Tag: Holy Days

The Holy Days of Leviticus 23 explain prophecy. They outline the plan of salvation, particularly the first coming of Yeshua, aka Jesus, the Messiah.

The Sign of God’s People

Here is how to be identified as a child of God.

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The Sign of God’s People

Slide 2 For you are all sons of God through faith in Messiah Yeshua. For all of you who were baptized into Messiah have clothed yourselves with Messiah. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. (Gal 3:26-29)

While we do not condemn mainstream Christianity by any means, we have discovered some fundamental flaws in those systems and have moved as close to the early Christian beliefs as possible. The general feeling we get from the mainstream churches is that a new religion was established in the New Testament. That the Old Testament was effectively nullified with the New Covenant and how we worship was fundamentally changed. Some go so far as to say the church replaces Israel. This is just not the case. While the New Covenant is definitely new and different, the author of Hebrews tells us it’s a change in the law, not an abolition of the law. We can see in the New Testament that it was mostly Jewish people and proselytes (like the centurion who made the synagogue) for the first ten or so years after Yeshua’s ascension. Then significant numbers of gentiles, people like us, started coming to the faith all over the world. Paul is telling us here that was the intent all along. This is another step in the plan of salvation, that now people can join the family of God through accepting Yeshua as the Messiah and being baptized. Paul is saying here that gentiles who accept Yeshua join the family of God. We join Israel and come alongside those from Israel who accepted the Messiah as well. The text of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31, which Yeshua quoted the night He was betrayed, shows that the New Covenant is with Judah and Israel. It’s not with gentiles. In order for us to matter, for the New Covenant to even apply to us, we have to have a mechanism for joining Judah or Israel. Paul explains this right here. This is why we call each other brother and sister, because we are adopted family now, and heirs according to the promise Yahweh made with Abraham to make his descendants more numerous than the stars.

Slide 3 “Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.” (Act 15:19-21)

This passage of Acts 15 is almost always cited without verse 21, that I have in bold here. Paul had traveled throughout the Roman Empire spreading the news of the Messiah primarily in the synagogues. Over time, significant amounts of gentile start joining in. The meeting in Acts 15 is estimated to be about 45-50 AD, fifteen years or so after Yeshua ascended. These dates are significant because it means for about ten years, there weren’t enough gentiles joining in for this to be an issue. What happened here is that many gentiles were showing up at synagogue, hearing of Yeshua, learning Torah, etc. that the Jewish believers wanted them to be circumcised. The response was to limit them to a few things right out of the gate, to abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication as a start. They were already attending synagogue and hearing Moses each week, they would continue to do that and learn as they went. This is the same pattern we follow today, isn’t it? We learn of the Messiah, then we start attending somewhere, and grow as we learn.

When you are adopted into a family, you learn the family’s rules and customs and adopt them. First century gentile converts had to do this, hence attending synagogue to learn Moses.

Slide 4 YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am YHVH who sanctifies you.” (Exo 31:12-13)

Now we arrive at the sign. The sabbaths. You’ll notice this is plural, not singular. It means the weekly Sabbath and the Holy Days. But it starts with the weekly. Those who learned about the Messiah were keeping the weekly Sabbath to learn Moses. They adopted the sign, well one of them. We know the Shema also tells us the Torah is to be a sign as well. But this is specifically about observing Yahweh’s appointed times. This is addressed to the “sons of Israel”. That benim Yisrael. It means children, not just men or sons. And the children of Israel is synonymous with the children of Abraham. One we are adopted into the family, we take the signs of the family, which means a change in behavior. We keep the Sabbaths.

Slide 5 Yeshua said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (Mar 2:27)

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (Gen 2:1-3)

The word for man in Mark 2:27 is Anthropos, which is Greek for mankind. It’s interesting that the word adam, which means the guy, also means mankind. The LXX actually uses Anthropos for adam in some places. Without getting to much into the word-weeds, the Sabbath was made for all of mankind to observe. It began as a sign for all of the people and was meant to be that for all of this era. In our western reckoning, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, we are to rest and enjoy creation. Yahweh rested on the 7th day of creation as did Adam. This pattern is here for us to emulate because we are made in the image of God. That means more than just photocopying. We are made to work, to labor, to enjoy creation, and then on Shabbat to take a break and commune with our Creator.

Slide 6 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of YHVH your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days YHVH made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore YHVH blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exo 20:8-11)

The 4th commandment, in Yahweh’s voice, told them to remember. That can be taken two ways. The first is that they forgot it in Egypt and they needed to remember it, to get back to it. The second is to not forget about it. To keep doing it. The commandment is comprehensive. Nobody works, everybody gets the day off. Even the animals. Yahweh is big about his creation getting a break. He even built in land rests for the earth, meaning soil. This commandment reminds us about Creation as well. How honoring the Sabbath emulates our Creator in how He rested while also keeping us humble. Knowing that we are but dust. The one who made the heavens and the earth made each of us, which means we are special, that He would think of us. But also that we are feeble in need of our Creator and cannot provide for ourselves without His providence.

Slide 7 YHVH spoke again to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘YHVH’S appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these: ‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to YHVH in all your dwellings.” (Lev 23:1-3)

This is where the entire earth gets the notion to come to church. The word holy convocations is miqra kodesh, a sacred or holy assembly. The idea of having a weekly assembly for the purpose of worship starts right here and it’s tied to the 7th day sabbath. Leviticus 23 outlines all the Sabbaths, more broadly all the appointed times. Appointed times are the word moedim, which is the same word translated seasons when the sun, moon, and stars are made in Genesis 1. The weekly sabbath is counted apart from the months by having an evening and a morning. Yahweh then added in the moon, the sun, and the stars for us to have annual observances. Our following these times shows the world that our God is Yahweh. Getting together on this day to have a set-apart assembly is a commandment, a blessing, and a sign. It gives us a pattern for our lives and keeps us grounded while we honor the creator. We look forward to seeing each other, sharing stories, a meal, and the Word of God. This is not a burden at all. Surrendering to Yahweh’s will and surrounding ourselves with those who do the same is a blessing. It shows our humility and our faith. You might even say it’s a sign 😊

Slide 8 After these things he (Paul) left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. (Act 18:1-4)

Here we are, three chapters after Acts 15, and Paul is reasoning with both Jews and Greeks in the synagogue on Shabbat. They were having holy convocations on the day the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob declared and that’s who Paul preached Yeshua to. Paul was working six days and resting, worshiping, and preaching on Shabbat. Just was it was in the beginning so it should be to this day. The Greeks had adopted the sign of Yahweh’s people by turning from their pagan holidays and practices and adopting the true worship commanded by Yahweh and exemplified by Yeshua, the Messiah, the Son of God. Paul preached to these people because they knew the Tanakh, the Old Testament, and would know about the Messiah.

I often give a message about how the holy days, if they had been kept properly by Israel, would have resulted in peace. Had the nation of Israel actually followed Torah as they were supposed to, there would have been a predictability to life through weekly and annual observances. They would have been blessed with an abundance to bring as offerings year after year and the society would have flourished. These things are components of Yahweh intends for us to have shalom like the peace of that first Sabbath in Eden. When sin entered the world, it spiraled out of control until Yahweh was sad He made mankind and He brought a violent end for all but Noah and his family. That violent end was the result of mankind defying Yahweh and being incredibly sinful. Brothers and sisters, we find ourselves in another time that looks very similar to then. And this all ties together with October 7, 2023. When Israelis and those from all over the earth were keeping both the weekly Sabbath and an annual Sabbath in Israel. They were observing Shemini Atzaret and make no mistake about it, American and all sorts of foreign Christians were they observing along with the Jewish people. They were trying to experience shalom, peace. And the evil ones came, Chamas, the violent ones. Their thoughts are evil continually. And they hate the God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, and especially of Yeshua. So they attack on a day when they knew God’s people would be resting and they destroyed Yahweh’s rest.  

Many have said there would be a Sunday law in the end times and that was the lawlessness of the end times. That never made sense to me because it isn’t “Sabbath-less-ness”, it’s comprehensive lawlessness. Today, though, I realize that keeping the Sabbath and the Holy Days is indeed part of the present tribulation.  I see lawlessness and a rejection of God entirely, like in the days of Noah. We see plainly how an enormous amount of people want to kill God’s people and bring pure lawlessness across the entire world. This isn’t limited to the middle east, as we have seen people protest in favor of the demons all over the world, even here in America. This makes no sense because those who killed Israelis and foreigners in Israel would absolutely love to kill us, too. But now we are seeing people go after Jews very publicly. Please realize that we look like Jews because we have been adopted into the family of God. We are God’s people and by adopting His signs, His Torah, His commandments, we are targets just like the Jews. However, we keep the Sabbath because it is the sign of God’s people. And it appears the world wants to kill God’s people. So maybe there was something to this commandment playing a role in the end times.

Can You Do this One Thing for God?

If you knew there was something you were supposed to do for God, would you do it?

Imagine being at the crucifixion. Imagine being one of the disciples and witnessing the greatest Teacher of all time, the One to restore Israel, being murdered innocently by the overwhelming Roman Empire. Imagine watching your own countrymen defy their own laws to get Him crucified. Imagine hearing the cheers and jeers while watching. How helpless would you feel?

Did you know there is an annual holiday for being helpless that is part of the prophecy for the Messiah? Did you know that we’re supposed to be keeping this holiday?

When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul started admonishing them, saying to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” (Act 27:9-10)

The author of Acts, whom we believe to be Luke, referenced the change of seasons by using the Day of Atonement. The seas were changing because the planet was entering fall and that’s when seas got rough over there. Acts 27 is about Paul’s journey to Rome which occurred about 60 AD and was then recorded later. This casual reference three decades after Yeshua’s death and resurrection proves the Apostles continued to observe this day and intended for all who read Acts to be doing the same. This day starts at sunset, September 24th and ends Monday, September 25th at sunset this year. If you look outside here in the Kansas City Metro, you can see the seasons changing and the corn being harvested. Right on time.

One can fast for the faith pretty much whenever. But once a year, we are all supposed to fast. In reality, it’s deeper than that. It’s a day to humble our souls and fasting is part of that humbling. There are many ways to think about it, but it’s a day when we refuse food and water for 24 whole hours, from sunset to sunset, and effectively show how helpless we are. We need God to provide food and water for us to survive. We need Him to provide air to breathe as well. We are incapable of sustaining ourselves at all, let alone save ourselves from he wrath to come.

Many people, in fact almost all of Christianity, look at the faith of the Old Testament as a works based salvation. This day dispels that myth completely. This day shows that we literally must do nothing to be saved. Remember that helplessness I mentioned above? We are commanded to do exactly nothing so that someone else can atone for our sins. This, brothers and sisters, is from the Torah, the Old Testament, from long before Yeshua. Yeshua’s death shows us a fuller meaning of this day.

The Day of Atonement aka Yom Kippur aka the fast is also supremely impactful because everyone must do exactly the same nothing at the same time. This shows how we are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory. It’s a leveling of the playing field, showing that rich or poor, royalty or commoner, we all must fast and humble our souls or be removed from the Kingdom of God.

Everyone does the same humbling but the High Priest had work to do in temple days. The High Priest had to do extra purification work and then offer sacrifices for himself and then for the people. The book of Hebrews speaks of this in great detail and shows how Yeshua’s sacrifice fulfills Yom Kippur as well as Passover. We have a High Priest that willingly died sinless in order to mediate between us and Yahweh. Observing the fast shows our appreciation for that sacrifice.

Humbling ourselves also includes calling to mind our sins and shortcomings and repenting. The Day of Atonement was specifically to cleanse Israel of sins year by year. While Yeshua’s sacrifice accomplished this task once for all time, looking forward and looking backward, we still need to honor the day and call to mind our sins, as is evidenced by the verse on the screen. Judaism has a liturgy on Yom Kippur publicly confessing everything one can think of. Please do not wait for Yom Kippur to confess your sins. Prepare over these next few days. Reflect on your past year, or, if this is your first time, your entire life. Realize when you have wronged others and sinned against Yahweh. One sin we in the west don’t realize is idolatry, which is alive and well but masked behind a Christian veil. I will speak of this at length on Shabbat this week. Remember, the Torah tells us what sin is, so we study the Torah to live properly and understand where we have fallen short.

Yom Kippur is a day for the forgiveness of sins committed in ignorance as well. This is a remarkable blessing because as we learn the Bible, we continually learn sins we didn’t know of before. For teachers, we also sin when we teach incorrectly. Before we know things fully, we can often steer people wrong. This is very bad, but those are sins committed in ignorance.

On this note, we all must remember to be humble throughout the year and to be teachable. When Yeshua came the first time, the folks who had the hardest time accepting Him were those who thought they had their doctrine figured out completely. He told us specifically to come to the Kingdom like children, innocent and ready to learn from our Master the way a child looks to His parents. The knowledge of the fast is very powerful and impactful, please receive this information like a child. Investigate and understand that if Yeshua could die for us, then we can surely go 24 hours without food and water, abstain from all work, and get together in His Name one day a year. Remember, the disciples were told Yeshua was going to die, watched it, heard Him cry out scripture on the cross, and didn’t understand it until He was resurrected and then explained it to them. The author of Hebrews was obviously an educated Jew who had to be able to learn new information, like how Yeshua is now the High Priest sitting at the right hand of God. These examples of some of the most blessed people in history being teachable is an example for us all. Being able to accept new information is difficult, especially when one was raised to believe things a particular way. So our example from the disciples turned apostles is that we must be strong in our faith, but not so strong that the Messiah or His Father cannot show us a fuller understanding.

I will close with the question again. Can you do this one thing? Can you humble yourself for 24 hours to show your love of Yahweh and Yeshua? Can you?

Pride and Pentecost

There’s a huge miracle that happened at Pentecost aka Shavuot in Acts 2 that is directly related to salvation but seldom noticed.

Audio only below

Talk about the new theme of the month of June is just around the corner. What do we think of pride? Do we think that’s a good thing?

Slide 2 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. (Jas 2:8-13)

It’s my philosophy that there are two sins that almost all other sins stem from. Keep in mind that there is doctrine and then there is philosophy. Doctrine is teaching and a set of beliefs based on scripture. If we were to say there are two laws from which the rest emanate from a doctrinal point of view, the two would be the Shema and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Yeshua literally says this so that settles that. Hence, a settled doctrine. Philosophy is a little bit of a different angle. Your philosophy in life is based on your knowledge, experience, and emotions. A philosophy is something of how you view the world, so it changes throughout life.

Philosophically, we can approach things from many different angles and will very likely arrive at the same truths. This is why many of the commandments are common among almost all societies. Philosophically, one can figure out that adultery, murder, and theft are bad. Doctrinally, though, it’s a different story. 

Anyhow, after a rambling start, my philosophy is the two sins that drive most of the rest are coveting and pride. Coveting, the lusting after your neighbor’s stuff, is the most often talked about of these two. This is the point of the 10 commandments where the people lost it. “You mean we can’t even THINK about doing these things, Yahweh? We can’t take it anymore. Talk to us through Moses”. Coveting is the root of a ton of sins, most famously Cain and Able. The coveting led Cain to murder his brother. Coveting also got Eve as she longed for something she was not supposed to have. King David’s adultery – yep, coveting his buddy’s wife. Coveting is a really difficult thing to overcome and we all have it to one degree or another. And, doctrinally, this is the literal 10th commandment.

But pride, that one is really tough. The word pride has a couple of definitions, not all of which are bad. Taking pride in your work, like admiring a well-built fence or a well-made meal, is not a sin. It’s not a sin to set a goal, achieve it, and then be proud of it. Taking pride when your children or sports team does something well is also not a sin. But pride when used in the vein of haughtiness or arrogance, that’s the one that really gets people. That’s the one that causes people to do things they wouldn’t or shouldn’t really do. 

Slide 3 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is he that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today YHVH has accomplished deliverance in Israel.” (1Sa 11:12-13)

King Saul started out very humble. When he met Samuel and was told wonderful things, his reaction was to say his tribe, Benjamin, was the least in the land and his family was the least in that tribe. But Samuel delivered the Word of God, that Saul would be Yahweh’s anointed. Saul even hid in the baggage when they were seeking a king in the assembly but was brought forth and made king. After his first battle here on the board, he did not act haughty at all. He could have had his early detractors put to death, but he chose to allow the deeds of the day to stand on their own. Humility is on display here – the people are ready to do whatever he says and he doesn’t take the bait. He gives credit to YHVH for the victory as well.

Slide 4 Now he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of YHVH.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of YHVH your God, which He commanded you, for now YHVH would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

(1Sa 13:8-13)

King Saul is one of the biggest examples of letting pride take over and driving him to do things he really should not have done. Look at the bold verses. It became about him, not about Yahweh and not about the nation he was anointed to serve. He took his anointing as Israel’s first king to mean that he could do anything. He ignored Samuel and decided that he could just do whatever he felt moved to do. He let his pride drive him to insane jealousy over David, chasing him like a madman all over the kingdom. And he ultimately felt the loss of his power so hard that he turned to witchcraft, breaking his own order, to try to call up Samuel to get a glimpse of what he had back. 

Slide 5 “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Adonai YHVH, “You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may see you. (Eze 28:12-17)

Most of us understand these verses to be speaking of Satan. Much like Saul, Satan was a magnificent specimen of a creature and anointed immensely.  Satan’s own pride brought him down and the earth will deal with the ramifications of his sin until the end of days. The parallels between here and Saul are simply remarkable, aren’t they?

Slide 6 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); and they said, “Has YHVH indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And YHVH heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) (Num 12:1-3)

The opposite of pride is humility. The understanding that even though you just did something good, and you enjoy it, you don’t let it go to your head. Humility is one of the best traits a human can have. When a successful businessman can still relate to the guys in the shop or on the assembly line, we all feel good. There was even a successful TV show called “Undercover Boss” where corporate executives went undercover to become line workers in their own companies. It was touching and one of the best products the TV industry has put out in a long time. The executives humbled themselves in secret to experience being an employee in their own firms. They often changed policies and increased wages based on the experiences. Their willingness to humble themselves made for touching TV but also positively impacted many employees.

Back to the bible, when the Jews were allowed to come back from Babylon,  Nehemiah declined to eat the governor’s portion because the people had to work instead of growing food and cattle. Nehemiah was the legitimate leader of Israel and could have stayed “in the boardroom”. He not only refused to eat well and have servants, he also worked on the rebuilding himself. The nation and history are blessed by his humble example. Moses was the most humble man on earth until Yeshua. This is one reason Moses was anointed to lead the people for so long – that he would not get that pride and blow it. When Moses did blow it, it appears to be out of frustration, not out of pride or covetousness (remember, I said most sins come from pride or covetousness. Rage is another source). You can see here in this passage that Aaron and Miriam did get a little proud and haughty. “Moses ain’t the only one YHVH speaks through…” And they got smacked down for it. 

Slide 7 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (1Ti 3:1-7)

Paul even makes it a point to clarify the traits of a man to lead an assembly. These traits combine to make someone not haughty, prideful, or conceited. In fact, the word “conceited” there could actually be “lifted up” if you look at the concordance. Yeshua and Moses are our examples for leaders. That’s a tough place to be because it’s not possible to attain to such a standard. Perhaps we could attain it for a while, but to sustain it seems far off. Yet we try. The reality of our faith is that we strive for a standard that only Yeshua attained and He mediates on our behalf. Those who lead and/or teach need more intercession because our sins can be multiplied and spread through our teaching, or we can harm the Gospel by being bad examples. Some will consider you arrogant if you are intelligent, some will consider you prideful if you can speak well, and there really isn’t much one can do to change those minds. However, a life of humble servitude – showing up, taking responsibility, arranging things, and seeing to the sick and infirm will show your true heart. 

This gets to a point that will make sense why I’m talking about this on Shavuot here in a moment. Doctrinal humility. Being able to understand the Bible and biblical history to the point of crafting doctrine is a big avenue for pride to kick in. It’s a strange cycle we live in. We come out of mainstream Christianity because their doctrines are clearly wrong. Along the way, we study like crazy, first trying to prove what we’ve been taught all along right and then, when that doesn’t pan out, we try to get to every scintilla of truth possible in the scriptures (and some even go beyond). Then many make their own doctrines and end up creating perhaps a more accurate system, but a system nonetheless with errors and end up in a similar place to where we started.

We can see the power of doctrinal pride with the way they questioned Yeshua all the time. He challenged many of their established and cherished doctrines. That’s one reason they didn’t care for Him. It was a challenge to their doctrines and their authority, which oftentimes becomes a challenge to pride. Well, there were a few miracles that came out of Shavuot in the first century. Let’s look at one that’s very appropriate to today’s message:

Slide 8 “This Yeshua God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET. Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Messiah—this Yeshua whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” (Act 2:32-37)

Did you catch that? They called Peter and the gang “Brethren”. They immediately left the land of

“us vs. them” and humbled themselves. They could have very well stayed stubborn and prideful,

but this time they repented, acknowledging their guilt, and the pride was gone. They were literally able to publicly admit they killed an innocent man. And this lasted. The apostles, through the power of the Holy Spirit, were able to preach the knowledge of the Son of God throughout the known world and it was received by people who were taught and trained to reject that information. They also were able to get people to stop their pagan religions and convert to Christianity – true first century Christianity. One miracle of that day of Pentecost in the first century was that finally some were able to get past their pride. And by doing so, have been granted eternal life.

The Resurrection of the Dead

Resurrection of the Dead

The true outline of prophetical events from the first century until today is profound and very easy to learn. The resurrection of the dead is a key to these truths which were held dear by the first century Christians.

Yeshua told us exactly what we are supposed to do to remember Him. We know it, so let’s get together and do it. His command to remember Him by washing each other’s feet and sharing the bread and wine the night before Passover is also tied into today’s message. This is a big apologetic on why we do what we do.

We are commemorating the death and resurrection of Yeshua, the Messiah, the Son of God. While it’s easy to think this is the end of the road, it’s not. It is the single most important event in history, everything before looking to it and everything after looking from it. Imagine in your head an hourglass on it’s side. Yeshua’s death on the cross is the middle point. Everything from Creation flows to that point in time and everything since flows out of it. Sometimes we have to give credit where credit is due and this is the case with the numbering of years on our Gregorian calendar. Today is March 19, in the year of our Lord 2023. It’s been roughly 2023 years since Yeshua was born. Granted, this distinction doesn’t really exist in the faith once delivered, where it is actually the year 5783, and if they were to begin counting, they should have counted from His death, not His birth, but even with all those caveats, I still like the idea of realizing a starting point/finishing point with the coming of the Messiah. Because that’s literally true. And it’s not CE, the “common era”. That’s just a cop out to try and divorce our calendar from Christianity. If one was to consider a “common era”, it would have to be from the printing press or from some much more modern time. There’s nothing common about the Messiah. In fact, He’s very specific and very holy, the opposite of common. But I digress.

The reason I’m on this tangent is because accepting Yeshua as the Messiah, the Son of God, who died so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life, is the most important piece of information available since His death. We really did enter a new era when He was crucified, resurrected, and ascended to the right hand of God. In the first century, one of the biggest doctrinal disputes, if not the biggest doctrinal dispute, was the resurrection of the dead.

Slide 2 But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” As he said this, there occurred a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. And there occurred a great uproar; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” And as a great dissension was developing, the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks. But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.” (Act 23:6-11)

Understand that the Jews were more upset about the resurrection being a thing than they were about Paul preaching Yeshua. It’s astonishing to think of, but once Paul made it about the resurrection of the dead, the Pharisees took his side. Paul was a Pharisee himself when he had papers to persecute the Church of Yahweh. But Yeshua being the Messiah, the Son of God, took a backseat to there being a resurrection of the dead. Next month, when we observe the night Yeshua was betrayed and the Spring Holy Days, we will be commemorating just that – that Yeshua was resurrected from the dead. And that’s a key for what is to come later.

Slide 3 Now if Messiah is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Messiah has been raised; and if Messiah has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Messiah, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Messiah has been raised; and if Messiah has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. (1Co 15:12-17)

1st Corinthians 15 is the resurrection chapter. Most of what I am talking about today is summed up in that chapter, which is a remarkably concise and clear outline of what is next to happen in prophecy. This is all founded on the resurrection of the dead, which means that dead people are literally dead, without life, unconscious, and awaiting one of two resurrections. Those two resurrections are separated by 1000 years referred to as “the millennium”.

Slide 4 “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” (Dan 12:1-2)

But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Messiah the first fruits, after that those who are Messiah’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. (1Co 15:20-24)

“Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” (Joh 5:28-29)

I started this with Daniel to show that the resurrection, and the outline of what’s to come, is not all that new to the New Testament. Yeshua is effectively citing Daniel in John 5: 28-29 and Paul is providing more detail. Ezekiel gives the most graphic information about the resurrection, too. This outline was common knowledge to the Pharisees and because central to first century Christianity. Of course we believe in the resurrection of the dead because our Messiah was resurrected from the dead! At some point, though, mainstream Christianity deviated from this and has a very confused look at what is to come. The pagan belief that dead people are alive somewhere else has overtaken a core doctrine of the early church. Instead of looking forward to a resurrection, Christians of almost all denominations talk about dead people as if they are in heaven, hell, or in some sort of third option yet still conscious. But if we just read 1 Cor 15, and other places, we know the truth. And next month we will commemorate the truth.

Slide 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Messiah and will reign with Him for a thousand years. (Rev 20:5-6)

Revelation 20 is the place to look for the timing. This is where we learn about the millennium. Today I’m encouraging you to listen and then go read these chapters for yourselves. 1 Corinthians 15, Revelation 20 and the one I’m going to talk about next, Ezekiel 37 and 38. Putting these together shows us the time frame and the details about what’s next in the history of mankind. In fact, this shows us what is next all the way until the end of this era and the beginning of eternity. Which is the first resurrection when Yeshua returns, a 1000 year period of time where mankind gets a break from Satan, who is locked up for the 1000 years, and then the second resurrection, which is called the resurrection of judgment. The second resurrection is where all of mankind who did not get resurrected in the first resurrection are judged, which means decided upon. Some are found written in the book of life, others are not. And at the end of that is when we enter into eternity.

Slide 6 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. (Rev 20:7-9)

And the word of YHVH came to me saying, “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, ‘Thus says the YHVH Elohim, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. (Eze 38:1-3)

This is showing is the timing of the second resurrection. This goes against the grain of most of Christianity as well, but Ezekiel 37, the chapter prior, talks about the first resurrection then Ezekiel 38 talks about the second, where this great final war, Gog and Magog, are to take place. It’s the end of the 1000 years, at least 1000 years and 1 day from now, when this battle takes place. After Satan is released from being imprisoned for 1000 years, he will go out to deceive the nations again. Unfortunately, many will follow that deceiver and pay the ultimate penalty.

Slide 7 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (1Jn 5:10-12)

Brothers and sisters, this knowledge I am talking about today is the knowledge that leads to life – eternal life. That we know the Son, and have accepted Him as the Son of Yahweh, so we have the opportunity to enter into life, a resurrection of life. And for a special few, some will not even need to be resurrected but will rise to meet Him in the air when He returns. As you listen to these messages, and read them, and they hopefully inspire you to search the scriptures to see if they are true, understand this is not knowledge for the sake of knowledge. It’s the knowledge of the plan of salvation laid out at the foundation of the world. That plan relies heavily in the resurrection of the dead, something we will commemorate again this year, as we do each year. And you’re invited to join us.

Commemorating Yeshua

Explaining how the first century Christians commemorated Yeshua’s sacrifice and how you can do the same today!

Audio only below.

Spring Holy Day Details 2023

Shalom everyone! We are blessed this year to be able to host the Spring Holy Day events at our meeting hall in North Kansas City, MO. We meet each Shabbat at noon to share a meal and then at 1pm we start our worship service/message in the basement of the 1st Presbyterian Church at 2125 Fayette St, North Kansas City, MO 64116. The following dates and times are when we will be meeting to observe the commanded festivals and observances of scripture to commemorate Yeshua’s death as the Lamb of Yahweh. If you do not meet with us regularly and plan to be in attendance for the observance below, please send an email and let us know you will be attending.

The following will all also be at 2125 Fayette St, North Kansas City, MO 64116

The Night Yeshua was Betrayed sunset, April 4 – we will meet from 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM to wash each other’s feet, have bread and wine, and read the scriptures about Yeshua’s death and resurrection. This day is not a Sabbath and you do not have to take it off from work.

Pesach (Passover) sunset, April 5 – we will meet from 7pm – 11pm to have a New Covenant Seder. This is a special meal to commemorate the Passover, Yeshua’s sacrifice, and the coming kingdom of Yahweh. Please RSVP as early as you can for this event. The meal is 100% provided and the attendees get to participate in the service.

The First Day of Unleavened Bread (ULB) April 6 – this is a High Sabbath, specifically, the one they did not want Yeshua to be left on the cross upon in John 19:31. We all take this day off of work and then meet together for a service. We’ll meet from noon until 4pm like we normally do on Sabbath.

The Last Day of Unleavened Bread (ULB) April 12 – this is a High Sabbath. We all take this day off of work and then meet together for a service. We’ll meet from noon until 4pm like we normally do on Sabbath.

Shavuot (Pentecost) May 28 – this is a High Sabbath and falls on a Sunday every year. We all take the day off of work and meet together for a service. We will meet from 2pm – 6pm on this day.

Choose Wisely

Choose to be found doing Yahweh’s will when Yeshua returns!

Video with slide below.

Audio only below.

Choose Wisely

Great and terrible day of YHVH.

“The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of YHVH comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of YHVH will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as YHVH has said, even among the survivors whom YHVH calls.” (Joe 2:31-32)

Explaining the Hebrew Calendar

Holy Day dates – this Sunday at sunset is Yom Teruah, Feat of Trumpets. Lots of meaning. Sounds can be joyful or terrifying. When the Israelites marched around Jericho on the 7th day, then made all the noise with trumpets, that sound was wonderful to the Israelites’ ears. Not so much for those of Jericho.

Holy Day Dates – First Century Christianity

Yeshua says blessed be the one who’s doing His master’s will upon return. Are you looking for the sound of the trumpet? Are you going to be happy when it blows or terrified? Perhaps a little of both? Well, this Sunday begins Yom Teruah, the day of Trumpets, and is widely accepted by both Messianics and Jews alike to be a very significant day in prophecy – the day or hour no man knows. Paul tells us this is the day Yeshua will return and I don’t see a reason to disagree.

Then we have ten days and then Yom Kippur. From the book of Hebrews we know this to be a day for forgiveness of sins committed in ignorance. From the Torah and the Gospels we know Yeshua’s sacrifice is tied to this day as well.

The ten days in the middle are called the days of awe. Many do intense repentance during this time. We don’t have a hint of what happens during these days but it surely is significant because Yahweh does nothing on accident.

Yom Teruah ten days Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is though of to be a day of judgment. We are commanded to do nothing on this day, no eating, no drinking, no work whatsoever. Nothing. So the High Priest could make atonement for the people. Now, in memorial of Yeshua, our new High Priest, making atonement for all who accept Him as Messiah.

Then 5 days later Sukkot, Tabernacle, starts. An absolute party for the children of Yahweh. A time for us to get out of the world for 8 days and fellowship in peace. A memorial of the wilderness time for the Israelites but also for Yeshua, who tabernacled with us.

Then on the 8th day of Sukkot – the day that’s both connected to Sukkot and not – the gateway day, we have a gathering. This is what we consider to be the gateway between this era, the olam haze, and the enternity, the olam ha ba. And we gather each year to have one last hoorah with the assembly before going back to our lives. But on the last Shemini atzaret we won’t go back to our lives. We will enter a new life for eternity, where no evil or sorrow will be found.

The days we keep have rich meaning. I could go on and on with doctrinal meaning and proofs of these days being kept in the New Testament. But instead I’d like to offer an invitation. Please join us. This world is getting tired and starting to come apart. Rahab of Jericho knew what was good for her. She knew Israel was going to take the land and win. So in the late time before the invasion, she chose wisely. She chose Yahweh and her clan was saved, even in the tumult of supernatural war. The good thief on the cross did the same. He knew Yeshua was dying innocently so he chose to acknowledge that, and he will be in the kingdom because of it. As the world hurtles toward the inevitable return of the Messiah, choose wisely. Choose to be found doing His will when He returns. Even if you don’t fully understand it. Make sure you are on the right side now, so you can be on the right side on that final 8th day. Shalom.

Explaining the Hebrew Calendar

This site is for people who are eager to understand how the early Christians worshiped and what their doctrines were. As we study, we come to realize that Christmas and Easter were not observed by the early church but they kept the holy days of Leviticus 23 and perhaps a couple others. These days are observed on the Bible’s calendar which is not the calendar the world uses today to keep time. Because Yahweh’s holy days (moedim) are observed on a different calendar, they appear to move around on our modern calendar. I’m going to explain the difference in the calendars a bit here so those who are seeking can understand the differences.

Starting with the familiar, our modern calendar is based on the earth’s orbit around the sun. This calendar is called the Gregorian calendar because it was instituted by Pope Gregory XIII and is a modification of the calendar before that called the Julian calendar. The earth takes roughly 365 days to orbit the sun, thus this is determined to be a year.  Every four years we have an extra day, called a leap year, to keep this purely solar calendar from deviating from the seasons over time. These 365 days are then divided up by months. These months each always have the same number of days in them, except February which gets the extra day every four years. As you know, the modern year ends December 31 and the new year starts January 1, which normally coincides with the earth’s tilt being as far from the sun as it will be.

The Hebrew calendar is a lot different.

In Exodus 12, YHVH tells Moses “this shall be the beginning of months for you.” In Hebrew, this is called Rosh Chodesh or the beginning of months. The first month of the Hebrew year is the only one that has a name in the Torah. It’s called Abib. Abib is the budding state of barley, so from this tiny bit of information we know the year starts in the spring at the new moon that happens after the barley is in the abib state.

Numbers 10: 1-10  gives commands about using some very special trumpets. These are not shofrot (the plural of shofar). Shofrot are animal horns that many of us possess and use. These trumpets are chatsoserah, a different word entirely, and they are made of metal. These can only be blown by specific kohenim (priests of the house of Aaron) and ONLY by the command of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest of the temple. From verse 10, we know that these trumpets sounded the new months, which are new moons. And from this tiny bit of scripture, we get that each month can move around and is manually called by the High Priest. This is a lunar calendar and it isn’t anywhere near as precise as we are accustomed, hence the blowing of the trumpets to alert the people who would then spread the word.

In this system, the Israelites would not know how many days were in a year until the year was done. In fact, they didn’t even know how many days were in a month until the month was done. The months were numbered, not named, and the year would organically have a leap month (a 13th month) periodically because a lunar calendar is about 360 days instead of 365, so they would have to add a month when the barley was not in the abib state at the sighting of the new moon of the 12th month. This is preposterous to us because they would have a year every so often with 390 days vice 365.

For this system to work, we need a priesthood and some specific barley to be referenced. We do not have this today.

As we know, the Israelites were not very good about keeping Torah after the Joshua generation. They ended up being scattered and then Judah taken to Babylon. When they come back from Babylon they bring with them some variations on the calendar. One is calling the first day of the 7th month rosh chodesh. That’s contrary to Exodus 12. They also bring back names for the months that correspond to the Babylonian calendar. And, over time, they begin to make calculations so they can predict the new moon. In practicality, sighting the moon doesn’t work if it’s overcast. And one can count to 29 each month to know it’s about time for a new moon. We have to realize that this system of Torah was a lifestyle, a system that had to be practical for a nation to operate. And, frankly, Israelites were really smart when they put their mind to stuff. For a very good education on the history of the Jewish calendar, please reference CALENDAR, HISTORY OF – JewishEncyclopedia.com.

In the first century they had a temple and there is no argument about the calendar at all in the New Testament. The Kohen Gadol called it and that settled it. And Pesach, Passover, was kept on the 14th day of the month Abib, the Biblical first month of the year, universally. It’s the second century when Christianity started to turn gentile and they wanted to switch Pesach to being based on the spring equinox (solar, not lunar), which does often correlate to the 1st month but is not a biblical precept for calling a new month. This is called the Quartodeciman controversy, where an apostle of John called Polycarp argued for keeping Pesach the way the apostles did while the bishop of Rome argued for basically using the Easter calculation (lunar). Over time, the equinox method took root and is the basis for calculating Easter today, but Easter is not Pesach.

After the temple came down in AD 70, Jews and Messianics got scattered but the Sanhedrin was relocated – not disbanded. The Sanhedrin had already been calculating the new moons so they switched to a mix of calculation and sighting, but it was still the Sanhedrin deciding when year/months began. The last binding decision of the Sanhedrin came in 385 AD when our current calculated calendar was effectively established. (The Sanhedrin was disbanded in 425 AD due to persecution from Rome.) Over the centuries after the temple came down, different places were keeping the calendar in different ways and unity suffered. So they decided to let the calculations they had been using become public knowledge so all who kept Torah could be on the same calendar. This is the same calendar we at this site use to observe the Holy Days of Leviticus 23. It is the same calendar that populates the dates of the Holy Days on your wall calendar. We have one exception, though, and that’s how we reconcile Shavuot/Pentecost, but it is still based on the calculated Jewish calendar. And the reason the dates “move around” on our modern calendars is because the Hebrew calendar is just a different reckoning of time than our purely solar calendar.

Once you get into this walk, you will encounter people who have different calendars. Some have slightly different calendars because they are sighting the moons themselves in parallel with the Hebrew calendar. Some are using NASA to tell when the new moon is. Some use the new moon locally. Some use the new moon in Jerusalem. Some look at some barley in Jerusalem while others look at different barley. In my experience, the calculated calendar is right more than any of the others and we are still in the same situation as those who instituted this calendar – no temple, no priesthood, all of us scattered. In 2014-2015 we had an astronomical anomaly where the moon was red on the First Day of Unleavened Bread and the first day of Sukkot, which are six months apart, two years in a row. For me, this was the end of any debate about the calendars. The calculated calendar was 100% right two years in a row, while the other calendars were all over the map.

It is my advice and recommendation to learn the Torah and follow the Holy Day cycles on the calculated calendar for at least a couple years before trying to challenge the calendar. As we learn quickly in this walk, we learn by doing, not just academic study. Tackling the calendar is better handled once you have kept a few festivals and noticed how nature aligns with what we are doing while also learning the more practical aspects of commandment keeping in large groups of mature first century Christians.

Holy Day Dates – First Century Christianity The upcoming dates to observe Yahwheh’s appointed times.

Understanding Prophecy

It’s a strange circumstance we find ourselves where most of Christianity yearns to understand prophecy but simultaneously rejects the Torah, which provides the outline of prophecy. This message is about the Holy Days of Leviticus 23 and how they show us the pattern for interpreting prophecy. Please join me as I explain how many of the answers we seek about the future and the afterlife are hidden in plain sight if you just know where to look!

Video with slides above through Rumble. Audio only below through Spotify.

The Sabbath

Slide 2 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. For six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of YHVH your Elohim; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your resident who stays with you. For in six days YHVH made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason YHVH blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exo 20:8-11)

The Sabbath is one of the things that starts brining a person into this walk. It’s the chief sign of Yahweh’s people, resting every 7th day and actually on the 7th day. He did this on the 7th day of Creation and it has been kept and known since. This is where the rubber meets the road – behavior. Our walk, our conversion, has to be accompanied by works. There is no other way to gauge a person than by works. Reciting creeds and academic study are fine, but you know a person by their deeds. When someone changes their lifestyle to obey this commandment, they undergo a change. They start to realize how far society is removed from what was intended.

The Sabbath starts the second cycle of the bible. The first is the cycle of a day. And evening and a morning is one day. The cycle is somewhere very near 24 hours but changes as the earth runs its elliptical orbit around the sun. The weekly sabbath shows us shaping our lives to conform to the example our Creator laid out at Creation. It’s the first “shall” commandment, meaning to do and remember. We do not work, make others work, do commerce, or work animals on this day so everyone gets the chance to rest.

Slide 3 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. (2Pe 3:8)

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. (Rev 20:1-3)

Many of us put these two verses together with the Sabbath (and the Sabbatical year) to come up with the Sabbath being a foreshadowing of the millennium where mankind gets a 1000 year rest from Satan. As you recall from previous messages, we use the different levels of scripture to say the Sabbath is literal, but it is also a metaphor, and hints at a deeper meaning. The deeper meaning being that this world has roughly 6000 years to fulfill its mission, whatever that mission may be, and then 1000 years for a respite.

Slide 4 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; (Rev 21:22-25)

At the end of the 1000 years, the universe is remade, and we no longer have night. That also bolsters our view because this would be the end of Sabbath keeping because there will be no more daily cycle for us to accumulate 6 days of work and a seventh of rest.

Passover

Slide 5 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Messiah our Passover also has been sacrificed. (1Co 5:7)

I have a message devoted to this topic in it’s entirety called The Four Cups of Passover. I recommend digging into that one because the spring holy days are our proof for applying prophecy to the holy days at all!

The holy days of Leviticus 23 are literal. Remember, as we dig deeper, we have to let the literal remain literal. The Sabbath is the first day mentioned in Leviticus 23 but then it goes on to the Passover. Exodus 12 outlines of the first Passover. On the 10th day of the first month, Israel was to select a one year old lamb for each household. On the 14th day of the first month, at sunset, they were to slay this lamb and then drain the blood and cover their doorposts with the blood. Then the household had to stay indoors overnight, and YHVH passed over the homes with blood on the doorposts, but slayed the firstborn son of all the homes that did not complete this ritual. This literally happened, then Israel did it again one year later at the base of Mount Sinai as a memorial. Then they did not observe Passover again until they crossed the Jordan, 39 years later. Once they entered the land, the observance was to be a pilgrimage observance where all the lambs had to be slain at the place YHVH placed His Name, meaning the tent of meaning or later the temple.

There is much meaning here. The part about Messiah being our Passover is the chief. It’s the chief doctrine for all mankind, that Yeshua became the Lamb of God. This was foreshadowed when Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac, his chosen son, and Abraham was faithful enough to do it. At the last second, YHVH swapped out a ram, which is equivalent to a lamb. The lambs slain in Exodus 12 were a call back to Abraham and Isaac, that YHVH was willing to even sacrifice His first born Son to redeem His people. Then Yeshua was sent to earth and voluntarily died, like a lamb led to the slaughter, to offer innocent blood to cover the sins of all who accept this truth.

Another meaning I want to touch on with Passover is that it is an observance that we know is coming. We get to plan it out. Even in Exodus 12, Moses told the people well in advance to prepare for the last plague. The holy days show us that Yahweh is giving everyone a chance to prepare for judgment day. There is a plan in plain sight, in every Bible on earth, showing that Yahweh has a 6000 year plan in motion. The Passover shows us that we can prepare and need to, lest we get left out with the weeping and gnashing of teeth. The meaning of Passover is known to almost all Messiahians, the Yeshua is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. But the knowledge is not the end of the story. The rubber needs to meet the road and we need to observe these days as a memorial annually. This is how we prepare for the end of time, but showing Yahweh our faith in His Son through our deeds.

First Fruits

Slide 6 For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Messiah the first fruits, after that those who are Messiah’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to our God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. (1Co 15:22-24)

The next holy day to cover for meaning is First Fruits. In the Torah, this is the day when all Israel has to bring in the first of their spring grain to be offered by the Kohen Gadol. Annually, we purge all the leaven from our homes prior to Passover and then start a new lump after ULB. The nation was forbidden from using any of the new year’s harvest until it was offered by the priest. On our reckoning, this offering was made on the first day of the week during ULB. This is confirmed by Yeshua’s resurrection on that same day. Our bibles tell us He was resurrected by Yahweh before sunup after Shabbat. We use Passover to know that He was crucified on Abib 14 at sunset, then resurrected on Abib 17 sometime around sunset, thus being 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb. The significance is that Abib 17 at sundown would be the first day during ULB which means the Messiah was resurrected on first fruits, as Yahweh planned from before time, thus fulfilling the hinted prophecy of this day as well. Paul is communicating all this to us in these few sentences. Remember, he was one of the most gifted Rabbis of all time and communicated as such. Paul told us here in 1 Cor that first fruits prophesied the resurrection of Yeshua, and that prophecies the resurrection of the rest of mankind. As we dig deeper into this topic, it becomes irrefutable that these days are meant to be used for understanding prophecy.

There is nothing for us to do to observe first fruits today. This day is not a sabbath, but a workday. We do not have a priesthood to bring offerings, we don’t live in the land, and this is just something we know. You can observe first fruits by bringing in the first of your garden to the assembly or any other number of ways, even monetarily, but those are on the individual. We can’t observe this day literally today.

Pentecost aka Shavuot

Slide 7 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. (Act 2:1-2)

Many of us thought this was the first time Pentecost was observed when we first read the bible. This is a trap we fall into when just focusing on the New Testament. What this shows is that the apostles, fifty days after Yeshua was resurrected, were still observing Torah as the observant Jews they continued to be for the rest of their lives. This day is our proof that Yeshua did not come to abolish Torah, but to fulfill it. To show us the deeper meanings and the hints at future prophecy, but that we need to keep Torah to see those things. Those of us who grew up not observing Torah need to learn it, just as the first converts did in the first century.

Shavuot is a day in Leviticus 23 that means “count 50”. From the day of the first fruit offering, we count 7 weeks and a day. This is also a bolster to first fruits being on the first day, Sunday in common parlance, because weeks start on the first day and end on the 7th. 49 days is seven weeks, then on the 50th day there is a Sabbath and an offering of leavened bread. This is also proof that leaven does not represent sin. The bible doesn’t say that anywhere. It’s an analogy brought in to make illustrations, but if there’s an offering with leaven, we can take it to the bank that is not a sinful offering.

Leavened bread represents peace. In order to have a harvest, you need peace and security to plant, nobody to invade and destroy your crops, rain in due season, and the freedom to go harvest. You can’t do this very well if the men are off in battle. It’s possible, but not optimal. Once the leaven is purged, you need time to make new starter lumps and for the lumps to mature. Shavuot expects the nation to be obedient and at peace. Pentecost in Acts 2 shows that Yahweh is in control. He kept the apostles safe after Yeshua’s death, resurrection, and ascension. They were together obeying the commandment when Yeshua sent the Ruach ha Kodesh, as He promised He would. Trusting Yeshua and His Father, the apostles stayed faithful those ten days after Yeshua ascended, and when the 50 days were completed, they were rewarded handsomely. This day shows that Yahweh’s plan was completed at that stage. That the days, the people, the Messiah, and everything came together in the perfect recipe that was allowed to leaven over 4000-ish years for that moment in time to be fulfilled and the apostles to go forth with the power and confidence of the Holy Spirit. Their faith in Yeshua and obedience to Yahweh was so strong, that it lasts to this day, being illustrated in our common faith.

Yom Teruah

Slide 8 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest of mankind do, who have no hope. For if we believe that Yeshua died and rose from the dead, so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Yeshua. For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Messiah will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words. (1Th 4:13-18)

The day of Trumpets is the first day of the 7th month on the Hebrew calendar. This is the beginning of the Fall Holy Days. Up to this point, I’ve been talking about the Spring Holy Days, which have had fulfillments. They may have more fulfillments to come, so we have to be careful not the close the door on learning and be open to the Spirit showing us new things. The fall Holy Days have not yet been fulfilled, or at least that’s how we who observe these things in a NT context generally believe. This also works with the theme of former times and latter times. Christians look at the phrase “latter times” as being the end of the age. That’s not how we look at that. The end of the age is the end of the latter times, but we can generally divide time as former or latter with Yeshua’s earthly ministry being the center point. All time leading up to His sacrifice and ascension being the former times, all time after being the latter times. There can be a whole lot of latter times. I understand ancient Israel marked two seasons vice four like we do today, with the former being somewhat equivalent to spring and summer and the latter being somewhat equivalent to fall and winter. Which makes the scripture make a bit more sense.

When talking about days that have yet to be fulfilled, I have to be careful to make sure you know these are interpretations and speculations. Some of the material is a slam dunk when it comes straight from scripture, but some of what we believe about the future days are extrapolations, thus subject to biases and such. We know for a fact, though, that Yom Teruah, the day of trumpets, is the day that prophecies the return of Yeshua and the first resurrection, which is the scripture on the board. One of the biggest doctrinal disputes of the first century was the resurrection of the dead – is there an afterlife? Yeshua proved this. It is strange to me that this was in doubt because Yahweh used Elijah to resurrect a boy in days of old.

The first day of the 7th month is referred to as “the day no man knows” sometimes in Judaism. This is because we do not have time to prepare for this Sabbath. Unlike Pesach, which happens in the middle of the first month, Yom Teruah happens as the first day of a month. We can still see signs of the times, leaves beginning to change, temperatures lessening, fall crops being ripened, and such, but we still have to watch and be ready. This theme should sound very familiar because it’s how Yeshua spoke about His return. We understand this day to represent the abrupt return of Yeshua, like it says on the screen, and a dramatic change in the world. Mainstream Christianity is obsessed with the end times, always coming up with schemes to predict it, but they are really missing the boat. This day means we need to live our lives in a way that we are not unprepared when the Messiah returns. Granted, it will be shocking and amazing, so we will be surprised, but we know it’s going to happen, just not exactly when. And we’re not supposed to know when, so be prepared.

Yom Kippur

Slide 9 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. (Heb 9:6-7)

The book of Hebrews tells us an enormous amount about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This day is steeped in Torah, so the more Torah you know, the more you will appreciate this day. Yeshua has fulfilled this day a little. One of His dying words was to forgive those who knew not what they did. His special death attire is also a hint that He was fulfilling Yom Kippur because it was similar to what the Kohen Gadol wears on this day. The other significance is that this happens on the tenth day of the 7th month and the lambs are chosen on the tenth day of the first month. This is a pretty big clue that this day is associated to Pesach.

What I like to focus on here is the inclusion of the “sins committed in ignorance” part. Most of Christianity condemns those who have never heard the gospel, and some even those who don’t accept the gospel in their way, to hell. It’s an awful teaching. They don’t even believe like us, that it’s eternal death (meaning non-existence) but teach eternal torment for those who never heard the WORD. This is an appalling understanding. It’s much better to say “I don’t know” than to condemn billions to eternal torment, as if they were created for such an end. Yeshua’s dying words about forgiving those who actually murdered Him because they did so in ignorance, even thinking they were doing a good thing, is much more hopeful for mankind and more representative of a loving God and His Son.

I also like to focus on the aspect of doing nothing in order to fulfill this day. The commanded observance of Yom Kippur is to fast and do nothing for 24 hours. In the Torah, it was so the Kohen Gadol could make atonement for the sins annually. The people could not do that themselves, they had to have a mediator. Our New Covenant understanding of this day is that Yeshua is our Mediator and we also cannot save ourselves. We have to do nothing, imagining Him on the cross, covering our sins. He’s the only way to the Father, and our only hope of salvation, hence His Name is Yeshua, which means salvation.

Sukkot the Feast of Tabernacles

Slide 10 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Joh 1:14)

The KJV renders this “tabernacled” among us. To be frank, that’s probably better than dwelt but dwelt is the same connotation in Hebrew. It means to encamp or live temporarily.

The fifteenth day of the seventh month starts an 8 day festival called Sukkot. It has two Sabbaths, one on the fifteenth and the other on the 22nd. This gets complicated but this day is a remembrance of living in Sukkot for 40 years. A sukkah is NOT a tent. It’s a ramshackle structure made from whatever is around. A made tent is a different word, which is an ohel. The meaning here is that our time in this world is temporary and a mess. We have to trust Yahweh to sustain us, as He did the Israelites in the wilderness. Our entire lives are temporary and temporal, but if we trust He is guiding us, we will make it to the promised land.

Yeshua came here to dwell among us temporarily. He knew it was temporary the first time. The significance here is immense, that He knew how it would end but He did it anyhow.

Some liken Sukkot to the millennium because Nehemiah 14 says it will be kept in the future, and the context seems like the 1000 years. I agree with that assessment, but don’t equate Sukkot itself with the 1000 years. That’s more like Shabbat, where we started today’s journey. Now it’s time to come to the end of the journey.

The Eighth Day

Slide 11 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:7-15)

The 8th day is the end of Sukkot. It’s the last Sabbath in Leviticus 23 and unique because it is outside of normal time, hayom ha shamini also called Shimini Atzaret. The Jews even equate this day to the end of the age. Being an 8th day, it is a gateway between things. Boys are circumcised on the 8th day, so they are both gentile and Jew on that same day. This day is understood as the gateway between this work and the one to come, the olam haze versus the olam haba. This is the day that most of Christianity reckons as the day Yeshua comes back. They are wrong. That’s not going to be a pleasant day for most of humanity, but it is not the end. It’s 1000 years before the end of the age, which is on the screen now. We reckon the 8th day as the day Yahweh and Yeshua wrap up all the mess of this age and bring those who are saved into eternity, where they were no longer be any darkness or sadness. This is the day that culminates the Holy Days, and we also believe it to be the day that culminates the end of this age and the beginning of the one that will never end.

Holy Days for Christians

The first century Christians did not observe Sunday, Christmas, or Easter. Whether gentile convert or a Jew who accepted Messiah, they continued to worship as commanded by the Torah. This message shows that Christians should never have stopped that practice and the blessings for those of us who have returned to the observances of the first Christians.

Video with slides above via Rumble. Audio only below via First Century Christianity | Podcast on Spotify.

Tisha B’Av happened August 6 this year. The 9th day of the 5th month. This is not a commanded observance but is a very important date in Judaism and Christianity. There is a list of bad things said to have happened on the 9th of Av on the Hebrew calendar. Some are a stretch. But two things appear to be quite literal, the destruction of both Temples happening, or starting to happen, on or about this date. This is significant for a lot of reasons but having both temples come down on the same calendar date is a big sign that YHVH meant those things happen. The second temple coming down was prophesied by Yeshua. That’s also super significant because it’s another proof of His Messiahship. The down side to this, of course, is the suffering and the time it took for the destruction to be complete.

I bring this up because cultures are formed around events and observances. The Torah establishes what a day is, what a week is, what a month is, what a year is, sabbatical years, and jubilees. The Torah is very much intertwined with times and observances. The culture of this world has observances, too. They are sometimes secular in nature, like sporting events or the signing of key documents, and they are religious in nature. The religious ones are pretty much imposters of the real Holy Days of the Bible. It’s August 27 and can you believe there was a Christmas tree display in Costco yesterday? None of us keep Christmas, but this is absurd to start thinking about it this far out. What’s not absurd to think about are Yahweh’s fall observances, which start a little less than a month from now. Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets, begins sundown on Sunday, September 25th this year. September 26 is the day to take off work, the High Sabbath. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins the night of October 4 and runs through sundown on October 5. We do no work and eat or drink nothing for those 24 hours. Then Sukkot comes on October 10 – October 17, with the 10th and 17th being High Days.

One of the core beliefs we share is to observe the holy days of Leviticus 23. The early church continued to obey Torah and those who were grafted in from the nations in the first century adopted God’s ways. There are a couple of key points to prove this in the New Testament:

Slide 2 When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul began to admonish them, (Act 27:9)

This is when Paul was being taken to Rome as a prisoner. This is perhaps 20 years after Yeshua ascended. The fast is Yom Kippur and the author of Acts is using this day to say “it’s fall and the seas are now rough.” The day of Atonement mentioned so casually this late in scripture is solid evidence for its continued observance for the early Messianics.

Slide 3 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. (Act 20:16)

Same theme as above but the day is mentioned by name this time. Well, it’s Greek name.  Pentecost means “count 50” and this is the day that is 50 days from the brining in of the first fruits around Passover time. It’s also the day that Yeshua sent the Ruach to the apostles in Acts 2. Paul is trying to be in Jerusalem for Shavuot, a pilgrimage festival. The context again shows solid evidence the day was known and observed by the early believers. Keep in mind the book of Acts was written about 20 years after Yeshua ascended so if they decided to stop keeping the law, it’s weird behavior for the day of Pentecost to be mentioned at all, let alone showing Paul trying to observe it in the holy land.

Slide 4 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Messiah our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1Co 5:7-8)

Just to make sure we cover all the bases, Paul is instructing the church at Corinth to keep the festivals. These would be gentiles and Jews alike and he is writing as if they are fluent in the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So let there be no doubt that they continued to observe the festivals, and the commandments, long after Yeshua ascended. It was expected the faith would be observed like this forevermore. In fact, we have evidence the faith did continue like this until the early 400s as the councils had to mandate believers to stop observing the Sabbath and even reading the Torah Portions. So this wraps up the apologetic on the early church keeping the holy days.

Slide 5 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Messiah, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Messiah Yeshua. For all of you who were baptized into Messiah have clothed yourselves with Messiah. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. (Gal 3:24-29)

But I bring it up because of Tish B’Av and how we need to keep the right mindset. Our Messiah was Jewish. He lived as a Jew, attending synagogue, and kept the commandments. That doesn’t mean we have to become Jews or follow the Rabbis, particularly the stuff that came after, but it means we should be mindful, respectful, and somewhat knowledgeable about Judaism, particularly how it was followed in the first century.

Slide 6 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. (Rom 11:1)

But Paul said, “I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” (Act 21:39)

But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” (Act 23:6)

These verses are up so we can see that not only were the first believers grafted in to the family of God but those who were already of the family did not have to change. By change, I mean cast aside the Torah and their ancestry, which is what mainstream Christianity teaches. They teach that a new religion was born 2000 years ago, while we know the faith is a continuance of the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I watched the movie Risen on a couple plane rides. It was very good until the end when the movie makers showed the Apostles cease being Jews and become something else. That’s just not true. The New Testament doesn’t show God turning His back on the Jews and switching to random gentiles, it shows Jews accepting Messiah and continuing to keep the commandments and gentiles accepting the Messiah and starting to keep the commandments. So while we aren’t to convert to Judaism, we still learn from them and their writings because, for at least 150 years, the Messianic movement was actually a sect of Judaism until it was forced out for a couple reasons.

So with all this said, let’s take a quick look at the Fall Holy Days of Leviticus 23 because they are coming up.

Slide 7 Again YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. ‘You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to YHVH.'” (Lev 23:23-25)

In English, this is called the Day of Trumpets. That doesn’t do it justice. In Hebrew it’s called Yom Teruah, which does include Trumpets but also shouting, noise, etc. We have a conflict here with Judaism because they call this “new year’s” when it is the first day of the SEVENTH month. But we also learn something from Judaism about this day that Yeshua cited:

Slide 8 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” (Mat 24:36)

Judaism has referred to the first day of the 7th month as “the day no man knows” since before Yeshua. Yeshua was hinting His audience that the end, or His Return, or some hugely significant event coming in the future will occur on the Yom Teruah.

Slide 9 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Messiah will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1Th 4:16-18)

And Paul tells us also that Yeshua will return on Yom Teruah, revealing the hint from Yeshua, and that this day is also when the first resurrection will occur. So, you see, keeping the Holy Days isn’t just a commandment, it isn’t just an expectation of the original believers, many of which were already keeping the commandments because they were Jews, but it’s also looking forward to the return of the Messiah!

Slide 10 YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, “On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to YHVH. “You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before YHVH your God. “If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. “As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. “You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. “It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath.” (Lev 23:26-32)

Now comes the Fast. This day has enormous Messianic meaning. But the crux is to do nothing – no eating, no drinking, no work, nada for 24 hours from sunset to sunset. That’s what we do today. Back in Temple and tabernacle days, the people did nothing except for a couple of the Kohen. The High Priest made atonement for the people. This was the day that the sins of the people were transferred, ceremonially and perhaps literally, to the goats or the curtain. And the High Priest did it for all.

Slide 11 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. (Heb 9:6-7)

Again, today is just an overview, but the crux of the matter is that Yeshua bore our transgressions. The Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, was a type, Yeshua is the fulfillment. When He died, the curtain was torn in two. And the book of Hebrews goes on in great detail what this day means.

So for us to fast on this day, to observe it the best we can, is to honor our Messiah’s death which paid the price for sins. And those were sins committed in ignorance, which gives us a marvelous hope for all mankind who have committed sins in ignorance, which is everyone.

Slide 12 Again YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to YHVH. ‘On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. ‘For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to YHVH. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to YHVH; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work. (Lev 23:33-36)

Now we get to Sukkot! The Feast of Tabernacles. Or the season of our joy! So after we have the day that foreshadows Yeshua’s return, then we have the day of somber fasting that is for the sins committed in ignorance (among other things), we have an 8 day festival. We analogize this one to representing the 1000 years, but the Sabbath does that to. We also equate the 8th day as the sign of completion and a gateway between the impure and the holy. The 8th day of sukkot is thought to be representative of the bridge between the end of this era and the beginning of eternity, where we enter the olam ha ba. It’s also thought to be judgment day or the second resurrection. For today, Sukkot is a time for us all to fellowship together in peace and harmony, most often at a resort or camping, with just our fellow believers. Scripturally it represents the time the Hebrews were in the wilderness, living in sukkahs, and is a remembrance of that. Which can also relate to how our lives here are temporal, where we live for just a short time, and then at the resurrection are given permanent immortal bodies. But whatever the meanings turn out to be, the feast is just fine as it is!

Slide 13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. (Ecc 12:13-14)

The conclusion, though, is to fear God and keep His commandments. For in so doing, we will show ourselves approved and faithful when Messiah returns. Keeping the commandments are not burdensome, as I hope the message today shows. They are a privilege for us to know and do. They are healthy for us. They enhance our lives today. And they show our faith in Yahweh and His Son, Yeshua, while we await Yeshua’s return.