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Tag Archives: Christ

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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Christ, Feast of Firstfruits, Firstfruits, Jesus Christ, lord, resurrection, sheaf, wave offering

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 6th 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.

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 2nd 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 14th 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 7th day marked the 1st day of his sufferings. From that Saturday evening when he was entombed to the morning of the high Sabbath marked the 2nd 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!

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!

Ten Days Between the Rapture of the Church & Christ’s Return

01 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by Just Pray NO! in Bible Prophecy

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Tags

Christ, High Holy Days, israel, Jesus, Jews, Passover, Pre-tribulation, Pretribulation Rapture, Rapture, Rosh HaShannah, Ten Days of Awe, Yom Kippur, Yom Teruah

    In his First Advent, Jesus was hailed on the 10th of Nisan as King when He rode into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey as prophesied by Zechariah. What is commonly referred to as “Palm Sunday” was the day that the lambs for the Passover were selected and watched over until the 14th at twilight when they were slaughtered.
    Yeshua instituted the New Covenant in his own blood at the Passover. He was entombed on the Feast of Unleavened Bread and rose on the day after the Sabbath on the Day of Firstfruits. Fifty days later, on Shavouth (the Feast of Weeks), the Holy Spirit descended in power and the church age began.
    All 4 of the Spring Festivals were fulfilled during the same calendar year.
    WHY then do theologians insist that in the Second Coming, the Rapture occurs on Rosh HaShannah/Yom Teruah (New Year/Day of Trumpets) and that either 7 years later (pre-trib) or 3 1/2 years later (mid-trib) Jesus comes back to rescue Israel on Yom Kippur? Yom Kippur occurs 10 days after Yom Teruah.
    There are then ten days left between the Feast of Trumpets and Yom Kippur. Religiously observant Jews know these ten days as the Ten Days of Awe. Between Rosh HaShona and Yom Kippur, Jewish people worldwide wonder, will their names be inscribed in the book of life for the coming year?
   What is likely to happen during the Ten Days of Awe framing Christ’s return? –
    “I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” Zechariah 12:10
    If the Church is raptured on Rosh HaShona to meet a glorious Christ in the air (not a “secret rapture” as portrayed in popular Christian media), the Jewish people would literally look upon the one their leaders had pierced on the cross through conspiracy with Rome, astonished at their rejection of Messiah to open the days of awe and days of repentance. Christ will rapture His Church away for both judgments as to rewards and to celebrate at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 11:18; 19:9).
    The Lord will pour out His spirit of grace upon the remnant of Israel on those who have survived the tribulation, “Jacob’s trouble.” Jacob is the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. God’s spirit of grace upon the surviving remnant from the twelve tribes indicates that Jacob’s people in the future will be saved both physically and spiritually.
    A spirit of supplication will drive Israel to her knees in desperate and fervent prayer during the Ten Days of Awe. She will mourn because the true Messiah of Israel came only for those in the Church, Jews and Gentiles, and now is gone again soon after!
    Israel will be on Earth during the pouring out of the last seven plagues. All Israel will be saved, but the promise to redeem corporate, national Israel would not have occurred until the Day of Atonement.
    Doesn’t this make a lot more sense than 7 years or 3 1/2 years later after the rapture then Christ returns???

“Left Behind” – The Deception of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture

29 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by Just Pray NO! in Bible Prophecy

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Book of Revelation, Christ, Christian, Great Tribulation, Left Behind, persecution, Pre-tribulation, Pretribulation Rapture, Rapture

“Left Behind” or “Left Unprepared” for the Coming Persecution?

With tens of millions of books, tapes and videos being sold in America and around the world, the “Left Behind” series has convinced multitudes of Christians into believing that they will be raptured away before the time of the “Great Tribulation.” Christians have suffered persecution and martyrdom for nearly two millennia. Today in Muslim countries, under dictatorships, and under communism, untold numbers of men and women are facing jail, torture, and even death for their faith in Christ. But will those who have bought into the pre-tribulation rapture myth be ready for the persecution to come to Christians in our modern-day Western Nations?

Steven L. Sherman, author of THE LAST DAYS CALENDAR: Understanding God’s Appointed Times is a “watchman on the wall” who is willing to stand against the tide. He believes that we now live in the day that men no longer put up with sound doctrine. “Instead, to suit their own desires, they have gathered around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” Although there may be many who reject the message, Steven Sherman must sound the trumpet and announce that the coming tribulation is ordained by God as a refining fire for His people.

The Book of Revelation is a letter to all Christians. It is a call for patient endurance and exhorts the believer to stand firm until the end. Those who have placed their faith in the Messiah can take heart because Jesus has assured his followers of final victory. In order to better understand the Book of Revelation, as well as all the prophetic verses of Scripture, it is necessary to interpret these passages within the context of historic Judaism and with the knowledge of The Festivals of the LORD. God’s “Appointed Times” for Israel are not just historic ceremonies, but prophetic declarations which encompass both the First Advent and the Second Coming of Christ.THE LAST DAYS CALENDAR: Understanding God’s Appointed Times is a “must” read.

To order from the publisher by phone, call: 1 (877) 421-READ. To contact the author for a personal appearance, debate, or prophecy conference email: LDaysCal@aol.com  or call (727) 647-6467.

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The Revelation of Jesus Christ

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Last Days Calendar

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