Shabbat Sabbath
May27, 2023
Taking Back Our Holy Days: Remember The Sabbath Day
God completed—on the seventh day—His work that He made, and He ceased—on the seventh day—from all His work that He made. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He ceased from all His work that God created for the purpose of preparing.
••• Genesis 2:2-3 (TLV) •••
Of all the things that Christians squabble over today, the Sabbath Day seems to be among the most foolish. I mean, think about it, at its core the Sabbath Day is a day of rest from our labor. Yet, because of views that stem from anti-Semitism (which I will discuss briefly further down in this message), many today have concluded that it is some type of burden and bondage to actually keep the Sabbath as Scripture instructs.
As many are already well aware Torah means “instruction”, and so when we bring up following Torah we are not talking about being in bondage as a slave to a dictator-type god who seeks to usurp his authority over us, but that we serve Abba Elohim, a loving Father God, who, like any loving parent, gives instructions that are meant for our benefit, blessing, and protection.
In addition to Yahweh being our Father, He is also our Creator. As such, He happens to know a whole lot more about the design of our human body, the design of created life, and the balance at which life best thrives in harmony than we do. We would do good to stop and think about these points before we write off instructions we don’t understand or blindly follow Christian religious traditions that hold a view which claims some things have been made obsolete without any actual Scriptural basis for such claims.
BIBLE TEACHINGS
Proving that Yeshua also came from the Zadokite high priest family of Aaron!
Proving that Yeshua also came from the Zadokite high priest family of Aaron!
by Richard Aaron Honorof
Today, May 20th, 2023, only half of Yeshua’s full earthly identity is being taught in the world’s Messianic and Church Body. What do I mean by that? The Messianic and the world Church Body only teaches about the virgin Miriam’s father’s side of Miriam’s family.
But the virgin Miriam had a father and a mother. We know that Miriam’s father was from king David’s family. And Miriam’s mother was from another family from the 12 tribes of Israel, which is not being taught today! What family was the virgin Miriam’s mother from? Did God tell us the answer in His Word? Yes, God actually told us in many places in the Scriptures which family Miriam’s mother was from. Why is this not being taught today? And is this important?
Yes, everything about God’s only begotten Son Yeshua is extremely important, but especially this Truth about Yeshua coming from Miriam’s mother’s family!
Yeshua and the Holy Spirit first began showing and teaching me this great mystery about Yeshua’s secret identity in 1993, over 30 years ago. Also, the Holy Spirit finally had me first publicly teach this great mystery about Yeshua in 2011. Since then, I have taught this mystery many times to many different Messianic Congregations and small groups. But this great mystery about Yeshua born from the Zadokite high priest family of Aaron is still basically unknown and untaught to most believers.
I have written many books and articles on this subject which are all on my website, free for anyone to download and read and study.
To best see and understand this mystery, let’s go back before Creation began …
Before Creation began, God’s Son the Eternal King and High Priest of Heaven knew that He would one day come to earth through the virgin, and be the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God who wound be slain from before the foundation of the world for the sins of humanity. (Revelation 13:8) He knew that He would need a physical Body (Hebrews 10:5, from Psalm 40:6 in the Septuagint) originally coming from the Seed from Eve. (Genesis 3:15) And also that Righteous Seed from Eve would then have to travel for over 2000 years, beginning from the time of Eve, to finally come into a young Jewish virgin named Miriam from Nazareth, which had also been prophesied in Isaiah 7:13, 14.
As the Eternal King of Heaven (Isaiah 44:6; Psalm 24:10; Malachi 1:14; etc…), Yeshua, through Miriam’s father would have perfectly fulfilled the family line of kings from king David at His birth.
And as the Eternal High Priest of Heaven, Melchi Zedek (My King of Righteousness) from Psalm 110:1, 4, [Father God והוה speaking to His Son לאדני, saying, “You are a Priest forever by My Word, Melchi Zedek!”], Yeshua coming from Miriam’s mother’s family would also have perfectly fulfilled the family line of the Zadokite (righteous) high priests of Aaron at His birth.
The heavenly Man who appeared to Abram in Genesis 14:18-20 with three divine titles, Melchi Zedek, Priest of God Most High, and King of Salem had blessed Abram and Abram’s Seed, directing the path of Abram’s Seed to travel through the family line of kings from David and also the family line of Aaronic high priests from Zadok.
The amazing Truth about Yeshua also born from the Zadokite high priest family of Aaron is not being taught today, and yet it is found in over 22 places in Scripture, which the Holy Spirit has shown me from both the Old and New Covenant Scriptures.
However, it is important that I state from the very beginning that Yeshua was never an Aaronic priest simply because He had no biological earthly father; but that Yeshua is always from the two families of His virgin mother Miriam, from her father’s family and from her mother’s family.
So, let’s begin …
Why does God open the whole New Covenant chronologically with the Aaronic Priesthood? This appears in the very first words and in the very first scene in the book of Luke.
What does the Aaronic priesthood have to do with our Lord Yeshua? Everything, as you will soon learn!
When the angel Gabriel told Miriam about her yet unconceived and unborn Son, Gabriel began by telling Miriam that her Child would be the Son of the Highest, and that He would reign on the throne of His father David over the house of Israel forever! That He would be the Son of God. (Luke 1:32-35) The angel Gabriel then continued and told Miriam about her relative (in Hebrew ‘karov,’ or close relative) Elisheva from Aaron, who was then six months pregnant. (Luke 1:36)
Yes, the angel Gabriel had told Miriam about her Child Yeshua’s inheritance from both of Miriam’s two parents’ families, from king David’s family and also from one of the Aaronic priest families.
But what specific family of Aaron were both Elisheva and her husband priest Zechariah, and also Miriam from?
God had told us in Luke 1:5, 6, that priest Zechariah and his wife Elisheva were both from the family of Aaron that was righteous before God walking in all the covenants and ordinances of God blameless.
That was God’s way of both telling us the answer and also hiding this mystery from mankind for the last 2000 years.
Listen to priest Zechariah’s own words in Luke 1:75, also revealing this Truth about his own mystery Aaronic priest family at the circumcision of his eight-day old baby son Yochanan.
Luke 1:71-75 “71 That we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72 to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His Holy Covenant, 73 the oath which He swore to our father Abraham, 74 to grant us that we, being delivered from the hands of our enemies, might serve Him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.”
Notice that again we see these same words, righteous before God, the words that were used by God in Luke 1:6, confirming this truth about Zechariah and Elisheva being from the Zadokite high priest family.
But how do we know that this is what those words really meant? To see this answer, we need to first go back and look into Jewish history of what had happened prior to the Aaronic priesthood, to fully understand.
Then these statements in Luke 1:6 and in Luke 1:75, and also what followed in the next scenes in Luke 1, both to priest Zechariah and then later to Miriam, will not only make absolutely perfect sense, but also reveal to us that both Elisheva and her husband Zechariah and Miriam were all from this Zadokite high priest family of Aaron.
In Jeremiah 31:31-34, God had announced to all of Israel that He would be making a New Covenant with both the house of Israel and the house of Judah. And He had also told us why. Because Israel had broken their Covenant with God made at Mount Sinai. That meant that the Aaronic priesthood had broken God’s Mosaic Covenant.
So now a New Covenant and also a new priesthood would be needed.
God had then announced through His next prophet Ezekiel about the coming change in the Aaronic priesthood. In Ezekiel 40 – 48, God made major changes to the whole Aaronic priesthood structure. For God told all of the Aaronic priest families to leave His presence forever, except for only one high priest family from Aaron, the family of the sons of high priest Zadok.
Only the sons from the family of high priest Zadok were allowed to come into God’s Presence and also, they were allowed to be with the Temple holy things, and also to do animal blood sacrifices to God which God would recognize and honor.
This Truth in the Scriptures about the sons of Zadok, versus all the other Aaronic priest families is rarely taught today, and yet is so important to thoroughly read, for it shows us much more fully with so much greater understand this Great Mystery concerning our Messiah and Savior and Lord Yeshua, which God has kept totally hidden from believers in Yeshua and from the whole world for 1000’s of years, and which God is only now revealing from His Word for this last generation, just before Yeshua returns.
These Truths about the sons of Zadok is found in six different Scriptures in the book of Ezekiel, from chapter 40 – 48. Ezekiel 40:26; Ezekiel 42:13; Ezekiel 43:18, 19; Ezekiel 44:15, 16; Ezekiel 45:4; and Ezekiel 48:10, 11.
Let’s read the most important one …
Ezekiel 44:10-12 “10 And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. 11 Yet they shall be ministers in My Sanctuary, as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them. 12 Because they ministered to them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have raised My hand in an oath against them, says the Lord GOD, that they shall bear their iniquity.”
Ezekiel 44:13-14 “13 And they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as a priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place (the High Priest); but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. 14 Nevertheless I will make them keep charge of the Temple, for all its work, and for all that has to be done in it.”
Ezekiel 44:15-16 “15 But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My Sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord GOD. 16 They shall enter My Sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.”
Having just read this major event in Jewish history which happened regarding the changes God had made in the Aaronic priesthood, which preceded the New Covenant, let’s look again now with a much greater understanding at what God said in Luke 1:5, 6, and Luke 1:75, and also what God did in the very first scene of the whole New Covenant Scriptures, in Luke 1:8-20.
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to priest Zechariah as he was ministering to God in the Jerusalem Temple, speaking to him these words, in Luke 1:19, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.”
No Aaronic priest was ever allowed again to come into the presence of God except for only the sons of Zadok. What the angel Gabriel said meant that priest Zechariah was absolutely a son from the Zadokite high priest family, the only Aaronic priest family that was allowed to come before God into His presence. Ezekiel 44:15, 16; Ezekiel 43:18, 19.
But also look at where Zechariah was ministering when the angel Gabriel spoke to him. He was at the Altar of Incense. What does that mean?
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to speak to the Aaronic priest Zechariah while he was ministering at the Aaronic high priest position of the Altar of Incense. (Luke 1:8-11)
When the angel Gabriel was sent by God to meet Zechariah specifically while he was ministering before God at the Altar of Incense, this showed us that Aaronic priest Zechariah had to be God’s true mystery Zadokite high priest from Aaron!
How do we know that?
Exodus 30:7-8, tells us that the Altar of Incense in the Holy Place in the Jerusalem Temple was the position given by God to high priest Aaron, (and also to Aaron’s future generations of sons) who would serve God as God’s Aaronic high priest at the position of the Altar of Incense.
Exodus 30:1, 7-8 “1 You shall make an altar to burn incense on; 7 Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. 8 And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.” The Altar of Incense was the position designated by God for the real Aaronic high priest.
Thus when the angel Gabriel was sent to speak with this Aaronic priest Zechariah, meant that he was also the real mystery Zadokite high priest of Israel, the one who was in the highest order of true spiritual authority from God in all of Israel.
Therefore, then priest Zechariah’s future yet unconceived and unborn son Yochanan would also be the next mystery Zadokite high priest of Israel.
For 165 years prior the Zadokite high priest and the whole Zadokite high priest family had been kicked out of the Jerusalem Temple by the Maccabee’s Aaronic priest family, who had taken over the Jerusalem Temple as the high priests. This is found in Jewish history.
Then the Zadokite high priest family had gone underground, perhaps out to the Kumran area by the Dead Sea, as many scholars have believed.
Also, all the Jerusalem Temple priesthood animal sacrifices were corrupted from 165 B.C., from the days when the Maccabees took over the Jerusalem Temple as an Aaronic priest family, all in violation to the Word of God regarding ministering before God, whose assignment had been given by God only to the Zadokite high priest family. Ezekiel 43:18, 19 and Ezekiel 44:11-14, 15-16.
Yes, Zechariah’s high priest family had also included young Miriam, their ‘karov,’ or close relative. As she also was from the family of king David through her father’s family. Zechariah mentioned this that day on his son’s circumcision, speaking about this in Luke 1:69.
2000 years ago, this mystery about Yeshua also being from the Zadokite high priest family could never have been revealed. If this mystery had been known that the promised Messiah would also be coming from the family of the Aaronic priests, and specifically from the Zadokite high priest family, then king Herod, who hearing that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, had all the baby boys murdered from two years old and under, he might also have had all the Aaronic priest baby boys murdered in Israel.
There also might never have been an Aaronic priest named Zechariah and wife Elisheva, and definitely no miracle baby son named Yochanan. And perhaps also no baby Son Yeshua, Emmanu El (God with us), born from the virgin in Bethlehem.
In any case this mystery was kept as Zechariah’s and Elisheva’s and Miriam’s, and Yeshua’s family secret 2000 years ago.
King Herod had appointed his own two phony Aaronic high priests, Annas and Caiaphas, who were definitely not from this Zadokite high priest family. And then the Word of God came to Yochanan, priest Zechariah’s son out in the desert. Luke 3:2
Thirty years later after Yochanan’s birth, around the time of the Fall Feasts, Yeshua came to Yochanan the prophet, out at the Jordan River, in order to begin His earthly ministry through baptism (mikveh), to be witnessed by his cousin, the mystery Zadokite high priest of Israel, the one in the highest order of true spiritual authority from God in all of Israel.
Matthew 3:13-17 “13 Then Yeshua came from Galilee to Yochanan at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And Yochanan tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” 15 But Yeshua answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Yeshua came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from Heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.””
Yochanan who had been ministering out at the hot Jordan River for about six months, had just asked Yeshua to baptize him.
Yochanan, the mystery true Zadokite (righteous) high priest of Israel had asked his cousin Yeshua, the King and High Priest of Heaven, the head of the Melchi Zedek (My King of Righteousness) Priesthood of Heaven to baptize him.
Then Yochanan submitted to his cousin Yeshua’s request, and he watched as the Holy Spirit ascended upon Yeshua. And then God spoke from Heaven, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
What also may have happened to the whole Aaronic priesthood that day out there at the Jordan River? For God had said in eight different places that the Aaronic priesthood would someday become forever?
The answer to this and many more biblical mysteries are found in my newest book on my website, called, ‘The Greatest Mystery of all Bible Mysteries is King Priest Yeshua’s secret identity, coming from the two families of virgin Miriam, king David’s family through Miriam’s father, and the Zadokite high priest family through Miriam’s mother!’
This 64-page book contains 22 Scripture proofs about this subject that Yeshua was also born from the Zadokite high priest family. It is also free to read and download from my website.
The greatest keys in the Old Testament which also prove that Yeshua was born from this Zadokite family are found in the five places where the Branch, or ‘Tzemach’ are found in the Scriptures. Two of those five places show that the Branch (Tzemach) would be coming to earth through king David’s family. (Jeremiah 23:5, 6; and Jeremiah 33:17) And three of those five places show that the Branch (Tzemach) would be coming to earth through the family of the Zadokite high priests. (Jeremiah 33:18; Zechariah 3:1-9; and Zechariah 6:11, 12)
But to me one of the greatest proofs that Yeshua is also from the high priest family of Zadok happened when Yeshua went to Heaven.
When Yeshua died for us and for all of our sins, He also took His Blood to Heaven, and placed it on the Mercy Seat in Heaven. This ratified the New and Eternal Covenant of God with mankind. Hebrews 9:12
Then the Holy Spirit could be sent to earth, as Yeshua had promised to His disciples, to come and live inside every believer, in their Spirit, so they would no longer be orphans, but ‘born again’ believers, as New Creations and part of ‘the One New Man’ on earth.
Hebrews 9:12-14 “12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own Blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,
14 how much more shall the Blood of Messiah, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Yeshua then sat down at the right hand of His Father in Heaven. Only then could His Father send the Holy Spirit to be poured out on those first 120 disciples. Then they all became ‘born again’ believers by God’s Holy Spirit in that Upper Room in Jerusalem, as God’s first New Creations in the One New Man in Yeshua, on that Feast Day of Shavuot. For the outpouring of the Holy Spirit had then launched the New Covenant.
Daniel 7:13-14 “13 I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of Heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him (Yeshua) was given Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His Dominion is an Everlasting Dominion, which shall not pass away. And His Kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.”
For Yeshua, as the Son of Man coming from the two families of His mother Miriam had come into Heaven and into the presence of God, His own Father.
God specifically told us in Ezekiel 44:15, that only priests who are also sons from the Zadokite high priest family could come into the presence of God.
So here we see Yeshua, Himself coming into the presence of God, His own Father in Heaven. Therefore, this again is the greatest proof that Yeshua had to be a son from the Zadokite high priest family.
Ezekiel 44:15-16 “15 But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My Sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord GOD. 16 They shall enter My Sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to minister to Me.”
Revelation 5:2-7, 9-13 “2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” 6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb (coming from the high priest family of Zadok of Aaron) as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are Worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals. For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your Blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Proving that Yeshua also came from the Zadokite high priest family of Aaron!
by Richard Aaron Honorof
May 20th, 2023
John 17:3 “And this is Eternal Life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Yeshua the Messiah whom You have sent.”
Yeshua said in John 12:32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to Myself!”
A Salvation Prayer
Salvation and Eternal Life are free gifts from God! But you must ask God for them just by accepting God’s Son Yeshua as your Lord and Savior. He paid the ultimate price, by dying in your place on the Cross for all of your sins, and by taking all of your sins upon Himself.
Whether you are one of the most religious Orthodox Jewish persons or simply a Jew who has never believed in the God of Israel, if you do not personally know Yeshua, the King and High Priest of Heaven, your Creator, as your own personal Savior then say the following prayer, meaning it with all of your heart. And you will be able to know Him and you will be saved, and also when you die, you can be assured that you will be going to Heaven. And you will experience the Love of God from Yeshua, the God of Love!
Dear Lord Yeshua, I ask You to be my Lord and Savior, my Messiah! I confess that I am a sinner, and that I have broken Your commandments and Your laws. That I need you as my Savior. I repent for all of my sins. Please forgive me of all my sins, and come and live in my heart. Fill me with Your love, and Your forgiveness, and with Your wonderful Holy Spirit! Amen.
I bless all those who curse me!
Please send this special teaching out to many of your family and friends to read.
I have written many other books and articles over the years which are all free to download from my website.
My most important book is called, ‘Yeshua, my King of Righteousness, Heaven’s King and Great High Priest,’ which proves that Yeshua was born from two families of the virgin, king David’s family through Miriam’s father, and the family of Zadokite high priests of Aaron through Miriam’s mother.
Also, the full Truth about Yeshua’s Eternal Blood sacrifice is not being taught today. Father God totally honored Yeshua’s Blood Sacrifice because Yeshua as the Son of Man was from the family of king David through Miriam’s father and also from the (then unknown) family of Miriam’s mother.
Yeshua was born the fulfillment of the Zadokite high priest family of Aaron through Miriam’s mother!
However, Yeshua was never an Aaronic priest simply because He had no biological earthly father; but Yeshua is always from the two families of His virgin mother Miriam.
Check out this book on my website:
If you have never received any bible teachings from me, you can do so on my website, or you can simply go to the website link below, and click on where it says: Sign-up for Prophetic Newsletters
Richard Aaron Honorof
Feed My Sheep Jerusalem
Email: richfms@netvision.net.il
You Tube Channel:
King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Painting courtesy of my artist friend
Ron DiCianni
Y’Shua is YHVH
When people realize that the Tanakh is still completely valid in our lives today, they very often start to struggle with the concept of “YHVH echad” as recorded in the Shema.
The direct interpretation of this verse gives them the impression that YHVH can only exist in one form, for He is one. There can be no other form otherwise this would imply two Elohim. Nobody that we have come across has this issue with the Rauch. All people seem to accept the Ruach as being a part of YHVH, but the concept of a physical manifestation of YHVH is often questioned. This is of course also fueled by the Jewish anti-missionaries we likes to spread the message that believing in Y’Shua is a form of polytheism (believe in multiple gods) that was influenced by the Greek beliefs.
Possessing the gates of your enemy
You may wonder what is meant by the title of this article. To possess the gates of your enemy, in ancient times, meant to have control over your enemy. It does, however, also have a spiritual meaning. If so, what are these gates and who is our enemy? These gates we are referring to are spiritual gateways and our enemy is
Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
This scripture is about spiritual warfare, a war we signed up for when we became believers. The purpose of this article is to show you, firstly what these gates are and secondly, how you too can possess the gates of your enemy in order to curb the destruction that
Modesty
If you hear the word modesty a certain image may arise in your mind of a woman dressed in conservative clothing. Is this really what modesty is about? Is it only about clothing and is it only women that should be concerned with this?
A primary reason why modesty is not a popular topic amongst believers is that most people feel they have the right to dress the way they want to. The general perception is that modesty is boring and narrow- minded and is associated with ultra-conservative, old-fashioned prudes. The worldly and popular fashion trends confirm this idea to many.
Is this true? Is modesty only about what we wear? These are all questions we need to answer if we want to understand what Biblical modesty is.
Let’s start off with a general definition of modesty:
Definition of modesty
1: the quality of not being too proud or confident about yourself or your abilities
· She accepted the award with modesty.
Paths of Old – Ancient Paths
Jeremiah 6:16; 18:15; Acts 15:21
“Thus said יהוה (Yahweh), “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and find rest for yourselves….” (Jeremiah 6:16)
“But My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to what is false, and they have stumbled from their ways, from the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths and not on a highway.” (Jeremiah 18:15)
Regular public reading of the Torah was introduced by Ezra the Scribe after the return of the Jewish people from their Babylonian captivity (c. 537 BCE), as described in the Book of Nehemiah 8. In the modern era, adherents of Orthodox Judaism practice Torah reading according to a set procedure they believe has remained unchanged in the two thousand years since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (70 CE).
“For from ancient generations Mosheh has, in every city, those proclaiming him – being read in the congregations every Sabbath.” (Acts 15:21)
Bible readings for May 27, 2023. In the 5th solar month of the Hebrew 3rd month of Sivan (May/June).
Bamidbar
בְּמִדְבַּר
In the wilderness
Torah
- Numbers 1:1—4:20
Haftarah
- Hosea 1:10—2:20 (Tanach: Hosea 2:1-22)
Brit Chadashah
- Luke 2:1-52; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
If you are interested in downloading the annual Torah reading schedule with projected new moon sightings, Feast Days, click HERE.
Three Year Bible Reading Schedule
Genesis to Revelation
Exodus 9:1-35 | 1 Samuel 30:1—31:13 | Psalm 61:1—62:12 | Isaiah 65:1-25 | Luke 6:1-49
If you are interested in downloading the complete 3 year Bible reading schedule, click HERE. You can break up your Bible reading into 5 days of your choosing or combine the above readings of your choice.
YHWH’s Feast of Shavuot/Pentecost
Tomorrow, May 28, 2023, we celebrate one of YHWH’s Feast known as Shavuot which is also known as Pentecost. We find our instructions for the Feast of Shavuot in Leviticus Chapter 23:
“15 ‘You shall count from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf (tied bundle of grain) of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths (seven full weeks). 16 You shall count fifty [This is the origin of the name “Pentecost,” Greek for “fiftieth.”] days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 You shall bring in from your places two loaves of bread as a wave offering, made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall offer with the bread seven unblemished lambs, one year old, and one young bull and two rams. They are to be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings. It is an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord. 19 And you shall sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering and two male lambs, one year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 The priest shall wave them before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the first fruits and the two lambs. They are to be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 On this same day you shall make a proclamation, you are to have a holy convocation (calling together); you shall not do any laborious work [on that day]. It is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you may be.
22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the edges of your field, nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.’” (Leviticus 23:15-22, Amplified (AMP) Bible)
Below, you will find an article based on the book, Israel’s Feasts and Their Fullness by Batya Ruth Wootten. For those interested in downloading this teaching, click HERE.
Shavuot and Its Hidden Meaning
The following article is based on the book, Israel’s Feasts and Their Fullness by Batya Ruth Wootten.
We will soon celebrate the Feast of Weeks, the first fruits of the wheat harvest. This feast is also called the Feast of the Ingathering, Shavu’ot, and Pentecost (Exodus 34:22; Numbers 28:26; Deuteronomy 16:10, 16; Leviticus 23:15-20). However, we suggest that an important, enlightening and encouraging Scriptural truth is missing from most Shavuot celebrations…
For Believers, the forty-nine days between Pesach/Passover and Shavuot mark the time between the Festival of our Physical Redemption (Passover) and the Festival of our Spiritual Empowerment (Shavuot). In Jewish tradition, the countdown from the Wave Sheaf to Shavuot is called Sefirat HaOmer, the counting of the omer. Most Jews associate Shavuot with the giving of the Book of the Torah. However, in her book, In the Jewish Tradition, Judith Fellner explains that the rabbis developed this idea after the Diaspora, because the Omer count was being forgotten. So, they attached one of Israel’s great historical events to Shavuot. By the third century, it became known as “The time of the giving of the Torah,” and it depicted the idea of the marriage covenant between Israel and the Almighty. It came to signify the idea of Israel entering into “Covenant” and saying “I do” to the Holy One, even as she said “I do” at Mt. Sinai. And yet, among the Jewish people, Shavuot continues to be the least observed of the major feasts.
Ancient writings tell us this feast was celebrated by bringing first fruits of the seven species (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates) to the Temple. This vivid ceremony, described in elaborate detail in the Mishnah, marked the beginning of a new agricultural season (See, In the Jewish Tradition, A Year of Food and Festivities, Judith Fellner, “Shavuot,” Jonathan David Publishers, Middle Village, NY, 1995, pages 101-108).
Thus, some believe that Shavuot began with the giving of the Law/Torah and was further fulfilled with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Some 2,000 years ago, Israelites gathered in Jerusalem on a Shavuot day and they were empowered by the Ruach. As promised, fifty days after His Resurrection, Yeshua sent the Comforter, and His followers experienced the first New Covenant Shavuot. Yeshua began to reap a harvest in His New Covenant ekklesia [Called Out Ones]. Today, we too, can receive the Holy Spirit – Who will write His Torah wisdom on our hearts and empower us to walk in His Truths if we will ask Him (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7; Jeremiah 31:31-33; 1 Corinthians 14:2). We need this empowerment so that we can clearly hear the Father’s voice as He whispers in our ear, “This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isaiah 30:21).
Shavuot and Jubilee
In Israel every fiftieth year is a Jubilee year. Because Shavuot comes on the “fiftieth” day, it is thought to be a mini-Jubilee. In Hebrew, fifty represents liberty, freedom, and deliverance. Jubilee is a time when slaves were set free and debts were cancelled at the sound of the shofar (Leviticus 25:8-17). We too, need to be liberated from the sins that enslave us.
Basically, the Feasts of Weeks (Shavuot) is a yearly reminder of the Jubilee, which links three of the Feast of YHWH being Passover, Unleavened Bread and Shavuot together. Shavuot occurs at the end of the grain harvest while the 50-year Jubilee cycle culminates at the end of the Fall harvest.
When the Law/Torah was given to ancient Israel, it testified against the immorality of their flesh, and “about three thousand men fell that day” (Exodus 32:28; 1 Corinthians 10:8). When the Holy Spirit was given, an empowered Apostle Peter began to preach, and “and that day there were added about three thousand souls” (Acts 1:8; 2:38, 41; 3:12-26; 4:33). Even so, the wheat sheaves of Shavuot foretell the promised resurrection of those who put their faith in Messiah Yeshua (Matthew 13:39; Mark 4:26; Luke 10:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 14:14-16).
Embracing the wisdom of Torah is essential to our well-being. Being empowered by the Ruach (Holy Spirit) to be able to walk in those truths is likewise essential to our well-being. However, there is another important aspect to Shavuot that we need to embrace in this hour. Restoration of the Kingdom to Israel is likewise essential to our well-being, and enlarging our understanding of Shavuot will help us to better arrive at that glorious end-time goal (Isaiah 49:8; Acts 1:6).
Shavuot in Scripture
Scripture reveals that Shavuot was established as an agricultural feast that was related to the wheat harvest. On this day a unique sacrifice was offered: The priests waved two leavened loaves of bread made from the finest of the newly harvested wheat flours. These loaves were then presented to the Holy One, but, they could not be placed on the altar, because YHVH declared that, “No grain offering, which you bring to the LORD, shall be made with leaven, for you shall not offer up in smoke any leaven or any honey as an offering by fire to the LORD” (Leviticus 2:11).
These two leavened loaves could be “waved” before YHVH, but they could not be “offered up in smoke” on His altar: “As an offering of first fruits you shall bring them to the LORD, but they shall not ascend for a soothing aroma on the altar” (Leviticus 2:12). Moreover, Israel could not eat bread from the new wheat harvest until after this wave ceremony was completed. Two lambs were also offered at this time, and the feast was traditionally concluded with communal meals to which the poor, and the stranger were invited.
We suggest that understanding of this feast has largely been lost, and that the two leavened loaves depict “both the houses of Israel” (Isaiah 8:14). Of all the bread offerings, only the two wave loaves of Shavuot were baked with leaven. Leaven symbolizes sin, and there are two houses of Israel – both of which have stumbled over the One who would be a “Sanctuary” to them.
Both houses have fallen short, and will continue to fall short as long as they are divided and antagonistic toward each other (Isaiah 8:14; John 2:22; Romans 11:25). Both Ephraim and Judah are plagued by leaven, meaning, they are puffed up with error. As they stand, neither house is fit to be “offered” on YHVH’s altar. Singularly, neither house can be a “soothing aroma” to the Holy One. Something is missing. And, something is present that keeps them from being fully acceptable to Him. To be an acceptable offering, bread must be unleavened. So it is that both houses fall short of the glory of GOD. The sins found in their houses are like a stench in His nostrils and it prevents them from being fully acceptable to Him (Isaiah 65:5). Both are missing the quality of sinlessness. That quality is found only in Messiah. He is the Unleavened Bread of Pesach (Passover), and in Him, both houses can be made whole, sinless.
And yet, we note that even in their leavened state, both loaves are nourishing “bread,” which depicts and ability to “feed people.” Both houses of Israel offer some sustaining words of life to the children of Israel. Neither house is perfect, so we should partake of that which is nourishing from each house, and ask the Father to help us move on, to the Fall Feasts, and to that perfect place of sinlessness, wherein we will be able to Tabernacle with Him forever.
Again, both loaves were acceptable to the Almighty in that they could be “waved” before Him, but in themselves, they were not fit to be a sacrifice. This shows us that, if our GOD can look upon these leavened houses with mercy, and ever seek to draw both of them to Himself, we should seek to do no less. We should have proper regard for both the houses of Israel. We also see that both loaves could be in Yah’s Holy Presence, and yet not be consumed. So it is that Judah and Ephraim are imperfect, and yet they are not utterly consumed by the Holy One. He sees their defects, yet He loves them and longs for them.
Shavuot featured a “new grain offering” (Leviticus 23:15-16, 21), but Israel could not partake of their new wheat harvest until after the leavened wave offering of Shavuot was fulfilled. Similarly, we will not be able to fully partake of the Bread of Life until, like Him, we desire the full restoration of both houses. Yeshua preached the “Gospel of the Kingdom,” which included the restoration of King David’s divided kingdom/house/tent. Yeshua declared that a house or kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. We therefore, need to work toward Israel’s reunion. Then, and only then, will her kingdom be fully restored. Then and only then, will we see and partake of the fullness of Israel’s coming harvest. We will experience this only when we begin to properly honor both of Israel’s houses. Then, we will fully taste of the loaves of Shavuot and be prepared to move forward.
Two lambs were offered at Shavuot, and the feast was traditionally concluded with communal meals to which the stranger was invited. This tells us that Israel’s Kingdom restoration will include all who belong to Messiah’s “one flock,” all who sojourn with either house, be it with Judah or Joseph/Ephraim (Ezekiel 37:16-22; John 10:16).
Finally, we read that, “On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well…It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations” (Leviticus 23:21). Making a proclamation, a qara [Strong’s #H7121], is a perpetual command for Shavuot. We are to proclaim, mention, publish, and preach the truth about this appointed time.
But exactly what do we need to proclaim in this hour?
Just as the twelve unleavened loaves of “show bread” found in the Tabernacle represented the twelve tribes of Israel, so the two leavened loaves of Shavuot represent both houses of Israel – Ephraim and Judah. The Father told Moses, “You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.” (Exodus 25:30) We need to declare the truth that, the twelve unleavened loaves of the Bread of the Presence spoke of the unity of the twelve tribes of Israel, and two leavened loaves speak of the current division in the two houses of Israel.
Our division is the stench that keeps us from being acceptable in the sight of our GOD, and it keeps us from our much desired end-time harvest. We need to cry out about this matter. We need to repent if we are guilty, and we need to remind our brethren to repent and to forgive one another.
How can we be cleansed of this condition?
In Romans 11:16, we read: “If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.” With the Spring feasts, the first piece of dough mentioned is that of Unleavened Bread, which represents Messiah Yeshua. He is the “holy” dough. The second lump of dough mentioned is, the two leavened loaves of Shavuot. We are part of that latter “lump.” We are made holy only when we abide in our Messiah. He is the Bread of Life that came down from heaven. He is the Living Word of Life. He said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; John 1:14; 6:48-51; 1 John 1:1; 1 Peter 1:23). He can transform us by His Spirit.
His Word, from Genesis to Revelation, is like bread to us. The two loaves of Shavuot represent the two-covenant people who have charge over “Two Books of the Covenant.” Judah has had charge of the Old (First) Covenant, Torah, and they tend to eat only of that covenant loaf. Ephraim, or Israel, has had charge of the New Covenant, the covenant of the heart (Jeremiah 31:31-33), and they tend to eat only of that covenant loaf. The Father has used these two houses to maintain these Books of the Covenant. However, what He really wants is to have “one loaf,” He wants to have “One Book of Covenants.”
Although the overseers of these two Covenants have made mistakes in the way they have presented His truths, nonetheless, the two leavened loaves continue to be YHVH’s prescribed wave offering and neither should be unfairly disrespected.
Each feast of Israel is called a Kodesh Miqrah, a Holy Rehearsal. The feasts are anointed rehearsals for a Divine Play that tells of our salvation. Each feast reminds us of coming stages in our salvation walk, and Shavuot is one of our stops along the way. However, we want to make it all the way, we want to make it to the end of the play, to the Eighth and Great Day of Tabernacles. And, to get there, we need to help fulfill the feast of Shavuot.
Shavuot is a day that tells of our Father’s patient endurance, love, and high hopes for both the houses of Israel. Let us therefore do as we are told and make a Shavuot Proclamation about this truth. Let us wave two leavened loaves before Him and declare to the world the truth about Israel’s coming full restoration!
HalleluYAH! Let us celebrate Shavuot!
Batya
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The truth about such a quandary can be a bit convoluted, because it is two-fold. First of all, allow us to say that we don’t believe that the vaccine developed to protect recipients from the coronavirus is that. The COVID-19 inoculation is still emergent and under trial status as we write this, and for that reason we are personally wary of it. However, setting that aside for a moment, let’s explore the theological angle of this situation.
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Studies abound that reveal surprising results regarding the behavioral patterns of various groups. However, they seem to render deviant patterns a great percentage of the time, especially when individuals are clustered into groups or given authority. We will discuss two of the most relevant and revealing findings here.
First, in the 1960s, Yale University’s Stanley Milgram conducted a study of unconditional obedience to authority. The following from Unlocking Eden: Revolutionize Your Health, Maximize Your Immunity, Restore Your Vitality explains how it worked:
The experiment worked like this: Volunteers were assigned the role of “teachers,” and believed the “students” were participants in the study as well. The represented premise for this research (not the real one) was to test memory retention when it’s reinforced by punishment.
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Isa Blumi on why the West ignores Yemen
Isa Blumi is Docent/Associate Professor of Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies at Stockholm University within the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. He holds a PhD in History and Middle Eastern/Islamic Studies from New York University (NYU-2005) and a Master of Political Science and Historical Studies (1995) from The New School for Social Research, New York.
Isa joined me for a conversation about Yemen and why the US-backed war is being ignored by the West.
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These are no ordinary cows: they are red heifers, and as such any one of them might be the final missing ingredient needed for the coming of the Messiah…
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Is there anything we can know about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ?
If you had asked me that question years ago, I would have said, “No, absolutely not! There is not one thing you can ever know about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.” But after over 45 years of intensive study of Bible prophecy, I’ve come to a different conclusion. When people ask me now, “Can we know when Jesus will return?” my answer is, “Yes and No.” No, we cannot know the date. Yes, we can know the season.
