Why are there so many warnings and condemnations of sin in the Bible? Certainly, GOD forgives sin, so why keep reminding everyone and warning everyone? GOD hates sin and GOD hates divorce. Which does HE hate more? Ezra was a scribe among those who had been carried out to Babylon. He was a contemporary of both Daniel and Nehemiah.
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.
What an example to all. He had set his heart to study the Law of GOD. What have you set your heart on?
7:11 Now this is the copy of the decree which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, learned in the words of the commandments of the LORD and His statutes to Israel: 7:12 "Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now 7:13 I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who are willing to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.
GOD had made Ezra known to the king is such a manner, that he received the king’s letter detailing Ezra’s leading others back to Jerusalem.
7:14 "Forasmuch as you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand,
7:15 and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,
7:16 with all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;
7:17 with this money, therefore, you shall diligently buy bulls, rams and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings and offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
7:18 "Whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God.
7:19 "Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.
This is quite hard to imagine, especially for those who refuse to believe in GOD! Here a pagan king is funding, permitting, and endorsing the return of the people of Judah back to Jerusalem. The king is putting all of this under Ezra’s care. What did the king know of Ezra that he would trust him with so much?
7:20 "The rest of the needs for the house of your God, for which you may have occasion to provide, provide for it from the royal treasury.
7:21 "I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it shall be done diligently,
7:22 even up to 100 talents of silver, 100 kors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt as needed.
7:23 "Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, so that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons.
7:24 "We also inform you that it is not allowed to impose tax, tribute or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Nethinim or servants of this house of God.
The king provided everything and required the local authorities to provide all that would be required. The pagan world would fund the rebuilding of the walls and the Temple!
7:25 "You, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and you may teach anyone who is ignorant of them. 7:26 "Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him strictly, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment."
It keeps getting better. Ezra is to appoint leaders, judges, teach the Law of GOD, and warn those who do not observe or obey the Law!
7:27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to adorn the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, 7:28 and has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king's mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the LORD my God upon me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.
So what does all of this have to do with sin and obedience?
Next Saturday.
Too often, sin is not understood properly from GOD’S Word. HE is very concerned with disobedience, which is the very definition of sin. Few take the time to seriously consider their sin in view of a holy GOD. HE has provided numerous summaries of acts of disobedience that clearly indicate HIS anger and wrath at these acts.
Numbers 12:1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); 12:2 and they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?"
And the LORD heard it. Of course the LORD heard their accusations. HE hears everything from everyone. Here we have perhaps some family jealousy or envy. Regardless, the LORD was not pleased.
12:3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) 12:4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, "You three come out to the tent of meeting." So the three of them came out. 12:5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward,
This had to be frightening and concerning to all. The LORD did not waste any time or delay at these accusations against HIS chosen leader.
12:6 He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. 12:7 "Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; 12:8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?"
The LORD had already told Moses that HE would make him the sole leader to this great people. This would enable him to lead without constant bickering and rebellion.
Exodus 19:9 The LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever." Then Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.
There should have been no question nor argument about Moses being uniquely and solely chosen to lead the people. But, there was!
12:9 So the anger of the LORD burned against them and He departed. 12:10 But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. 12:11 Then Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12:12 "Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother's womb!"
Interesting that neither Miriam or Aaron cried out to the LORD, but instead Aaron implored Moses to intercede.
12:13 Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, "O God, heal her, I pray!" 12:14 But the LORD said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again."
Sins will be forgiven, but you may still face consequences, as did Miriam. The whole congregation would eventually learn why she was struck with leprous. Nothing will ever be hidden from GOD. Public defiance and disobedience will often fact public consequences.
12:15 So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again. 12:16 Afterward, however, the people moved out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.
While the Sabbath has totally been ignored and violated since the Church of Rome changed it to Sunday, the day of the Sun god, we only need to go back to the book of Exodus to see how GOD views the Sabbath.
Exodus 31:14 'Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.
31:15 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. For those who don’t know, 9 of the LORD’S 10 commandments carry the death penalty for disobedience. The only one that does not is the last one.
Exodus 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
Does this make it a lesser commandment? No! But, coveting often leads to violating the other commandments. So, we should be very wary of coveting anything or anybody. Instead, we should spend more time be thankful for who and what GOD has placed in our lives.
Numbers 15:32 Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the sabbath day. 15:33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation; 15:34 and they put him in custody because it had not been declared what should be done to him.
This was their first test on resting on the Sabbath. It is probable that this man was gathering wood to work on some project involving metal, rather than needing wood for warmth.
15:35 Then the LORD said to Moses, "The man shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp."
All the congregation had to participate and first hand see the penalty for violating GOD’S commands.
15:36 So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
This is hard to fathom in today’s society. Many believe that there should not be any death penalty regardless of the crime. GOD views sin/crime differently.
HE favors no one!More on how GOD protects HIS name and requires obedience to HIS commandments.
Sorry for being so late, but the web hosting site was down for two weeks.
Where did we leave off? Jesus and the Sabbath! The Bible gives us many passages of Jesus and the Sabbath. There are no passages or any references to the first day of the week being set apart for worship. Jesus is seen on many Sabbaths going to the synagogue.
Early in His ministry, just after He called some of His first disciples, we find this event recorded in Mark.
Mark 1:21 They *went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach.
This was His custom; teaching on the Sabbath.
1:22 They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Everyone was always amazed at Jesus’ teaching. He taught like no other. Of course, He inspired the entire Bible and being God could teach as no one else could. We are still often amazed at what God reveals to us as we study His word.
1:23 Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 1:24 saying, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!"
Two things stand out. First, within the synagogue was a demon possessed man! It is most likely that even today, many churches have demon possessed men leading and teaching. Second, these demons know Jesus and know what He has promised and prepared for them. They tremble at what they know.
James 2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
If they shudder, what should we do when we seriously contemplate our God?
1:25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" 1:26 Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him.
Who do demons obey, other than their evil leader Satan? God is still and will always be totally sovereign over all HE created. They must obey when commanded.
1:27 They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."
The people had never experienced this before. Unclean spirits and demon possession were familiar to them. We tend to dismiss them as improbable and no longer viable. But, this is not the case. Satan has not stopped controlling key people through his demonic army.
1:28 Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.
What spread? His teaching or His commanding demons to obey Him?
Miracles tend to take precedent over doctrine far too often.
More next time.
Following Jesus’ correcting the Pharisees when His disciples ate grain from fields without washing their hands, we find Him again going to the synagogue on the Sabbath.
Matthew 12:9 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 12:10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"—so that they might accuse Him.
They were trying to set Jesus up so they could condemn Him in front of everyone else. Their man-made rules, laws, and oral traditions have no place in God’s kingdom. Jesus knowing all of this clearly exposed their blatant hypocrisy.
12:11 And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12:12 "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
They did not value the very people that they had placed in slavery to their rules. They had a very real disdain for all who weren’t as ‘righteous’ as them. They did not take kindly to any criticism, certainly not from this uneducated Jesus. As Lord of the Sabbath, who knew best on how to treat the Sabbath and how to treat their fellow man?
12:13 Then He *said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.
An undeniable miracle. Publicly displayed. Instantly consummated and confirmed for all to see. A truly good work by our Redeemer and Savior, our great High Priest and King.
12:14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. 12:15 But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, Mat 12:16 and warned them not to tell who He was.
What were they thinking? How could they see this great compassionate miracle to a man with a useless withered hand. In the culture of their day, a withered hand would almost certainly condemned this man to poverty.
Where is their compassion? Who were they most concerned about? Themselves!!! This is the same character traits of false teachers today. Their primary concern is for their position of authority over the people they have enticed to follow them, rather than follow Jesus.
As I mentioned before, who are you following?
Where are they leading you?
We will continue to see what our Lord and High Priest had to say and do on His Sabbath. We will study a miracle He performed on the Sabbath.
Mark 3:1-6 He (Jesus) entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 3:2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.
What could be wrong with healing on the Sabbath? What kind of Sabbath laws had these religious leaders created that healing violated their self-righteous traditions of men. Weren’t they supposed to obey God’s Laws and not their own?
3:3 He *said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" 3:4 And He *said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent.
Now we see their dilemma, how could they accuse Jesus of not keeping the Sabbath when it was for a greater good? They did not want the people to see just how hypocritical they really were. So they just kept silent and plotted.
3:5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He *said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
What did Jesus do? First, this angered Him as it should have angered the people in the synagogue. How could they be so heartless and self-righteous?
Second, He demonstrated that He was a God of mercy and loving kindness.
Third, it showed that He was indeed from God, as none of these leaders had ever healed anyone.
3:6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
So instead of rejoicing, they began conspiring. False teachers never want anyone to think more highly of someone other than themselves. They created their laws to enslave the people to obey them rather than GOD, even as they proclaimed they did it for God.
‘Follow the Leader’ may be a cute child’s game, but it is a very deadly game for adults.
Who are you following?
Where are they leading you?
We will begin our study on the Sabbath with a review on how our High Priest and King observed the Sabbath. Jesus was constantly correcting the ‘Jews’ in regards to their rabbinical teaching, which were in direct opposition to GOD’s word.
Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath."
The Pharisees rules prohibited work, as defined by them, from being performed on the Sabbath. In reality, they deemed taking a few heads of grain to eat as the same as harvesting in the field from dawn to dusk. None of the vast myriad of rules created by them have true biblical support. Jesus made this very clear. Their hypocrisy was overwhelming.
12:3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, 2:4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?
If David’s circumstances were severe, did not his need supplant the commandment given in regards to the consecrated bread? Jesus said it did.
12:5 "Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?
What Law did they break?
John 7:22 "For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. 7:23 "If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? 7:24 "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
Which Law takes precedence? The Law of the Sabbath or the Law of circumcision? The Pharisees had no problem with circumcision on the Sabbath, as they did not want to break that Law. But, they attacked everyone else who broke their laws on the Sabbath. You can do good on the Sabbath. They were not judging righteously.
12:6 "But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 12:7 "But if you had known what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the innocent.
They were the self-appointed judges of the entire nation of Israel. They routinely condemned those who in GOD’s eyes were innocent.
12:8 "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Jesus is the Lord, Master, High Priest of the Sabbath. He alone sets the precedent, standards, and the true meaning of the Sabbath, not the self-righteous Pharisees.
More on Jesus and the Sabbath next time.
I just came back from a much needed beach vacation and am ready to continue our search through GOD’S Word.
What has GOD told us so we can seriously take HIM at HIS Word? We will continue our review and study of HIS commandments and judgments on disobedience. We started with what it truly means to love GOD.
Now we will be on go on to obeying the other 9 of HIS 10 Commandments. These were written on stone and given to Moses as the formation of the nation of Israel was in its infancy.
Two of these ten commandments comprise the vast majority of the disobedience GOD hates. We will now study obeying HIS Sabbath.
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2:2 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. 2:3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Many teachers contend that the Sabbath was only given to the nation of Israel and therefore, does not pertain to the ‘church’. However, we know that GOD set aside, consecrated, dedicated, and declared the seventh day as holy to HIM. The entire world still today works according to GOD’S seven day week.
Some cultures still refer to ‘Saturday’ as the Sabbath, even though they do not consider it holy. Remember GOD numbered HIS week, but Satan gave each of the days names according to the false gods he introduced to the world.
Exodus 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 20:9 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 20:10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD 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. 20:11 "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
This is the longest commandment in the Bible. It is also the one commandment that the ‘church’ has declared as no longer valid or required to obey. Where did they get the authority to render GOD’S word invalid? What right do they have to do this? Remember how Daniel warned us of the ‘little horn’ who would change times and and laws. What laws would change? Who is this ‘little horn’?
Daniel 7:24 'As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.
7:25 'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
Who actually changed the Sabbath and when?
Did the early church worship and rest on the Sabbath?
Did Paul?
What did Jesus do on the Sabbath?
We will carefully study those questions next time.
Many today believe or live their lives as if JEHOVAH is not truly concerned about obedience and because of grace will not punish anyone for disobedience. The Bible is quite clear that JEHOVAH demands, deserves, and exactly describes that obedience is absolutely required.
Smooth talking false teachers do not nullify HIS commands and demands. Regardless of all the songs you may sing, declaring your love of HIM, your deeds and fruit reveal the real love you give to HIM.
First, what does it mean to love HIM? Jesus made it very clear.
John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 14:24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.
Mark 12:29 Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 12:30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' 12:31 "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these.
In order to truly love HIM, you must obey HIM. This is not partial obedience, temporary obedience, conditional obedience, or emotional obedience. What must you obey? HIS commandments, Laws, and statutes.
The apostle John, once again, reminds everyone to love JEHOVAH.
1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
2 John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
He also defines sin.
1 John 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 3:5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 3:6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
You can’t love HIM and sin. There are no little sins, white lies, or unimportant sins. There is no room for sin in the lives of any who truly love HIM.
James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
James 4:17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
What has JEHOVAH told us about HIS view of sin and HIS righteous judgment of sin?
Ezekiel 18:20 "The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.
18:21 "But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
18:22 "All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live.
First, you are only responsible to HIM for your own personal sins. Second, if you turn, confess, repent, and become obedient to HIS statures and practice righteousness, HE will grant you eternal life. So it depends on you and HIM.
18:23 "Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?
18:24 "But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die.
18:25 "Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not right.' Hear now, O house of Israel! Is My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right? 18:26 "When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has committed he will die.
18:27 "Again, when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. 18:28 "Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
HE reveals both sides of human arguments. What about a righteous man who turns to sin? What about an unrighteous man who turns to obedience? HE knows the hearts, minds, and deeds of everyone. HE is merciful and will forgive all who repent.
18:29 "But the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not right.' Are My ways not right, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?
18:30 "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct," declares the Lord GOD. "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.
18:31 "Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?
Mankind is always declaring that JEHOVAH is not just or righteous. In reality, this is exactly the opposite. You can declare to everyone that HE is not fair, but it will not get you anything but condemnation.
18:32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live. So HE once again closes with what HE revealed first.
HE takes no pleasure in condemning wicked people to Hell. HIS desire is for all to confess, repent, and seek HIS mercy. These are HIS unconditional terms of everyone’s individual surrender to HIS SON, our great High Priest, King, and Messiah.
While every Bible student understands that God has not and will not change, many have been taught that God’s Law has changed. We cannot have it both ways. Has the Law changed? Has Grace done away with the Law. Isn’t the Law only for the Jews? What does God say about all of this? First, what did Jesus say?
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
5:18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
5:19 "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus kept the Law and clearly stated that the Law would not change until heaven and earth are destroyed by fire at the end. All things will be changed when the new heaven and earth are created, but until then the Law remains valid and is to be obeyed.
Exodus 12:24 "And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.
31:15 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death.
31:16 'So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.'
31:17 "It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed."
The whole world works and observes a seven day week. Many have tried, led by Satan, to change days and numbers, but to no avail. The days established by God have not changed.
Deuteronomy 5:29 'Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!
God’s commandments are not burdensome or confusing. The Jews established their own oral laws that added significantly to their burdens. That is what religion does around the world. Jesus made that very point.
Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 1:29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 11:30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Psalms 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 33:9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
33:10 The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. 33:11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
The world under the deceptions of Satan is always trying to circumvent God’s Law. They hope to make themselves above God, but they cannot. God’s counsel, wisdom, and Word will not change.
Psalms 105:7 He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. 05:8 He has remembered His covenant forever, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, 105:9 The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac.
We should be eternally thankful that not only does God’s Law not change, but neither does His promises. It is impossible for Him to not keep His promises as it is inherent in His nature and character.
Psalms 119:44 So I will keep Your law continually, Forever and ever. 148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.
We should have the same attitude and commitment as David.
Psalms 148:6 He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.
Since His decrees, statutes, commandments, Law, promises, and plans will not change, how should we live?
We will take a short reprieve from the Terrible Day of JEHOVAH to address a problem relating to the absolute failure of the Reformation. You will ask, what is the failure of the Reformation? Didn’t the Reformers transform the world from the Roman Church?
Well in some ways they did, but remember all of these early reformers came out of the Roman Church as prior priests. Martin Luther’s main concerns were begun with indulgences and the Pope’s self-appointed authority to send people to Hell or allow them entry into Heaven. Unfortunately, none of them went far enough into the false doctrines and traditions of the Synagogue of Satan. So let us begin with what the Bible teaches about the immutable nature of JEHOVAH, who has never change, doesn’t now change, and never will change.
Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
1 Samuel 15:29 "Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.
Psalms 33:11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
Psalms 55:19 God will hear and answer them—Even the one who sits enthroned from of old—Selah. With whom there is no change, And who do not fear God.
Psalms 89:33-35 "But I will not break off My loving kindness from him, Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. "My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. "Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David.
Psalms 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."
Isaiah 44:6-8 "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.
44:7 'Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place.
44:8 'Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'"
Who, other than JEHOVAH can declare it from the beginning and it will happen? HE cannot lie or deceive, as it would be an affront to HIS holy character and HE cannot deny HIMSELF.
Isaiah 46:9-11 "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,
46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure';
46:11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.
Titus 1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, Tit 1:2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,
JEHOVAH does not change, which means all the HE has declared, all that HE has promised, and all that HE commanded will never change or in any way be altered. HIS judgments, warnings, and condemnations will also never go away or be rendered invalid.
More next time.
I made a mistake last time by saying we are now going to study the Feast of Weeks, which is in the spring. We will now study the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles. It is the last of JEHOVAH’S appointed times and prophetically points to the second coming or return of our great High Priest and King.
HE will return to live with us in HIS millennial kingdom. HE will come just as HE left when HE ascended. Will HE find us being obedient to all HE commanded?
Leviticus 23:33 And Jehovah spoke to Moses saying, 23:34 Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to Jehovah.
23:35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no work of labor. 23:36 Seven days you shall offer a fire offering to Jehovah. On the eighth day shall be a holy convocation to you. And you shall offer a fire offering to Jehovah. It is a solemn assembly. And you shall do no work of labor.
All the Feasts except First Fruits is a high, holy day of rest and most often sacrifices. JEHOVAH expects us to rest on HIS holy days. These aren’t Jewish holy days, but HIS holy days. Too often today’s contemporary pastors are woefully ignorant of the Old Testament, and also create worship according to their ideas instead of HIS commands. Now we cannot truly participate in these feasts, as we are not in the Land nor do we need to perform sacrifices anymore. But we can commemorate them and give honor and worship to JEHOVAH.
23:37 These are the feasts of Jehovah which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer a fire offering to Jehovah, a burnt offering and a food offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, everything on its day; 23:38 besides the sabbath of Jehovah, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your free-will offerings which you give to Jehovah.
Bringing gifts to JEHOVAH is still a requirement for us. While we don’t have a Temple to bring our gifts to, we still can give unto JEHOVAH our offerings.
23:39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast to Jehovah seven days. On the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
23:40 And you shall take the fruit of majestic trees for yourselves on the first day, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the valley. And you shall rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days.
This is a time of both corporate worship and also a time of joy and thanksgiving. We should enjoy our fellow brothers and sisters as we together rejoice in HIS goodness and abundant blessings.
23:41 And you shall keep it a feast to Jehovah seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall keep it in the seventh month. 23:42 You shall live in booths seven days. All that are born Israelites shall live in booths, 3:43 so that your generations may know that I made the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.
Living in booths is a time-honored memorial. It is not a commandment for today, but many today still celebrate it. Again, it is setting time aside from our busy schedules to celebrate, worship, rejoice, give thanks, and come together. None of these are tiresome or burdensome.
23:44 And Moses declared the feasts of Jehovah to the sons of Israel.
These are the Feasts of JEHOVAH and should not be discarded too quickly.
The Day of Atonement is still regarded as the most holy of days on the Jewish calendar. Sadly, they are still deceived and blinded by their traditions of men and doctrines of demons.
Romans 9:1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 9:2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
9:4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.
9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
9:6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 9:7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named."
9:8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
This is a very profound reality. We are the true sons of Abraham, not by physical or racial conditions, but by the grace of JEHOVAH. It should humble us and warn us at the same time. The original chosen people have rejected their Messiah. They had all anyone needed to remain faithful to JEHOVAH, but went after other gods, preferred the traditions of men over the very Words of JEHOVAH, and took all the promises for granted by not realizing they were all conditional on their absolute obedience.
Romans 11:25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 11:26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob"; 11:27 "and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins."
11:28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.
They remain as enemies of JEHOVAH, while they still maintain that they are a unique, special, and protected people of the promise to the patriarchs.
Now to the Day of Atonement.
Leviticus 23:26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23:27 "Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the LORD.
23:28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God.
23:29 For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. 23:30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 23:31 You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
23:32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.
This seventh month includes all three of the fall feasts, which reminds us that once the end of time approaches, it will come swiftly. This is a high, holy day to JEHOVAH. To be afflicted is to humbly bow down and worship. Repent and remember just how merciful is our great King and High Priest.
It also contains a very severe warning. Cut off refers most often to death, as is revealed in verse 30. JEHOVAH commands absolute, perfect obedience. It is not optional, conditional, nor can it be partially obeyed, as if we can decide the extent of our obedience. Too often, today’s ‘churches’ falsely preach that the Law was nailed to the cross. That is heresy!
The only Law they really don’t care to obey from the Ten Commandments is the Law of the Sabbath. This one holy day, set apart in Genesis 2, was changed by the Church of Rome and Constantine. Who changes times and laws? The antichrist! Daniel 7:25.
That being said, is JEHOVAH asking too much of us to set apart one day a year to humble and prayerfully consider how a holy, righteous, sovereign King considers our sins? Is HE not worthy of our best?
Are we all truly prepared to meet HIM face to face? What would we say? What would HE say?
Next time the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost.
The last of the 7 feasts of JEHOVAH are in the fall and all point to HIS second coming. The feasts are Trumpets, Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement, and Sukkout of Tabernacles. How do they point to Christ? Let us start with Trumpets.
Leviticus 23:23 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23:24 "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. 23:25 You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the LORD."
This is the feast with the least amount of requirements other than a day of solemn rest. The blowing of trumpets is used in many different ways. It can bring people to an assembly, it can be used as a warning or call to war, it can be for the arrival or ordination of the king. Here is calls people to rest but it also will announce the return or our King. Here is one passage that uses a trumpet to announce that JEHOVAH is coming.
Exodus 19:9 And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever." When Moses told the words of the people to the LORD,
19:10 the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments 19:11 and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
19:12 And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, 'Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. 19:13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain."
How do you prepare for JEHOVAH coming? What must you do? They had to wash their garments in preparation. Also, they were prohibited from coming near to the mountain of GOD. It carried the death penalty.
Exodus 19:16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
19:17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.
19:18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.
19:19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.
Imagine the noise, the earth trembling, the smoke, the trumpet getting louder, thunder, lightning, and them JEHOVAH descending in fire! Yes, the Feast of Trumpets is to remind us that we must also be ready and HE will be announced with trumpets.
Revelation 8:6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
8:7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
8:8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 8:9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
8:10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 8:11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.
8:12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.
8:13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!"
Yes, trumpets prepare the world for the return of the King of Kings and LORD of Lords, our great High Priest.
The Feast of Trumpets is to remind us of being ready to greet our KING.
Next time we will study Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement.
The last of the four spring feasts is the Feast of Weeks. How many of you ever heard of this, studied this, or actually celebrated or commemorated this? After going to seminary, I can tell you I never studied it then nor did anyone indicate that I should. I found this information from my weekly Bible study that I lead.
Sadly, the ‘church’ is like the world in this matter. As mentioned in earlier posts, the feasts are one of God’s prophetic ways of highlighting His end times calendar. What is the Feast of Weeks? All seven feasts or appointed days of Jehovah are found in Leviticus 23.
Leviticus 23:15 "You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 23:16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD.
This is one of the three feasts that all men are required to come to Jerusalem to celebrate.
Deuteronomy 16:16 "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.
There are three offerings with this feast; a grain/drink offering, a burnt offering, and a peace/wave/first fruits offering,
23:17 You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as first fruits to the LORD.
23:18 And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
23:19 And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
23:21 And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
This feast which is another time of thanksgiving for Jehovah providing a bountiful harvest has a rather unique detail, that is to provide gleanings for the poor. Even the poor, who had to work to eat, were to be thankful for Jehovah’s provisions.
23:22 "And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.
So now we have the Feast of Weeks, 7 Sabbaths plus one day, which we know from the Greek as Pentecost, or fifty. That day back some 2000 years ago was the day the LORD sent His HOLY SPIRIT to indwell all true believers, just as HE promised.
John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Joh 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 14:17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
John 16:4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 16:5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
John 16:6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
16:8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 16:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 16:10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 16:11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
So the LORD told HIS disciples that it would be better for HIM to leave and for the HOLY SPIRIT to come to indwell them. That is exactly what happened. So the last spring feast inaugurated the transformation of the world.
More later.
First fruits is mentioned in the ‘New’ Testament. We are truly given a more revealing understanding of this feast by reading what has been written about it after Jesus death and resurrection. Paul first introduced this in his letter to the assembly in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Leviticus 23:14 And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Just as we read last time, Christ is the true first fruits of our redemption and had to present Himself to the Father before the real harvest could begin. This is exactly why God instructed Moses that God must receive His offering before any other harvest could be enjoyed. God always comes first in all things.
15:21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
5:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
15:23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
15:24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 15:25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 15:26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Christ precedes us and we follow Him. We who belong to Him and only those who truly belong to Him will be in this great redemptive harvest of both our physical bodies and our eternal souls.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
Jamss 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
Revelation 14:4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, 14:5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.
So now we have a new understanding of how God created these feasts to both give us a prophetic plan of His timeline from Jesus’ first coming to His second coming. All four spring feasts have been fulfilled by Christ, the remaining three fall feasts are coming.
As we continue our study of how Jehovah’s feasts are all pertaining to Jesus, we will look at how they have been fulfilled first in the feast of First Fruits.
Leviticus 23:9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23:10 "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, 23:11 and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, so that you may be accepted.
On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. This feast was one of thanking God for the first harvest but also giving Him praise before any other harvesting would be allowed.
Leviticus 23:14 And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Jesus was our first fruits and until He presented Himself to the Father, the rest of the harvest of the kingdom could not begin. That doesn’t mean no one was saved, but the harvest could not be brought in until the Father accepted Jesus offering.
John 20:15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 20:16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
20:17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"
Quite clearly Jesus indicates that He cannot be touched by anyone until He presents Himself to the Father. Yet, later HE not only allowed it but invited people to touch and discover for themselves. What was the difference?
Luke 24:36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!" 24:37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 24:38 And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
24:39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." 24:40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 24:41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
Is there any other First Fruits examples to help in our understanding? Yes! When Jesus finally said “It is finished.”, the curtain in the Temple was torn in two. But, what else happened?
Matthew 27:51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
27:52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 27:53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
These saints were raised but did not go into the city until after His resurrection or more specifically, after His first ascension to present Himself to the Father. Then and only then would the harvest truly be manifested. Here right in Jerusalem, the first evidence was revealed in the bodily resurrection of these long dead saints.
More on the next feast next time.
How do all of these feasts of Jehovah pertain to Jesus? God is not a coincidence God but a sovereign God who has given us exact details on everything we need to live a life pleasing to Him. But, has the ‘church’ ever taught this? Let us begin. There are four spring feasts; Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Weeks/Pentecost.
Jesus is our Passover Lamb.
1 Corinthians 5:7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
If you never really contemplated or studied the Passover, which was created in Egypt, then you may not fully understand the significance of Christ as our Passover.
Exodus 12:3-16 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. 12:4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.
12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 12:6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
12:7 "Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 12:8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.
12:9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts.
2:10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.
12:11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover.
This is the LORD’s Passover, not the nations’ Passover or the Jewish Passover, as some would now teach. Aren’t we also called to remember how the LORD redeemed His chosen people and destroyed Egypt, including killing the first born?
12:12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.
12:13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
12:14 "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
Forever is a long time. More on this later.
Exodus 12:15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 12:16 On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you.
12:17 And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. 12:18 In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 12:19 For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. 12:20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread."
1 Corinthians 5:8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
So how does this feast pertain to Jesus? He died for the forgiveness of our sins. If we confess our sins, He will forgive our sins, if and only if we have totally surrendered to Him.
1 John 1:8-10 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
So this feast to us is not about leaven or yeast but sin. Is it too much of Jehovah to ask of us to contemplate our sin and confess our sin for one week? Do you have no time to think of your sin before a holy God? There are two high holy days in this feast. One at the beginning of the week and the other at the end.
Let us commemorate this feast as Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins.
Next time the other two spring feasts.
How do these feast days relate to and point to our Messiah? Let us look into the first four spring feasts to find these answers. The first is Passover. Who is our Passover Lamb?
1 Corinthians 5:7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.
All of the lambs that were sacrificed for Passover pointed to the only sacrifice for our sins.
Hebrewa 9:11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 9:12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
All of the blood of all of the lambs only pointed to the only eternal sacrifice for sins. The second feast is directly intertwined with the first. Unleavened bread begins on what we would think of the evening of Passover.
But, the Passover lamb was eaten after sundown, which is in God’s calendar, the first day of unleavened bread. It begins with a high holy day or Sabbath. So during this week there could be two Sabbaths each of two weeks, depending on which day the feast started.
How many of heard of this before? Without this understanding of two Sabbaths and a preparation day before them, then the our Messiah’s last meal, death, and resurrection can not be understood in its Biblical context.
John 18:28 Then they *led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.
John 19:31 Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Mak 15:42 When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.
As you can read from the verses above, the day Jesus appeared before Pilate was the day before the Passover, or the preparation day. Everyone had until sundown to get everything they needed to properly prepare the Passover meal.
Next time we will study the importance of these events.
The feasts of Jehovah are very important in a number of ways. First, they are His feasts, not just the feasts of Moses or the nation of Israel. Secondly, they all point to our Messiah, High Priest, and King. Thirdly, they give us one more important bit of information in regard to the end times and the coming tribulation. Let us begin.
Leviticus 23:1-8 The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying, 23:2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD'S appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these:
As you can clearly understand, these are Jehovah’s appointed times. Times He has declared should be celebrated and commemorated. These feasts carry the same weight at His commandments and the same judgments and penalties for those who forsake them.
23:3 '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 the LORD in all your dwellings.
Many people mistakenly believe that the Sabbath commandment was nailed to the cross. They add to this heresy when they also proclaim that the Law was similarly nailed to the cross and done away with by Jehovah. They are deceived, as Jehovah does not change nor does His word. Jesus made this very clear early in His ministry.So who or what changed the Sabbath, which was instituted by GOD in Genesis 2.
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2:2 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. 2:3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Quite clearly, the Sabbath is not just for the Jews as the nation of Israel was not present in the Garden.
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 5:18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Jesus did not teach that the Sabbath was done away with, He actually taught on the Sabbath. So who changed it? The Roman Church aka. the Synagogue of Satan changed it as it has changed many times and seasons to accommodate their pagan/demonic practices.
You are all free to look this up for yourselves.
23:4 'These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them.
23:5 'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover.
Passover can be confusing because it is referred to as a day as well as a meal. Adding to this confusion is that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the very next night. So actually, the Passover meal is eaten on the first day of this feast. Remember that GOD starts each day in the evening not at midnight.
23:6 'Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
23:7 'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.
23:8 'But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.'"
This is a seven day feast with the first and last days all being High Holy days or Sabbaths. Of course, the search for leaven is in realty a sincere search within everyone’s hearts to expose the sin which lies hidden in the hearts deepest recesses.
Matthew 16:6 And Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
Matthew 16:12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Luke 12:1 Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Is GOD asking too much of us to spend time searching our own hearts for the sin that remains un-conffessed within each of us? When was the last time you gave serious thought and time to your sin?