More Than One Palm

As this iswhich of course it is referring to the day also called into Jerusalem and the branches of the palm trees. This is the day that palm fronds were waved by the crowds and together with Tallits, (prayer shawls/garments), were laid along the road for Messiah Jesus/Yeshua to ride over.What do Palm branches remind us of …? A tropical beach, southern climates, an oasis in the burning desert, children part of a procession dancing and singing Hosanna to the Son of David?

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming,
 sitting on a donkey’s colt!” (John 12:12-15 ESV)

The custom of palms traditionally at the end of ‘Lent’ in the Christian Church Calendar, can serve to remind us of a certain day in the month of Nisan, over 2000 years ago; because it has its roots in the Judeo/Christian and Hebrew Appointed Times/ Feasts of the children of Israel.In Jewish culture, palms were used for such an event because they are symbols of victory. As Jesus rides into Jerusalem amid shouts of praise and symbols of victory we clearly see the connection.

In the reference to the branch in Isaiah 11:1 Messiah Jesus IS the branch from the stem of Jesse growing out of his roots/stump.

Little did the people know that the victory Jesus would win was neither political nor military in nature but salvation victory.On His way to the cross, Jesus is riding into Jerusalem amid the shouts and palm branches where He won the victory for us over sin, death, and the power of the devil at the cross. The palms also representing the victory that Messiah Jesus/Yeshua won over our sinful, corrupt nature.

Click Link for https://www.minimannamoments.com/palm-sunday-nisan-the-appointed-time-of-the-lamb/

However as our English language often has the same word for two different meanings there is another connection here. Palm doesn’t just mean a certain type of tree, or the branch of that tree; It also refers to the part of our hands from the wrist to the base of the fingers.Our English word palm came from the Latin word for the tree or branch. One source says the word travelled to Northern Europe (where the English language developed) via the Christians bringing the word for the tree they used on Palm Sunday in celebration of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.The English word palm, meaning the part of the hand, is used in an Old Testament Bible passage.

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. 

Isaiah 49:16

In Isaiah 49:16 this is a reference declaring that we are written, inscribed, or engraved in the palms of His hands. God says this to us to remind us that He has not – and never will – forget us. Sometimes in stressful situations, it may ‘feel’ that He has; but God says this to us to remind us that He has not – and never will – forget us.And in Ps 31:15Our times are in His HandsWE are in HIS HAND –

Written on His hand.

Isaiah 49:16.See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. The word “engraved”, it is an eternal reminder, not just written, but ENGRAVED.

Behold I have graven

I have inscribed chaqaq חַקֹּתִ֑יךְ

(khaw-kak’) chak·ko·tich; to cut in, inscribe, decree; to hack, i.e. engrave (Judges 5:14, to be a scribe simply); by implication, to enact (laws being cut in stone or metal tablets in primitive times) or (gen.) prescribe.

Hebrew word for engrave is haqaq, meaning to mark out, inscribe, portrayed.

Portrayed means a representation of something, or in other words a picture, a picture of us engraved on the hands of the LORD. We look at our hands multiple times a day. When we worship Him they are open before Him, usually with our palms facing upwards in an attitude of openness and humility; giving of our love and gratefulness and also a readiness to receive. 

Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Is it possible that our names are written in His Book of Life not with ink, but with the Holy and Precious Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua?

Is it possible that on that day of Triumphal entry, He knew the deeper significance of the word PALM? His Blood was shed on the cross when He died for our sins. Are our names written with the Blood of Jesus that flowed when nails where driven through the palms of His hands – thus marking Him for eternity??As scripture tells us, Jesus is ever interceding for us before the throne of God.. maybe with His hands open in prayer, pointing to them and saying, ‘Look at this one engraved on My palm, look at this picture of them portrayed on my palms. I love them, and I am praying to you Father for them, keep them safe for they are in covenant with Us.’For example a wedding ring on someone’s finger whenever they glance down at it, it is a constant reminder that they are married to someone, they will always think of the one they are married to when they see their wedding ring. However, it is only a temporary token, but to have someone engraved on the palm of the Lord’s hands it is eternal.

I have engraved thee upon the palms of my hands.

 We are on the palms כַּפַּ֖יִם

Hebrew: kaph כַּ (kaf)

The hollow hand or palm, so of the paw of an animal, of the sole, and even of the bowl of a dish or sling, the handle of a bolt, the leaves of a palm-tree); figuratively, power.

kap·pa·yim hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot), a pan from kaphaph Kaf כַּ, meaning Palm, Open hand cover, Allow.

Your walls are ever before me.Isaiah 49:16

Behold, I have graven (8804) thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. [of My hands]; Your walls חֹומֹתַ֥יִךְ

cho·v·mo·ta·yich

חוֹמָה Entry for Strong’s #02346 – wall – chômâh   kho-maw’  

In the time in which this was written, walls were used as writing tablets to record the chronological detail of someone’s life, and to display a person’s life achievements, identifying who they were and what they did, including if they had a family, or what kind of possessions they owned.

This amazing verse highlights how interested the LORD is in every detail of our lives. Not only are we engraved upon the palms of His hands, but our lives, ‘the wall of our life’ is before Him.

Nothing is hidden from the Lord, yet he still loves us with an everlasting love.By engraving our names on the palms of His hands He reveals the depths of His love towards us. We need to better understand the meaning of that word ‘engrave’, Its like tatooing. You cannot take it out. Once it is engraved, it is the part of the skin..There is no way to separate both. So our lives with all its boundaries are constantly viewed by God; and because of this promise, we are to have childlike faith and be anxious for nothing.Everything we lack, everything we are, our limitations, our expectations, our hopes and dreams, our brokenness…everything is like an open book before Him. He knows what we are going through, He knows our limits too.

The LORD will never let go of us.Why He has engraved us on His palms?…it’s because He wants to see us everyday, every moment of our lives…because each one of us is precious in His sight. Imagine, the creator of this world, has us on His palms. What else do we need in life? This is to remind us that there is a greater love than all the other relationships that we have on this earth. It is the love of Jesus.

He is the only one who chose to die for us. He shed his blood for us.He suffered the shame and pain to make us His own and we are engraved on His palms. Nobody else or any kind of situation can remove us from there unless we choose to leave, we are constantly in His presence.

He loves us and is constantly praying for us and thinking of us. Listen to tender words of love from Psalm 139:17 (NIV), ‘How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!’

This Passover season and as we celebrate Palm Sunday remember you were in His thoughts as He prepared to go to the cross.

We were and are Engraved in the palms of His hands, the same hands that were pierced through for our sorrows.

There is another fascinating connection to God, Palms and Israel….

Below a flattened out map shows Israel in the center.The most amazing thing is that the area around Jerusalem, Israel as seen from above, resembles a hand. (Almost like a glove or mitten.)Here are some pictures which seem to reveal that He has His hand positioned on, in and over Israel.Topographic Map of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5.6-10)

But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel. 2 Chronicles 6:6

Is the Name of God Hidden on The Mountains of Israel?

A satellite picture made several years agoshows some Hebrew letters formed from the shadow of mountains on top of Israel.

This was looked at in depth in a previous post click link

https://www.minimannamoments.com/i-will-put-my-name-part-2/

Significance has been applied to the fact that there are three valleys that comprise the city of Jerusalem’s geography. This also has a connection to palm/hand.The Valley of Ben Hinnom, Tyropoeon Valley, and Kidron Valley, and that these valleys converge to also form the shape of the letter shin, the Temple in Jerusalem located approx. where the dagesh, the horizontal line is.This is seen as a fulfillment of passages such as Deuteronomy 16:2 that instructs the Israelites to celebrate the Pasach at ‘the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for his Name’. (NIV).

The first letter of ‘Shaddai’ in Hebrew is the letter shin (pronounced ‘sheen’). It is the 21 st letter of the Alef Bet (alphabet). See earlier posts for more.

The pictograph behind it is fire and teeth.

The word shin is spelled, shin-nun, (S N) from 

the Hebrew word for tooth is, shen and has the exact same spelling. Deut 9:3 

It is very significant and because of its importance to Shaddai one of the Names of God, a kohen (priest)  forms the letter Shin with his hands as he recites the Priestly Blessing.

Shaddai, meaning ‘the keeper of the doors of Israel’ and is also inscribed on the mezuzot placed on all the doorways of Jewish homes.The letter Shin is often inscribed on the case containing a mezuzah, a scroll of parchment with Biblical text written on it.

The text contained in the mezuzah is the Shema prayer, which calls the Israelites to love their God with all their heart, soul and strength. The mezuzah is situated upon all the door frames in a home or establishment. Sometimes the whole word Shaddai will be written.

 is said over the people, found in Numbers 6:24-26.

It is fairly well-known. However, lesser known, is the deeper meaning found
in the pictorial language of the ancient Hebrew.
It is not necessary for salvation to know and to search for the deeper meaning
but when we dig a little deeper, we are able to see additional beautiful pieces of the picture our Heavenly Father has been wanting us all to understand that we have all missed out on for so many generations.  In the following the information is:

Hebrew word(s)
English word
Ancient pictorial Hebrew language symbols
Name of the above symbols
Meaning found in the above symbols
Pictorial meaning of the word.

May YHVH bless you..and keep you…YHVH make His face..shineto you (upon you)and be gracious to youYHVH lift upHis countenanceto youand give youpeace.

 It could also be read this way:

YHWH, the head of the house with His own work 
strengthens His own hand

by His work He binds and overpowers the destroyer 
using the authority in His hand

YHWH, the Chief Ruler, He secures life and order, 
His teaching strengthens,

His work secures the hedge of strengthening life-

YHWH’s strong pressing hand lifts up, His work adds living utterance,

He strengthens authority, His hand destroys chaos,

His authority covers destroying the authority attached to chaos.

And we have His Name written upon our hands too, represented as the letter shinis seen in the lines of our palms.

And finally His very Name,Yeshua is also written upon your right hand. (In Hebrew letters):

 the Yud ” י ” (thumb),

the Shin ” ש ” (index/middle/ring),

the Vav ” ו ” (baby)

and the Ayin ” ע ” (palm to wrist).

In Hebrew: Yeshua ישוע (Jesus) אֲדֹנָי .

So everytime we look at our hands during the day remember God specifically tells us that He will not forget us. In fact, He says He cannot forget us because every time He looks at His hands, He remembers us. He has engraved us on the palms of His hands as a reminder of us, as a reminder to us of how much He loves us, as a reminder of what He did because He loves us; and amazingly His Name is recorded on ours! Right palm out and centered over head is our affirmation of Yeshua/Jesus Name. Particularly this coming week, as it is the week leading up to Passover… let’s remember what He did for us recalling His Palms of promise.Of all weeks in the year this is a perfect time to share the gospel message and make certain your family and friends are saved.

 Please don’t leave this page without the certainty in your heart that you are ENGRAVED IN HIS PALM.NOT SURE?

SAY THE PRAYER AT BOTTOM OF PAGE.

See other posts for details on Passover and His Spring Appointed Times/Feasts.

Not Passing Over

A Final P.S. Hand Of God Spotted By NASAs NuSTAR Space Telescope!

Make certain Jesus is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT CERTAIN? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/welcome-come-taste-some-bread-of-life-bread-from-heaven/life-changing-information-guaranteed/

The Sheltering Presence of God (cont.)

Hebrew: Succouth Sykkot Sukkot

Feast of Tabernacles – סוכות

Other names and titles used for this Appointed Time are:

Time of Our Joy – Zman Simchatenu–  זמן שמחתנו

Moadim L’Simcha (Appointed Times for Joy)

Zman Simchatenu Time of Our Joy – זמן שמחתנו

Simchat Torah – the Joy of the Torahשִׂמְחַת תורָה

Shemini Atzeret – Eighth Day of Assembly – שמיני עצרת 

Hoshanah Rabbah – Great Salvation – הושענה רבה

Chag Assif – Harvest Festivalחג אסיף.

The Four Species: Arba Minim

In Lev. 23:40, it is written, ‘On the first day you shall take the product of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafs trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.’

The Hebrew word for ‘goodly’ in the verse in Leviticus above is hadar {haw-dawr’} [01926] meaning ‘ornament,’ ‘splendor,’ or ‘honor.’        

There are 4 specific plants that are associated with the observance of Sukkot. The Hebrew name is The Four Species ארבעת המינים‎ Arbah Minim/Arba’at haminimThe command is to take these 4 plants each noted for their special beauty and wave them and ‘rejoice before the Lord.’ Each of the 4 species is different from the other and has its own unique significance.

The four consist of: 1st the Tamar (Palm branch which is defined in beauty by having a straight shape and leaves tightly bound.). The Hebrew word for ‘palm’ in this verse is tamar {taw-mawr’} [8558] meaning ‘palm tree’ or ‘date palm.’ Palm frond – lulav לולב
2nd: Three sprigs/branches/twigs of Hadas – hadass הדס – the myrtle branch hadasim (myrtle branches) which has a beautiful pleated pattern of three leaves coming out from the same point in the branch. The Hebrew word for ‘bough‘ in this verse is anaph {aw-nawf’} [06057] meaning ‘bough’or ‘branch.’3rd: Arava – the willow branch/twigs, two aravot – aravah ערבה – (the willow branches); which should have oblong leaves with a smooth edge. The Hebrew word for ‘willows‘ in this verse is arab {aw-rawb’} [06155] meaning ‘poplar’, ‘willow’ or a tree characterized by dark wood. 4th the Etrog  אתרוג the citron (a fragrant Mediterranean citrus fruit with a thick, white rind. It is often picked from the tree while green, and then ripens to a bright yellow.) It is about the same size as a lemon, but sweeter and spicier to serve as the ‘fruit of goodly trees’ that is mentioned in Lev. 23:40.
All the six branches are bound together and referred to collectively as the lulav.

Two willows placed on the left, one palm branch in the center, and three myrtles on the right.

Shaking the Lulav

The Etrog is held separately in the left hand and the Lulav in the right and with these 4 species in hand, each day during Succot, blessings, (example below) are recited over the Etrog and the Lulav.

Then they are lifted together with the Etrog, waved and shaken in all six directions (east, south, west, north, up, and down) reminding us that God is everywhere and also as a symbol of His mastery over all Creation.
(Lulav and Etrog are not biblical terms, however some do believe that Lev. 23:40 does refer to a lulav.)

(Psalm 23; Isaiah 43:1–2; Jude 1:24, 25) are references to the Biblical command to worship God with branches, (the Lulav,) which was to remind Israel of how God led them through the different stages of their wilderness journey by waving the three branches representing the different varieties of vegetation.

Of the largest was the Palm branches which grows in valleys and reminds them of their journey through the valleys and plains that God was with them.

Second was the thick boughs of the Myrtle tree with small dark leaves which grows in the high places and reminds them of their journey through the mountains where God was with them too.

The third one was the Willow, a drooping light green which grows by water and reminded Israel of the times and places when God was with them and provided brooks and streams of water for both the people and their animals to drink in the desert.The Etrog was to remind them of the fruits of the good land that the Lord had given them.

The Wilderness is this world, the journey is this life, and the instruction to all believers found in the Palm is stated in Psalm 23, no matter how dark or deep valley, and we are never alone.

With the Myrtle for when we go through the rockiest of times, facing seemingly insurmountable mountains, He will go with you and prevent us from falling.

The Willow is for the dry places and empty times in our lives, to remind us that He never leaves.

This is echoed 5 times in Hebrews: for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] Heb. 13:5b Amplified Bible,)

He will give us rivers and streams in the desert places, giving new life, sustenance and times of refreshing. The fruit speaks of the promised land. Regardless of what we go through in this life, it is not the end and only the journey to the place of our real future. Collectively it is the Lulav of the promises of God that we are never alone through all the valleys, mountains, deserts and all the hard,dry places, He has never left or abandoned us.

He is Jehovah Shammah the God who is Always there. At the start of the Israelites ceremony, the Etrog is upside down. The spiritual meaning is: before we came to God, we were in a state of being upside down. Through the ceremony, it is turned right side up and joined to the other three. This represents a marriage/covenant that is taking place. After we are turned right side up and turn to God, we later are joined to Him in marriage/covenant.

In Deuteronomy 16:14, the Etrog also represents the stranger who is the Gentile/Heathen/Goyim, who has joined themself to Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13). This is symbolic of the great congregation of non-Jewish believers in the Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.

 The One New Man (Eph.2:15).Like most ceremonial items in Israel, the Lulav (palm branch, myrtle, and willows) and the Etrog (citron) also have philosophical meanings. The ancient Rabbis (Hebrew word for Teachers, Jesus was often addressed as Rabbi), spent many hours discussing and trying to interpret the words and meanings of each instruction. Through the centuries, they have handed down various interpretations of the symbolism of the Lulav and the Etrog.

One popular teaching is that the 4 components of the Lulav and the Etrog, which are called in Hebrew the Arba Minim, symbolize the human condition and one’s relationship with God.
One famous interpretation of the 4 species likens each to a body part: the Etrog is shaped like the human heart;the palm fronds of the lulav are like the spine;

the myrtle leaves are shaped like the eyes,

and the willow leaves like the lips or the mouth.

Together, these 4 elements show that just as all 4 species are waved before God on Sukkot, so too we use all the parts of our bodies to worship and serve God: heart, spine, eyes, and mouth.

Rabbi/Teacher Stern developed additional meanings for the symbols of the Lulav and Etrog.

The Etrog stands for the heart of our society united in response to September 11th.

The Palm branch is our courage and fortitude in face of adversity.

The Myrtle leaves are the tears shed for the victims and

the Willow is our mouth to speak in praise of the heroes.

There is another symbolic layer of meaning related to the Etrog and Lulav and the two forms of Judeo-Christian lifestyles: study and good deeds. There are many wonderful drashot (homiletical explanations) for the number 4. Perhaps the best known is that there are 4 types of believers:

There is thought to be spiritual significance based on the characteristics of the Lulav and Etrog/Citron:

While the combined Lulav which has a good taste, but no smell, is like a person with knowledge, but who does no good deeds.

The Palm bears fruit (deeds) but is not fragrant (spiritual blessing). This is like a person who lives by the letter of the law but does not have compassion or love for others. The Palm branches possess taste but no fragrance, symbolizing those who possess learning but do not perform good deeds. The Etrog /citron, which has a good taste and smell, creates both fruit and fragrance is like those who know the Torah and do good deeds. This is like a faithful believer who lives a balanced life in wisdom before God and man. Believers should desire to be like the Etrog or citron/citrus fruit, which possesses both taste and fragrance symbolizes those who possess both learning and good deeds. The Myrtle is the inverse of the palm, but can’t bear fruit having only has a pleasant fragrance but no taste, is like a simple person who has no knowledge and learning but do good deeds. They may recite scripture, but they don’t produce fruit, yet are innately kind and caring . Lastly, the Willow, which cannot produce fruit and has neither taste nor fragrance, This is like a person who is intrigued by different doctrines but never produces fruit and symbolizes those with no interest in gaining knowledge, neither learning nor good deeds and no innate sense of responsibility towards others and no feeling of the need to help others.We, of course, want to be the Etrog, possessing both learning and good deeds. However, the reality of life is that our communities are made of all 4 types of people and because community is such a high priority in the Israeli lifestyle, all 4 species are tied together, as we ought to bring together all those in one community.The Four Species are also held during the service when the Hallel Prayer is said (select prayers grouped together for the holidays – Psalm 113 – 118) They are also held during the processions around the bimah*.

(The pedestal where the Torah/Scripture is read) each day during the holiday.

Bimah/Bema* also refers to Judgment Seat.

Bema* Judgment Seat at Corinth   Rom 14:10 2 Cor 5:10

 This is for believers only and occurs after 1Thess 4:15-17. Jesus is the judge and its for service not sins, quality not quantity, (obedience) and results in rewards or loss as our ‘works’ are tried by fire.

Messiah In The Feast Of Tabernacles:

There are several other ways to see how the Messiah adds to this holiday.

We are told in John’s Gospel, “The Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us…” (John 1:14). God’s presence came in the incarnate Messiah who was present with His people. He was Immanuel, Hebrew for God with us. The word dwelt here in the Greek means tabernacled. When He became flesh, Jesus inhabited the temporary shelter of an earthly body, He dwelt with us in a corruptible body, knowing He soon would be required to leave it. He did it so that we might find a home in Him – not a temporary shelter in the wilderness, but an eternal home in a Kingdom that abides forever.  Clearly in many ways this festival points to Yeshua (Jesus). God gave the Israelites manna and water in the wilderness, Jesus is spiritual bread and water for all who believe in Him.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst (John 6:35).

Paul taught that as the Israelites wandered in the desert over those 40 years they all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ (1 Cor.10:4).Jesus/Yeshuah is the bread, the water, the light (Jn 8:12) and the man whose name is The Branch (Zech.6:12). In short, Sukkot is all about Him.There is also further significance in the materials used for the Sukkah and Lulav, which are symbolical. The Palm is an emblem of victory throughout the Scriptures. In Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem: “And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Mk. 11:8).

We’re also told that the multitude from the Tribulation will be ‘…standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ (Rev. 7:9-10).

Another perspective is that the true meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled when Messiah Jesus gathers the ‘harvest’ of His children unto Himself. ‘…gather together his elect…’ (Mat 24:30-31) ‘.. the harvest of the earth is ripe …'(Rev 14:14-16) Jam. 5:7 Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently until it receives the early and latter rain.  During the Feast of Tabernacles there was a great ceremony called the Illumination of the Temple, (Beit HaMikdash) which involved the priests and the Levites going into the Court of Women and lighting 4 very large golden oil-fed lamps.These lamps were huge menorah candelabras (50 cubits high) (73 feet high) (22.25 metres) with 4 golden bowls placed upon them and 4 ladders resting against each candlestick. 4 youths of priestly descent stood at the top of the ladders holding jars containing about 7.5 gallons of pure oil, which they poured for each bowl.They were lighted in the temple at night to remind the people of the pillar of fire that had guided Israel in their wilderness journey.

The priests and Levites used their own worn-out liturgical clothing for wicks.

The light emanating from the four candelabras was so bright that the Mishnah (Hebrew commentary Sukkah 5:3) records that there was no courtyard in Jerusalem [Yerushalayim] that was not lit up with the light of the libation water-well ceremony (Beit Hashoevah).In addition, during this festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles) and this time, in the court of the women of the temple between the four posts of light, the accusers brought to Jesus/Yeshua, the woman caught in the act of adultery (Jn. 8:1-11). Jesus/Yeshua forgave the woman and proceeded to write a message on the ground (Jn. 8:5-9).What did Jesus/Yeshua write? The answer is in Jeremiah 17:13,14.

In these things, we can see that Jesus/Yeshua was no doubt reminding the people of the prophets warning and the messages of the festivals they were celebrating with the need to apply it to real life situations.
In celebration and anticipation, the holiest of Israel’s men danced and sang psalms of joy and praise before the Lord.This festival was a reminder that God had promised to send the Light, to a sin-darkened world. God promised to send the Messiah to renew Israel’s glory, release them from bondage, and restore their joy. Imagine what the atmosphere was like in ancient Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles as we try to visualize seeing those massive menorahs giving a tremendous amount of light.Now its easier to imagine the impact of the words said by Jesus in the Temple courtyard when He announced, “I am the Light of the world” (John 9:5).Spiritually speaking, the light represented the shekinah glory that once filled the temple where God’s presence dwelt in the Holy of Holies (1 Kings 8:10-11; Ezekiel 43:5). During this time, the temple (Beit HaMikdash) was thought of as “the light of the world.” In the brilliance of this gloriously lit temple, Jesus/Yeshua was the One who said of Himself, ‘I am the Light of the World’; and we are to be too.Jesus is the Light, the source of illumination to bring the lost out of darkness. It is not clear from the text when this incident happened, but it was some time between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah); both of these celebrations focused on light.

Our bodies are temporary just like the Sukkah was temporary. God dwelt with the Israelites in the desert and the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us today. Jesus is God tabernacling among men and women. ..tabernacle of God is with men…” (Rev 21:1-3)Zechariah Chapter 14 prophesies about this holiday. He writes when the Messiah comes, after there is judgments against the nations that come up against Israel, this holiday of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) will become something that all the remaining nations celebrate.

The Feast of Tabernacles is a picture of the Messianic Age, when God’s dwelling Presence will be with mankind. This can be seen in Zechariah 14, which describes the Messianic Age, and specifically notes that the Feast of Tabernacles will be observed during that time.

‘Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths’. The Lord will establish His Tabernacle in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 37:26), and the world will come every year to appear before the King and worship Him (Zechariah 14:16-17).Prophetically, Sukkot points not only to past fulfilled prophecies but also points ahead to future prophecy that will be fulfilled with Jesus second coming. Zechariah 8:3 teaches us that someday God will once again dwell with us in Jerusalem.

The Celebration of Water Pouring Simchat Beit HaShoevah The water libation was also full of meaning and significance. 1Samuel 7:6

The Messiah’s presence in the Feast of Tabernacles is also found in the rite of the Water Libation.

As Jesus was on the cross, (an altar of sacrifice), suspended between heaven and earth, (Himself making the bridge between the two realms); His side was pierced and out flowed blood and water and trickled down the side of the ‘altar’.

This ceremony was handed down as part of the Oral Law (Mishnah) and was known also as “Nissuch Ha Mayim.” This ties Jesus into the Gospel of John. The pouring out of the water and was also related to God pouring out His Holy Spirit.

The Daily Sukkot Ceremony

Nightly “Water-Drawing Celebrations,” reminiscent of the evening-to-dawn festivities held in the Holy Temple in preparation for the drawing of water for use in the festival service, fill the synagogues and streets with song, music and dance until the wee hours of the morning.The 2nd temple was destroyed in 70AD following Jesus’ prophecy in Mark 13:2 ‘And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’Before that time, Each day (Beit HaMikdash), there was a special ceremony out of the temple. The priests were divided into three groups. The first division were the priests on duty for that festival. They would slay the sacrifices (Num. 29). At this time, a 2nd group of priests went out the eastern gate of the temple (Beit HaMikdash) and went to the Motzah Valley, where the ashes were deposited at the beginning of the sabbath. There they would cut willows. The willows had to be 25 feet in length. After this, they would form a line with all the priests holding a willow. About 25 or 30 feet behind this row of priests, allowing room for the willows, would be another row of priests with willows. So, there would be row after row of the willows.The whole road back to the temple (Beit HaMikdash) was lined with pilgrims as they went to Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) to celebrate the festival as they were commanded by God to do. Sukkot (Tabernacles), along with Shavuot (Pentecost), and Passover (Pesach), were known as the pilgrimage festivals (Deuteronomy 16:16).

Three Pilgrimage Festivals שלושת הרגלים

 During the times of the Temple, the Israelites used to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as commanded:

“Three times each year, all your males shall thus present themselves before God the Master, Lord of Israel.” (Exodus 34:23)

There would be a signal and the priests would step out with their left foot, and then step to the right, swinging the willows back and forth. Meanwhile, a third group of priests, headed by the high priest (Cohen HaGadol), went out the gate known as the Water Gate. They had gone to the pool known as “Siloam” (Jn. 9:7,11), (which means “gently flowing waters”from which the High Priest used to draw the water for the Water Offering in ancient times.There the high priest had a golden vase and drew the water known as the living water (mayim hayim) and held it in the vase.His assistant held a silver vase containing wine.Just as the priests in the valley of Motzah began to march toward Jerusalem so did the priests in Siloam. As they marched toward the city of Jerusalem the willows made a swishing sound in the wind as they approached the city. The word wind in Hebrew is Ruach. The word spirit in Hebrew is also Ruach.

Therefore, this ceremony was symbolic or representative of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) of God coming upon the city of Jerusalem.

As each of the party reached their respective gates, a trumpet (shofar) was blown.Then one man would stand up and play the flute (the flute represents the Messiah). The flute player is called “the pierced one.” The flute is pierced, and Jesus/Yeshua was pierced during the crucifixion (Psa. 22:16; Zech. 12:10; Jn. 19:34-37; Rev.1:7).The flute player led the procession. The pierced one blows the call for the wind and the water to enter the temple. The priests from Motzah swishing the willows come into the temple (Beit HaMikdash) and circle the altar 7 times. The priests that were slaying the sacrifices are now ascending the altar, and they begin to lay the sacrifices on the fires. The high priest and his assistant ascend the altar and all the people of Israel are gathered into the courts.

The people start singing the song Mayim, saying, “With joy we will draw water out of the well of salvation [Yeshua]” (Is.12:3; Mishnah, Sukkah 5:1).

 

The high priest takes his vase and pours its contents on one of the corners of the altar where the horns are.There are two bowls built into the altar. Each bowl has a hole in it. The water and the wine are poured out over the altar as the priests who had the willow start laying the willows against the altar, making a sukkah (a picture of God’s covering).
Messianic Understanding:  Again this is a picture of Jesus/Yeshua as He was on the tree. He was on the altar (tree) when His heart was pierced (John 19:34), then the water and the blood separated and they were poured out. The wine here representing His Blood shed for us.

God through Yeshua was providing a covering (sukkah) for all those who would believe in Him.
Wine is representative of marriage, blood, covenant, joy, and the Messiah in Scripture. The priests took the willows to the altar and set them upright on the side of the altar, forming a wedding canopy or chupah and representing the marriage covenant. The high priest will take his golden vessel and pour out the water on the altar. The assistant will pour out his silver vessel of wine on the altar. Jesus/Yeshua said that He was the living water being poured out during this ceremony (John 7:2, 37-38).

Spiritual Application (Halacha). During the time of Jesus/Yeshua, the Feast of Sukkot set a magnificent stage for the preaching of the Messiah. Rain is essential to the growing of crops and Israel, an arid land, prizes rain greatly as a blessing from God.Rain was a prominent feature in the celebration of the Feast of Sukkot. The ‘ceremony of the water drawing’ held a significance much deeper than its agricultural implications.

The rain represented the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) and the water drawing pointed to that day when, according to the prophet Joel God would rain His Spirit upon (all flesh) (Joel 2:28-29).
The connection of water to this verse is God pouring out His Spirit. ‘With joy shall ye draw out of the wells of salvation'” (Is.12:3).Sukkot was given by God to teach us of the coming Messianic era, the Millennium, when the earth will experience the greatest outpouring of His Spirit. 


  On Hoshanah Rabbah, “The Great Hoshanah,” the priests circled the altar seven times. On this final day of Sukkot, probably during the water ceremony, Yeshua (Jesus) stood up and proclaimed Himself to be the source of Living Water—the salvation they joyfully prayed for.  He invited all who were thirsty to come and drink, the water representing the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh). “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Yeshua stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’  By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.” (Jn. 7:37–39)
Another sign of Jesus the Messiah being part of the Feast of Tabernacles is what is commonly called His Triumphant Entry (Zechariah 9:9) found in all four Gospels. This also shows another connection between Passover and Sukkot.

The 6th day of Sukkot it is a cry for salvation, hoshea na rabah – save us now, let us increase or deliverance now. This is the time/season for repentance which is a precursor to, and without which, salvation is not possible. It is also a reminder of Yom Kippur just 11 days prior. On this day during the days Jesus was on the earth, in the second Temple period, there was a procession in Jerusalem. The people walked the streets singing from Psalm 118:25 Hoshea na in Hebrew and Hosanna in Greek which means Save us now.Those who were familiar with this procession understood the full meaning of the practice and when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem it did not pass without them understanding its significance.   (Matt. 21:1–11; Mk. 11:1–11; Lk. 19:28–44; Jn. 12:12–19)

For believers in Messiah this prayer has already been answered: “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). The cry for salvation at Tabernacles is heard and answered through Jesus the Messiah, for He came to “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).On the 7th day of Sukkot, 7 circuits are made. For this reason, the 7th day of Sukkot is known as Hoshanah Rabbah (the Great Hoshanah). It is considered a holiday in of itself.In the end, the entire planet earth will become a Sukkah where God dwells (Rev. 21:3-4).

Some believe that Revelation 7:9 gives a glimpse into a Heavenly Tabernacle Celebration when it says: ‘After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands’.

In the fullness of time Messiah cameIn the fullness of time Messiah will return

 The Sheltering Presence of God Abides With Us Always.

While learning more about His Appointed Times, may we all remain in the Sukkah of His Loving Protection.

 

 

 

At-One-Ment With The One You Love

Special Word of Introduction:

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there are different times and seasons. This is a time to be serious and to put away, to cast down and throw from us all that would distract and keep us from the One to whom we owe EVERYTHING.

We will sing of your love for ever, we will declare your faithfulness and mercy to the generations.

This is the pen-ultimate appointed time of the Hebrew calendar year. The 6th of 7 specific dates the Lord set into the annual cycle of life, incorporating the harvest seasons of the grains and fruits. Times chosen when The Lord God wanted to spend time with His people.They were all a prophetic type and shadow, a fore-telling of the coming Savior. A rehearsal for the future Messiah, JESUS who came a little over 2000 years ago and literally fulfilled the words of the prophets concerning God’s plan of the ages.

In Hebrew,Jesus was the burden removing, yoke destroying answer, redeeming mankind and all who will believe and trust in His atoning sacrifice of substitution at Calvary.

There His Blood has paid the price for ALL our transgressions. The wages of sin is death, meaning eternal separation from God’s presence. Because of Jesus, we will never have to experience that or have to personally pay the price for our errant ways. Ezekiel 18:20 ‘the soul who sins he shall die..’

Yom Kippur is all about the sacrificial offering of a pure unblemished innocent life, freely and willingly given to cover for sin, through the shedding of its blood. (For the life of the flesh is in the blood. Lev. 17:11) Yom haKipuriym/day of the Atonements, falls on the 10th day of the 7th month. It is not a feast day but rather a Holy convocation, an opportunity to deny ourselves, a time for self examination. A perfect opportunity for a heart (spiritual) check-up.As the High Priest performs the atonements for himself, the altar, the Tabernacle, and the whole community in Israel, we are encouraged to stop and think. To turn those thoughts to our own lives and allow an inner conviction to lead us to true repentance and then to the acceptance of the blood sacrifice of Jesus as a means of cleansing and forgiveness.Jesus our Messiah has clearly fulfilled both the position of our High Priest and that of our personal sacrifice, He atoned for us once and for all and is continually making intercession for us before the Father.He does not need to make sacrifices for Himself and for us year after year in order to atone for our sins–it has already been accomplished for ever. Hebrews 9:6–12

The weight and penalty of the sins, was symbolically transferred to the animal sacrifices for that year, so that forgiveness could be attained.

Our willingness to deny self on this day does not cause, aid or enhance our atonement, however it allows us to become acutely aware of our own mortality, our sin, our continuing need for atonement, and our desire for life. At the same time it causes us to appreciate on some minute level, the sacrifice the Master made as He denied His own life on our behalf and to re-evaluate our own commitment to walk in the way, the truth and the life, by obeying and keeping His commandments.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matt.5:17-20

 

The sanctity and holiness of this day cannot be understated.

Though we may find great joy in our eternal atonement in Jesus the Messiah, this is a day for remembering the atonement in such a way that it should be very hard to forget in the busyness of daily life.

Although we are saved by grace and live by faith, we are still accountable for our individual lives and for changing our ways in compliance of being a ‘doer’ of the things Jesus taught and not a ‘hearer only’.

We are to be contemplative, repentant, humble and dead to ourselves because the self sacrifice necessary to atone for our sins is far beyond what any of us are able or willing to do. It would take every drop, every ounce of blood in our bodies to cover even our own sins, much less the sins of another.

However we can rejoice for the Messiah has come! Atonement has been made and He has obtained age enduring redemption, which is available for us! Justice is satisfied and Mercy fulfilled, once and for all!On Yom haKipuriym, day of the Atonements, we are also to remember that we live and breathe only because the Father so chooses, and that by His choice, He has the right and the power to take it away as well. A sobering reality.

Lk. 12:20; Mk. 13:44.

Hard though that is for some of us to admit, once born again and redeemed, it means that God through Jesus bought and paid for us and we belong to Him. Our life is no longer our own to live as we please and our destiny is His hands. At this time the story of Jonah is appropriate, teaching that sincere repentance can reverse even the harshest heavenly decreeand the prevention of Jonah’s flight shows that no one can escape from God.There is such an abundance of revelatory instruction around the 7th appointed time, it is prohibitive to attempt to include everything in one post, so some aspects are not mentioned below due to space and in an attempt to curtail longevity, however it is not out of ignorance or neglect.

(Further details regarding insights on the sacrifices and Temple proceedings followed at Yom Kippur will be posted on more mini manna moments/ deeper dig.)

Now for the Main Meal of the day! Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement (Lev. 25:9) 

The Biblical name for the day of Atonement is Yom HaKippurim, meaning ‘the day of covering, canceling, pardon, reconciling.’ Occasionally, it was called ‘the Day of the Fast’ or ‘the Great Fast’ (Lev. 23:27-31; 16:29-34). It is a unique ceremony which took place on the ancient Hebrew calendar for the children of Israel, it was the holiest day of the year and still is for believers and the Jewish community today. ‘Kadosh’, often translated as ‘Holy’, it also has a deeper meaning and conveys an understanding of being separate and set aside for Adonai /The Lord and not as the world and the things of the world are.Deut. 7:6, We are to be His own unique treasure.

This day marks the end of the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe) and falls on the 9th/10th day of Tishrei (Tishri), the seventh month in the Jewish calendar.It’s not a feast like the others that we have looked at. It is a day of repentance and it’s still of great significance for Christian believers, because not one of us is perfect.  It’s a time for us to make a decision to be better in the coming year than we were in the past year. Paul makes mention of Yom Kippur when he refers to it in Acts 27:9 saying that the fast had already gone by, as the main focus of this day is to fast before the Lord.Names used are:

Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)

Face to Face
The Day (or the Great Day)
The Fast
The Great Shofar (Shofar HaGadol)
Neilah (the closing of the gates of heaven as the festival concludes and the judgment was set for another year.)

 

UNDERSTANDING THE PRIESTLY SERVICE FOR YOM KIPPURLev. 16, specifies the 10th of Tishrei as the date on which the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) shall conduct a special ceremony to purge defilement from the sanctuary and from the people. The heart of it is that the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) shall bring a bull and two goats as a special offering. First, the bull is sacrificed to purge the sanctuary from any defilements caused by misdeeds of the priest himself and of his household (Lev. 16:6). Secondly, one of the goats is chosen by lot to be sacrificed, to purge the sanctuary of any similar defilement stimulated by misdeeds of the whole Israelite people (Lev. 16:7-8). Finally, the second goat is sent away, not sacrificed, to cleanse the people themselves. The goat is marked for Azazel and is sent away to wander in the wilderness (Lev. 16:10).Before the goat is sent out, the high priest lays both his hands upon its head and confesses over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites, whatever their misdeeds, and so putting them on the head of the goat. Thus, the Torah adds, ‘The goat shall carry on it all their iniquities to an inaccessible region…’ (Lev. 16:20- 22).

AZAZEL: THE SCAPEGOAT

The Hebrew word for scapegoat is ‘Azazel’. Azazel was seen as a type of satan (Ha satan). The sins of the people and thus the punishment of the people were laid upon Azazel the scapegoat. Azazel being sent into the wilderness is understood to be a picture of satan (Ha satan) being cast into the lake of fire (Rev.19:20).The sins of the people were laid upon the scapegoat (Lev.16:21-22).

 

ADDITIONAL ASPECTS TO THE HIGH PRIEST CEREMONY

In order to enter the Holy of Holies, the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) was first to bathe his entire body, going beyond the mere washing of hands and feet as required by other occasions. The washing symbolized his desire for purification (Num. 19). The washing was of his clothes and his flesh (Num. 8:5-7;19:7-9).

This was done in conjunction with taking the blood of an animal with the finger
and sprinkling the blood upon the altar (Num. 19:1-4; Lev. 8:13-15 and in Num. 31:21-24.)  

‘And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering.’

The priest dipping his finger in the blood and placing it on the horns of the altar represents that the sin is recorded. The mark of a finger print in blood is evidence a death had taken place to pay the price for the sin.By this action, the altar had in a sense, become defiled until on the Day of Atonement when the pure blood of the Lord’s goat was placed on the altar to purify it.

The blood is shed for the sinner’s life and to satisfy the demand of the law, on the Day of Atonement the redemption is finalized. So too, is the process in the heavenly sanctuary on the day when our sins are blotted out. 

 The spiritual understanding of this is given in Heb. 9 -10:19-22.
The sprinkling of blood upon the altar is also mentioned in Ex. 29:1-4,10-12, 16,20-21; and Lev. 1:3-5,11; 3:1-2,8; 4:1-6; 5:4-6,9. The spiritual understanding is found in Heb. 9:11-14,23-25, and 1Pet. 1:2.

FACE TO FACE

The high priest (Cohen HaGadol) could only go into the Holy of Holies once a year (Lev.16:2; Heb. 9:6-7).(God issued a warning that no man could see His face and live (Ex.33:20). But because on the Day of Atonement the priest could be in God’s presence (Lev.16:2), another term for the Day of Atonement is ‘face to face.’  At that point, the high priest was ‘face to face with the mercy seat of God.’

Face in Hebrew: panim or paneh פָּנִים (paw-neem’)When the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) entered the Holy of Holies, he saw the Lord’s presence as a brilliant cloud hovering above the mercy seat (Lev.16:2).The word for mercy seat in Hebrew is kapporet. It comes from the root word kaphar, which is the same word used for atonement. The mercy seat can also be translated as the seat of atonement. The mercy seat is described in detail in Ex. 25:17-22 and 37:6-9. This is the place where Moses (Moshe) met and spoke with God face to face (Ex. 25:22; 30:6; Num. 7:89).The themes are:

Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and affliction of the soul.

The incense of the golden censer represents the prayers of Bible believers.Repentance Repent (Teshuvah) return to the Lord.

Hear (Shema) the calling (Shofar) for our lives.

Yielding ourselves to God so we may live every day (face to face – al paneh – פָּנִים) in His Presence. Furniture of the Tabernacle

Atonement

 At the moment the atonement was made on the Day of Atonement, those being atoned for were sinless and blameless before God.

The congregation of believers (kehilat) in the Messiah is being presented before God without spot or blemish (Eph. 5:27) because of the blood of Jesus/Yeshua (1 Pet. 1:19).Messianic Fulfillment; Jesus/Yeshua is the sacrifice of God for us who believe on Him (Heb. 9:26-28; 10:1-10). 

Forgiveness

Messianic Fulfillment: Aaron the high priest typifies the ministry of mediator and intercessor. Jesus/Yeshua is our High Priest (Heb. 3:1) and Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 12:24). He lives to make intercession for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:22-27).Spiritual Application (Halacha): By the death of Jesus/Yeshua, we are free to enter into the veil every day not just once a year. (Matt. 27:50-51; 2 Cor. 3:14; Heb. 4:16; 6:13-19; 10:19-22).

 More about the Goats 

Lev. 16:7–10. the high priest would stand before the people in Jerusalem with two identical goats.He would then put his hand into an urn where there were two lots, each one with a different Hebrew word carved into it. The High priest would then remove them both, one in each hand. He then placed the lot in his right hand on the head of the goat to his right the other to the goat on the left.One of the lots decreed that one of the goats would live and be set free, the other that it would die as the sacrifice for the sins of the people on Yom Kippur.  This is where two goats (or lambs) were chosen annually to represent the sins of Israel, one was sacrificed as the usual sin offering and the other released into the wild, bearing the sins of the people on it.The fate of each goat was determined by the drawing of the lots. The black lot signifying the scapegoat and the white lot, the goat for sacrifice. When the lots were drawn, if the black stone was found in the priest’s left hand when the stones were revealed it was an indication that the offering was unacceptable to the Lord. White meant yes, black meant no.

The Mystery of the Semikhah

Within this ceremony is also the mystery of the Semikhah. This is the sacred act that had to take place before a sacrifice could be offered up for the sins of the one offering it, or before the scapegoat could take away the sins of the nation on Yom Kippur.

It is the mystery of physical contact.

The person offering the sacrifice had to make physical contact with the sacrifice itself.

The priest had to touch it and very specifically had to place the palms of both his hands on the sacrifice.Lev. 16:21, Only after the Semikhah was performed could the scapegoat take away the sins of the nation or the sacrifice be offered up as an atonement.

The mystery is the Messiah. He is the sacrifice. 

As the Semikhah must be performed and it was the priests who offered Him up and then delivered Him to His death. In accordance with Scripture, the priest had to make physical contact with the sacrifice by placing his hands on it. Mk. 14:65 records that after condemning Him to death the priests struck Him repeatedly with their hands. The description shows that they specifically struck his face and head the palms of their hands and afterwards Messiah was led away to be killed.What we need to comprehend is that what took place on earth at that moment, was symbolic of what happened in heavenly realms. That is where the reality and sovereignty of God’s intervention took place concerning the fate of mankind. In truth, it was God who performed the Semikhah when He placed our sins on Jesus, ensuring that sins are gone, Semikhah was completed and those sins can never return!

 

MESSIANIC UNDERSTANDING

God gave this ceremony of the casting of lots during Yom Kippur to teach us how He will judge the nations of the world prior to the Messianic age known as the Millennium. The nations of the world will be judged according to how they treated the Jewish people. Those nations who mistreated the Jews will be goat nations and they will go into the left hand. Those nations that stood beside the Jewish people will be sheep nations and will enter into the Messianic kingdom or the Millennium. Matt. 25:31-46.
Jesus/Yeshua during His first coming was a type of the goat marked La Adonai. He was a sin offering to us as God laid upon Him the sins of the whole world (Is. 53:1-6; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:3-4; Heb. 2:17; 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10).

In the ceremony of the two goats, the two goats were considered as one offering. A crimson sash was tied around the horns of the goat marked Azazel.At the appropriate time, the goat was led to a steep cliff in the wilderness and pushed off the cliff.  Before there could be any sacrifice, there had to be a public presentation of the two goats before the people and the decision of which destiny would be for each goat. In the life of Messiah before his sacrificial death at Passover He too was presented before the people by pilate. For them to choose which man would live and which would die. With the goats only one could become the sacrifice, so Messiah had to be one of two lives presented to the people in order to be chosen as the sacrifice. According to the Yom Kippur decree and the requirements of the ceremony, the other life had to be let go and his name was Barabbas. Matt. 27:15–24

They had to be identical but how could that have been true? Barabbas was a sinner, bandit and murderer Jesus was sinless.

It’s all in the name.

Jesus our Messiah was also the Son of God, the Son of the Father and Barabbas name in Aramaic comes from two words. Bar which means Son and Abba which means father so therefore Barabbas means son of the father. The two men each bearing the same name son of the father. So the one who was the sacrifice and the one set free were identical in this way. Similarly, as we believe Jesus was the son of God, He was also equal to God; then it would follow that God in the flesh had to die in our place and have an equality in some way with us. (John14:9, If you have seen me you have seen the father.) He did become flesh in the form of a man, in the ‘likeness’ of sinful flesh and as such was ‘identical’ to fulfill the law.Bar Abba (Barabbas) was a symbol of the disobedient nation of Yisra’el, and he was released from prison even though he was guilty. But our Messiah, Jesus was killed in his place, because He became the scapegoat for Yisra’el!The definition for the word ‘scapegoat’ is ‘the innocent party who takes the blame for the guilty party.’ The nation of Israel/Yisra’el, (the firstborn son) was the guilty party, but the Father put on human flesh and became the Son (representing Israel/Yisra’el) by trading places with him! 

(This is where we get our idiom for a scapegoat, for the one who takes the blame.)

Messiah fulfilled the pattern of the twin goats on Yom Kippur and then he also fulfilled the role of the Kohen Gadowl (High Priest) that year when He read Is.61:1-2 in the synagogue (Lk. 4:19) declaring the acceptable year of The Lord.”
We are not under the law of sin and death any more we are under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Rom.8:2

Because of the sovereign purposes of the Lord, Israel has undergone a partial hardening until all of those whom God has called from among nations have been grafted in to the Olive tree of God. During this age of grace, those who were called not my people, are intended to provoke Israel to jealousy by means of the message. (Hos. 2:23) After the age of grace is complete all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26) and the original covenant will be fully restored and redeemed. Yom Kippur will be a fulfilled festival on that great day. Then the words of the prophets will be proven true and God will be vindicated. Israel will be adorned with honor and blessing above all the nations of the earth and they will finally be home from their long exile.

The aspect of ‘hidden, covered, veiled.’ We see ‘Yom Kippur’ typology here with the concept of being ‘covered’ or ‘veiled.’ To this day, the Jewish people have nick-named this day of ‘Yom Kippur’ as ‘face-to-face’ because it was this one time per year when the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies ‘behind the veil’ and come ‘face-to-face’ with The Lord!As the High Priest had to intercede on behalf of Israel/Yisra’el for her sins, if he had any sin for which he had not repented, he would die in the Holy of Holies! At the future Day of Atonement, the bride who sufficiently sanctifies herself or ‘afflicts’ and prepares herself will be able to come ‘face-to-face’ with the bridegroom. Likewise on that day when Jesus returns, the veil will be removed from her face and her heart (Israel) and she will ‘see’ her Messiah (2 Cor. 3:14-16). The scales will fall away from her eyes also as she will ‘look upon’ the one whom she pierced (Zech. 12:10).

In the future, during the ‘Ten Days of Awe’ between The Feast of Trumpets & the Day of Atonement, there will also be a ‘7-day’ wedding for the bride of Messiah.

Through Yeshua  the atonement has been made, not just for a year but forever; not just for Israel but for all who will believe.  We have been and will always be forgiven by God’s grace through faith. Jesus is not still on the cross however 
because of Jesus who is the heart and prophetic fulfillment of every one of God’s holy days. These are His feasts, the feasts of the Lord. Because God chose Israel to be His witness to the rest of the world, the celebrations commemorate events in Israel’s history.  Through them God revealed His character and His plan of redemption through Jesus.

So the Feasts are continual reminders of God’s faithfulness and goodness.  They connect us together as a community and are anchors of our souls.

The ultimate fulfillment of the year of Jubilee will take place at the second coming of Messiah.The earth will be redeemed and come into full and complete rest from the curse brought upon it by Adam’s sin. Complete restoration of man’s lost inheritance will take place. God’s people will be totally set free — set at liberty, from all sin, sickness and disease, death, and the curse. Satan (Ha satan), the source of all these things, will be bound and true rest, true shalom will be realized. The tabernacle of God will be with men and He will dwell with them (Rev.21:1-4). So, the day of Atonement speaks of the fullness of the redemptive plan of God for man.We do well to remember, liberty and freedom are NEVER really free.

Somewhere – sometime – someone...

has ALWAYS paid the price for that freedom. It would behoove us to count the cost now, today – for there will be no avoiding the inevitable day of reckoning.