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Australia Denounces Jerusalem as Capital of Israel… Czekmate

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Czekmate, Prophecy with tags Abrahamic Covenant, Anthony Albanese, Australia, Australian Labor Party, capital, God, Grace, Israel, jerusalem, Mosaic Law, Yair Lapid on October 23, 2022 by paulthepoke

Matthew 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister, Australian Labor Party

Bad move in this hour. The Lord’s hand is in motion and I think the Labor Government in Canberra just signed it’s own job termination letter with this. Former PM Morrison’s folks had better be looking at getting the band back together. Do I write this because Yair Lapid is a wonderful and favored by God? That formulation would be simplistic and more bluntly, silly. I am not going to pronounce on Mr. Lapid’s faith (because I do not know his heart), but by Mr. Lapid’s fruit, Matthew 7:20 for the rest.

The government in Canberra, took the decision under PM Morrison to move the nation of Australia, closer to God’s design and agreement. Which means honoring the covenants God has formed. In the case of recognizing Jerusalem as the eternal capital, it was an affirmation of something plainly evident. It was making right an historical fact, that is apart from the covenantal imperative (the central issue).

Under the dispensation of grace, God will not want the people of Australia to suffer for the decision of it’s leadership especially in the urgency of this hour. Though we ARE in the dispensation of Grace, the dispensation of the law still applies in the conduct of mankind overall.

This period of history is one of an interim judgement.

To make an entire people accountable for the errant decision of it’s leadership, I cannot see the Lord permitting that for very long. The grace that the rest of us are extended (when we make a wicked or bad call) will be given to the Australian leadership. But how long it will remain extended is known strictly to Him.

Genesis 12:1-3 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/lapid-assails-australia-for-dropping-recognition-of-jerusalem-ambassador-summoned/

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30 WAYS PENTECOST FORESHADOWS THE RAPTURE by T.W. Tramm

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Prophecy, Rapture, Resurrection with tags 50, Bride of Christ, church, end times, First Fruits, God the Father, Harvest, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Mosaic Law, Paul, Season of Return Ministries, seven weeks, T.W. Tramm, wave offering, wedding, wheat on June 1, 2022 by paulthepoke

Author and Bible-researcher T.W. Tramm is the founder of Season of Return Ministries, an organization whose mission is to equip the reader with critical knowledge related to the unfolding of Bible prophecy in our time. Tramm’s books, articles, and commentary can be found on numerous eschatological-themed websites. The author makes his home in Washington State.

T.W. Tramm’s materials can be reviewed on the following:

https://www.facebook.com/twtramm

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVxcqsgEKvYtscqyYJpTxbQ/videos

https://www.theseasonofreturn.com/

NO MAN KNOWS the day of the Rapture (Matthew 24:36–44).

There is, however, a day on God’s calendar that strikingly foreshadows this event.

The following is a summary of 30 correlations between the biblical festival Pentecost and the catching away of the Church.

. . .

30 WAYS PENTECOST FORESHADOWS THE RAPTURE

1. A HARVEST FESTIVAL

The most telling feature of Pentecost is that it is one of three harvest festivals, during which all Israelite males are required to appear before the Lord:

“Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. ‘Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread … the Festival of Harvest [Pentecost] … and the Festival of Ingathering [Tabernacles] … Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God’” (Exodus 23:14–17).

A harvest and gathering before God denote a resurrection or rapture (Matthew 13:30, 39; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; Revelation 7:9–14).

Furthermore, the three harvest festivals correspond to the “order” of resurrections mentioned by Paul: “But each [will be resurrected] in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:23).

The harvest at Unleavened Bread corresponds to Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20).

The harvest at Pentecost corresponds to the Church’s resurrection–rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13–17).

The harvest at Tabernacles corresponds to the resurrection of tribulation saints at the Second Coming (Revelation 20:4–6).

2. A GREAT MULTITUDE

Of the three harvest festivals, Pentecost typically saw the largest crowds. This is because the other harvest festivals occurred in the early spring and fall when adverse weather could interfere with travel from distant lands. A large crowd gathered in Jerusalem on Pentecost corresponds to the great multitude gathered before God’s throne at the Rapture (Revelation 7:9).

3. FIRSTFRUITS OF THE WHEAT

Pentecost celebrates the firstfruits of the wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22). The Rapture is when the first of the “wheat,” symbolic of believers, is harvested and gathered into God’s “barn” (Matthew 13).

4. A GATHERING FROM EVERY NATION

At the Church’s first Pentecost, devout people from every nation, tribe, and language were gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:5, 6). At the Rapture, devout people from every nation, tribe, and language will be gathered in heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 7:9).

5. GATHERED IN ONE PLACE

On the Church’s first Pentecost, all the believers were gathered in one place (Acts 2:1). The next time all believers will be gathered in one place is at the Rapture (Revelation 7:9).

6. A TIME OF REJOICING

Pentecost is a time to rejoice before the Lord: “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks [Pentecost] … and rejoice before the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy. 16: 10, 11.) The ultimate time of rejoicing before the Lord will be immediately after the Rapture (Revelation 7:9–12; 1 Thessalonians 2:19).

7. THE WAVE OFFERING

The wave offering of the grain-sheaf during Unleavened Bread is a picture of Jesus’ resurrection (Leviticus 23:10; 1 Corinthians 15:20). Thus, the subsequent wave offering of baked loaves on Pentecost is a picture of the Church’s resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:23). The ripening of grain during the seven weeks between Passover and Pentecost symbolizes the growth and maturation of the Body of Christ during the Church Age. The grain transformed into bread on Pentecost represents the Church in a state of fullness, or completion, at the Rapture.

8. A TIME OF ACCOUNTABILITY

When the Israelites appeared before the Lord on Pentecost, they were required to bring an offering proportionate to the blessings God had bestowed upon them (Deuteronomy 16:16, 17). The requirement to bring a proportionate offering recalls how one’s fruits will be judged at the end of the age: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required” (Matthew 25:14–30; Luke 12:48).

9. SEVEN WEEKS PRECEDE MESSIAH

Pentecost is the festival preceded by a count of “seven weeks” (Leviticus 23:15, 16). In Daniel 9, a count of “seven weeks” precedes an appearance of Messiah the Prince: “From the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks” (Daniel 9:25).

10. PAYDAY FOR REDEMPTION

The sending of the Holy Spirit on the Church’s first Pentecost is called the “down payment” on our redemption (Ephesians 1:14). Since the down payment for redemption occurred on Pentecost, it is logical for the final payment, the redemption of our physical bodies at the Rapture, to occur on Pentecost (Romans 8:23).

11. A TIME OF SEALING

Pentecost is the day on which the Church was first sealed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). At the Rapture, the first fruits of Israel will be sealed by the Holy Spirit (Revelation 7:3, 4). If the sealing of the Church on Pentecost was the model, the sealing of Israel at the Rapture may occur on Pentecost as well.

12. THE THIRD DAY

Moses ascended Sinai to receive the Commandments on the “third day,” corresponding to Pentecost (Exodus 19). In John chapter 2, Jesus attends a wedding on the third day and alludes to the fact that He will be resurrected on the third day (vv. 1, 19–21). Thus, Pentecost is symbolically a “third day,” a day associated with weddings and resurrections.

13. THE 50th DAY

The Greek word translated Pentecost, Pentēkostē, means “fiftieth.” Fifty is the number of redemption, pertaining to the Jubilee (Leviticus 25:9, 10). Also, wherever the number 50 appears in Scripture it denotes fullness and completion, pointing to the fullness of the Gentiles at the Rapture.

14. A WEDDING DAY

The wedding between God and Israel occurred on Pentecost (Exodus 19).

Similarly, the betrothal of the Church to God occurred on Pentecost (Acts 2; Ephesians 4:30). This is significant because, according to the ancient wedding tradition, the bridegroom comes for the bride around the anniversary of the betrothal.

15. RUTH

In the Book of Ruth, the wedding of the Jewish redeemer to the Gentile bride—a picture of the Wedding of Messiah at the Rapture—occurred around Pentecost (Ruth 4:9–10).

16. RAPTURE ALLEGORY IN SONG OF SOLOMON

In Song of Solomon, the shepherd comes to gather and spirit away His beloved Gentile maid—a picture of the Rapture—in late spring, around the time of Pentecost (Song of Solomon 2).

17. ENOCH’S RAPTURE

According to Jewish tradition, Pentecost is when Enoch, a prophetic type of the Church, was taken up, or raptured, to be with God (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5).

18. POSITIONALLY, PENTECOST DENOTES THE CHURCH AGE

Pentecost’s parenthetical placement between the first and last harvest festivals, Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles, is suggestive of the Church Age.

19. INFERENCE VIA FESTIVAL ATTENDANCE

Scripture mentions Jesus going to Jerusalem for the harvests at Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles but not Pentecost (John 2:23; 5:1; 7; Luke 2:41–43). Conversely, Scripture mentions Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, going to Jerusalem for Pentecost but not the other harvests (Acts 20:1–6). Jesus’ nonappearance at Pentecost may foreshadow His appearing only in the clouds at this festival’s fulfillment. Similarly, Paul’s attendance at Pentecost may point to the Church being in heavenly Jerusalem on this day.

20. THE SHORT AND ABRUPT HARVEST FESTIVAL

The first and last harvest festivals, Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles, both last for seven days (Leviticus 23). In contrast, Pentecost is a one-day harvest festival, comparatively short and abrupt like the Rapture of the Church.

21. THE FESTIVAL WITH NO SET DATE

Pentecost is the only harvest festival with no assigned date in Scripture; it is instead calculated by counting seven weeks from the “day after the Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:15). That Pentecost has no assigned date means “no one knows the day” (Matthew 24:36).

22. AN HOUR WE THINK NOT

Jesus tells His followers that He is coming at an hour they “think not” (Matthew 24:44). Because there is disagreement around which Sabbath to count the seven weeks from, the correct date of Pentecost is in question. It is thus possible that God’s true Pentecost is on a day most would “think not.”

23. THE FESTIVAL OF GOD’S TRUMP

The first time God’s trumpet was sounded was on Pentecost, when He descended in a cloud on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19). If the model holds, the next time God’s trumpet is sounded, at the Rapture, may be on Pentecost as well.

24. PETER PROCLAIMS THE DAY OF THE LORD ON PENTECOST

On the Church’s first Pentecost, Peter stood up and quoted a prophecy from Joel:

”Then Peter stood up … raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you… this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people …. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord’” (Acts 2).

It makes sense that Peter would quote the part of Joel about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as this is what was occurring that day. However, the question arises: why would Peter, at that time, quote the part of Joel about the coming Day of the Lord? Peter’s quoting of a prophecy about the onset of the Day of the Lord on Pentecost suggests the two are connected.

25. JUDGMNET DAY FOR TREES

In Judaism, it is taught that Pentecost (Shavuot) is when fruit trees are judged. In Scripture, fruit trees represent people (Psalm 1:3). The trees that do not produce “good fruit” by way of a relationship with Jesus are “cut down” and thrown into the “fire” of Tribulation (Matthew 3:10–12; 7:17–23; 25:11–13).

26. ANCIENT SCRIPTURE READINGS

Since ancient times, the Jewish scripture readings associated with Pentecost describe the Lord judging the earth (Ezekiel 1:1–28; 3:12; Habakkuk 2:20–3:19). If Pentecost is mainly about the giving of the Commandments or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as commonly taught, why do the passages read on this day depict the Lord coming in judgment?

27. THE FESTIVAL PRECEDING SUMMER

Pentecost is the harvest festival that occurs in late spring, just before summer begins. In Matthew 24, summer is a metaphor for the end of the age (Matthew 24:32).

Moreover, in the Old Testament, summer is when . . .

• The “godly people” are said to have “vanished” from the earth (Micah 7:1, 2 NLT).

• The Jews lament not being saved at the harvest (Jeremiah 8:20).

• Israel is deemed ripe for judgment (Amos 8:1, 2).

28. THE TIME OF RIPENING FIGS

Pentecost, occurring in late spring, is when early figs ripen. With this in mind, it is interesting to note that . . .

• Figs represent Jews (Amos 8:1, 2).

• Figs that ripen early are said to be very good, or desirable (Hosea 9:10).

• Early ripe figs, because they are desirable, are quickly “snatched up” (Isaiah 28:4 NLT).

Could the figs that ripen early, around Pentecost, be symbolic of believing Jews “snatched up” at the Rapture?

29. THE FESTIVAL PRECEDING THE GRAPE HARVEST

In Scripture, the harvesting and crushing of grapes symbolizes the judgment of nonbelievers at the Day of the Lord (Revelation 14:14–20). In ancient Israel, grapes were the first major crop to ripen after Pentecost.

30. THE FESTIVAL OF NEW BEGINNINGS

Pentecost marks the beginning of new dispensations in Scripture, namely the Age of Law and the Church Age (Exodus 19; Acts 2). If the pattern holds, Pentecost may mark the beginning of the next dispensation, the Day of the Lord.

With the above summary in view, it is fair to say that Pentecost, better than any other festival, embodies the types and themes of the Rapture: harvest, fullness, completion, redemption, resurrection, a wedding, a gathering, a new beginning, an unknown date, and the sounding of God’s trumpet.

The fundamental theme of Pentecost is, again, the harvest. There are three main harvest festivals and three main resurrections in God’s plan of redemption, suggestive of the following scenario:

• Unleavened Bread (First Coming)

• Pentecost (Rapture)

• Tabernacles (Second Coming)

Pentecost clearly foreshadows the harvest of the Church. What is less clear is whether the harvest will occur on the day marked Pentecost on our calendars.

A DAY NO ONE KNOWS

While the preliminary fulfillment of Pentecost, the sending of the Holy Spirit, occurred on the day the festival was observed by the early Church (Acts 2), one cannot be as certain about the ultimate fulfillment, the Rapture, as the day of this event is said to be unknown (Matthew 24:36). That the day is unknown is why Jesus implores us to “keep watch” and not assume He is delaying if He fails to appear at an expected time (Matthew 24:42–51; 25:1–13).

Paul emphasizes that the day is unknown in a letter to the Church at Thessalonica:

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1, 2).

According to Paul, there is no need to discuss dates because it is already understood that Jesus is coming like a thief. Question: on which day does a thief show up? Answer: no one knows. One might know generally when a thief may show up—e.g., late at night or when nobody is home. However, to try and pinpoint the day or hour would seem futile. So if our reading of 1 Thessalonians is correct, the Lord could appear on a day not expected.

To reconcile the notion of an unexpected day with an appointed time such as Pentecost, I have considered two possible scenarios.

The first possibility is that Pentecost, the harvest festival with no fixed date, is not about a date at all but rather points symbolically to a time of fullness or ripeness. Recall that Pentecost is the 50th day, and the number 50 symbolizes fullness or completion. In this scenario, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church’s first Pentecost represents the planting of a ‘field,’ the Church-field, which has been growing and maturing for almost 2,000 years. No one knows when exactly the last believer will be sealed by the Holy Spirit and the Church-field deemed ripe for harvest in accordance with God’s timetable.

The other scenario I have considered to reconcile an unexpected day with an appointed time is that the Rapture will indeed occur at Pentecost. However, due to confusion around the correct reckoning of the festival, the day marked Pentecost on our calendars may not represent God’s true Pentecost.

For the above reasons, it is wise to think of Pentecost as a ‘season,’ rather than a mere 24-hour period.

Better yet, be ready always!

Jesus is coming soon.

. . .

*Visit the author’s website: www.theseasonofreturn.com

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVxcqsgEKvYtscqyYJpTxbQ

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: No one knows the day or hour of Jesus’ return (Matthew 24:36). However, a convergence of biblical signs and timelines suggests it is near. To escape the judgment reserved for a God-rejecting world, one must be in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. If you have not yet done so, call on His name and believe that He is the Son of God who died for your sins and was raised from the dead (Romans 10:13). Do it today. Time is running out.

For PDF of post, click on the link below.

https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-35306783/documents/afcd3014bc7d43b3aa7d11e4b89e264a/Pentecost%20and%20the%20Rapture%20rev%20a.pdf?fbclid=IwAR17pgspJCBAFvTdRtIEZHYtvcWRdqMNLcn__z7RXWGnUAZpvGl2b8yAxsg

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No Escaping Sin

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Freedom in Christ with tags death, guilt, illness, Mosaic Law, sin on May 22, 2022 by paulthepoke

If we are at all honest with ourselves, we have some serious issues. The Mosaic Law has incredible standards. Who are we kidding! In our current state of humanity, we are all guilty. Adam introduced sin to humanity. The result was bodily death.

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

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

Sin is the reason for illness and death. We don’t know when or how we are going to die. But we do know the reason for death, sin. Missing the mark or missing the moral standard is the reason we sweat for crying out loud. Weeds were not supposed to grow. A rose was not intended to have thorns. We were not originally created for hard labor.

So, the next time somebody asks, “Why does God allows bad things to happen? How could a loving God let that horrible thing occur?”

We need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and get really honest. Sin is why bad and evil things happen in the world.

Genesis 3:17-19 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

As individuals, it is not our place to judge others regardless of their actions. Every person on the planet has a lifestyle or mental attitude issue that can be taken to task. There is no sliding scale or grading on the curve when it comes to sin. “Well my sin is not as bad as…” Nonsense, judgment belongs to God.

James 4:12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

We are all in need of sin remission. Every single one of us is a sinner. We all have sin in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

We all (except a group of believers at the rapture) have a set time and date with the grave. It does not matter what our bodies look like. One cannot diet, vitamin, or exercise their way from the Pit. It does not matter if you are rich or poor. One cannot buy their way out of Sheol.

Psalm 89:48 What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.

Psalm 49:14 As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd; and the upright shall rule over them in the morning, and their form shall be for Sheol to consume so that they have no habitation.

Job 26:6 Naked is Sheol before Him, and Abaddon has no covering.

The meaning of Abaddon is “destruction”. Sin is naked awareness before God. In the final analysis, there is no covering of sin apart from the cross work of Christ. God has always made provision for the sin of humanity. Apart from God, sin will be exposed, bare, and raw. Its path leads to destruction.

Proverbs 15:11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of men!

Death is knocking. The open throat and grave of death await.

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

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A Simple Legal Argument

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Freedom in Christ with tags 10 Commandments, death, Fall of Man, Garden of Eden, God, Jesus Christ, Mosaic Law, Moses, sin on May 15, 2022 by paulthepoke

Excerpts taken from The Gospel 33 AD by Paul Lehr.

At the core of the need for the gospel message is a simple legal argument and matter. God made this very clear from the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden. Listen and obey God’s directions. “Eat all you want except for one.” There are consequences. Some consequences are good and some are bad.

Genesis 2:16-17 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

As time progressed, Moses was given the Law for the nation of Israel on Mount Sinai. God communicated His Law to Moses approximately 3,600 years ago. These directions were given to Moses approximately 1,600 years before Christ. In total, there were 613 laws given. This number includes the Ten Commandments. Jews have even broken down the number of negative and positive commands. 365 are negative commands and 248 are positive commands. Read the first five books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) of the Bible for these laws or mitzvoth (Hebrew term).

As far as God is concerned, there is no separation of moral and legal code. Culturally and legally the United States is different. We have a separation of church and state. That is not the intended case with God and His nation Israel.

Well so what if we break God’s Law? What is the big deal? Sin is a big deal to God. It does not matter the offense. If you break the law, the punishment is death. It does not matter if one steals, lies, commits murder or adultery, covets, or whatever. There are no “shades of grey” when it comes to sin. There is not a sliding scale for sin. One sin is not more condemning than another. If you break one, you break them all. That is God’s standard.

James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death…

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law…

The critic often says, “Well, the Ten Commandments are in the Old Testament and we live during the church age in the New Testament. Jesus took care of the Law.”

A message for the critic, the Mosaic Law is still present whether you believe it or not. The issue is whether or not you have Jesus to cover your mess. The Mosaic Law and the Ten Commandments have not gone away. Jesus Himself made this very clear.

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

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

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Preview: God’s Spring Appointed Holidays 5782/2022

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel, Prophecy, Spring Feasts with tags Chag haMatazt, Exodus 12, First Fruits, Jesus Christ, Leviticus 23, Mosaic Law, new moon, Nisan, Passover, Pesach, Reshit Katzir, Sabbath, two witnesses, Unleavened Bread on April 3, 2022 by paulthepoke

There are seven God appointed holidays communicated through the Old Testament Law. The first three spring holidays were fulfilled on the appointed holiday by Jesus Himself. The names of the feasts are: Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits.

In the Hebrew year 5782 or the Gregorian calendar year of 2022, the holidays occur as follows. Passover essentially begins at sunset on Friday, Nisan 14th (Hebrew calendar) or April 15th on a western calendar. The first day of Unleavened Bread is the next day at sunset on Saturday, Nisan 15th or April 16th. Lastly, the feast of First Fruits starts at sunset on Sunday, Nisan 16th or April 17th. The holidays culminate and end at sunset on Saturday, April 23rd. These are the mathematically calculated dates for our 21st century calendars.

According to God’s directions, the new moon has yet to be observed. As of this posting, morning of April 3rd, two witnesses have not seen the sliver of the new moon. It is likely to be seen this evening or the next. Adding to the confusion, it was cloudy and overcast in Jerusalem last evening. Nobody was able to look for the new moon because of cloud cover. At any rate, this will push back the date of the Spring Feasts a couple of days past the dates mentioned above.

As usual, there is not consensus on these dates within various studies of Judaism and Jewish Messianic believers in Yeshua or Jesus Christ. Granted, all of these folks are making good faith efforts to be accurate. Each group has good reason(s) for the dates selected. They are not all idiots. When in doubt, search for the new moon and full moon. Humanity struggles to keep time as God has directed. No one knows the day or the hour…

Creation of Time: The Calendar

The first of God’s holidays is Passover or Pesach in the Hebrew. The holiday begins on the 14^th day of the Hebrew month Nisan (March or April on a Gregorian calendar). There is a play on words in the original Hebrew. A “pesach” is an unblemished lamb which was required for the sacrifice. After the “pesach” was sacrificed, the blood was to be smeared on the wooden posts of the house. When God saw the blood on the door posts, He passed over or “pasach” and the house was spared judgment.

The original directions for the Passover were given to Moses and Aaron in Egypt. The statute and happenings are noted in Exodus 12. God defines the purpose of the holiday to Israel.

Exodus 12:26-27a “And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’”

The second of God’s holidays is Unleavened Bread or Chag haMatazt in the Hebrew. The holiday begins on the 15^th of Nisan and runs for seven days.

The directions of Unleavened Bread are noted in Exodus 12:15-20. The focus of the week is to live a life without leaven, the symbol for sin. Leaven is not to be in the house. Leaven products are not to be consumed. Bread without yeast, matzah, is to be eaten.

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 directions for First Fruits are noted in Leviticus 23:9-14. 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.

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

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Freedom in the Old Testament

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Freedom in Christ, Prophecy with tags creation, cross, Freedom, futility, Isaiah 61, Jesus Christ, Jubilee, Leviticus 25, liberty, Liberty Bell, Mosaic Law, Romans 8, sin, Trinity on January 16, 2022 by paulthepoke

The knowledge of freedom has its beginning in the Mosaic Law in Leviticus 25.

Leviticus 25:10 You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.

The context of the verse quoted is a description of the jubilee year. Release the inhabitants and freedom for all the slaves. Imagine that. Freedom, liberty are expressed in the context of the Old Testament Mosaic Law.

Our foundation as a country in the United States draws its concept of freedom and liberty from Leviticus 25:10. The verse is written on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Abolitionists during the Civil War turned to the Liberty Bell and the verse from Leviticus 25 as a reason to end slavery. Cultures and societies can change when people take God’s word to heart and decide to follow His statutes.

This passage and context in Leviticus 25 are loaded with prophetic implications regarding His second coming. Click on the link below if interested in the prophecy related to the concept of Jubilee.

https://paulthepoke.com/category/jubilee/

See the YouTube video link below for audio/video of this post along with further commentary.

Isaiah 61:1-2 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn…

The concept of freedom is captured by the prophet Isaiah as it is reflected in the Mosaic Law and the Jubilee. All three persons of the Trinity are involved in this communication. The “Me” is the Son. The Spirit is upon Him (the Son). The Father is represented by the title Lord GOD or Adonai Yahweh in the original Hebrew.

Jesus read and spoke these words in the synagogue of His home town Nazareth (Luke 4:16). Jesus is reading from Isaiah 61:1-2a. He reads verse 1 completely.

Jesus then stops reading in the middle of Isaiah 61:2. By reading these words, He was claiming to be the Messiah. In other words, “Here I am!!” Jesus is also arguably proclaiming a Jubilee year. This author would argue the year 30 AD. This event appears to be at the onset of His ministry. We can have lots of debate about the date at another time. This has significant prophetic implications in regards to the timing of His second coming.

Take a look at Isaiah 61:2. To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD (Jesus stops here.) and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn…

The stoppage of reading in the verse has lasted close to 2,000 years. At His first coming, Jesus was a suffering servant who died for our sins. His sacrificial death on the cross freed humanity from the bondage of sin.

Christ did not come in vengeance and judgment the first time, hence the pause. And we wait for the remainder of Isaiah 61:2b-11. It describes the future conditions of the nation Israel under the leadership of the Messiah, Jesus. He returns the second time in wrath to set the stage for an everlasting peace.

It is not only humanity who is freed from the bondage of sin. It also the creation.

Romans 8:19-21 For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

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Jubilee, Part 3, What About Food?

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Jubilee, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags 50, Agriculture, Farming, God, grains, Jubilee, Law, Leviticus 25, Mosaic Law, Moses, Produce, Shemitah on October 31, 2021 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 25:11-12 That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field.

The same agricultural rules apply for the Jubilee year as a Sabbatical or Shemitah year. A Jubilee year is like a Sabbatical or Shemitah year on steroids. By definition, a Jubilee year comes immediately after a Shemitah year (Leviticus 25:8-13).

https://paulthepoke.com/?s=shemitah

For two consecutive years, the land is to rest. There is to be no physical labor or working of the land. Seed is not to be planted. The soil is not to be tilled or turned over. Weeds are left to grow unchecked. Olive trees are not to be trimmed or pruned. Grape vines are left unattended to grow wildly. Whatever grows will grow. The farmers are not to harvest or gather crops that do grow during the Sabbatical year or the Jubilee year. The food that grows is for the farmer, servants, workers, foreigners, and the poor. Of the food that is not eaten by people, the remainder is for the animals.

On the surface, this does not seem very practical. What are we going to eat if we let the land rest for two consecutive years? God says no farming activity for every 49^th and 50^th years. It would be three years before any organized farming and harvest is to take place.

The context of these verses is the discussion of consecutive Sabbath years of rest for the land, a seventh year Sabbath and year of Jubilee following. The question is being asked of God. If we cannot work the fields, how are we expected to eat and survive?

Has God lost His mind? What kind of law is this? Crazy…

Relax, God has taken this into consideration. He has a plan.

Leviticus 25:20-22 ‘But if you say, “What are we going to eat on the seventh year if we do not sow or gather in our crops?” then I will so order My blessing for you in the sixth year that it will bring forth the crop for three years. ‘When you are sowing the eighth year, you can still eat old things from the crop, eating the old until the ninth year when its crop comes in.

God says He will abundantly provide with bumper crops in the year before the land’s Sabbatical rest, three times the usual amount. Three times the production should do it; one for the Shemitah year, one for the Jubilee year, and one for the crop planted when farming is re-initiated until harvested.

A point of the Shemitah and Jubilee is to turn and trust in God. He will provide.

Provision given by God. Prepare and save for the season. He tells you what is coming.

Granted, the Shemitah and Jubilee are part of the Mosaic Law for the Promised Land of God’s chosen people, Israel. But do take these into consideration on a global scale.

Trend Update: Sabbatical/Shemitah Year/Record Harvest, October 2014

Click to access wasde0921.pdf

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Jubilee

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Jubilee, Prophecy with tags Day of Atonement, fifty, God, Israel, Leviticus 25, Liberty Bell, Mosaic Law, Moses, Sabbatical year, seven, Shemitah, shofar, Tishri, Yom Kippur, yovel on October 17, 2021 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 25:8-13 “You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan. That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field. In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property.”

Moses is the author of Leviticus. God relayed the information to Moses. This took place in the desert at the tent of meeting or the tabernacle. God’s chosen people are out of Egypt. They had not entered the Promised Land of Israel. It is mentioned over 50 times in the book of Leviticus. God communicated to Moses.

Leviticus 1:1 Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying…

The Hebrew word for “jubilee” is yovel. Per Strong’s Concordance: It means ram’s horn, trumpet, or cornet. It is also translated jubilee.

Per Scripture, we do know a jubilee year is proclaimed after the seventh Sabbatical or Shemitah year. The sequence calls for back to back years of rest for the land. By definition, the 50^th year is proclaimed after the 49^th (see above verses). The question is knowing the sequence of Sabbatical or Shemitah years. Which Sabbatical/Shemitah year is the first in the sequence?

The jubilee year is to be proclaimed on the Day of Atonement, one of God’s fall appointments. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land.

Determining the next year of jubilee is highly controversial. Some believe a year of jubilee was proclaimed on Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement in the fall of 2015. Others believe it is not possible to determine the next jubilee. Some believe the year cannot be determined until nation Israel is represented by all tribes.

The nation of Israel and religious leaders did not proclaim a year of jubilee in 2015.

Nation Israel has not recognized a jubilee year in 2,000 years plus (God’s Final Jubilee, Dan Goodwin). At this point, only God knows.

A famous American Landmark, the Liberty Bell, was inspired by the Hebrew concept of jubilee. The inscription on the Liberty Bell quotes…

Leviticus 25:10b…proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants…

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There Shall Be Seven Weeks: Monthly Offerings

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels with tags daniel, drink offering, ephah, flour, Gabriel, Gospel, hin, Jesus Christ, Mosaic Law, Nehemiah, new month, New Moons, Numbers 28, Old Testament Sacrificial System, Rosh Chodesh, two witnesses, wine on June 13, 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 Temple worship service. The Sabbath offering was covered last week. Next, Nehemiah reminds the Jewish people of the Monthly Offering or the New Moons.

New Moons is a phrase and a reminder of a new month. How is a new moon or a new month determined on the Hebrew calendar? God operates on a lunar calendar. Jews have utilized the following procedure every month for thousands of years. It is called Rosh Chodesh which means “head of the month”.

At the end of a lunar cycle, the moon is dark and is not seen for 2-3 days. So, the new moon could be identified during this 2-3 day period …of that day or hour no one knows…

By definition, a new moon is proclaimed when the first little sliver emerges from a darkened moon. It is a tiny crescent that is noted briefly at sunset on the western horizon. The month begins at the sighting of the new moon.

Two witnesses have to confirm the sighting. Upon agreement, the two witnesses report to the high priest. When the new moon is confirmed, the trumpet (shofar/ram’s horn) is blown. Why two witnesses? This concept is part of Jewish law. See Deuteronomy 19:15-21.

Two or more witnesses to the new moon are legally establishing as fact per the law.

Every new moon the following sacrifices are to take place.

Numbers 28:11-15 At the beginning of every month, you are to present to the LORD a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished, along with three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each bull, two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with the ram, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each lamb. This is a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.

The elements of animal sacrifice and bread remain from the daily offering to the Sabbath offering to the monthly offering. All animals are unblemished and one year old. More bread is required for larger animals and the amount of flour decreases from the bull (3/10 ephah) to the ram (2/10 ephah) to the lamb (1/10 ephah). An ephah is roughly one bushel or 8 dry gallons or 35 liters or 8 pounds.

The element of fire, symbolic for judgment remains. Grilled meat and baked bread is a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Numbers 28:14 Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine with each bull, a third of a hin with the ram, and a quarter hin with each lamb. This is the monthly burnt offering to be made at each new moon throughout the year.

Wine is required with the sacrifice as well. The bigger the animal, more wine is required. The amount of wine for a bull is 1/2 hin, for the ram 1/3 hin, and for the lamb 1/4 hin. The liquid measurement of a hin is roughly 1.5 U.S. gallons or 5.7 liters.

Numbers 28:15 In addition to the regular burnt offering with its drink offering, one male goat is to be presented to the LORD as a sin offering.

Perfect, spotless animals are sacrificed and burned. Symbolically, judgment has been delivered perpetually. Daily, weekly, and monthly examples are provided as a reminder. Bread and wine are served with these sacrifices. These elements represent perfect sacrifices.

And why are the sacrifices offered? Because of the male goat, a symbol for sin.

Christ is the fulfillment! Got Jesus???

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There Shall Be Seven Weeks: Sabbath Offerings

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels with tags 10 Commandments, Exodus 20, Genesis 2, Jesus Christ, Law, Lord of the Sabbath, Mosaic Law, Moses, Nehemiah 10, Numbers 28, Sabbath, Sabbath Offering on June 6, 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 Temple worship service. The grain offering has been reviewed. Next, Nehemiah reminds the Jewish people of the Sabbath Offering.

Nehemiah 10:33b …the Sabbaths…

The concept of the Sabbath has its roots in the creation week. The Sabbath is “barak” in the Hebrew or blessed. This day is set apart and clean. Even God rested. He set the precedent. He was not tired. God blessed the seventh day.

Genesis 2:2-3 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

The Sabbath offering is a bit different than the daily offering.

In both cases, two male lambs without blemish are sacrificed.

What is different is the amount of flour. The daily offering has 1/10 of an ephah. The Sabbath offering has 2/10 of an ephah. As a reminder, an ephah is roughly one bushel or 8 dry gallons or 35 liters or 8 pounds. Multiply x .2. We are looking at 1.6 gallons or pounds or 7 liters of flour.

There is a progression of the amount of flour from the daily offering to the Sabbath offering to the monthly offering. The daily offering has 1/10 of an ephah. The Sabbath offering has 2/10. And the monthly offering has multiple recipes pending the sacrifice being offered. In the case of the monthly offering, more fine flour is offered.

The fine flour is mixed with an amount of oil that is not defined.

There is also an undefined amount of wine as well.

The text is clear with a reminder. The daily offering is different than the Sabbath offering.

Numbers 28:9-10 On the Sabbath day, two male lambs a year old without blemish, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, and its drink offering: this is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

The Sabbath is unique in that it was created and written before the law. Its foundation is in the creation week. The Sabbath was instituted before the Mosaic Law. If anything the Sabbath law in the 10 Commandments is a reminder.

Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Fast forward roughly 1,440 years from Moses receiving the law on Mount Sinai to Jesus. The context of the discussion is a wheat field with the disciples and the religious leaders on the Sabbath.

Mark 2:27-28 And He (Jesus) said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”