‘Once Upon A Time….’ are often the first words to a made up story. In many ways the end for us as believers is simply, the beginning.
We are at the Beginning of the annual scripture readings followed throughout Israel. They start following the last of the Biblical 7 Appointed Times of God / 7 Feasts of Israel, looked at in previous post.
In The Beginning.However, it means much more than beginning it means at the start of or ‘at the head of all things’ in the sense that it is the beginning, but also infers
that
the Head Creator planned each step
which
began as a
THOUGHT.
Here the Mystery of The Gospel is within Genesis.
Also spelled Bereshit, Bereishit, Bereishis, B’reshith, Beresheet, or Bereishees.It is most appropriately the title of the first weekly Bible scripture reading or Torah Portion, which in Hebrew it is called, The Parashah.
Sometimes titled Sefer Rishon – the First Book or Sefer Ben’at Ha’olam – The Book of the Creation of the world.
For readers convenience all the scripture references (Torah Portions) to follow through the Bible in a year are listed on a single page and can be accessed from MMM Homepage or https://www.minimannamoments.com/weekly-readings-to-take-us-through-the-bible-in-a-year/
The first letter B at the Beginning of this word gives revelation.Literally: Son God Destroy Hand Cross!B in the Hebrew alphabet (aleph-bet) is the letter BetBet means house and its shape is composed of three Vav’swhich add up to the number 18(Every Hebrew letter also has a numerical value see charts and information also available on Home page or click on the links below:)
the same value for the word chai or life.Chai,(living / ḥay) is a Hebrew word that figures prominently in the culture of modern Israel; the Hebrew letters of the word are often used as a visual symbol.
The word is made up of two letters of the Hebrew Alphabet – forming the word chai – ח Chet and י Yod , meaning: life, alive, or living.
The most common spelling in Latin script is Chai. (Tea lovers may notice the name of their favorite drink!)
In Hebrew, the related word chaya means living thing or animal, and is derived from the Hebrew word chai (חי), meaning life.
The Jewish toast is l’chaim, to life.
Chaya feminine, Chayim masculine The house of creation is then the life of the universe. Bet also has a pre-fixative function meaning ‘in’.
SuggestingGod’s intention of abiding within the realm of creation.In this first weeks schedule, the portion opens with this statement about the creative activity of God.In the beginning God created the heavens and earth Genesis 1:1
The Scriptures actually begin not from the 1st person perspective of some man’s understanding of God but from an omniscient 3rd person perspective, a voice (קול) (sound,voice, noise pronounced Kol), that reveals the glorious power that created the entire cosmos by means of His Word.דבריו
John 1:1-3 In the Genesis was the WORD and the Word was with God and the Word was God He was with God in the beginning.Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
John 1:14 The Word Became Flesh and dwelt among us.
Proverbs 3:19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;
The very 1st verse reveals the nature of God as being triune, which is also indicated where the plural form of The Name is used as Elohim with the singular verb used bara. Meaning, He, (God), created.Later in verse 26 we read (Hebrew reads from right to left)and it’s a direct quotation from Elohim that uses plural personal pronouns.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.
Stopping for a moment to realize what a breathtaking statement this is in the opening line of the Scripture. We also see it is shrouded in mystery as the Bible describes how Elohim created the universeyesh me’ayinישמעיין
(over a 6 day period,)out of מתוך nothingness האין .Who else can create out of nothingness? The end of this action was a stunning creation of a human being–
betzelem elohimin the image of Elohim אלוקים Himself.
בצלם אלוקים
The introduction to the 1st day of creation is with a vision of the Earth as להםזכויותtohu vavohuווהוטוהוwithout form and void,
and the spirit of Elohim is seen hovering over the waters.
Following this we read the first direct quotation of Elohim:– Yehi Or!Let there be light!We are then told that Elohim saw that the light was good (tuv טוב), and He separated it from the darkness (חושך choshekh), adding that Elohim called the light (אור or), day (יום Yom la or) and the darkness (חושךchoshekh), night (לילה lay’lah).This was the ending of the 1st day.
Here is another great mystery – the mystery of the 1st day. It suggests some sort of divine designation of good and evil, light and darkness, connected to the creation and division of time.Before He created the specific Light/Or, it was the Shekinah Glory of God The criteria for determining the start of each day is at Sundown / erev rather than at sunrise / boker.In Israel today and everything to do with the Hebraic Jewish calendar is based on this scripture that Elohim declared.
And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Vaihi erev vaihi voker yom echad. It should give us pause to question why it was ever changed, especially if we believe that God always knows best!
A brief overview of the following days:
Genesis 1:1–2:3
Dividing the upper waters from the lower waters Elohim formed the canopy (חופה) above the Earth.
Some scholars believe that the waters above were in the form of solid ice!We know outer space is freezing cold and even from a commercial plane at 36,000 feet and the outside temperature at that height is -57° C (-71° F)!This may also explain another suggestion that before the flood, the sky above looked more pink than blue from earths surface. The thick layer of ice may have caused the suns rays to reflect through it as a prism altering it.
On the 2nd day and called the physical canopy heaven (שָׁמַיִם Sha•ma•yim).
Va•yik•ra Elohim la•ra•kia Sha•ma•yimOn day 3, He set the boundaries of the land (ארץ eretz) and seas (יםמי Yahm) and called forth trees and seed bearing vegetation from the earth.
Elohim fixed the position of the Sun, Moon and stars on the 4th day as a way to establish both the times and seasons (יםדענמ), (including His 7 Appointed Times/Feasts), and to be a source of illumination to the earth.On the 5th day, the fish birds and reptiles were created and received the first personal blessing from Elohim. On day 6 Elohim created land animals and finally a human being (betzelem elohim בצלם אלוקים) from the dust of the earth. Dust(ah-vahk קבא)His sanctified the 7th day as He ceased His work and designated it as a day of rest.
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.
The word Shabbat is derived from this word.
In Genesis 2: we are given a closer look at the creation of Adam and that Elohim also has a personal nameYHVH הוהי yod hay vav hay the sacred name of God, that is, the Lord.Literally: Son God Destroy Hand Cross!
For many scholars it is generally believed that Elohim is the name given as the creator of the universe. This name implies justice and power where as His personal name expresses the idea of the Creator’s closeness to us. This can be better explained where we read that it is YHVH who breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life to become a living soul, (betzelem elohim)formed him from the dust of the earth.
Va•yi•tzer Adonai Elohim et-ha•adam afar min-ha•ada•ma va•yi•pach be•a•pav nish•mat cha•yim vay•hi ha•adam le•ne•fesh cha•ya.And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,and breathed into his nostrils (מ ש) the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
The life-force is not a result of organic material, it is from God. Neshemah chayim = breath of life.
Chayyim is plural (literally lives, not life) Elohim is plural.
Are Soul and Spirit the same thing?
Chayyim hints that God put into Humans more than one kind of life.
From Mary’s physical body she put forth a song of Praise in Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
Nephesh = breath. This cannot be the plural of majesty – it must be the plural man? God breathed lives into Adam? Breath and being are a supernatural thing, and they come from God, outside our three dimensional realm. Evolution teaches against this concept, that life is an accident. Microbes, germs, etc – are not included with animals in the animal kingdom. Food for thought!
and the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
In the Garden of Eden(Gan Eden)was the tree of life(etz ha-chayim)as well as the tree of knowledge of good and evil(etz ha-da’at tov vara).Adam’s first responsibility before the Lord, was to work and guard the garden and to refrain from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
He was originally created as a single individual however the Lord, (YHVH הוהי yod hay vav hay /The Name/ Hashem), decided it was not good for him to be alone, so He had all of the animals pass before Adam to see what he would call them. Adam’s ability to name them was by divine inspiration, as he incorporated in their name a subtle description of their very essence, characteristics and functions. Example below:
Genesis 2:19-20 “And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them:
and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field;” … (KJV)
This all happens before the creation of Eve in Genesis 2:22 and before the fall as described in Genesis 3:6
Looking in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary at a few Biblical Hebrew names for common animals we find;
Thus we see that the names derive from observable physical characteristics of the animals or their observable behaviors. The cormorant is named due to its diving into the water in pursuit of its prey.
Following this amazing feat, none of the animals were a match for Adam so the Lord put him into a very deep sleep and built a woman from his side so that she would be a helper in front of him. Ezer kenegdo.
According to scripture when he woke up, Adam was very happy and called her Ishah and they became one fleshbasar echad as the very first marriage ceremony took place on earth.Shortly after 3:1 we are introduced to the serpent na•chash נָחָשׁ as the shrewdest of animals which the Lord created.The Scripture tells us the first thing the serpent said, was by way of hissing at eve the haunting question – did God really say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?
Tree of Life – Etz ChaimShe answered correctly. Omitting the deadly consequences concerning the fruit of the tree of the knowledge good and evil, the hissing serpent implied that the Lord was keeping from them special insight that would cause them to be as gods.
So began the downward spiral into evil… (which is interesting if spelt backwards, is live! The word evil means literally, out of harmony with God.)
The tactics he used on her have not changed in 6000+ years. First she believed the lie, which involves our mind and our thinking. Second by looking at the fruit, she used her sight and then the action, as she took it from the tree. Lastly, in eating the fruit it resulted in the sin, which was a direct violation of God’s instruction to them. She was not alone as the Scriptures tell, Adam was with her at this time and knowingly ate the fruit offered to him. We often hear this action called the fall of man. It was in fact of enormous consequence, being an act of treason against God’s will, it resulted in them being expelled from the garden immediatelyand mankind came under God’s curse with the ultimate judgment being – death.The entrance to the garden and access to the tree of life was guarded by Cherubim with flaming swords so they would not eat and live forever in a fallen state.The serpent also had judgment pronounced upon him.In doing so, the Lord prophesied that a struggle for the fate of the human race would follow. Being represented by the serpent, Satan שטן (from the Hebrew word adversary) now had illegal rights to humanity as they were now under a divine curse.But God had promised to reverse the curse by means of the seed זרע Zera the Messiah משיח the Anointed One who would crush the head of the serpent and restore mankind to his original position. The Bible comprises the complete story of redemption and describes the cosmic war to reverse the curse by means of the seed of the woman who would come and to deliver humanity from the clutches of sin and death.
The story continues citing some of the consequences of sin. How Cain murders his younger brother Abel הבל in a fit of jealous anger and is banished from his family.Abel is a biblical forename which may derive from the Hebrew Hebel, itself derived from hevel (breath or vapour), or from the Assyrian for son.
We are told of some of the descendants of Cain (קין Kayin) who followed in his evil ways, (evil = out of harmony with God), that we also hear of Adam and Eve’s third son Seth, סת meaning, compensation. Their descendants began to call on the name of the Lord and Seth had a son named Enosh ענוסה which means man, and is a clear reference of the coming bar enash / בןאדםorson of man. Daniel 7:13
Notably the 10th generation descendant of Seth was Noah נח Noe or Noach = rest
John 1:1–14 reminds us again that it is very clearly a reference to the opening words of Genesis and John identifies Jesus/Yeshua as the Word (devar מִלָּה ) of God Elohim. (Word of Godמילתאלוהים) and points to the fact that He was the creative power whose command cause the entire universe to come into existence. He Jesus/Yeshua is the true light from God,אוראמיתימאלוהים
the Promised One who would bring truth to all the nations of the Earth and would be the fulfillment of the mission of Israel by giving birth to the seed of promise. The person of Jesus/Yeshua was the promised seed Jesus/Yeshua ben Yosef /Joseph עישובןיוסףthe Son of the Father full of Grace and Truth, and even though His own people rejected Him… it is only a temporary situation which will end and all Israel will turn to Him and be saved. Romans 9:11.This is the secret plan of YHVH.
Jesus is the mystery of the ages that God set in place, the secret plan and seed He planted in genesis (the first beginning) that He would send Himself as the Redeemer as the seed of the woman Who would crush satans head. The plan of redemption both began and ended when Jesus died over 2000 years ago, the mystery of the gospel, the Word of God, became flesh and died in our place to redeem all mankind from Adams sin, the fall. And as scripture records, if satan had known the outcome he would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. He is outwitted and defeated.Before that happens the opportunity remains for all people to become the children of God by ילדיםשלאלוהים personally receiving Jesus as their Savior Lord and King. Make sure we and our families have made this important decision, for once an individual accepts this invitation they become grafted into the original covenant blessing that was given to Israel.Another fascinating revelation can be seen in the letters YHVH and their meanings from the paleo Hebrew letters and a prophetic connection to Messiahs future death.because evenWe have been given the Word/Torah of Truth and the life of eternity He has implanted within us. Eternity is in our hearts in the very essence of the spirit He breathed into the red dirt that He had formed into a human soul.
There are many genesis, not just one beginning, and as one phase comes to a conclusion it simply makes way for the new beginning.
The end of His story is the (genesis) beginning, for He is the beginning (genesis) and the end… Are we ready for our next GENESIS?
Now we are at the fourth Hebrew Feast called Shavuot in Hebrew and Pentecost in Greek, from the word for 50.
Pronounced sha-voo-ote.
In parts of Europe it is also known as Whitsun, Whit Sunday or Whitsuntide.
In Deuteronomy 16:16, 17 Shavuot is known as the Feast of Weeks in addition to being called first fruits.
The name Shavuot, comes from the word, weeks. In Hebrew, the word weeks is Strong’s 7620, Shaabu’ot.
It is not mentioned by name but referenced in John 5:1. So called because it falls exactly 7 weeks and one day after the first fruits of Unleavened Bread following Passover.
Shavout was the Holy day that launched the reaping of wheat, the summer harvest and the second first fruits of the year.
It was during this feast that God’s Holy Spirit filled them and they spoke in tongues and 3000 came to the Lord. They were the first fruits of the congregation of believers.
These 3000 were all Israelites/Jewish men and women who had come in obedience to Jerusalem. This was one of the three pilgrimage festivals of: Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, where all Israelite males are to appear before God with offerings, and give according to his blessings. They came to see and be seen before the ‘face of God’ in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This was not a new Holy date for them, their ancestors had been obediently keeping this command since God gave the dates to Moses in Leviticus 23:15
This is why it is also the anniversary of the giving of the 10 Commandments and the Torah, (first five books of the old Testament), on Mount Sinai. Here, God’s covenant was made with the children of Israel to come and dwell with His presence among them, to be contained in the ark of the covenant. Ex.19:1
The Israelites accepted the covenant agreements and declared ‘all He has said we will do.’ It was in effect the marriage of God to His beloved Israel and Israel became a nation that day. A chosen generation, a people set apart to Him a Holy nation, a royal priesthood. Ex 19:6 ‘And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an Holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.’
For us as believers, grafted in by grace, Holy, sanctified, set apart as 1Pet 2:9 tells us;
‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an Holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.’
Everything is connected, when we only remember some parts of the Holy days, it does not make as much sense.
50 days earlier, The children of Israel sacrificed their first Passover lambs; ate their first meal consisting of lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs; fled away from Pharaoh and the Egyptians; and emerged alive from the Red Sea, all in the first month (Aviv). They traveled for the remainder of the first month and throughout all of the second month (Zif or Iyyar). The day the children of Israel walked out of the Red Sea (Aviv 17) is counted as day one, then Sivan 1 would have been day 45 of their journey. They then set up camp in front of Mount Sinai which, according to Gal. 4:25, is in (Saudi) Arabia.
Although not specifically stated, it was probably the next day (day 46) that Moses ascended the mountain to speak with God Ex.19:3-6; and the following day (day 47), Moses returned to the people and told them everything God had said (19:7). The people agreed with what God had said, so the next day (day 48) Moses brought this information back to the Lord (19:8,9).
The Lord told Moses to return to the people that very day (day 48) and “…consecrate them today and tomorrow…and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people” (19:10,11). The third day (Sivan 6), then, would be the fiftieth day of their trek, beginning with the day they came up out of the Red Sea (Aviv 17).
For Shavuot, it is added also that ‘you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt,’ (Deut 16:12). In reminding ourselves, we understand both the natural and spiritual meaning to what it means to be a ‘slave in Egypt.’ For us it was to have been, ‘In bondage to the ways of the world’, and without God’s provision through Jesus, we have no hope of gaining freedom, no promise of forgiveness of sin or redemption unto eternal life in the Fathers presence.
God’s appearance upon Mount Sinai, on the sixth day of the sixth month (Sivan), was in a manner that the children of Israel would not soon forget:
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. … Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire.
The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder.
Teeth, consume, destroy:sheen – alef:ox, bull, strength,leader, first
Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him (Ex.19:16,18,19).
The people were too awestruck and afraid to have God speak directly to them Ex 20:18; Deut 5:5. So, then and later, God spoke to Moses the Ten Commandments and the Law (the Torah):
the instructions and guidelines by which He wanted His people to live and the means by which sacrifices were to be presented.
This was a manifestation of the same fire Moses saw in Midian many years before.
While unleavened bread symbolizes Jesus’ sinless humanity (Luke 22:19),
the two loaves used at Shavuot / Pentecost contain yeast and symbolize that the Body of Messiah Jesus (the congregation) would be made up of sinners as well.
The two loaves used at Shavuot also symbolize Jews and Gentiles, demonstrating the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham to bless all the nations through him (Gen. 12:3; see Gal. 3:26-28).
Here is also where the story of Ruth is remembered.
On the surface a seemingly simple story, however it is profound in depth. It describes the loyalty and kindness of the gentile Moabitess, who sought refuge under the wings of the Divine presence after the death of her Israelite husband. It is also the story of the Scripture guidance and nurturing provided by her mother-in-law. Further it is the account of the older judge who became her kinsman redeemer and from whose union emerged the hidden spark of the Messiah.
Boaz became Ruth’s ‘kinsman redeemer’, (a type of Jesus the Messiah). It was prophetic of the future ‘grafting in‘, of the gentiles. (Also called, the heathen or goyim and refers to all people from non-Israelite nations.)
Boaz was true to his responsibilities and married Ruth. They had a boy and named him Obed, (Oved). He was the father of Jesse, the father of David and therefore part of the ancestral line from which Jesus/Yeshua was descended.
(See video at end for more of the Ruth and Boaz story.)
We as gentiles, are indeed grafted in by grace to the royal household of Jesus the King of Kings. Everything is connected and not one story can be left out, nor does it stand alone.
We are to count 50 days, including the Day of First fruits, to the day after the 7th weekly Sabbath, which is Shavuot (Pentecost) (Leviticus 23:15-16). The 50th day is Shavuot the first fruits of the wheat harvest.
An offering of two loaves of bread was made with fine flour and baked with leaven. The bread is to be waved as a wave offering before the Lord. (Lev. 23:16,17,20).
‘bring two loaves made of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of first fruits to the Lord’ ( Lev. 23:17).
These loaves of leavened bread were significant as a ‘mikrah’ (rehearsal), of something that God had in mind for a time in the future.
This subtle instruction indicates a great truth.
These two ‘wave loaves’ are of equal weight and they are baked with leaven called ‘firstfruits.’ Since they are baked with leaven, they represent sinful man (certainly not, for example, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who are unleavened) and since they are ‘first fruits’, they are redeemed or resurrected men. Obviously God was predicting here that the Body of Jesus would be comprised of two parts, Jew and Gentile, of course it was originally and has always been part Jewish, since the Lord inevitably retains a remnant of His People.
We are the ONE NEW MAN: Israelite/Jew and Gentile/Heathen TOGETHER
Eph. 2:15
Counting the ‘days between’, the disciples continued in prayer. Acts 2:42; and waited obediently and patiently for Jesus had promised the Holy Spirit would come and live in believers’ hearts (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), and He said it would happen soon after His ascension (Acts 1:4-5)
They were Preparing their hearts to receive the gift of Holy Spirit. The comforter, the One who comes alongside to help, to empower, to quicken us, and make us alive.
Acts 2 records the fulfillment of Shavuot as the promised Holy Spirit descends, indwells believers and ushers in the church age, which we are still in.
Holy Spirit descended upon each of them with the same Holy fire that some 3300 years before, had protected their ancestors in the wilderness.
The same ‘fire’ from the mountain that had made Moses face shine.
Now 3300 (approx.) years later His presence is with them and each individual becomes the physical container of His Glory.
On the Day of Pentecost, as descendants of the children of Israel from all over the world gathered in Jerusalem, they read, among other Scriptures, Ezek. 1:1-28 and 3:12; and Hab. 2:20 – 3:19. These passages speak of the brightness of God’s glory. Ezekiel heard wind and voices, and saw fire; later, he witnessed the departure of the Shekinah glory from the Temple.
There was expectation on this special day that the Shekinah glory would return and take its rightful place in the Temple’s Holy of Holies. But instead, as Luke records in Acts 2, there was wind, fire, and voices (the 120 speaking in tongues). Rather than returning to reside in the Temple, the Holy Spirit took up residence in the ‘temple of God’ (1 Cor. 3:16), the bodies of believers in Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.
(Acts 2:5). When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues [languages] as the Spirit enabled them.
‘…there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound [the speaking in tongues], a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language’. (Acts 2:5,6).
In this way, God began to use believers, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, to be His witnesses, beginning in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). The 3,000 saved on the Day of Pentecost were Jews. Filling them with a bold spirit that compelled them to testify of Him in joy and truth, preaching the good news to all who would listen.
Just as faithful Israelites brought the first fruits of their wheat harvest to the Temple on Shavuot, so the 3,000 Jewish believers on the Day of Pentecost were the first fruits of the Body of Messiah, (the congregation/church).
Peters was ‘on fire’ for the Lord and his first sermon after Pentecost is recorded in Acts 2:1-41.
This feast is very much about those of us who are grafted in by His Grace.
Jesus/Yeshua and Pentecost/Shavuot
Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, fulfilled the 4th Hebrew Spring festival at Pentecost.
The Feast of Weeks always had been considered a time of offering ‘firstfruits’ to the Lord. Lev 23:20; Num.28:26, just as the Feast of First fruits had been. Similarly, Pentecost was the beginning of the Holy Spirit’s moving upon many people who would be the ‘first fruits’ from spiritual death—‘born again,’ as it were—into spiritual Life in Jesus. John 3:3-7.
At Mount Sinai, there was an unmistakable, extraordinary, supernatural manifestation of God, to those whom He had chosen to perceive it firsthand. At that point in time, though, God still was ‘untouchable’; and the people were so afraid to hear God speak that Moses had to be the ‘mediator’ between God and the children of Israel.
In Jerusalem on Pentecost, the manifestation of God, in Holy Spirit, not only was perceived but also received by those who believed upon Jesus as Messiah and Lord. Jesus, manifested in the Holy Spirit, was (and is) the ultimate “mediator” between God and His people.
Before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples that He was “…going to the Father” John 14:12, 28; 16:10. In other words, He was going to leave them by ascending into heaven (after His resurrection) to join God the Father. Then He made this promise:
‘And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor [or Comforter] to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.’ John 14:16-19.
Jesus said that He was leaving but that the Father would send another (the Counselor or Comforter) in His place. But then Jesus said, ‘I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you and …you will see me’. Later He said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’.
How could this possibly be? Was Jesus ‘coming or going’?
Actually, and wonderfully, He was going to do both. Holy Spirit would come to dwell within all believers, enabling them spiritually to ‘see’ Jesus, John 14:19. There is not a thought, motive, purpose, or action that the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit do not share in common. Therefore, when Jesus claimed that the Counselor (Holy Spirit) was coming, yet in another place implied that ‘He’ was coming, there was no contradiction; Jesus was (and is) present in and through the Holy Spirit of God.
Meaning of Pentecost
Finally, this ties counting the days and the two first fruits together. Just as Jesus ties His Resurrection, Ascension and the giving of the emersion of His Holy Spirit at the Feast of Weeks.
In the same way as the farmers could not use the wheat crop until the offering of the loaves; so also Jesus the Bread of Life, had to ascend, before the rest of ‘the grain’, (His disciples), could take Holy Spirit and be used in power as recorded in Acts 2.
After Pentecost they healed the sick, delivered the oppressed and raised the dead.
It was REAL and they were forever changed. When God truly touches your life you are never the same again. There is a fire in your heart and in your bones (Jer. 20:9), and nothing else but God will satisfy. (Ps. 90:14; 107:9)
The zeal of God consumed them, (Ps.69:9) and they were on fire, a fire that cannot be quenched, the same fire that burns but does not harm, like that which Moses saw in the burning bush.
The description is of tongues of fire upon each one and may seem a little strange as some artists depict it. However, when you experience the power of the living God it is unmistakable.
It is to the Jew first and then to the gentile (Rom 1:16; 2:10) and because of their obedience to the Lord’s commands and also because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are grafted in by His grace. (Rom. 11:17) This enables us to receive the benefits of salvation, forgiveness, mercy and the opportunity to be filled with His Holy Spirit.
His priceless gift is given to every believer.
He did not come to abolish the law (Matt. 5:17) and as Jesus told the rich young ruler to keep the commandments, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:4–9; 11:13–21 and Numbers 15:37–43
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and let your desire be for Him. Jesus, the Father and Holy Spirit are one and with His indwelling power we are enabled to accomplish that which is not possible by our own abilities and strength.
For as Matt.19:26; Luke 18:27 remind us..
The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
We can experience Pentecost every day and not for a purely personal experience but to empower us to do His will and fulfill the purpose for which we are reminded here, Exodus 8:1 .. I set you free to serve Me.
The same is also true for us. We are called to leave all our idols behind, which is often hard in this materialistic, Nikolatian, humanistic, leisure filled age. Old habits die hard! As with the children of Israel in the wilderness and we often fall short in our focus on material things, instead of doing the things Jesus brings out in Matthew 25:35.
Shavout is important to believers because it ties deliverance, freedom and salvation, celebrated at Passover with Jesus crucifixion, to His resurrection and firstfruits of unleavened bread. His ascension 40 days later and then his sending the emersion/saturation of Holy Spirit on the first fruits of Shavout giving us the power to live victorious lives and to witness to non-believers.
Jesus is the promise and reality of the 10 commandments made flesh.
This does not mean these were the first people to receive the gift of eternal life, just that they were the first to obtain access to numerous gifts of the Holy Spirit.
When invited, God’s Holy Spirit dwells inside anyone who believes in Jesus’ physical, bodily resurrection from death, one who accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord of one’s life, and who looks forward with great anticipation to the miraculous resurrection and eternal perfection of one’s own body. Paul said that “…we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom.8:23).
This post completes the 4 Spring Feasts series and all of them are relevant to us as Christian Believers.
‘Once Upon A Time….’ are often the first words to a made up story. 
In many ways the end for us as believers is simply, the beginning.
This is a perfect time to remember the first word of our real HIStory is B’RESHITE, or the more familiar GENESIS.
It is Pronounced be-re-sheet and means,
However, it means much more than beginning it means at the start of or ‘at the head of all things’ in the sense that it is the beginning, but also infers
Also spelled Bereshit, Bereishit, Bereishis, B’reshith, Beresheet, or Bereishees.
It is most appropriately the title of the first weekly Bible scripture reading or Torah Portion, which in Hebrew it is called, The Parashah.
at the Beginning of this word gives revelation.
Literally: Son God Destroy Hand Cross!
B in the Hebrew alphabet (aleph-bet) is the letter Bet
Bet means house and its shape is composed of three Vav’s
which add up to the number 18
(Every Hebrew letter also has a numerical value see charts and information also available on Home page or click on the links below:)
Chai, (living / ḥay) is a Hebrew word that figures prominently in the culture of modern Israel; the Hebrew letters of the word are often used as a visual symbol.
meaning: life, alive, or living. 
The house of creation is then the life of the universe. Bet also has a pre-fixative function meaning ‘in’.
In this first weeks schedule, the portion opens with this statement about the creative activity of God.
In the beginning God created the heavens and earth Genesis 1:1
that reveals the glorious power that created the entire cosmos by means of His Word. דבריו
Later in verse 26 we read 
(Hebrew reads from right to left)
and it’s a direct quotation from Elohim that uses plural personal pronouns.
Stopping for a moment to realize what a breathtaking statement this is in the opening line of the Scripture. We also see it is shrouded in mystery as the Bible describes how Elohim created the universe
yesh me’ayin יש מעיין 
out of מתוך nothingness האין .
Who else can create out of nothingness?
The end of this action was a stunning creation of a human being–
in the image of Elohim אלוקים Himself.
ווהו טוהו without form and void,
and the spirit of Elohim is seen hovering over the waters.
Let there be light! 
We are then told that Elohim saw that the light was good (tuv טוב), and He separated it from the darkness (חושך choshekh), adding that Elohim called the light 
(אור or), day (יום Yom la or) and the darkness (חושך choshekh), night (לילה lay’lah).
This was the ending of the 1st day.
connected to the creation and division of time.
Before He created the specific Light/Or,
The criteria for determining the start of each day is at Sundown / erev rather than at sunrise / boker. 
In Israel today and everything to do with the Hebraic Jewish calendar is based on this scripture that Elohim declared. 
It should give us pause to question why it was ever changed, especially if we believe that God always knows best!
We know outer space is freezing cold and even from a commercial plane at 36,000 feet and the outside temperature at that height is -57° C (-71° F)!
This may also explain another suggestion that before the flood, the sky above looked more pink than blue from earths surface.
The thick layer of ice may have caused the suns rays to reflect through it as a prism altering it.
On day 3, He set the boundaries of the land (ארץ eretz) and seas (יםמי Yahm) and called forth trees and seed bearing vegetation from the earth.
On the 5th day, the fish birds and reptiles were created and received the first personal blessing from Elohim.
His sanctified the 7th day as He ceased His work and designated it as a day of rest.
YHVH הוהי yod hay vav hay 
the sacred name of God, 
that is, the Lord.
Literally: Son God Destroy Hand Cross!
This name implies justice and power where as His personal name expresses the idea of the Creator’s closeness to us.
formed him from the dust of the earth. 
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils (מ ש) the breath of life; 
and man became a living soul.
Va•yi•ta Adonai Elohim gan-be•Eden mi•ke•dem va•ya•sem sham et-ha•adam asher ya•tzar 
whom he had formed.
(Gan Eden)
was 
as well as the tree 
of knowledge of good and evil
(etz ha-da’at tov vara).
Adam’s first responsibility before the Lord, was to work and guard the garden and to refrain from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Adam’s ability to name them was by divine inspiration, as he incorporated in their name a subtle description of their very essence, characteristics and functions. Example below: 
and built a woman from his side so that
she would be a helper in front of him. Ezer kenegdo.
Shortly after 3:1 we are introduced to the serpent na•chash נָחָשׁ as the shrewdest of animals which the Lord created.
The Scripture tells us the first thing the serpent said, was by way of hissing at eve the haunting question – did God really say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?
She answered correctly. Omitting the deadly consequences concerning the fruit of the tree of the knowledge good and evil, the hissing serpent implied that the Lord was keeping from them special insight that would cause them to be as gods.
We often hear this action called the fall of man. It was in fact of enormous consequence, being an act of treason against God’s will, it resulted in them being expelled from the garden immediately 
and mankind came under God’s curse with the ultimate judgment being – death.
The entrance to the garden and access to the tree of life was guarded by Cherubim with flaming swords so they would not eat and live forever in a fallen state.
The serpent also had judgment pronounced upon him. In doing so, the Lord prophesied that a struggle for the fate of the human race would follow. Being represented by the serpent, Satan שטן (from the Hebrew word adversary) now had illegal rights to humanity as they were now under a divine curse.
But God had promised to reverse the curse by means of the seed זרע Zera the Messiah משיח the Anointed One who would crush the head of the serpent and restore mankind to his original position. The Bible comprises the complete story of redemption and describes the cosmic war to reverse the curse by means of the seed of the woman who would come and to deliver humanity from the clutches of sin and death.
Abel is a biblical forename which may derive from the Hebrew Hebel, itself derived from hevel (breath or vapour), or from the Assyrian for son.
This does not mean these were the first people to receive the gift of eternal life, just that they were the first to obtain access to numerous gifts of the Holy Spirit.
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