Sukkoth – The Feast of Tabernacles

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by Just Pray NO! in Feasts & Festivals

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booths, etrog, fifteenth day of the seventh month, God, lulav, pilgrimage festival, sukkah, Sukkot, The Feast of Tabernacles

The Feast of Tabernacles

The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’S Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present offerings made to the LORD by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work.(” ‘These are the LORD’S appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to the LORD by fire-the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD’S Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.)

” ‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'” Leviticus 23:33-43

Sukkoth is a pilgrimage festival; it is one of three festivals that were celebrated until 70 A.D. by mass pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Sukkoth is also a harvest festival. It is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha’Asif, the Festival of the Ingathering (harvesting). Thirdly, we remember the Exodus from Egypt on Sukkoth. The holiday commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. It is the final festival of the fall cycle of biblical festivals. The day following the seven day celebration of The Feast of Tabernacles, is a special Sabbath – a closing assembly.

Arbat Haminim is Hebrew for the “four species.” They are comprised of the etrog (a citrus fruit native to Israel), lulav (palm branch), hadas (myrtle branch), and arava (willow branch). God commanded the Israelites to take these four plants and use them to “rejoice before the LORD” during the seven days of the feast of Tabernacles. The etrog is held separately. The three branches are bound together and referred to collectively as the lulav. With these four species in hand, Jews today recite a blessing and wave the species in six directions (east, south, west, and north, up and down) to symbolize that God is everywhere. The four species are also held during the Hallel prayer.

Each day during Sukkoth, there are special processions in synagogue around the bimah where the Torah is read. Congregants hold the etrog and lulav during these processions. These processions commemorate similar processions around the altar of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. The processions are called hoshanas because during the procession Jews recite a prayer with the refrain “hoshana” (please save us).

Jews recognize that waving the four species in six directions symbolize the omnipresence of God. Yet, because of spiritual blindness, they don’t recognize these species as symbolic of the triune nature of God. Three of the four species are of the same nature – green, leafy, tree branches. The palm, myrtle and willow branches are interwoven to form the lulav. Every adult male Jew in the world celebrates this festival recognizing the omnipresence of God by waving the etrog (the one) and the lulav (the three), yet fails to recognize that the one true God is comprised of Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Twenty centuries ago, Jews laid palm fronds at the feet of Jesus crying out “hosanna” – save us! Yet, that generation rejected God’s Son during the first of the seven Festivals of the LORD. At the First Advent, Jesus came as a suffering servant. The Jews were anticipating a conquering king and instead were offered a slaughtered Lamb. At the Second Coming, Jesus will indeed come as a conquering king – The King of kings and the Lord of lords. God will tabernacle with men. Jesus will establish his kingdom on earth and rule from Zion. The last of the Festivals of the LORD – Sukkoth – is a type of the Millennial Kingdom.

The three pilgrimage festivals, when all adult males were commanded to offer up sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem, were the Passover, The Feast of Weeks and The Feast of Tabernacles. The Passover is a picture of the bride price – Jesus purchased men for God with his atoning blood. Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) is a type of the bride gift – the promised gift of the Holy Spirit to the bride (the church). The Feast of Tabernacles is a picture of the wedding feast – the booth (sukkah) is decorated like the wedding canopy (the chuppah).

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37-38

On the eighth and final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the high priest of Israel, in a great processional made up of many priests and many thousands of worshippers, descended from the Temple Mount to the Pool of Siloam. A silver pitcher was filled with water, and the great procession proceeded back up to the Temple Mount via a different route. In Israel, the rains normally stop in March, and there is no rain for nearly seven months. In recognition of the need for God to provide the “early” or “former” rains in October or November, the high priest poured the water upon the altar. This ceremony was intended to invoke God’s blessing on the nation by providing life-giving water. Without the early rains over the winter, there would be no spring crop. The Feast of Tabernacles is a joyous celebration of God’s provision and the final harvest of the year. This final ceremony is a plea for God’s favor (grace) for the coming year.

After the water was poured out upon the altar, and in the sight and hearing of tens of thousands of onlookers, Jesus made his proclamation – “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” Living water is water that wells up to eternal life.

Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them.

If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. Zechariah 14:16-19

He is the First and the Last – the Alpha and the Omega. Both the first and last festival – the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles – will be celebrated during the Millennium.

Psalm 2

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

During the Millennium, at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10-11

Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by Just Pray NO! in Feasts & Festivals

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High Holy Days, scapegoat, Ten Days of Awe, the day of atonement, Tishri 10, Yom Kippur

The LORD said to Moses, “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day. You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a Sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your Sabbath.” Leviticus 23:26-32

Rosh Hashanah (Yom Teruah – The Day of Trumpets) is held on the first day of the seventh month. Ten days later, on Tishri 10, the Day of Atonement is observed. Some Jews observe a ceremony on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah called Tashlich, which means “you will cast.” It comes from a saying of the prophet Micah: “… and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the sea.” Those observing this tradition go to a river, pray, empty their pockets of lint and bread crumbs. As they throw these into a river, they believe that the water will carry their sins away.

The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are commonly known as the Ten Days of Awe. During the Ten Days of Penitence (in Hebrew, Asseret Yemey Tshuva, which, literally translated, means ten days of return), prayers of penitence are included in the daily synagogue services.

Yom Kippur is the most holy, most solemn day for the Jewish people. It is the last day of the High Holy Days which began on Rosh Hashanah. Many Jewish people spend the entire day in the synagogue, praying and fasting in the hope that their sins will be forgiven and that they will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life for the coming year. The synagogue service begins with Kol Nidre which means “all vows.” This special prayer in Aramaic asks forgiveness for promises made to God which have been broken by accident. Kol Nidre was used by Spanish Marranos, Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity during the Spanish Inquisition, yet who secretly maintained their original faith.

During the afternoon service, the Book of Jonah is read. At the close of the evening service, the shofar is blown for one long blast, the first and only time on Yom Kippur.

Not only is the Book of Jonah a picture of God’s grace and salvation being offered to the Gentiles, but it also foreshadows the miraculous sign that identified Israel’s true Messiah:

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:38-40

The most solemn and holy day for the Jewish people is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), when the entire Book of Jonah is read. Jesus, the Lamb of God, proved He was the one true acceptable atonement offering when He rose from the dead on the third day.

Since the destruction of the Second Temple, traditional Judaism has substituted the study of the Torah, repentance (tshuva), prayer (tfilah), charity (tzedakah) and good deeds (mitzvoth) for the blood sacrifices that are required to cover sins. Instead of substitutionary sacrifice (a type of grace); modern Judaism is a religion of works. Some Chasidic Jews (ultra-orthodox) as well as some Orthodox Jews practice Kappa rot, the practice of swinging a fowl over their head seven times and asking that the fowl be considered as an atonement offering for sins.

The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD. The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

“This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.” Leviticus 16:1-4

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very natureGod,did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross! Philippians 2: 5-8Jesus our Messiah is not only the perfect substitutionary sacrifice for our sins, but is also our High Priest. Aaron, the brother of Moses, had to remove his ornate priestly garments and put on plain white linen garments before he could enter the Most Holy Place. Bathing and then putting on clean white linen was symbolic of being purified from sin and then being clothed with righteousness. Only after purification, could Aaron come before the mercy seat to first offer up an atonement offering for himself and then for his people Israel.

Just as the earthly high priest removed his ornate priestly garb on the Day of Atonement, Jesus removed His garments of glory and took on the nature of a man in order to provide atonement for sinful mankind.

From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.

Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats-one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. Leviticus 16:5-10

“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites-all their sins-and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert.” Leviticus 16:20-22

The Hebrew word for scapegoat is azazel. Azazel was seen as a type of Satan. The sins of the people and thus the punishment of the people were laid upon azazel, the scapegoat. He would bear the sins of the people and the punishment of the people would be upon him. Azazel being sent into the wilderness is understood to be a picture of Satan being cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).

This ceremony found in Leviticus is discussed at length in the Babylonian Talmud. The Talmud is a collection of ancient rabbinic writings consisting of the Mishnah (the text) and the Gemara (the commentary), constituting the basis of religious authority in Orthodox Judaism. The Second Order of this version of the Talmud is called Moed meaning Appointed Times or Feasts. Volume VI of Moed is “The Book of Yoma” which is dedicated to Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). The books of the Talmud are divided into sections known as tractates. Tractate 39a of the Babylonian Talmud records some enlightening events concerning the timing of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ and traditions associated with the Day of Atonement.

Leviticus 16:8 instructs that the first lot is for the LORD (YHWH), while the second lot is drawn for the scapegoat (azazel). The high priest (Cohen HaGadol) took the two lots (stones were used), one marked YHWH and the other marked Azazel, and placed one upon the head of each animal, sealing their fate. It was considered a good omen if the lot marked for the LORD was drawn by the priest in the right hand, but for 40 years prior to the destruction of the temple (Beit HaMikdash) in 70 AD, this lot was drawn by the priest on the left hand.

This and other unusual events associated with Yom Kippur reads in the Talmud as follows:

“During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot [‘For the LORD’] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the western most light shine; and the doors of the Hekel [Temple] would open by themselves.”

For forty years in a row, beginning in 30 AD (the time of the ministry of Jesus), the High Priest picked up the lot for the LORD in his left hand – a bad omen. The odds against this happening are astronomical (2 to the 39th power). In other words, the chances of this occurring are over 500 billion to one!

Another dramatic indication that something had gone wrong with the Temple sacrificial system between 30 AD and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD concerns the tradition of tying a crimson cloth onto the scapegoat. A strip of this red cloth worn by the scapegoat was torn off and tied to the Temple door. Each year the red strip of cloth on the Temple door turned white as an indication that the Yom Kippur sacrifices were acceptable to the LORD. This annual event happened until 30 AD when the cloth then remained crimson each year until the time of the Temple’s destruction.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18

Here is yet another statistically astronomical indication that the blood of bulls and goats was no longer acceptable to make atonement for the sins of Israel. The scarlet strip remained red for forty years symbolizing that Israel’s sins remained unforgiven.

During this period of history it is also recorded that the Temple doors would open by themselves and that the lights of the Temple Lampstand were blowing out.

Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. Hebrews 7:27

He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12

Messiah Jesus was sacrificed once for all. The perfect sacrificial Lamb of God is also our eternal High Priest forever and the mediator of a new and better covenant.

The Shofar Blasts on the Feast of Trumpets and the New Year

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by Just Pray NO! in Feasts & Festivals

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Feast of Trumpets, Jewish New Year, ram's horn, Rosh Hashanah, Shofar, trumpets, Yom Teruah

The Shofar Blasts on the Feast of Trumpets Marks the Jewish New Year

The LORD said to Moses,”Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire.'” Leviticus 23:23-25

Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our Feast; this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. Psalm 81:3-4

In biblical times on the first day of every month (at the New Moon), the ram’s horn (shofar) was sounded. By the decree of God, the first day of the seventh month (Tishri) was to be as a Sabbath day (a sacred assembly and a day of rest) commemorated with the sounding of the shofar.

This holiday, The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), is popularly known as Rosh Hashanah meaning the “Head of the Year” or Jewish New Year. Although, according to the ceremonial calendar, it is the first day of the seventh month, it is the day that the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity and marks the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar. Much the same way in our culture, though January marks the first month of the year, some businesses and government agencies calculate the fiscal year beginning in April.

The liturgy in synagogues around the world not only includes the reading of the same biblical accounts on each Sabbath, but the same passages are read each year on each of the Festivals of the LORD. On Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks/Day of Firstfruits), the Book of Ruth is read because it concerns the harvest. On Rosh Hashanah, the Binding of Isaac

is the Torah passage that is read in every synagogue throughout the world because it concerns a ram’s horn.

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” Genesis 22: 1-14

The future lamb that was promised to be provided by God himself and would serve as an atonement offering was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29b).

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him,”It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.Hebrews 11:17-19

When the shofar sounds in the synagogue on Rosh Hashanah, it announces the raising of Isaac from the dead (figuratively speaking, Abraham did receive his son back from death). The Babylonian captivity lasted seventy years. The Jews that returned to the Promised Land had been dead as a nation for a lifetime (three score and ten years). When they returned on the Feast of Trumpets, the sound of the shofar blast announced the resurrection of a nation.

Also at your times of rejoicing-your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals-you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the LORD your God.” Numbers 10:10

At the New Moon festivals and appointed feasts, trumpets were sounded. According to God’s command (Numbers 10:2), two silver trumpets were to be fashioned. They were to be used for calling the community together and for announcing that the camps set out.

On the Feast of Trumpets, which occurs on the first day of the seventh month (a New Moon Festival), both silver trumpets are blown which announces that the whole camp gather together in the presence of the LORD and the shofar is blown which is a reminder of the resurrection of the dead.

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”1Corinthians 15:50-54

According to the Law of Moses, trumpets are sounded to gather God’s people into His presence. They were sounded to announce the setting out of the camps as each of the Israelite tribes followed the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night. Trumpets herald the approaching of a king. They are sounded when a battle is to take place.

According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1Thessalonians 4:15-18

At the Feast of Trumpets, God’s elect will be translated in the blinking of an eye and gathered into His presence to be forever with the Lord.

Shavout – The Feast of Weeks or the Fifty Days of Pentecost

21 Sunday Jul 2013

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Boaz, Book of Ruth, fifty days, Megillat Ruth, Naomi, Pentecost, Ruth, seven full weeks, Shavout, The Feast of Weeks

” ‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the LORD. Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest. On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

” ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.’ ” Leviticus 23:15-22

The reason that the Book of Ruth (מגילת רות, Megillat Ruth) is read on Shavout is that this biblical account corresponds to the holiday both in its descriptions of the barley and wheat harvest seasons and Ruth’s desire to become a member of the Jewish people, who are defined by their acceptance of the Torah. Moreover, the lineage described at the end of the Book lists King David as Ruth’s great-grandson. According to tradition, David was born and died on Shavuot.

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. Now Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. Ruth1:1-5

Elimelech means “God is King”. Yet, when famine came to Israel, Elimelech took his wife, Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, and went down into Moab, a heathen country where God was neither known nor worshipped. The Moabites were a despised people and forbidden to enter the assembly of the LORD.

No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation. For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. Deuteronomy 23:3

Mahlon means “sickly” and Kilion means “pining away.” The two sons of Elimelech pined away, became sick and died in a heathen land.

When Naomi heard that the Lord had sent a rich harvest to the Israelite land, she decided to return to her homeland. She and both her daughters-in-laws left the place that they had been living and set out on the road that led to Judah. Naomi began to urge them to return home, saying to them, “Go, return each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord grant you mercy for the way you dealt with the dead and with me,” and she kissed them. The daughters-in-law sobbed and cried and did not want to leave her. But Orpah listened to Naomi’s advice and returned home. Orpah means “she who turns away”.

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” Ruth 1:16-17

Ruth means “friend and companion.”

So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. Ruth 1:19-20

Naomi means “sweet and pleasant” but now she wanted to be called Mara which means bitter. These poor woman, with no man to support them, were able to survive because the Torah provided a way for the poor to eat.

Leviticus 19:9-10 reads: “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.

Naomi and Ruth lived on the grain which Ruth gleaned from the harvested fields of a wealthy man named Boaz who happened to be from the clan of Elimelech. Ruth was an unlikely recipient of Boaz’s generosity. She was a despised Moabitess – a descendant of Lot’s incestuous relationship with his daughter, a young widow and she was poor. Boaz, however, was godly, wealthy, generous and kind. He allowed Ruth to glean in his fields, he served her lunch and he instructed his servants to give her extra grain from his fields. His generosity is a picture of God’s grace.

The LORD God rewarded Ruth for her loyalty and respectfulness towards her mother-in-law. According to Torah, the brother of a deceased childless man is required to marry his brother’s widow. She is only allowed to marry her brother-in-law. This type of marriage is known as “Levirate Marriage”. The levirate law is specified in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. The brother of a man who dies without a son had an obligation to marry the wife who was left, and “the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his brother who is dead.” The purpose of the levirate marriage ordinance was to enable a man who died before fathering an heir to obtain one and so perpetuate his name and estate. Levirate comes from the Latin word “levir” meaning husband’s brother.

Boaz married the poor Moabite Ruth. He acted as a kinsman redeemer. The law of the kinsman redeemer was given in Leviticus 25:25: “If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold.

The kinsman-redeemer is a prophetic picture of our Lord Messiah Yeshua. The account of Ruth is a picture of our redemption. There were several requirements a man had to meet in order to qualify as a kinsman-redeemer. First of all, he must be a near kinsman. Second, he must be willing to redeem. Third, he must be able to redeem. Yeshua, the Son of the living God, became like us so that He could be a near kinsman. He was willing to lay down his life and redeem us with his own blood. Because He led a sinless life, He was able to redeem.

When a son was born to them, Obed, the women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! Naomi rejoiced and was Obed’s nurse. In fact Obed’s name was glorified in Israel, for he was the father of Jesse, the father of King David. Obed means “servant” or “worshipper”. Not only did Ruth, a faithful Gentile who embraced the God of Israel, become the great-grandmother of King David but Ruth is also one of four women named in the first chapter of Matthew as being in the direct line of Jesus.

Biblically, names are very significant. They reflect character, meaning, and at times were prophetic in nature. Not only are names of people in the bible significant but so are the names of the Festivals. Three separate names were used by the Hebrew Scriptures for the fourth of the Feasts of the LORD. The most common Hebrew designation for this final feast of the spring cycle of biblical festivals was Hag Hashavuot, meaning “The Feast of Weeks.”

“Celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year (in the fall).” Exodus 34:22

Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you.Deuteronomy 16:9-10

Shavuot was called the Feast of Weeks because seven weeks were counted from the Feast of Firstfruits (firstfruits of the barley harvest) until observing this celebration. The count began during the 1^st month of the Hebrew ceremonial calendar (Nisan) on the day after the Sabbath of the Passover week. The count continued for seven weeks until the end of the first week of the 3^rd month of the Hebrew ceremonial calendar (Sivan). The counting of these days is known as Counting the Omer (in Hebrew, S’firat Ha-Omer). An omer is a Hebrew dry measure (about 5.1 pints) which was an individual’s assigned daily portion of manna.

The primary meaning of this feast was reflected in the Hebrew name, Yom Habikkurim or “the Day of Firstfruits.

” ‘On the day of firstfruits, when you present to the Lord an offering of new grain during the Feast of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.Numbers 28:26

Shavuot was the day on which the firstfruit offerings of the summer wheat crop were brought into the Temple. Seven weeks prior to Shavuot, a sheaf of barley grain was presented as a wave offering for the Feast of Firstfruits. But on this Day of Firstfruits, two loaves baked with yeast from the first fruits of the wheat harvest are presented.

The third designation, Hag Hakatzir or “the Feast of the Harvest”, reflected the fact that this festival was the official beginning of the summer harvest season.

“Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. “Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field. Exodus 23:16

The four spring Festivals of the LORD: Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and The Feast of Weeks all take place within the first three months of the Hebrew calendar. Then during the summer months there are no festivals. The fall cycle of biblical feasts do not occur until the seventh month (Tishri). The last three Festivals of the LORD: The Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement and The Feast of Tabernacles all take place four months later during the seventh month.

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Luke 3:15-17

The chaff represents the unrepentant sinner, while the wheat represents the church. His barn symbolizes heaven – the eternal abode of the believer. The chaff is burned by a fire which is never quenched – the Lake of Eternal Fire. This theme is repeated in many of the Kingdom Parables.

Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” John 4:27-41

The Samaritans were a mixed-blood race comprised of colonists that the Assyrians brought into the Northern Kingdom after the Ten Tribes were taken into exile. Some intermarried with the Israelites who were left behind. Jews considered them physically and spiritually inferior. When Jesus quoted the saying, “Four more months and then the harvest” He was using a natural phenomenon to reveal spiritual truth. The wheat harvest grew during the summer months to be harvested in the fall. It would take four months from the Feast of Weeks (The Day of Firstfruits of the wheat harvest) until the Final Ingathering (Feast of Tabernacles). The fields that were ripe for harvest, a harvest of souls, were despised Samaritans. He stayed with them for two days.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 2Peter 3:8. Christ residing amongst the Samaritans for two days is symbolic of the Church Age – 2,000 years of harvest amongst the Gentiles.

In the Greek language, Shavuot was known as Pentecost meaning “fiftieth,” since it was celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Feast of Firstfruits. Jesus arose on the first day of the week (a Sunday) which was the Feast of Firstfruits. By counting seven full weeks, the forty-ninth day is on a Saturday. Adding one more day, for a total of fifty days, the day of Pentecost is again a Sunday. Both resurrection day and Pentecost are on a day after the Sabbath. Sunday is not a New Testament Sabbath. Sunday is the Lord’s Day. The Sabbath was the day of rest after the original creation. The creation was stained by sin and cursed by God. God has made us new creatures in Christ. God promises us a new heaven and a new earth. Sunday, the day after the Sabbath, spiritually is the 8^th day. Eight is a number of super-abundance. The Lord’s Day is a foreshadowing of the eternal Kingdom.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Acts 2:1-6

Just as the spring cycle of biblical festivals was literally fulfilled by the First Advent: Redemption (the Passover), Sanctification (The Feast of Unleavened Bread), Resurrection (Firstfruits) and the birth of the Church (Pentecost), we can be sure that the fall cycle of biblical festivals will foreshadow the Second Coming.

THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS AND THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

21 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by Just Pray NO! in Feasts & Festivals

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THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect, together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil-an offering made to the LORD by fire, a pleasing aroma-and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. Leviticus 23:9-14

The LORD (Yahweh) commanded that the Israelites were to bring an annual offering on the first day of the week (the day after the Sabbath) each year as they celebrated the Passover in the Promised Land. This celebration of Firstfruits included an offering which focused upon the first grain harvested in the spring. Every adult male was to bring a sheaf of the barley harvest as a wave offering. This sheaf was waved in six directions: north, south, east, west, up and down, to signify the omnipresence of God. This act was to recognize that the God of Israel was the author and sustainer of life.

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:23-24

The winter is the season when annual plants die and the land looks barren. Spring, on the other hand, speaks of new life. Jesus used this symbolism to illustrate death and resurrection. The New Covenant was instituted at the Passover. Jesus was entombed during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The third Festival of the LORD – The Feast of Firstfruits, not only was a time for thanking God as the sustainer of life, but also foreshadowed the resurrection of the Messiah of Israel.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:1-8

Jesus was raised from the dead on the day after the Sabbath. The women went to tomb on the first day of the week. Jesus arose on the Feast of Firstfruits. The apostle Paul recognized that the Messiah (the Christ) was the fulfillment of this ordinance that was given to Israel.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.1 Corinthians 15:20-23

Jesus participated in the Passover with His disciples the evening of the 6^th day of the week (Friday on our Gregorian solar calendar). On the Hebrew calendar that year, that would have occurred on the 13th of Nisan (the first spring month) at twilight. For a Hebrew, the day began at twilight. This is in accordance to the pattern in Genesis chapter one: “And there was evening, and there was morning-the first to seventh day.” Later that evening, Jesus was illegally arrested, bound, beaten, tried, falsely accused and illegally sentenced.

We know Christ came to die as the Passover Lamb. Matthew 27:46 says that Jesus died at the ninth hour, which is three o’clock. He died at the exact moment when the slaughter of the Passover lambs began in the Temple. The Passover is later eaten that same evening on Nisan 14 at twilight. Since every seventh day is a weekly Sabbath on the Hebrew lunar calendar, the fourteenth day would be the 2^nd Sabbath of month. Therefore, Jesus was crucified on a weekly Sabbath (Saturday on the Gregorian calendar).

First Corinthians 5:7 says, “Even Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us.” Jesus died on the day and time the lambs were slaughtered that He might fulfill every prophecy to the letter.

Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover on a Friday night which was the day before the slaughter and eating of the paschal lambs. We know it wasn’t just another meal because Jesus insisted that it be eaten inside the city of Jerusalem. They constantly referred to it as the Passover. Furthermore, it was unusual for Jewish people to have a meal at night. To recline at the table was unusual for anything other than a festival meal. In a normal meal the breaking of bread occurred at the beginning, not in the middle of the meal as in this case. The use of red wine also was unusual. They sang a hymn when they were finished with the meal, which was true of the Passover. And when Judas left, the disciples thought that he was going to give money to the poor, which was a typical thing to do at the Passover. So we can be sure they ate a Passover meal.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour-when darkness reigns.” Luke 22:52-53

The first day of the month on the Jewish calendar is when there is a New Moon. By the 14^th day (Nisan 13 at twilight) there is a Full Moon. Although there was light from both a Full Moon as well as the torches of those who came to arrest Jesus, He proclaimed that there was darkness. Darkness symbolizes both sin and death. It wasn’t physical darkness but spiritual darkness that was reigning that night. On that Friday night, prophecy concerning the suffering servant of God was being fulfilled.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53:7

It was the next day (Nisan 14 – weekly Sabbath) when Jesus was flogged and crucified.

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. Mathew 27:45

At 12:00 noon, the brightest hour of the day, darkness came over the land. At 3:00 pm when the lambs were being slaughtered, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. The body of Jesus was taken down from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea and placed in his tomb.

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Matthew 27:57-59

The body had to be taken down before Saturday at twilight (Nisan 14) because the next day was a special Sabbath. There were two Sabbaths at the Passover. The seventh day Sabbath followed by first day of the seven day observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which was a special or high Sabbath.

The LORD’S Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD’S Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. Leviticus 23:5-7

The day of the Passover marked the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread. By holding a sacred assembly and doing no regular work meant that the day was to be observed as a special Sabbath. Jesus and his disciples took of the Passover meal on Friday evening. From the night of his arrest when darkness reigned including the time of his trial and beatings to the morning of the 7^th day marked the 1^st day of his sufferings. From that Saturday evening when he was entombed to the morning of the high Sabbath marked the 2^nd day. From the high Sabbath at twilight through the morning the 1st day of the week completed the third day of Christ’s suffering. Jesus arose on the third day. Therefore, with an understanding of the Hebrew calendar and Jewish customs of Jesus’ day, Scripture does not contradict itself when it declares that Jesus suffered three days and nights, yet He rose on the third day! Jesus is the Firstfruits of the Resurrection. He rose from the dead on the Day of Firstfruits.

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—Romans 6:4-6

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has given us assurance that we who are born again by the Spirit, just like Messiah Yeshua, will be resurrected to eternal life!

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a Picture of Sanctification

20 Saturday Jul 2013

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Hag HaMatza – The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Today, Jews consider Pesach (Passover) as an eight day holiday (outside the Land of Israel). The last two days are Yomim Tovim – Festivals. These festivals are called Shevi’i shel Pesach (The Seventh Day of the Passover) and Acharon shel Pesach (the last day of the Passover)

After the destruction of the Second Temple (the temple rebuilt by Zerubbabel after the Babylonian captivity and expanded upon by King Herod), Jews were unable to continue with the sacrificial system and were not allowed to own land in the Diaspora. Judaism no longer could be practiced as biblical Judaism. For the last nineteen centuries Jews have been practicing rabbinical Judaism. Modern religious practice is based upon interpretation by the revered scholars. For example, since no atonement offering can be made upon the altar of the Temple, Jews offer up the praise of their lips (sacrifice of praise), and money given to the poor (zed dacha), studying the Law (Torah) and mitzvoth (good works.

A great rescue plan developed to save the Jewish nation and enable it to survive in the lands of exile until such time as God decided to bring it home. A new way of life was shaped, based on an entire legal-halachic system (rabbinic interpretation of the Torah), designed to bring the Jew into a framework of distinct behavior that would separate him or her from outside society by a kind of invisible wall. The Jew was to remember at all times that he or she was not a full part of his/her neighbors’ world; that the neighbors’ concept of God and God’s world was different from that of the Jews; and that the Jew was not at home in the neighbors’ land. On the contrary, the Jew had another land, which was never to be forgotten – the Jew must always remember the reality of Galut (living outside of the Promised Land.

It was at this point and for this reason that the rabbinic authorities, who became the architects of Jewish national existence, built this idea into Jewish life in such a way that it would be accepted and not forgotten by all Jews throughout the world.

Jews would face Jerusalem in prayer.

In those prayers Jews would regularly remind themselves of their state of Galut (exile) and would pray to God to end the exile and to bring the exiles back home.

Traditions, both domestic and communal would be developed to confront the Jew with constant reminders of the unnatural situation. Glasses would be broken at weddings, walls would be left unplastered and songs would be sung – all to remind the Jew of the Land left behind.

On each festival, ritual elements were added to remind the Jews of the Land and the Temple that had been lost – but would be theirs again. Rituals formerly observed at the site of the Temple in the previous era were now relocated and woven into home and community life around the world.

All these acts connected the Jew in with Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel). Jews could live at all four corners of the earth, but ritually they lived in the land of Israel, tied in through the details of ritual to a calendar and a reality that existed in the land they called their home.

Jews celebrate Passover as an eight day festival outside of Israel in an effort to both keep the Law and remember the Promised Land. The notion is to observe the seventh day as a Sabbath as the Law of Moses directs and also enable Jews, living on the other side of the International Date Line, to celebrate on the same day as if they lived in Jerusalem.

The Bible commands that the Passover be celebrated as a one day observance followed by a seven-day festival known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The single day of Passover emphasizes that redemption is a once for all time event:

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; Hebrews 9:27-28a

“This is the covenant I will make with them after that time,says the LORD.I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”Then He adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. Hebrews 10:16-18

The Passover is a picture of the redemption of the believer. The Lamb of God is God’s provision for salvation. In a single night, after 400 years of bondage in Egypt, the LORD provided both a redeemer (Moses) and a covering of lamb’s blood (atonement) so that his chosen people would escape slavery and death of the first born. Fifty days later, God gave his people the Law written on tablets of stone. In the fullness of time, God provided Christ the Redeemer who offered up his atoning blood to free us from the bondage of sin. By the indwelling presence of the Holy spirit, God has written his law on our hearts and minds.

“Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until morning.” Deuteronomy 16:4“Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.” Exodus 12:10

While the Passover typifies redemption, the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread is a type or picture of a life in which sin has been removed (the process of sanctification of the believer).

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied.”

And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.”

He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” Mark 8:14-21

Herod was the son of the King of Judea, Herod the Great, who tried to kill the infant Jesus. Herod was the Tetrarch of the Galilee who arrested and beheaded John the Baptist. His sins the yeast of Herod) were a hunger for power, pursuit of worldly riches and fleshly lusts.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14

The leaven of the Pharisees was pride, hypocrisy and legalism.

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:8-12

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?

Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising–have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” Mark 12:18-27

The Sadducees denied the spiritual realm and the resurrection. The Sadducees were the aristocrats – persons of wealth and rank. They only affirmed what was written in the Law of Moses. Their leaven was they did not know the Scriptures or the power of God. They are much like the “rich and famous” of today. They, like modern day evolutionists, deny the spirit realm, the truth of the Bible and the power of God as Creator and Lord.

Passover Portraits of the Messiah

20 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by Just Pray NO! in Feasts & Festivals

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chametz, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leaven, matzah, Passover, seder, seder plate, zeroa

The commanded regulations as well as the Hebrew traditions associated with the Passover are beautiful and insightful prophetic pictures of Messiah Yeshua – Jesus Christ.

BEDIKAT CHAMETZ
“Search for Leaven”

“Chametz” is the Hebrew word for leavened grain products. Leaven is an agent, such as yeast, that causes batter or dough to rise, especially by fermentation. It is written in the Torah (the “Five Books of Moses” or Pentateuch) that during the week of Passover (the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread coincides with the day of Passover) that the Israelites should –

Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. Exodus 13:7

The “Search for Leaven” which takes place the night before the Passover Seder contains some beautiful traditions. After bread and other leavened products are removed from the family’s food cabinets and pantry, a candle is lit and there is a search for any leftover crumbs. The crumbs are whisked by a feather into a wooden spoon and collected into a linen napkin. The leaven is then burned.

Leaven is a symbol of pride (self being puffed up). The lit candle is a picture of the Word of God which is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105). The feather symbolizes the Holy Spirit who came upon Jesus as a dove (John 1:32). The wooden spoon symbolizes the cross and the crucifixion of Jesus. The linen is a picture of the burial shroud of Jesus. The collected leaven that is burned is a picture of the punishment for sin – eternal hell fire.

The tradition of the Search for Leaven when viewed with spiritual insight and understanding is a picture of:

The Word of God revealing sin in our lives
The ministry of the Holy Spirit to bring us to Jesus
The finished work of Jesus on the cross

THE SEDER PLATE

All of Israel was commanded to eat the Passover lamb along with matzos (unleavened bread) and bitter herbs: They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Numbers 9:11b

Since the destruction of the Second Temple, there have been a number of items that have been added to the commanded elements of lamb (“Zeroa” or lamb shankbone), unleavened bread (“Matzos”) and bitter herbs (“Maror”) that now comprise the traditional Seder plate:

The “Baytzah” is a hard boiled egg which is placed on the plate to symbolize the regular festival temple sacrifice.

“Charoset” is a mixture of apples, nuts, wine and cinnamon or other spices to represent the mortar that the Hebrews used when they were slaves in Egypt.

“Chazeret” meaning a bitter vegetable (lettuce or celery) is a reminder of the bitterness of the lives of the Hebrews in bondage.

“Karpas” is a vegetable, parsley or potato, which is dipped in salt water to represent tears.

Although there have been additions, the centerpiece of the Seder plate remains the lamb shankbone. The commandments in regards to the preparation of the Pesach (Pascal lamb) are very specific:

That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire-head, legs and inner parts. Exodus 12:8-9

“It must be eaten in one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.” Exodus 12:46

The lamb was to be roasted and not eaten raw or boiled. None of the bones of the sacrificed Passover lamb were to be broken.

Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. John 19:31-34

The thigh bones of the two men who were crucified along with Jesus were broken. This was done in order to hasten their death. Unable to push up, they would soon die of suffocation. Jesus, having already died, was pierced in his side.

John the Baptist seeing Jesus approaching proclaimed, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b). Jesus, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed and his bones were not broken, instead He had been pierced. In his death, Jesus fulfilled the messianic prophecies of Psalm 34:20 and Zechariah 12:10.

These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” John 19:36-37

The Zeroa (an unbroken lamb shankbone), is a portrait of Jesus, the sacrificed Lamb of God.

THE AFIKOMAN
The Middle Matzah

Orthodox Jews claim that the term afikoman means “dessert” in Aramaic. Aramaic was the common spoken language of the Jews after their return from the Babylonian captivity. Messianic Jews (those who believe that Yeshua [Jesus] is the Messiah [the Christ]), and Christians who have studied Greek, say that the term afikoman means “He came.” Whatever the derivation of the term, the afikoman is another “Passover Portrait of the Messiah.”

At the beginning of the Seder, there are three pieces of matzah that are presented in napkins or in a “Matzah Tosh” (matzah bag). The middle piece of matzah is broken. The largest piece is wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden. The children have an opportunity to search for the afikoman. At the end of the Seder, the person leading the service will offer a reward to the child who finds it. For the unsaved Jew, the hunt for the afikoman serves to keep the children involved and awake during the long service. But, if you have the spiritual eyes to see, there is a much more important significance to the hunt for the middle matzah.

For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. John 6:33-35

Not only is Yeshua (Jesus) the perfect lamb without blemish, He is also the unleavened (sinless) bread who came down from heaven. The three matzos are a picture of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. The second person of the Godhead is represented by the middle matzah (afikoman). The ritual of breaking the middle piece of unleavened bread and placing it into a linen napkin is symbolic of the body of Messiah being broken and wrapped in a linen shroud.

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. Luke 23:50-53

Jesus instituted the New Covenant in His own blood at the Passover. When He took bread and broke it, it was unleavened bread. In the much the same way that the other elements of the Passover symbolized historical events related to the Exodus, the breaking of the unleavened bread symbolized the immediate future breaking of His body. The ceremony of hiding a broken piece of matzah in a linen napkin and then recovering it at the end of the meal is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

Festivals of the LORD reveal Bible Prophecy about End Times!

20 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by Just Pray NO! in Feasts & Festivals

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Christ, feasts, Festivals of the LORD, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Messiah, Second Coming of Christ

The Festivals of the LORD are not just celebrations of God’s deliverance of and provision for the nation of Israel but are prophetic pictures of God’s Messiah – Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Now one vital key, the key to understanding Bible prophecy in context, is the fact that all Old Testament Scripture (the Hebrew Scriptures, or “Tanakh”) proclaim Jesus Christ as the true Messiah sent to redeem the world…

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Luke 24:44

…Just as the first coming of Jesus Christ to earth was promised in numerous places in the Old Testament, there are clear passages and symbolic pictures and allusions to the Second Coming of Christ. An understanding of the feasts, fasts and festivals found in the Old Testament, for example, with their frequent descriptions of the nature of Jesus Christ in His person, is therefore most valuable in comprehending Bible prophecy. For one example, God Himself used the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony as illustration of His relationship to the church, the body of true Christian believers. Therefore, knowledge of Jewish betrothal and marriage customs can be most helpful to interpret the meaning of Christ’s wedding illustration(s) in its proper context. For another example, knowledge of customs associated with synagogue services of Bible times, could heighten our understanding of Jesus’ teaching in His role as the finest Jewish rabbi (teacher) ever. Every festival is a picture of the Messiah.

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Colossians 2:16-17

The religious celebrations of Israel foreshadowed the coming of the Messiah. As we study the spring cycle of biblical festivals, we see a prophetic picture of the First Advent and the birth of the church. Since Jesus perfectly fulfilled these first four feasts as the Lamb of God, we are encouraged and excited to learn how the fall cycle of biblical festivals foreshadow the coming of the Lion of Judah!

The History of Hanukkah Foreshadows the Reign of Antichrist!

19 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by Just Pray NO! in Bible Prophecy, Feasts & Festivals

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antichrist, Antiochus IV, Chasidim, Epimanes, grecian, Hanukkah and the antichrist, history of hanukkah, human-rights, Jerusalem Temple, Madman, middle-east, Modein, politics, religion, The Thummim, theology

The History of Hanukkah Foreshadows the Reign of Antichrist!

Hanukkah or Chanukah is an eight day festival to celebrate the ancient victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians whose leader typifies the Antichrist. This “Feast of Dedication” is popularly known as the “Festival of Lights.” This festival is associated with the miracle in which the lamps stayed lit for “eight” days while the Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated, although there was only enough oil to fuel the Temple’s lamps for only “one” day.

After the death of Alexander the Great, who died without leaving an heir to his throne, the Greek Empire was divided among his four generals known as the Diadochi. Nicator Seleucus took control of the eastern provinces. Antiochus IV, a later Seleucid king, named himself Epiphanes which means “god manifest.” But Antiochus’ brutality and megalomania was better expressed sarcastically by his subjects privately who referred to him as Epimanes – the Madman.

One of the smallest states of the Grecian world empire was the kingdom of Judea. It lay between two giant powers, Egypt to the south and Syria to the north. Egypt was ruled by the Ptolemies and Syria was ruled by the Selucids. Judea was surrounded on all sides by countries who had succumbed to Greek culture. This culture came to be known as Hellenism. People everywhere began to speak Greek, dress like the Greeks, embrace Greek philosophy and worship the gods of Greece. Only in Judea, did the people live in a markedly distinct fashion from their Greek oppressors.

The southern kingdom of Israel, though small and poor, was the corridor which linked Asia, Europe and Africa. Through it troops could be moved from one continent to another. The trade routes of commerce and caravans cut across it from east to west and from north to south. It was a highly prized territory and was buffeted back and forth between its greedy neighbors.

Daniel chapter 11 is a prophetic depiction of the future conflicts, wars and alliances between the kings of the Ptolemies to the south and the kings of the Selucids to the north. Judea and the holy city of Jerusalem were caught between these two warring factions.

The Selucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes was the prophesied evil monarch from Syria – the ultimate “king of the north” – who came down and defeated “the king of the south” and took possession of Judea (Daniel 11:21-30).

Antiochus had the Jewish High Priest assassinated, and installed a man of his own inclination in his place. He instituted Greek customs throughout the Jewish population and finally ordered the Jewish religion abolished completely and replaced it with his own pagan gods. Anyone who failed to abide by his decrees, he had executed. His forces desecrated the Jerusalem Temple and its altar of worship by slaughtering a swine on the altar and erecting a statue of Zeus with his own likeness in the sanctuary. Antiochus typifies the Antichrist who will set up an abomination (an idol of himself) that causes desolation (those who love the true God to flee Jerusalem).

A revolt started in Modein where Mattathias killed a Jew making a profaned sacrifice and then killed the king’s official who enforced such sacrifices. Mattathias fled to the hills with his sons. Seleucid troops from Jerusalem pursued the rebels and slaughtered a group of women and children on the Sabbath. His successor, Judas Maccabee, along with many pious Jews – called the “Chasidim” (pious ones) – joined the revolt. They would descend from the mountains and would strike the Syrians with swift unexpected attacks (Maccabee – “Battle hammer”). After three years of fighting against overwhelming odds, the Maccabees regained control of the Temple.

After cleansing the Temple, the lamps of the sacred lampstand needed to be lit. There was only enough oil found to keep the lamps burning for one day. It would take a messenger a week to bring fresh supplies, but no one wanted to wait that long to rededicate the sanctuary. Miraculously, they lit the lampstand and the oil lasted eight full days!

‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” Haggai 2:9

Solomon’s Temple (the former house or first Temple) contained five glorious elements that were missing in the present house (the 2nd Temple rebuilt under Zerubbabel) of Haggai’s day:

· The fire from heaven on the altar

· The ark of the covenant

· The glory of the divine Presence (Shechinah)

· The Urim

· The Thummim

In addition to these missing spiritual elements, the physical structure of Solomon’s Temple was so ornate and elaborate than the 2nd Temple, that those who were old enough to remember it (the survivors of the Babylonian exile) wept aloud when the foundation was laid.

Why then was it prophesied that the glory of the physically inferior 2nd Temple which lacked the Shechinah glory and the Ark of the Covenant would be even greater than that of The Temple built and dedicated by Solomon? In addition, how did the LORD God give peace in this place (the 2nd Temple) if it was completely destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD? Why did the miracle of Hanukkah last eight days, when the oil could be replaced in seven days?

Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” John 10:22-24

The latter glory of the second house was greater than that of Solomon’s Temple because the glorious Son of God, the “Light of the World” had come into the Temple. Jesus came into the Temple during the Feast of Dedication. The Light of the World who filled the Temple with glory was asked, “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” He had confirmed again and again that He was the Messiah by his signs, wonders and miracles. Even the eight day miracle of Hanukkah pointed to Yeshua the Messiah.

In Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament, as well as Greek, the language of the New Testament, each letter possesses a numerical value. Gematria is the calculation of the numerical equivalence of letters, words, or phrases. And, on that basis, Gematria helps to gain insight into interrelation of different concepts and exploring the interrelationship between words and ideas. Most Christians are familiar with the concept that the value of the name of the Antichrist is calculated to be 666.

By utilizing principles of Gematria, we can determine that the following numerical values can be determined in relation to Jesus:

TITLE TOTAL VALUE DIVIDED BY 8

Messiah 656 8 x 82

Lord 800 8 x 100

Son 880 8 x 110

Savior 1,408 8 x 8 x 22

Christ 1,480 8 x 185

Emmanuel 25,600 8 x 8 x 8 x 50

JESUS 888 8 x 111

During the Festival of Lights, the Menorah is lit by a servant candle. Although the “Shamash” is located above the other candles, it must bow low to light them. Jesus humbled himself, took on the form of a servant, and shared his glorious light with us.

The fulfilled prophecy of Haggai 2:9 is only one of over 300 prophecies fulfilled that confirm that Yeshua (Jesus) is truly the promised Messiah of Israel. The probability of one man fulfilling only 48 of the over 300 prophecies is one in 10 to the 157th power. Not only did the miracles that Yeshua performed attest to the fact that He is the Son of God, but the statistical evidence is proof beyond any shadow of doubt that Yeshua is Adonai (Jesus is Lord).

Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies concerning the suffering servant Messiah at the First Advent, when the Lamb of God was slain and gloriously resurrected. When Yeshua returns as the conquering king Messiah, He will sit on his throne in Jerusalem.

“The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place.

Daniel 11:36

During the time of the Maccabees, the arrogant murderous ruler Antiochus IV had defiled the Temple and set up an image of himself demanding that he be worshipped. After three years, his army was defeated and he was overthrown. The Temple was cleansed and rededicated to the worship of the God of Israel.

Revelation 13:18

This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.

There is literal fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel 11:36 still to come concerning the last world empire and the evil Antichrist king who will exalt and magnify himself. As the number seven represents heavenly perfection and completeness, the number six represents sinful man who is imperfect and incomplete. The number 666 may remind us that man falls short three ways—in body, soul, and spirit—of God’s glorious nature. Antichrist exemplifies this complete “triple six” sinfulness of mankind. He is totally corrupt and debased, carnally minded, blasphemous, and lives in spiritual darkness. He is the bond servant of Satan, numbered 666.

Revelation 19:19-21 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

After 3 ½ years, the Antichrist and his armies will be defeated and the Temple will be cleansed and rededicated to the worship of the God of Israel just like in the times of the Macabees. Jesus Christ will sit on his throne in Jerusalem and rule over the nations.

…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10-12

Is He the Lord of your life?

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and The Day of Atonement

18 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by Just Pray NO! in Bible Prophecy, Feasts & Festivals

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atonement, beelzebub, blasphemy, Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, day of atonement, demon, demons, kingdom of god, ministry of the holy spirit, pharisees, religion, ruler of this world, spirit of god, strong man, the day of atonement, theology

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and The Day of Atonement

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebub the ruler of the demons.”And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.

“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? “If I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.

“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

“Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. ” He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

” Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.

” Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Matthew 12:24-32

Blasphemy of the Spirit is known as the unpardonable or unforgivable sin. It is commonly defined as denying the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit which is to convict of sin:

“And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” John 16:8-17

If a person is not convicted concerning sin, and they do not believe in the finished atoning work that Christ accomplished on the cross, that person cannot be forgiven in time or eternity.

The sin of blasphemy of the Spirit has been defined as it relates to each individual and their personal rejection of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. But blasphemy of the Spirit must also be defined in the light of the historic and cultural circumstances as it related to the nation of Israel as a corporate entity. Jesus rebuked the people of Israel of his day corporately calling them “a wicked and adulterous generation” (Mt 12:39). Except for a called out remnant which stood in opposition to the religious leaders of the day, that generation was condemned for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

“The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here.

“The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, someone greater than Solomon is here.” Matthew 12:41-42

Prior to this miracle that was attributed to demonic power by the Pharisees who had witnessed it, Jesus spoke plainly to the multitudes in Israel. The “Sermon on the Mount” was taught by Jesus so that the his disciples and the crowds would understand and put into practice moral and ethical living as opposed to traditions which focused on the “letter” and not the “spirit” of the Law. But after blaspheming the Spirit, Jesus taught by way of parables so that “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand (Matthew 13:13b). Jesus did not interpret his parables for the multitudes sake, but only his disciples were blessed with eyes to see and ears to hear.

At the First Advent, Jesus came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive Him (John 1:11). During the Church Age, there has been a remnant of Jews who have accepted Jesus as the Messiah (the Christ).

I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

“Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE.”

But what is the divine response to him? ” I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.”

In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. Romans 11:1-5

Israel’s rejection of Jesus resulted in the message of the gospel being preached to all nations in order to make Israel jealous.

I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.

Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!

But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. Romans 11:11-14

But the Word declares that there will be a future generation of Israel that will corporately and nationally receive Jesus as Messiah.

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery–so that you will not be wise in your own estimation–that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,

“ THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION,

HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.”

” THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM,

WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” Romans 11:25-27

The salvation of Israel occurs after the full number of Gentiles has entered into the Kingdom of the Son. The salvation of Israel occurs after the Rapture.

For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Romans 11:15

The time period when the dead are raised to life, the resurrection of the righteous which occurs before the millennial reign of Christ on earth, is closely associated with Israel’s acceptance of Jesus as the Christ. How can the Rapture occur seven years before all Israel is saved (pretribulation theory), when their acceptance will be life from the dead? Israel must first suffer through the time of Jacob’s trouble.

Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. Jeremiah 30:7

All Israel will be saved, but only those who survive through the Great Tribulation. When the church is raptured at Rosh Hashanah, those who pierced Him see Christ in the air in his glorious splendor and He leaves with the resurrected saints. During the Ten Days of Awe, the LORD pours out a spirit of grace and supplication the nation of Israel.

“And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. Zechariah 12:10

The generation of Jesus’ day committed a corporate national sin. Blasphemy of the Spirit was not unintentional sin, but a sin of wickedness and rebellion. Traditional concepts of the ministry of the Messiah included an expectation that the Messiah would uniquely perform miracles greater than any of those of the true prophets. Spit was defiling. The rabbis believed that even the spittle of the Messiah would be virtuous.

They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him.

Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva;

and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” Mark 7:32-34

The rabbis also believed that there would be three miracles that only the true Messiah could perform: healing a man blind from birth – believing that either the man or his parents had sinned, healing a Jew of leprosy – for it was recorded that only the Gentile Naaman had been cleansed miraculously, and exorcising a demon from a mute – for it is necessary to know the name of the demon in order to cast it out. After miraculously healing many of leprosy including ten men at once, nine of which were Jews (Luke 17:11-17), as well as healing a man blind from birth by his spittle (John 9:1-7),

Jesus was brought a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Jesus healed this man so that the man could both talk and see.

All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David, ?”

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons, that this fellow drives out demons” Matthew 12:23-24

Beelzebub was the lord of the flies. He was the ruler of filth and bodily waste. The Pharisees attributed the glorious works of God to Beelzebub and blasphemed the Holy Spirit. The people believed that Jesus might be the Son of David, the promised King Messiah. Jesus had attested to the fact that He indeed was God’s anointed by this miraculous feat of healing a demon-possessed mute. The crowds turned to the Pharisees for an answer because the Pharisees were the religious authorities. The religious leaders of that day rejected Jesus as the Christ because of their pride and because of their compromise with the pagan Roman government.

Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” John 11:47-48

That generation was condemned because of wickedness and rebellion. There is only one day a year on the Hebrew calendar when the high priest can offer sacrifices for both the sins of the nation as well as for intentional sin. Through the year, all sin and trespass offerings are for unintentional sin – not knowing the Law, sins committed in haste and weaknesses of the flesh. Adam knew God’s prohibition concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and he choose, by an act of his free will, to disobey. He rejected God’s Word. The nation of Israel during the time of Jesus’ ministry witnessed many signs and wonders that attested to the fact that Jesus was the Christ yet they choose to reject the Living Word.

“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat.

“He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites – all their sins – and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. Leviticus 16:20-21

On the Day of Atonement, Jesus will return to the earth to redeem Israel. The sins of the nation including wickedness and rebellion will be taken away. On that day, ungodliness will be removed from Jacob. It will be the year of Jubilee!

The Last Days Calendar

~ Bible Prophecy & The Rapture

Category Archives: Feasts & Festivals

Sukkoth – The Feast of Tabernacles

Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement

The Shofar Blasts on the Feast of Trumpets and the New Year

Shavout – The Feast of Weeks or the Fifty Days of Pentecost

THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS AND THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a Picture of Sanctification

Passover Portraits of the Messiah

Festivals of the LORD reveal Bible Prophecy about End Times!

The History of Hanukkah Foreshadows the Reign of Antichrist!

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and The Day of Atonement