and this sense is retained in ἀποστασία (Plut. Galb., 1 (I, 1052e): τὴν ἀπὸ Νέρωνος ἀποστασίαν; Jos. Vit., 43: διὰ τὴν ἀποστασίαν τὴν ἀπὸ Ῥωμαίων; Ap., 1, 135 f.; Ant., 13, 219.

In the LXX it also occurs in the political sense in 1 Esr. 2:23. It is particularly employed, however, in the religious sense, Jos. 22:22; Jer. 2:19; 2 Ch. 29:19 (the apostasy of Ahaz); 33:19 (of Manasseh). Cf. 1 Macc. 2:15 (used absol.); Asc. Is. 2:4. ἀποστάτης has also retained this religious sense, cf. Is. 30:1; 2 Macc. 5:8: Jason ὡς τῶν νόμων ἀποστάτης καὶ βδελυσσόμενος; Nu. 14:9; Jos. 22:16, 19: ἀποστάτης ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου.

In the NT Ac. 21:21 may be compared with 2 Macc. 5:8. Here the reproach is brought against Paul: ἀποστασίαν διδάσκεις ἀπὸ Μωυσέως. Materially this implies the rejection of the Torah. In 2 Th. 2:3 ἀποστασία is used in the absol. sense as an event of the last days alongside or prior to (?) the appearance of the ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας. Here a Jewish tradition is adopted which speaks of complete apostasy from [Yahweh] and His Torah shortly before the appearance of the Messiah. This is applied to the apostasy of {Called Out Ones] from their faith to error and unrighteousness (v. 11f.) in the last days (Mt. 24:11 f.). Again we have the situation of Lk. 8:13.^{4 (Footnote} Dob. Th., 270 f. thinks that the reference is to the religious and moral declension, not “of the community of Christians but of the non-Christian world.” But the term ἀποστασία is against this, for it includes a prior turning to [Yahweh]. To be sure, the ἀποστάται and the appearance of the ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας are to be differentiated, but only in such a way that the apostasy makes possible the power of the man of sin, and this in turn increases the apostasy. The same applies in the passage quoted from Justin.^{end of Footnote)}  

   At this point I hope it is clear that this Scriptural apostasy concerning these last days refers to one who is of the Faith in the Law of Mosheh. Now I will go on to point out that this “falling away” first, refers to the “falling away” of the chief, or head of the congregation of true believers called the Bayit (House) of Yahweh.

The interlinear literal translation of the Greek New Testament (2 Th 2:3)

New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : Updated edition

4412.     πρῶτον prōton; adv. from 4413, q.v.

4413.     πρῶτος prōtos; contr. superl. of 4253; first, chief:— before(3), best(1), first(128), first of all(2), first importance(1), first man(1), first one(1), first things(1), first time(1), foremost(5), leading(2), leading man(1), leading men(5), outer(3), previous(1).

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon

4412 πρῶτον, πρώτως [proton /pro·ton/] adv. Neuter of 4413 as adverb (with or without 3588); TDNT 6:868; TDNTA 965; GK 4754 and 4759; 60 occurrences; AV translates as “first” 51 times, “at the first + 3588” twice, “first of all” twice, and translated miscellaneously five times. 1 first in time or place. 1a in any succession of things or persons. 2 first in rank. 2a influence, honour. 2b chief. 2c principal. 3 first, at the first.

4413 πρῶτος [protos /pro·tos/] adj. Contracted superlative of 4253; TDNT 6:865; TDNTA 965; GK 4755; 105 occurrences; AV translates as “first” 85 times, “chief” nine times, “first day” twice, “former” twice, and translated miscellaneously seven times. 1 first in time or place. 1a in any succession of things or persons. 2 first in rank. 2a influence, honour. 2b chief. 2c principal. 3 first, at the first.

Theological dictionary of the New Testament

πρῶτος, πρῶτον, πρωτοκαθεδρία, πρωτοκλισία, πρωτότοκος, πρωτοτοκεῖα, πρωτεύω

πρῶτος.

1. From Hom. πρῶτος, “the first,” developed along three lines: a. spatially “the front,” e.g., Hom. Il., 15, 340; this meaning became less common later; b. the first in time and no., e.g., Hdt., 7, 168; Hom. Od., 9, 449; c. the first in rank and value, “the most eminent, important” etc., e.g., Hom. Od., 6, 60; Thuc., 6, 28.

2. In the LXX πρῶτος occurs some 240 times, half of these in Gn.-Neh., 25 in Macc. Where there is an original it is usually רִאשׁוֹן, רִאשֹׁן . Most of the ref. are to number, but a third are indications of time, and the idea of rank is also found, e.g., Est. 1:14, of the angelic hierarchy Da. LXX Θ 10:13, a court title (πρῶτος φίλος etc.) 1 Ch. 27:33; 1 Macc. 10:65; 11:27; 2 Macc. 8:9. ἱερεὺς πρῶτος “chief priest” (→ III, 266, 12) 3 Βας. 2:35:4 Βας. 25:18 == Ἰερ. 52:24; 2 Ch. 26:20; cf. 22:46. In the derisive question to Job in 15:7a: μὴ πρῶτος ἀνθρώπων ἐγενήθης; the ref. is not to the primal man who was in God’s counsels (cf. 15:8) but to Adam (cf. the mention of creation in 15:7b). On God as the πρῶτος cf. Is. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12 (→ I, 1, 27 ff.; on the influence on the NT → 867, n. 9). רִאשׁוֹן in Is. 41:27 as a significant term for the prophet is only weakly rendered (by ἀρχή) in the LXX (so also מְבַשֵּׂר loc. cit.). But cf. → 866, 5 f.; 867, n. 11.

Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

2097     רֹאשׁ (rō˒š) I, head; top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum.

Derivatives

2097a     רִאשָׁה (ri˒šâ) beginning time, early time (Ex 36:11, only).

2097b     רֹאשָׁה (rō˒šâ) top, i.e. the topmost stone (Zech 4:7, only).

2097c     רִאשׁוֹן (ri˒šôn) first, primary.

2097d     רִאשֹׁנִי (ri˒šōnı̂) first (Jer 25:1).

2097e     רֵא שִׁית (rē˒ šı̂t) first, beginning, best.

2097f     םְ רַאֲשׁוֹת (mĕ ra˒ăšôt) place at the head, head place (e.g. Gen 28:11, 18; I Sam 19:13, 16).

The primary meaning of this root is “head.” It is common to all Semitic languages and appears in its root forms and derivatives nearly 750 times. It is used for the “head” as part of the body (Gen 3:15) and by extension for the notion of “chief” of a family (Ex 6:14), as “chief officer” of the divisions of Israel (Ex 18:25) and the like. The unique Hebraic character of this usage is clear in the ot as the root is rarely applied to chiefs of Gentile nations. It is used also for the top or summit of a geographical feature such as a mountain or hill (Ex 17:9) and the upper part of a building or architectural feature (Gen 11:4; II Chr 3:15) and as a personification for such features (Ps 24:7, 9). The root was utilized in many colloquial expressions for plant names (Job 10:4) parts or portions of things (Gen 2:10) and terms for artifacts. In this last category is the usage of the root for both “head stone” (Zech 4:7) and “chief corner stone” (Ps 118:22). This passage and usage are carried over into the nt and quoted by Jesus concerning his being rejected by the Jews (Mt 21:42; Lk 20:17; Eph 2:20; I Pet 2:7). The root is widely used in the ot with other terms in the sense of the superlative, since Hebrew does not have any simple form to express the third degree. There are many examples of this usage (Ex 30:23) where the meaning is “best,” “foremost,” the uniquely finest, which alone was fit for the service of [Yahweh]. This theological meaning is carried over to the officers of the temple (II Kgs 25:18) and the best musicians (Neh 11:17). In most of the versions there are divergencies in the translation of rō˒š when it is used in the sense of “chief” as for example (Num 31:26) and many similar passages KJV reads “chief,” NIV and RSV read “head” but none are completely consistent. The root appears in many passages in the sense of “sum” or “total” (Prov 8:26) ASV “first” with a footnote which cities the difficulty of the Hebrew. The KJV consistently reads “total,” “sum” in passages dealing with the census of Israel (Ex 30:12; Num 1:2 etc.) and the Aramaic form appears in the unusual sense of the “sum” or “substance” of a dream (Dan 7:1). Although many of the usages of the root can be traced back to Akkadian and ultimately to Sumerian, the reliance on the nation’s “head” as a high officer or chosen personage is developed in Hebrew to much greater degree than the other languages. The theological use of the root to designate divinely appointed offices in the ot is carried over into the nt in such terms as “head of the [House of Yahweh]” (Eph 5:23), a title ascribed to Christ.

New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : Updated edition

7223.     רִאשׁוֹן rishon or

רִאשֹׁן rishon (911c); from 7218; former, first, chief:— ancestors(3), before(4), beginning(2), chief(1), chiefs(1), earlier(4), earlier things(1), first(113), first one(2), first time(1), forefathers(1), foremost(1), former(25), former ones(4), former things(6), formerly(6), front(1), old(1), older(1), one in front(1), past(1), previous(1), previously(1).

7218.     ראֹשׁ rosh (910c); a prim. root; head:— bands(1), beginning(11), beheaded*(1), best(1), best things(1), bodyguard*(1), captains(3), census(7), chief(35), chief men(6), chiefs(3), companies(7), company(5), corner(1), count(1), distant(1), divisions(1), ends(2), every(1), faced*(1), favor*(1), finest(2), first(12), full(2), hair(3), head(256), heads(129), laughingstock*(1), leader(4), leaders(8), leading man(1), leading men(2), masters(1), released*(1), ridge(2), rivers(1), sum(2), summit(7), themselves(1), top(51), topmost(2), topmost*(1), tops(15).

Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures

רִאשׁוֹן (in the Syriac manner for רְאִישׁוֹן Josh. 21:10; Job 15:7 כתיב; and in the Sam. copy always), once רִישׁוֹן Job 8:8, f. רִאשֹׁנָה adj. denom. from רֹאשׁ (the letter י being inserted, as in תִּיכוֹן, from תָּוֶךְ), first, whether in time (see below, pl.), or in order and place, Gen. 32:18, or in dignity, 1 Ch. 18:17. Pl. m. רִאשֹׁנִים forefathers, Deu. 19:14. יָמִים רִאשֹׁנִים former days, former times, Deu. 10:10. נְבִיאִים רִאשֹׁנים former prophets, Zec. 1:4; 7:7, 12; pl. f. הָרִאשֹׁנוֹת former things, i.e. things formerly done, Isa. 43:18; 46:9; also formerly foretold, Isa. 42:9; 43:9; 48:3.—Fem. רִאשֹׁנָה adv. first, foremost, Gen. 33:2; 38:28; former, formerly, Dan. 11:29; כָּרִאשֹׁנָה as at the first, as before, Deut. 9:18; Dan. 11:29; also בָּרִאשֹׁנָה—(a) of place and order, in front, in the first rank (LXX. ἐν πρώτοις), Isa. 60:9.—(b) of time, first, Nu. 10:13, 14; before, formerly, Gen. 13:4; aforetime, Isa. 52:4; כְּבָרִאשֹׁנָה as aforetime, Isa. 1:26; לָרִאשֹׁנָה at first, formerly, Jud. 18:29.

The new Strong's dictionary of Hebrew and Greek words

7218.     רֹאשׁ rô˒sh, roshe; from an unused root appar. mean. to shake; the head (as most easily shaken), whether lit. or fig. (in many applications, of place, time, rank, etc.):— band, beginning, captain, chapiter, chief (-est place, man, things), company, end, × every [man], excellent, first, forefront, ([be-]) head, height, (on) high (-est part, [priest]), × lead, × poor, principal, ruler, sum, top.

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon

7218 רֹאשׁ, רֹאשׁ [ro’sh /roshe/] n m. From an unused root apparently meaning to shake; TWOT 2097; GK 8031 and 8034; 598 occurrences; AV translates as “head” 349 times, “chief” 91 times, “top” 73 times, “beginning” 14 times, “company” 12 times, “captain” 10 times, “sum” nine times, “first” six times, “principal” five times, “chapiters” four times, “rulers” twice, and translated miscellaneously 23 times. 1 head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning. 1a head (of man, animals). 1b top, tip (of mountain). 1c height (of stars). 1d chief, head (of man, city, nation, place, family, priest). 1e head, front, beginning. 1f chief, choicest, best. 1g head, division, company, band. 1h sum.

   As one should see, “first” refers to one who is first in rank and who is in the “first” position as a head priest, leader, etc. And surely one should know that a leading priest of the House of Yahweh would be (temporarily) representing the High Priest by His authority. But as the earlier study shows, this end-time representative would “fall away” and thus be the cause for the prophetic alarm to the House of Yahweh in these last days.

   As the Scriptures show, the Son of Man will “remove” this one with the “breath of His mouth” (the power of the Spirit of Yahweh affecting and influencing His understanding and disposition of mind; with the sword of these words and sayings communicated orally with truth) at His “coming”. And the time has come!

   For a study on the last of the “Two Witnesses” (as professed to be Yisrayl Hawkins as the head of the House of Yahweh) spoken of in Revelation and Isayah, as being “killed” in these last days, please go to Ariyl.com and click on the link “The Last Witness Killed”.

   May Yahweh bless your understanding.

In Yahshua’s Name,

Yahshua ARIYL HaKohen