Archive for High Priest

This Week in Prophecy: Yom Kippur 5786/5950/2025; Linen Garments; Brit Digital ID; Nigeria Persecution

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Fall Feasts with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 30, 2025 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on.

Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is the busiest day of the year for the high priest.

These are the instructions for the high priest before enters the Holy Place in the Temple.

Exodus 28 gives instructions for the priestly garments. The clothing for the priest is to be made of linen. 

Exodus 28:5 They shall take the gold and the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen. 

The concept is stated seven more times in Exodus 28. Priestly garments are of linen (Exodus 28:6, 8, 15, 39, 39, 42).

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Currently, there is a high priest in the Heavenly Tabernacle. He is of the order of Melchizedek. 

Hebrews 6:20 …where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Before going to Heaven to be at the right hand of the Father, Christ the high priest was buried in linen. 

Matthew 27:59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth… (see also Mark 15:46, Luke 23:53).

The body referenced is Jesus after His death.

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John 20:17 Jesus says to her, “Do not touch Me, for not yet have I ascended to the Father. Now go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”

After His death but before His ascension, Christ was clean and free of sin. He had become a sin offering at the cross. Jesus had overcome death or sin with His resurrection.

Christ is talking to Mary Magdalene. Because of her history, we know she was a sinful woman. Not to pick on Mary, as humans, we are all sinful. Jesus would have said the same thing to any of us if we were in Mary’s place.

Jesus’ resurrected body could not come in contact with sin before going to the Heavenly Tabernacle. Jesus entered Heaven free of sin in His glorified body. Christ presented Himself clean and pure before God the Father in the Heavenly Holy Place.

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Revelation 13:16-17 And the second beast required all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.

Britain is tying economic activity to digital identification. In the name of security and illegal immigration of course…

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2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…

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

Red Heifer Update; Christian Persecution; Tigris River

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 6, 2025 by paulthepoke

Numbers 19:1-2 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which is no defect and on which a yoke has never been placed.

3 WEEK DIARY: WORK OF THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE: THE RED HEIFER

The three weeks of intensified focus and adoption of customs of mourning over the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem have ended. But our recap of all the work the Temple Institute is involved with the one aim of rebuilding the Holy Temple and renewing the Divine service is far from exhausted.

Our longtime supporters are certainly aware that the Institute’s efforts to raise or discover a red heifer suitable for the purpose of achieving the ashes of the red heifer go back more than two decades. We have forged deep connections with cattle growers in the United States, both professionally and personally. We have worked with cattle growers in Israel. We have raised red heifer candidates here in Israel and flown over red heifer candidates from Texas. The halachot concerning the eligibility of a potential red heifer are very strict and unfortunately all our efforts so far have been frustrated by the appearance of more than one non-red hair on all our potential candidates. Nevertheless, our efforts continue.

Attaining a suitable red heifer, however, is only one aspect of the work of achieving the longed for purifying ashes. Once a viable red heifer has been achieved it needs to be slaughtered and burned into ashes. Simply to create a fire that will burn at a temperature capable of converting the heifer into ashes is a task that has required much research and experimentation.

Kohanim who are free of the impurity of tamei met must be located, for only kohanim enjoying such a status can be involved in creating the ashes. This requires kohanim who were home-birthed and have never stepped inside a hospital or cemetery, where the impurity of tamei met is a given. The Institute has successfully located and brought on board eligible kohanim.

Pure waters from the Shiloach spring located at the foot of the City of David must be collected and cedar wood, hyssop and wool dyed red with the tola’at shani insect must also be acquired and added to the ashes. Fortunately all these elements are readily attainable.

The actual burning of the heifer must take place on the Mount of Olives at a vantage point from which the kohen performing the ceremony can see into the great entrance of the Temple Sanctuary, (or, at least where it stood).

All throughout the Institute’s continuing efforts, tremendous research has formed the basis for every step forward we have taken. Rabbi Azarya arial of the Temple Institute has devoted years of his life researching and overseeing all these aspects.

Recently a groundbreaking test run was taken using a disqualified heifer. The experience better prepares us for the ultimate performance of the ceremony with a kosher heifer.

We all know that acquiring the purifying ashes of the red heifer will be a major and indisputable step forward toward building the Mikdash and renewing the offerings. For this very reason there are many opposed to our efforts among the enemies of Israel, and to our regret, even within the people of Israel. For this reason we keep a tight lid on our efforts and generally do not advertise our successes.

Due to our reluctance to advertise and also due to our lack of success in acquiring a viable red heifer candidate despite all our efforts, some of our supporters have expressed their frustration. After all, there are many red haired breeds of cattle in the world and, no doubt many thousands of potential red heifers born each year. No doubt if the Temple Institute enjoyed a much larger budget we could expand our efforts and potentially acquire a red heifer sooner, rather than later. But just as the chok – the statute – of the red heifer is considered to be a great test of our faith in and fidelity to HaShem’s word, we must also maintain the faith and trust that a suitable red heifer will be found when G-d sees fit. Meanwhile, our efforts continue, full steam ahead.

https://www.facebook.com/templeinstitute

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Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

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Nahum 1:8 But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

Nahum 2:6 The gates of the rivers are opened and the palace is dissolved.

The book was written around 660 BC. Nineveh is the city and people in focus in the Book of Jonah. Nineveh was once the largest city in the known world. Today in the early 21st century Ninevah or modern day Mosul, Iraq is home to 1.3 to 1.5 million people per Wikipedia and the United Nations.

The Tigris River valley below the Mosul Dam is home to approximately 150 million people.

https://www.turkiyetoday.com/business/turkiye-estimates-7b-annual-revenue-1-3m-jobs-from-gap-project-by-2032-83282

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

Sacrificial System REJECTED!!! Temple Doors Open

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Sacrificial System with tags , , , , , , , , , , on October 13, 2024 by paulthepoke

The framework for this series was from an article that was posted by Yehuda Frank at https://allisrael.com/forgiveness-yom-kippur-and-the-messiah-s-atoning-sacrifice .

There are 4 proofs that support God rejecting Israel’s Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement sacrifice. Humanity’s sacrifice was rejected by God because the ultimate sacrifice had been made by Jesus Christ.

  1. The lot of the Lord was in the left hand.
  2. The crimson strap remained crimson.
  3. The western light was not lit.
  4. The doors of the Temple were open in the morning.

Today’s focus is the opened doors of the Temple.

Babylonian Talmud: “Our Rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple,and the doors of the Hekal (Temple) would open by themselves.”

Jerusalem Talmud: “Forty years before the destruction of the Temple,They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open.”

Specific sizes of the Temple gates are unknown. But we do have some scope and scale with the Temple veil as a guide.

Matthew 27:51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

Luke 23:45 The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.

The inner veil hung between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The veil was hung on a crossbeam stone over 30 feet long and weighed more than 30 tons. Estimates have the veil weighing at least 18,000 pounds.

The Veils before the Most Holy Place were 40 cubits (60 feet) long, and 20 (30 feet) wide, of the thickness of the palm of the hand, and wrought in 72 squares, which were joined together. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Alfred Edersheim

The Temple had…golden doors of fifty-five cubits (82.5 feet) altitude and sixteen (24 feet) in breadth; but before these doors there was a veil of equal largeness with the doors. -Josephus, 1st Century Jewish Historian

Keep in mind, Herod’s Temple had larger dimensions than Solomon’s. So the veil in Herod’s Temple was bigger.

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With the work of Christ on the cross, the cost of sin was paid. Because of His action, there is now access to God the Father. The barrier has been taken down and humanity who believes in Christ can be in the presence of God.

The door to the Temple is open. The veil has been torn down. Barriers to God have been removed in Jesus Christ. God has made way for sinful humanity.

Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

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

Sacrificial System REJECTED!!! Crimson Strap

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Sacrificial System with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 17, 2023 by paulthepoke

The framework for this series was from an article that was posted by Yehuda Frank at https://allisrael.com/forgiveness-yom-kippur-and-the-messiah-s-atoning-sacrifice .

There are 4 proofs that support God rejecting Israel’s Yom Kippur sacrifice.

  1. The lot of the Lord was in the left hand.
  2. The crimson strap remained crimson.
  3. The western light was not lit.
  4. The doors of the Temple were open in the morning.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the crimson strap. The Biblical reference comes from the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool…”

God is looking to have a sensible conversation with His people, Israel. Effectively, they have a sin problem. The context of Isaiah 1 is the complete and total depravity of the nation. Their attitude and actions were poor. They were bodily sick from head to toe. Medical care was not going to help their condition. They have no relationship with God.

The land of Israel was desolate. Cities were being burned. The land was over run by foreigners… This is the pattern of history. Israel, Roman Empire, today’s 21st century United States and Europe, sound familiar?

Now as tradition has it, a sacrificial ceremony was performed and the crimson strap would miraculously turn white. Symbolically, sin was forgiven.

According to the historical documents in the Talmud…

…the last 40 years before the Temple’s destruction, the crimson-colored wool never turned white, signaling a troubling development.

Israel was expecting a miracle. The strap was supposed to turn white and symbolically, sin was to be forgiven. After all, this was Yom Kippur and the High Priest was intervening on behalf of the people. But, there would be no miracle for 40 years and eventually the Temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed in 70 AD.

What Israel did not realize was sin had been forgiven. Israel understood the Mosaic Law. Innocent blood is the price for the pardoning of sin.

Hebrews 9:22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

There was no need for the crimson strap to turn white. The work was finished.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

The blood of Christ is the bleach that washes away the crimson stain of sin.

Revelation 7:14 “Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

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A point of consideration… Was the 40 consecutive years of a crimson strap a foreshadowing of the Messiah to come? Isaiah 63 says there is One coming in crimson stained clothes who is going to clean house, pillage and judge the nations. He is going to do it all by Himself.

By the way, the meaning of Bozrah is “grape gathering”. The crushing of grapes is equated with flowing blood. This theme is also consistent with the return of the Lord in Revelation 19.

Isaiah 63:1-6 Who is this who comes from Edom, with garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, this One who is majestic in His apparel, marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, the One who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the wine press? “I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no one with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My clothes. “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption has come. “I looked, but there was no one to help, and I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; so My own arm brought salvation to Me, and My wrath upheld Me. “I trampled down the peoples in My anger and made them drunk with My wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

Revelation 19:13-15 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and His name is The Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

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

Sacrificial System REJECTED!!! Casting Lots & Azazel

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Sacrificial System with tags , , , , , , , , on November 1, 2023 by paulthepoke

The framework for this series was from an article that was posted by Yehuda Frank at https://allisrael.com/forgiveness-yom-kippur-and-the-messiah-s-atoning-sacrifice .

The are 4 proofs that support God rejecting Israel’s Yom Kippur sacrifice.

  1. The lot of the Lord was in the left hand.
  2. The crimson strap remained crimson.
  3. The western light was not lit.
  4. The doors of the Temple were open in the morning.

In this post, we are going to study the idea of “Casting Lots”. Simply stated, this is a chance decision by drawing straws or casting pebbles. In today’s vernacular, “Let’s roll the dice!” This hardly seems like a reasonable solution to a serious consideration. But…

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

Remember, God Himself commanded the Israelites to divide the land according to lots in Numbers 26:55-56 Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups.” This same concept is restated in Numbers 34:13.

Saul was chosen as Israel’s first king by lot in 1 Samuel 10. Casting lots sniffed out Jonah at sea. Casting lots was a common practice in Scripture for consequential decisions.

Imagine that, the first time the concept of “Casting Lots” is noted in the Bible is in Leviticus. The context is the role of Aaron, the High Priest, and a Yom Kippur sacrifice per the Mosaic Law.

Leviticus 16:8-10 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.

But who is Azazel? The word is used only four times in the Bible. By most accounts, the word has an uncertain meaning. The text seems to indicate Azazel is an entity.

Leviticus 16:26a And he who lets the goat go to Azazel…

The Book of Enoch offers insight into the Watcher, Azazel. Yes, Enoch is an extra biblical book. The book was on Noah’s Ark and survived. The original King James Version included the Book of Enoch. Jude 1 quotes the Book of Enoch. The early Christian church recognized the Book of Enoch until the 4th century. According to Enoch, Azazel is a fallen angel.

Enoch 8:1-2 And Azazel taught men to make swords, and daggers, and shields, and breastplates. And he showed them the things after these, and the art of making them; bracelets, and ornaments, and the art of making up the eyes, and of beautifying the eyelids, and the most precious stones, and all kinds of colored dyes. And the world was changed. And there was great impiety, and much fornication, and they went astray, and all their ways became corrupt.

So Azazel introduced weapons of war, jewelry, make up, cosmetics, more jewelry, fashion, seduction… Azazel was found guilty.

Enoch 9:6 See then what Azazel has done; how he has taught all iniquity on the earth and revealed the eternal secrets that are made in Heaven.

Enoch 10:4-6 And further the Lord said to Raphael: “Bind Azazel by his hands and his feet and throw him into the darkness. And split open the desert, which is in Dudael, and throw him there. And throw on him jagged and sharp stones and cover him with darkness. And let him stay there forever. And cover his face so that he may not see the light. And so that, on the Great Day of Judgment, he may be hurled into the fire.

Enoch 10:8 And the whole Earth has been ruined by the teaching of the works of Azazel; and against him write: ALL SIN.”

Azazel is the essence of sin. The scapegoat was a symbol for the totality of sin for the people of Israel. Take sin back to its teacher.

Azazel or the scapegoat was designated by the High Priest to take away the sins of the nation Israel. The sins of the people were transferred to the goat and lead away for removal.

Leviticus 16:21-22 And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.

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

Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement: 5783/2022

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Fall Feasts, Prophecy with tags , , , , on October 3, 2022 by paulthepoke

Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is celebrated on Tishri 10th. It is the last day of the 40 day period of Teshuvah. The holiday will be 10 days after Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets is declared at the sighting of the new moon.

The New Moon was sighted in Israel on Tuesday, September 27th, 2022. Therefore, Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement/10th Day of the 7th Month, Tishri, starts at sunset on Thursday, October 6th, and ends on Friday, October 7th, 2022 on our western Gregorian calendar.

As calculated in the secular world, Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement/10th day of the 7th month, Tishri, begins at sunset on Tuesday, October 4th and ends at sunset on Wednesday, October 5th, 2022.

This holiday is viewed as the holiest day of Judaism. The day is a Sabbath day of rest. Yom Kippur is the only feast day a fast is required. The day begins at sun down. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest was kept awake during the dark of the night. The high priest was dressed in a white robe. Sacrifices of a bull, ram, and a goat occur. The priest makes a sacrifice for himself and for the nation of Israel. Yom Kippur is the day the high priest came into the inner sanctuary of the temple to make sacrifices on behalf of the nation of Israel. He is the only person allowed into the inner sanctuary. This day is the only day the high priest is allowed in the inner sanctuary. He entered the highest holy place with incense and coals. The incense was burned. Next, the recovered blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat, the top of the Ark of the Covenant. This is the busiest day of the year for the high priest.

See Leviticus 16 for specific details. New Manners and Customs of Bible Times

In the 21st century, we have a high priest. 

Hebrews 6:20 …where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

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Today, animal sacrifices are no longer necessary, even when the Jewish Temple is rebuilt. 

Hebrews 9:11-14 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 13:11-12 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

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Some believe this is the day at the end of the 7 year tribulation that Christ will physically return to Earth and establish His millennial kingdom.

Hebrews 9:28 …so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

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

Shavuot/Pentecost/Feast of Weeks, 5782/2022

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on May 29, 2022 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 in the year of 2022, the holiday of Shavuot/Feast of Weeks/Pentecost begins at sunset on Saturday, June 4. The God Appointed holiday ends at sunset Monday, June 6. The Feast takes place in the month of Sivan on the 6th and 7th of a Hebrew calendar. This is the Hebrew year 5782.

Exodus 23:14-17 “Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord GOD.

Shavuot is one of the three holidays where Jewish men are required to come to Jerusalem. The men were to make their presentation and sacrifice before God at the Temple. This holiday is one of seven holidays appointed by God.

Two loaves of bread are made from the new wheat harvest. The loaves are made with leaven. The Biblical symbol for sin is leaven. The two loaves of bread at Shavuot are the only sacraments made with leaven.

Some believe that one loaf represents the Jewish people and the other loaf represents the Gentiles. The loaves represent the church which is comprised of Jews and Gentiles. Sinful people, Jews and Gentiles, are formed with the first fruits of the wheat harvest. (And yes, the church was and is still sinful despite being saved by the grace of God.) The loaves are brought and waived by the Son, the High Priest, before the Father.

http://www.messiah3.org/pentecostfeast.htm

Ephesians 2:11-22 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands, remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Together, sinful Jews and sinful Gentiles sealed with God the Spirit worshiping God the Father through the sinless God the Son.

Which begs the question…

How long before the two loaves of bread, the church, are waived by our High Priest before the Lord in Heaven?

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

There Shall Be Seven Weeks: Feasts (Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement)

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels, Fall Feasts with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 15, 2021 by paulthepoke

Daniel 9:25b …there shall be seven weeks…

The context of this series of posts is the course of the Jewish people for the initial 49 years of the 483 year period communicated from the angel Gabriel to the prophet Daniel. The city of Jerusalem has been rebuilt post exile. These events are covered in Nehemiah 8-13. Israel is returning to God’s Law. The focus is on God’s appointed holidays. This week, the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur is the topic.

Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is celebrated on Tishri 10th. It is the last day of the 40 day period of Teshuvah.

This holiday is viewed at the holiest day of Judaism. The day is a Sabbath day of rest. Yom Kippur is the only day a fast is required. The day begins at sun down. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest was kept awake during the dark of the night. The high priest was dressed in a white robe. Sacrifices of a bull, ram, and a goat occur. The priest makes a sacrifice for himself and for the nation of Israel. Yom Kippur is the day the high priest came into the inner sanctuary of the temple to make sacrifices on behalf of the nation of Israel. He is the only person allowed into the inner sanctuary. This day is the only day the high priest is allowed in the inner sanctuary. He entered the highest holy place with incense and coals. The incense was burned. Next, the recovered blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat, the top of the Ark of the Covenant. This is the busiest day of the year for the high priest.

See Leviticus 16 for specific details. New Manners and Customs of Bible Times

In the 21st century, we have a high priest. 

Hebrews 6:20 …where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

~

Today, animal sacrifices are no longer necessary, even when the Jewish Temple is rebuilt. 

Hebrews 9:11-14 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 13:11-12 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

~

Some believe this is the day at the end of the 7 year tribulation that Christ will physically return to Earth and establish His millennial kingdom.

Hebrews 9:28 …so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

There Shall Be Seven Weeks: Feasts (First Fruits)

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels, Gospel, Prophecy, Resurrection with tags , , , , , , , , , , on June 27, 2021 by paulthepoke

Daniel 9:25b …there shall be seven weeks…

The context of this series of posts is the course of the Jewish people for the initial 49 years of the 483 year period communicated from the angel Gabriel to the prophet Daniel. The city of Jerusalem has been rebuilt post exile. These events are covered in Nehemiah 8-13. Israel is returning to God’s Law. The focus has shifted to God’s appointed holidays. Passover and Unleavened Bread were covered last week. This week, First Fruits is the focus.

Nehemiah 10:33 …the appointed feasts…

There are seven God appointed holidays communicated through the Old Testament Law. They are Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles.

The first three spring holidays were fulfilled on the appointed holiday by Jesus Himself. The name of the feast covered today is First Fruits.

Leviticus 23:9-14 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD. And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the LORD with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

The third of God’s holidays is First Fruits or Reshit Katzir in the Hebrew. The one day holiday begins on the day after the Sabbath or Sunday on our calendar.

The priest is to make a barley offering of the first portion of the harvest to the Lord. The priest intervenes on behalf of the people. The reality of the holiday for the people of Israel is this. The people bring their grain sheaf to the priest. They are to sacrifice a lamb without blemish. The offering is also to be presented with bread and wine. This is to be done every year in perpetuity.

1 Corinthians 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Jesus had unfinished business for this appointed day of His resurrection. He was going to Heaven to be the First Fruit offering before God the Father in Heaven.

Jesus was the first portion barley offering before the Father. Jesus also brought a grain sheaf offering with Him before His Father. 

Matthew 27:52-53 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Jesus is our High Priest and representative before God the Father.

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of First Fruits, Reshit Katzir.

A More Perfect Way… Joshua of Ghana

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Joshua Ghana with tags , , , , , , , on June 19, 2020 by paulthepoke

TEXT: LEVITICUS 16:20-34

Key verse: Leviticus 16:30 “For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD”

@beholy404

Sin is man’s greatest challenge on earth. It separates man from God. Sin enslaves and no one can on his own free himself from it. The more man attempts to pull himself out of sin, the more he sinks into the abyss of helplessness. To be free from sin therefore, would require the intervention of superior power; the One who created man, Who alone knows how to disentangle him from the tyranny of evil and wickedness.

God took the initiative with the children of Israel when He appointed Aaron to be the High Priest. His job was essentially to make atonement for their sins. To do this, a day was set aside each year for him to enter into the most holy place in the temple, make animal sacrifices to cleanse his own sin and the sin of the people. The animal sacrifices only covered sins for a short period but could not cleanse it indefinitely. So, every year, the entire nation stood still to allow the high priest repeat this ritual of atonement under very strict rules. Without doubt, this old system of atonementor covering sins, was grossly limited and did not provide a permanent solution to man’s sin problem.

Whilst Aaron’s animal sacrifices only succeeded in temporarily covering the sins of the people, Christ’s sacrifice of Himself brought total cleansing from sin, once and for all. While Aaron made long preparations before appearing before God, we can now come boldly to His throne to obtain mercy and grace in time of need. Of course, now, we do not just prepare our body but our hearts as we approach God in prayer of faith through Christ.

As many as are willing can have their sins forgiven and their guilt removed as they confess and forsake their sins; accept Christ as Lord and Savior and place their trust in the spotless Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the whole world.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: In Jesus is found the only route to God.