Calling for a Cease Fire! Here we will share cold, hard facts, interesting connections, and let you come to your own conclusions. Explore the other side of the "argument." Look at things from a different angle. Open your eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand. We take an unapologetic, whole Bible applicable view to everything.
Yah/God set apart specifically appointed time to celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. He put them in place thousands of years ahead of time, as signs, foreshadowings, of what was to come. They have been set aside for counterfeit man made traditions.
Jesus most likely rose at twilight Saturday night. During the in between time just before the first day of the week, Sunday, started. If he had remained in the tomb through the night, it would have been four nights in the tomb instead of three.
First Fruits (Bikkurim, Firstfruits, Harvest) Surrender All to Jesus
Become a Disciple: As we observe this appointed time, we are to remember what Jesus has done for us. Without him going first, and making the way, we would not be able to follow. He was offered up first so the rest of the harvest that follows can also be accepted. As his disciples we surrender our lives and walk in his ways. On this day we remember his resurrection – the original Easter.
God called the Israelite and whoever to bring a sheaf of the first grain harvested (faith/obey) in the promised land to the priest.
The priest waved the sheaf before God (on Sunday) so it would be accepted on the communities behalf.
A lamb without defect and a hin of wine were also offered.
God appointed the Feast of First Fruits for whoever.
Three days after the Passover, a sheaf of the first fruits of the barley and the wheat harvest are brought on the first day of the week (Sunday).
The sheaf is representative of the whole harvest to come.
The concept of presenting the first to God, like the first born, appears all throughout the Scriptures.
No bread could be eaten until the sheaves had been offered to God.
If the first fruits were not accepted, the whole harvest was not. Everyone brought the best of the crops.
This was fulfilled when Jesus resurrected on the third day.
God gave the Table of Showbread in the Temple on which were placed the Bread of Presence and a pitcher for drink offerings (wine).
There were 12 loaves, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, God’s chosen first fruits of people.
Each Weekly Sabbath (Saturday), the old would be removed and consumed by the priest and new put out.
In the Ark of the Testimony (we’ll talk more about it later) was a bowl of Manna.
The Manna represented the Bread of Life
They had to learn to trust and reply on God who provided manna on their journey into the promised land for six days during the week. The seventh day was a rest day, so none was given, nor collected on that day.
God gave his son as a First Fruit. Jesus resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits as the first fruit offering accepted of the harvest to come.
Whoever died with him will also be accepted and rise with him in eternal life.
He has paved the way for all those who have faith in him.
Revelation 14:4 These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been redeemed from among mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb.
Testing in Resting: The weekly Sabbath is a day to rest and reflect. It’s a time to remember God has provided all we need. He sent his son, Jesus to become our sacrifice and our high priest – all we have to do is have faith in him and he will do the rest. Our reconciliation is promised through our faith. However, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my Torah.” He specifically talks about the “Torah” and keeping the smallest marks in it. As we seek to understand more fully, we learn there are laws to keep, ordinances dependent on circumstances, recommendations for getting the best out of life, and right-rulings for making judgements. We don’t keep them because we have to, we keep them because we want to obey. All throughout God Sabbaths/appointed times has referenced or alluded to having faith and obeying him – the original day of worship.
God called the Seventh Day Holy and rested well before any covenant.
It was first observed by God in Genesis, he blessed the day and made it holy and rested on the seventh day.
It is a sign between Gods people and Him that He is their God.
God gave manna in the wilderness and told the whoevers to gather a day’s portion each day, but on the sixth day gather enough for the next day. He said he did this as a test to find out whether they would walk according to his ways or not (faith/obey).
God appointed the Weekly Sabbath Day as a test and a sign
It is about learning to rest and rely on God – to show you what is good and bad, trusting he knows what is best.
God used the manna to test if they would follow his instructions by collecting twice as much on the sixth day and resting on the seventh.
All of God’s Sabbaths are a sign that he is God, who makes you holy.
God pours out wrath when his Sabbaths are not kept.
Jesus and all in the Bible who were righteous kept the Sabbath day.
All of Jesus’s disciples and the women rested, they did not prepare the body because they observed the Sabbath day.
Jesus said he was the Lord of the Sabbath.
Much of the contention between Jesus and the religion leaders of the day was centered around the Sabbath day rules.
The rules he contested were man made rules – not God made rules.
Jesus said his yoke is easy and his burden is light.
God gave the Cloud in the Tabernacle so the people would know he was dwelling among them.
A cloud covered the tent of the meeting (tabernacle) and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
A cloud of smoke by day and of fire by night
It was in the sight of all the camp during all their travels. The people kept watch on the cloud in anticipation of what God would do. When the cloud would lift, the people would set out. If it did not lift, they stayed.
God gave Jesus rest on the weekly Sabbath. His resurrections was on the Feast of First Fruit which is always the first day of the week (Sunday).
Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Genesis 2 “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their array.”
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, Booths, Ingathering, Feast of the Lord) Complete Unity
All are One: During this time we remember, Jesus said a prayer for those who have faith in him. He said, “Just as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You, so also may they be one in Us, so the world may believe that You sent Me.” God tabernacled among his people in a temporary dwelling place. And Jesus temporarily tabernacled among us in flesh. And now our body is a tabernacle to the Holy Spirit. Jesus has went to prepare our forever home and one day, we will once again be with Immanuel – God with Us when he returns to reign forever and ever. ““Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” – the original Christmas
God called the whoevers to live in temporary shelters during their 40 years in the Wilderness.
The mix multitude lived in temporary shelters and relied on God
He brought them out of bondage and provided for them (faith/obey).
God appointed the Feast of Tabernacles as a time of celebration of the fall harvest and remember God’s protection and provision.
Five days after Day of Atonement and lasts for seven days
First and Eighth day are days of sacred assembly and no work.
Take branches from trees and rejoice before God.
Celebrate at the place God chooses.
All NATIVE-BORN ISRAELITES are to live in temporary shelters for seven days.
This will not be fully fulfilled until Jesus returns to take those who follow him to a permeant dwelling place.
God gave the Ark of the Testimony in the Tabernacle in the Holy of Holies where he took up temporary shelter
Now called the Ark of the Covenant
This is where God would meet and give his commands
Held the signs of the Testimony/Covenant
Tables of the Testimony – Now called Ten Commandments
A bowl of Manna
Aaron’s staff which budded
Jesus temporarily dwelled among us.
Many believe Jesus was born on this feast.
His name was called Immanuel – “God with us.”
Jesus told his disciples there were many dwelling places and he was going to prepare a place.
Revelation 21:3 “See, the Booth of Elohim is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and Elohim Himself shall be with them and be their Elohim.
Forgive as You are Forgiven: During the time between Trumpets and Day of Atonement is a time to consider our ways and make correction as needed. Just as the priests were ordained and consecrated by the atonement sacrifice, so Jesus has been our atoning sacrifice. We are the one who deserves death but instead we will be set free because Jesus takes our place. Forgive others, just as Jesus forgave those who persecuted him. The original Ash Wednesday/Lent.
God called Moses to make an offering as atonement for Aaron and his sons for their priestly ordination and consecration.
It took seven days to ordain them.
It took seven days to make atonement for the altar, then it was most holy.
God appointed the Day of Atonement as a time to assemble and deny oneself.
Ten days after the Feast of Trumpets, reflection is made on each of the ten days.
Do no work. Deny = the general consensus seems to be fasting as well as recognizing lawlessness (sin), confession, and recognizing the need for Jesus.
The High Priest took two goats,
One was the sacrifice and one was a scapegoat.
At the door of the tent, they would cast lots to see which would be presented as the offering and which would be let go.
It will not be fully fulfilled until after Jesus’s second coming.
Jesus was offered once to bear the sins of the community and will appear a second time to bring deliverance.
He became a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, making atonement for the sins of the people.
God gave the Lid of the Atonement in the Tabernacle where he is said to have rested.
Typically called the Mercy Seat.
It was the actual Lid to the Ark of the Testimony
Once a year – the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice to cover the unknown sins of the community for another year.
There was a shadowing of the Day of Atonement when Pilate offered the choice between Jesus and Jesus Barabbas.
One became the offering, the other the scapegoat.
Revelation 12:10 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Feast of Trumpets (Yom Truach, Day of Blasting) Be the Light of the World
Become One Who Disciples: On this day we remember while Jesus was in this world he was the light, whoever follows him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light in them. Jesus said his disciples are the light of the world and should not be hidden. We remember when we walk in his ways and let our light shine we have fellowship together. Shout for joy because Jesus has destroyed death, brought life and immortality to light through the good news. One day he is returning and will reign forever and ever! A day to remember to keep watch for one day he is returning – the original Advent.
God rested on Mt. Sinai on this day
There was thundering, lighting, a thick cloud,
“The blast of the exceedingly loud shofar”. The sound of the shofar grew louder and louder.
Moses spoke, and God answered him with a thunderous sound.
All the people saw and heard, and they trembled.
God appointed the Feast of Trumpets for whoever to have a day to sound the trumpets/shofar and have a day of rest.
The Feast of Trumpets falls on the start of the civil year. God appointed Passover as the first of a year.
It is a call to preparation for the Day of Atonement
This feast has not been fulfilled. It will be fulfilled at Jesus’s second coming.
Jesus said he will be as lightning from one part of the sky to the other.
The Lord will descend with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
Many believe Jesus will return during the Feast of Trumpets.
God gave the Lampstand in the Tabernacle
The Lampstand was a sign of God’s presences.
It was the only source of light in otherwise complete darkness. It was kept lite continuously and never went out.
It resembled almond branches, the Hebrew root word means “to hasten”. And the flowers were like open almond flowers.
In the Ark of the Witness was Aaron’s staff which budded
The staff was made out of a piece of almond wood.
It symbolized God’s choice as to who should serve as Priests.
It was a sign to the rebellious to put an end to their grumbling against God.
God gave the Light of the World, Jesus, whoever follows him will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.
Some believe Jesus was born during the Feast of Trumpet.
Revelation 11:15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
Revelation 21:23 And the city has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.
Pentecost (Feast of Weeks, Shavuot) Testify and Be Baptized
Receive Jesus’s Testimony and Baptism: On this day we remember the free gift given to both Jew and Gentile. The Holy Spirit is Jesus’s baptism(Acts 2:38) and his witness testifying to the whole earth. The Spirit writes his commands on our hearts. The Spirit baptizes in the Name (the essence) of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – the original Pentecost.
God called the Israelite and whoever to bring an offering of new grain in two loaves, with yeast, as a wave offering of first fruits fifty days (7 weeks) after the First Fruits offering.
A burnt offering, drink offering, and fellowship offering were also brought.
A day of sacred assembly and no work.
When reaping, leave the edges for the poor and foreigners (faith/obey).
God appointed the Feast of Weeks as a time to rejoice at the place he chooses as a dwelling for his Name.
Name in Hebrew refers to the essence of someone, not their title or “name” given to them.
Celebrate at the place God chooses.
This was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2)
God gave the Golden Incense Altar in the Tabernacle which was placed just outside the curtain into the Holy of Holies.
Spices were burned as a continuous offering, a sweet aroma. The incense represents the prayers of the people.
Prayers are a line of communication directly with God to offer thanksgiving, praises, and adoration for his provision. They can also be used to confess, express repentance, petition and make requests.
In the Ark of the Testimony the Two Tablets of The Testimony were placed.
The tablets are now referred to as the Ten Commandments
Originally given on the day of Pentecost.
On the two tablets were the covenant law God provided to them.
God said, keeping these are a sign we are willing to offer up our own ways and follow God’s ways
God gave his Holy Spirit fifty days after Jesus was resurrected.
His followers were gathered in observant of Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit came down, represented by fire and was Jesus’s Baptism.
Received by all – both Jew and Gentile, the two loaves, were waved as an offering to God through the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was given to write the Tablets of the Testimony on the hearts of his people.
Revelation 8:3 (TLV) 3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden incense burner.[b] He was given much incense to offer up along with the prayers of all the kedoshim upon the golden altar before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the kedoshim,[c] rose before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the incense burner and filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there were clashes of thunder and rumblings and flashes of lightning and earthquakes.[d]
First Fruits (Bikkurim, Firstfruits, Harvest) Surrender All to Jesus
Become a Disciple: As we observe this appointed time, we are to remember what Jesus has done for us. Without him going first, and making the way, we would not be able to follow. He was offered up first so the rest of the harvest that follows can also be accepted. As his disciples we surrender our lives and walk in his ways. On this day we remember his resurrection – the original Easter.
God called the Israelite and whoever to bring a sheaf of the first grain harvested (faith/obey) in the promised land to the priest.
The priest waved the sheaf before God (on Sunday) so it would be accepted on the communities behalf.
A lamb without defect and a hin of wine were also offered.
God appointed the Feast of First Fruits for whoever.
Three days after the Passover, a sheaf of the first fruits of the barley and the wheat harvest are brought on the first day of the week (Sunday).
The sheaf is representative of the whole harvest to come.
The concept of presenting the first to God, like the first born, appears all throughout the Scriptures.
No bread could be eaten until the sheaves had been offered to God.
If the first fruits were not accepted, the whole harvest was not. Everyone brought the best of the crops.
This was fulfilled when Jesus resurrected on the third day.
God gave the Table of Showbread in the Temple on which were placed the Bread of Presence and a pitcher for drink offerings (wine).
There were 12 loaves, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, God’s chosen first fruits of people.
Each Weekly Sabbath (Saturday), the old would be removed and consumed by the priest and new put out.
In the Ark of the Testimony (we’ll talk more about it later) was a bowl of Manna.
The Manna represented the Bread of Life
They had to learn to trust and reply on God who provided manna on their journey into the promised land for six days during the week. The seventh day was a rest day, so none was given, nor collected on that day.
God gave his son as a First Fruit. Jesus resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits as the first fruit offering accepted of the harvest to come.
Whoever died with him will also be accepted and rise with him in eternal life.
He has paved the way for all those who have faith in him.
Revelation 14:4 These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been redeemed from among mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb.
Called Out of Captivity: As we observe this appointed time of YHWH/God’s, we are to remember we were once captives to lawlessness (sin), separated from God, just like the Israelites were in the land of Egypt. In order to get back in right relationship with God, there must be a sacrifice made because the law of sin requires a death. We are to remember he chose to bring us out of captivity through the sacrifice of his son, Jesus and set us free from lawlessness (sin). On this day, we remember his crucifixion, the original Good Friday.
*Passover and Unleavened Bread are one appointed time
God called the captives out of slavery and bondage.
The Hebrews and whoever trusted in him (faith), put the blood of an unblemished lamb over the doorposts (obey).
Those who had faith and obeyed, He passed over (even the non Hebrews) because he saw the blood of the lamb.
Those without the blood, had their first born son killed.
God appointed Passover for whoever in all generations, to remember he had brought them out of bondage and set them free.
God gave this as the first month of each year.
This was fulfilled when Jesus became the Passover Lamb.
God gave the Brazen Altar in the Tabernacle for offerings of repentance.
When whoever realized they were walking in lawlessness (sin), they would repent and bring a sacrifice. This would put them back in right relationship with God and the people.
The people brought their sacrifices day after day, but did not change their ways. The sacrifices became meaningless to them and God could not bear it any more.
God gave his Son, Jesus to take the place of the sacrifices. Jesus, was The Anointed One who serves as the unblemished, Passover Lamb.
Jesus and his followers were observing the appointed time of Passover when he took the cup and offered it as his blood, to be poured out for forgiveness of lawlessness (sins) for whoever put their faith in him and obeyed.
Following the Passover Meal, Jesus was arrested, tried, and crucified. He offered himself up as the once for all unblemished, sacrifice for lawlessness (sin).
He was sacrificed on Passover at the very same time all the other Passover Lambs were being sacrificed in the Temple.
God will again, Passover on Judgement day, whoever has faith, brings the blood of the Passover Lamb (Jesus), and obeys.
Revelation 12:11: They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even in the face of death.
Unleavened Bread (Festival of Matzot)* Confess, Repent, and Be Baptized
Called into Righteousness: As we observe this appointed time of God’s, we are to remember God provides for us. We are to clean out all the lawlessness (sin) in our houses. Just as he prepared a way through the wilderness into the promised land for the Israelites, he has prepared a way into righteousness and the Holy Place through his son, Jesus. Jesus has paid the ransom for those have faith in him and obey. On this day we remember his triumphant descent – the original Holy Saturday.
*Passover and Unleavened Bread are one appointed time
God called the Hebrews and whoevers to clean out all the yeast from their houses and they did not have time to prepare food for themselves before they left.
Whoever did not put the yeast out (faith), was put out of the community (obey).
They carried their unfermented dough and their kneading-troughs as they left. The bread they made from the dough became known as ‘the bread of affliction’.
God provided them with manna from heaven. He sustained them throughout their journey to the promised land.
God appointed the festival of Unleavened Bread for whoever in all generations, to remember this is the day whoevers were brought out of bondage.
Celebrate at the place God chooses.
This was fulfilled when Jesus was buried.
God gave the Bronze Laver in the Tabernacle to wash clean their hands and feet.
Being in right relationship and clean, they were now prepared to enter into the Holy Place.
There was a veil between the Outer Courts and the Holy Place, only a Priest could pass through into the Holy Place.
God provided a way.
Before Jesus, one came preparing a way, he was called John the Baptizer.
John called people to an immersion in the river as a baptism of repentance from sin, marking a turning away from lawlessness (sin). This is referred to as John’s Baptism.
At the Passover Meal, Jesus, as the Bread of Life, offered the unleavened bread as his body, in memory of himself.
The bread representing dying to lawlessness (sin). Jesus was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
They had always eaten the unleavened bread at the Passover Meal, but Jesus changed why, he said to eat it at the Passover Meal in remembrance of him.
At his death, the veil between the Outer Courts and the Holy Place was torn from top to bottom, into two pieces, he had prepared the way for whoever into the Holy Place.
God provided those who eat of the Bread of Life (Jesus), a way to live forever, free from leaven (sin).
He sacrificed his fleshly body and died to sin, once and for all. Those trusting (faith) and obeying him, have also crucified their body and are no longer captive to lawlessness (sin).
John 6:51 I am the living bread, which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
NEXT UP: Part 4 – Where is The Good News in the Old Testament?
COMING SOON: Part 5 – Why Celebrate the Birth of Jesus Differently?
When Did Things Change?
The only god listed in Part 1, who has had major changes in how and when his followers celebrate him is the god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (YHWH), and his Son, Yeshua/Jesus. There is no contention that Jesus was not born in December. The only doubt surrounding when he was born is the debate about which of YHWH/God’s Sabbaths he was born on.
Ever hear of the Penalty for Keeping Christmas Law? Yeah, me neither. But in Massachusetts Bay Colony there was such a thing in 1659. They felt it was a “great dishonor of God and offence of others.” If that were in effect today – we’d be paying almost $50 bucks per violation! It was removed in 1681. Of course, in Massachusetts’s they also arrested “witches” (1692-1693) as well! Many held the line, and Christmas did not become a publicly accepted holiday until 1856. In 1870, Christmas was declared a national holiday.
How about an ordinance in England banning Christmas and Easter? Yep, there was one there too. Passed by Parliament in 1647. They had fines there too! Ended up causing riots. They removed it in 1660 because it was too hard to enforce.
Exactly when it all changed? No one really knows, it has been lost in time. We know during the time of Constantine, many Christians switched the date and traditions. And then it seems sometime between the late fourth century and the sixteenth century, Christians pushed back against Christmas altogether. And then in 1870, December 25th and all the traditions with it, became a USA National Holiday.
There isn’t even any contention the early church did not celebrated his birth in December. Nor is there any contention about the early followers observing YHWH/God’s Sabbaths. And we know Jesus and the disciples observed the Sabbaths of YHWH/God.
So here we are in modern times with a tension once again between whether Christians should be celebrating Christmas or not. And whether Christians and Messianic Jews should observe the Sabbaths.
YHWH set up his Dwelling place with elements representing his Sabbaths. He is the only god who uniquely designed his Sabbaths to remained relevant to each generation who kept them. They were meant to be rehearsals, preparing us for what is to come.
For the initial generation (13th century BC) they were a reminder that he was their God and brought them out of bondage. They had been in slavery for over 400 years in Egypt a land with many gods.
For the next several generations they were both a reminder of what God had done as well as a foreshadowing of an Anointed One/Messiah to come.
For the generation who walked with the Anointed One/Messiah, Jesus (4 BC-30 AD) they were for a sign and prophecy being fulfilled.
For all the generations after Jesus’s resurrection they are a reminder of what Jesus did in his first coming, a foreshadowing of his second coming and what is to come in the new heaven/earth.
Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection all line up with one of God’s Sabbaths. There is some leaning to his birth being during Passover in the Spring. However, the strongest evidence is for his birth being during one of the fall Sabbaths which would be either Feast of Trumpets or Feast of Tabernacles. We read about one of them, the Feast of Tabernacles, in John 7.
The Tabernacle was where YHWH/God’s temporary dwelling place was among the people during the Exodus out of Egypt. There are scripture which can bridge Jesus to the other Feasts, but here are some bridging the Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot to Jesus:
Isaiah 7:14: A sign – virgin giving birth and calling him Immanuel
Matthew 1:23 – Immanuel means God with us
Leviticus 23 – they Dwelled/Sukkah in temporary shelters to remember being brought out of Egypt
John 1:14 – The Word became flesh and made his dwelling/sukkah, his tabernacle/mishkan among us
Colossians 3:16 – Let the word of Christ dwell/mishkan in you
2 Corinthians 5:1-3 For in this mishkaneinu/tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling/sukkah
Nehemiah 8-9 – restoration started with observing the Feast of Sukkot
Acts 7:44 – the covenant law was housed in the Tabernacle
Ephesians 2:22 – In him you also are being built together into a dwelling/miskan place for God by the Spirit
Ezekiel 37:27 / 2 Corinthians 6 – My dwelling/mishkan place shall be with them, and I will be their God,
Revelation 21:3 Behold the dwelling/mishkan place of God is with man. He will dwell/tabernacle with them
There is a Hebrew scripture in Zechariah 14 talking about the day of the Lord. It fits very well with Jesus’s first coming. Starting in Verse 16 is a foreshadowing of the Millennial Reign of Jesus – and the Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot is being kept by all, with a consequence if people choose not to.
Isaiah talks about the new heaven and new earth and the observant of one Shabbat to another.
22 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, will endure before Me”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“so your descendants and your name will endure.”
23 “And it will come to pass, that from one New Moon to another, and from one Shabbat to another, all flesh will come to bow down before Me,” says Adonai.
Isaiah 66
God said it was a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. However, for the Christians this is no longer the case. Because of this it may surprise some Christians, the same Good News message told in the New Testament was also given to the people in the Old Testament. We’ll look at that next time.
19 I am the Lord your God; walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and observe them. 20 Sanctify My Sabbaths and keep them holy; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord your God.’ 21 Yet the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, which, if a man keeps, he will live; they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I decided to pour out My wrath on them and finish My anger against them in the wilderness.
The most accurate and quick answer would be: Because YHWH/God said to. God said to be set-apart. He said he doesn’t want what is given to other gods. He gave us ways of celebrating and worshipping him.
Sometimes the most appropriate question doesn’t start with can or could, but instead starts with should. Can I rob a bank? Yes. Should? No. Can I drink pop all day long? Yes. Should? Probably not. Can Christians celebrate Easter and Christmas? Yes. Should? Isn’t that the question? Do Christians have to learn about God’s Sabbaths? No. Should? Probably should. Jesus did, the disciples did, Paul did, the early church father’s did, the church did up until at least the late fourth century.
So why not? Why would Christians want to be the only god worshippers who are willing to change how they celebrate YHWH and Jesus because the government and a bishop said to? Why would Christians want to be the only ones who changed their date, abandon YHWH’s ways, and adopt those of other god worshippers? Do they fear their gods more than Christians fear theirs?
What is the Good News God Gave?
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.
Hebrews 4 NIV (Emphasis added)
“Faith and obeyed.” This implies there was an expected action in addition to having faith.
This may take a bit to digest, don’t try and take it all in at once. Take it section by section, look at each element separately. God designed this so through the Holy Spirit, it would be easy to understand and comprehend. Scripture references are left off in most cases – test everything – look them up. Enough of the words are used you can easily google them and find the scriptures. You may be surprised at other treasures you will turn up, if you are seeking knowledge and wisdom, your mind will be blown at least once!
God tells the good news of Jesus through observance of his Sabbaths (appointed times). He also tells it through his Tabernacle which was a copy and shadow of what is in heaven (where God is). He designed them as a testimony for his followers to live out and be set apart from the rest of the world. Don’t skip over this scripture we all think we know, take time to read it.
10 Yeshua answered him, “You’re a teacher of Israel and you do not understand these things? 11 Amen, amen I tell you, We speak about what We know and testify about what We have seen. Yet you all do not receive Our testimony! 12 If you do not believe the earthly things I told you, how will you believe when I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has gone up into heaven except the One who came down from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,[c] so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life!
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. 18 The one who believes in Him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not put his trust in the name of the one and only Ben-Elohim.
19 “Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light,[d] because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. 21 But whoever practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be made known that his deeds have been accomplished in God.”
John 3 (TLV)
Passover (Pesach)* Accept Jesus’s Sacrifice
Called Out of Captivity: As we observe this appointed time of YHWH/God’s, we are to remember we were once captives to lawlessness (sin), separated from God, just like the Israelites were in the land of Egypt. In order to get back in right relationship with God, there must be a sacrifice made because the law of sin requires a death. We are to remember he chose to bring us out of captivity through the sacrifice of his son, Jesus and set us free from lawlessness (sin). On this day, we remember his crucifixion, the original Good Friday.
Unleavened Bread (Festival of Matzot)* Confess, Repent, and Be Baptized
Called into Righteousness: As we observe this appointed time of God’s, we are to remember God provides for us. We are to clean out all the lawlessness (sin) in our houses. Just as he prepared a way through the wilderness into the promised land for the Israelites, he has prepared a way into righteousness and the Holy Place through his son, Jesus. Jesus has paid the ransom for those have faith in him and obey. On this day we remember his triumphant descent – the original Holy Saturday.
*Passover and Unleavened Bread are one appointed time
First Fruits (Bikkurim, Firstfruits, Harvest) Surrender All to Jesus
Become a Disciple: As we observe this appointed time, we are to remember what Jesus has done for us. Without him going first, and making the way, we would not be able to follow. He was offered up first so the rest of the harvest that follows can also be accepted. As his disciples we surrender our lives and walk in his ways. On this day we remember his resurrection – the original Easter.
Pentecost (Feast of Weeks, Shavuot) Testify and Be Baptized
Receive Jesus’s Testimony and Baptism: On this day we remember the free gift given to both Jew and Gentile. The Holy Spirit is Jesus’s baptism(Acts 2:38) and his witness testifying to the whole earth. The Spirit writes his commands on our hearts. The Spirit baptizes in the Name (the essence) of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – the original Pentecost.
Feast of Trumpets (Yom Truach, Day of Blasting) Be the Light of the World
Become One Who Disciples: On this day we remember while Jesus was in this world he was the light, whoever follows him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light in them. Jesus said his disciples are the light of the world and should not be hidden. We remember when we walk in his ways and let our light shine we have fellowship together. Shout for joy because Jesus has destroyed death, brought life and immortality to light through the good news. One day he is returning and will reign forever and ever! A day to remember to keep watch for one day he is returning – the original Advent.
Forgive as You are Forgiven: During the time between Trumpets and Day of Atonement is a time to consider our ways and make correction as needed. Just as the priests were ordained and consecrated by the atonement sacrifice, so Jesus has been our atoning sacrifice. We are the one who deserves death but instead we will be set free because Jesus takes our place. Forgive others, just as Jesus forgave those who persecuted him. The original Ash Wednesday/Lent.
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, Booths, Ingathering, Feast of the Lord) Complete Unity
All are One: During this time we remember, Jesus said a prayer for those who have faith in him. He said, “Just as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You, so also may they be one in Us, so the world may believe that You sent Me.” God tabernacled among his people in a temporary dwelling place. And Jesus temporarily tabernacled among us in flesh. And now our body is a tabernacle to the Holy Spirit. Jesus has went to prepare our forever home and one day, we will once again be with Immanuel – God with Us when he returns to reign forever and ever. ““Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” – the original Christmas
Testing in Resting: The weekly Sabbath is a day to rest and reflect. It’s a time to remember God has provided all we need. He sent his son, Jesus to become our sacrifice and our high priest – all we have to do is have faith in him and he will do the rest. Our reconciliation is promised through our faith. However, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my Torah.” He specifically talks about the “Torah” and keeping the smallest marks in it. As we seek to understand more fully, we learn there are laws to keep, ordinances dependent on circumstances, recommendations for getting the best out of life, and right-rulings for making judgements. We don’t keep them because we have to, we keep them because we want to obey. All throughout God Sabbaths/appointed times has referenced or alluded to having faith and obeying him – the original day of worship.
10“Because this is the covenant that I shall make with the house of Yisra’ĕl after those days, says יהוה, giving My laws in their mind, and I shall write them on their hearts, and I shall be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.
11“And they shall by no means teach each one his neighbour, and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know יהוה,’ because they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
12“Because I shall forgive their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawlessnesses I shall no longer remember.”
13By saying, ‘renewed,’ He has made the first old. Now what becomes old and growing aged is near disappearing.
There seems to be a connection between Genesis 1 and 2 and Revelation 21 and 22 to Matthew 5:13-20 passages. It is fascinating and worth peeking at and appreciating before we move on …
In the beginning God created the hashomayim/heavens and the haaretz /earth. Now the earth was chaos and waste, darkness was on the surface of the deep, and the Ruach Elohim was hovering upon the surface of the water. Then God said, “Let there be light!” and there was light. God saw that the light was tov /good. So God distinguished the ohr/light from the choshech/darkness.
Then Adonai Elohim formed the man out of the dust from the ground and He breathed into his nostrils a breath of life—so the man became a living being. Then Adonai Elohim planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there He put the man whom He had formed. Then Adonai Elohim caused to sprout from the ground every tree that was desirable to look at and good for food.
Now the Tree of Life was in the middle of the garden, and also the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became four riverheads.
Then I saw a Shomayim Chadashim/new heaven and a Eretz Chadasha/new earth; for the shomayim harishonah/first heaven and the haaretz harishonah/first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city—the New Jerusalem—coming down out of Shomayim /heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I also heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is among men, and He shall tabernacle among them. They shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them and be their God.
I saw no temple in her, for its Temple is Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot and the Lamb. And the city has no need for the shemesh /sunor the levanah /moon to shine on it, for the glory of God lights it up, and its menorah /lamp is the Lamb. The nations shall walk by its Ohr/light, and the kings of the ha’aretz /earth bring their glory into it. Its gates shall never be shut by day, for there shall be no night there! And they shall bring into it the glory and honor of the nations.
Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life—bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s street. On either side of the river was a Etz HaChayyim/tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in the city, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. Night shall be no more, and people will have no need for ohr/light menorah /lamplight or shemesh/sunlight—for Adonai Elohim will ohr /shine on them. And they shall reign forever and ever!
TLV (Emphasis and Hebrew words added)
The New Heaven and New Earth are a picture of Eden. Revelation comes full circle back to Genesis.
Do you remember a few blogs back when we learned what the word New actually meant? This word in Hebrew is slightly different than what we think of when we think new. It typically means, ‘to restore to a previous condition.’ Another word we might use today is refurbished. Revelation is a picture of a New Eden, where Heaven and Earth co-existed. It is being restored to it’s previous glorious condition.
Back in Genesis, Man and Woman were supposed to rule over the earth. Here is Revelation, we see Man and Woman are reigning with God forever in New Jerusalem!
And Yeshua said to them, “Amen, I tell you, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne in the new world, you who have followed Me shall also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for My name’s sake, will receive a hundred times as much, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
We’re going to step through this one, one thought at a time. Set aside your preconceived ideas and just let Jesus tell you what he wants to tell you.
Verse 17
Do not suppose – do not – whatever comes next we are not to do.
Do not suppose I [Jesus] came to throw down – thrown down – the original wording carries the idea of dissolve, disunite, destroy, overthrow, loosen, undo.
Do not suppose I [Jesus] came to dissolve, destroy, loosen, undo the Torah/law or the Neviim/prophets. What is the Torah/law or the Neviim/prophets? To the disciples he is teaching they would know instantly what this meant. For us today, we would generally say, “the Old Testament.” They would have been a little more specific but for now, lets just go with “the Old Testament.”
Do not suppose I [Jesus] came to dissolve, destroy, loosen, undo what was written in the Old Testament. I [Jesus] did not come to dissolve, destroy, loosen, undo – did you see that there? Just in case they missed it, it’s repeated – let’s get this perfectly clear now, I [Jesus] did not come to dissolve, destroy, loosen, undo what was written in the Old Testament. Got that thought?
Then he tells us why he came. I [Jesus] came to fulfill the Old Testament. Here’s where things can get a bit controversial. Remember, we are in a ceasefire moment, which means you are listening to understand, not necessarily to agree. Lets really look at the word typically translated as fulfill. The Hebrew concept is to confirm. The Greek concept is to complete.
Set aside your preconceived ideas on this word – let’s pretend we have no idea what it means because it’s another language. We have English all around this foreign word, let’s see what we can know about it – without knowing the word.
It is not dissolving, destroying, loosening, or undoing the Old Testament – because Jesus just said twice, that is not what he is doing.
Whatever it is, Jesus came to do it.
Whatever Jesus came to do is included in both the Torah/law AND the Neviim/prophets- not just one of them.
Whatever it is the answer can be found in the Old Testament. As tempting as it would be to use the New Testament to define it, we have to keep in mind, the listeners at that time did not have a New Testament, they only had what Jesus was teaching, and what was written in the scrolls which contained the Torah/law and the Neviim/prophets. Jesus specifically just told us he was fulfilling the Torah/Law and Neviim/prophets – which is the “Old Testament.”
Let’s keep going to see if anything else Jesus says will help us out.
Verse 18
Let’s first look at that word translated as ‘until‘. In Greek the word is eōs and in the King James version of the bible, it has been translated as: till (28x), unto (27x), until (25x), to (16x), till (with G3739) (11x), miscellaneous (41x). Whoa! Miscellaneous 41x? Interesting. This same word is used in:
Matthew 5:25 translated as while – Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going.
Matthew 10:23 translated as before, before the Son of Man comes.
Matthew 18:22 translated as up to, up to seventy-seven times.
Matthew 24:31 translated to, from one end of the sky to the other.
Revelation 6:10 translated as how, how long.
Not sure this gives us a very definitive answer, but we have an idea.
We could make note that in Matthew 24, Jesus alludes to it being a specific day – “about that day or hour no one knows.”
Jesus says, until the Shamayin/heaven and the haretz/earth pass away. Pass away – perish, disappear. Heaven is generally seen as where YHWH/God is – the word Shamayim can also refer to the sky. Earth is where man is. In the beginning, Elohim created the shamayin/heaven and the haretz/earth. We could then understand it to say either:
while/before/up to/how/until/on that day when where God Is and where man is disappears
while/before/up to/how/until/on that day when the sky and where man is disappears
At this point, there are only two options:
Heaven (where God is or the sky) and earth (where man is) have already passed away OR
The Torah/Law still remains
According to Jesus, both can not be true at the same time. This may be a bit of a struggle for you at the moment. You are either thinking, “How could heaven and earth have passed away?” Or you are thinking, “We are not under the Mosaic law, that’s what I’ve always been taught.” Or maybe you are having both thoughts at the same time! Take a breath, relax, and lets read on to see what else we might learn.
There are a few thoughts out there on heaven and earth passing away:
The physical heaven – where God is and the physical earth – where we are living. The realms God created in Genesis. If this is the meaning – then we can pretty confidently say, heaven and earth have NOT passed away.
The spiritual heaven and earth. Heaven and earth are now both inside of believers because they are the new Temples. God now resides in man. Therefore heaven and earth have passed away as separate realms and are now one within the believer..
The Temple which was destroyed in 70 AD represented heaven and earth. God dwelled in the Temple on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant. The Tabernacle was built from a pattern. Exodus 25 – “have them make a sanctuary for me and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” The Temple was designed based on the Tabernacle. The Historian Josephus says it signifies the earth, the sea, and heaven. Some say the veil was the divide between what represented heaven and earth in the Temple. The veil was torn at Jesus’ crucifixion, ~40 years later the Temple was destroyed. One of these two events are heaven and earth passing away. If this is the meaning – then we could say heaven and earth symbolically passed away either at Jesus’s crucifixion or when the Temple was destroyed.
It is simply hyperbole or exaggerated terms. This was a major thing back in that day, all the teachers used it. Today we might say something like “When pigs fly …” or “When Hell freezes over …” It is possible Jesus is just reiterating nothing from the Torah/Law and the Neviim/Prophet’s is going away, it isn’t going to be dissolving, destroying, loosening, or undoing – not until everything else goes away and is dissolved, destroyed, loosened, or undone.
There are a few others, you can look those up on your own if you’d like. The main ones have been included here.
At this point, maybe you aren’t sure which one you subscribe to, that’s okay, just keep reading and then come back to that thought later on.
One literal Hebrew interpretation reads this way, “I say unto you in truth, that not one word will be diminished from the Torah – that it would not be performed until the end of the world.” This could help take away many questions as to whether heaven and earth have passed away.
If you subscribe to the first or fourth thought process, then heaven and earth have not passed away.
Jesus says, If heaven and earth have not passed away, then:
the smallest letter (yod – it’s a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, looks kind of like an apostrophe ‘)
the least stroke of the pen (like the little swirls we add to letters sometimes)
neither will pass away, disappear, perish from the Torah/Law until everything is accomplished.
In Ezekiel 36, God said he would give a new heart and put in a new spirit and put his Spirit in which would move his people to follow his chukkot/decrees and be careful to shomer/keep his laws.
Jeremiah 31 records God saying he would put his law in their minds and write it on their hearts. He would be their God, and his people.
Luke 16 records, “It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Torah/Law.”
God’s spirit is an Old Testament concept, not a New Testament one. And His spirit brings people to the Torah/Law. So the Spirit’s coming doesn’t seem to indicate the Torah/Law going.
We come to another questionable phrase “everything is accomplished.” What is everything? Literal Hebrew translated this as “until the end of the world,” or “until all may come to pass.” Literal Greek translates as “all it might become.” The Greek word is γινομαι (ginomai) and it means to be, begin to be, or begin to be in a certain state or condition. It’s where we get our words gene and generation. It does not indicate the completion or accomplishment of something, but rather the beginning of something happening.
When the disciples heard this, they may have thought back:
14 “Now today I am about to go the way of all the earth. You will know with all your heart and with all your soul that not one word of the good things which Adonai your God spoke concerning you has failed to happen. All of them have come to pass for you; not one word has failed. 15 Now it will be that just as all the good things which Adonai your God has spoken to you have come upon you, so all the evil things will Adonai bring upon you, until He has wiped you off this good land which Adonai your God has given you. 16 When you transgress the covenant of Adonai your God, which He commanded you, and go and worship other gods and bow down to them, then will the anger of Adonai burn against you, and you will perish quickly off this good land which He has given you.”
Joshua 23
What do we know so far?
Jesus did not come to dissolve, destroy, loosen, undo what was written in the Old Testament
Whatever he came to do can be found in the Torah/Law and the Neviim/prophets.
Either heaven and earth have passed away or the Torah/Law still stands.
Jesus says, If heaven and earth have not passed away, then neither:
the smallest letter (yod – it’s a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, looks kind of like an apostrophe ‘)
the least stroke of the pen (tag – ornamental flourish)
The smallest letter and ornamental stroke in the Torah/Law (First 5 books of our Old Testament) will not pass until all things come to pass or the beginning of that time.
Moving on …
Verse 19
Jesus goes on to say, because I have not come to dissolve, destroy, loosen, undo what was written in the Old Testament and because none of the Torah/Law will pass away until where God is (or the sky) and where man is passes away, whoever breaks one of the least of these mitzvot/commandments OR teaches …
The Greek word translated as breaks means to loose, unbind, or disintegrate of what was previously tied, bound, or integrated. The same word is used when John the Baptist talked about untying a sandal, when Jesus told the disciples they would find a colt and untie it. And when Jesus said “destroy (disintegrate) this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
Interesting, it is also used in this passage:
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.[j] On that day the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the elements will melt and disintegrate, and the earth and everything done on it shall be exposed. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? Live your lives in holiness and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. In that day the heavens will be dissolved by fire, and the elements will melt in the intense heat. [k] 13 But in keeping with His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.[l]
2 Peter 3 TLV
What is the least of the mitzvot/commandments? The mitzvot to the disciples being taught would have referred to the 613 WRITTEN commandments we would find in the first five books of our Old Testament. There could have been some among them which would have considered the Oral traditions as well. As far as which is the least? It really doesn’t matter does it, if they break it, they are least Where God Reigns/Kingdom of Heaven right?
And then Jesus says the opposite is true as well. If a disciple keeps and teachs the mitzvot/commandments, they shall be called great Where God Reigns/Kingdom of Heaven. If we pause here, we would say – well, they both end up in the same place, it’s just one is least and one is greatest right?
Verse 20
As if Jesus has read some of their thoughts he goes on to say, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees and Torah scholars, …
Righteousness – we have a few blogs on here talking about that. Basically righteousness is being in right relationship with YHWH/God and others. To be in right relationship with God, you have to follow his laws. By keeping his laws, you will remain in right relationships with others as well. Hey, is this sounding like something else Jesus said when asked what was the greatest commandment … yeah, not a coincidence for sure. If you break a law, and get out of right relationship, you have to bring a sacrifice, aka Jesus to put you back in right relationship.
Pharisees and Torah scholars – people would have thought WHOA! at this point. These people thought themselves to be the most high and mighty when it came to spiritual things. However, many times Jesus has rebuked them, said they don’t even do what they teach. Which is the point here. Don’t be someone who knows what is right but doesn’t do it. Don’t be hearers of the Word – be doers of the Word.
And what happens if they are not in right relationship with God and others? Jesus says, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Kingdom of heaven is Where God Reigns. So if you aren’t following God’s ways, then you aren’t really under his reign now are you?
I saw this somewhere, don’t remember where, “Are we to believe that God punished Israel for not obeying the laws of God so he sent his Son to die so that they did not have to follow the law?” That one will get you thinking a bit, no?
What We Learned
Jesus did not come to dissolve, destroy, loosen, undo what was written in the Torah/Law and the Neviim/Prophets (Old Testament)
Fulfill = Whatever he came to do can be found in the Torah/Law and the Neviim/prophets (Old Testament). That would be another study to do later on
Either heaven and earth have passed away or the Torah/Law still stands.**
The smallest letter and ornamental stroke in the Torah/Law (First 5 books of our Old Testament) will not pass until all things come to pass, which most likely means when heaven and earth pass away
Whoever breaks or teaches to break one of the least of these mitzvot/commandments found in the first five books of our Old Testament will be least in Where God Reigns/Kingdom of Heaven
Whoever keeps or teaches these mitzvot/commandments found in the first five books of our Old Testament will be great in Where God Reigns/Kingdom of Heaven
Don’t be like the Pharisees and Torah scholars and know the Word but not do it.
Whoever is not in right relationship with God and others (doers of the Word) will never enter Where God Reigns/Kingdom of Heaven.
There is a lot here to take in, especially since it brings a bit of tension to some well established beliefs. This is exactly how his disciples probably felt. Regardless of whether you want to agree with what Jesus said or not, it is what he said. Jesus is our foundation or cornerstone. If this was his teaching, then anything taught after this should line up with it. If it doesn’t? Either there is a mis-interpretation or a false teaching.
Flashbacks
As Christians we tend to flip through the pages of the New Testament to verify what we are reading. But for the disciples Jesus is teaching, there is no such thing as a New Testament. They would listen intently to the teacher, listening for hints to other scriptures, and when they heard it, they would have a flashback and recall the part of the scroll it was in. Read through Jeremiah 4, you should see imagery and wording hinting at what Jesus said about the Light and Heaven and Earth. If you were a disciple back then, and you knew this passage, you would surely see the similarities.
—
Either heaven and earth have passed away or the Torah/Law still stands.** There are teachings on this platform about the Tabernacle. Understanding the Tabernacle and how it was used can help us understand how the Torah/Law can still stand AND the followers of Christ be under grace. It can help us get a clear picture of what Jesus came to do – he said he came to fulfill the law.
There were two things which stood between YHWH/God and his people. Only the High Priest could enter where God dwelled (Holy of Holies) and only on one day a year. He had to be ritually clean through the blood of an animal sacrifice. The only way to enter through the veil into the Holy of Holies where God dwelled, was as a High Priest and as a sacrifice.
Jesus fulfilled the laws of the High Priest and the Sacrificial mitzvot/commandments. In doing so, not one yod or tittle has passed away from the Torah/Law. However, the veil has been torn down. Because we now have a High Priest who has also made us ritually clean through his blood, we can enter where God dwells.
This is why the Temple is no longer needed. He is the High Priest which made the once and for all Sacrifice to atone for sin. Anyone willing to take the offered grace of Jesus’s sacrifice, is covered.
If you are reading the Old Testament and it says ‘the High Priest’, you can replace that with Jesus. If it says to bring an animal sacrifice or the blood of an animal, you can replace that with bring Jesus or the blood of Jesus. Sin is still defined as not following God’s laws. Those laws can still be found in the Old Testament. When those laws are broken, the penalty is death. Instead of bringing an animal sacrifice (old covenant), we bring the anointed one/Jesus the Christ and his blood covers the penalty (new covenant).
Ultimately, each of us has the same choice Adam and Eve had. We can chose to either live:
Where God Reigns/in the Kingdom of Heaven, where the Tree of Life is, and where God decides what is tov/good and rah/bad,
Or where man reigns, where the Tree of the Knowledge of tov/good and rah/bad is, and man decides what is tov/good and rah/bad.
—
Heaven and Earth Passed Away
Would love some comments attempting to answer any of the questions below.
If you subscribe to the second thought that heaven and earth have passed away because God now resides in the new Temples (believers):
What now defines sin?
This would imply a second heaven and earth residing in a believer – why is this second set not referenced anywhere in the Scriptures/Bible? Revelation 21 says the new heaven and new earth came because the first heaven and first earth had passed away. It doesn’t mention a second heaven and earth.
Why did Jesus say those in the Kingdom of God – which would now be believers – would keep the Torah/Law and the Neviim/Prophets? In fact, the keeping of it determines who is least and greatest in the Kingdom of God. Or was this just talking about those that kept it until his death and the coming of the Holy Spirit?
Throughout scripture, when God gives his Spirit, it brings the law and causes it to be brought to the believers mind. Why if the Torah/Law and the Neviim/Prophets have passed away?
Why did Jesus tell his disciples to teach the Torah/Law as recorded in Matthew 28?
Why was Peter still looking forward to the new heaven and new earth? 2 Peter 3
Why was John still looking for a new heaven and a new earth when writing Revelation?
At what point in the timeline recorded in Revelation are we?
If you subscribe to the third thought that heaven and earth have passed away because the temple was destroyed:
If the Temple represented heaven and earth, did heaven and earth pass away when the veil was torn? Or when the Temple was torn down in 70 AD?
Why did Jesus say those in the Kingdom of God – which would now be believers – would keep the Torah/Law and the Neviim/Prophets? Or was this just talking about those that kept it until 70AD?
Why did Jesus go on to talk about the least and greatest in the kingdom in relation to keeping and teaching commands? And why would he say if you love me you will keep my commands if he knew those would only stand while he was on earth or about another 40 years after he left? Did he expect everyone to realize all the law was dissolved, destroyed, loosened, or undone when the veil was torn? Or when the Temple was destroyed?
Why did Jesus tell his disciples to teach the Torah/Law as recorded in Matthew 28?
If the New Covenant didn’t take affect until heaven and earth passed away in 70 AD what “law” were the people who became his followers under between his resurrection and 70 AD?
What defines sin now?
Why didn’t he or the disciples and apostles prepare people for after heaven and earth passed away? Or did they – is that what Revelation was about? Are we living in Revelation times then?
Have the things in Revelation 20 been fulfilled? These are events before the new heaven and earth are replacing the first heaven and earth.
Revelation 21 says John saw a new heaven and a new earth as the FIRST had passed away and the sea was no more. Which under this thought would have been the Temple. Are we in the new heaven and earth now? Or is there another heaven and earth coming? But revelation seems to refer to the heaven and earth created by God in Genesis. Is the Temple the second heaven and earth? If so, why does it record the passing of the first and not the second?
To Jews, this is the most holiest of days. But many Christians have barely heard of the Day of Atonement, unless in relation to Jesus’s second coming, yet it has many connections to Jesus The Anointed One/Christ and exactly what he has done and will do.
Do you remember when they cast lots over Jesus’s garments? There are only two others who had lots cast for them, the scapegoat and Jonah.
The Past
On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest, who was anointed and consecrated to be the High Priest in his father’s place, put on the holy linen garments, and made the atonement. He made atonement for the Most Set-Apart Place/Holy of Holies, the Tent of Meeting/Tabernacle, the priests, and all the people of the assembly. The High Priests served at a sanctuary that was a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.
He would bring a sin offering and a ram offering. The Sin offering was to make atonement for the High Priest and his house. Then two goats would be presented at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting/Tabernacle. The High Priest would cast lots for the two goats – one for YHWH/God and the other for the scapegoat. The goat which the lot for YHWH/God fell on would be made as a sin offering. The goat which the lot fell as the scapegoat would be presented before YHWH/God to make atonement upon it by sending it away as the scapegoat into the wilderness.
The sin offering goat would be for the people, it’s blood would be brought before and sprinkled upon the atonement cover/mercy seat. It was because of the uncleaness of Israel and their transgressions, all their sins.
The High Priest would lay his hands on the head of the scapegoat and confess all the iniquities of Israel, all their transgressions, all their sins, placed on the head of the goat and then the goat would be sent away into the wilderness. The goat would carry all those things into the wilderness.
This was to be a statue forever, they were to do no kind of work – both the native born and the outsider dwelling with YHWH/God’s chosen people. On this day, atonement was made for all, they would be clean before YHWH/God.
The scapegoat was for Azazel. Azazel in Hebrew can be translated as “the goat that goes away,” now shorted to scapegoat. Azazel is found no where else in the Biblical Canon we have today. Some scholars connect Azazel with Moc, the god of death. There is also a story of Azazel in Enoch. It tells that Azazel was the name of the leader of the angels who came down and sinned in Genesis 6:1-4.
Azazel taught men all iniquity. YHWH/God told Raphael to bind Azazel and throw him into darkness and to write against him: ALL SIN. Thus the scapegoat takes all sin out of the Holy Place, into the wilderness, back to Azazel.
Whatever the story behind the Azazel-scapegoat, the goat would carry away the sins.
The Present
If you haven’t already seen them, references to Jesus are all over the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.
There is repentance – they confessed their sins and symbolically placed them on the scapegoat which was turned out into the wilderness, removing the sins. Jesus suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. God put his laws in their minds and wrote them on their hearts.
There is a sin offering – this symbolically covered the wages of sin – death. Instead of the people being put to death, the animal took their place. But then Jesus came. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to give his life as a ransom for many. Since the children have flesh and blood, Jesus shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death. He died as a ransom to set free from sins committed under the first covenant.
There is cleansing – the blood symbolically cleansed the mercy seat, the tabernacle, and the other elements throughout the tabernacle – YHWH/God’s dwelling place. The Blood of Jesus cleanses our consciences from acts that lead to death. Jesus did not enter by blood of goats and calves, he entered by his own blood, obtaining eternal redemption.
There is a restoration of right relationship – all of the symbolism is a representation of YHWH/God’s love for them and once sin is removed from the temple, YHWH/God can dwell with them, and they can be in right relationship with him again. Jesus had to be made fully human in every way so he might become a merciful and faithful high priest, that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Now, you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells within you.
Once Jesus The Anointed One/Christ’s mission was accomplished on the cross, the Veil between the Set Apart Place/The Holy Place and the Most Set Apart Place/The Holy of Holies was torn in two, from top to bottom. We have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus, the Son of God, who has entered the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever.
So Jesus was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
The Future
Do no harm to the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.
A vast multitude that no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues – was standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. The One seated on the throne will shelter them. Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. He sacrificed for their sins, once for all, when he offered himself.
There is no temple in the city because God and the Lamb are its temple. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.
The third book contained the wicked deeds of the people. God said to the Adversary, these are yours, take them. The Adversary took them away, into a waste land.
Christians
As a Christian, on this Day of Atonement – It was meant to be a day of rest (no work) and fasting.. Take time to repent, give thanks, and rejoice for all that YHWH/God and Jesus have done! Maybe take some time to read Hebrews Chapters 6-10 with some of these pictures in your mind – you may be surprised at what jumps out at you now. Take some time to read some of the scriptures referenced below. And be watchful!
5 Yeshua began to tell them, “Watch out that no one leads you astray! 6 Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and they will lead many astray. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed, for this must happen but it is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. These things are only the beginning of birth pains.
33 “Keep on the lookout! Stay alert! For you do not know when the time is.
36 So watch in case, coming suddenly, he finds you asleep. 37 What I say to you I say to all: ‘Stay alert!’”
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