Wielding the Sword of the Spirit

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God ..." Ephesians 6:17.

What is Gods Assembly and Appointed Times in Scripture? What does "Adat Moadim" mean?
"Ed" Hebrew word pronounced "eyd." It means "witness." "Edah" Hebrew word for "Assembly." This word is pronounced "Eydah." A feminine word. It is the Hebrew word that gets mistranslated as "church" in what Christians call the "New Testament." It is one of the most occurring words in the Torah. It is used in the Torah of Moshe (Law of Moses) as a title for Yisrael. The children of Yisrael are called throughout the whole Torah. (For example, see Exodus/Shemot 12:3 "Speak to the Assembly/Church of Yisrael.") This is what the word meant to Messiah in the first century. It meant "Yisrael." "Church" thus is a false word, a made up word. A word used by the ancient church fathers to argue that Yisrael is no longer the people of Elohim (the Greek word "ekklesia" means "elect/chosen people") and the new people of "God" is the "church" that "Jesus" made. The "Assembly" of Yisrael was not born on Pentecost, but with Pesach (See Shemot-Exodus Chapter 12). Again, look in a concordance, Yisrael is called "Edah" (Assembly) dozens of times in the Torah. This word has been corrupted by church men.

"Edat" or "Adat" Hebrew word pronounced "Eydat." This word is the same word as "Edah" above. However, this is the feminine singular construct form. The Hebrew Language does not have a word for "of." In Hebrew, this is expressed in the construct relationship, and "Edah" is a feminine word. Therefore, "Adat/Edat" means "Assembly of"

"Moed" This is a singular word, it means "appointed assembly." This word is a noun, derived from the word "Edah." "Edah" in Hebrew spelled ayin, dalet, heh. "Moed" spelled mem, ayin, dalet. The ayin and dalet are the root word. Moed thus a time in which the assembly must meet. This term used first in the TaNaCK in, Bereishis, Genesis 1:14. Elohim put the sun, moon, and stars in the sky to tell all humanity when His "moadim" occur, ("Moadim" is the plural of "Moed", see below). The word "moadim" used throughout the Torah/Law (for great examples, see Vayikra, Leviticus chapter 23) as the word for the

"appointed times" of Yisrael. They are Yisrael's moeds so to speak. In other words, the Biblical truth behind this, the true "Assembly" of Yisrael, meet on the moed of Elohim discussed in Vayikra- Leviticus 23. Thus, as stated above, when the "Edah" meets on a "Moed" she is a "witness" ("ed") to the world of Elohim's order and plan for man, these Moadim, represent significant events passed and future, whether it is seventh day 1. Sabbath Shabbaton, 2.Pesach, 14th of Aviv Passover, 3.Chag Matzo, Unleavened Bread, 4.Wave Sheaf, First Fruits, 5.Chag Yom Shavuot, count seven Shabbats from the day of the wave sheaf and the morrow of the Shabbat is Yom Shavuot, count 50 days 6.Yom Teruah, Trumpets, 7.Yom Kippurim a Sabbath Shabbaton, 8. Chag Sukkot, Seven Days and the Eighth Day a Miqra Qodesh, and Rosh Qodesh, Renewed moon, Bamibar Numbers10: 10 and 28:11.

"Moadim" The Plural of "moed" above. This Hebrew word

means "appointed time." Therefore, "ADAT MOADIM" means "Assembly/Witness, Adat of the Moadim." First and for most, the Bible is the absolute foundation for determining the design and purpose of the Calendar. The Bible is clear on the principles of the Calendar. The Bible is clear on how to determine the details of the Calendar. These details of the Calendar are also supported by examining the thousands within the Bible including our Savior Yeshua, who had to follow the original calendar that he used to create this earth along the side of his Father.

It is well known that we are living by a Gregorian calendar and that it has a history from which it came from. Once that is analyzed, do you think that God the Father and his Son Yeshua would want us to follow anything that was passed down from Rome or from Pagan descent? No! We know our creator is Yeshua and he above all would have used the correct calendar because he used it and established it at creation. Looking in to history we learn this:

The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter gravissimas.[4] The reformed calendar was adopted later that year by a handful of countries, with other countries adopting it over the following centuries. The motivation for the Gregorian reform was that the Julian calendar assumes that the time between vernal equinoxes is 365.25 days, when in fact it is presently almost exactly 11 minutes shorter. The error between these values accumulated at the rate of about three days every four centuries, resulting in the equinox occurring on March 11 (an accumulated error of about 10 days) and moving steadily earlier in the Julian calendar at the time of the Gregorian reform. Since the spring equinox was tied to the celebration of Easter, the Roman Catholic Church considered that this steady movement in the date of the equinox was undesirable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar You can see that we got the calender from a Roman Pope and he got it from Julias Caesar, a man who considered himself a God! We were warned that a change would

happen like this in Daniel 7:25:He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time. So with that said, look at scripture and think about the words change time and law. Well, they accomplished it because time means days and law means the commandments. They broke the Law and Time by changing the order of the calendar from its original format given at creation and to Moses on Mount Sinai! Now that we know how we got the calendar, lets see why we believe in our Seventh-day Sabbath to be Saturday and what do the days of the week mean

The names of the days of the week from the Roman period have been both named after the seven planets of classical astronomy and numbered, beginning with Sunday. In Slavic languages, a numbering system was adopted, but beginning with Monday. There was an even older tradition of names in Ancient Indian Astrology which could arguably be the origin of all these naming systems. All of these systems have been adopted in many languages, with some exceptions resulting from a number of religious and secular considerations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_the_week

Weekdays named after planets

History

Further information: Seven-day week and Planetary hours

Weekday heptagram The order of the week days can be derived "geometrically" from an acute heptagram, the {7/3} star polygon (as 24 mod 7 = 3). The luminaries are arranged in the same Ptolemaic/Stoic order around the points of the heptagram. Tracing the unicursal line from one planet to the next gives the order of the weekdays. This weekday heptagram is a development of Hellenistic astrology, and probably dates to the Roman era.[1]Between the 1st and 3rd centuries the Roman Empire gradually replaced the eight day Roman nundinal cycle with the seven-day week. The astrological order of the days was explained by Vettius Valens and Dio Cassius (and Chaucer gave the same explanation in his Treatise on the Astrolabe). According to these authors, it was a principle of astrology that the heavenly bodies presided, in succession, over the hours of the day. The Ptolemaic system asserts that the order of the heavenly bodies, from the farthest to the closest to the Earth, is: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus,Mercury, Moon. (This order was first established by the Greek Stoics.) In astrological theory, not only the days of the week, but the hours of the day are dominated by the seven luminaries. If the first hour of a day is dominated by Saturn (), then the second hour is dominated by Jupiter (), the third by Mars (), and so on with the Sun (), Venus (), Mercury (), and the moon (), so that the sequence of planets repeats every seven hours. Therefore, the twenty-fifth hour, which is the first hour of the following day, is dominated by the Sun; the forty-ninth hour, which is the first hour of the next day,

by the Moon. Thus, if a day is labeled by the planet which dominates its first hour, then Saturn's day is followed by the Sun's day, which is followed by the Moon's day, and so forth... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_the_week

Arent we worshiping on a day that was based on something that came from the Heavens? Yes! We are to use only what the Lord instructed us to use as a sign for us to know days, seasons and years. Genesis 1:14 Then God said, "Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Then Psalms 104:19 says: He created the moon for moadim: the sun knows

its going down.

The Hebrew word "moade or moadim", it means "an appointed time, a festival." Therefore, we can say God appointed the moon to determine the appointed times and festivals. In the ancient times the prophets and the apostles looked to the moon to determine the time of the month. They understood that the new moon marks the beginning of a month, and a full moon the middle of a month. This was the ancient and God inspired method of counting months. And what do we use? What Rome has given us: A calender that makes us worship Saturn on Saturday! Saturn is also the 6th planet from the Sun. There is much more I would like to show you, but we need to realize that these "moadim-appointed times" were set in the earth prior to the creation of any living being. God had already created a timetable for His children to meet with

Him. God does not make mistakes, nor does He change His mind. It says in Hosea 4: 6 My people perish from a lack of knowledge. God provided at Creation a built-in, ever present, always accurate clock/calendar to measure time and clearly designate the work days from the worship days. In order to worship God on the day He appointed, people must be able to understand how Gods clock/calendar works to know which day is number one, the starting point for counting the six days to work, with worship on the seventh. The calendar God established at Creation was kept by the Jews until well into the 4th century A.D. Many say that the Jews have never lost track of the true Sabbath. That is false! The Jews themselves did away with their God-ordained calendar. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jewish people from their homeland, it became increasingly difficult, with the addition of their rabbinical regulations, to calculate a calendar tied to the barley harvest. Under intense persecution in the fourth century, the Jews themselves abandoned their barley-harvest regulation at which time a fixed, counterfeit 19-year cycle tied to the vernal equinox was established. The calendar they used before the counterfeit one was a luni-solar calendar with months lasting either 29 or 30 days. Each new month started with the first appearance of the crescent moon. The years did not have a continuous cycle of weeks but instead the weekly cycle started over with each new moon. New Moon day was a worship day followed by six working days, with the seventh-day Sabbath on the eighth of the month. And then three more weeks completed the month. Most people find this concept so different. At the very least, it

is tempting to denounce it as wrong simply because it is so foreign to everything that as Seventh-day Adventists have ever heard, believed, or preached. We have come out of the church, so we know that there are many things that we didnt learn from our once faithful church. However, there is scriptural, historical, astronomical and prophetic proof that this description of the original calendar is true. In Exodus we see a perfect example of how our Lord explained to Moses the time and year that he must follow:

Exodus 12:1-2 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month will be the beginning of months, the first month of the year for you.

We know because of the Feasts what the months of the year are and dates so, it should be easy to fill in the rest of the dates according to the Bible. So the first month of the year is Abib/Nisan: Exodus 13:4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving Egypt.

So we will follow along in the Bible with this calendar according to the format that God created with 7 days in a week, a new moon day being the 1st day of the month, then our counting begins after the new moon day which starts the count of day 2 as the 1st day of the week and then finding the true Sabbath being on the 7th day. In the Manna story you will see that they spent 40 years in the desert so they had to spend Sabbaths and festivities as well.

The 2nd month: The Manna And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 16:1 The text simply says they came to the wilderness of Sin on the 15th day of the 2nd month. The passage later says in verse 4-5 Then the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. Did God give manna on the 15th of the 2nd month? Yes, because he said in Exodus 16:29 See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. If that is so then on the 22nd was a Sabbath, which makes the 8th, 15th and 29th Sabbaths as well.

Manna fell at night

Here is a point to be noted regarding the timing of the giving of the manna. God commenced the giving of the manna on the 16th day of the month. This was the 1st day of the week. The manna came down on the camp with the dew during the night. Numbers 11:9 God first sent manna on the 16th, at night meaning, the Sabbath of the 15th ends at the dawn or sunrise of the next day.

When exactly did the quails come?

Before God gave them the first manna on the 16th, just before morning or on the night of the 15th, the Bible is clear God sent them quails the evening before the first manna arrived. I have heard the Israelites complaints. Now tell them, In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. Exodus 16:12-13 So what does evening mean? The period from sunset to bedtime. http://www.definitions.net/definition/evening This means that God sent quail on the 15th at bedtime of the Sabbath and then they would eat manna in the morning of the 16th the 1st day of the week. So how do we know that the Sabbaths fell every seventh-day on the same specific times? The Bible is very clear. Aaron and his sons were sanctified for seven days (Leviticus 8:33) which began on a New Moon (Exodus 40:2) -- and on the 8th day was an assembly (Moed) of the congregation. The point we should notice is that during these seven days they were not to go out the door of the tabernacle for seven days, day and night (Leviticus 8:34-35) Then we have a perfect example in Numbers 29:12 "Gather in holy worship on the fifteenth day of the seventh month; do no regular work. Celebrate a Festival to God for seven days. And verse 35 "On the eighth day: Gather in holy worship; do no regular work.

No calendar Sabbath would disrupt these seven days of worship because it was from the New Moon till the 7th day of the moon -and after the six workdays they assembled the congregation again. Why did they assemble the congregation? To observe the 7th day Sabbath this fell on the 8th day of the moon, then 15th, 22 and 29th! You can see with this chart that it can be proved that they celebrated the Sabbaths all three months and after that they kept Sabbaths for 40 years. Moses kept record keep of all the things that happen and it wasnt just feasts that happen. This is also very interesting as well: In Leviticus 23:15-16, we find the specific instructions for how Pentecost (also called the Feast of Weeks) is to be calculated. "And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days..." What is does morrow mean? the next day, the period following a specified event, the morning.. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/morrow Pentecost is to be calculated as being BOTH 7 Sabbaths AND 50 days. Now, if the Luni-solar is Scriptural, that the last Sabbath of the lunar cycle can be a part of a 9-day week, it should be possible to calculate only 7 Sabbaths for Pentecost and still have it come out to 50 days. Remember, Pentecost is in the third Biblical month, and is exactly seven Sabbaths and fifty days from First Fruits, falls during the Week of Unleavened Bread. Additionally, the Bible indicates that

Pentecost is always the "morrow after the seventh Sabbath" (Leviticus 23:16) Here is the proof: The only way to get seven Sabbaths and only 50 days in the count to Pentecost is to never break the cycle of consistently counting the Sabbath as the Seventh-day. There can never be a break in the seven-day week count and still get only 50 days.

First calendar week = seven days - total days = 7 - SABBATH 1 Second calendar week = seven days - total days = 14- SABBATH 2 Third calendar week = seven days - total days = 21- SABBATH 3 Fourth calendar week = seven days - total days = 28- SABBATH 4 Fifth calendar week = seven days - total days = 35- SABBATH 5 Sixth calendar week = seven days - total days = 42- SABBATH 6 Seventh calendar week = seven days - total days = 49- SABBATH 7 Day after the seventh Sabbath - total days = 50- THAT'S 50 DAYS TO PENTECOST - Exactly as it says in Leviticus 23:15-16!

Here is the Biblical calendar; every month began with a worship day: New Moon day, the 1st of the new month. The next day, the 2nd of the month, was the first of the six work days. Then, the seventh-day Sabbath always fell on the 8th, the 15th, the 22nd and the 29th of the month. Each month look like this:

Did Jesus keep the Luni-solar Calender?

John 12:1-2 Six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living.2 Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home. Martha served. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them. Matthew 26:1,2 When Jesus finished saying these things, he told his disciples, "You know that Passover comes in two

days. That's when the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over for crucifixion. This makes Yeshua saying this on the 12th of Abib since it is 2 days before the Passover. Then he would have been keeping the Sabbath because in John 12:1-2 he states that 6 days before Passover he went to eat at Lazarus home. This places him on the 8th on the Seventh-day Sabbath of Abib but the key point is that Sabbath had ended because they were having dinner.

John 13:1 says: Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. This makes the day the 13th at evening (night) eating supper before the Passover. They also ate the Unleavened Bread. Jesus knew he was dying soon so he celebrated it early.

Why, people will ask? Yeshua says Mathew 12:8 The Son of Man has authority over the day of worship. (GWT) For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day (KJV) For the Son of Mant is Lord, even over the Sabbath! (NLT) Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, All power in heaven and on earth is given to me.

Healing of the Blind Man The last day of the Feast of Tabernacles is fixed to the 21st day of the Seventh month of Tishrei (Leviticus 23:34, 36, 39-41; Numbers 29:12; Deuteronomy 16:13-15; Nehemiah 8:1318; Ezekiel 45:21-25). Christ attended the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:10). On the last day of the Feast, the 21st of the seventh month, Christ stood and spoke (John 7:37). Christ spent that night on the Mount of Olives (John 8:1). The next morning, the 22nd of the Seventh Month, Christ returned to the temple because it was the seventh-day Sabbath (John 8:2). At the temple, Christ healed a blind man (John 9:6). The healing of the blind man caused great anger among the Priests, for it was the seventh-day Sabbath (John 9:14). This places the weekly seventh-day Sabbaths in Christs day, on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th of the month yet again.

Circumcision
The time-centric rite of circumcision was divinely designed for males, whether babies or adults and was to be performed on the eighth day. From the time of Abraham to the crucifixion, circumcision was designed to be a covenant between Israel and Yahuwah. It represented their allegiance to the God of Abraham by faith. Unlike the New Testament baptism, it did not require a conscious decision to participate in the covenant agreement.

Therefore male infants were circumcised according to the eighth day rule. For all men who converted to Judaism the eighth day rule also applied. Scripture does not clarify what the starting point is for the eight day count. It has always been assumed that infants were circumcised on the eighth day after birth. This may still be the case, although it is not stated as such. However, when a Gentile man converted to Judaism, what was the starting point for the eight day count? Since an eight day count from birth is clearly not an option, would there be any merit in counting from the first day of the lunar month otherwise known as the New Moon day? In this way there would be circumcisions performed by the priests in the temple on the eighth day of each lunar month, which is consistently a seventh-day Sabbath. It is in the verse below where Christ Yahushua is responding to the priests, who are angry because He had just healed a man on the seventh-day Sabbath, the day after the last day 8 of the Feast of Tabernacles. Refer to the story above regarding the healing of the blind man. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? John 7:21-24 NKJV It is these words of the Savior that declare circumcision was to be performed on adult men, on the seventh-day Sabbath, the eighth day of the lunar month, so the law of Moses would not be broken. In addition, He also highlighted for all time that the Feast of Tabernacles always commences on the seventhday Sabbath, the 15th of the luni-solar month, and that this Feast is directly followed by the seventh-day Sabbath on the 22nd, which is referred to as the eighth-day

simply because it follows the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles.

Time of the Crucifixion

Christ crucifixion occurred on Passover, the sixth day of the week, the 14th lunar calendar date of Abib, as counted from the first sighting of the crescent New Moon. It was followed by His resting in the tomb on the 15th lunar calendar date, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was also a High Sabbath. (A High Sabbath occurs when a Feast day Sabbath falls on the seventh-day Sabbath. This occurs two times every year.) By implication it has been demonstrated previously that each and every year Passover commenced on the 6th day of the week, also known as the preparation day. It was always followed by the seventhday Sabbath the next morning, which was always the 15th of the lunar month, counting from the New Moon. There is not one piece of evidence that Passover ever occurred on any week-day other than the 6th day of the week which is fixed to the 14th calendar date of the lunar month. This is simply not possible when using the Roman Gregorian calendar. Mark 15:42; John 19:31; Leviticus 23:6, 7, 11, 15; John 19:42. The day Christ Yahushua lay in the tomb was the 15th of Abib, a seventh-day Sabbath. Therefore the last month before His death and the first month after His resurrection the seventh-day Sabbaths occurred on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th of the lunar month.

Ellen G. White made many comments on things that would happen in the end, just close to the time when the Lord would return

Many have, as had Moses, very much to unlearn in order to learn the very lessons that they need to learn. Moses had need to be self-trained by severest mental and moral discipline, and God wrought with him before he could be fitted to train others in mind and heart. He had been instructed in the Egyptian courts. Nothing was left as unnecessary to train him to become a general of armies. The false theories of the idolatrous Egyptians had been instilled into his mind, and the influences surrounding him, and the things his eyes looked upon, could not be easily shaken off or corrected. Thus it is with many who have had a false training in any line. All the idolatrous rubbish of heathen lore must be removedbit by bit, item by itemfrom Moses mind. Jethro helped him in many things to a correct faith, as far as he himself understood. He was working upward toward the light where he could see God in singleness of heart. God Jehovah was revealed to him. This thorough intellectual training in Egypt, and as a shepherd among the mountains, in the pure air, made him a strong thinker and a strong doer of the Word of God. Manuscript 45, 1890 (Manuscript Releases, Vol. 2, pp. 324-326). Christ Triumphant, p. 99.

In the same way, us as former members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we are to unlearn everything that we were taught and let Yeshua teach us through his Word. That is why when a new light comes from Heaven we see it as something that could not have been hidden. Especially, when it talks about the

Sabbath. On the other hand, God wanted his people to forget his Sabbaths, New Moons and Feastsyou are probably wondering why? Hosea 2:1, 15-17 I will put an end to all her celebrations: her annual festivals, her New Moon Festivals, her weekly worship daysall her appointed festivals. I will put an end to her annual festivals, her new moon celebrations, and her Sabbath days all her appointed festivals. But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. (15) I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Troublet into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. When that day comes, says the Lord, you will call me my husband instead of my master. O Israel, I will wipe the many names of Baal from your lips, and you will never mention them again.

God is talking about his Bride The true Church. He wants to make us realize that we were wrong in worshiping the false day that he never gave us to worship. The story is repeating itself again when Israel was led out of Egypt.

Christians should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise, and this preparation they should make by diligently studying the word of God, and striving to conform their lives to its precepts. . . .God calls for a revival and a reformation. Prophets and Kings, p. 626

What could be a more overwhelming surprise to Saturday or Sunday keepers than to discover that their holy day is after all not the true seventh-day Sabbath? What could be a more overwhelming surprise than for the whole world to discover that many years they have all been wondering after the beast by following, through choice and action (as a mark in the forehead and in the hand), the Papal counterfeit calendar? The question remains, what could be a more overwhelming surprise?

Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

Malachi 4:4-5 Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

I saw that God had children, who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They had not rejected the light on it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth [Hosea. 6:2, 3.] and

proclaimed the Sabbath more fully. This enraged the church, and nominal Adventists, as they could not refute the Sabbath truth. And at this time, God's chosen, all saw clearly that we had the truth, and they came out and endured the persecution with us. Word to the Little Flock, p. 18. There is no excuse for anyone in taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed, and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by our people is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error into truth, and truth can afford to be fair. No true doctrine will lose anything by close investigation. Councils to Writers and Editors, p. 35. It is to the thirsting soul that the fountain of living waters is open. God declares: I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. To souls that are earnestly seeking for light and that accept with gladness every ray of divine illumination from His holy word, to such alone light will be given. It is through these souls that God will reveal that light and power which will lighten the whole earth with His glory. Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 729. Ellen White defines the qualifications that the Spirit of Yahushua will use at the very end: The laborers will be qualified rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the training of literary institutions. Men of faith and prayer will be constrained to go forth with holy zeal, declaring the words which God gives them. Great Controversy, p. 606.

In the time of the end every divine institution is to be restored. Prophets and Kings, p. 678. Again and again I have been shown that the people of God in these last days could not be safe in trusting in men, and making flesh their arm. The mighty cleaver of truth has taken them out of the world as rough stones that are to be hewed and squared and polished for the heavenly building. They must be hewed by the prophets with reproof, warning, admonition, and advice, that they may be fashioned after the divine Pattern; this specified work of the Comforter to transform heart and character, that men may keep the way of the Lord. Home Missionary, Nov. 1, 1893 Ellen White.

Let any man or woman who determines that the above proof shown here is false; demonstrate from Scripture alone that the points listed above are in error. Let us all be faithful to search the Scriptures to see if these things are wrong.

It is the first and highest duty of every rational being to learn from the Scriptures what is truth, and then to walk in the light and encourage others to follow his example. We should day by day study the Bible diligently, weighing every thought and comparing scripture with scripture. With divine help we are to form our opinions for ourselves as we are to answer for ourselves before God. Great Controversy, Chapter 37 p. 599.

Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. The whole conflict is over worship. This is a subject that concerns everyone living on the face of the planet; because the Creator has the right to decide when He shall be worshiped, the day on which you choose to worship is a sign of loyalty to your God. Your day of worship reveals whether you are worshiping God the Creator or that power which was revealed in Daniel 7:25 as wanting to set himself up in opposition to God by thinking to change the calendar and the ordinance (Daniel 7:25) Study these issues out for yourself so that you may know what is truth. God is again restoring to His people the truth about how His Sabbaths are to be calculated. Let us fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment is come and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters (Revelation 14:7.) Now, the Biblical calculation of time is when the day begins. Ever since it has been assumed that the Sabbath began on Friday. Initially, for a number of years, Adventists kept the Sabbath from 6 p.m. Friday evening until 6 p.m. Saturday night. Later, a text was found that led them to believe the Sabbath should start instead at even. This was startling to Ellen White: 1T - Testimonies For The Church Volume One (1855-1868) / Chap. 16 -Time to Begin the Sabbath I saw that it is even so: "From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath." Said the angel:"Take the word of God, read it, understand, and ye cannot err. Read carefully, and ye shall there find what even is, and when it is. I asked the angel if the frown of God had been upon His people for commencing the Sabbath as they had. I was directed back to the first rise of the

Sabbath, and followed the people of God up to this time, but did not see that the Lord was displeased, or frowned upon them. I inquired why it had been thus, that at this late day we must change the time of commencing the Sabbath. Said the angel: "Ye shall understand, but not yet, not yet." Said the angel: "If light come, and that light is set aside or rejected, then comes condemnation and the frown of God; but before the light comes, there is no sin, for there is no light for them to reject." I saw that it was in the minds of some that the Lord had shown that the Sabbath commenced at six o'clock, when I had only seen that it commenced at "even," and it was inferred that even was at six. I saw that the servants of God must draw together, press together. The text, from which they took the idea that the Sabbath was to start at sunset, is found in Leviticus 23:32: . . from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath. Rather than investigating further, as the angel instructed her, Seventh-day Adventists have always just assumed that text applied to the seventh-day Sabbath. Again, the angel instructed Ellen White: Take the word of God, read it, understand, and ye cannot err. Read carefully, and ye shall there find what even is, and when it is. Had they been correct in believing that the Sabbath began at even, the angel would certainly have confirmed that. He did not. Instead, he redirected them to the Word of God, because a careful study of the Word will reveal that what even is, and when it is, is not what has been assumed. In English, the word even is synonymous with evening/twighlight. The same does not hold true in the Hebrew. To the Jews, even was anytime from noon until sunset, just as morning was anytime from dawn until noon. This is why Jesus, as the anti-typical lamb could die at the oclock in the afternoon and it still be the time of the evening sacrifice. In Leviticus 23:32, the main proof

text for sunset to sunset Sabbath keeping, is read in context, a startling contradiction comes to light. In this passage, it is speaking of the manner in which the Day of Atonement is to be kept. The Jews always fasted on the Day of Atonement and they based that practice on this text. Leviticus 23:32 The Message (MSG) 26-32 God said to Moses: "The tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly, fast, and offer a Fire-Gift to God. Don't work on that day because it is a day of atonement to make atonement for you before your God. Anyone who doesn't fast on that day must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his people anyone who works on that day. Don't do any work that daynone. This is a perpetual decree for all the generations to come, wherever you happen to be living. It is a Sabbath of complete and total rest, a fast day. Observe your Sabbath from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening."

Did you catch it? It is spelled out right there in the very last sentence. In the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath. First of all, in this context, it is speaking strictly of the Day of Atonement. This, obviously, cant be what was meant. The text needs to be interpreted in the way intended: the day begins in the morning with the dawning of a new day. Important things to Remember Each day started at sunrise and continued until the next sunrise. Evening was from noon until sunset.

Sunset until sunrise was night and was counted as part of the previous day. There were four watches during the night: sunset to 9:00; 9:00 to midnight; midnight to 3:00; 3:00 to sunrise. Months started with the day following the observation of the crescent moon in the western sky after sunset. Months, lunations had either 29 or 30 days. If no crescent was seen, the month automatically started on the day following the 30th The 30th was a work day, not a worship time. The beginning day of the month was a worship day and was called New Moon. Six working days followed the New Moon day. The Sabbath always fell on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th of each month. The year had either 12 months (common) or 13 months (embolismic). The year had six 29 day months and six 30 day months 11 days short of the solar year. The year began with the one crescent moon after the spring equinox which provided a Paschal full moon between the Julian/Gregorian dates of April 8 and May 6.

Allowing the barley harvest to reconcile the lunar year to the solar year, the years fell naturally into a 19-year cycle of common and embolismic years. There were never more than two common years in a row before an embolismic year. There were never two embolismic years in a row. A cycle of 19 years gave a nearly perfect alignment with the solar year. In the nineteen year cycle, there were seven embolismic years. The 19-year cycles can be calculated on a perpetual calendar both forward and backward for thousands of years. When a doctrine is presented that does not meet our minds, we should go to the word of God, seek the Lord in prayer, and give no place for the enemy to come in with suspicion and prejudice. We should never permit the spirit to be manifested that arraigned the priests and rulers against the Redeemer of the world. They complained that He disturbed the people, and they wished He would let them alone; for He caused perplexity and dissension. The Lord sends light to us to prove what manner of spirit we are of. We are not to deceive ourselves. Gospel Workers pg 301 Ellen G. White

Matthew 28:1 states: In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. The Sabbath ended and the new day, the first day of the week, began at dawn. Seventh-day Adventists

have always believed that the reason the Jews were so anxious to get Jesus and the thieves off the cross was because Sabbath was coming at evening. But this is not consistent with the Biblical account. If the Sabbath actually began at evening, rather than the morning, they were already breaking it by waiting until evening to begin the work of getting them down. Matthew 27:57-60 tells us: When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb . . . . All of this takes time, especially when he first had to go to Pilate to receive permission, then wait while Pilate sent a messenger to Golgotha to see if Jesus was really dead. If the point was to keep the Sabbath, the Sabbath was already being broken by the fact that they did not even begin until even was come. The account in Luke 23:52 gives even more detail of the lengthy process involved and reveals clearly just when the Sabbath began: "And, behold there was a man named Joseph, a counselor; and he was a good man, and a just . This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulcher that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on." The account in Matthew reveals that this process did not even start until even was come, while Lukes account clarifies that the hours in which this was accomplished fell on the preparation still the sixth day of the week. The phrase translated drew on in this text, is the Greek word, e)

pifwvskw (epiphosko). The definition is startling: to begin to grow light: begin to dawn. Because they waited until evening to even begin the process of seeking permission to take the body, taking it down, cleaning and wrapping it, etc., it took them the night hours to do their work. They did not finish until the Sabbath began as it started to grow light. Did Ellen White believe the Sabbath was to be kept from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday? Yes. Does that in any way affect her standing as a prophet of the Lord? Absolutely not! Ellen White must not be held to an unfair standard. Daniel has never been denounced as a false prophet simply because he did not understand everything. To caution against extreme reactions when new light is brought forth, Ellen White wrote: There is no excuse for anyone in taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed, and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by our people is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. (CW 35.2) We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn. God and Heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. (R&H July 26, 1892) Think about this? If we have proof that our calendar today was changed, then that means that there was an original calendar that was being used. It is simple, wrong calendar= wrong Sabbath! Brothers and Sister's in Christ, search and you will find out that there is proof that before our calendar today there was a Luni-solar calendar that was being used. God made the earth and

everything in it. He made the 10 commandments so obviously he had to give us a way to serve him and how. Read the Bible and you will be amazed at how much lies this world has fed our brains. It is time that we worship Yeshua the Messiah and his Father Yahuwah (God) on the day that he established since creation. I love all of you and I want to help, so if you have any questions please ask. Yeshua (Jesus) is coming and he wants us to worship him and his Father for all eternity, so investigate and you will see for yourselves that we have been worshiping the false day of Yahuwah (God)! It is not Saturday or Sunday! This Friday is his Holy Seventh-day Sabbath! Pray and ask Yeshua to show you his truth and take a stand for truth! I will continue to pray for all my friends and loved ones who seek to please the Lord! Will you choose the day that our creator made for us or the one that was man-made and handed down to us by the Beast himself?

YEHOVAH Gods True Calendar

By Susan Nikirk
The Hebrew lunar-solar calendar is the true calendar for all mankind. YEHOVAH God Himself established it, and gave it to the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt (Exodus 12:1). However, its principles go back to creation, when the sun and moon were appointed by YEHOVAH God for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years (Gen. 1:14). The word for seasons here is moadim and literally means an

appointment, a fixed time or season; a FESTIVAL, by implication, an assembly (see Strongs Exhaustive Concordance, #4150). Thus YEHOVAH appointed the heavenly bodies to determine the appointed times of His weekly sabbaths, annual Holy Days and Festivals from the moment of Creation! All authorities agree that the basis in law for YEHOVAHs calendar is indeed found in Genesis 1: And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. And God made TWO great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also (Genesis 1:14, 16). We can, at the very lest, realize that whatever these lights are, they are natural phenomena which clearly dictate the rules of order for calculating time. And, notice this, it is not a singular source of light (i.e. the sun) but ALL collectively, Let them be for...

Signs, Seasons, Days and Years

It would be much simpler if the Bible contained a clearly laid-out formula for a Sabbath calendar. The Bible (in Genesis 1:14) only tells us what source we are to use for calculations. But there seems to be no explicit instructions on their practical implementation. Notes Jonathan Brown: Notching off seven solar-day" periods which never correspond at the beginning or end with heavenly lights does not satisfy Genesis 1:14."

Those four words in Genesis 1:14 -- signs, seasons, days and years -- can be defined in the following way: 1) Signs fairly defines the underlying Hebrew word implying astronomical events such as eclipses, and other we observe with our eyes in the sun, moon and stars -- reminding us of oaths YEHOVAH God has made to us (Jeremiah 32:35-36). 2) The sun generally marks days. 3) After 12 moon cycles have passed, the earth would have gone through nearly four seasons of weather changes constituting a year, marked with the sun by four distinct earth tilts called equinoxes and solstices. These are determined by the angle of the sun throughout which the sunlight hours grow longer to a threshold at which they then begin growing shorter again. 4) Finally, the word seasons appears at first glance to be the four radical weather shifts each year -- winter, summer, spring and fall or autumn. However, although the English word certainly implies such, the underlying Hebrew word mowadah (Strongs #4150), literally means an appointment, that is, a fixed time...by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting...etc. To use the English word seasons to translate a word that literally means an appointment is, at the very least, a grave error. Besides, we have just seen that the sun (equinoxes and solstices) marks the four seasonal changes which constitute an actual year. To interpret the Hebrew word mowadah to mean those seasons is duplicitous at best.

In the Book of Psalms we find the answer to the enigma of the apparent deliberate mistranslation. There the same word -mowadah -- is used specifically in relation to the moon: He appointed the MOON for SEASONS [mowadah]...(Psalms 104:19). According to Strongs Concordance, the English word appointed in this passage actually means made (#6213). In other words, YEHOVAH made the moon for appointments! What are His appointments? Notice Leviticus 23: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the FEASTS of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my FEASTS. Six days shall work be done: the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein; it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings (Verses 2 and 3). The word feasts found in verse 2 above is, in fact, the word mowadah -- the same as seasons in Genesis 1:14 and Psalm 104:19. Following the Sabbath mowadah in Leviticus 23 is the list of what we commonly call feasts, including Passover/Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. ALL ARE MOWADAH. The mistake in translating mowadah strictly as feasts becomes very obvious when in verse 3 the sole subject is the seventh-day Sabbath. Most people generally dont consider the Sabbath as being a feast per se, but it leads the list of feasts in Leviticus 23. With this in mind -- the actual planetary moon being established for mowadah or YEHOVAHs appointments as shown in Psalm 104 -- the passage in Leviticus confirms the fact that this

is the sole means by which the seventh day Sabbath was calculated. The Sabbath is a mowadah -- the moon was made for mowadah. Nothing in the Bible specifies this term for the sun. Another witness to this understanding is found in the Book of Ecclesiasticus: And then the moon, ever punctual to mark the times, an everlasting sign: It is the moon that signals the feasts, a luminary that wanes after being full. The month derives its name from hers, she waxes wonderfully in her phases, banner of the hosts on high, shining in the vault of heaven (Ecclesiasticus 43:6-8). This text was originally written in Hebrew in the time-frame of 190-180 B.C. and translated into Greek in approximately 132 B.C. Notice in verse 7 the word feasts. Its underlying Greek word (heorte -- #1859) is the same as the one in the Septuagint Version of Leviticus 23:2 -- in which verse 3 includes the seventh-day Sabbath. Although Ecclesiasticus is considered apocryphal, it runs contrary to its contemporaries (Enoch and Jubilees) which insist that the sun is the only means by which to calculate feasts and Sabbaths. The earliest manuscripts show that the moon was made for appointments -- the first of which is the Sabbath. At the very lest, states Jonathan Brown, this shows that the lunar reckoning of sabbaths and holy days was commonly known by the authors of the Bible. GODS PLAN FOR THE CHURCH AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE God was designing and creating His divine calendar on the fourth day of creation. The purpose was and is to teach us about His

plan of redemption through Yeshua the Messiah. "And God said,

Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years". (Gen.1:14) Gods calendar is based on
the moon, lunar time. Today, we observe the Babylonian calendar, which is based on the sun, solar time, but Gods calendar hasnt changed. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. A key word that we must understand in Genesis 1:14 is seasons. This word has been translated and interpreted incorrectly for centuries. The root meaning of the word season is the Hebrew word "moade or moadim", it means "an appointed time, a festival." In the Hebrew Stones Edition Tanach, (O.T.) Genesis 1:14 translates " and they shall serve as signs, and for festivals, and for days and years." Psalm 104:9 "God appointed the moon for seasons" the word seasons again is "moadim" which is "appointed times, festivals." Therefore, we can say God appointed the moon to determine the appointed times and festivals. In the ancient times the prophets and the apostles looked to the moon to determine the time of the month. They understood that the new moon marks the beginning of a month, and a full moon the middle of a month. This was the ancient and God inspired method of counting months. We need to realize that these "moadim-appointed times" were set in the earth prior to the creation of any living being. God had already created a timetable for His children to meet with Him. God does not make mistakes, nor does He change His mind. In the Amplified Bible Genesis 1:14 says, "Let them be signs, and tokens (these lights) of Gods provident care". Provident care points to a sign of Gods covenant. These appointed times are signs of Gods agreement with us, that He is our God and we are His people.

It says in the book of Hosea, "My people perish for lack of knowledge". For centuries, there has been a veil over the Church producing an ignorance of the Lords calendar. This has continued to keep the division between the Christian and the Jew, and also has made Christianity to look like a new religion with new holy days. The solar calendar (Julian/Gregorian) and pagan inspired feast days have been substituted for Gods divine calendar and holy days. Much of the pagan holy days came from the Roman Church, and again the reason was to separate the Church and its followers from the Jewish people. As I mentioned in my previous article "In The Fullness Of Times", it says in Acts 3:21, the heavens have received The Messiah Yeshua, and are retaining Him until the times of complete restoration of all things that God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets from ages past. One area that the Holy Spirit is trying to restore in the Church is the Festivals of the Lord. In most Bibles festivals is translated feasts. "And God spoke unto

Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their seasons." (Lev. 23:1-2, 4) We need to

take special note that these feasts are not called Jewish holy days; but God calls them "My feasts", "The Feasts of The Lord". The word seasons again, is the Hebrew word "moadim", which is "the appointed times, and festivals." They are intended for all the followers of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, both the natural branches and those

who have been grafted in (Rom. 11). These

appointed times and festivals were given to Israel and were commanded to be observed throughout their generations forever. (Ex. 12:14,17; Lev. 23) When the children of Israel left Egypt many Gentile people left with them. They were called foreigners or sojourners, and also observed the appointed times and festivals/feasts. When a Gentile believer observes the feasts, that person is exercising their rights of citizenship (Eph. 2:19) as well as obeying Gods commands. When you learn these feasts, you learn of Gods ways, and His covenant. Remember, a covenant is an agreement between two people; therefore in each feast there is a promise from God establishing His covenant with us. If we dont understand or have a knowledge of the feasts, then we dont know the promise that God has given us. Most of us lead very busy lives, and we carry appointment books so that we do not forget our scheduled appointments. In a way God has His own appointment book in heaven, in which He schedules special appointed times with sacred assemblies to meet with Him in anointed times of praise, worship, and fellowship with Him. On these special appointed times His presence will be especially revealed to us. Of course, God wants to meet with us every day, and when we take time to fellowship with Him He is always there. But, there is a special blessing that comes when His children meet Him on the appointed times and feasts that He perpetually set in His word. In Leviticus 23, God lists the appointed time of the weekly Sabbath and the seven Feasts of the Lord celebrated throughout the year. Each feast points to Yeshua past, present, and future, and is a picture of the redemptive work in our lives. The seven feasts are celebrated in two different seasons, which correspond to the two agricultural seasons. In Israel there is a time of rain in

the spring (former rain) and a time of rain in the fall (latter rain). This division relates to the two appearances that Messiah is to make on the earth: "and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." (Hos. 6:3) The four spring feasts are: Passover (Pesach), The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzot), The Feast of First Fruits (Bikkurim), The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), also known as Pentecost. The work of Messiah Yeshua during His first coming is seen most clearly in these feasts, as related to the former rain. The three fall feasts are: The Day of Blowing The Trumpet or Shofar (Yom Teruah), more popularly known as Head of the Year (Rosh Hashanah), The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). These fall feasts take place in Gods seventh month, Tishri, which is the time of the latter rain, and contains revelation on Messiahs second coming. The rabbis according to the Talmud had two opinions on the Messiahs coming. One opinion was that Israel will be redeemed in the month of Tishri; another opinion is that they were redeemed from Egypt in Nisan, and in Nisan they will be redeemed. (Nisan is the first month in which the spring feast of Passover is observed). We know that both opinions of the rabbis are correct. God gave the Jewish people these appointed times and feasts to prepare them to recognize their Messiah when He came. As we all know, most of the Jewish people have not yet recognized Him. Yeshua said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." In Matthew 24, the disciples asked Yeshua, "What will be the sign of your coming?" He tells them in verse 36 "But of that day and hour knows no man" In Deuteronomy 29:29 it says, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God: but those

things which are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever" Paul writes in I Thessalonians 5:1 "But of the times and

the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write to you." The
Gentile believers of the first century were attending synagogues, observed the Sabbath, the Feasts, therefore knowing their prophetic significance. Yet, today most of the Church is in ignorance in this area. Now I am sure many of you are thinking, but Paul wrote we no longer have to observe the appointed times and feasts or the law. This is a huge study in itself that I encourage you to search out. In my research, I have found that Paul observed the appointed times and feasts. Much of his writings have been misinterpreted due to wrong translations of words. For example, the word law in the New Testament in certain scriptures was referring to the legalism brought about by the added rabbinical laws, and not to the laws God set in the Old Testament. This misunderstanding has made Christians think that the Old Testament and its laws are obsolete. In the book of Galatians and Colossians it is often interpreted that the apostle Paul was condemning those believers who were celebrating the feasts. This is not true; actually he was saying that the feasts lead to Messiah. I am not saying that observing the appointed times and feasts is required for salvation; at the same time because of the way the Church has been taught, believers feel they no longer have to observe the appointed times and feasts. Basically, the nature of the human being is "If I dont have to do it, I am not going to." The appointed times and The Feasts of the Lord have a great deal to teach all believers who have made Yeshua the Messiah the Lord of their lives, bringing a new depth and fullness in our relationship with Him. In every appointed time and feast of Gods calendar we find Yeshua. Yeshua Himself being Jewish, observed all of Gods appointed times and feasts. Shouldnt we want to celebrate what our Lord celebrated?

In my first article "A Church Of Ruths", we saw a Gentile woman, Ruth, attaching herself to her Jewish mother in law Naomi, and to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Prophetically, this was a representation of the type of church and believer that joins themselves to Israel and the Jewish people. When Ruth joined herself to Naomi, all the appointed times and Feasts of the Lord were already set, and Ruth observed them, saying, "your God is my God, where you go, I will go, where you die, I will die." Ruth was saying the ways and laws of Israel are now going to be my ways and laws. We know that Ruths obedience brought forth the lineage of our Messiah, Yeshua. Another way that the true Ruths of the Church today can show their love, commitment, and faithfulness to the God of Israel and the Jewish people is by joining in the observance of the feasts. Just imagine what impact it would be on the Jewish people, if the entire Church worldwide were to keep and celebrate the appointed times and feasts. This would make the Jew jealous (Rom. 11:11); drawing them back to their God, bringing a final restoration of Israel, which in turn will usher in the return of the Messiah. The last question that a rabbi asks a person who converts to Judaism is "Do you bind your personal destiny to the destiny of the Jewish people?" I am not saying you have to convert to Judaism, but I am asking you to search your own heart. We can say we love the Jewish people, but is their God our God? Are we willing to learn about Gods appointed times and feasts, or are we set in our traditional thinking? So I leave you with this question, do you bind your personal destiny to the destiny of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to Israel and the Jewish people, and to Gods ways?

THE SPRING FEASTS

We are living in a very prophetic time, where biblical prophecy is unfolding before our eyes. Gods plan of redemption through Yeshua The Messiah is embroidered throughout scripture from Genesis to Revelation. An area of great significance that the Church has very little revelation on is the Feasts of The Lord. There are seven Feasts of The Lord, each one points to Yeshua past, present, and future. As stated in my previous article on "The Appointed Times", God set definite festivals for all his children. (Gen. 1:14, Ps. 104:19, Lev. 23) Gods calendar has never been changed or terminated by Him and is still in the process of being prophetically fulfilled by Yeshua. There is definite veiled information hidden in the Feast days that the Spirit of God wants to reveal to the Church; which will unlock more of the power of God. In this article I will present a short synopsis of the four Spring Feasts which are: Passover (Pesach), The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzot), The Feast of First Fruits (Bikkurim), The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), also known as Pentecost. (Lev. 23:4-22) When God instituted His spiritual calendar, it began on Nisan one, which was to be "the beginning of months". (Ex. 12:2) It was at this time that the Lord redeemed Israel, His "firstborn son" (Ex. 4:22), in order to serve Him. The most ancient of the Feasts of The Lord is Passover (Pesach), which was first celebrated on Nisan 14/15 on the evening before the Israelites left Egypt for the Promised Land. (Lev. 23:5) The Hebrew word "Pesach" means, "to pass over". In order that Pharaoh would finally let the Hebrew people go, God was about to send the angel of death throughout Egypt, killing the firstborn. God proclaimed that there would be deliverance for every household which applied the blood of their own sacrificial lamb to their doorpost. God would

"pesach", pass over that house upon seeing the blood of the sacrifice, and not allow the death of the firstborn. (Ex. 12:13) Both the Hebrew people and the stranger (Gentiles) that joined themselves to the Israelites and applied the blood to the doorposts were spared the judgment of God. (Ex. 12:23b, 38) This is a perfect picture of the shed blood of Messiah on our behalf. Yeshua, the perfect Lamb of God, died to take away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) "In his

forbearance, he had passed overthe sins people had committed in the past." (Rom. 3:25) Three days later Moses
led the children of Israel and the strangers that joined them through the Red Sea, where they became the nation of Israel. Today, this miraculous deliverance begins its celebration in what is known as the Pesach Seder (Passover service and meal). Yeshua celebrated this same Pesach Seder with his disciples. Most of the Church knows this to be called the Last Supper. What the Church calls Communion actually comes from this Pesach Seder. Without knowledge of the Pesach Seder that Yeshua participated in, it is impossible to have a full revelation of what took place. We need to understand that the elements referred to as the blood and body of Messiah was not just an event that took place at the Last Supper, but was instituted over a thousand years prior to Calvary. One of the key focus points of the Seder is the demonstration of the four cups of wine, which highlight the four promises given to Moses from God in Exodus 6:6-7. These promises are called the four "I wills". Unfortunately in the New Testament only the first and third cup are written about in Luke 22:17, 20. The third cup is called the cup of redemption, which points to the fact that the Israelites were "bought back, redeemed" from Egyptian slavery. What an amazing fulfillment could be seen as Yeshua took the

cup of redemption and said "This is my blood of the new

covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

(Matt. 26:28) From that point on, true disciples of Yeshua could not only celebrate the redemption from Egypt, but also the spiritual redemption found through faith in Gods Messiah. When God instituted His spiritual calendar, He stated that the Passover was to be kept by the Israelites "forever" and "throughout your generations". (Ex. 12:14, 24, 42, 13:10) God commanded the strangers (Gentile converts) who had joined themselves to the commonwealth of Israel to also celebrate the Passover. (Ex. 12:48,49, Nu. 9:14, 15:15-16, Eph. 2:19) Torah requires that converts be treated as equals. Passover points to the future day of the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9), as Yeshua said "With desire I have

desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God". (Luke 22:15-16) There is
tremendous Messianic symbolism in the Seder, and I suggest that every believer participate in one. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzot) begins on Nisan 15, lasts for seven days, and is part of the Passover. (Lev. 23:6-8) It reminds us of the hurried exodus of the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt; when they did not have time to let their bread rise. Therefore, they ate unleavened bread on their journey into the desert to meet with God. In observing this Feast all leaven is to be removed from the house, and only unleavened bread is to be eaten. The Hebrew word for leaven is "chametz", which means, "decay, corruption, sour". Leaven in the Bible is a symbol of sin. As leaven must be removed from the houses during this time, so must sin be removed from our lives. The bread known as matzot has great symbolism; it is flat with lines and holes in it. It says in

the scriptures that the Messiah was pierced, wounded and by His stripes we are healed. (Ps. 22:16, Is. 53:5, I Pet. 2:24) Remember Yeshua took the bread and said at the Passover meal,

"This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me." Paul taught the spiritual message of Passover and the Corinthian church observed the Festival. "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Messiah our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (I Co. 5:7-8) The Lord is coming back for a
holy Church without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. The Feast of First Fruits (Bikkurim) is celebrated during the Passover week. (Lev. 23:9-14) When the Israelites entered the Promised Land which flowed with milk and honey, they were to present an offering of the first fruits of the land to the Lord God. As part of the Temple ceremony, the priest would take some of the barley, lift it up, and wave it to the Lord in the sight of all the people. One of the foundational doctrines of our faith is the resurrection of Messiah. This event was foreshadowed in the Feast of First Fruits, where not only did Messiah die on Passover, but He rose on the Feast of First Fruits. "And

I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (Jn. 12:32) The apostle Paul had revelation
connecting the event of the resurrection of Messiah to this Feast. "But Messiah has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (I Co. 15:20) After the fourth century, when the Roman Empire declared itself to be Christian and separated from their Hebrew roots, the Church eventually integrated certain pagan celebrations. Passover and First Fruits were no longer celebrated

on the days that God set in the Bible. The Roman Church tried to create a picture of the resurrection by messianizing the pagan celebration of Ishtar, the goddess of spring, calling it Easter, which is still observed today. The well-known symbols of eggs, rabbits, chicks, and candy are deceptions to camouflage the biblical foundation of the Feast. Wouldnt it be more appropriate to celebrate the Lords resurrection when it really occurred, on The Feast of First Fruits (Bikkurim), as a remembrance of His fulfilling this "type" and "shadow" on that day? Yeshua was resurrected, the first fruits of those who sleep in their graves; therefore this Feast is a great hope and reminder of our resurrection at His second coming. The early Church didnt just celebrate the resurrection day, but always observed and celebrated The Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, and The Feast of First Fruits. Together these feasts brought a clear picture of Messiah bringing us redemption from sin and the gift of eternal life. The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) stands out as one of the most dramatic festivals. It occurred fifty days after the first Passover in Egypt when the Hebrew people came to Mount Sinai and received the Torah (first five books of Moses and the oral law). (Lev. 23:15-22) In Hebrew the word "Shavuot" means "weeks", and stands for the seven weeks during which the Hebrew people prepared themselves for the giving of the Torah. During this time they rid themselves of the scares of bondage, immorality, and became a holy nation ready to stand before God. The rabbis have compared this event to a wedding between God and the Hebrew people. Just as a bride today gets herself ready to meet her groom, so the Hebrew people got themselves ready to become His special nation and He

became their God. For one year the Israelites camped at Mount Sinai and were instructed from God on holy living, which entailed the 613 commandments in the Torah. These commandments were Gods dowry to His people. Much of the Church today does not even acknowledge this dowry. Today the Church calls this Feast Pentecost, (a Greek word meaning fiftieth), where the Holy Spirit came upon the believers. (Acts 2:1-4) In order to have a fuller revelation of this event, Acts 2:1 should read as follows: "The

festival of Shavuot arrived, and the believers all gathered together in one place." We need to be aware that as the disciples were
gathered together waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit, they were in obedience to the scriptures and observing Shavuot, celebrating the giving of the Torah. They were reading specific assigned scriptures from Exodus and Ezekiel which spoke about incredible signs and wonders like the fire, smoke, and lightening that were seen on that day. We know that this same fire came upon them, and what we know as the birth of the New Testament Church began. Shavuot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals in which the Israelites were commanded to celebrate in Jerusalem. This is the reason that there was a multitude of people from every nation in Jerusalem at that particular time and three thousand new believers in Yeshua were added. (Acts 2:5, 41) There is much prophetic significance in Shavuot. One is the offering of the two loaves of bread unto the Lord. (Lev 23:17) These two loaves are baked with leaven, which we know is a type of sin, they represent the Jew and Gentile, both not perfect coming together into one new man.

(Eph.2:15) Another prophetic sign has to do with the book of Ruth, which is also read during this Feast. Shavuot is the time of the wheat harvest in the land of Israel. Ruth, a Gentile, returned with her Jewish mother in law, Naomi, to the land of Israel during the time of the beginning of the harvest. One of the commandments given regarding Shavuot was Leviticus 23:22, where it states that the corners of a field being harvested must be left for the poor and the stranger (Gentile). It was because of this Levitical law that Ruth, a Gentile, met and married Boaz, a Jew, bringing forth a son, who became the ancestor of our Messiah, Jesus/Yeshua. Shavuot also points to the future of Gods promise of the latter day great harvest of souls. Through mans ignorance, pride, and the deception of Satan, Jews and Christians have been robbed of the true Messianic message and prophecies contained within the Lords Feasts. Biblical holy days have been replaced by Romanized Church traditions with pagan roots. The Lords Feasts have become "The Jewish Holidays" and the biblical examples of Yeshua found in the Feasts have been discarded. Yeshua said, "I am the truth," and the truth about Him is to be found and celebrated in every Feast of Gods calendar, including the Sabbath. These Feasts are for all who are fellow citizens in Gods kingdom and members of Gods household. God chose the Jews, anointed a people, appointed a priesthood, and gave an annual schedule of events that was intended to be a blessing to Jews and non-Jews everywhere. Christianity without Judaism is rootless. Proverbs 22:28 says, "Remove not the ancient landmarks that thy fathers set."

THE FALL FEASTS

There is a great spiritual banquet that awaits those believers who delve into the Biblical Hebraic roots of their Christian faith. We must continue to recognize that in Leviticus 23, God set His (Festivals) Feast Times according to His calendar. These Feasts of The Lord are meant for all believers. When a follower of Yeshua, Jew or Gentile, observes the Feasts that person is exercising their rights of citizenship as well as following Gods Word. Yeshua who is The Word, is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change; neither does The Word of God. Celebration or noncelebration of The Feasts is not an issue of salvation. However, traditions, feelings, and fear continue keeping Christians blind to the deep spiritual significance to be found in The Feasts of The Lord. Every Appointed Time (Moadim) and Feast of The Lord brings us into a deeper revelation of the redemptive work of The Messiah, and points us either back to something He has already done for us, or forward to something He will do for us.

The following is a short synopsis of the three Fall Feasts: Yom Teruah (The Day of Blowing The Shofar or Feast of Trumpets, Lev. 23:23-25), more popularly known as Rosh Hashanah (Head of The Year), Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement, Lev. 23:2632), and Sukkot (The Feast of Booths or The Feast of Tabernacles, Lev. 23:33-36, 39-43). These Fall Feasts take place in Gods seventh month, Tishri, which is the time of the latter rain, and contain revelation on Messiahs second coming. Judaism has maintained a distinction between the religious and the civil year. Today, the month of Nisan and the Feast of Passover begin the religious year of the Jews, yet Tishri and Rosh Hashanah (Head of the Year) begin the civil year. Tishri 1 was the new year of the Babylonian calendar. Many Jewish writers trace

this system of two new years in the return of the Jewish people from Babylonian exile, during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, when Rosh Hashanah became part of the Yom Teruah celebration. The sounding of the shofar (rams horn) on Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah ushers in ten sacred days that end on Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). This ten-day period is known as the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe or High Holy Days). Traditional Jews believe that each year during this sacred time, ones final destiny in the Age to Come is sealed in the Book of Life. The Jewish people have approached the Yamim Noraim with great reverence getting right with God and man, forgiving and asking forgiveness, tying up the loose ends of life. As believers in Messiah we need to make our whole life Yamim Noraim, our Days of Awe, preparing for eternity. There are many important spiritual truths revealed celebrating Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah. The most graphic teaching tool of this season is the shofar (rams horn), which is sounded with a blast called "teruah" in the services. It is a call for Israel to wake up and return to God as well as an alarm sound meant to wake believers up. All believers should be in preparation to meet The Lord, and the shape of the shofar shows us the preferred posture of Gods people, curved. We are to take the humble appearance of the shofar, which is curved or bowed in submission to what God tells us to do. The only way to find Gods best is to bend our will to His will. This Feast is a time to take an honest look into our spirits to make sure we are aligned with our Fathers plan for us. We must wake up, evaluate our spiritual condition, and if needed return to Father God through repentance. Repentance in Hebrew is called "teshuvah", it comes from a root word "shub", which means, "to turn around and come back". No matter how far Israel had wandered, return was always possible, and so it is for all believers through Yeshua. Teshuvah was also Yeshuas opening

message: "Turn from your sins to God [do teshuvah], for the Kingdom of Heaven is near" (Matt. 4:17). Teshuvah is not so much a religious requirement as it is a restoration of relationship. The sound of the shofar for believers in Yeshua The Messiah is a mixture of seriousness and rejoicing. "Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound" (Ps. 89:15) As believers in Messiah we do not merely hope that our sins are forgiven, we know our sins are forgiven, making the shofar a joyful sound. Yom Kippur, (The Day of Atonement) has been the most holy day on the Jewish calendar since the days of Moses. This day focuses on atonement and forgiveness of sins. The word atonement means "to cover, to cancel". Atonement is a Jewish concept, and is found throughout the Old Testament. Atonement means that even though we should have to suffer the consequences of our sins, instead God has provided a way in which something or someone else pays the price for our wrongdoing. A key word that is not understood in the body of Messiah is sin. The Hebrew word for sin is "chet", which means, "to miss the mark". The mark that is missed is Gods standard, Gods way of doing things and being right. Everyone misses the mark. Sin is not a Christian concept, but a Jewish concept with roots going back deep into the Torah (first five books of the Bible). Our sins separate us from God and cause us to have a heart that is far from God, but God provided a way for us to be reconciled back to Him, and that is called atonement. There is only one way that God provided atonement, which was through the shedding of blood. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. (Lev. 17:11) Man-made religion hates this, and does not speak of the blood. God gave us this method for the purpose of showing us the awfulness of sin. Before the Torah was given to Moses for the children of Israel, there were already animal sacrifices to God. In fact, the first sacrifice, the first shedding of blood was done by God Himself to

atone for the sin of Adam and his wife (Gen. 3:21). God covered man with animal skins, and instituted the blood sacrifice Himself. Man wants to cover up his sin, and so it was with the first man and woman as they sowed fig leaves to cover themselves (Gen. 3:7). This is a picture of fig leaf religion that wants to cover up sin and never requires your heart. When God gave the Torah at Mount Sinai to Moses, He formalized the animal sacrifice system and wanted Israel to see that every time they sinned something had to die for it. What Messiah did for us can be seen and understood through Yom Kippur. In Temple times, Yom Kippur centered around the sacrifice of the two goats described in Leviticus 16. The "chatat" (sin goat) was to be killed after the priest had confessed the sins of the nation over it. The second goat, the "azazel" (scapegoat), was also to have the sins of the people confessed over it. But instead of being slain as a sacrifice, this goat was to be set free in the wilderness. By so doing, the people of Israel were to realize that their sins were taken away from them as they trusted in Gods way of atonement (Lev. 16; 23:26-32). This sacrifice had to be repeated each year. Yeshua bore our sins and brought us into a new covenant with God. The shedding of His blood was not a temporary atonement that would cover our sins; it was an atonement that removes and remits our sins and their penalty for eternity (Rom. 3:23-25). This means it renders invisible the ink of the note that was written against us in sin; and there is no evidence that the sin was ever there. As believers we know that we can ask and receive forgiveness of sin at any time according to 1 John 1:9. But, God has His appointed time that is special to Him, Yom Kippur is therefore a time to glorify Messiah and reflect on His priestly ministry in heaven, and rejoice in what He did for us. Consequently, this day is an appropriate time to deal with

areas of sin in our lives that have resulted in a breach of relationship with God or man. The Ten Days of Awe beginning with Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur also reveal to us the future. Some theologians believe that Yom Teruah points to the heavenly shofar that will be blown at the second coming of Messiah. When the shofar sounds The Lord will fight against all the nations of the earth who have attacked Israel. The dead in Messiah will rise, the righteous who are alive will meet Him in the clouds, and all of heaven will rejoice (Zech. 9:14-16; Matt 24:30-31; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 11:15-19). Another theory in looking to the future is that either Yom Teruah or Yom Kippur, also known as Yom haDin (Judgment Day), is a picture of the Day of The Lord when the gates of heaven are closed to all those who would not turn to God, repent and be forgiven of their sins. It is the day when the Shofar haGadol, the great trumpet blast (Is. 27:13; Matt. 24:31) is sounded and the Sefer Chaim (Book of Life) is sealed. Sukkot (The Feast of Booths/Tabernacles), also known as the "Festival of our Joy", is a reminder of Gods miraculous provision for the Israelites, as they wandered for forty years in the desert and lived in "succot" (booths). Their clothes and shoes never wore out; God provided manna for food each day, water to drink and protection from their enemies. The most obvious symbol of Sukkot is the simple hut called the "sukkah" (booth or tabernacle). For seven days out of the year the Israelites are commanded to dwell in the sukkah as a reminder of their redemption out of the land of Egypt (Lev. 23:41-43). Yeshua is our Sukkot, our Tabernacle, "The Word became flesh and lived

among us (Jn. 1:14). The word lived means "tabernacled". When

you receive Yeshua in your heart, He comes to live inside of you, and you now become a tabernacle. What you do with this tabernacle affects your entire life and future. The temporary quality of the "sukkah", reminds us that our earthly bodies are temporal, but as believers in Messiah we have a permanent dwelling place in Him. Yeshuas birth was in the late fall, and is perfectly pictured in the Sukkot Festival. This is the ideal time to celebrate that God, in The Messiah, was born to tabernacle among His people. This Feast is a time for great rejoicing, not just to remember the past, but also to thank The Lord for our salvation, daily provisions, and for bringing us into His Kingdom. In Temple times, a special ceremony depicted a prophetic promise in the Sukkot festival, called "rejoicing in the place of water drawing". During the celebration, a priest would take a golden pitcher down to the pool of Siloam in Jerusalem. After dipping it into the water, he would lead a procession of praise back to the Temple. The highlight of the ceremony came when the priest dramatically poured the water onto the altar. This was based on the verse of Isaiah 12:3, "With joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation". The rabbis taught that this ceremony foreshadowed the time when God would pour out the Holy Spirit in the days of the Messianic redemption. An amazing thing happened during a first century Sukkot celebration in Jerusalem, Yeshua stood and cried out openly, "If any man thirst,

let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (Jn. 7:37-38) The Scripture He was referring to was
Isaiah 12:3, declaring openly in the presence of thousands of people, that He was The Messiah, the fulfillment of this scripture and ceremony.

Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), is the end of the year harvest festival, and the last Feast mentioned in Leviticus 23. It has special prophetic emphasis in the scriptures. All the other Feasts will have already been fulfilled when Sukkot takes its rightful place in Gods timetable. As a harvest festival, Sukkot points to the great harvest of souls from among the nations in the last days. In Temple days at Jerusalem seventy bulls were sacrificed during the week of Sukkot (Num. 29:13-34). The ancient Rabbis, who believed there were originally 70 Gentile nations, say this represents the future ingathering of the nonJewish nations, who would one day become part of Gods Messianic Kingdom. "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 Sukkot" (Zech. 14:16). Sukkot
can be seen as representative of the Kingdom of God coming to earth. God will complete His planned dwelling in the midst of His people through Messiah Yeshua. Both Jewish and Gentile believers will celebrate Sukkot together as One New Man. Why wait for the millennium to celebrate? Start now!

THE SABBATH
It is my prayer that through this article the body of Messiah will come into a deeper revelation of the weekly Sabbath that God created, and will delight in this day. God Himself was the very first person to observe and set apart as holy the Sabbath. According to Genesis 2:2 "And on the seventh day God ended

His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done." "The words: "On the seventh day God ended His work", seems to be a puzzle. Is it not

said: "He rested on the seventh day"? "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth" (Ex. 20:11)? We should surely expect the Bible to tell us that on the sixth day God finished His work. Obviously, the ancient rabbis concluded, there was an act of creation on the seventh day. Just as heaven and earth were created in six days, menuha was created on

the Sabbath. What was created on the seventh day? Tranquility, serenity, peace and

repose." (Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath, p. 22-23) In

the Hebrew Lexicon the root meaning of menuha is "to rest, to sit down". Although the actual word Sabbath is not used in this scripture, we see here the origin of the Sabbath.

"Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made". (Gen. 2:3) The word sanctified in Hebrew is qadosh, which
means "holy, be consecrated, dedicated". When we sanctify or make something holy, it is set aside for the purpose of Gods work. There are three things mentioned in the Bible that are set aside as holy (qadosh), which are: people (i.e. priests), places (i.e. Mt. Zion), and times (i.e. Feasts). After God had created and blessed man and woman, the next thing that He blessed and declared holy, set apart unto Himself was the Sabbath. The Sabbath was the first commandment, which man and woman observed immediately after their creation, and the first full day that they spent with God. Gods plan of redemption is seen in Genesis 2:2-3, which points to the ultimate Sabbath rest that we will experience when Messiah Yeshua returns to rule and reign on the earth bringing this menuha with Him. Today we must labor to enter into His rest, (Heb. 4:10-11) which can only be achieved as we

continuously meditate on the words of Yeshua, "Peace I leave

with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
(Jn. 14:27) One of the most famous scripture passages, are the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. The fourth commandment "But the seventh day is the Sabbath

of the Lord your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Ex. 20:10-11) In the Ten Commandments the
term hallowed (holy) is applied to one word only, the Sabbath. This commandment is restated again in Deut. 5:12-15, where there it says that we are to "remember" the Sabbath because of Gods deliverance by His "mighty hand and outstretched arm" from Egypt, where there was work for seven days and no Sabbath. How many believers in Messiah observe the Sabbath each week, and remember their deliverance from the bondage and slavery of sin into eternal salvation? In Exodus 31:12-17, God commands the children of Israel to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. The Hebrew word perpetual is "olam", and means "time out of mind or eternity". God states that this covenant is a sign between Him and the Israelites forever. A covenant is an agreement between two people, in this instance between God and the children of Israel. Today, this covenant still stands, and the local congregation is the instrument with which you work that out, but the agreement is with God. It is a covenant. God did not make a Sabbath for Jews, and a

Sabbath for Christians. The Bible is the same yesterday, today, and forever, it has never changed, and never will. God did not instruct His Son, Yeshua to change the date of His weekly Sabbath. We can worship, celebrate the resurrection, and have services everyday of the week, but God, himself, declares "the seventh day is the Sabbath" (Ex. 20:10) We all know that the first day of the week is Sunday, and by adding six days to the first day of the week, Saturday is the Sabbath. One reason the Jewish people have a hard time with Christianity is because when the Church changed Saturday to Sunday, the Jewish people said, It cant be the same God the Church is worshipping since God gave us the Sabbath as a perpetual covenant sign. The only day that has its own name in the Bible is the Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew); it is unlike all the other days. The Sabbath was so central to the life of Gods people that the days of the week, before they were known by their planetary names, were originally numbered in relation to the Sabbath. The days of the week existed only because of the Sabbath. This is shown in the fact that in Hebrew the days of the week do not have independent names, but rather are numbered in their relation to the Sabbath, for instance Sunday is "first day to the Sabbath", Monday is "the second" and so on. As stated in my previous article "Jew and Gentile One New Man", I explained how division came and separated the Church from its Hebraic Roots. One of these main divisions was the changing of the Saturday Sabbath to Sunday. This started in the early part of the second century and originated in Rome. It was not for biblical reasons that the Sabbath was changed, but for the Gentile Church to avoid any Jewish connection, and avoid persecution of them by an anti-Jewish Roman government. In 321 A.D. the emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Roman empire, and officially changed the

Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, in order to further distance the Church from Judaism. Many scriptures in the New Testament have been misunderstood, because they have not been interpreted in their original cultural context. That context is first century Judaism. Yeshua faithfully kept the Sabbath on its original day, Saturday. "So He came to

Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read." (Luke 4:16) Yeshua expected His followers to also keep the Sabbath, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mk. 2:27) "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath". (Matt. 24:20) What
Yeshua was against was the rabbinical rules that were added to the Sabbath, thereby making the Sabbath a burden for the people, and changing its original intent. As stated in Matthew 5:17, Jesus came to fulfill the law (Torah) and the prophets. The true meaning of this word "fulfill" is "to perform perfect obedience to the law of God in his own person and to enforce and explain it fully". If Yeshua had violated Torah, He would have been accused and found guilty of it, when He was tried before the Sanhedrin, but He was not (Mk. 14:55-64). He broke only rabbinical rulings, not Torah. The apostle Paul has also been misunderstood in many of his writings. Paul was a Torah observant Jew. Many scriptures in the New Testament show us that Paul went to the synagogues and preached on the Sabbath (Acts 13:14-15, 42-44, Act. 16:13, 17:1-3, 18:1-4). Paul did not change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Without an understanding of several scriptures in their Jewish context, the Church will interpret that they met on Sunday. Here is one example, Acts 20:7 "Now

on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to

break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." The way Jews have
been observing the Sabbath for centuries, including today, starts on Friday evening at sundown with the lighting of candles, prayer, and a meal. Remember, Gods day begins at sundown. The Sabbath ends with a special service called Havdalah, which means "separation, division". It distinguishes between the holy and the secular, between the holy Sabbath (seventh day) from the secular work week (six days). This service begins at sundown Saturday night, which in Hebrew is called, "Motzaei-Shabbat", and includes prayer followed by a meal. In the above scripture, Paul and the believers had come together for their regular Sabbath meeting. This is when the disciples came together to break bread at the close of the Sabbath. Since they were already meeting, and Paul was leaving the next day, (Sunday) he kept talking until midnight and stayed until daybreak on Sunday when he departed to the next stop on his journey, Assos. They could not have had a meeting on Sunday because that was a workday for the Jews. The Church has so distanced itself from the Hebraic roots, that the original intention of the Sabbath to enter Gods rest (menuha), in order to bring blessings and holiness, is not understood. The issue whether the Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday is a distraction from Gods original intention, and is a diversion of Satan to continue to keep division between the Christian and the Jew. The Sabbath is not a Jewish Feast day. In a prior article written on "The Appointed Times (Moadim)", we read that God created specific appointed times, (Gen. 1:14, Lev. 23) also known as Festivals or Sabbaths for mankind to meet with Him. Leviticus 23:2-3 states that the seventh day Sabbath is an appointed time

(moadim) of the Lord, His Feast, in which we are to have a holy convocation each week. Hebrews 10:25 says "Forsake not the assembling of ourselves together" yet many believers forsake this. Today, this set time known as the Sabbath is not regarded as holy, but as a bondage of man having to go to church or synagogue. The Sabbath has become a religious observance. It should be a time that we look forward to all week, a time of sitting down at Gods feet and allowing the Spirit of God to do a work in our hearts. When we come together it is not a time to judge the service or the minister, or to look at our watches for service to end, or to have our minds on other things. This is a choice that we all have, just as Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42; where Mary chose to sit at Yeshuas feet and hear the word, and Martha chose to just be busy. Isaiah 58:1314"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and

from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lords holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The prophet Isaiah spoke of a time when Gentiles would embrace the God of the Jews "the sons of the strangerthat keep the

Sabbath from polluting it, and take hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer" (Is. 56:6-7) Today throughout the world
Gentile believers who have joined themselves to the Jewish people as fellow citizens of the commonwealth of Israel, are returning to the biblical Hebraic roots of the Sabbath. This is part of the restoration of all things that is to accompany the return of the Messiah (Act. 3:20-21). Throughout history the Sabbath has

been central in Jewish life. Families were drawn together on the Sabbath for a twenty-four hour period. Parents and children dined together, prayed together, studied together, sang together, and went to synagogue together. They were a family. The body of Messiah needs to restore the Sabbath as central in family life. The Sabbath is a taste of the world to come. May we delight in the Sabbath and desire to keep it not out of compulsion, but to please God.

JEW & GENTILE, ONE NEW MAN

The Mystery Revealed

The prophetic plan of the "one new man" (Eph.2:15), the drawing together of Jew and Gentile is a needed revelation for the time that we live in, and for the final age to come. In my last article, "A Church of Ruths", we saw the joining of a Gentile to a Jew, which brought about the lineage and birth of Jesus The Messiah. The book of Ruth showed us the tremendous love that this Gentile woman Ruth had, as she became a fellow citizen with Israel and the Jewish people, adapted to their way of life, and their belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In this article, I hope to impart to you, the mystery revealed to me from the book of Ephesians regarding the joining of the Jew and Gentile as one in Messiah. Although the body of Messiah, the Church, has in fact joined themselves to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the same God as the Jewish people, the separation between the Church and the Jewish people remains. At the same time, the Jews cannot embrace the Church whether a Gentile believer in Jesus or even a Jewish believer in Jesus, which makes this joining twice as hard. As the Lord is preparing the stage for His second

coming, wide segments of His church are still not recognizing the significant role of Israel and the Jewish people. Without embracing this vision, the joining of Jew and Gentile as one new man cannot take place. There is a tremendous spiritual war against the union of these two people groups joining together, because the ultimate result will be the glory of God upon the earth, and will unlock the healing of Gods creation. Today we have divisions among the entire body of Messiah, between denominations, churches, movements, and believers throughout the earth. Why? The root of all divisions has never been healed, it is the most ancient of divisions, one which the apostle Paul seeing into the future addressed in the book of Ephesians, the separation and division of the Jew and Gentile. Paul is speaking to Gentile believers in Ephesus, revealing a mystery to them regarding this "one new man". As we briefly look at parts of this book, we must remember the overall theme of the book, which is this joining of two people groups becoming one in Messiah. In chapter 1:17-18, Paul states that he always prays for the believers to have wisdom and revelation into the plan of God, that their eyes will be opened to this. Of course, we can take this to mean Gods plan for our own individual lives, but we must see the larger plan, the joining of the Jew and Gentile in Messiah. In Ephesians chapter 2:11-13, it is clearly stated that the Gentiles were at one time estranged from the rights of Israel as a nation, and also strangers from the covenants, but through the shed blood of Messiah they are brought near. One of the biggest problems believers have in interpreting the New Testament scriptures is that most of the time there is no knowledge of the Old Testament. In the next two verses, 14-15, we need to take a closer look at certain words in order to understand what the Apostle Paul is saying, "For he is our peace, who has made

us both Jew and Gentile one body, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, the law of commandments contained, in ordinances; for to make in himself of two one new man, so making peace." Most interpretations of
these two verses would say that the word enmity refers to the Old Testament law of commandments, and that through believing in Jesus, they have been done away with. First we must clarify that the word law, actually means teachings, and if it were not for the Old Testament teachings we would not have any foundation at all, and we would not have the Messiah Jesus. Jesus himself said in Matthew 5:17, "Think

not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." The root meaning of the word
fulfill is: to clarify, to perfect a foundation on which to build further. Jesus never meant to do away with or abolish the Old Testament teachings. Without knowledge of any Hebraic root teachings we will not be able to understand what Paul is referring to in "the enmity of ordinances". Remember, Paul was a learned Jewish scholar, who knew the Old Testament, and also the oral rabbinic laws. The enmity between Jew and Gentile was not the commandments, but came because of mutual dislike of each others customs. This is common between cultures, but in this case, most Jewish customs are different. They did not just evolve; they were the obedience of the Jewish people in response to the Old Testament teachings given them. In Ephesians 2:19, Paul continues speaking to the Gentile believers, "Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with Gods people and members of Gods family." The word fellow citizen means to be in union with or together with by resemblance, companionship, or

association. When someone becomes a citizen of a nation, they are required to learn the laws, customs, history, and language of that nation. A person becoming a citizen must also pledge loyalty, faithfulness, and commitment to that nation. We need to remember that it says in Romans 11:17, that the Gentiles were grafted in among the nation of Israel, and the Jewish people. When you graft something, you join or fasten it in such a way as to bring about a close union. This is what Ruth did as she attached herself to Naomi, a type and shadow of the Gentile becoming a fellow citizen with Israel and the Jewish people. The Gentile believers (Christians) should be involved with the Jewish people, both Messianic and nonMessianic; thereby fulfilling scripture. Unfortunately, this union that Paul spoke about never really developed into the one new man relationship. In Ephesians 2:20, Paul states that these Gentile believers are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus The Messiah being the chief cornerstone. It is okay to apply this verse for today, that apostles and prophets are the backbone of the Church, but we also must remember that when Paul was writing the apostles and prophets he was referring to all Jew covenant keepers. The rich biblical inheritance that believers in Messiah have worldwide has been passed down to them by Jewish spiritual parents. In verse 21 it states, "In whom all the building fitly framed together grows into a holy temple in the Lord." The Jew and the Gentile are to be fitly joined together. In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul continues to write about the mystery revealed to him, how the Gentiles are to be fellow heirs with the Jewish people and partakers of the covenant promises. Then in chapter 4, Paul speaks about walking in love with one another, keeping the unity of the Spirit, being one body, having

one Lord, one faith, One God and Father of all. Paul, is really referring to the famous Hebrew prayer sounded twice a day, even today, (The Shema) Deut.6:4,"Here O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is the One and Only. " It is fine to take these scriptures in reference to one another in the body, but we must see the central theme of this book, which is Jew and Gentile, "one new man". Paul is warning the Gentile believers to not forget about the Jews, and to walk in love with them. Then in verse 7, a very important statement is made, "But unto every one of us is given

grace according to the measure of the gift of Messiah."

The word grace means Gods favor and ability, the power and equipment needed for ministry, the anointing; and the word gift means a spiritual or supernatural gift or calling. Not everyone in the body of Messiah has the same calling and gifting; and continuing the theme of this book, we need to see that the Messianic Jew has a certain calling in the body, and the Gentile believer has a certain calling in the body. It is important to know that the early believers were all Jewish, and they continued their identity and Jewish biblical lifestyle. After the death of the apostles, the leadership passed to nonJewish leaders. Many of them, did not approve of Jewish people or their Jewish Biblical heritage. A continued development of official church doctrine concerning Jews in the centuries following brought a larger separation between the Church and Synagogue. What we know as, replacement theology, where the belief is that the Church replaces Israel developed. As the number of non-Jews became believers, it had a negative effect, bringing Greek and Babylonian influences into the Church. The roman pagan calendar replaced the Jewish calendar, which eventually led to no allowal of Jews to

observe any of their biblical feasts, or they would be killed. Jewish people had to choose, God wanted them to hear about the Messiah and be saved. God wanted them to be Jews who followed Jesus, but the Church said, either Jesus or Jewish. One of the worst influences against the Jews around 344-407 A.D. was a bishop of the church in Antioch, John Chrysostom. He was threatened because Christians in Antioch visited synagogues to gain a better understanding of the Jewish roots of their faith. In order to destroy any Christian interest in Judaism, Chrysostom wrote eight sermons against the Jews. These sermons became the official teaching of the Church for 1600 years, one of which was that the Jews killed Christ. When we trace this to the time of the Holocaust, we find Nazi leaders defending their actions by claiming to follow the history of church tradition; perhaps this is another reason that so many Christians in Europe stood by and did nothing. The Inquisition in 16th century Spain burned at the stake Jewish believers in Jesus that celebrated the Passover. Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation, in his latter years, recommended to burn all the Jewish synagogues, raze and destroy their homes, and take from them their cash, silver, and gold. Hitler was convinced he was doing Gods will in attempting to annihilate the Jewish people as he quoted from Luther. On the other hand, The Synagogue rejected the early Jewish believers in Messiah, who were originally called Nazarene Jews. After the Temple fell, the Pharisees became the leadership, which led to todays orthodox rabbinical Judaism. The rabbis sought to preserve and unify the Jewish community under their teachings and excluded any other forms of Judaism. Eventually the Nazarenes were cast out of rabbinical synagogues. Through

different historical events eventually the loss of a community of Messianic Jews resulted in the loss of the bridge of understanding between Judaism and the Church. Messianic Jews could have kept alive the true picture of the Jewish Messiah Jesus, and helped to avoid the future anti-Semitism in the Church. Both the Synagogue and the Church fought for proselytes among the Gentiles, thereby increasing the hostility between these two people groups. In order to compete with each other, they formed their own theologies in opposition to each other. Christian theology became contrary to Jewish teachings, as also the Synagogue eventually saw Jesus as a false god of the Gentiles, especially when introduction of the trinity came into being. We must remember, that Judaism, bases their belief on one God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob. When faced with a triune God, it became difficult to believe that Christians were worshipping the same God, let alone that they worshipped on another day. The plot of the devil to separate these two people groups, Jew and Gentile worked, through fear, ignorance, pride, greed, and racism. An excellent study of true historic events which led to the division between the Church and the Jewish people can be found in the book entitled, Our Hands Are Stained With Blood, by Dr. Michael Brown. Today, there is still much resistance to the uniting of Jew and Gentile in Messiah as one new man. The Christian Church is afraid of being Judaized, and the Jews are afraid of being Christianized. In Eph.4:11-16, it continues to state that through the five-fold ministry we are taught and equipped, to do the work of the ministry in the body of Messiah. We must understand that God has set up a government, and all believers need to submit to this government; to be in the body of Messiah without any spiritual authority does not line up with the word of God. We also need to realize that there are Messianic Jewish five fold ministers

that have much to offer the body of Messiah in helping to bring together the unity of the faith. In verse 16, "From whom the

whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." Fitly joined together, is not just referring
to the individual churches and ministries, but to the larger picture, the Jew and the Gentile in Messiah. God loves both the same, yet we need to recognize the individual positions and callings that they each have. If we are not open to learn and blend Jewish and Gentile expressions and seek to heal this division, then the heart of Gods purpose, "one new man" will not happen. This division has become a major target for demonic attack, and as Paul states in Eph.6:12, that we are wrestling against powers of darkness, realizing the overall theme of the entire book of Ephesians, we can see, that this pertains to the Jew & Gentile in Messiah becoming one new man.

So, the question is: What does this "one new man" church look like? We have no blueprint, but we have the Holy Spirit, and he can help us to develop it. Since the joining of one new man consists of Jew and Gentile in Messiah, then we must not be afraid to incorporate both, and bring them together to complete the plan of God. Only when we accept this joining will we fulfill Gods purpose. As Paul states in Eph.1:10, " That in the

dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Messiah, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him". Will you join in Gods vision and labor
to bring forth the "one new man"?

IN THE FULLNESS OF TIMES

The heart of Father God is Restoration with mankind. As I write this third article, I recall my own restoration, as I searched for God, and eventually found Him, through His son, The Messiah. Although raised Jewish, I was saved in an evangelical church, and for many years afterwards, every church I was involved in, including my bible school, tore me away from my Jewish roots, and never taught on them. I am grateful to the Gentile church, their teachings, and my love for my Christian brothers and sisters is great. In the last few years, the Holy Spirit has been having me study on the Jewish roots of my faith in Messiah, and I discovered many people throughout the world are being led the same way. In the last article, "One New Man", we have come to understand the importance of the joining of the Jew and Gentile in the light of Gods plan, and we have also read about the tactics of the enemy to keep these two people groups divided. None of us has the entire revelation of the plan of God, I will continue to write a small part of what the Spirit of God is saying to His Church today, regarding the coming together of the Church and the Jewish people; "That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might

gather together in one all things in Messiah both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him." Eph.1:10
There is a richness in the heritage of the Jewish roots that Christians are missing, and the Holy Spirit is trying to bring this fullness into the Church today. This does not mean we go back to being under the law, it means we come to understand it and discover what Jesus meant in Mt. 5:17, "Think not that I am

come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the

law, till all be fulfilled." First we must come to a true knowledge

of the meaning of some of the words that we have heard for hundreds of years that have totally influenced us. Basically we have been brain washed. As I mentioned in my last article, the word law, is not a negative word, it refers to the Hebrew word Torah, which is the first five books of the Bible; and it means teachings or instructions from God. The word fulfil, means to clarify, give the true and perfect meaning of scripture, to perfect a foundation on which to build further. Jesus is saying, He came to bring complete understanding to The Torah, and to show how the teachings are to be acted upon. The one jot or one tittle is actually the smallest Hebrew letter, called a yud; so here He is saying that all of the Hebrew words would come into clarification. During the time Jesus came, the word of God had taken on other meanings. There were so many teachers and scribes that had written down many additional explanations and rules from the original teachings of God, creating different denominations of Judaism, that people didnt know what to believe. Jesus came to put the Word of God back into divine order, because people didnt recognize or know God; they had forgotten the promises of God in many areas of their life. We must also be aware that when Jesus said, He was here to fulfil, to clarify the Word of God, there was no New Testament; He is referring to bringing understanding and clarity to the Old Testament. If the Church does not know the Old Testament how can they know what Jesus came to fulfil? Basically much of the New Testament is an explanation of The Old Testament. Many people today cant understand what is being taught because they have no knowledge of the New Testament much less the Old Testament.

Just as it was in Jesus day, so today The Word still has not been fulfilled; it hasnt been brought to complete understanding. We read in Romans 11:25 "For I would not, brethren, that you

should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in". When Israel became
a nation in 1948, and when the Jewish people recaptured Jerusalem in 1967, we began to see the beginning of this scripture being fulfilled, as Jewish people began to return to their homeland, and the Messianic Jewish movement began to spring up again. The Apostle Paul is referring to a mystery, that he didnt want the Gentiles to be ignorant of, since they have a part to play in the restoration of Israel and the Jewish people, and the return of the Messiah. Most of the references I have heard regarding the fullness of the Gentiles have to do only with salvation, but there is more to this scripture than that. It is when the Gentiles come into the understanding of the Word of God in its fullness, which will happen when they come to recognize, acknowledge, and understand their Jewish roots. In Romans 11, Paul warned the Gentile believers about boasting over the natural branches, and forgetting their roots. The Church over centuries has added all types of foreign customs to the original faith, making Christianity look like something totally different than what it originally was. This has drawn the Jewish people far from the knowledge of their Jewish Messiah, since they no longer see a Jewish Jesus in todays Church. As the Church comes to embrace its roots again, this will help to lift the blindness that in part has happened to Israel and the Jewish people, which in turn will help to usher in the return of The Lord. Our Messiah, Jesus didnt come to start a new religion, He came to bring understanding to the Word of God, and to

teach how it is to be properly acted upon. He did not come to do away with the Torah (teachings). Originally the words, Old Testament did not exist, it was only known, and still is today in Jewish synagogues as the Tanach (The Scriptures), which included The Torah (The first five books of Moses), The Neviim (The Prophets), The Kesuvim (The Writings). Jewish people consider The Tanach, not only as a book of law, or of history, but as a book of life. As it says in Psalm 119:165, peace comes from loving the law (teachings). When you put the word old before testament, it seems like something we dont need, and unfortunately most of the Church today thinks they dont need it, or the Church interprets it wrong. We need to imagine what it would have been like if all our bible translations would have had the original meanings of the words, like Torah instead of law, Yeshua instead of Jesus, Miryam instead of Mary, Yaakov instead of James, Yochanan instead of John, Shaul instead of Paul. What if our New Testament had been written with all the original translations? Would we see a different book, one that is Jewish? Would we see a Jewish Jesus or a Christian Jesus? Romans 3:1-2 states, "What advantage then has the Jew? Or

what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God." In
the Vines dictionary it defines oracles as all the written utterances of God through OT writers. We also read in Romans 3, that we are only righteous through faith in the shed blood of Messiah; not by the law (The Torah-teachings). By these verses, many people believe they can disregard the law (Torah); yet Romans 3:31 states, "Do we then make void the law through

faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

In Malachi 4:5-6, it says that the prophet Elijah will be sent before the return of the Lord, and that he will turn the hearts of

the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Recently, I have personally witnessed a turning of fathers to children and vice versa. This is a prophetic sign of something much greater that is happening throughout the Church. In Matthew 17:11, Yeshua said, "Elijah truly shall come first, and restore all things." There is a spirit of Elijah moving within The Body of Messiah to learn about their Jewish roots. Most of the heroes whom we call Fathers of the faith of Christianity are Jewish people: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Elijah, and Moses. Then we have Our Messiah Yeshua. He was born into a Jewish family, celebrated all the Jewish feasts, worshiped in the synagogue, wore a tallit, publicly read from the Torah, The Prophets, and The Writings, and preached about The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To fully understand Yeshua, we must understand His Jewish roots. Many times in life, we must look back in order to see where we are going, this doesnt mean we go backwards. It is like being in a rowboat, where you are facing backwards, yet rowing the oars and moving forwards. The truth is that Christianity is deeply rooted in Jewish life, beliefs, and heritage; and is destined to share a common future. The plot of Satan to deprive the Church of its relationship with the Jewish people has for centuries prevented the Church from experiencing the "rich root of the olive tree." (Romans 11:17) The Church took on a totally different appearance and ways from the early believers who were all Jewish; which resulted in severing of relationship with the Jewish people. The Church made it impossible for Jews to believe in Messiah Yeshua and still maintain their Jewish identity. This is the reason it has been so difficult to reach Jewish people, since they no longer see or hear the original "Jewish" gospel of their own Messiah. The Church will fulfill Romans 11:11 of making the Jew jealous, when the Christians once again begin to recognize the Jewishness of their own faith, then the Jew will be provoked to study the Scriptures

for themselves to see if Yeshua is the Messiah. According to Acts 3:21, the heavens have received The Messiah Yeshua, and are retaining Him until the times of complete restoration of all things that God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets from ages past. There are many restorations that must take place, one of them is the need for the Church to once again embrace its roots.

"Thus says the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." Zech.
8:23 The words, shall take hold in the Hebrew Lexicon mean "to be bound fast, to be attached, to support, to preserve", and the word skirt "an edge or extremity of a garment, a corner or loose flowing end". It is known throughout Judaism, and was a command of God in Numbers 15:37-40, that the children of Israel wear a garment with four or more corners and must attach fringes (tzitzis) to each corner. This is and has been a sign of the Jews allegiance to God. The fringes represent the 613 commands of the Torah (instructions) from God, and serve as a constant reminder to be obedient to all His commands. We see in the above scripture that ten Gentiles will attach themselves to one Jew and bind themselves to the Jewish root and ways. Much like Ruth said to Naomi, "Where you go I will go; and where you

lodge, I will lodge: your people shall be my people, and your God my God". The Spirit of God wants His Church to begin attaching
themselves to their Jewish roots. So you might be asking, how can we begin to know our roots? What can we do? We can start with what God ordained from the beginning, "The Moadim The Appointed Times"!