The Passover Timeline

Posted on 03/27/2015 by Messyanic

the-passover-instituted-by-cf-vosUnderstanding the timing of the Passover can be very confusing considering the different mindsets surrounding timekeeping, religious tradition and the teachings of man.

According to the world’s standard, a Day is a 24-hour period that begins at midnight, when the clock strikes 12 in the middle of the night and continues until the next night.

In mainstream Judaism and most Hebraic circles, a Day is also a 24-hour period reckoned from evening to evening, when the sun goes down to the next sundown.

But according to the Bible, a Day is separate from the Night. After the Creator made the heavens, earth and seas, He placed the sun, moon and stars in the heavens for the express purpose to separate between Day and Night.

Religious Tradition

Since the reckoning of a day in mainstream Judaism is evening to evening, and the world’s standard of timekeeping recognizes the day begins in the middle of the night, it can be difficult to wrap your mind around when to keep the Passover.

But then there are religious traditions that have been handed down through Judaism that are not found in the Bible, such as the Seder, which also make it difficult.

Teachings of Man

Compounding the problem is the New Testament writings, which seem to portray conflicting testimony surrounding the timing of the Passover. Then, there’s also the nature of Jesus/Yeshua’s last supper in question and a supposed discrepancy surrounding his time in the grave.

But if we take the understanding of what the Bible says concerning Day and Night, that they are separate from each other, and we consider the actual Pass Over event found in Exodus 12, the Passover Timeline is very simple to understand.

Let’s walk through the initial event together.  Continue reading →

Posted in 1-Day and Night, Passover - Pesach | 4 Comments

Let Them Be…For Seasons

Posted on 03/24/2015 by Messyanic

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:14-15 ESV)

The word translated as “seasons” in the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) is “moedim” (H4150), which means “appointed times”.  Continue reading →

Posted in 4-Sun Moon & Stars | 8 Comments

And Let Them Be For Signs

Posted on 03/21/2015 by Messyanic

cool-photo-sun-moon-starsAnd God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:14-15 ESV)

The Hebrew word (in the singular) translated as “signs” in this verse is “oth” (H226) and appears 79 times in the Tanakh (OT). It simply means “sign” or “signal” as in the sense of “appearing”. There are many examples in the Tanakh as to what an “oth” is.

  • YHVH put an “oth” on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him (Gen 4:15).
  • There are numerous “oth”s of covenants mentioned throughout the Torah: the bow in the clouds (Gen 9:12-13), circumcision (Gen 17:11), and the Sabbath day (Ex 31:13).
  • YHVH bringing the children of Israel to Mt Horeb was an “oth” to Moses (Ex 3:12).
  • YHYH told Moses to perform certain “oth”s before the children of Israel so they would believe him (Ex 4). And the wonders performed by Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh and the people of Egypt were considered “oth”s (Ex 7,8,10).
  • The blood of the Passover Lamb on the doorposts acted as an “oth” to avert death (Ex 12), and the unleavened bread that is to be eaten for seven days serves as an “oth” (Ex 13).

These are all examples of signals, things that are seen. And these are just a sample of its use throughout Scripture.

Many turn to Genesis 1:14 to justify looking to the lights in the heavens for either a gospel message of some sort, or an omen of things to come. But is this consistent with the entirety of Scripture? Is this something that we ought to be using them for?  Continue reading →

Posted in 4-Sun Moon & Stars | 3 Comments

The Rebellion of Israel in Egypt

Posted on 03/17/2015 by Messyanic

According to Ezekiel 20, Ezekiel received the following word from YHVH regarding the rebellion of Israel while they were still in Egypt:

[A]nd say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God. On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands.

And I said to them, Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. (Ezekiel 20:5-10 ESV)

I’ve always wondered where this event was recorded because it is not listed in Exodus.  Continue reading →

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Shepherds and Herdsmen

Posted on 03/11/2015 by Messyanic

bethsheepHave you ever noticed all the references in the Bible to shepherds and sheep?

The Hebrew word most often translated as “shepherd(s)” in the KJV is “ra’ah” (H7462) and means “to pasture, tend, graze, feed” according to Brown Driver Briggs. While it is only translated as “shepherd” or “shepherds” a total of 61 times, the word “ra-ah” appears almost 3 times as often (172).

The first mention appears in Genesis 4, addressing the occupation of Abel, the younger brother of Cain, who was a “ra’ah” of sheep:

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper (H7462 “ra’ah”) of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. (Genesis 4:1-2 ESV)

The next mention addresses the occupation of Abram’s household and his nephew Lot’s household…

(Genesis 13:7-8 ESV) and there was strife between the herdsmen (H7462 “ra’ah”) of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen (H7462 “ra’ah”) of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen (H7462 “ra’ah”) and my herdsmen (H7462 “ra’ah”), for we are kinsmen.

But in this case these are not necessarily sheep that they are pasturing, tending, grazing and feeding, but more specifically cattle or other form of livestock.

So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold…And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. (Genesis 13:1-2, 5-7 ESV) 

Continue reading →

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The Son of God vs. God, the Son

Posted on 03/10/2015 by Messyanic

trinityThere is a teaching of man, commonly referred to as the Trinity Doctrine that says God is one, in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Ghost/Spirit. This is a fundamental tenet in Christianity. As a result, many believe that Jesus is God, but what does the Bible say?

Below is a list of every verse in the New Testament that includes the Greek words for “son” (G5207 “uihos”) and “God” (G2316 “theos”). Notice, that Jesus is never referred to as “God, the son”, but is consistently referred to as “the Son of God”. (Also note that there are other “sons of God” mentioned as well.)

See for yourself.  Continue reading →

Posted in Jesus / Yeshua, YHVH Elohim/God | 9 Comments

If You Don’t Work, You Don’t Eat

Posted on 02/25/2015 by Messyanic

Paul writes in his second letter to the Thessalonians…

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 ESV)

I have always attributed the notion to not eating with not working within the context of this passage, relating to idleness. But the more I study, seeking to understand how to walk according to the ways of the Creator, the more I discover this notion is fundamental to the existence of mankind.

Working for Food

Genesis 1:26-30 tells us…

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them.

And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

tomatoes-dirty-handsAnd God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

From the very beginning of creation it was established that the seed-bearing plants and fruit-bearing trees were meant to feed mankind.  Continue reading →

Posted in Precept Upon Precept, Walking in the Ways of the Creator | Leave a comment

Kings in the Line of Judah

Posted on 01/30/2015 by Messyanic

Did you know the genealogy given in Matthew, from David to the exile, is not entirely accurate?

For some time now I have known the countings of 14 generations was off somehow, but I was not too clear as to how. However, I just discovered a few days ago that there are three whole generations missing between Joram and Uzziah, which I find very curious.

I’d like to share what I’ve found concerning this, giving Scriptural backup (typed in dark red), with the hope that those who read this will do their own homework and study this matter out for themselves. If I am found to be in error, I would sincerely appreciate correction. I understand that I have not arrived, but this is a snapshot of where I am at the time of this writing. Check this out.

Continue reading →

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Where Is Your Father?

Posted on 12/25/2014 by Messyanic

In John 8:12-59, a discussion ensues over who the Father of Jesus/Yeshua is.  I believe there are a total of four “fathers” being referenced in this passage:

1. The Father, which art in heaven, who the Jews claimed to be their God
2. Jesus’ earthly, biological father
3. The Jews’ earthly, biological father: Abraham
4. The father of lies, the devil

Let’s look at the passage and break down each of these fathers as they are mentioned.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.”

Yeshua made a claim here and the Pharisees claimed that he was bearing witness about himself and they considered his testimony not true.

Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father (1) who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father (1) who sent me bears witness about me.”

Yeshua claims what he says is true because he knows where he came from and where he’s going. I believe he understood his purpose. But then, addressing the law, he indicates that he has a second witness concerning himself. This second witness is the Heavenly Father (1).

They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father (2)?”

When the Pharisees posed this question, I believe they thought Yeshua was speaking of his earthly father (2), so they asked where this earthly father was, this second witness required by law.  Continue reading →

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When a Man Knows a Woman

Posted on 12/18/2014 by Messyanic

According to Scripture, what happens when a man knows a woman, and what part does the LORD (YHVH) God play in it all?

Adam

(Genesis 4:1 ESV) Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”

(Genesis 4:25 ESV) And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 

Cain

(Genesis 4:17 ESV) Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.

Continue reading →

Posted in Israel, Jesus / Yeshua, Precept Upon Precept, YHVH Elohim/God | Leave a comment