Something to ponder concerning a hard truth:

Unlike the man-made holiday of Easter, ADONAI’s commanded Passover is not “all about Jesus” or his crucifixion or resurrection. Passover encompasses the whole story!

To begin with, Passover celebrates the deliverance of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. It is a tale of redemption through the killing of the Passover Lamb whose blood was to be applied to the doorposts of their houses - an act which would spare their firstborn from the Tenth Curse against Pharaoh and the “gods” of Egypt (Exodus 12:12).

YHWH promised that the Angel of Death would "pass over" those houses with the blood on the doorposts, and spare the first born (Exodus 12:1-13). This foreshadowed Yeshua, YHWH's "Passover Lamb" who fulfilled the redemption of the Passover when he was crucified and willingly allowed His own blood to be shed on our behalf in order to become OUR redemption. In other words, the innocent died for the guilty; and sacrifice not only means death but also life (Isaiah 53.)

Now, check this out:

At the exodus - the one and only original "pass-over", the people had to do nothing; that is, as long as they were in the house with the blood on the door posts, they were “covered by the blood,” and their fist born did not die.

(Technically, a lamb had to be slain, but entire groups only needed one lamb between them. The important thing was that they be YHWH's people and they be inside the protected house).  The thing is, even Egyptians could have been spared death, had they simply taken YHWH as their God, and been in the house with blood on the door posts.

Yet Christianity has replaced the commanded remembrance of the pass-over with "Easter" and Easter is not about the simple acceptance of YHWH as their God to be redeemed, rather, it’s about "Sunrise Service", "Egg hunts", dressing in one's finest, and celebrating the "resurrection" of Jesus.  Easter is not about simply taking YHWH as one's God and obeying Him!

Also, absolutely no one at the original and only "pass-over" was exonerated from their sins! The pass-over lamb was NOT a “sin sacrifice!” The Hebrews already belonged to YHWH and lived as “set apart” people (Exodus 1:7) – even as slaves to the Egyptians (Exodus 1:11). No tabernacle nor Temple even existed at that time, so there were no “formal” sacrifices, even though they did, when given the chance to atone for their sins with sacrifice (Exodus 3:18; 5:3, for example)!

But this act we read about in Exodus 12, the lamb’s blood substituting for and redeeming a life - was a gift! They were "redeemed", yes, by the blood of the lamb, yet they still had, and always had, an obligation to obey God!

But Christianity teaches that once you are redeemed by the blood of "Jesus", you are "under grace" and therefore you simply “sin no more”. So, when you sin (which we humans tend to do), Christians are told, that each sin is "covered".  No cleansing is required, and no atonement is required.

Honestly – how can that be?

Truth is, it can't! There is NO reason to believe that the death of Jesus "replaced" the commanded perpetual remembrance of the pass-over, and there is NO reason to think that simply "believing in Jesus" covers anyone perpetually from their continuing intentional sins. 

Yeshua died ONCE and his divine blood served as a one-time atonement/redemption! (Colossians 2:8-15) This redemption did not give humanity carte-blanche to continue sinning; we are still expected to live our lives as holy/set-apart people of God. And how do we do that? By living according to YHWH’s Torah….

So, there is absolutely no reason to think that Jesus' death somehow negated simple obedience to YHWH.  In fact, Jesus actually said he did NOT come to abolish or replace obedience (Matthew 5:17)!

YHWH declared in Exodus 12 that those who accepted Him as their ELOHIM are expected to remember the pass-over and observe it every year, and that if they are to be redeemed, they must be fully His (this is the meaning of "circumcised") and they must live their lives in obedience to Him - as His laws apply to ALL who take Him as their God. (See Exodus 12:49, Numbers 15:13-16, Isaiah 56:6, and Romans 10:12-13 which all confirm our need for Torah.)

Can we know exactly when Yeshua died and rose?

Yes!  To begin with, we know that he died on the 14th of Nisan.  Read on….

John 19: 41 In the vicinity of where he had been executed was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. 42 So, because it was Preparation Day for the Judeans, and because the tomb was close by, that is where they buried Yeshua. (CJB)

The above passage shows that Yeshua was placed in the heart of the earth approximately 5:00 p.m., or before sunset on the day he died. Seventy-two hours must end at the time we start the counting - about 5:00 p.m., or before sunset, that night.

Even on the eve of his death, Messiah Yeshua kept and fulfilled the Passover: He died on Wednesday the 14th of Nisan, and he rose some time after 3:00 p.m. on the Sabbath exactly three days later, depending on when he was placed in the grave.

The Sabbath is in commemoration of YHWH's rest at creation (Genesis 2:2), and Yeshua's rest after his redemption of mankind. The Sabbath is for a reminder of the sign (three days and three nights) of who Yeshua haMashiyach is: He the Master of the Sabbath.

Now, exactly how do we know that he died on the 14th of Nisan and that, that particular 14th of Nisan fell on a Wednesday? Because the 14th of Nisan is the day on which YHWH declared that the Feast of Passover should be celebrated FOREVER (Leviticus 23; Exodus 12:14)! And because of a series of events that took place just prior to the crucifixion:

ONE:  Yeshua fulfilled Zechariah 9:9 when, on 10 Nisan (a Sabbath - Saturday), he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, as the people waved palm branches:

9 Rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Tziyon! Shout out loud, daughter of Yerushalayim! Look! Your king is coming to you. He is righteous, and he is victorious. Yet he is humble - he's riding on a donkey, yes, on a lowly donkey's colt. (CJB)

The Bible tells us that it was a Sabbath Day's journey from Bethany. He then taught in the Temple for three days: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

TWO:  As promised in Exodus 12:25-28 there was to be an explanation of the Passover service. This Messianic fulfillment took place when Yeshua showed his disciples how to celebrate the Passover Seder the evening before his death.

During this time he explained how HE IS the fullfillment of the Passover seder (Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Just as he delivered the Israelites with a mighty hand from the bondage of Egypt, so is he delivering us from the bondage of sin with His mighty right hand!

It was here that he explained the meaning of his person in the Passover elements. Afterwards, he and his disciples went to Gethsemene, where they spent part of the night.

THREE:  During the night Yeshua was arrested and we are told that his trial continued until approximately 9 a.m., when he was crucified. At 3:00 p.m. (the 9th hour) on Wednesday he died. 

Which means he ROSE late SATURDAY AFTERNOON!

Was Jesus “sacrificed”?

I see a lot of memes by Believers suggesting "Jesus, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed on our behalf." When that is said, we have to make sure we know what kind of “sacrifice” we’re referring to…

You see, Yeshua was NOT sacrificed like an animal being killed in a religious ceremony. (There was no ceremony! The Gospels reveal that he was executed as a criminal.) He martyred himself (against which there is no law) because he knew his divine blood would serve to redeem us.

When people martyr themselves, they are “sacrificing” themselves for a purpose – as in, “Our platoon sergeant threw himself onto a grenade to save the rest of us from harm.”

1 Corinthians 5:7 is often used to suggest “Jesus was sacrificed” - with many incorrectly suggesting he “was sacrificed”. Unlike the Greek versions, the Aramaic says, “For our Passover is the Mashiyach, who was SLAIN for us" (AENT).

Truth is, the original pass-over lambs were neither “sin offerings” (their blood never atoned for any sins!); nor were they officially "sacrificed" in any “sacrifice ritual.”

Yes, the lambs were forced to “sacrifice” on man’s behalf – as in “simply killed” (but not in a ritual) and their blood was used for redemption - because blood on the doorposts of people’s homes caused the Angel of Death to “pass over” those homes.

Passover – it’s not all about “Jesus”

Occasionally, someone will send me a note to let me know that "God doesn't care what days we keep, or how or what we celebrate, because He knows our hearts."

Well, Scripture disagrees! YHWH was very clear and very specific about what days and Appointed Times His people were to celebrate, and how to keep each one of them. He was also adamant about NOT picking up the customs of the nations....

Having said that, for those who insist it's okay to celebrate Easter, did you know that that word "Easter" is only found in the King James Version? Specifically, in Acts 12 - which actually renders useless that entire chapter because NOBODY went into Jerusalem to celebrate any man-made holiday.

His people (including His SON who lost his life there) came to celebrate PASSOVER, which up until the day Yeshua died, commemorated ONLY the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt. It was a tale of redemption through the killing of the Passover lambs whose blood was to be applied to the doorposts of their houses - an act which would spare their firstborn from the Tenth Curse against Pharaoh.

YHWH promised that the Angel of Death would "pass over" those houses with the blood on the doorposts, and spare the first born (Exodus 12:1-13). This foreshadowed Yeshua, who fulfilled the Spring festival of Passover when he was crucified and willingly allowed his own blood to be shed in order to become our redemption.

Unfortunately, Christianity has twisted Passover into yet another man-made holiday that pushes YHWH (the "Father) into the background, and made it all about "Jesus"

A mini-study of 2 Corinthians 5 - something to ponder during this Passover week

2 Corinthians 5:1. For we know that, if our house on earth,[1] this of the body, were dissolved, yet we have a building of Elohim, a house not made with hands,[2] eternal in heaven. 2. And on this account also, we groan, and wish to be clothed with our house from heaven: 3. If indeed, when clothed, we will not be found naked. 4. For while we are here in this house, we groan under its burden; yet you desire not to throw it off; but to be clothed over it, so that its mortality may be absorbed in life.

5. And he that prepares us for this thing is Elohim: who has given us the earnestness of His Spirit. 6. Therefore, because we know and are persuaded, that while we lodge in the body we sojourn away from our Master (Y’shua); 7. For we walk[3] by faith, and not by sight; 8. Therefore we are confident, and desirous to be away from the body, and to be with our Master (Y’shua). 9. We are constantly attentive, that whether we are absent, or whether at home, we may please him. (AENT)

NOTES:

[1] In Hebrew and Aramaic thought, each major facet of the human condition dwells in a house. Here then we should contrast Rav Shaul’s imagery of our house on Earth with that of the opening chapter of Galatians, where he speaks of Y’shua being raised from the house of the dead! Such imagery is certainly implied in the next three lines of this chapter.

[2] Another parallel between Rav Shaul’s writing here and the Epistle to the Hebrews. The phrase, “not made with human hands” only appears in three places in the NT. One is given by Mar Stephen, and the fact that he dies just after making this statement, effectively eliminates him as potential writer for that Epistle.

The other two references, excepting this one, are in Hebrews 9:11 and 24. The context and subject are the same in each place. The fact that Rav Shaul was one of those present and “approving Stephen’s death” adds more weight to the conclusion that the author of Hebrews is, in fact, Rav Shaul. From an Aramaic point of view, these phrases appear as a signature aspect of the same author.

[3] The word “walk” here is the Hebrew “halacha” (religious laws that guide day-to-day life of believers).  To say then “walk of faith” is to impart a more direct imprinting of the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) than, for example, rabbinic halacha, or the theological or doctrinal teaching of any other man-made religion. The difference is, of course, the source.

The Ruach (Spirit) of YHWH is certainly always superior to the rulings and traditions of men!  To walk by Faith and not by sight is to allow the Ruach haKodesh to write Torah (Divine Instructions in Righteousness) upon the heart. Man-made traditions, whether Jewish or Christian, are, more often than not, a major deterrent to the indwelling of the Ruach haKodesh and the willingness to observe the Torah of YHWH.

(Continuation)

2 Corinthians 5:10. For we are all to stand before the judgment-seat of the Mashiyach, that each may receive retribution in the body, (for) what he has done in it, whether of good, or whether of evil. 11. Therefore because we know the Fear of our Master (Y’shua)[4] we persuade men; and we are made manifest to Elohim; and I hope also, we are revealed to your minds.

12. We do not again praise ourselves to you;[5] but we give you occasion to glory in us, toward them who glory in appearance and not in heart. 13. For if we are extravagant, it is for Elohim: and if we are discreet, it is for you. 14. For the love of the Mashiyach constrains us to reason in this manner: One died for all; therefore, are all dead. 15. And he died for all, that they who live should not live to themselves but to him who died for them and rose again. 16. And therefore, we know no person after the flesh: and if we have known the Mashiyach after the flesh, yet from now on we know (him) no more.

17. Whoever therefore is in the Mashiyach, is a new creature: old things have passed away; 18. And all things are made new, by Elohim; who has reconciled us to himself by the Mashiyach, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. 19. For Elohim was in the Mashiyach,[6] who has reconciled the world with his majesty and did not reckon to them their sins; and who has placed in us the Word of reconciliation.

20. We are therefore ambassadors for the Mashiyach, and it is as if Elohim was pleading you by us. In behalf of the Mashiyach, therefore, we plead to you to be reconciled to Elohim; 21. For, on your account, He has made him who knew no sin to be a sin (offering) that we might by him become the righteousness[7] of Elohim. (AENT)

NOTES:

[4] Y’shua demonstrated the Fear of YHWH to his disciples. It is Mashiyach Y’shua who judges for YHWH (Shemot/Exodus 23:20-22; John 5:22).

[5] Literally “(make) good our souls to you.” In other words, we did not each uplift the nefesh/soul of ourselves to you. The nefesh (Aram. napshah) is the life force and personality, but salvation comes from the Ruach of YHWH.

Therefore, we are not uplifted by our human life force but by the eternal spark of our Creator. The idea that Y’shua uplifted his nefesh, is a false accusation of the Pharisees. The fact is, YHWH uplifted Y’shua’s nefesh, as he will also do on the Last Day for those who believe upon Him and live according to the One True Faith.

[6] Ref Isaiah 11: 1 But a branch will emerge from the trunk of Yishai, a shoot will grow from his roots. 2 The Spirit of Adonai will rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and fearing Adonai — 3 he will be inspired by fearing Adonai. (CJB)

[7] To “become the righteousness of Elohim” means to demonstrate Mashiyach to the world, which means we do not go through life breaking YHWH’s Commandments.

“Mid-trib rapture”? Nahhh….

A reader recently mentioned the idea of a “mid-trib rapture”. Honestly, according to Scripture, there is no such thing as "pre-trib” or “mid-trib rapture” – or even a "seven year tribulation." From what I can tell, that seven-year period mentioned in Daniel is the period after the peace treaty is signed with Israel.

According to the Scriptures Yeshua will return exactly seven years after the Antichrist (whoever that turns out to be) signs a seven-year treaty with Israel. In the meantime, we are and will continue to experience "tribulations" around the world. The disasters are coming faster and faster. The Bible tells us that, in the end times, there will be so many that we can't even recover from one disaster before the next one hits....

Daniel 9: 26 Then, after the sixty-two weeks, Mashiach will be cut off and have nothing. The people of a prince yet to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary, but his end will come with a flood, and desolations are decreed until the war is over. 27 He will make a strong covenant with leaders for one week [of years]. For half of the week he will put a stop to the sacrifice and the grain offering. On the wing of detestable things the desolator will come and continue until the already decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator." (CJB)

The day we hear of someone making a seven-year peace treaty with Israel, we'll be able to count exactly seven years until Y'shua's return!

(As a side note, although the Bible does refer to the "antichrist" as a "he" - this may or may not be a man; it may simply be the antichrist SYSTEM of the world. The exact meaning of "antichrist" will be completely revealed as time goes by.)

Never before has the world seen the accumulation of events as we have today! Although no one knows the EXACT day nor the hour that Messiah will return (although the next mo’ed/festival to be fulfilled by Y’shua IS Yom Teruah/Trumpets, when YHWH calls His people home), no generation has had as many signs of the times as OUR generation. We have more reason to believe that Yeshua could come in our lifetime than any other generation before us….

Explaining, in simple terms, the idea of Torah

Here is how to explain, in simple terms ,the idea of Torah to those who believe Gentiles don’t have to bother with “those old rules that were directed at the Jews.”

First of all, did you know that you’re no longer considered a Gentile, once you’ve accepted YHWH/Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?

It’s true!

Remember in Genesis 12 where we see Yahweh choosing Abram/Avram (which means “exalted father”), our first Patriarch? Well, Avram was a PAGAN Chaldean who accepted Yahweh’s call to accept Him as his God and to leave his own country, to “cross over” (get away from all his paganistic relatives and ways) into the Land he was told to migrate to.

The Hebrew word for “to cross over” is … “ivrit” which translated into English is “HEBREW!” Avram was eventually renamed Abraham/Avraham (which is Hebrew for “High Father, Father of a multitude, many nations”) after he “crossed over” thus, becoming officially known as the first “Hebrew” (Genesis 14:13).

So, you see – Gentiles – who were considered “pagan” before they “accepted Jesus” (Yahweh’s Divine Son whose Hebrew name was Yeshua - who was the Word, John 1:1, 14; and the "arm of Yahweh" - Isaiah 53:1) actually become “proselytes” - "righteous Gentiles" … and more to the point: "HEBREWS"…

And by the way, Yeshua (whose name means “Yahweh is Salvation) was our final SIN OFFERING …. NOT a “sacrifice” because nobody “sacrificed” him, as is a common misconception! (He sacrificed himself for us, but he was not “sacrificed”.)

Secondly, it was never only all about “the Jews.”  Yes, Yahweh chose the Tribe of Judah to take Torah into the world and safeguard and preserve it (Genesis 49:10, Micah 4:2)!  But, the reality is, there were no "Jews" until after our third patriarch, Jacob had a son named Yehudah/Judah, who was the father of the Tribe of Judah from which the term "Jew" is derived. Today, "Jews" has become a blanket term for all Israel – of which YOU are a part BECAUSE of your faith in Yahweh/Yeshua!

What is often overlooked in the Christian realm that insists “all those Old Testament commands” don’t pertain to Christians, is that THERE WERE NO “JEWS” in the Garden of Eden; neither were Cain and Abel “Jews”; neither was Noah, nor any of our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

And get this: Up until then, EVERY believer in Yahweh obeyed His Divine Instructions in Righteousness (Torah), observing the Seventh Day Sabbath and the Feasts, eating only "clean" foods, etc.

Only a very astute few recognize that those things didn’t change just because Jesus died. God never changed His mind about what He considered “clean” and “unclean” foods. That’s why Noah was ordered to take both kinds into the post-flood era (Genesis 6:19-20; Genesis 7:1-5). There is a specific reason for each type of animal, including the fact that “unclean” animals, birds and sea life” all basically serve as the world’s garbage disposals, eating anything and everything, thus cleaning the earth….

So, as you can see, God is NOT all about love, grace and mercy and “all you have to do to get to Heaven is believe in Jesus.” There is a “catch” to being a Hebrew, which is that, once you have been grafted in to Israel as a “Hebrew” you MUST live by obedience to Yahweh and that means to become Torah observant! Scripture tells us as much in several different passages that anyone who “crosses over” MUST begin to learn and obey Torah. (Genesis 17:7-14, Exodus 12:48-51, Numbers 15:13-16, Isaiah 56:6, Romans 10:12-13, 1 Corinthians 7:18-19 all confirm our need for Torah!)

Observing Torah is the real evidence that you actually received the salvation you did not earn…

The reality is that the purpose of the death of our Messiah was NOT to bring a new religion called “Christianity” or change His Father’s Divine Instructions to mankind and eliminate obedience; Yeshua came to proclaim the Kingdom of Yahweh and do everything the Father told Him to do.

Take a look:

Deuteronomy 18: 15 "ADONAI will raise up for you a prophet like me from among yourselves, from your own kinsmen. You are to pay attention to him, 16 just as when you were assembled at Horev and requested ADONAI your God, 'Don't let me hear the voice of ADONAI my God any more, or let me see this great fire ever again; if I do, I will die!'

17 On that occasion ADONAI said to me, 'They are right in what they are saying. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I order him. (CJB)

Luke 4: 43 "But he (Yeshua/Jesus) said, "I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." (CJB)

Luke 8: 1. And it happened after these things that Y'shua was going around in the cities and in the villages and was preaching and declaring the Kingdom of Elohim. (AENT)

Acts 28: 23 "From morning till evening the Apostle Paul explained and declared the Kingdom of God and tried to convince people about Yeshua from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets." (CJB)

Yeshua himself said He came to do HIS FATHER's will; not His own!

John 6: 35. Y'shua said to them, I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will not hunger. And whoever believes in me will not ever thirst. 36. But I have said to you that you have seen me, and you do not believe. 37. All who my Father has given to me will come, and whoever comes not to me I will cast outside!

38. For I came down from heaven, not to do my will, but to do the will of Him who sent me. 39. And this is His will, that of Him who sent me, that all that He has given to me I do not lose even one. 40. For this is the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in Him, will have life that is eternal. And I will raise him up on the last day. (AENT)

The bottom line is: Once we accept Yahweh, we MUST start learning how to be good citizens in the Kingdom. And the ONLY way to do that is to learn His original Divine Instructions in Righteousness known as “Torah” (the first five Books of the Bible) and live by them for Him.