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Debunking Replacement Theology: Church Origins in the Mosaic Law and Shavuot

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , on May 11, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to part 5 of the series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

Beginnings of the church…

The church or the body of Jesus Christ has ties to the Old Testament Mosaic Law and God’s Appointed Holiday of Shavuot. I realize this will be blasphemy in some circles of theology reading this. Hear me out before going ballistic and deeming me a heretic. God has a plan down to the day!

The Law was given on Mount Sinai to Moses roughly 1,600 years before Christ. In the Old Testament and in the Hebrew, this God appointed holiday is referred to as Shavuot.

The word means: weeks. Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks is a memorial of God giving Moses and Israel the Torah. Hebraic belief is redemption from Egyptian slavery was not complete until they received the instruction or teaching. The holiday is one of God’s seven appointed holidays. Nation Israel honored Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, every year.

Provisions for the holiday include two loaves of bread, sacrificial lambs, a bull, two rams, a goat, and a drink offering of wine. God gives directions on how to make bread. Specifications for choosing livestock are given.

God loves the smell of grilled meats by fire. Toasted bread smells great. The holiday is also a day of rest with no work, a Sabbath. And He wants His people to do this celebration and exercise it every year on the same day.

Is God being unreasonable? He offers a holiday with grilled meats, toasted bread, and alcohol. It is an outdoor party in the late spring around a camp fire. Celebrate the harvest and give thanks to God. Road trip to Jerusalem!!!

See the Scripture for the complete details.

Leviticus 23:17-21 You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord. Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the Lord; they are to be holy to the Lord for the priest. On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

Shavuot or the Feast of the Harvest is one of the three holidays where Jewish men are required to come to Jerusalem. The other two holidays are the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of the Ingathering (Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths). The men were to make their presentation and sacrifice before God at the Temple.

Exodus 23:14-17 “Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.”

Eating and drinking dairy products are part of the celebration of Shavuot. Many think the custom of dairy products is in reference to Bible verses referring to a promised land flowing with milk and honey. See the example below.

Exodus 3:8a “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…

As stated in the Leviticus passage, the Feast of Weeks is seven weeks after Passover. It is a celebration of the completed grain harvest. The holiday is also a celebration of God giving the Torah (instruction or law) to nation Israel. Because of this, Shavuot is considered as the beginning or birth of Judaism.

Fast forward to 33 AD. Nation Israel has been celebrating and living God’s Appointed Spring holidays. Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb, had been sacrificed. He was the buried Unleavened Bread. Christ is the First Fruits of the resurrection.

Then fifty days later… It is seven weeks after the death of the sacrificial lamb, Jesus. Nation Israel is celebrating and living the holiday. Shavuot or Pentecost is also the day God the Father gave God the Holy Spirit. Because of this, Pentecost is considered the beginning or the birth of the church or the body of believers in Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they (apostles) were all together in one place.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

In the Greek New Testament, Shavuot (Hebrew) is translated as πεντεκοστε/pentekoste (Greek). Per Strong’s Concordance, it means: the fiftieth day; the second of the three great Jewish feasts, celebrated at Jerusalem yearly, the seventh week after the Passover, in grateful recognition of the completed harvest. We have transliterated the word to Pentecost (English).

This is the day promised by Jesus of the giving of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…”

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This series is an excerpt from the book, Rapture the Bride Redeemed. https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Debunking Replacement Theology: Hephzibah & Beulah

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , on May 4, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to part 4 of the series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

The nation of Israel and the church, the body of Jesus Christ, are two separate entities. God has not changed His mind. The church has not replaced Israel. God has a unique plan for both.

Jeremiah 31:35-37 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name:

“Only if this fixed order departed from My presence, declares the LORD, would Israel’s descendants ever cease to be a nation before Me.”

This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above could be measured and the foundations of the earth below searched out would I reject all of Israel’s descendants because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.

Can any one change the order of the sun, moon, or stars? Can any one accurately measure the universe, known or unknown? Can any one measure let alone identify the foundations of the earth as God created them? If the church replaces Israel, then God is a liar…

The church has not and will not replace Israel.

~

Arguably, there is yet another name coming for the people and nation who are currently known as Israel. God Himself will make the change. The Bible says that name will be Hephzibah.

Isaiah 62:1-4 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning. The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the LORD will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; but you will be called, “My delight is in her,” and your land, “Married”; for the LORD delights in you, and to Him your land will be married.

The name Hephzibah is noted one other place in the Bible. She was the mother of King Manasseh and queen to King Hezekiah.

2 Kings 21:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hephzibah.

Hephzibah in the original Hebrew means: My delight is in her.

The land will undergo a name change as well, “married” or Beulah. Per Strong’s Beulah means: to marry, rule over, possess, own, be lord (husband) over. The relationship between God and the land is that of a marriage covenant.

“Beulah Land” is a well-known gospel song written by Edgar Page Stites in 1876.

Some know the term from the southern hymn “Sweet Beulah Land” by Squire Parsons.

Along the way, God has healed and preserved His chosen people. And they have wrestled with Him. God prevails. For the nations hostile to Israel who say, “Israel will be no more…” They are correct. Israel will no longer wrestle with God or with the nations of humanity. The struggle will end. God and Israel will prevail. God’s delight will be in His chosen people, Hephzibah… and the land, Beulah.

Amos 9:15 I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,” Says the LORD your God.

~

This series is an excerpt from the book, Rapture the Bride Redeemed. https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Debunking Replacement Theology: Israel Origins

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Prophecy, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , on April 23, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to part 3 of the series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

The nation of Israel and the church, the body of Jesus Christ, are two separate entities. God has not changed His mind. The church has not replaced Israel. God has a unique plan for both.

Eventually, the offspring of Abram would become the promised nation.

Abram (Abraham) to Isaac to Jacob (Israel) to 12 tribes which comprise the nation.

This is the story of the birth of a nation. The verses below are how the man named Jacob had his name changed to Israel. The nation Israel would come from this man Jacob. This is a brief history, present, and future of God’s chosen nation.

Genesis 32:24-28 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

In the Hebrew, Jacob or Ya`aqob means “heel holder” or “supplanter”. It can also mean he cheats or deceives. Jacob was given this name because of the events at his birth.

Genesis 25:26a Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob…

A close-up view of a pot filled with cooked lentils in a thick, savory sauce, with a ladle partially submerged in the mixture.

This name accurately describes Jacob. He cheated and deceived his brother Esau for his inheritance. Remember the lentil incident in Genesis 25.

The deceiver met his match in his future father in law, Laban. See Genesis 29-31 for the complete details with Laban the master manipulator and his daughters.

Any one watching modern day Israel in action today in the 21st century since their rebirth as a nation would agree, Israel continues to demonstrate mastery levels of deception. If you don’t believe that, watch their intelligence capabilities and Mossad in action.

Mossad (Hebrew: המוסד, “the Institute”) is Israel’s national foreign intelligence agency, officially known as the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations.

  1. Intelligence collection (primarily human intelligence/HUMINT)
  2. Covert operations
  3. Counterterrorism
  4. Strategic special missions abroad

Mossad is estimated to have around 7,000 staff and an annual budget of roughly $3 billion (second-largest in the Western world after the CIA). Key units include the Caesarea department for special operations and the elite Kidon (“Bayonet”) unit, known for targeted actions.

Its official motto draws from Proverbs 11:14: “Where no counsel is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety”

The above verse is often loosely associated with themes of deception in intelligence work, though that’s not the literal motto. -Wikipedia

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God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. In the Hebrew, Israel or Yisra’el means “God prevails”. Per Holman’s Bible Dictionary, Israel means God strives, God rules, God heals, or he strives against God.

Genesis 32:28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

The verse above has proven to be prophetic for nation Israel. The country struggled against Egypt and was held captive for 400 years. God delivered His people out of slavery and bondage in the Book of Exodus.

God’s chosen people were taken captive by Tiglath-Pileser and the Assyrian Empire. Nebuchadnezzar led the Babylonians and plundered Jerusalem. Those who survived were taken back to Babylon. Israel was under Persian rule after they conquered Babylon.

They were dispersed throughout the world in the first century at the hands of the Roman Empire. They survived the Spanish Inquisition in the late 1400’s. Hitler attempted to exterminate the Jewish people during the middle of the 20th century in World War II.

Israel was reborn as a country in a day in 1948. The rebirth of Israel in one day was prophesied in Isaiah 66:8-9.

Isaiah 66:8-9 “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons. Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD. “Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” says your God.

The same promise of Ezekiel 37 and the vision of the valley of dry bones was fulfilled.

Today, Israel is a nation again. The fact Israel is a nation again defies history. Name one other country who disappeared for about 2,000 years and resurrected into being from the past.

This nation, Israel is going to survive and overcome. The promise is made to Israel. God keeps His promises. This fulfillment is not about the corporate actions of the nation Israel. This nation is not morally superior because God chose them. God can manage the sins of Israel.

I support Israel, God’s chosen people. As a member of the church, I want what is best for them. The church should love, uphold and bless Israel. This does not mean we should enable or condone all of their actions. The church should not kick Israel to the curb. I will not tell them every thing they do is good.

That said, Israel has a right to defend themselves against people who openly state they seek their destruction. Israel has enemies who do not hold life valuable or sacred.

Ultimately, it is about God keeping his word and demonstrating His righteousness and sovereignty. Israel means God Prevails.

“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

~

This series is an excerpt from the book, Rapture the Bride Redeemed. https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Debunking Replacement Theology

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , on April 9, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to the introduction of a new series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

The nation of Israel and the church, the body of Jesus Christ, are two separate entities. God has not changed His mind. The church has not replaced Israel. God has a unique plan for both.

There seems to be a lot of disorder between the concepts of the nation Israel and the body of Christ, the church. If one gets this concept wrong there will be confusion in understanding prophecy as well the Bible. Understanding of the Scriptures will take different paths pending one’s view of the church and Israel. Some people take the view Israel and the church are different. Others believe that Israel messed up so bad, God gave up on Israel and replaced the nation with the church, the body of Christ, or spiritual Israel.

A simple, clean definition of Replacement Theology is provided by Matt Slick of https://carm.org/questions-replacement-theology.

Replacement theology is the teaching that the Christian church has replaced national Israel regarding the plan, purpose, and promises of God.

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This line of thinking is also called Supersessionism. These folks believe the church is the fulfillment of Judaism. If Jews do not believe in Jesus, they are out. In other words, non-believing Israel has been superseded by the church. No kingdom for you…

The practical results include Israel no longer being God’s chosen people and nation. The geographical land promised and designated in the Middle East would belong to the church instead of a group of people living in what is modern day Israel and surrounding countries. The covenants in the Old Testament to Abraham and Moses would be null and void.

Carrie Prejean Boller with Tucker Carlson podcast- “Replacement theology is that the church has replaced Israel, and that we are the new Israel. We are the spiritual semites, which has been taught for 2000 years. Original church fathers would be rolling in their graves if they knew that we taught 1948 Israel is some sort of fulfillment of prophecy.”

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Replacement Theology makes God a liar. God’s view on this topic as well as any other has not changed. He cannot change. God is immutable. This aspect of His character is defined in the Old Testament.

Malachi 3:6 “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

This same concept is noted in the New Testament.

James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

The fact that God does not change should be reassurance that what He says is true. God keeps His word and His promises.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

~

Both Israel and the church have different origins and beginnings.

The promise of God’s nation started in the plain of Shinar in what is modern day Iraq. Abram was minding his own business in Ur. Then God revealed Himself to this man. God made several promises to Abram.

Genesis 12:1e To the land which I will show you;

The first promise was to give Abram some land.

Genesis 12:2a And I will make you a great nation,

The second item was the promise to be a great nation. That nation would become Israel.

Genesis 12:2b-3 “And I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

The Hebrew word for “bless” is barakah.

And the last promise to Abram was blessing. Five times a form of the term “bless” is used. Abram and anyone in the world from that point forward who associates with him or his offspring positively, blessing from God!

Israel is not specifically mentioned in the passage above, true. However, Abram’s offspring would become a nation named Israel. Abram is also in the lineage of Jesus Christ and He, Jesus, would be and is the ultimate blessing from God.

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Genesis 15:12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.

It was not enough to tell Abram. God made a contract or covenant with him for all time. Genesis 15 provides the details of the covenant. A direct son was promised to Abram. The number to come from his body would number the stars in the heavens. Animals and birds with specifications were part of the covenant.

God put Abram to sleep and sealed the deal Himself. The contract is on God to be completed. Abram did not have to do anything, he was out cold. Frankly, he would not have been able to do anything because of his mental status. It was dark and Abram was scared to death. There is nothing any fallen man can do. The responsibility belongs to God.

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Amos 9:13-15 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes, the sower of seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, with which all the hills will flow. I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will firmly plant them in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land that I have given them,” says the LORD your God.

Well, modern day Israel was replanted and recognized as a nation in 1948. This event was the Super Sign. Israel, as flawed as they may be, is back and they are not going anywhere says the LORD your God.

~

This series is an excerpt from the book, Rapture the Bride Redeemed. https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Why Christianity? Grace… A Phil Kulis Series

Posted in Phil Kulis with tags , , , , , , on March 11, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to Part 5 of Phil’s series.

𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓, 𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋, 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄, 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇, 𝐁𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐌

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲?

God created Adam.

God plus Adam begat Eve.

Adam plus Eve begat Mary.

God plus Mary begat Jesus, the second Adam.

God plus Jesus begat the Church, the second Eve.

We the church are now and forever like Eve in that narrow moment of time after she ate (sinned) yet before Adam disobeyed God by eating.

Even though we have sinned, we are protected by Christ’s perfect obedience to the Covenant of Sin and Death which is finished, permanently and eternally sealed by His blood. It’s over.

Jesus, the Seed of the Woman, is the Kinsman Redeemer. The Keeper of the Covenant. The Accepted Substitute. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!

~

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 “𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞”?

The term “grace” is often used but rarely defined therefore not fully understood. It’s a state of being, a status. Some say it’s “getting what we don’t deserve”. But that’s not a state of being.

To demonstrate, it helps to consider the opposite of grace which is; disgrace. If someone is a disgrace it means they have committed some sort of serious error, totally inappropriate for the circumstances. Disgrace becomes their status because of what they did. It cannot be undone because you can’t change the past.

With that in mind, “grace” can be defined as “the delightful beauty of saying, doing, being, everything right in every circumstance.”

The adjective “graceful” can be seen in an athlete who performs an extraordinary feat, such as a football player who catches an almost impossible pass and makes it look easy. Or a ballerina who moves with such fluidity that it seems purely effortless and natural. Poetry in motion. It’s not our actions, but theirs. We are “fans”, beneficiaries of their performance.

Sometimes a person of royalty is honored with the respectful title of “Your Grace”.

When you plug that understanding into the Bible wherever the word “grace” is used it blossoms with meaning.

Jesus is the personification of the grace of God. He said, did, and was, everything right in every circumstance. His words and His actions were in perfect harmony with His Father’s will; Love, which culminated in a singularly unique accomplishment.

It’s not a matter of Him giving us grace for ourselves, but that when we believe “in” Him we behave like Him. It’s His grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it (grace) is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Jesus is the personification of grace, He is the gift of God from God.

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𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐨 𝐖𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞?

What does it mean to believe “in” Jesus? By simply asking the question of do we believe “in” Jesus or “out” of Jesus we find the answer. It’s not enough to just believe He existed. When we believe “out” of Jesus we’re walking in darkness. We must be willing to come out of the darkness of our disgrace and shame to walk in the Light of His grace, allowing the Father’s will be done on earth 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑢𝑠, just as Jesus did the will of His Father.

John 3:20-21 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

When we are “in” Him we are in His grace of the New and Everlasting Covenant. It’s His grace that is the gift of God. It’s not our efforts “works” that finished the covenant. It was His.

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In the Beginning… A Phil Kulis Series

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Creation, Phil Kulis with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 5, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to Part 2 of Phil’s series.

𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓, 𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋, 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄, 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇, 𝐁𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐌

𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠…

God created the Heaven and the Earth. God also created the plants and animals.

Then God created Man and put him in a garden. He called the man Adam. God put a tree in the midst of the Garden and told Adam not to eat from it, because in the day he eats from it he will surely die. This is a covenant between God and Adam: The Covenant of Sin and Death. So long as Adam remained obedient and didn’t eat from that tree he would live.

God brought all the animals to Adam and Adam named them. However, no suitable helper for Adam was found among the animals, so God put Adam into a deep sleep, took from the side of Adam a rib, and formed it into the Woman Eve. Eve was the downstream offspring of Adam and God. Adam said, “this is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh”. This is why a husband and wife are considered one flesh.

Some time later in the Garden the Serpent asked Eve, “Has God really said you shall not eat of every tree?”

Eve replied, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, 𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒕, lest you die.'”

But that is NOT what God said! There was no prohibition on touching it. That was most likely added by Adam. I can imagine Adam saying, “Look Eve, don’t even touch it!” Adam’s added regulation was a misrepresentation of the covenant.

It was this added regulation, the first “religion” through which the deceiver gained a foothold. Eve bundled her answers about eating and touching together.

So the Serpent addressed the two points as if they were one. The unspoken part of the serpent’s reply in parentheses was (if you touch it) “you will not surely die.” It was a very subtle and cunning attack. And it worked.

Eve ate.

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𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝

𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐭𝐞…𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆!

It wasn’t until she gave it to Adam and he ate then BOTH of their eyes were opened.

Why?

It was Adam’s disobedience of eating that broke his covenant with God. Eve’s disobedience had no power to break that covenant. This is because she was the offspring of God and Adam. She was downstream of the Covenant. She was not a party to the Covenant made before she was created. She was not the Covenant Representative, Adam was.

So long as the Covenant between God and Adam remained intact, even though she transgressed, sinned, it was not accounted to her. After she ate, the Covenant between God and Adam still remained intact. She was protected by Adam’s obedience. His obedience maintained the Covenant. It was one man’s act of disobedience that broke the covenant.

Why did Adam choose to eat knowing it would bring death? It was because seeing nothing happen to Eve caused him to disbelieve God’s word. It’s the result of his choosing to act on his disbelief which led to disobedience resulting in death.

Understanding what happened leads to the realization that Eve is not to be blamed for the fall of mankind. It’s all too common for people, especially men to have animus towards Eve, and women in general. But understand that God placed enmity between her and the serpent. If you find yourself having animosity towards Eve or women in general, then be careful, you’re playing the role of the serpent.

The story of Adam and Eve is the very first model of Christ and the Church. This is a very important model upon which the whole Bible is based.

All who are offspring, downstream of the covenant between God and Adam are now subject to the conditions of a broken covenant. The consequence of that broken covenant is separation from God who is Life Itself and therefore that separation is Death.

Eve is the “mother of all living” our greatest grandmother. In this very first model of Christ she represents us, the Church. We should therefore have forgiveness towards Her and others in the Church. We’re no better than her.

That brief interval between Eve eating and Adam eating which is the unbroken covenant between God and Man in the face of sin is the fulcrum around which all of human history pivots.

When you begin to get your mind around what happened there in the Garden, the entire Bible begins to make sense.

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Statement of Faith

Posted in #PaulthePoke with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 22, 2026 by paulthepoke

The Bible, ALL of it, is the Word of God. ALL of it is for our benefit. God’s Word finishes us as humans and makes us whole. God is the source of knowledge and revelation.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

2 Peter 1:20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation.

God exists in three eternal, individual personalities: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. Each is equally God. They are one essence, perfect harmony.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

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Jesus Christ is the central figure and person in human history.

Jesus is God in human form. His Hebrew name, Yeshua, means “He saves.”

Titus 2:13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…

John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

Jesus is eternal.

1 Peter 1:20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.

John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Jesus, born of a virgin

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us).

Fulfilled in Matthew 1:22-23

Jesus is the “Good News”, the Gospel message.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…

Jesus is currently alive and at the right hand of God the Father.

Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

1 Peter 3:22 Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him.

Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

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The church is not a physical building. The church is a body of believers in Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. -Jesus

Romans 12:4-6a For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them:

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

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All of humanity who has physically died, all of the bodies will ultimately be resurrected. The question is the destination.

Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

1 Corinthians 15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

Revelation 20:15 And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

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Pre Tribulation Rapture: At a designated point in time before the beginning of the seven year Tribulation or the Day of the Lord, the entire body of the church of Jesus Christ will be caught up into the clouds to meet Him in the air.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-5

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 27:5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

https://www.amazon.com/Rapture-Bride-Redeemed-Paul-Lehr-ebook/dp/B073Q4Z1RL

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The church will physically return to earth to rule and reign with Jesus Christ during the Millennial Kingdom.

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

2 Timothy 2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He will also deny us…

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

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Believers can respectfully proclaim God’s truth and love people who disagree with or live outside of God’s laws and precepts.

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

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Human life is sacred from conception to its natural end. God is the Creator of life from before time.

Psalm 139:13-16 For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.

Job 31:15 Did not He who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same One form us in the womb?

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God sovereignly and purposefully creates each person biologically male or biologically female.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Matthew 19:4 Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’

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Marriage is between a biological man and a biological woman.

Mark 10:6-9 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. -Jesus

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

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Humanity has inherited a sin nature from the fall of Adam. We are all in need of forgiveness and redemption from our individual sins.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned…

1 John 4:9-10 This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

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Salvation is by Faith alone apart from works. One cannot work, earn, or buy their way into eternity with God. He will not accept the fallen individual’s effort or payment.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the Law.

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Satan is a real personality and angelic being.

Jesus personally encountered Satan in Matthew 4:1-11.

1 John 3:8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.

Zechariah 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.

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Hell is a real physical place. No one in the Bible teaches more about Hell than Jesus.

Revelation 20:14-15 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Matthew 25:41 Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

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https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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This Week in Prophecy: Auroras; Rod of Discipline; AI Jesus

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Creation, Culture, Signs: Sun, Moon, Stars... with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 15, 2025 by paulthepoke

Psalm 19:1-2 The heavens tell of the glory of God; and their expanse declares the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

God is talking and He is telling us something…

A white church stands beneath a vibrant sky filled with swirling red and green auroras, evoking a sense of wonder and divine majesty.

Auroras occur when solar wind particles, guided by Earth’s magnetic field, collide with oxygen and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere near the poles, exciting the gases to emit colorful light. -Grok

God created constants in this universe and solar system. God is a master of order.

As humans created in the image of God, we have the ability to observe. We have the ability to see in color. We can calculate and understand these observable phenomenon. Humans have awareness and consciousness. God created us with the ability to understand His creation.

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Proverbs 13:24 Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

Proverbs 29:15 A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Public caning in Singapore…

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Matthew 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

Get into God’s Word… Read the Bible. We are going to need it. To quote Pilate, “What is truth?”

1 John 1:1-2 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life, the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us…

2 Peter 1:19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts…

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https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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This Week in Prophecy: Temple Talk; West Bank; Syrian Barbarianism; British Education; Red Sea

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Burden of Damascus, Culture, Prophecy, Temple, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 16, 2025 by paulthepoke

Micah 4:1-3 In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it. And many nations will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Then He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor will they train anymore for war.

Coalition MKs to US Senate: “Recognize the right of the Jewish people to the Temple Mount”

“This is the place where our Temples stood, which were destroyed by the Babylonian and Roman empires about 2,500 and 1,900 years ago.”

The letter to the members of the Senate reads: “Today, while the sovereign State of Israel guarantees access to holy sites for all religions, the Jewish people are denied full and free access to their holiest site due to heavy international pressure. Official recognition by the world’s leading country and Israel’s great friend – the United States – could ensure historical justice.

“This decision is not just a symbolic gesture but a declaration of truth, a declaration of religious freedom and the restoration of historical justice. The United States has been and will always be a pillar of human rights and the protection of holy sites around the world. Especially after October 7, when Hamas and its allies declared war under the slogan ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ while desecrating the sanctity of the Holy Place, we call for support and promotion of this historic decision as a courageous and clear statement of the United States’ ongoing commitment to truth, justice, and religious freedom for all peoples.”

Coalition MKs to US Senate: “Recognize the right of the Jewish people to the Temple Mount”

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Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Evangelical Leaders in Jerusalem call for Israeli sovereignty over Biblical heartland

During their visit, the Christian leaders toured the biblical heartland, including the site of ancient Shiloh, where they reaffirmed their support for Israeli sovereignty. Yisrael Ganz, governor of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, commented, “The application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is a necessary step to ensure the safety of Israel and the future of Jewish communities in the region.”

Evangelical Leaders in Jerusalem call for Israeli sovereignty over Biblical heartland

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Jeremiah 49:23-24 Concerning Damascus: “Hamath and Arpad are put to shame, for they have heard a bad report; they are agitated like the sea; their anxiety cannot be calmed. Damascus has become feeble; she has turned to flee. Panic has gripped her; anguish and pain have seized her like a woman in labor.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani is Syria’s new leader. Historically, he has ties to Al Qaeda and ISIS.

In late 2024, Jolani spearheaded a rapid offensive that toppled Assad’s regime, capturing key cities like Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus by December 8, 2024. -Grok AI

Jolani led forces have turned on Assad loyalists or Alawites in western Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, reported over 1,450 deaths across Latakia, Tartus, Hama, and Homs provinces by March 10, including 973 civilians, mostly Alawites, killed in what they described as “killings, field executions, and ethnic cleansing operations.” By March 11, this civilian toll rose to 1,225, with specific incidents like 132 deaths in Baniyas alone.

Some estimates have the number of deaths over 22,000. There are gruesome descriptions with pictures and video on the internet including barbaric murders, kidnapping, rape, and cannibalism.

Russia and the United States request emergency United Nations Security Council meeting “in light of the violence against civilians in Western Syria.”

https://twitter.com/BRICSinfo/status/1898834396423336357

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Deuteronomy 6:7-9 And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

Great Britain: Sir Hamid Patel, has been appointed interim chairman of OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education). This is who the Brits have in charge of their education. This is a sea change from The Church of England.

Sir Patel is Mufti. According to Grok AI…

A “Mufti” in the context of Islam refers to a qualified Islamic scholar or jurist who is authorized to issue legal opinions or interpretations (known as fatwas) on matters of Islamic law (Sharia). The term comes from the Arabic word aftā, meaning “to give a legal opinion.” Muftis play a significant role in Muslim communities by providing guidance on religious, social, and legal issues based on their deep knowledge of the Quran, Hadith (sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad), and Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh).

To become a Mufti, a person typically undergoes extensive education in Islamic studies, mastering areas such as theology, law, and Arabic language. Historically, Muftis have been appointed by governments or religious institutions in some Muslim-majority countries, while in other contexts, they earn their status through recognition by their peers and community for their expertise.

https://twitter.com/GBPolitcs/status/1900300464840663166

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Decisions can and will have significant cultural consequences.

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Exodus 15:4 Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has cast into the sea; the finest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.

CENTCOM Forces Launch Large Scale Operation Against Iran-Backed Houthis in Yemen

On March 15, U.S. Central Command initiated a series of operations consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation.

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https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Shavuot/Pentecost/Feast of Weeks, 5783/2023

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 23, 2023 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 23:15-16 ‘You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord.

On a Gregorian calendar, we are in the year of 2023, the holiday of Shavuot/Feast of Weeks/Pentecost begins at sunset on Thursday, May 25th. The God Appointed holiday ends at sunset Saturday, May 27th. The Feast takes place in the month of Sivan on the 6th and 7th of a Hebrew calendar. This is the Hebrew year 5783.

Provisions for the holiday include two loaves of bread, sacrificial lambs, a bull, two rams, a goat, and a drink offering of wine. The holiday is also a day of rest with no work (Leviticus 23:17-21).

In the Old Testament and in the Hebrew, this holiday is referred to as Shavuot. The word means: weeks.

Shavuot is one of the three holidays where Jewish men are required to come to Jerusalem (Exodus 23:14-17). The men were to make their presentation and sacrifice before God at the Temple.

As stated in the Leviticus passage, it is seven weeks after Passover. It is a celebration of the completed grain harvest. The holiday is also a celebration of God giving the Torah (instruction or law) to nation Israel. Because of this, Shavuot is considered as the beginning or birth of Judaism.

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The Law was given on Mount Sinai roughly 1,500 years before Christ. Nation Israel honored this holiday every year. Eating and drinking dairy products are part of the celebration of Shavuot. Many think the custom of dairy products is in reference to Bible verses referring to a promised land flowing with milk and honey.

Exodus 3:8a “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/why-dairy-on-shavuot/

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Fast forward to 33 AD. Nation Israel is celebrating and living the holiday. 

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they (apostles) were all together in one place. 

In the Greek New Testament, Shavuot (Hebrew) is translated as Pentekoste (Greek). Per Strong’s Concordance, it means: the fiftieth day; the second of the three great Jewish feasts, celebrated at Jerusalem yearly, the seventh week after the Passover, in grateful recognition of the completed wheat harvest. We have transliterated the word to Pentecost (English).

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Pentecost or Shavuot is the day promised by Jesus of the giving of the Holy Spirit. 

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

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Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. 

It is seven weeks after the death of the sacrificial lamb, Jesus. Shavuot or Pentecost is also the day God the Father gave the Holy Spirit. Because of this, Pentecost is considered the beginning or the birth of the church (believers in Jesus Christ).

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Shavuot/shavuot.html

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…”

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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