Seasons of The Lord – Moedim – Rhythm of Life Part 2

Moedim – מועדים

Continued from the last post where we looked at an overview of the Spring Moedim – Our heavenly Fathers Appointed Times/ Seasons/Signs.

The fall Moedim or last of the 7 annual appointed times/feasts begin in September in the Hebrew month of Tishrei.

The calendar months are shown in a chart below:

The spring feasts/moedim, clearly reveal the first coming of Jesus our Messiah/Yeshua our Mashiach:

Rosh Chodashim – The Biblical/spiritual New Year [Nisan 1]

Preparing for Passover – Spring – cleaning house

Passover Pesach – Celebration of freedom/deliverance

The Passover Seder – Nisan 15 (evening of the 14th)

Unleavened Bread/Chag HaMatzot – Messiah’s Burial – Nisan 15-22

Sefirat HaOmer – Counting from the Omer – Nisan 16 – Sivan 5; the countdown to Shavu’ot.

Firstfruits – Reishit Katzir- Messiah’s Resurrection; Nisan 17

Pentecost – Shavu’ot – The giving of the Torah at Sinai and the giving of His Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit to the Church – Sivan 6-7

Due to the length of the previous post, Shavuot,

pronounced Sha-voo-ote/ Pentecost,

it is included here first, as the last of the Spring Moedim.

Links for more on each of the Moedim are included throughout the text and for Shavuot at link below:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/2-x-3000-a-marriage-made-in-heaven/

Its’ purpose was the Offering of the harvest – First Fruits in the month of Sivan, mid-May to mid-June, seven weeks plus one 50 days after the First Fruits of Unleavened Bread.

The Greek word for Pentecost meaning 50. It was symbolized by the basket, which at Shavuot would have held the wheat recently harvested.

Leviticus 23:15. And you shall count from the next day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete; 16. To the next day after the seventh Sabbath shall you count fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to the Lord. 17. You shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven; they are the first fruits to the Lord. 18. And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bull, and two rams; they shall be for a burnt offering to the Lord, with their meal offering, and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire, of sweet savor to the Lord. 19. Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lamb of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before the Lord with the two lambs; they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21. And you shall proclaim on the same day, that it may be a holy gathering to you; you shall do no labor in it; it shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22. And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not make clean riddance up to the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning of your harvest; you shall leave them to the poor, and to the stranger; I am the Lord your God.

This commandment to leave the corners and not to glean is the only commandment in Leviticus 23 that deals with something other than these special days. The reason for this command is that this reminds the farmer that the crop is not his, but the Lord’s; it also ties in with the story of Ruth and Boaz.

The Feast of Weeks is not on a specific date, but the start of it is determined by counting the weeks, seven weeks plus one day, which is why it is called Weeks.

As already mentioned, the Greek name is Pentecost, meaning 50, for the 50 days or 7 weeks plus 1 day. Counting the days between them ties the two First Fruits together, just as Yeshua/Jesus ties His resurrection, ascension, and the giving of the baptism of His Holy Spirit at the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost.

Exodus 19:1 tells us that in the 3rd month, the month of Shavuot, the people were at Sinai. This chapter tells how He gave the Torah to His people and for this reason Weeks/Shavuot, also celebrates the giving of Torah. The emphasis on Torah brings to mind the statement.

You shall have no other gods before Me.

This means we must leave ALL our idols behind, which is hard to do in this materialistic, Nicolaiton-like, Humanist, pleasure-filled age. In our fleshly carnal lives, old habits die hard, clearly seen with the children of Israel during their years in the wilderness; and today, in our focus on material things instead of being doers of the things Messiah speaks of in Matthew 25:35.

For I was hungry and you gave Me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, 36. and I was poorly clothed and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.

Because in Exodus 19:8 all the people answering said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do and this was on Shavuot; this day is likened to a wedding, tying His people permanently to Him.

The Fall Feasts reveal:

the Messiah coming for His bride

the kellat Mashiach – Bride of Messiah,

the 2nd coming of our Savior,

the national conversion and atonement of Israel, God’s original-covenant people,

and – especially regarding Sukkot –

the final restoration of the earth in the olam habah/world to come:

Yamim Nora’im – Days of Awe:

Rosh HashanahTrumpets – Yom Teru’ah on Tishri 1 –

the Messiah coming for His bride/the kellat Mashiach –

i.e., the church/ecclesia or Bride of Christ.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/apocalypse-of-the-teruahs-cry/

Day of AtonmentYom Kippur – Tishri 10 – Israel’s national salvation

Tabernacles – Sukkot Tishri 15-21 – A picture of the millennial kingdom

Hoshana Rabbah – Tishri 21 The seventh day of Sukkot

Shemini Atzeret – Tishri 22 – The 8th day of assembly following Sukkot

Simchat Torah – Tishri 23 – Celebration of the giving of the Torah

More relevant posts found on home page under main heading:

7 FESTIVALS/APPOINTED TIMES/FEASTS

The Hebraic Biblical Spiritual Year begins with Passover/Pesach and the Hebrew/Jewish civil year in Israel begins in the fall. Preparations for these days begin with a 30 day period of repentance/teshuvah during the entire month of Elul.

The Fall appointed times/mo’adiym for Israel are outlined in Leviticus 23:23-44.

Then the next 10 days begin on Tishri 1 with the

Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah,

and end on Tishri 10 with the

Day of Atonement Yom Kippur

These first 10 days of the civil new year are called the

Ten Days of Awe – aseret ye’mei teshuvah: עֲשֶׁרֶת יְמֵי תְּשׁוּבָה.

In Hebrew they are also called:

The High Holy Days –

Aseret Yemei Teshuvah – Ten Days of Repentance.

This takes place during the first 10 days of the month of Tishrei, which is usually between late August to late September.

Days of Awe is the name of these days from

Rosh HaShanah to Yom Kippur,

these days are for each person to focus on repentance and on choosing to be a better person during the coming year than they were in the year just completed.

In Psalm 119:59 David knew he was not perfect: and we all need to be like him as he said, I considered my ways.

All of us must admit that since the beginning of time there has only been One perfect being Who walked the earth – our Messiah.

The Fall Appointed Times are intended to remind us each year that everything we say or do should be done for eternal reasons reminding ourselves that all our words and actions have eternal consequences and results

The Fall Appointed Times

can help us to understand an eternal truth.

Almost all believers are at least aware to some extent of the

Biblical Fall Holy Days:

Rosh HaShanah/Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets,

Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement

and Sukkot /Tabernacles.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-the-sound-of-the-trumpet/

Over the years, more and more churches have begun to add, or in some way recognize these days. 

In Judaism, these Days are referred to in terms of

repentance and asking for forgiveness

and then

having sins covered from one year to the next,

through the substitutionary sacrifice made on Yom Kippur.

As we read and study these days in the full context of Scripture, we learn that the most important part of them is not about the here and now, but about the eternal aspect. These days, as well as all of the other Appointed Times, were provided so that we would have a temporary symbolic reminder in helping us to be more focused on the eternal reality of our existence and future goal. 

These Appointed Times/Moedim, are to continually remind us that we are an eternal spirit/soul living temporarily in a physical body and to be more mindful of the Heavenly, not the Earthly.

Why is this important?

Because if we are living solely for the present, then our hearts are focused on the things of this world which include the snares and traps of the enemy in the form of addictions, fornication, greed, envy, gluttony, adultery and all other sins as we read in:

1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the boasting of life—is not from the Father but from the world. The world is passing away along with its desire, but the one who does the will of God abides forever. 

Also in Romans 8:7-8

For the mindset of the flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not submit itself to the law of God—for it cannot. 8 So those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

and Romans 8 doesn’t end there… it goes on to say in verse 9:

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Ruach (Spirit)—if indeed the Ruach Elohim dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Ruach of Messiah, he does not belong to Him.

This dichotomy between the temporal of the Flesh and the Eternal of the Spirit is also revealed in Galatians 5:16-17:

But I say, walk by the Ruach, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Ruach, but the Ruach sets its desire against the flesh—for these are in opposition to one another, so that you cannot do what you want.

We can clearly see that the battle is not about being good or bad, it is about living for either the temporal or the eternal and as it says in Colossians 3:1-2:

Therefore, if you have been raised up with Messiah, keep seeking the things above—where Messiah is, sitting at the right hand of God. Focus your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

The Fall Appointed Times are intended to remind us each year that everything we say or do must be done for eternal reasons because our words and actions have eternal results or consequences.

Sometimes called the Day of Memorial

The Hebrew name is ZichronMemorial or Remembrance,

More well known as Rosh HaShanah/ ראש השנה /New Year.

This time can be a good opportunity for us to remember all that our Heavenly Father has done for us and for each of us to respond to the ongoing call to teshuvah/repentance,

a time of reflection in preparation for remembering the Day of Atonement that Messiah is indeed our atoning sacrifice.

This time is sometimes referred to as the Feast of Trumpets/Yom Teruah, the Bible does not specifically call this a feast, and neither is a trumpet mentioned in the Hebrew text. The shofar/rams horn, is blown as a call to repentance.

Leviticus 23:23. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24. Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall you have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of horns, a holy gathering. 25. You shall do no labor in it; but you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.

Tradition has noted this day as being the anniversary of Creation, which is how this day became known as Rosh Hashanah/New Year. Civil Years are dated from this day, while months are counted from Nisan, Passover/Pesach which is also the start of the spiritual new year.. The year 2022 is the Hebrew year of 5782 and moving into 5783.

Tradition also has the Day of Memorial as Judgment Day. Matthew 16: 27. For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will give back to each according to his actions.

The focus of synagogue services are prayer and repentance. There are services the first evening, the next morning, then a late afternoon service which has a custom called Tashlikh, meaning cast, during which sins are symbolically cast into the sea. This is based on Micah 7:19.

He will again have compassion upon us; he will suppress our iniquities; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

The whole congregation throws bread into the nearest sea, lake, or river. Cast your bread upon the waters.. Ecclesiastes 11:1 and Micah 7:19 says ..You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. The water needs to be flowing to represent the washing away of sin. The waters of Rosh Hashanah symbolize the creation of the world and its new beginning, as with each individual and the casting away of sin. Most important in this event is a call for forgiveness, for each individual to forgive everyone of everything each has against someone. 

True repentance cannot bear fruit until the repentant person forgives every one of every little thing and every big thing. Nothing can be held back.

Matthew 6:12, 14, 15. You must right now forgive our sins for us, in the same manner as we have completed forgiving everyone of everything, big and little, against us. 14. For if you would forgive all other people their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15. but if you would not forgive all other people, neither will your Father forgive your sins.

The Day of Memorial celebration lasts two days because it is so difficult to precisely determine the day for the new moon, the 1st of Tishrei, other months are less critical than Tishrei 1.

At meal times, round loaves of hallah/challah bread are a symbol of the ongoing cycle of life/chaim. Many dip pieces of bread or apples in honey which speaks of hope for a sweet year about to begin.

The Day of Atonement In Hebrew:

Yom Kippur – יום הכיפורים, Yom HaKipurim

Its’ purpose is for repentance and forgiveness of sins.

Also called Shabbat Shabbattone meaning Sabbath of Sabbaths, indicating the Holiest Day of the Year, and no manner of work is done on this day, Tishrei 10, which is between early September and early October.

The Scriptures referred to are Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41. These are called the Sh’ma Yisrael, which means, “Hear, O Israel..”

Leviticus 23:26. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27. Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement; it shall be a holy gathering to you; and you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.

  1. And you shall do no work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29. For whatever soul it is who shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. 30. And whatever soul it is who does any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. 31. You shall do no kind of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32. It shall be to you a Sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls; in the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, shall you celebrate your Sabbath.

It is important for Christians to recognize that even though we are made righteous by faith and by the blood of the Lamb, we are not to be presumptuous, because not one of us has been perfected and all need to improve during this coming year. It is this desire to be who our Heavenly Father wants us to be, that compels us to walk in daily repentance, however we are to be especially watchful during this time that His instructions have established a season of repentance.

The last of the 7 is Tabernacles/BOOTHS

The Hebrew name is Sukkot

and another English name often used is Tabernacles

the purpose of this feast/appointed time, is for the

First Fruits of the Fall Harvest

celebrated on Tishrei 15, which is mid-September to mid-October.

Leviticus 23:33. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34. Speak to the people of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Booths for seven days to the Lord. 35. On the first day shall be a holy gathering; you shall do no labor in it. 36. Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord; on the eighth day shall be a holy gathering to you; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord; it is a solemn assembly; and you shall do no labor in it.

The Feast of Booths begins at sundown on Tishrei 15. Most Christians usually call this the Feast of Tabernacles, however the correct term is Feast of Booths because the Hebrew word used is Sukkot, referring to the flimsy shelters that are required, and because it has no relationship to either the tabernacle in the wilderness or to David’s tabernacle.

Booths are made, based on Leviticus 23:42. You shall dwell in booths seven days; all who are Israelites born shall dwell in booths; 43. That your generations may know that I made the people of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God. 44. And Moses declared to the people of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

These booths are made from palm fronds or leafy branches, and are not supposed to be very stable, meaning they are not good for protection. Men are to live in the booths during the entire time of the feast. Women have the option of living in the house or staying in the booth, although meals are to be eaten in the booth. Meals are shared with friends, neighbors, and especially the poor and the entire feast is celebrated as a family, doing everything together and the children are involved in every part of the celebration.

Nehemiah 8:17,18 And all the congregation of those who were come back out of the captivity made booths, and dwelt in the booths: for since the days of Yeshua (Joshua) the son of Nun to that day the children of Yisra’el (Israel) had not done so. And there was very great gladness. Also day-by-day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the Torah of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the prescribed form. (Jerusalem Bible, Koren Publishing, Jerusalem).

On the first day the reading is from Zechariah 14:1-17 

It seems from scripture that Jesus/Yeshua celebrated Sukkot.

John 7: 2. And the Feast of Booths of the Jewish people was near.

John 7:10. And as His brothers went up to the feast, then He also went up, not openly, but in secret. Messiah honored every season of His Father and never suggested any changes to them and neither has author of the New Testament suggested changing any of these Biblical seasons.

Sukkot, or Booths, is the third First Fruits of the seasons being the Fall harvest. The first fruits are to be brought in a basket, as described in First Fruits during Unleavened Bread.

As the Feast begins, the trumpets are blown for the first time since the first of the month Elul, the month before Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are announced by the shofar, the call to repentance. The trumpet, however, is a call to rejoice, and a call to war.

Links below:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/sheltering-presence-god/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/sukkot-the-promise-of-a-permanent-dwelling-place/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/endings-are-simply-new-beginnings/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/in-the-end-its-all-about-yeshua-jesus/

In celebrating Sukkot each celebrant carries a collection of branches, called Lulav. The Lulav is taken to the Western Wall in Jerusalem according to the following Scripture: Leviticus 23:40. And you shall take on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.

Tradition uses Four Species as very important symbols. The two best known symbols speak of unity, which represents both unity of purpose and unity of the Jewish people:

The citron = the heart;

the palm branch = the spine;

the three myrtle leaves = the eye;

the two willows = the mouth.

The total number of items included are 7.

The palm branch and the three myrtle leaves are held in one hand, the citron and two willows in the other. These are waved to the North, South, East, and West to show that every corner of the earth belongs to God. This is a parallel to the 70 bulls offered which were meant to secure blessings for the 70 nations of the ancient world.

Next there is the etrog, having both taste and a pleasant aroma, this is to symbolize a person who knows Scripture and does good deeds. The lulav, a branch of the date palm whose fruit has a taste but no aroma, symbolizes someone who knows Scripture but does not do good deeds!

The myrtle, having no taste but does have an aroma, symbolizes a person who does not know Scripture but does good deeds. The willow, having neither taste nor aroma, symbolizes the person who neither knows Scripture nor does good deeds!

More detail on the Lulav at link below:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-sheltering-presence-of-god-cont/

Anyone not in Jerusalem/Yerushalayim carry these Lulav to their synagogue and wave them while reciting Psalms 113-118. They walk in procession around the inside of the synagogue seven times, reciting prayers for deliverance. The basis for this is from when Joshua marched around Jericho seven times on the seventh day.

And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory shall be a canopy. 6. And there shall be a booth for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. Isaiah 4:5,6.

The first day, from sundown to sundown the next day, is a Sabbath, but feast day Sabbaths are partial Sabbaths. The partial Sabbath is noted in

Leviticus 23:6.

And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7. In the first day you shall have a holy gathering; you shall do no labor in it. 8. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord seven days; in the seventh day is a holy gathering; you shall do no labor in it.

The second day is the Libation, which refers to:

pouring water from the Pool of Shilokh/Siloam on the altar.

Water from this pool was used with the ashes of the red heifer. 

On the third day, Ecclesiastes is read as a reminder of human frailties, a follow-up of Yom Kippur.

The sixth day is a cry for salvation,

Hoshea na rabah

Save us now! Let us increase!

This is a time for repentance, which is necessary for salvation, and a reminder of Yom Kippur. On this day during the 2nd temple period/Messiahs’ day, there was a procession through the streets of Jerusalem, singing Hoshea na! from Psalm 118:25.

Hoshea na,

written in Greek as Hosanna,

means Save us! Now!!

Some scholars say that this could have been the date of Messiahs’ triumphal entry, however, the date is not what is most significant. The important point is that all those at Messiahs’ triumphal entry knew about this practice and the full meaning behind it.

The 7th day is another partial Sabbath, called Shemini Atseret meaning Conclusion. This is celebrated back in the house. On this day the children pray, thanking God for a good harvest and praying for rain for the coming year for the next good harvest. John 7:37. And on the final Sabbath day of the feast Jesus stood and cried out saying, If anyone would drink he must continually come to Me and he must continually drink. 38. The one who believes in Me, just as the Scripture said, rivers of living water will flow out from his inner being. 39. And He said this about the Spirit, which those who believe in Him were about to take: for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Other Scriptures confirming this are:

Proverbs 18:4. The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters, and the fountain of wisdom like a flowing brook.,

and Isaiah 58:11. And the Lord shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make strong your bones; and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

Living water is a symbol of Torah – the Word of God.

The 8th day is a post-Biblical holiday called Simchat Torah/Joy of the Torah, which in Jerusalem/Yerushalayim, is combined with Shemini Atseret/Conclusion. Simchat Torah is annually the most joyful day, when the reading of the Torah is completed each year according to Deuteronomy 34:5-12; and the reading for the coming year is started once again.

Genesis 1:1-31. The first verses of Genesis are read immediately following the reading of the last verses of Deuteronomy to provide continuity, so there will not be a time that Torah reading is completed. This too hints at the continuing cycle of life.

The appointed seasons from Leviticus 23 are completed however there is one more Israelite/Jewish holiday, mentioned in John 10:22

This holiday is Hanukkah, and means Dedication. Although normally spelled Hanukkah in english, and sometimes spelled Chanukkah, the correct spelling is Khanukkah.

This is celebrated on 25 Kislev, which is late November to late December.

As there is no reference to Khanukkah in Leviticus, it is not included in the 7 moedim and has been covered in posts links below:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/hanukkahchanukah-believers-today/

The Feast of Booths/Tabernacles completes the annual agricultural cycle and it’s a time to remember all that our Heavenly Father has brought us through, individually and collectively and encourage our brothers and sisters as we walk with Messiah.

Romans 12:8. or the one who encourages in encouragement: the one who shares, in sincerity without grudging, the protector or guardian giving aid in diligent eagerness, the one who is merciful in cheerfulness.

This is also a time for family and a time to look for the Messianic reign, to prepare His bride and ready ourselves for the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Revelation 19:5. And a voice came out from heaven saying, You, all His servants, and those who fear Him, the least and the greatest, (Psalm 115:13) must continually sing praises in honor of our God. (Psalm 22:23, 134:1, 135:1) 6. And I heard a sound like a great crowd and like a sound of many waters (Ezekiel 1:24, 43:2) and like a sound of strong thunders saying, Hallelujah, because our God the Lord of Hosts did reign. (Exodus 15:18, Psalm 22:28, 93:1, 99:1, Daniel 7:14, Zechariah 14:9) 

Let us rejoice and be glad and we will give Him the glory, because the marriage festival of the Lamb has come and His wife has prepared herself 8. and it was given to her that she would be clothed in brilliant pure fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. (Isaiah 61:10)

Then he said to me, You must now write: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true words of God. (Revelation 19:9) 37.

These are the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy gatherings, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meal offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day; :38. Beside the Sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord. 39. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast to the Lord seven days; on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. 40. And you shall take on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41. And you shall keep it a feast to the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42. You shall dwell in booths seven days; all who are Israelites born shall dwell in booths; 43. That your generations may know that I made the people of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God. 44. And Moses declared to the people of Israel the feasts of the Lord. (Leviticus 23:37-44)

The offerings mentioned for these feasts include animal sacrifices, which no Christian would make. The Jewish people have not offered animal sacrifices since the temple was destroyed in 70 AD because the sacrifices can only be offered in one place – on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. Even now, nearly 2,000 years after the destruction of the temple, the temple mount is still in the hands of heathens, since the Mosque of Omar stands directly over the rock where Abraham offered Isaac, which scripturally is the only place in the world that a Israelite/Jewish priest can sacrifice an animal other than the red heifer.

No Christian would ever need to offer an animal as a sacrifice because, even though Leviticus 17:11 says that the blood makes atonement, the blood of the Lamb of God, which is still being poured out for us Matthew 26:28, IS our atonement.

Although it’s not necessary to keep all the traditions, we do need to study the Hebrew Scriptures and familiarize ourselves with the facts on which the Israelite/Hebrew/Jewish traditions are based, and be a doer of everything Scripture requires.

Would it not be respectful to our Heavenly Father that each congregation carefully bring to remembrance appropriate celebrations and phase out the inappropriate pagan elements we have become accustomed to in our own denominational traditions? However, the most important thing is to bring Christians/believers to a better understanding of our Heavenly Father and His commandments and to observe the same seasons that Messiah Jesus/Yeshua HaMashiach celebrated.

Each season is significant in meaning for every life committed to serving Him and this is the timetable Messiah, every New Testament author, all the apostles and disciples followed.

This annual schedule is referred to as The Rhythm of Life and if we follow it is very clearly the culmination of a process.

First comes redemption at Passover/Pesach; then the purpose of redemption which was receiving the Torah on Shavuot; and, finally, these lessons are brought into our everyday lives when we find our joy in observing the commandments at Sukkot.

Additionally, Sukkot is the fulfillment of the process of Teshuvah/repentance and Yom Kippur/atonement, when we successfully escape out of the snares of sin.

Matthew 5:17, 18. Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets: I did not come to abolish but to bring spiritual abundance. 18. For truly I say to you: until the sky and the earth would pass away, not one yod or one vav could ever pass away from the Torah, until everything would come to pass. (Luke 16:17)

Maybe if we are to see the power of the 1st century ecclesia/church in our communities and nations today, we need to match that early ecclesia/church in holiness, love, unity, and obedience to what they knew as Scripture. Remember all they had was what we term as the old Testament and sometimes when we say old, we think its no longer important to our lives….and it is still very relevant according to Jesus/Yeshua!

In conclusion here is a brief history of the removal of our Hebrew Heritage and roots. It is very sad concerning the way the ‘Church’ has acted, however it is important every one who calls themselves a Christian should be aware of the historical facts.

The reason Hebrew Heritage/Jewish Roots were lost early in Church history is that many of our often-revered Church Fathers were anti-Semitic, and deliberately changed their celebrations and altered various doctrines specifically to make a complete break from Judaism. Justin Martyr, Polycarp, and Marcion were among those in the 2nd century who began the onslaught against the Hebrew/Jewish people and Judaism itself. In the middle of the 2nd century, Marcion was the first to write that the New Covenant had replaced all previous covenants – and at the time he was known as a heretic. John Chrysostom, known for powerful, sermons in the 4th century, gave a series of 17 extremely anti-Semitic sermons at the time when the pagan celebration of Ishtar, the fertility goddess, was made official to replace Passover/Pesach for the celebration of Messiah Jesus’ death and resurrection. Some had begun this celebration of Ishtar late in the 2nd century. Also, the Roman winter solstice celebration in honor of the god Saturn was established as the celebration of Messiah Jesus’ birth. In the 5th century Augustine brought Greek philosophy into Christian theology, which has continued to influence the Church to this day.

In the 4th century the new celebrations made an official separation from Hebrew/Israelite/Judaism and opened the door to violence against the Jewish people, who because of this often view Christians even today as “the enemy” and in light of history with good reason. It is a sad and shameful fact that over the centuries Christians have exceeded all other groups combined in the killing of Gods chosen people/Jews. These include numerous persecutions and massacres, with brutal attacks on entire Jewish villages, all through Europe right through to the Holocaust.

Research shows that in 1492 Ferdinand and Isabella forced all the Jews to leave Spain. These forced exoduses were common, with Jews moving from one country to another, virtually all over Europe, where every European country expelled them at least one time. Jews were forbidden to own land until they migrated to the colonies in American. The Spanish Inquisition is well known for cruelty to the Jewish people, where forcing conversions were imposed. It’s because of these historical events that the symbols of crosses and references to crusades are among the most evil things imaginable to Jewish people.

To understand the Hebrew Heritage and Jewish roots of western Christianity, we need to look at the Hebrew Scriptures; where among the 1st things the Church did to separate from Judaism was to change the Appointed Times/seasons of the Lord, which should be essential for believers to honor just as Jesus did. Recall the words of the Lord to Joshua in 1:8:

This Book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth; but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written on it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.

There are some Days of Teshuvah

remaining and we would do well to examine our ways…

and if we are wandering off that straight and narrow way…

it’s time to  teshuvah –

https://www.minimannamoments.com/returning-to-your-first-love/

Turn back NOW

to our Heavenly Father with

ALL of our hearts and cling to Him with ALL of our strength

and allow Him to change us from the inside; so that in these days of darkness we will be the lights shining ever brighter. We are to be that beacon of hope to those who are hopeless; pointing to the One Who can forgive, redeem, restore, save, heal, deliver, sanctify and cover us in His precious Blood and lead us into everlasting life/chaim. Every year this cycle continues and will remain until He returns and we know…

Below in a nutshell although there seems to be variations on the date … the following according to hebcal.com are this years dates for:

Rosh Hashana 2022 / רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה 5783

begins at sundown on

Sunday, 25 September 2022 and ends at nightfall on 

Tuesday, 27 September 2022. 1-2 Tishrei 5783.

Rosh Hashanah  ראש השנה –

literally head of the year,

is the Jewish Civil New Year. It is the first of the

High Holidays Yamim Noraim – Days of Awe,

celebrated ten days before Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah is observed on the first two days of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. Described in the Torah as יום תרועה -Yom Teruah,

a day of sounding the Shofar – Day of blowing.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/at-one-ment-with-the-one-you-love/

Yom Kippur / יוֹם כִּפּוּר /Day of Atonement

for Hebrew Year 5783 begins at sundown on

Tuesday, 4 October 2022 and ends at nightfall on 

Wednesday, 5 October 2022.
10 Tishrei 5783

Yom Kippurיוֹם כִּפּוּר or יום הכיפוריםDay of Atonement,

is the holiest day of the year in Israel and themes are

atonement and repentance.

Traditionally observed with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services. Yom Kippur completes the annual period known as the High Holy Days or sometimes the Days of Awe.

Sukkot / סוּכּוֹת/ Feast of Booths

Sukkot for Hebrew Year 5783 begins at sundown on 

Sunday, 9 October 2022 and ends at nightfall on 

Sunday, 16 October 2022. 15-21 Tishrei 5783

Sukkotסוכות or סֻכּוֹת, sukkōt, or sukkos,

Feast of Booths, Feast of Tabernacles 

celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei – late September to late October. It’s one of the 3 Shalosh regalim on which they were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem/Yerushalayim.

 Can we say with the children of Israel/Yisrael…

  • כֹּל אֲשֶׁר-דִּבֶּר יְהוָה נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע.

“All that God has spoken, will we do and obey.”

Exodus 24:7

Shalom shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

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

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

WHY WAIT?

The disciples/talmidim were instructed to

tarry/wait

in the city of Jerusalem/Yerushalayim.

Luke 24 :49.

qavah is Hebrew for wait

לַחֲכוֹת

Tarry/wait/qavah in the city.

 More Hebrew words for wait 

verb לַחֲכוֹת await, hang on

verb לְהַמתִין await, hold on

verb לְיַחֵל hope, expect, look forward to

verb לְמַתֵן wait, moderate, slow down, temper, tone down

לחכות wait

 להמתין wait

 please wait a moment – בבקשה חכה רגע

Strong’s Hebrew: 6960. קָוָה (qavah) — wait

qavah: wait

Original Word: קָוָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qavah
Phonetic Spelling: kaw-vaw’
Definition: to wait for

KJV: Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed:

INT: Indeed who wait not will be ashamed. Psalm 25:5

HEB: יִשְׁעִ֑י אוֹתְךָ֥ קִ֝וִּ֗יתִי כָּל־ הַיּֽוֹם׃

NAS: of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.

KJV: of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

INT: of my salvation for wait all the day. Psalm 25:21

There are a few words in Hebrew for wait. 

In Isaiah 40:31 we learn that those who 

wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.

This wait is qavah

which is a twisting or binding.

It is the word used for making rope and the ancient method of making rope is still used today.

Hundreds of thin strands of fabric, each one alone could easily be broken, but when tightly bound together they form a rope that cannot be broken.

We may here recall the scripture:

A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

Ecclesiastes 4:12.

In some weddings, a three-cord braid is included as part of the ceremony, here the three cords that are not easily broken represent Our Heavenly Father, the bride and the groom.

So in Isaiah 40:31 this waiting is just not sitting back, doing nothing, it is a process of binding/blending/melding/merging ourselves with the Father and the more we bind ourselves to Him, the stronger we become.

In Isaiah 30:18, however, he uses a different word for wait.

which is the word chakah this is a:

patiently waiting,

like someone waiting for a train.  

However, this word is in a Piel or imperfect form,

so it has the meaning of:

a continuing process, it is patiently waiting.

יָחַל verb Niph`al – wait;
Pi`el – await (compare Late Hebrew יִחוּל expectation);
to Niph`al – Perfect feminine singular – נחֲלָה in Ezekiel 19:5
also
Imperfect: וַיִּיָּ֫חֶל in Genesis 8:12 + 1 Samuel 13:18 וַיּחֶל;

and 
wait: Genesis 8:12 and he waited yet seven days.

WAITING – CHAKAH – the Hebrew letters: 
 חכה – Cheth Kap Hei.

The word chakah is spelled:

Chet, Kap/Kaph, Hei/Hey.  

The Chet indicates:

moving to a higher level,

something like:

waiting in line and then moving forward.  

Our Father is patiently allowing us to go through our human/carnal ways, trying to satisfy all our needs by ourselves; then all of a sudden He appears next in line.  

Here we find the next letter in the word for

waiting – chakah 

which is the letter Kap/kaf

this has the picture word for: 

the palm of the hand.  

This shows us that all this time our Father has been holding out His hands in order to receive us; and finally after years of searching for answers, we ask Him to come into our lives.

The 3rd Hebrew letter in the word

to wait, chakah, is Hei

and is akin to:

the conclusion of His waiting, entering His presence which is filled with all of His graciousness and mercy.

Isaiah 30:18 tell us about it:

 blessed are those who chakah (wait) for Him.   

Our chakah is not in the sentence construction/parts of speech as a Hebrew Piel or imperfect form, it is a Hebrew Qal participle (a word formed from a verb (e.g., going, gone, being, been) and used as an adjective or noun.

This means in others words: 

blessed are those who

have been waiting for God. 

Without realizing it we have been waiting for Him all the time; we just did not know or understand it.   At least our Father’s waiting has been in the Hebrew (Piel Imperfect sentence construction) as in: He is waiting

rather than a (Piel Perfect) form which would say

He has waited.

Why is this important?

Because for us this means,

He hasn’t given up, He is still waiting. 

If that were in the form of

He has waited,

then, He would have given up a long time ago

and we would be without hope.

Another Hebrew word is

Strong’s Hebrew: 3176. יָחַל (yachal) — to wait, await

yachal: to wait, await

Original Word: יָחַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: yachal
Phonetic Spelling: yaw-chal’

In the following versions of Luke 24:49

English words used are:

remain and tarry

Berean Literal Bible
And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But you, remain in the city until that you should be clothed with power from on high.”

King James Bible
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Amplified Bible
Listen carefully: I am sending the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you; but you are to remain in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high.”

מט .הִּנֵהָאֹנכִיׁשֵֹלַחֵאתֲאׁשֶרִהְבטִיַחלָכֶםָאִב יוְַאּתֶםהֹוחִילּוּבָעִירְירּוׁשָלִַיםעַדִּכי

-ִתלְּבְׁשּועֹזמִָּמרֹום:

  1. Hee•ne ano•chi sho•le•ach et asher hiv•ti•ach la•chem Avi ve•a•tem ho•chi•loo ba•eer Ye•roo•sha•la•yim ad ki-til•be•shoo oz mi•ma•rom.

This must have been an extremely stressful time immediately following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus/Yeshua. There was much unrest in the city which was filled with 1000’s of people who had travelled there for the Spring Meodim/Appointed Times of Passover/Pesach; which was one of the 3 annual Shalosh Regalim. Passover/Pesach/הַפֶּסַח, Pentecost/Shavuot/שבועות & Tabernacles/Sukkot/סוכות.

Though they are called Feasts by many, the correct Hebrew translation is Rehearsal Pattern because it is a rehearsal. It was/is a practice for the real thing to come, similar to rehearsals prior to a wedding ceremony; and why they were required to be in Jerusalem precisely at those times. We looked at this in previous posts.

This had been a momentous time; unlike any other previous year and the turmoil following those events had made the talmidim/disciples and followers of Messiah further targets for those who had plotted to kill Him.

On the road to Emmaus, one of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, “Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in recent days?”

verse 18.

Luke 24:13-24

In verse 25: Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken!…

This was confirming that HE WAS the fulfillment of Gods’ prophetic plan of redemption.

Luke 3:16
John answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

John 1:26
“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know.

John 1:33
I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

And while they were gathered together, He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss. Acts 1: 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6

5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6So when they came together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.… But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”…

Strong’s Greek: 4037. περιμένω (perimenó) 1 Occurrence

Acts 1:4 V-PNA
GRK: χωρίζεσθαι ἀλλὰ περιμένειν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν
NAS: Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father
KJV: but wait for the promise
INT: to depart but to await the promise

לחכות ל wait for

לחכות wait

The length of time they were told to wait was not just for a couple of days, it was for the next 49 days until Pentecost/Shavuot.

Yeshua/Jesus had said He had come to fulfill the Torah which has the Moedim/Appointed Times of the Lord as pivotal to the annual cycle of Israeli life.

We miss the full revelation of what Messiah accomplished as we in our western christianity and calendar festivals, jump from Passover/Resurrection Sunday (which we have called easter), to Christmas. There is a very precise sequence of Appointed Times/Moedim, whose meanings were prophetic in nature in their annual rehearsal for fulfillment in Messiahs’ life.

What was the purpose of this waiting?

He told them they would be

endued with power from on high

but why did they have to wait so long?

What does it mean for us?

The purpose of waiting is part of our training as talmidim/disciples.

It is for us to get into the right relationship to meet the requirements of our Heavenly Father and His Will not ours. Once those needs /requirements for being His child /disciple are met then He will open the doors and make the WAY clear for us to GO and DO and fulfill His will, plan and purposes.

One thing we should have learned during our 49 day walk/halak, it is this; we cannot artificially accelerate the growth of our crops and we cannot force them to produce out of season!

We need to see that we are not in control and being impatient will only cause frustration.

It will also choke the seeds and prevent them from bringing forth the harvest; which will result in us being impatient farmers with only barren and unfruitful fields. We must bear the fruit of patience if we are to grow in Messiah, without it we become impatient, impetuous, unsatisfied and are always looking for a future we cannot change. This is sad because it means we are ignoring what we have been blessed with today in the here and now.

Our training is accomplished by the power of His Spirit/Ruach within us, as we are also

endued with power from on high!

and for what?

To be witnesses to Him.

We must allow our lives to be slowly and continually transformed by the indwelling life of His Son; which is the ultimate purpose and goal ..that Jesus/Yeshua be exhibited in us.

This Shavuot/Pentecost, let’s be in an attitude of waiting after our days of preparation, and allow Him to do the necessary work in us and then He can fill us again. Just as we recharge batteries and continually refill our cars’ tanks with fuel, we need to be-being filled with His Spirit – continuously.. to go on being filled not just one time. Meaning to completely surrender our life and give Him full control. Ephesians 5:18 commands that we be filled with the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 the command is given, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” Paul gives the simple principle when he says, “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” Gal. 5:16. The important experience of becoming a Spirit-filled disciple results in the progressive sanctification of a believer in Messiah. The result will be that the individual will manifest the fruit of the Spirit as stated in Galatians 5:22-23,

The 49 days leading up to Pentecost/Shavuot is a time of looking at our own lives and allowing God to do His work in us so He can work through us.

Hebrews 10:9 Behold I have come to do your will O God.

Jesus/Yeshuas life was one of obedience to His Father and He said Follow Me; so we are to be obedient to His/our Fathers will also.

We must take the time to be continually filled up or we will have nothing to pour out. If all we are doing is seeking to be blessed personally, we are missing the point of servanthood. We are blessed to be a blessing – freely we have received, freely we give. If we are always taking in/receiving, and not giving out, we will stagnate like the waters of a pool with no outflow; then we will become like the Dead sea and not a sea of Galilee. Living waters flow continually, that is what flowed through Messiah and what we are to release to others. Let Him pour into us so we can pour out.

For Them…?

The time of waiting was not a new thing for the disciples as every year the counting of 7 weeks or 49 days from the Omer following Peasch/Passover to Shavuot/Pentecost/Weeks was part of the Spring Feasts/Moedim/Appointed Times of the Lord which they followed every year.

Leviticus 23:1-2 God introduces His Moedim/Appointed Times when He begins by declaring to Moses

My appointed times are these….

This statement makes clear that these Moedim/Appointed Times, originate with our Heavenly Father, they cannot be claimed to have been appointed by any nation, including Israel. While they were initially given to the children of Israel for them to observe as their calendar/way of life, they are just as applicable to the followers of Messiah today.

  Many have grown up believing that the Jewish Feasts have nothing to do with the New Testament body of Messiah – the ecclesia, the called apart ones.  A few have grown up trying to take back the feasts and celebrate them, while rediscovering Christianity’s Hebrew Heritage. Some have never heard of the Feasts at all, however there are a growing number who are interested in what the Moedim/Appointed Times/Feasts of the Lord, have to impart to us prophetically.

Questions for us are: why are we ignoring what the Father has instructed us to do and why are we only understanding and remembering 2 of the 7?

We have the benefit of the completed Word of God so we can study His plan of redemption; and one of the ways in which He prophetically revealed His big picture plan, is through the Appointed Times/Moedim/Feasts of the Lord.  Approximately 4000 years ago, God commanded His people to gather in sacred assembly for very specific celebrations – His Feasts.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocationsthey are my appointed feasts.  (Leviticus 23:1-2)

If we are not aware of the Moedim/Appointed Times when we read that verse, we do not understand the whole picture.

God commanded a yearly remembrance of each of His Holy convocations. The Hebrew word for sacred assembly or holy convocation is miqra, which carries the meaning of a dress rehearsal.  Every time these festivals are celebrated, it is a visual and spiritual aid to remind humanity of the prophetic plan of God.

Prior to each feast’s fulfillment, it points forwards to Messiah. 

During each feast’s fulfillment, it points directly at Messiah. 

Subsequent to each feast’s fulfillment, it points backwards to Messiah.

These seven appointed times are collectively called the mo’edim and are detailed in Exodus 12-13, Leviticus 23, Numbers 28-29 and Deuteronomy 16.  Together, they represent the Fathers’ entire redemptive plan from Messiah’s death through His millennial rule.

This is what Yeshua/Jesus was referring to in Matthew 5:17-18 when He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law/teaching till all is fulfilled.” 

Because the common western understanding of fulfill

means done away with,

Christians have believed that Yeshua/Jesus meant the prophetic pictures pointing to Him are now no longer needed. This is not what He meant, because to Jewish rabbis at that time, the word that is translated into English as

fulfilled was understood to mean: 

the true or correct interpretation of Scripture,

while the word destroy meant: to give a false or incorrect interpretation. 

Yeshua/Jesus was telling them that:

He did not come to do away with the Hebrew Scriptures/or destroy i.e. lead them astray by false teachings 

Rather, He was:

the human embodiment of their true meaning and spiritual reality.

Again we can see other reasons for the WAITING…

First it was for their own preparation and

second because Messiah was not yet glorified.

As soon as He was glorified Acts 2:33 tells us:

therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the father the promise of the Holy Spirit/His Spirit of Holiness He poured out this which you now see and hear.

The second reason is in the statement in John where he clearly tells us in 7:39..

for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.

This is not the case for us today because His Spirit of Holiness/Ruach haKodesh, has been given and Messiah is glorified; our waiting is not dependent on the promised future outpouring; but rather on our own spiritual condition/preparation, to receive what is readily available.

We know from scripture that the influence and power of His Spirit were at work before Shavout/Pentecost because He was upon individuals, prophets, priests and kings of the Old Testament; and in some instances, He filled them with His Spirit: e.g. both John the Baptists parents. Luke 1:41

However, once Messiah was glorified in His ascension, His Spirit of Holiness/RuachHaKodesh, came into the world in an unrestricted way and has been here for the last 2000+ years. It is critical that we believe and receive this revealed truth that He is indeed here in our midst; and within each believer who welcomes His presence, influence and power. He will not force His presence upon us but patiently waits for us to invite Him in as we yield to His offer.

The attitude of receiving and welcoming His Spirit into our lives is to be the continual attitude of a believer. When we receive His Spirit we receive His life/chaim which revives us, imparting the same resurrection life that raised Him from the dead, which will quicken us and make us alive in Him.   Romans 8:11

As our ascended Messiah He is able to give New Life.

It’s not the so termed, baptism of His Holy Spirit, that changes people, but it is the power of the risen Messiah coming in to dwell in our lives that changes us through His Holy Spirit working from the inside out. We sometimes have a tendency to separate things that the New Testament/Brit Chadashah does not separate. The termed, baptism of His spirit of Holiness, is not an experience apart from Jesus/Yeshua – it is the real and living evidence of the risen Messiah.  He has given us chaim/life everlasting and full of glory.

John 17:3 This is eternal life that they may KNOW You  

it’s something that begins at new birth and never ends….

We often speak of types and shadows in the scriptures…

The giving of the Torah (teaching/law) at Sinai was the type/shadow

that was fulfilled at Shavuot/Pentecost.

Sinai marked the birth date of the dispensation of Torah/Teaching/Law, and involved great displays of God’s power through thunderings, lightning, fire and the sound of His reverberating voice.

The fulfillment at Shavuot/Pentecost was the giving of the Spirit of the Law to the followers of the Mashiach/Messiah. 

Shavuot/Pentecost, marks the birth date of the ecclesia/church/called apart ones, and what some term as the dispensation of Grace.

This occasion was also accompanied with great displays of God’s power through fire and a sound like a mighty rushing wind.  According to Ephesians 4:30, from this point onward, His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness dwells within each follower and seals the Body of Messiah for the day of redemption.

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)

The gift of tongues is simply the Holy Spirit giving us the supernatural ability to speak in a foreign tongue/language that we have no knowledge or ability to speak out on our own.

There are two types of tongues He can give us. One is a tongue of this earth; e.g., if our native language is English, then He can give us the ability to speak in Chinese, Japanese, or Spanish, etc. For the simple reason we may be in that country or with people who speak that language and will understand it.

The other type of tongue that He can give us is a tongue direct from heaven, a heavenly language that is not of this earth. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that there are tongues of angels.

Whichever it is, it will be a foreign language that we will not be able to speak out on our own, and only His Holy Spirit’s supernatural transmission of this language out of our spirits will give us the ability to be able to speak it using our voice.

Whatever tongue Holy Spirit gives us, we will be able to use it all the time, whenever we want. It will be our own personal, private, prayer language between us and the Lord.

One thing to remember with this gift is that for the most part, we may never know or understand what we are praying about when we operate in this gift, however we can pray to interpret what the Lord has spoken through us.

The Bible tells us that we will be speaking out “mysteries,” and only the Father and His Holy Spirit will know exactly what the prayer is about on any given occasion.“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26)

Here we are told clearly that they were ALL filled and spoke in other tongues… which was the physical evidence of His Spirit in them, there were no exceptions and so we can expect the same today, and includes all the other gifts of His Spirit as in 

The Word of Knowledge
The Word of Wisdom
The Gift of Prophecy
The Gift of Faith
The Gifts of Healings
The Working of Miracles
The Discerning of Spirits
Different Kinds of Tongues
The Interpretation of Tongues

our Father has not changed..

He is the same yesterday today and forever. Heb.13:8

In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.  (Ephesians 1:13-14) Here we see the sealing by His Spirit to enable us to continue our walk. 

It is interesting that the Father waited 50 days after Messiahs’ resurrection, (10 days after His Ascension) before He sent His Holy Spirit.  As our Father is precise in all His details it is without doubt because He was waiting for the Appointed Time/Shavuot/Pentecost.  He is never early and He is never late in fulfilling His promises.

The other symbol of His Spirit and presence is FIRE.

From the Ex.3:2 burning bush, to the pillar in the wilderness, to the outpouring in Jerusalem

our God is a consuming FIRE Heb.12:29

and as Malachi states like a refiners fire.

In Malachi 3:1-4, the prophet declares the

imminent return of the Lord

and with it,

His holy judgment of refining fire.

 We are all too well aware that being a follower of Messiah does not spare us from experiencing testings, trials, conflict and trouble; and the process of refinement is one that He continually applies to our lives.

This fire is Holy Fire – Esh Kadosh/qadosh. אש קדושה

The Fire that cleanses, refines and purifies; it burns up all that is not acceptable to the Father and also speaks of His power so that like Jesus/Yeshua, we may work the works of Him who sends us. John 9:4, for greater works than these will you do. John 14:12.

BUT as always, there is a condition, an IF

We have to be willing..

we have to lay down our lives, our plans and allow Him to be sovereign in our lives.

The choice is ours…His offer is there for whosoever will… The events of Acts 2 includes the

empowering

of His spirit

and the imparting of His boldness to proclaim the good news of Messiah’s Kingdom. The boldness of the fire like Jeremiah* had.

Are we truly on fire for God? .. or

are we just barely glowing embers, dying without the breath of His Spirit … we need the mighty rushing wind of Shavuot to blow on and re-ignite the fire.

More on Bones of fire link below..*

https://www.minimannamoments.com/bones-of-fire-and-graffiti/

Holy Spirit of Truth is certainly God, however, He is not the Person of Yeshua/HaMashiach/Jesus Christ.  The scriptures seem to indicate that it was the Father who sent the Holy Spirit – “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”  (John 14:16-17 And then Messiah says – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”  (John 14:18)

The early spring Appointed Times/Moedim: (Pesach/Passover, Chag haMatzot /Unleavened Bread, Bikkurim/Firstfruits); were fulfilled in order, all in the same year, through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.  When we look at the harvest times, Yeshua/Jesus and the many saints that were resurrected with Him, were the barley harvest.  Notably, the ripeness of the barley is what decides if a new year can begin, or if a leap month, called Adar2, needs to be added to the calendar.  This is always taken into account when the date of the late spring feast – Pentecost/Shavuot is calculated.

Pentecost/Shavuot experienced at least a partial fulfillment in the same year the three spring feasts were fulfilled.  As we already noted, 50 days after Firstfruits/Bikkurim, or 10 days after Yeshua/Jesus’ ascension, His Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh, descended upon the Jewish believers waiting in Jerusalem. Partial fulfillment in that He has been indwelling and sealing believers ever since, until the day of their redemption –

as He said, we are to

look up for your redemption draweth nigh,

so it is not yet completed!

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21:28

Since Holy Spirit is God, He is omnipresent, everywhere at the same time. 

Pentecost/Shavuot marks the time of the wheat harvest in Israel.

As we have walked through the spring Appointed Times/Moedim, we can see a picture of our own walk with Messiah.

At Pesach/Pasover we are reminded of being set free from the bondage of sin and death, then during the Feast of Unleavened Bread/Matzah week, we have the opportunity to practice our unleavenedness; and rejoice in our saviors Resurrection as Firstfruits from the dead. Then as we count from the Omer we are like the wheat crops growing towards maturity, ultimately designed to become an abundant harvest for Him.

During this season of counting we can focus on certain spiritual themes such as: sowing, growing, increase, being fed and nourished by the Father and being mindful of how we are growing toward maturity in Messiah. By examining our ways we discover if they are truly aligned, submitted and conformed to His.

This is why we are to WAIT on the Lord, for His power to fill us and enable us to be witnesses unto Him; this is how He goes with us, and will always be with us, and will never leave us nor forsake us.

Isaiah 30:18: “And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted that he might be merciful upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment, blessed are all that WAIT for him.”

Like the farmer who waits for the precious fruit of the earth, we too have to wait for God to mature us and grow us. Part of our being mature in Messiah, is knowing when to put our hand to the plough and work hard but also knowing that when we have done all we can do then it is time to WAIT/CHAKAH. We must ask ourselves if we have been listening/hearing to His call and responding by doing that which He has required of us?..We must walk and work in maturity and continue to be patient, stabilize our hearts because the coming of the Master draws near. James 5:7-8

Let’s be mindful of the season we are in…..

on each of us..

For those new to the site previous posts linked below cover more detail on Shavuot/Pentecost..

https://www.minimannamoments.com/2-x-3000-a-marriage-made-in-heaven/ 

https://www.minimannamoments.com/shavuot-2-x-3000-a-marriage-made-in-heaven-conclusion/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-look-of-shavuot/

Shavuot 2022 begins Saturday, June 4 at sunset and ends Monday, June 6 at nightfall.

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim/friends and mishpachah/family!

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week,

you are greatly loved and prayed for daily.

REMEMBER..

Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation

Not sure ..you can be…

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer,

Savior, Lord, and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

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

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

The Truth Will Make You Free – Time For Some Truth

In Israel/Yisrael/יִשְׂרָאֵל and wherever Jewish people are around the world, they are often heard saying: The holidays are late this year or The holidays are early this year. However, the holidays never are early or late; they are always on time, according to the Hebrew calendar. Why? Because it is based on our Heavenly Fathers Word. He is the Creator of all things and King of the Universe/ Melek HaOlam.

Unlike the Gregorian (civil) calendar, which is based on the sun/solar, the Hebrew/Israelite calendar is based primarily on the moon/lunar, with periodic adjustments made to account for the differences between the solar and lunar cycles. Therefore, the Jewish calendar might be described as both solar and lunar.

The moon takes an average of twenty-nine and one-half days to complete its cycle; twelve lunar months equal 354 days. A solar year is 365 1/4 days. There is a difference of eleven days per year. To ensure that the Hebraic/Jewish holidays always fall in the proper season, an extra month is added to the Hebrew calendar seven times out of every nineteen years. If this were not done, the fall harvest festival of Sukkot, for instance, would sometimes be celebrated in the summer, or the spring holiday of Passover/Pesach would sometimes occur in the winter.

Hebrew/Israelite days are reckoned from sunset to sunset rather than from dawn or midnight. The basis for this is biblical. In the story of Creation Genesis 1, each day concludes with the phrase: And there was evening and there was morning. . .

Since evening is mentioned first, the ancient rabbis concluded that in a day, evening precedes morning.

A List of Our Heavenly Fathers’ Appointed Times/ Moedim for this year.

There are four Spring moedim and three Fall moedim. 

מועדים   pronounced: Mo-ahd-eem,

Spring Moedim:

Passover – Pesach

Feast of Unleavened Bread – Hag HaMatzot

First Fruits – Yom Habikkurim

Festival of Weeks (Pentecost) – Shavuot

Fall Moedim:

Feast of Trumpets – Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah)

Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur

Feast of Tabernacles – Sukkot

A brief review of the Moedim with dates for this year; for those new to this understanding of the Biblical Calendar.

The Spiritual New Year always begins with the

Spring Appointed Times which in some lists include other events/minor festivals, as well as the 7 Moedim:

In 2022, 14th day of Adar 5783

Purim  פּוּרִים ; “lots”, from the word פור, “pur”

Also (plural) Puwriym {poo-reem’}; or Puriym {poo-reem’}; from puwr; a lot (as by means of a broken piece) 

Strong’s Hebrew: 6332. פּוּר (Pur) — “a lot,” a Jewish feast

Upcoming Purim dates include:

2022, Mar 16 – Mar 17

2023, Mar 06 – Mar 07

2024, Mar 23 – Mar 24

Purim is an unusual holiday in many respects. First, Esther is the only biblical book in which God is not mentioned. Second, Purim, like Hanukkah, is viewed as a minor festival according to Jewish custom, but has been elevated to a major holiday as a result of the Jewish historical experience. Over the centuries, Haman has come to symbolize every anti-Semite in every land where Jews were oppressed. The significance of Purim lies not so much in how it began, but in what it has become: a thankful and joyous holiday that affirms and celebrates Jewish survival and continuity throughout history.

The main communal celebration involves a public reading of the Book of Esther (M’gillat Esther)

Strong’s Hebrew: 4039. מְגִלָּה (megillah) — a scroll

This book tells the story of the holiday: Under the rule of King Ahashverosh, Haman, the king’s adviser, plots to exterminate all of the Jews of Persia. His plan is foiled by Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai, who ultimately save the Jews of Persia from destruction.

 For those new to mmm, a very warm welcome and there is more information on each of the moedim, click on  links below each one.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/who-was-hadassah/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/double-take-and-casting-lots/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/if-i-perish-i-perish-remembering-purim/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/what-has-a-flower-got-to-do-with-a-servant-heart-salvation-and-a-bridegroom/

In 2022, Passover – פסח

starts on Friday April 15th. 15-22 Nisan

Upcoming Passover dates include:

2022, Apr 15 – Apr 22

2023, Apr 05 – Apr 12

2024, Apr 22 – Apr 29

Passover פסח

Strong’s Hebrew: 6453. פָּ֫סַח (pesach) — passover

Pesach in Hebrew is a major spring festival celebrating freedom and family as the Exodus from Egypt more than 3,000 years ago is remembered. The main observances of this holiday center around a special home service called the seder, which includes a meal, the prohibition on eating chametz, and the eating of matzah.

Chametz (also spelled “hametz” or “chometz”) is any food product made from wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt that has come into contact with water and been allowed to ferment and “rise.”. In practice, just about anything made from these grains—other than Passover matzah, which is carefully controlled to avoid leavening.““““““

 

On the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, people gather with family and friends in the evening to read from a book called the Haggadah, meaning “telling,” which contains the order of prayers,  scripture readings, and songs for the Passover seder. The same that Jesus/Yeshua celebrated with His disciples.

הַגָּדָה, pronounced hah-GOH-doh;

The Haggadah helps to retell the events of the Exodus, so that each generation may learn and remember this story that is so central to Hebrew/Jewish life and history.

Passover/Pesach is celebrated for either seven or eight days, depending on family and community custom. In Israel and for most  around the world, Passover is seven days, but for many others, it is eight days. This includes the days of Unleavened Bread.

Immediately following is

the seven-week period between Pesach/Passover and Shavuot/pentecost, a period of time is known as the Omer.

The Omer has both agricultural and spiritual significance: it marks both the spring cycle of planting and harvest, and the Israelites’ journey out of slavery in Egypt (Passover) and toward receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai (Shavuot). An omer (“sheaf”) is an ancient Hebrew measure of grain. Biblical law forbade any use of the new barley crop until after an omer was brought as an offering to the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Book of Leviticus (23:15-16) also commanded: “And from the day on which you bring the offering…you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete.”

This commandment led to the practice of the S’firat HaOmer,

or the 49 days of the “Counting of the Omer,”

which begins on the second day of Passover and ends with the celebration of Shavuot on the 50th day.

 

Hag HaMatzot First Fruits – Yom Habikkurim Festival of

Links below for more posts on:

Passover, First Fruits, Seder Meal, Unleavened Bread, Afikomen & Omer…

https://www.minimannamoments.com/revealing-the-overcoming-resheet-of-bikkurim/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/afikomen-mysterious-and-hidden/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/unleavened-bread-matzot-week/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/first-fruits/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/13-for-supper-and-only-4-cups/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/counting-our-blessings-with-omer/

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

https://www.minimannamoments.com/not-passing-over-passover-week/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/a-lot-can-happen-in-a-week/

SHAVUOT

In 2022, Shavuot Pentecost starts on Saturday June 4th. : 6 Sivan

Upcoming Shavuot dates include:

2022, Jun 04 – Jun 05

2023, May 25 – May 26

2024, Jun 11 – Jun 12

Shavuot (שָׁבוּעוֹת)

is the Hebrew word for “weeks,”

and the holiday occurs seven weeks after Firstfruits/Passover/Unleavened Bread.

Shavuot, like many other Jewish holidays, began as an ancient agricultural festival that marked the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. In ancient times, Shavuot was one of three pilgrimage festivals during which Israelites brought crop offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem. Today, it is a celebration of

the giving of Torah (Matan Torah – מַתַּן תּוֹרָה)

to the Israelites in the wilderness. It also marks the culmination of the experience of redemption, sometimes called Atzeret Pesach, the Gathering of Passover.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/50-days-later-an-earthly-and-spiritual-harvest-pentecost-shavuot/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/shavuot-2-x-3000-a-marriage-made-in-heaven-conclusion/

ROSH HASHANAH

Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה

1 Tishrei, 2 Tishrei

In 2022, Rosh HaShanah starts on Sunday September 25th.

Upcoming Rosh HaShanah dates include:

2022, Sep 25 – Sep 27

2023, Sep 15 – Sep 17

Rosh HaShanah (literally, “Head of the Year”) is the Jewish New Year, a time of prayer, self-reflection, and repentance/ t’shuvah.

It is an appointed time in which we can review our actions during the past year, and look for ways to improve ourselves, in the coming year. The holiday marks the beginning of a 10-day period, known as the Yamim Nora-im /Days of Awe or High Holidays, ushered in by Rosh HaShanah and culminating with Yom Kippur/the Day of Atonement.

Rosh HaShanah is celebrated on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which – because of differences in the solar and lunar calendar – corresponds to September or October on the Gregorian or secular calendar. Customs associated with the holiday include sounding the shofar, eating a round challah, and tasting apples and honey to represent a sweet New Year.

The Fall Moedim • Yom Teruah (Trumpets)

Date Of Moed: 1st Day of 7th Month (Tishri – September / October) 

https://www.minimannamoments.com/returning-to-your-first-love/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/apocalypse-of-the-teruahs-cry/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-the-sound-of-the-trumpet/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/blowing-your-own-trumpet-2/

 

YOM KIPPUR

Day of Atonement – יום כפור

In 2022, Yom Kippur starts on Tuesday October 4th. Tisrei 10 9 days after the first day of Rosh Hashanah.

Upcoming Yom Kippur dates include:

2022, Oct 04 – Oct 05

2023, Sep 24 – Sep 25

Yom Kippur means Day of Atonement and refers to the annual observance of fasting, prayer, and repentance. It is part of the High Holidays, which also includes Rosh HaShanah /the Civil New Year in Israel, Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day on the calendar.

Yom Kippur is the moment in time when our mind, body, and soul are dedicated to reconciliation with our Heavenly Father and our fellow human beings. As the New Year begins, we are called to commit to self-reflection and inner change.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/at-one-ment-with-the-one-you-love/

 

 

SUKKOT

סֻכּוֹת ‎

In 2022, Sukkot starts on Sunday October 9th. 15-21 Tishrei 5783

Upcoming Sukkot dates include:

5783 2022, Oct 09 – Oct 16

5785 2023, Sep 29 – Oct 06

 

Sukkot is one of the most joyful festivals on the Hebraic calendar. Sukkot is a Hebrew word meaning booths or huts and refers to the Appointed Time of giving thanks for the fall harvest. The holiday has also come to commemorate the 40 years of the Israelites wandering in the desert after the giving of the Torah atop Mt. Sinai.

Sukkot is also called Z’man Simchateinu /Season of Our Rejoicing/time of our joy, as it is the only festival associated with a specific commandment to rejoice. Sukkot is celebrated five days after Yom Kippur on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, and is marked by several distinct traditions. One, which takes the commandment to dwell in booths literally, is to build a sukkah, a small, temporary booth or hut. Sukkot, the plural of sukkah, are used for eating, entertaining and even for sleeping during the seven-day festival.

They have open walls and open doors, and this encourages a welcome to as many people as possible, inviting family, friends, neighbors, and community to rejoice, eat, and share with each other.

Another name for Sukkot is Tabernacles and another is Chag HaAsif/Festival of the Ingathering, representing the importance of giving thanks for the bounty of the earth, as well as future prophetic meaning when Messiah will tabernacle/make His home with us forever.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/sukkot-the-promise-of-a-permanent-dwelling-place/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/sheltering-presence-god/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-sheltering-presence-of-god-cont/

As we are about to begin the

Spring Moedim/Appointed Times….

it is important for us to have some insight into our calendar and its holidays/holy days.

Each year in the springtime, the mainstream Christian world celebrates a holiday called Easter. Many assume that the name of this holiday easter, originated with the resurrection of Messiah Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach but as the information provided here will reveal, this spring tradition of men is actually an older and far less ‘holy’ day than one would think. 

This post is not in any way negating the season and appointed time of Jesus/Yeshuas’ sacrificial, substitutionary death and resurrection; rather an eyeopener to the truth behind the name easter which so many of grew up with and no one told us what it really stands for!

The truth about the name Easter is that we can get so caught up in traditions of men that have grown over time connected to that which is behind the name, that we miss the crucial point of it all. Jesus/Yeshua and His disciples didn’t have eggs, rabbits or a pretty basket.

This is not an attempt to try and spoil our joy but rather an effort to open our eyes to what we have now become accustomed to and as a tradition of men, it is making the word of God of no effect. We need to ask ourselves, where in scripture is the word Easter to be found? Where are we told to celebrate Easter? It is not in there because it is called Passover/Pesach in Hebrew. It is the commemoration of the passing over of the death angel before the children of Israel, the Hebrews made their Exodus from Egypt. The reason they were Passed over was

because of the blood of the Phascal/Passover lamb

placed on the doorposts and lintel of their homes. There was no rabbit, no eggs, or other decorative motifs of western easter decor.  it was life or death and depended on their

trust/faith in the blood of the lamb!

We are mixing holy thing with unholy things when we incorporate the worldly easter traditions and iconography. Can we really believe this is pleasing to our Heavenly Father? Where in the Word of God are any instructions of such easter celebrations? Did the disciples and apostles follow the easter traditions that are not based on any scriptural instruction?

It’s Time For Some Truth

because

The Truth Will Make You Free –

There is so much truth contained in the 7 Appointed times that our Heavenly Father set in His calendar and Jesus /Yeshua is the central focus in them ALL! The old covenant/testament fulfilled in the new.

The following extensive list of quotes have been compiled from researching valid and scholarly sources and it would not take but a few clicks on the internet for any reader to confirm them:

The purpose is to reveal the truth about the origins of this spring ‘Christianized’ pagan holiday.

The point is not so much the hidden meanings of the symbols and story but that of how our hearts are before our Creator, Savior and soon returning King.

Do we decide and choose what days to observe and celebrate, or does Our Heavenly Father? The Bible tells us that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. After reading though them and discerning the truth hopefully it will be helpful information for use in explaining to others the roots of our ‘christian traditions’; and for us to follow His lead – away from non-biblical holidays.

What are we really saying and referring to and paying homage to when we say the word easter? Lets find out….If you have never considered this before let the Fathers Spirit of Holiness prepare your heart, some of the following may be a shock! Its not always easy to admit we have been misled for most of our lives; but I for one, would rather throw away all I have thought was right in exchange for the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE. 

“The English word Easter is derived from the names ‘Eostre’ – ‘Eastre’ – ‘Astarte’ or ‘Ashtaroth’. Astarte was introduced into the British Isles by the Druids and is just another name for Beltis or Ishtar of the Chaldeans and Babylonians. The book of Judges records that ‘the children of Israel did evil …in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, …and forsook the LORD, and served not Him.’ Easter is just another name for Ashteroth ‘The Queen of Heaven.’ Easter was not considered a ‘Christian’ festival until the fourth century. Early Christians celebrated Passover on the 14th day of the first month and a study of the dates on which Easter is celebrated will reveal that the celebration of Easter is not observed in accordance with the prescribed time for the observance of Passover. After much debate, the Nicaean council of 325 A.D. decreed that ‘Easter’ should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox.

Why was so much debate necessary if ‘Easter’ was a tradition passed down from the Apostles?

The answer is that it was not an Apostolic institution, but, an invention of man! They had to make up some rules. History records that spring festivals in honor of the pagan fertility goddesses and the events associated with them were celebrated at the same time as ‘Easter’. In the year 399 A.D. the Theodosian Code attempted to remove the pagan connotation from those events and banned their observance. The pagan festival of Easter originated as the worship of the sun goddess, the Babylonian Queen of Heaven who was later worshipped under many names including Ishtar, Cybele, Idaea Mater (the Great Mother), or Astarte for whom the celebration of Easter is named. Easter is not another name for the Feast of Passover and is not celebrated at the Biblically prescribed time for Passover. This pagan festival was supposedly ‘Christianized’ several hundred years after Christ.” (Richard Rives, Too Long in the Sun)

“There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. The sanctity of special times [i.e., aside from the Holy Days appointed by God] was an idea absent from the minds of the first Christians, who continued to observe the Jewish [i.e., God’s] festivals, though in a new spirit, as commemorations of events which those festivals had foreshadowed. Thus the Passover, with a new conception added to it of Christ, as the true Paschal Lamb and the firstfruits from the dead, continued to be observed, and became the Christian Easter. The name Easter (Ger. Ostern), like the names of the days of the week, is a survival from the old Teutonic mythology. According to Bede (De Temp. Rat. c.xv.) it is derived from Eostre, or Ostara, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, to whom the month answering to our April, and called Eostur-monath, was dedicated. This month, Bede says, was the same as mensis pashalis, ‘when the old festival was observed with the gladness of a new solemnity.’ The name of the festival in other languages (as Fr. paques; Ital. pasqua; Span. pascua; Dan. paaske; Dutch paasch; Welsh pasg) is derived from the Lat. pascha and the Gr. pascha. These in turn come from the Chaldee or Aramaean form pascha’, of the Hebrew name of the Passover festival pesach…” (Encyclopaedia Brittanica, 11th edition, vol. 8, p. 828, article: “Easter”)The Origin and History of Easter

“The term ‘Easter’ is not of Christian origin. It is another form of Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven. The festival of Pesach/Pasch [Passover and the Feast of Unleavens] was a continuation of the Israelite Hebrews [that is, God’s] feast….from this Pasch the pagan festival of ‘Easter’ was quite distinct and was introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt pagan festivals to Christianity.” (W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, William White, Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, article: Easter, p.192)

Ish·tar : Mythology The chief Babylonian and Assyrian goddess, associated with love, fertility, and war, being the counterpart to the Phoenician Astarte. (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000)

The fact that Ishtar was connected to fertility and reproduction gave rise to the springtime renewal of natural birth cycles and in time developed into using images of newborn spring lambs/chickens and rabbits and of course the symbolic egg.

Tammuz: ancient nature deity worshiped in Babylonia. A god of agriculture and flocks, he personified the creative powers of spring. He was loved by the fertility goddess Ishtar, who, according to one legend, was so grief-stricken at his death that she contrived to enter the underworld to get him back. According to another legend, she killed him and later restored him to life. These legends and his festival, commemorating the yearly death and rebirth of vegetation, corresponded to the festivals of the Phoenician and Greek Adonis and of the Phrygian Attis. The Sumerian name of Tammuz was Dumuzi. In the Bible his disappearance is mourned by the women of Jerusalem (Ezek. 8.14).(The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001)

“There is no warrant in Scripture for the observance of the Christmas date  nor Easter as holydays, rather the contrary…and such observance is contrary to the principles of the Reformed faith, conducive to will-worship, and not in harmony with the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ” (Morton H. Smith, How is the Gold Become Dim, Jackson, Mississippi: Steering Committee for a Continuing Presbyterian Church, etc., 1973, p.98)

“EASTER (AV Acts 12:4), An anachronistic mistranslation of the Gk. pascha (RSV, NEB, “Passover”), in which the AV followed such earlier versions as Tyndale and Coverdale. The Acts passage refers to the seven-day Passover festival (including the Feast of Unleavened Bread). It is reasonably certain that the NT contains no reference to a yearly celebration of the resurrection of Christ.” (International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, edited by Geoffrey Bromiley, Vol 2 of 4, p.6, article: Easter)

“The term Easter was derived from the Anglo-Saxon ‘Eostre,’ the name of the goddess of spring. In her honor sacrifices were offered at the time of the vernal equinox. By the 8th cent. the term came to be applied to the anniversary of Christ’s resurrection.” (International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, edited by Geoffrey Bromiley, Vol 2 of 4, p.6, article: Easter)

In primitive agricultural societies natural phenomena, such as rainfall, the fecundity of the earth, and the regeneration of nature were frequently personified. One of the most important pagan myths was the search of the earth goddess for her lost (or dead) child or lover (e.g., Isis and Osiris, Ishtar and Tammuz, Demeter and Persephone). This myth, symbolizing the birth, death, and reappearance of vegetation, when acted out in a sacred drama, was the fertility rite par excellence.(The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001)

Attis, in Phrygian religion, vegetation god. …Like Adonis, Attis came to be worshiped as a god of vegetation, responsible for the death and rebirth of plant life. Each year at the beginning of spring his resurrection was celebrated in a festival. In Roman religion he became a powerful celestial deity. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001)

“The festival, of which we read in Church history, under the name of Easter, in the third or fourth centuries, was quite a different festival from that now observed in the Romish [and Protestant] Church, and at that time was not known by any such name as Easter. It was called Pasch, or the Passover, and though not of Apostolic institution [It was instituted by God and by Jesus–Lev 23; Matt 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-20; I Cor 11:23-30], was very early observed by many professing Christians in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Christ [It is a memorial of His death, not His resurrection–I Cor 11:26]. That festival agreed originally with the time of the Jewish [i.e., God’s] Passover, when Christ was crucified …. That festival was not idolatrous, and it was preceded by no Lent” (Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, p.104)

“The name Easter comes from Eostre, an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess, originally of the dawn. In pagan times an annual spring festival was held in her honor.” (Compton’s Encyclopedia and Fact-Index. Vol 7. Chicago: Compton’s Learning Company, 1987, p.41)

“Easter. [Gk. pascha, from Heb. pesah] The Passover …, and so translated in every passage except the KJV: ‘intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people’ [Acts 12:4]. In the earlier English versions Easter had been frequently used as the translation of pascha. At the last revision [1611 A.V.] Passover was substituted in all passages but this…The word Easter is of Saxon origin, the name is eastra, the goddess of spring in whose honor sacrifices were offered about Passover time each year. By the eighth century Anglo-Saxons had adopted the name to designate the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.” (New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, article: “Easter”)

“It is called Easter in the English, from the goddess Eostre, worshipped by the Saxons with peculiar ceremonies in the month of April.” (Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol II, Edinburgh: A. Bell & C. Macfarquhar, 1768, p.464)

“The name of a feast, according to the Venerable Bede, comes from Eostre, A Teutonic goddess whose festival was celebrated in the spring. The name was given to the Christian festival in celebration of the resurrected Eostre, it was who, according to the legend, opened portals of Valhalla to recieve Baldur, called the white god because of his purity and also the sun god because his brow supplied light to mankind. It was Baldur who, after he had been murdered by Utgard Loki, the enemy of goodness and truth, spent half the year in Valhalla and the other half with the pale goddess of the lower regions. As the festival of Eostre was a celebration of the renewal of life in the spring it was easy to make it a celebration of the resurrection from the dead of Jesus. There is no doubt that the church in its early days adopted the old pagan customs and gave a Christian meaning to them.” (George William Douglas, The American Book of Days, article: Easter)

“EASTER: This is from Anglo-Saxon Eostre, a pagan goddess whose festival came at the spring equinox.” (Joseph T. Shipley, Dictionary of Word Origins, New York: Philosophical Library, MCMXLV, p.131)

“The word Easter comes from the Old English word eostre, the name of a dawn-goddess worshipped in the Spring.” (Oxford Junior Encyclopaedia, London: Odhams, 1957, p.123)

“When Christianity conquered Rome: the ecclesiastical structure of the pagan church, the title and the vestments of the pontifex maximus, the worship of the Great Mother goddess and a multitude of comforting divinities, the sense of super sensible presences everywhere, the joy or solemnity of old festivals, and the pageantry of immemorial ceremony, passed like maternal blood into the new religion,–and captive Rome conquered her conqueror. The reins and skills of government were handed down by a dying empire to a virile papacy.” (Will Durant, Caesar and Christ, p. 672)

“Satan, the great counterfeiter, worked through the ‘mystery of iniquity’ to introduce a counterfeit Sabbath to take the place of the true Sabbath of God. Sunday stands side by side with Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Holy (or Maundy) Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Whitsun day, Corpus Christi, Assumption Day, All Souls’ Day, Christmas Day, and a host of other ecclesiastical feast days too numerous to mention. This array of Roman catholic feasts and fast days are all man made. None of them bears the divine credentials of the Author of the Inspired Word.” (M. E. Walsh)

“The {Roman Catholic] church took the pagan philosophy and made it the buckler of faith against the heathen. She took the pagan, Roman Pantheon, temple of all the gods, and made it sacred to all the martyrs; so it stands to this day. She took the pagan Sunday and made it the Christian Sunday. She took the pagan Easter and made it the feast we celebrate during this season. Sunday and Easter day are, if we consider their derivation, much the same. In truth, all Sundays are Sundays only because they are a weekly, partial recurrence of Easter day. The pagan Sunday was, in a manner, an unconscious preparation for Easter day.” (Willliam L. Gildea, D.D., Paschale Gaudium, in The Catholic World, Vol. LVIII., No. 348., March, 1894, published in New York by The Office of The Catholic World., pp.808-809)

“In ancient Anglo-Saxon myth, Ostara is the personification of the rising sun. In that capacity she is associated with the spring and is considered to be a fertility goddess. She is the friend of all children, and to amuse them, she changed her pet bird into a rabbit. This rabbit brought forth brightly colored eggs, which the goddess gave to the children as gifts. From her name and rites the festival of Easter is derived. Ostara is identical to the Greek Eos and the Roman Aurora.” (Encyclopedia Mythica, article: Ostara)

“Vernal Mysteries (spring heathen rites) like those of Tammuz, and Osiris and Adonis flourished in the Mediterranean world and farther north and east there were others. Some of their rites and symbols were carried forward into Easter customs. Many of them have survived into our own day, unchanged yet subtly altered in their new surroundings to bear a ‘Christian’significance.” (Christina Hole, Easter and its Customs)

“…Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated a month corresponding to April. Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox; traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts.” (Funk and Wagnall’s Encyclopedia, article: Easter)

“EASTER: from Old English eastre, name of a spring goddess.” (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1995)

“The pagan festival held at the vernal equinox to honor Eastre, the goddess of dawn, was called Eastre in Old English. Since the Christian festival celebrating Christ’s resurrection fell at about the same time, the pagan name was borrowed for it when Christianity was introduced to England, the name later being changed slightly to Easter. ” (Robert Hendrickson, The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, New York: Facts on File, 1987, p.177)

“EASTER: West Germanic name of a pagan spring festival.” (Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield: G. & C. Merriam Company, 1976)

“The English word Easter comes from the goddess Eastre, whose festival was celebrated at the vernal equinox, and who presided over the fertility of man and animals.” (Betty Nickerson, Celebrate the Sun, Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1969, p.38)

“The story of Easter is not simply a Christian story. Not only is the very name “Easter” the name of an ancient and non-Christian deity; the season itself has also, from time immemorial, been the occasion of rites and observances having to do with the mystery of death and resurrection among peoples differing widely in race and religion.” (Alan W. Watts, Easter: its Story and Meaning)

“Before Christ was born the people living in northern Europe had a goddess called Eostre, the goddess of the spring. Every year, in spring the people had a festival for her. The name of our spring festival, Easter, comes from the name Eostre.” (The Easter Book, Milan: Macdonald Educational, 1980, p.5)

“The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similar Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [were] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos.” (Larry Boemler, Biblical Archaeology Review, Vol. 18, Number 3, 1992-May/June, article: “Asherah and Easter”)

“Eostre: Saxon and Neo-Pagan goddess of fertility and springtime whom the holiday Easter was originally named after.” (Gerina Dunwich, The Concise Lexicon of the Occult, New York: Citadel Press, 1990 p.54)

“EASTER: Bæde Temp. Rat. XV. derives the word from Eostre (Northumb. spelling Éastre), the name of a goddess whose festival was celebrated at the vernal equinox; her name…shows that she was originally the dawn-goddess.” (The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989)

“Astarte: a Phoenician goddess of fertility and sexual love who corresponds to the Babylonian and Assyrian goddess Ishtar and who became identified with the Egyptian Isis, the Greek Aphrodite, and others.” (Oxford Dictionary of English)

“Ishtar: ancient fertility deity, the most widely worshiped goddess in Babylonian and Assyrian religion. Ishtar was important as a mother goddess, goddess of love, and goddess of war. Her cult spread throughout W Asia, and she became identified with various other earth goddesses (see GREAT MOTHER OF THE GODS). Great Mother of the Gods: in ancient Middle Eastern religion (and later in Greece, Rome, and W Asia), mother goddess, the great symbol of the earth’s fertility. As the creative force in nature, she was worshiped under many names, including ASTARTE (Syria), CERES (Rome), CYBELE (Phrygia), DEMETER (Greece), ISHTAR (Babylon), and ISIS (Egypt). The later forms of her cult involved the worship of a male deity (her son or lover, e.g., ADONIS, OSIRIS), whose death and resurrection symbolized the regenerative power of the earth.” (www.encyclopedia.com)

When we reflect how often the Church has skilfully contrived to plant the seeds of the new faith on the old stock of paganism, we may surmise that the Easter celebration of the dead and risen Christ was grafted upon a similar celebration of the dead and risen Adonis, which, as we have seen reason to believe, was celebrated in Syria at the same season. ( Sir James George Frazer (1854–1941).

“Thus much already laid down may seem a sufficient treatise to prove that the celebration of the feast of Easter began everywhere more of custom than by any commandment either of Christ or any apostle.” (Socrates, Hist Ecclesiates., lib. v. cap. 22)

“Just as many Christian customs and similar observance had their origin in pre-Christian times, so, too some of the popular traditions of…. Easter dates back to ancient nature rites… The origin of the Easter egg is based on the fertility lore of the Indo-European races…The Easter bunny had its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. Hare and rabbit were the most fertile animals our forefathers knew, serving as symbols of … new life in the spring season.” (Jesuit author Francis X. Weiser, The Easter Book, pp.15,181,&188)

“As with the other Christian holidays, there was also a holiday in ancient times that was celebrated at about the same time. In this case, it was the celebration of the vernal equinox-the tribute to the goddess of spring, Eastre. Eastre was an Anglo-Saxon goddess who is reputed to have opened the gates of Valhalla for the slain sun god, Baldrun, thereby bringing light to man. Easter also refers to the rising of the sun in the east.” (Carole Potter, Encyclopedia of Superstition, London: Michael O’Mara Books, 1983, p.69)

“Then look at Easter. When means the term Easter itself? It is not a Christian name. It bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven, whose name, as pronounced by the people of Nineveh, was evidently identical with that now in common use in this country. That name, as found by Layard on the Assyrian monuments, is Ishtar.” [The Two Babylons (Or The Papal Worship), Alexander Hislop, 1916, Neptune, NJ, Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., p.103]

“About the end of the sixth century, the first decisive attempt was made to enforce the observance of the new calendar. It was in Britain that the first attempt was made in this way; and here the attempt met with vigorous resistance. The difference, in point of time, betwixt the Christian Pasch, as observed in Britain by the native Christians, and the Pagan Easter enforced by Rome, at the time of its enforcement, was a whole month; and it was only by violence and bloodshed, at last, that the Festival of the Anglo-Saxon or Chaldean goddess came to supersede that which had been held in honour of Christ.” [The Two Babylons (Or The Papal Worship), Alexander Hislop, 1916, Neptune, NJ, Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., p.107]

“Many of the customs associated with Easter are derived from various spring fertility rites of the pagan religions which Christianity supplanted.” (Encyclopedia International, China: Lexicon Publications, 1973, p.190)

“Easter is connected in many ways with early pagan rituals that accompanied the arrival of spring.” (Merit Students Encyclopedia, New York: P. F. Collier, 1983, p.167-168)

“Both of these festivals [Easter and Christmas] have roots in old pagan rituals that they have superceeded.” (G. MacGregor, Dictionary of Religion and Philosophy, New York: Paragon House, 1991, p.207)

“Even though it [Easter] has stood for over fifteen hundred years as the symbol of the resurrection of Jesus to members of the Christian Church, it is not entirely a Christian festival. Its origins go far back into pagan rites and customs.” (Charlotte Adams, Easter Idea Book, New York: M. Barrows and Company, 1954, p.11)

“Many of the customs associated with Easter originate in pagan celebrations of spring.” (New Standard Encyclopedia, Vol 6. Chicago: Standard Educational, 1991,pE-25-E-27)

“There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the [so-called] apostolic Fathers. The sanctity of special times was an idea absent from the mind of the first Christians.” (The Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol VIII, Cambridge: The University Press, 1910, p.828)

“Around the Christian observance of Easter as the climax of the liturgical drama of Holy Week and Good Friday, folk customs have collected, many of which have been handed down from the ancient ceremonial and symbolism of European and Middle Eastern pagan spring festivals brought into relation with the resurrection theme.” (The New Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th ed. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 1992. p.333)

“When Christians first spread across Europe, believers in the new faith changed many of the older rites and ceremonies, adapting them to fit with the life and teaching of Jesus. They did not try to stop people from having a great spring festival for their old pagan goddess, Eostre.” (Julian Fox, Easter, Vero Beach: Rourke Enterprises, 1989, p.11)

About 200 B.C. mystery cults began to appear in Rome just as they had earlier in Greece. Most notable was the Cybele cult centered on Vatican hill …Associated with the Cybele cult was that of her lover, Attis (the older Tammuz, Osiris, Dionysus, or Orpheus under a new name). He was a god of ever-reviving vegetation. Born of a virgin, he died and was reborn annually. The festival began as a day of blood on Black Friday and culminated after three days in a day of rejoicing over the resurrection.” (EASTER: ITS ORIGINS AND MEANINGS by The Religious Tolerance Organization Web site http://www.religioustolerance.org/easter.htm)

Easter Eggs

“Eggs were a primitive symbol of fertility; but Christians saw in them a symbol of the tomb from which Christ rose, and continued the [pagan] practice of coloring, giving, and eating them at Easter. “(New Age Encyclopedia.,Vol 6. China: Lexicon Publications, 1973, p.190)

“The custom may have its origin in paganism, for a great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring.” (Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol.5, article: Easter)

“Eggs were hung up in the Egyptian temples. Bunsen calls attention to the mundane egg, the emblem of generative life, proceeding from the mouth of the great god of Egypt. The mystic egg of Babylon, hatching the Venus Ishtar, fell from heaven to the Euphrates. Dyed eggs were sacred Easter offerings in Egypt, as they are still in China and Europe. Easter, or spring, was the season of birth, terrestrial and celestial.” (James Bonwick, Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought, pp. 211-212)

“…the egg as a symbol of fertility and of renewed life goes back to the ancient Egyptians and Persians, who had also the custom of colouring and eating eggs during their spring festival.” (Encylopaedia Britannica, article: Easter)

“Eggs were sacred to many ancient civilizations and formed an integral part of religious ceremonies in Egypt and the Orient. Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples, and the egg was regarded as the emblem of regenerative life proceeding from the mouth of the great Egyptian god.” (Anon, Easter: The Pagan Origins of Common Easter Traditions)

“The egg has become a popular Easter symbol…In ancient Egypt and Persia, friends exchanged decorated eggs at the spring equinox, the beginning of their New Year. These eggs were a symbol of fertility for them….Christians of the Near East adopted this tradition, and the Easter egg became a religious symbol. It represented the tomb from which Jesus came forth to new life.” (Greg Dues, Catholic Customs and Traditions, 1992, p.101)

“The origin of the Pasch eggs is just as clear. The ancient Druids bore an egg, as the sacred emblem of their order. In the Dionysiaca, or mysteries of Bacchus, as celebrated in Athens, one part of the nocturnal ceremony consisted in the consecration of an egg. The Hindoo fables celebrate their mundane egg as of a golden colour. The people of Japan make their sacred egg to have been brazen. In China, at this hour, dyed or painted eggs are used on sacred festivals, even as in this country. In ancient times eggs were used in the religious rites of the Egyptians and the Greeks, and were hung up for mystic purposed in their temples. From Egypt these sacred eggs can be distinctly traced to the banks of the Euphrates. The classic poets are full of the fable of the mystic egg of the Babylonians; and thus its tale is told by Hyginus, the Egyptian, the learned keeper of the Palatine library at Rome, in the time of Augustus, who was skilled in all the wisdom of the native country: ‘An egg of wondrous size is said to have fallen from heaven into the river Euphrates. The fishes rolled it to the bank, were the doves having settled upon it, and hatched it, out came Venus, who afterwards was called the Syrian Goddess’–that is, Astarte. Hence the egg became one of the symbols of Astarte or Easter; and accordingly, in Cyprus, one of the chosen seats of the worship of Venus, or Astarte, the egg of wondrous size was represented on a grand scale.” [The Two Babylons (Or The Papal Worship) , Alexander Hislop, 1916, Neptune, NJ, Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., pp.108-109]

“Christians adapted the symbols, ceremonies and name of the spring festivities of Ishtar-Esther-Eostre to create Easter. Jesus breaks through the hard, cold coffin shell of death to be reborn every spring. In the resurrection of Christ, we witness the vernal rebirth of the soul.” (D. Henes, Celestially Auspicious Occasions: Seasons, Cycles and Celebrations, New York: Perigee Book)

“The Persians and Egyptians colored eggs and ate them during their new year’s celebration, which came in the spring.” (The New Book of Knowledge, Danbury: Grolier, 1991, p.44)

“In northern Europe, Eostre, the Teutonic-Anglo-Saxon goddess of dawn, evolved from Astarte in Babylon and from Ishtar from Assyria. Eggs, dyed blood-red and rolled in the newly sown soil at spring equinox, ensured fertility of the fields. The Moon Hare, sacred animal totem of Eostre, laid more colored eggs for children to find. From the name, Eostre, Astarte, and Ishtar, we derive the scientific terminology for the female hormone and reproduction cycle: estrogen and estrus. Easter also derives from Eostre.” (D. Henes, Celestially Auspicious Occasions: Seasons, Cycles and Celebrations, New York: Perigee Book)

“Since man’s earliest time, the egg, symbolizing the universe, figures in creation mythologies including those of China, Japan, Finland, Siberia and parts of Africa. …When today’s children hunt for Easter eggs they are re-enacting one of man’s oldest rituals. ” (Betty Nickerson, Celebrate the Sun, Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1969, p.38)

“This [Easter egg hunting] is not mere child’s play, but the vestige of a fertility rite” (Funk & Wagnalls’ Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend, Volume 1, pg.335)

“The egg, as a symbol of New Life is much older than Christianity and the coloring of it at the spring festival is also of very ancient origin. The Egyptians, the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans used it this way. Eggs were eaten during the spring festival from very early times. Children are told that the rabbit lays the Easter eggs in a garden for the children to find. This is an adaption of the pagan custom of regarding the rabbit as an emblem of fertility, that is, of new life.” (George William Douglas, The American Book of Days, article: Easter)

“The exchange of Easter eggs, which symbolize new life and fertility, is one of the oldest traditions. Rabbits and flowers are also pagan fertility symbols.” (New Standard Encyclopedia, Vol. 6, Chicago: Standard Educational, 1991. pE-25-E-27)

Easter Lilies

“The so-called ‘Easter lily’ has long been revered by pagans of various lands as a holy symbol associated with the reproductive organs. It was considered a phallic symbol!” (A. J. Dager, Facts and Fallacies of the Resurrection, p.5)

Easter Bunny (i.e., rabbits/hares)

“Nobody seems to know precisely the origin of the Easter bunny, except that it can be traced back to pre-Christian fertility lore. It has never had any connection with Christian religious symbolism.” (Priscilla Sawyer and Daniel J. Foley, Easter the World Over, Philadelphia: Chilton Book Company, 1971, p.104)

“Little children are usually told that the Easter eggs are brought by the Easter Bunny. Rabbits are part of pre-Christian fertility symbolism because of their reputation to reproduce rapidly.” (Greg Dues, Catholic Customs and Traditions, 1992, p.102)

“The Easter Rabbit lays the eggs, for which reason they are hidden in a nest or in the garden. The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility (Simrock, Mythologie, 551).” (Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol.5, article: Easter)

“The Easter hare was no ordinary animal, but a sacred companion of the old goddess of spring, Eostre.” (Julian Fox, Easter, Vero Beach: Rourke Enterprises, 1989, p.11)

“Like the Easter egg, the Easter hare, now an accepted part of the traditional Easter story, came to Christianity from antiquity. The hare is associated with the moon in the legends of ancient Egypt and other peoples.” (Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol 7. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 1955, p.859)

“The hare, the symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, a symbol that was kept later in Europe, is not found in North America. Its place is taken by the Easter rabbit, the symbol of fertility and periodicity both human and lunar, accredited with laying eggs in nests prepared for it at Easter or with hiding them away for children to find.” (The New Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th ed. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 1992, p.333)

“The white rabbit of Easter, beloved of small Americans, comes hopping down to us from eras when the sun and the moon were gods to men.” (Marguerite Ickis, The Book of Religious Holidays and Celebrations, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1966, p.133)

Sunrise Services

“The custom of a sunrise service on Easter Sunday can be traced to ancient spring festivals that celebrated the rising sun.”(The New Book of Knowledge, Danbury: Grolier, 1981, p.41)

“Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. (Holy Scripture, King James Version, Ezekiel 8:15-16)

“Cults of the sun, as we know from many sources, had attained great vogue during the second, third, and fourth centuries. Sun-worshipers indeed formed one of the big groups in that religious world in which Christianity was fighting for a place. Many of them became converts to Christianity . . . Worshipers in St. Peter’s turned away from the altar and faced the door so that they could adore the rising sun.” (Gordon J. Laing, Survivals of Roman Religion, p. 192)

“A suitable, single example of the pagan influence may be had from an investigation of the Christian custom of turning toward the East, the land of the rising sun, while offering their prayers…” (F.A. Regan, Dies Dominica, P. 196)

“Others, with greater regard to good manners, it must be confessed, suppose that the sun is the God of the Christians, because it is a well-known fact that we pray toward the east, or because we make Sunday a day of festivity.” (Tertullian [155-225 AD.], Ad Nationes, i 13, in The Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. III, p. 123)

Easter Parades & Wearing of New Clothes

“The Easter Parade which is held after church services in many cultures is another survival from long ago. Before there were courtiers or fashion pages there was a lively superstition, dear to princesses and peasant maidens alike, that a new garment worn at Easter meant good luck throughout the year.” (Marguerite Ickis, The Book of Religious Holidays and Celebrations, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1966, p.133)

“For centuries, even in pagan times, it had been the custom to put on new clothes for the spring festival.” (Priscilla Sawyer and Daniel J. Foley, Easter the World Over, Philadelphia: Chilton Book Company, 1971, p.134)

Hot-cross buns

Jeremiah 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? (The KJV Bible)

“The hot-cross bun, for example, is pagan in origin. The Anglo-Saxon savages consumed cakes as a part of the jolity that attended the welcoming of spring. The early missionaries from Rome despaired of breaking them of the habit, and got around the difficulty at last by blessing the cakes, drawing a cross upon them.” (Marguerite Ickis, The Book of Religious Holidays and Celebrations, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1966, p.134)

“The ‘buns,’ known too by that identical name, were used in the worship of the queen of heaven, the goddess Easter, as early as the days of Cecrops, the founder of Athens–that is, 1500 years before the Christian era. ‘One species of sacred bread,’ says Bryant, ‘which used to be offered to the gods, was of great antiquity, and called Boun.’ Diogenes Laertius, speaking of this offering being made by Empedocles, describes the chief ingredients of which it was composed, saying, ‘He offered one of the sacred cakes called Boun, which was made of fine flour and honey.’ The prophet Jeremiah takes notice of this kind of offering when he says, ‘The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven.’ The hot cross buns are not now offered, but eaten, on the festival of Astarte; but this leaves no doubt as to whence they have been derived.” [The Two Babylons (Or The Papal Worship), Alexander Hislop, 1916, Neptune, NJ, Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., p.108]

“It is quite probable that it [the word bun] has a far older and more interesting origin, as is suggested by an inquiry into the origin of hot cross buns. These cakes, which are now solely associated with the Christian Good Friday, are traceable to the remotest period of pagan history. Cakes were offered by ancient Egyptians to their moon goddess; and these had imprinted on them a pair of horns, symbolic of the ox at the sacrifice of which they were offered on the altar, or of the horned moon goddess, the equivalent of Ishtar of the Assyro-Babylonians. The Greeks offered such sacred cakes to Astarte [Easter] and other divinities. This cake they called bous (ox), in allusion to the ox-symbol marked on it, and from the accusative boun it is suggested that the word ‘bun’ is derived.Like the Greeks, the Romans eat cross-bread at public sacrifices, such bread being usually purchased at the doors of the temple and taken in with them,a custom alluded to by St. Paul in I Cor. x.28. At Herculaneum two small loaves about 5 in. in diameter, and plainly marked with a cross, were found. In the Old Testament are references made in Jer. vii.18-xliv.19, to such sacred bread being offered to the moon goddess. The cross-bread was eaten by the pagan Saxons in honor of Eoster, their goddess of light. The Mexicans and Peruvians are shown to have had a similar custom. The custom, in fact, was practically universal, and the early church adroitly adopted the pagan practice, grafting it on to the Eucharist. The boun with its Greek cross became akin to the Eucharistic bread or cross-marked wafers mentioned in St. Chrysostom’s liturgy. In the medieval church, buns made from the dough for the consecrated Host were to be distributed to the communicants after mass on Easter Sunday. In France and other Catholic countries, such blessed bread is still given in the churches to communicants who have a long journey before they can break their fast.” (Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., article: “bun”)

Easter Bonfires

“Pagan festivals celebrating spring included fire and sunrise celebrations. Both later became part of Easter celebrations.” (The New Book of Knowledge, Danbury: Grolier, 1991, p.44)

“….every year, at Beltane (or the 1st of May), a number of men and women assemble at an ancient Druidical circle of stones on her property near Crieff. They light a fire in the centre, each person puts a bit of oat-cake in a shepherd’s bonnet; they all sit down, and draw blindfold a piece from the bonnet. One piece has been previously blackened, and whoever gets that piece has to jump through the fire in the centre of the circle, and pay a forfeit. This is, in fact, a part of the ancient worship of Baal, and the person on whom the lot fell was previously burnt as a sacrifice. Now, the passing through the fire represents that, and the payment of the forfeit redeems the victim. If Baal was thus worshipped in Britain, it will not be difficult to believe that his consort Astarte was also adored by our ancestors, and that from Astarte, whose name in Nineveh was Ishtar, the religious solemnities of April, as now practised, are called by the name of Easter–that month, among our Pagan ancestors, having been called Easter-monath.” [The Two Babylons (Or The Papal Worship), Alexander Hislop, 1916, Neptune, NJ, Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., p.104]

“The Easter Eve bonfires predate Christianity and were originally intended to celebrate the arrival of spring.” (Merit Students Encyclopedia, Vol 6, New York: P. F. Collier, 1983, p.167-168)

“The Easter Fire is lit on the top of mountains (Easter mountain, Osterberg) and must be kindled from new fire, drawn from wood by friction (nodfyr); this is a custom of pagan origin in vogue all over Europe, signifying the victory of spring over winter. The bishops issued severe edicts against the sacrilegious Easter fires (Conc. Germanicum, a. 742, c.v.; Council of Lestines, a.743, n.15), but did not succeed in abolishing them everywhere. The Church adopted the observance into the Easter ceremonies, referring it to the fiery column in the desert and to the Resurrection of Christ; the new fire on Holy Saturday is drawn from flint, symbolizing the Resurrection of the Light of the World from the tomb closed by a stone (Missale Rom.). In some places a figure was thrown into the Easter fire, symbolizing winter…” (Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol.5, article: Easter)

“Fire, once part of the pagan spring festival, is now a Christian Easter symbol.” (The New Book of Knowledge, Danbury: Grolier, 1981, p.41)

“Spring fire rites to honor the sun god were forbidden until the year 752 A.D. By that time the pagan fires had changed into Easter fires.” (Edna Barth, Lilies, Rabbits, and Painted Eggs: The Story of the Easter Symbols, New York: Seabury Press, 1970, p.15)

“Bonfires on Easter Eve are particularly common in Germany, where they are lighted not only in churchyards but upon hilltops, where the young people gather around and jump over them, dance, and sing Easter hymns. These are remnants of pagan and sacrificial rites in which quantities of tar-soaked barrel staves, branches and roots of trees were burned.” (Priscilla Sawyer and Daniel J. Foley, Easter the World Over, Philadelphia: Chilton Book Company, 1971, p.103)

ALL over Europe the peasants have been accustomed from time immemorial to kindle bonfires on certain days of the year, and to dance round or leap over them. Customs of this kind can be traced back on historical evidence to the Middle Ages, and their analogy to similar customs observed in antiquity goes with strong internal evidence to prove that their origin must be sought in a period long prior to the spread of Christianity.( Sir James George Frazer (1854–1941). The Golden Bough. 1922.)

The essentially pagan character of the Easter fire festival appears plainly both from the mode in which it is celebrated by the peasants and from the superstitious beliefs which they associate with it. ( Sir James George Frazer (1854–1941). The Golden Bough. 1922.)

Lent

“The word Lent is of Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning spring.” (Marguerite Ickis, The Book of Religious Holidays and Celebrations, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1966, p.114)

“The celebration of Lent has no basis in Scripture, but rather developed from the pagan celebration of Semiramis’s mourning for 40 days over the death of Tammuz (cf. Ezek 8:14) before his alleged resurrection—another of Satan’s mythical counterfeits.” (John MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 Corinthians, Chicago: Moody, 1984)

‘It ought to be known,’ said Cassianus, the monk of Marseilles, writing in the fifth century, and contrasting the primitive Church with the Church in his day, ‘that the observance of forty days had no existence, so long as the perfection of that primitive Church remained inviolate.’ Whence, then, came this observance? The forty days abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess.” [The Two Babylons (Or The Papal Worship), Alexander Hislop, 1916, Neptune, NJ, Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., p.104]

Pagans Still Celebrate Easter

“Sabbats in Modern Witchcraft–Spring Equinox–A solar festival, in which day and night, and the forces of male and female, are in equal balance. The spring equinox, the first day of spring, marks the birth of the infant Sun God and paves the way for the coming lushness of summer. Dionysian rites are performed. The Christian version of the sabbat is Easter. (Rosemary Ellen Guiley, The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft, New York: Facts On File, 1989, p.289)

“Witches celebrate eight major festivals or sabbats each year. The sabbat is a religious ceremony deriving from ancient European festivals celebrating seasonal and pastoral changes. The first is Yule, 20 or 21 December, celebrating the winter solstice. The next is 1 or 2 February, Oimelc, Imbolc, or Candlemas, at which initiations often take place. 20 or 21 March, Eostre, the vernal equinox, is a fertility festival. 30 April is Beltane.” (Jeffery B. Russell, A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, and Pagans, London: Thames and Hudson, 1980, p.167)

After reading these facts, the choice to reject using the name “easter” should be weighing on our conscience as the right thing to do..

Lets call it Passover/Pesach, and keep the same days that Yeshua/Jesus Himself kept.

We should pray that our Heavenly Father grant us forgiveness and repentance and that His spirit of Holiness comforts and encourages us to step out in faith and “be separate” from the world. We really need to reject the holidays of men and learn about the genuine Holydays of our Heavenly Father and know that in the His word prophetically He says through Zechariah in chapter14:16.

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

So it is certain they are not done away with…..

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎,

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week, you are greatly loved and prayed for daily. Please don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation or without our Heavenly Fathers’ shalom ENVELOPING you and the deep inner knowing that you are sealed to the day of redemption by the Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.

Not sure ..you can be…

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

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

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

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

Five Chosen In A Line Unbroken – Part 4

Next in the unbroken line is

Ruth –  רות  – Rooth – Rut

Strong’s Hebrew: 7327. רוּת (Ruth) — friendship

From the noun:

רע – rea’,

friend, companion, associate.

From the noun:

ראות re’ut,

a looking or understanding.

 The name Ruth   רות

as a contraction of the noun

 ראות – re’ut,

meaning:

Look; perhaps Vision/View would be better.

Scholars who follow this root group see the name

Ruth as a feminine derivation of the root

 רעה – ra’a 

meaning:

to associate with, or be a friend of;

therefore the name Ruth means 

(Lady) Friend or (Lady) Companion

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;

3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara

of Thamar;

and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;

4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;

5 And Salmon begat Booz

of Rachab;

and Booz begat Obed of

Ruth;

and Obed begat Jesse;

6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;

8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;

9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;

10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;

11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;

13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;

14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;

15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;

16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband

of Mary,

of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Ruths’ story begins in

Bethlehem!

House of Bread

Beit Lechem –

where Yeshua/Jesus,

the Bread from Heaven,

came into this earthly realm.

In Bethlehem of Judea,

(Land of tribe of Judah)

there was a man called

Elimelech

אלימלך

Strongs 458

There is only one Elimelech in the Bible,

and means:

My God is King.  

El-imele-ch  is pronounced as

iy-L IH MMeh-LehK 

Elimeleck, Elimelek, Elymelech, Elymeleck,

and Elymelek are variant spellings.

אל  אלה

The name Elimelech consists of two elements.

The first part is the word

אל    El ,

In names אל – ‘el

usually refers to 

אלהים –‘Elohim,

 or God,

also known as 

אלה –‘Eloah.

The name applied to the God of Israel.

In English, the words ‘God’ and ‘god’

exclusively refer to the deity but in Hebrew the words

 אל -‘l and אלה -‘lh are far more common

and may express approach and negation,

acts of wailing and pointing,

and may even mean oak or terebinth.

The second part of the name comes from the noun

מלך – melek,

meaning king:

and a king is not merely a glorified tribal chief

but the alpha of a complex, stratified society,

implying a court and a complex government.

Elimelech was a member of the clan of Ephrath, a native of Bethlehem of tribe of Judah, a man of wealth and probably head of a family or clan (Ruth 1:2,3; 2:1,3).

He lived during the period of the Judges and had a hereditary possession near Bethlehem, and he is chiefly remembered as the husband of Naomi.

Ephrath: For those of the tribe of Ephraim are also called Ephrathites,

Judges 12:5,

Art thou an Ephrathite 1 Kings 11:26; 1 Samuel 1:1.

David is called the son of an Ephrathite,

that is, a Beth-lehemite.

(לְאֶפְרָיִם): Ephraimites

אֶפְרַיִם ‎, ʾEfrayim pronounced like Ef•ra•yim) meaning: fruitful, fertile, productive.

Genesis 35:19; Micah 5:2; either from Caleb’s wife of that name, 1 Chronicles 2:19; 4:4, or from the fertility of the soil about it; which title may therefore be used here, to show the greatness of the famine, which affected even fertile parts.

Recall that Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph and his Egyptian wife.

Genesis 41:52

Ephraim was the second son of Joseph and Asenath. Asenath was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On. These 2 were absorbed into the 12 Tribes of Israel/Jacob. Genesis 48:2

Later Ephraim became the name of:

The half-tribe Ephraim (Joshua 16:5).

The hill country in Palestine (1 Samuel 1:1).

The scripture records that 3000 years ago there was a famine in the land and because of the famine affecting nearby Israel.

Elimelech and his family had traveled from Bethlehem Ephrathah to escape its ravaging effects; moving to a pagan country bordering Canaan called

Moab מוֹאָב

located east of the dead sea in Israel.

Moab is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in modern-day Jordan running along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea.

Moab is the area shaded in pink is the territory known across from the wilderness of Judah.

A flat and arid plane extends east from the banks of the Dead Sea before ascending sharply some 4,000 feet to the plain above. The upper plain is a more fertile stretch of land that extends about 15 miles from the escarpment east to the Arabian Desert. Dibon, the capital city of Moab in the biblical era, is located in the northern region of the upper plane.

In ancient times, it was home to the kingdom of the Moabites, a people often in conflict with their Israelite neighbors to the west.

Strong’s Hebrew: 4124. מוֹאָב (Moab) — a son of Lot

 From a prolonged form of the prepositional prefix m-

and ‘ab; from (her (the mother’s)) father; 

Moab, an incestuous son of Lot;

also his territory and descendants 

Which is why the Israelites were forbidden by law to marry a Moabite.

This name is pronounced mo-ahv in Hebrew.

The base word is ahv meaning father.

The prefix mo means from.

Combined these mean: from father. 

 

Mo’av was the son of Lot’s oldest daughter and Lot himself (Genesis 19:35), the product of an incest relationship; implying that the similarity in Hebrew between

Mo’abi /Moabite and me’abi – from my father

was no coincidence Gen 19:37.

According to the Torah, no descendent of Mo’av is allowed in the assembly of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:3).

Moab, Moabites, pronounced: 

Moh´ab, moh´uh-bits.

So reading the biblical narrative, it describes the Moabites’ origins in terms of both kinship and disdain. They are blood relatives of the Israelites, but their forefather was born as a result of incest. According to the Genesis 19:30-38 story, Moab was the son of Abraham’s nephew Lot, through his own eldest daughter, with whom he had a child after the destruction of Sodom.

The Bible clearly explains the etymology of Moab as meaning “of his father.” Nevertheless, there was considerable interchange between the two peoples, They were closely linked with their northern neighbors, the Ammonites (descended from Moab’s half brother, Ben-ammi), with whom they later shared a border.

So from this account, clearly, Israel and Moab shared kinship, history, language, institutions, and theology, and that this closeness often led to competition and strife between the two peoples. Being “just like us” made the Moabites dangerous to Israelite identity and assimilation was always a threat. 

It shows that there was incest, disobedience and gentile heritage in the mix.

In Moab, a child was probably raised in a culture that worshipped an ungodly idol named Chemosh. This entity was worshipped by the Moabites sacrificing their children to it. This child knew no other way of life and may have witnessed family or friends being offered as sacrifices to this pagan god.

In this Biblical account this young woman was called Ruth and one day a new family came to her home town.

This family of four people were father Elimelech his wife Naomi and their 2 sons Mahlon and Chilion.

As noted earlier,

the name Elimelech means my God is King

which is indicative of him being a believer in

Yahweh/The God of Israel.

Naomi – נָעֳמִי

means:

pleasant or my pleasantness.

The sons names Mahlon and Chilion

were indicative of their characters

Mahlon מַחְלוֹן

meant:

Is sick sickly ‘sickness’ sorrowful. 

Strong’s Hebrew: 4248. מַחְלוֹן (Machlon)

Transliteration: Machlon
Phonetic Spelling: makh-lone’ 

Chilion  כליון  

The name Chilion is not very cheerful

he was a complainer and it is spelled the same way as,

but pronounced slightly different from,

the noun כליון ( killayon ),

meaning failing or annihilation,

Also

כִּלְיוֹן    Ḵilyōn

further meaning is:

Wasting Away

 Pining

Coming To An End,

Man Of Finality

Used up, consumed, finite.

From the verb כלה – kala,

to come to an end.

Chilion is pronounced kil-yone’

Strong’s concordance H3630

And they came Judges. 5:30 into the country of Moab, and continued (Hebrew) were there.

[They continued there]

While the famine continued, they could remain, which was lawful: However, it was not lawful to abide for ever in a foreign land, both because of the danger of idolatry; and on account that they may become forgetful of the covenant and appointed times of the Law.

Remember, all the males were required to go up three times in a year to the Temple, Appointed Times/Feasts.

Ruth 1:3

tells us that Elimelech died in Moab leaving Naomi with her 2 sons

Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion /Kilion married Ruth’s sister Orpah.

Strong’s Hebrew: 6204. עָרְפָּה (Orpah)    

Ruth   Orpah עָרְפָה

Phonetic Spelling: or-paw’ ‎ ʿorpā,

meaning neck or fawn or

back of the neck; she turned her back on Naomi.

The name Orpah comes from the verb ערף ( arap ).

The added letter he is a common feminization form:

The verb ערף ( ‘arap) means to drip or drop.

Noun עריף ( ‘arip) means cloud and ערפל ( ‘arapel) describes a heavy cloud mass.

The noun ערף ( ‘orep) means neck.

Hebrew Strongs #06204: hpre `Orpah Orpah = “gazelle” 1) a Moabite woman, wife of Chilion, the son of Naomi, and sister-in-law of Ruth 6204 `Orpah or-paw’ feminine of 6203; mane; Orpah, a Moabites:-Orpah.

It is highly probable that during the 10 years of marriage Naomi would have recounted the stories of her homeland and of the God in whom she believed.

This God who created the universe and brought her people out of slavery performing mighty miracles while leading them for 40 years through the wilderness to the promised land where they had come from. She may have told them the history of Jerichos walls falling down the other side of the Dead Sea and of Rahabs courage to save her family with Joshuas men and the scarlet cord in her window. She may have shared how her God had provided guidelines that helped His people and stopped them from hurting one another opposite to the demands of their false god to sacrifice children as a form of worship.

Sadly, about ten years later, both of Naomis sons died.

It would be interesting to know why all three died; it’s unusual for all the men in a family to die at more or less the same time. However God had a plan and the timing was crucial had they not died the women would probably have remained in Moab.

So Mahlon and Chilions wives, Ruth and Orpah tragically became widows; they were alone and they faced certain poverty and a future of destitution as they had no one to support them. Their death leaves Naomi, Ruth and Orpah stranded, without protection, they had to find a refuge, or starve.

Not long after that, probably towards the end of the period of the Judges, in c.1060BC/1050BC, news came to Naomi that the famine in Israel was over and that God was blessing her people; this made her want to return to Bethlehem.

Ruth 1:6-18   

Naomi decides to return alone; assuming that Ruth and Orpah would not want to return to Bethlehem with her, even though the women respected and loved each other.the main problem for Ruth and Orpah was that they were Moabite women, not Israelites.

The Moabite people were traditional enemies of the Israelites. There was frequent warfare between the two groups. As previously mentioned according to the Israelite belief, Moabites came from the act of incest between Lot and his older daughter (Genesis 19:30-38), and to them the whole nation was tainted and inferior.

At first both Ruth and Orpah wanted to go with her.

Naomi loved the women but she reminded them that if they did leave with her, they would become the foreigners and so she encouraged them to return to their mothers house.

Verse 8.

Naomi did not want a bad future for them and said to them; the lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

Her genuine desire was for them to remarry into their own people and to be at peace.

They lifted up their voices and wept v.9

Then in verse 10 they insisted on accompanying her because they didn’t want to leave her. Naomi told them she had no more sons for them to marry. Obviously she loved them v13 and crying with loud sobbing Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye; however Ruth clung onto her and what Ruth says at this moment is recorded in verses 16-17 and are without doubt some of the most touching and beautiful words in the Bible.

But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.

This is a prophetic reference to the heathen, goyim, gentile nations being grafted in as they believe in the God of Israel.

Orpah, decided to return to her people and the Moabite way of life, but Ruth could not be budged.

She had shared loneliness, anxiety and grief with Naomi, and now that the older woman was completely alone, Ruth stood by her and out of love and loyalty to her mother-in-law, accompanied Naomi back to Bethlehem, while Orpah stayed in Moab.

This revealed that not only is she is devoted to Naomi but that she was also willing to totally submit her life and future to Naomis’ God, the God of Israel. Ruth abandoned her lifelong home and her pagan gods and she became a Jew by choice.

The scriptures show that she had some understanding of what she was doing and that she had a relationship with Him, as she uses the proper name of the God of Israel saying; the existing one/ Yahweh /Lord.

The last part of verse 17 was her promise to Naomi. This was more than Naomi could resist and they headed towards Bethlehem together along the dusty road.

This young womans decision 3000+ years ago was more than a step towards Bethlehem it was a momentous decision to both follow Naomi and Naomi’s God who had also become her God.

The extraordinary modern painting (below) of Ruth and Naomi captures the essence of the story: the mutual dependence of people within a family. It shows the younger woman, Naomi, sheltering and protecting the elderly woman (billowing cape as shield against harsh weather, supportive arm around the shoulder) and the older woman leading the way (staff in her hand, grey hair signifying both wisdom and experience).

Together, the figures form a single unit, stronger together than they would be if they had gone their separate ways.

Ruth 1:19-22    

The two women arrive in Bethlehem 

meaning ‘house of bread’

at the start of the barley harvest in April.

Barley was used to make bread.

Jewish holiday of Shavuot – Weeks.

The Book of Ruth also functions liturgically, as it is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot – Weeks.

The book is divided into four chapters;

and takes place at the beginning of

barley harvest

which is Passover Pescah

and the story goes through to

wheat harvest

which is Pentecost Shavuot

and covers the

counting of the Omer

over 49 days = 7 weeks.

Barley was used to make bread….

and Who is the Bread of Life?

Feasts of the Lord in Hebrew is

סעודות האל

Chag means feast or festival,

and has its root in the word chah-gog,

that, in the Hebrew mindset, means:

to circle, as in to circle dance or feast.

By definition, these three feasts

are to be celebrated before the Lord

in a joyous, party atmosphere with singing, dancing,

and processions.

Hebrew verb

יעד – ya’ad

meaning: to appoint.

 moadim – moe-ah-DEEM.

Appointed times – mo’ed. מעֵד

Passover (Pesach),

Weeks (Shavuot), and

Tabernacles (Sukkot).

Pesach

פֶּסַח Pesaḥ

Chag HaMatzot

חג המץ

Hag Hamatzot  – Feast of Unleavened Bread,

חג המצות

Unleavened bread – מצה, matzah, plural matzot,

 Strong’s #4682 

חג המצות

 Yom HaBikkurim  י ום הביכורים 

Feast of First Fruits or

the Day of Firstfruits,

or

Reshit Ha’Katzir  ראשית הקציר

the first of the harvest.

Yom HaBikkurimm – Reishit Qatzir . ראשׁית קציר. 

Shavuot – Pentecost, Shavuos,

Hebrew: שבועות, literally = Weeks

The Hebrew word sheva means seven,

shavu’ah means week, and

shavu’ot means weeks. 

Passover: The Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.

Passover is the 1st feast commanded by the LORD for Israel to observe. In Old Testament Israel, it commemorated Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage.

Feast of Unleavened Bread: The Burial of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Hag HaMatzah

in modern Israel

is the 2nd of the 7 feasts

that the LORD commanded Israel to celebrate.

Feast of Firstfruits: The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.

The Feast of Firstfruits

called Bikkurim

in modern Israel

is the 3rd of the 7 Feasts of Israel

commanded by the LORD to be celebrated by Israel.

NOTE: When Ruth appealed to his kinship, he redeemed the property in Ruth 3:9.

In consequence of this he had to marry Ruth, in order

to raise up the name of the dead!!

Pentecost: The Giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church and the First “Come Up Hither”.

The feast of outpouring called

Shavuot

in modern Israel

4th of the 7 Feasts of Israel.

Gleaning was a common practice in ancient Israel.

It was a form of charity for the disadvantaged

(see Leviticus 23:22 and Deuteronomy 24:19).

Recognized groups of the poor, such as widows, orphans and foreigners, could walk behind the harvesters, picking up what was left. This is what Ruth did.

They knew that women took an active part in all stages of food production – and Ruth decided she would help to glean the barley in the fields, to feed herself and Naomi and to get a store of grain for winter.

So to keep them from starving to death, Ruth gleans grain in the field of Naomi’s relative, Boaz.

For Ruth, this course of action behind her words led to her salvation…

Don’t leave this page until you are certain of your salvation.

Conclusion coming in next post….

Shalom, shalom, mishpachah!

You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

Please don’t leave this page without the knowing in your heart you are totally His.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

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

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua 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/Yeshua 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/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.