Entering the Kingdom: The Two Love Tests

​John 14

We are walking in today:  Entering the Kingdom: The Two Love Tests




Witness keep & commandments throughout the Bible: H8104 shamar--to keep, retain, treasure
up (in memory); to keep (within bounds), restrain; to observe, celebrate, keep (sabbath or covenant or commands), perform (vow)
&
H4687 mitsvah--the commandment (of God); commandment (of code of wisdom)

Exodus 16:28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?

The Torah testifies...............
 Exodus 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

The prophets proclaim..................
 Nehemiah 1:9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

The writings bear witness...........................
 Proverbs 4:4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Entering the Kingdom: The Two Love Tests

Many today are told they will enter the Kingdom, because they are Born Again, or saved.

But what did Yeshua say? Let's look closely:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

Here we see not everyone who says — but only those who do the Father's will — will enter the Kingdom.

When we were in school, we remember that we had to devote a certain amount of time required by all the courses. Although a student might have met the time requirement for all the courses, it was the Final Exams that determined who would graduate, and who would not.

The Most High likewise has Final Exams for us, in order to determine those who merely say, and those who do His will. Just as the professor tested the students to see who would graduate, and who would fail; in the same way The Most High tests us, to see who will enter the Kingdom, and who will not.

If we pass the first test, we are allowed to graduate, and enter in to the Kingdom. If we fail the first test, we will find ourselves repeating the course, with a new chance to pass a second test.

Scripture reveals these two tests very clearly. Just as when we were in school, if we know in advance what the test will cover, we can study those items very diligently, and we might pass the first test!

However, if we fail the first test, The Most High may give opportunity to take the second test. And because we do not want to fail either of The Most High's tests, we will look carefully at both of these tests in Scripture.

The Two Love Tests
Yeshua has devised a two-fold test he will use to determine who will be allowed into the kingdom, into the City of the King, and who will not. The Most High's resurrection harvest is a two-phase harvest of the fruit of the earth — the fruit of Love — therefore the tests are two corresponding Love tests. These two tests will determine the timing of our graduation, and tell us clearly in which phase of the harvest [which resurrection] each of us will be gathered.

Every Believer throughout history has, during his lifetime, undergone one or both of these two tests. But because these tests will soon be vividly seen and experienced by the generation that is alive when the Bridegroom returns, we must begin preparing for these tests.

Here are the two tests to be given:

First Love Test:
If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

Second Love Test:
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

Each of the above verses shows the built-in test for the corresponding phase of the harvest; each passage speaks of those who pass the test for that particular phase of the harvest. The first test is for the first phase of the harvest, and corresponds to the first resurrection. The second test is for the second harvest-phase, and corresponds to the second resurrection. Let's look at each one of these in detail.

The First Love Test: Keep My Commandments
Yeshua reveals the first love test in John 14:15:

If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

In order to see the Truth of Scripture, it is often profitable to lay out the contrasts, such as wise vs foolish, and obedient vs disobedient, for our learning.

For this test, we will look at what Scripture says about 'My' Commandments, and then show in contrast some examples of not keeping 'My' Commandments.

First, let's notice that Yeshua spoke the phrase "My Commandments" 31 times in Scripture — three in the New Testament, and 28 in the Old Testament. Thus we see vividly that "My Commandments speak" of all the words and sayings Yeshua spoke, which are the same as The Most High's Commandments. This truth is verified by Yeshua Himself:

He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. (John 14:24)

Thus we realize that all of 'My' Commandments are the same as the Father's Commandments.

We see further confirmation of this Truth in the Book of Revelation, of these who keep the Faith of Yeshua, by keeping the commandments of The Most High. To do so, these must endure, and overcome, in order to pass the first test:

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:12)

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)

Notice above in Rev 14:12, these end-time Believers keep the commandments of The Most High, 'and' ["which is"] The Faith of Yeshua. As a result, we see above in Rev 22:14 they are blessed. These must have passed the test, for they are granted right of access to enter into the City!

When Yeshua spoke the words, "Keep My Commandments," the 'New Testament' did not even exist. Thus the Disciples understood that Yeshua's words referred to all the Commandments of the Old Testament.

The early Believers in the first century were actively living "The Faith once delivered to the saints," which was simply living out the New Covenant by being a DO-er of the Scriptures. They actively kept 'My' Commandments that Yeshua had given to 'My' People, which are seen throughout the Old Testament. Indeed, the first-Century Believers knew of the supreme importance of meeting with Yeshua on the special days He had appointed.

These first-century Believers understood the Scriptures, wherein Yeshua calls His People to keep and observe Yeshua's special days and Festivals that He has set apart for the purpose of meeting with His People.

In the Gospels and the Book of Acts, we see Yeshua, as well as all the Apostles and Disciples, living The Faith that we are exhorted to live. We are then told that Yeshua, and all the Apostles and Disciples, are our examples today! (See Acts 18:4; 1 Cor 11:1; 1 Pet 2:21.)

These early Believers all chose to keep Yeshua's Commandments, Sabbaths and Feasts, as a required part of New Covenant life. They also urge us to make the same choice today! (See Acts 15:20-21; Acts 18:21; 1 Cor 5:8; Heb 4:10, 11.)

No Life In You
Yeshua goes so far to tell us that unless we keep the Passover meal — with the new understanding that the bread and cup of Passover speak of His New Covenant sacrifice, of His Body, and of His Blood — then we have NO life in us! (Matthew 26:19, 26; John 6:53)

Yeshua is saying, No Passover = No Life in You.

That may sound harsh, but that is what He said! Today's congregations have all but lost this fervent life of living 'The Faith,' which consists of keeping The Most High's Passover and other Festivals, as well as His Statutes, Commandments, and Judgments.

Indeed, in John 5:46-47, Yeshua reveals it is impossible to believe [become a DO-er of] Yeshua's words, if one does not first believe [is not already a DO-er of] Moses' words. We recall that it was Moses' words that tell us of salvation and redemption by the Blood of an acceptable sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22; Exodus 12:3-14; Lev 16:3-31; and many other passages).

Likewise, it was Moses' words that are the basis for our redemption, salvation, and eternal life today, that was accomplished for us by Yeshua's death, burial, and resurrection (Galatians 3:13; Deut 21:23; and many other passages).

Most evangelicals today understand that Yeshua is the Word of The Most High — but most of us have forgotten that Yeshua is the Word who spoke the words to Moses! Thus Moses' words are Yeshua's words!

So we see that 'My' Commandments are Yeshua's Commandments, and they include the Commandments He gave to Moses!

We now turn to the contrast, for our instruction, to give us understanding of why current teaching has prevented us from keeping 'My' Commandments.

The Doctrine of Balaam
The Doctrine of Balaam is perhaps the most prominent feature of today's evangelical Doctrine. The Doctrine of Balaam is simply the teaching that results in the Error of Balaam in the lives of the people. So we must look to see what the Error of Balaam is.

Let us summarize briefly what we found. Let us ask, "What did Balaam do?"

We might say in summary that Balaam nullified the earlier word given by The Most High, in favour of a later word from The Most High, hoping that the later word might be more favourable to him.

Because Balaam disregarded The Most High's earlier commandment, "Do not go with them," but went anyway, The Most High sought to kill Balaam (Num 22:12, 22).

The Doctrine of Balaam today is seen in the teaching that says, "the earlier word of The Most High has been nullified, in favour of the later word of The Most High." Thus multitudes of Believers today have learned this Doctrine, and as a result are walking in disobedience to the earlier Word. This disobedience to The Most High's earlier Word is the Error of Balaam.

Many today are being taught that the 'Old' Testament commandments have been nullified and already done away with, contrary to all of Scripture, contrary to the Word of the Psalms and the Prophets, and contrary to Yeshua Himself.

What is the danger of the Doctrine of Balaam? Let's look at the results of this Doctrine from Scripture.

Results of the Doctrine of Balaam
We are told in Rev 2:14 that the Doctrine of Balaam results in committing of fornication and idolatry. We have not realized that much of our evangelical religious practices are seen by The Most High not as worship, but as fornication and idolatry. Let us look at one example, to see why that is true.

One of the foremost practices among faithful Believers today is the practice of taking communion, also known as the Lord's Supper, which is taken frequently, and with reverence, in remembrance of Yeshua, and of His death. We have been taught to do this, just as Yeshua and the Disciples did, as seen in (Matt 26:26-27; Mark 14:22-23; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 10:16; 1 Cor 11:26-28).

What we were NOT taught, however, is that every instance in the Gospels show this bread and cup memorial as a part of celebrating of Passover! Yeshua did not initiate something new, but celebrated Passover, and He invites us to do so today!

Perhaps we have not realized that the current practice of taking communion or the Lord's Supper, is simply a tradition of men, and is a substitute for the true Passover Supper, on a day that is not the prescribed day of Passover.

Thus if we practice the tradition of taking communion, or the Lord's Supper, while rejecting the True Passover, we are actually practicing idolatry, for we have created a substitute — an 'idol' — in place of the Truth of The Most High. Thus what we are eating is thus NOT the symbolic flesh and Blood of Messiah, but things sacrificed to idols!

This is just one of MANY examples of idolatry that result from walking in the Error of Balaam — when we reject the full counsel of The Most High's Word.

Yeshua then warns us, that if we do not repent of this Doctrine of Balaam, and keep the Truth, He will personally fight against us with the sword of His mouth (Rev 2:16). What is the sword of His mouth? It is His Word! But this is a two-edged sword, and it cuts both ways. If we mishandle it, or wrest [twist] it, it will cut us! If we do not have a love for the Truth, but instead choose to believe a lie [Doctrines of Men], we will be given a strong delusion, that we might believe a Lie (See 2 Thess 2:11). Yeshua gives us some strong words!

Today many would say, "But we have been taught the 'Old' Testament Law has been nullified, and done away with." However, most do not study the Scriptures for themselves, to see if this claim is true or not. Let's look further.

Believe The Law Has Been Nullified? You Will Fail the Test!
As a review, let us ask ourselves, What is the New Covenant? To summarize, we might answer, The New Covenant is simply our allowing of Yeshua to live within us, as He writes the Torah on our hearts (Jer 31:31-33; Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). What does this involve?

We might summarize by saying, that everything Yeshua did while He walked on the earth 2,000 years ago, is for OUR example.

Yeshua desires to live the full, vibrant Life of Messiah [within you] each day. The life of Messiah-in-you has NOT been nullified, canceled, or done away with. In fact, Yeshua wants to live the same life in you, and in me, that He lived in His own flesh 2,000 years ago!

Nothing of Torah has disappeared — there are simply better things concerning the Priesthood, and the sacrifice, and the Blood, as described in the book of Hebrews. Yeshua tells us this very clearly:

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18)

In spite of this clear word from Yeshua, many today refuse to keep even the simplest Passover Lord's Supper, just as Yeshua kept, and which He invites His people to keep. For many of us, the pagan, man-made substitute for passover has prevented Messiah-in-you from keeping the Truth of this simplest of commandments, of celebrating Passover.

Have 'My' Commandments been nullified? Most today, who refuse to practice the full counsel of The Most High, thinking they have been nullified, will not pass this first love test. They will fail the test, for they have rejected the words Yeshua gave to Moses, which are called 'My' Commandments. As Ephraim in Scripture is prophetic of Born-Again Believers in the Last Days, we see prophesied in Scripture that "they have willingly departed from following the Commandment" (Hosea 5:11).

So we see those who fail the first love test will be given opportunity to take the next or second test. Let's now look at the Second Love Test.

The Second Love Test: Lay Down Your Life

Yeshua reveals the second love test in John 15:13:

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

Here we see a common feature of all true Believers down through the centuries, even unto today. However, this laying down of one's life will occur at unprecedented levels during the Great Tribulation.

Multitudes of Believers, redeemed by the Blood of Yeshua, but who failed the first test, will have opportunity to be tested again. They will be given the chance to deny Yeshua, and His Word, in exchange for staying alive. Many, however, will lay down their lives, and will not deny their friend Yeshua.

If we could look backwards from the Great Tribulation, back to today, how could we recognize who these multitudes are today? Seeing these, perhaps we might study them, and learn from them, and change our outcome.

So let's look at the characteristics of these that must take the second test, because they fail the first test.

Fail the First Test: Who Are These Today?
Looking backward in time, we would see who these are today:

Those Who Fail the First Test: Characteristics
These are those who held a sincere love for Yeshua, but were afraid to venture out beyond the confines of their congregation's token commitment to the Bible.

These are those who believed every word they heard, from various pulpits and from many respected men of The Most High. They did not, however, search the Scriptures for themselves, to see if these things were true (Prov 14:15; Acts 17:11).

These are those who also ignored the Old Testament Prophets. These Prophets pronounced coming judgment against The Most High's redeemed people, for NOT keeping all The Most High's Sabbaths, Festivals, ordinances, judgments, and precepts.

These are those who were taught not to believe [to be DO-ers of] all things the Old Testament Prophets had spoken, and thus Yeshua says they were foolish and slow of heart (Luke 24:25).

These are those who were not aware they were simply following the Theologians — practicing a combination of Scripture and Traditions of Men, combined with a few popular pagan festivals and religious practices.

These are those whose pagan practices included the pagan winter and spring festivals, the pagan 40-day fast, and many other pagan holy days. These holy days were decreed by Rome, then adopted by many of the early congregations, having been given Rome's new religious wrapping and stamp of approval.

These new man-made, religious holy days were then given out as 'New Testament' holy days, and later passed down from generation to generation. Anything that appeared 'Jewish' was then prohibited; and to this day, most Believers were taught to say of The Most High's Feasts and Sabbaths: "That's Jewish — we don't do that." These Believers did not diligently study the Scriptures for themselves, to see whether this notion was true, or false.

These are those who believed the devilish, man-made Doctrine of 'Dispensations' put forth by their Leaders. These Leaders, and their followers, did not diligently seek The Most High in Scripture, to see whether the notion of 'Dispensations' is a false doctrine.

They had not realized that 'dispensational' thinking was contradictory to all of Scripture, and is a sinking-sand, man-made, foundational necessity for those who teach the Doctrine of Balaam. Every house [one's individual life] built upon the 'dispensational' foundation will soon come down with a loud crash, and will result in wailing and gnashing of teeth.

These are those who, when the tribulation came to them, began to realize their Pastors and Leaders had [unintentionally] lied to them. Their Pastors and Leaders had been taught in Seminary to obey only the 'New' Testament commandments, because of the notion that that the Law had been nailed to the stake, and done away with. The Pastors and Leaders then taught these man-made ideas to their followers.

As followers of these popular Leaders, these Believers had not studied the Scriptures for themselves, to see whether this notion was true, or false. Had they done so, they would have noticed that Scripture tells them very clearly that the Greek word 'dogma' — the decrees and doctrines of men (Strong's 1378 and 1379) — is what was nailed to the stake, and done away with (Luke 2:1; Acts 16:4; Acts 17:7; Eph 2:15; Col 2:14,20).

These are those who had not read the New Testament closely for themselves. Instead, they had believed the wrested, or twisted words of these Pastors and Leaders, whose error Jude describes as the Error of Balaam, in that they denied and rejected the earlier word of The Most High [the Old Testament] in favour of the later word of The Most High [the New Testament]. As a result, Jude shows these Leaders' true characteristics, and their expected end in judgment.

Jude warns us (Jude 5) that these Leaders, and their followers, although they had been saved [Born again], they still had to be reminded that they must enter in by belief, which is equated to obedience in the Book of Hebrews.

These are those who, as Believers, had been deceived, for they had not searched the Scriptures diligently on their own, to see if these things taught by their Leaders were true! Had they found their Leaders out of agreement with Scripture, they would not have disagreed with them. Rather they would compromise — for they loved unity more than Truth; they loved acceptance and praise of men more than praise of The Most High.

These are those who, when the Tribulation began, they were suddenly forced to decide between two choices:

First, they could accept the mark in order to stay alive, but this would incur Yeshua's wrath by disobeying the command in Revelation not to take the mark. This action would prove that Yeshua is not their friend, and they would fail the test.

Second, they could refuse the mark, and deny their own life — in order to obey Yeshua's command. These would be memorialized in Rev 6:9,11.

Having failed the first Love Test, they decided they would not fail this second test. So they chose Yeshua, and chose not to take the mark. Instead, they chose to lay down their life for their Friend.

In this way they passed Yeshua's second Love Test, and they proved their love for Him.

Throughout history, many have been given opportunity to take both tests. Perhaps those who pass both love tests will be assured of a 'better resurrection' (Heb 11:35).

Conclusion

Those who choose to walk in the paths of Righteousness, are they who serve The Most High. These will pass the first Love Test.

Those who choose to continue walking in the paths of the wicked, are they who do not serve The Most High. These will fail the first test, but will be eligible to take the second test.

What about you, dear Reader? Which of these Love Tests do you intend to pass?

Now is the time to decide — there is not much time left, for the first test takes place when the Master returns:
Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. (Malachi 3:16-18)

Final Exams are almost upon us!

Shema Selah, what is it that you have told Yeshua in your actions--I will follow the commands of the Most High or the doctines of men?

Weekend Meditation--Entering The Kingdom: Wilderness Testing Of The Believers!!!!!

Deuteronomy chapter 8

We are walking in today:  Weekend Meditation--Entering The Kingdom: Wilderness Testing Of The Believers!!!!!

Witness wilderness throughout the Bible: midbar--wilderness pasture; uninhabited land; a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven)--an uninhabited plain fit for feeding flocks, not a desert--a pasture!

Exodus 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. H4057

The Torah testifies...............
 Numbers 9:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness H4057 of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

The prophets proclaim..................
 Jeremiah 31:2 Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; H4057 even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.

The writings bear witness...........................
 Joshua 1:4 From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

Psalms 78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness H4057 like a flock.


Entering the Kingdom: The Wilderness Testing of the Believers

The Most High desires to bring His people into His Kingdom. However, not everyone will be allowed in. The Scriptures reveal those who WILL be allowed in, and those who will NOT be allowed in.

Like Israel of old, many Believers today have come out by the Blood of the Lamb. Likewise, just like Israel of Old, they will be tested in the Wilderness, to see whether they may enter in to the Kingdom.

The Scriptures reveal that The Most High tests His people, to determine who may enter in, and who may not. The Most High’s testing is a continual process of teaching, testing, discerning, and separating. We will begin by looking at the future, end-time picture of the City of The Most High, where we see some who are allowed to enter in:

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)

Now notice some are not allowed in, but are kept outside the City:

For without (outside the City) are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. (Revelation 22:15)

The City of The Most High speaks of the close-in realm of His Kingdom, and the place of His dwelling, also known as His People. Here we see that not everyone will be allowed into the City, but some must remain outside. So how does The Most High determine who will, and who will not, be allowed to enter in?

When we were in school, we were first taught, then were tested continually. The Most High likewise puts His people through continual teaching and testing. He then gives them a “Final Exam” just before “Graduation” time. In this writing, we will look at the ongoing testing The Most High’s people must undergo.

The Israelites — Our Example

First let us notice what The Most High said about His purpose for the Wilderness wanderings. First we see the forty-year period of testing:

And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove(“to test, try, or assay”) thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. (Deuteronomy 8:2)

Then we see the ongoing, remedial teaching:

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

These two passages give us a fundamental picture of our teaching and testing today.

Notice above in (Deut 8:2) that The Most High caused His people to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, to test them on only ONE issue: to see whether they would, or would not, keep His Commandments. If Israel is our example, we should expect to see the same pattern for us today.

The Same Example: But With Grace to Succeed

Notice what the Book of Hebrews says regarding the Israelites’ testing, as it relates to ours:

Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (Hebrews 4:11)

There are two chapters (chapters 3 and 4) of Hebrews devoted to warning the Believers of today. Here we are told that Israel is our example, and we are reminded over and over again, exactly why THEY could not enter in, as a warning to us today. Israel in the Wilderness is our example today!

Amazingly, we see that The Most High has caused His people today to wander in the wilderness for 40 jubilees, in order to test them on the SAME issue: to see whether we would, or would not, keep His SAME Commandments!

The difference is that for us today, we have the ability given to us by “Messiah-in-you,” His Grace from within, to succeed, where the Israelites failed. The entire focus of the New Covenant is on “Messiah-in-you,” and on His enabling Grace to do His will, so that He might bring us in to the City! Let’s look closely at this testing, to see if Scripture might confirm some of these ideas.

Notice the future time of testing that will occur at the time when Messiah will return:

Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. (Malachi 3:18)

Part of The Most High’s purpose is to test His people, in order to determine, and separate, those whom He WILL bring into His Kingdom, from those whom He will NOT bring in.
The Testing of the Virgins

Yahshua gives us further insight into this testing, in the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). Notice there were two groups of five virgins, all of them together, awaiting the Bridegroom’s arrival. As soon as the foolish virgins separate themselves over the oil, the Bridegroom arrives, and the wise enter in with the Bridegroom.

Yahshua then tells us the Test results, after the five Wise Virgins have gone in with the Bridegroom:

But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. (Matthew 25:12)

The above response by Yahshua tells us that a New Covenant (Eternal, or “Everlasting Covenant”) Issue had been violated. The only Everlasting Covenant issues of “knowing” are those seen in (Ex 31:13,16; Eze 20:12; Eze 20:20). Notice the following passages:

Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual<05769> [‘everlasting’] covenant. (Exodus 31:16)

And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. (Ezekiel 20:20)

The Everlasting<05769> Covenant is NOT for The Most High’s enemies, but is only for Israel — including those Gentiles who are “grafted” into Israel through faith in Messiah. The Everlasting Covenant has been sealed in the precious Blood of Yahshua, and is eternal, and will endure forever:

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

The “sign” of those who take hold of Yahshua’s Everlasting Covenant is that they “do His will” — as seen in the above Exodus and Ezekiel passages: they hallow “My Sabbaths.” This is very important — this is a Key issue! Notice these are not “Jewish” Sabbaths — they are HIS Sabbaths! They include all the Festivals listed in Leviticus 23:1-44.

But let’s look for further Scripture confirmation of the Virgins’ testing. An earlier passage sheds more light on the nature of this test:

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity <458>. (Matthew 7:23)

Again, we see an issue of “not knowing,” but this time we are told it is related to those who [are continuing] to work “iniquity.” The word “iniquity” used here is the Greek word ‘anomia,’ Strong’s number <458>, meaning “lawlessness” or “transgressing the Law, either because of ignorance of the Law, or because of violating the Law.”

Thus we see confirmation that “transgressing the Law” had occurred, and was ongoing. It must have been related to the covenant issue of “KNOWING,” in order for the Bridegroom to have said, “I never KNEW you.” When The Sabbaths are not kept, the Law is transgressed. John tells us that this transgression of the Law is “Sin” (See 1John 3:4) by the new Testament Definition! So the Virgins are tested, and separated based on their ‘anomia’.
All Who Enter the Kingdom Are Tested

The Scriptures also have much to say of those who do enter the Kingdom. Some will be considered “Least,” and some will be considered “Great.” Let’s look at this briefly:

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19)

In the above passage, we see a separation or ranking, even among those who do enter in to the Kingdom. Likewise in 2 Tim 2:20-21, we see the same ranking among those who choose to purge, or cleanse themselves. Thus we see there is testing required, even among those who will enter in.

Notice also in the above passage what is the basis of this testing and separation. It is the keeping of the commandments — which is the same basis we have seen in all the other testings thus far.

This testing is not an issue of Salvation — of “coming out” by the Blood — but it is an issue of “entering in.”

It is also not an issue of things that one “must” do, for under the New Covenant there is nothing “required” or mandatory. No, the testing is simply a matter of The Most High looking to see who will choose those things that please Him, without being compelled to do so.

Conclusion

The testing of the Believers in the “Wilderness” is an ongoing process, that has been going on for 40 jubilees at this writing.

The Believers will be either allowed or refused entry, based on their actions of keeping, or ignoring, The Most High’s Commandments.

The time is almost here for us to take the “final exams” prior to entering in to the Kingdom!Shema Selah!!  Will you be His sheep following where the Good Shepherd takes you??  Will you  walk in the wilderness or sit there and complain?

Making It Count--Teach Us, The Most High To Number Our Days!!!!

Leviticus 23

We are walking in today: Making It Count--Teach Us, The Most High To Number Our Days!!!!!

Witness omer throughout the Bible: H6016--'omer--a dry measure of 1/10 ephah (about 2 litres); sheaf

Exodus 16:16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer H6016 for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.

The Torah testifies...............
Exodus 16:18 And when they did mete it with an omer, H6016 he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.

Exodus 16:22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers H6016 for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.

Exodus 16:33 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer H6016 full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.

The prophets proclaim..................
***

The writings bear witness...........................
***

Fiveamprayer, this is our dedicated & un-distracted time in the wilderness that He provides us our measure of time with Him!!

Exodus 16:32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer H6016 of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.

Shalom Alakeim (Peace be unto you FIVEAM prayer Community) As then we picked up manna back then and even today as Israel--we learn to measure and count as the Most High would reckon or count!!


Understanding the Omer

The Day of the offering the Firstfruits of the barley, was the starting point to count the fifty days for the commencement of the Day of Pentecost or Shavuot, the next feast on the religious calendar.

"And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath ..." Leviticus 23:15-16

The counting of these fifty days is traditionally known as "counting the omer" ("Sefirat Ha'Omer"). This has its origin in the daily task of counting an "omer" (a measure of manna) that each person was to collect as his daily portion of food when in the wilderness journey from the Exodus to the promised land. This was also incorporated as a daily ritual into the Temple 'minchah' or grain offering, in Leviticus 2 as well as being the basis for the Omer offering.

“This is what The Most High has commanded, ‘Gather of it (manna) every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent’” Exodus 16:16.

An omer of grain, or one-tenth of an ephah, is an ancient measurement equivalent to the amount of fine flour required for a loaf of 'challah' bread or roughly the needs for one day's supply of bread per person. It is about five pints

The days in the wilderness from Passover to Pentecost (Sinai), were marked off or counted, by their daily task each morning of collecting the 'omer' of manna for the day. This supernatural provision of the 'omer' was the measure which each person needed for their daily sustenance. Or in other words, it was their “daily bread.” Matthew 6:11

Therefore, counting the days between the Firstfruits offering of Passover and Shavuot or Pentecost , was called 'counting the omer' (Exodus 16 4.5; 14-21) .

IN THE WILDERNESS
This step-by-step journey through the wilderness was a time of trial and testing and teaching them trust and obedience as He dealt with their fleshly nature in preparation for their time of encounter with Him at Sinai.

This journey through the wilderness was a type of the spiritual experience of overcoming -- from salvation and deliverance (Passover) to baptism (in the Red Sea) and leaving sin behind (in Egypt), marching and struggling through the wilderness (our fallen human nature), until they reached the promised land - the Kingdom of God.

Each day they were to count the Omer, as they experienced their journey from captivity (Egypt) to fulfillment (Sinai). This daily count is associated with the progressive experiences during the process of preparing them to overcome their fleshly nature so they could come into covenant marriage relationship with Him at Sinai.

Each day in the wilderness they were to gather the manna, just as each day we are to 'gather' our spiritual food from the Word of God - our manna for the day. For, "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" Matthew 4:4 & Deuteronomy 8:3

THE BREAD OF LIFE
Regarding the manna Moses said, "This is the bread which The Most High has given you to eat" Exodus 16:15

Y'shua the Messiah, is the "living bread" and He said, "But my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world" John 6:32-33.

Y'shua added: "I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger" ( v.35).

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me has everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (vs.47-51).

We are to feed on the Living Word through the Spirit every day, gathering our spiritual 'manna' , our portion, as the heavenly dew settles upon it from above. The Holy Spirit quickens the written Word to make it life-giving food for our souls. In the wilderness of this life, it is the only food that will sustain us until we reach the promised land of His kingdom. It is by His Word that we become "partakers of the divine nature " (2 Peter 1:4)

But, in this specific period from Passover/Pesakh to Pentecost/Shavuot, the instruction is to 'count' the intervening fifty days. There is spiritual significance therefore, in the actual counting of the days of this preparation period between the two events, Passover and Pentecost.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TIME COUNT
In the original Exodus, there were fifty days between the Feast of Firstfruits (three days journey out of Egypt) and the Feast of Shavuot/Pentecost when they came to Sinai. There they received the law written on tablets of stone. They continued to keep the feast as instructed throughout their generations during the Temple period.

In the time of Y'shua, there were fifty days between His resurrection (fulfillment of the Firstfruits) and the outpouring of the Spirit (fulfillment of Pentecost). This time the law was written on the hearts of those who entered into the covenant by a similar manifestation of the Spirit of the Most High in tongues of fire (2 Corinthians 3:2-3).

Each time there was a betrothal covenant enacted with His people that would have a future consummation. The intervening period of fifty days between these two events was the preparation time given to them to prepare them to be able to enter into the covenant.

Fifty days corresponds to the number of the Jubilee, the year of release. The Jubilee typifies the time of release from sin's bondage and death when all the spiritual debts will have been paid and redemption will be complete and He will take His covenant Bride to Himself. The appointment He has made for His people now is a release from the power of sin by the spiritual impartation of a new nature, the law written on our hearts.

The Feast of Shavuot/Pentecost was the outpouring of the Spirit of The Most High to write His laws on the fleshly tablets of our heart. It was also the presentation of the two Wave Loaves before the Face (presence) of the Father. The period between the two feasts is a prophetic time period of looking forward to coming into the fullness of His life when we will stand presented faultless before the throne of the Father as the two Wave Loaves of Shavuot (Jude 24)

Going from the consecration of separating ourselves from all that is contrary to the pure life of Messiah in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and through a daily process of feeding on the Life of Y'shua, we come to Shavuot and all it signifies. But, we are instructed to 'count' the 'omer'. Count the measure of what we are feeding upon.

Are we feeding on milk, or are we feeding on the meat of the Word which will build the strength and fullness of Messiah's stature in us? Is what we are gathering the type of food which will bring us before His presence with exceeding joy? We are to be made into loaves of the finest flour to be presented before Him.

At the end of this fifty days, two loaves of the finest wheat flour baked with leaven (permeated by the Spirit) was to be brought together with seven one year-old lambs, a sin offering and a peace offering and offered before The Most High. This is symbolic of the two houses of Israel indwelt by the Spirit (two loaves baked with leaven) presented before the Father filled with all the fullness of God (seven lambs) having received the full benefits of the atonement to stand without spot or blemish before Him, in complete peace and reconciliation (sin and peace offering) - Leviticus 23:16-21.

SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
The bread made for this offering is composed of the finest and best wheat. What kind of spiritual "wheat" are we?

This bread offered at the feast was refined and put through the sieve many times, sifted and re-sifted until it was of excellent quality and purity. This is a picture of the purity and refinement that needs to be wrought in our lives through the sifting out of all dross. Are we conducting our lives in the knowledge that we have to measure up to the life of Y'shua and come into the Presence of The Most High, before His throne, before Him personally?

Are we feeding on the manna that is causing Messiah to be "formed" in us (Galatians 4:19), by the Spirit of The Most High day by day changing us and transforming us into the perfect bread -- the perfect "living sacrifice" ? Romans 12:1-2

How well are we measuring up against the perfection of Messiah to qualify as His Bride?

We need to take account of the measure of life that is needed to attain the perfection that is in Y'shua our Messiah.

This period of time is for the purpose of evaluating our spiritual life, and having a spiritual check-up. To press in, so as to dig deeper into the Word and draw out that supernatural 'manna' sufficient for our preparation of betrothal to our coming Bridegroom. It is a time to seek The Most High in prayer and fasting, to measure up to the standard.

THE PATTERN
The understanding in the Hebrew to 'count' the days is that it is to be a celebration in the ritual counting of them. There also is a pattern to be followed. This period of 50 days (seven weeks plus a day) is divided into seven periods or cycles of spiritual progress. The form of the word for 'weeks' used in Leviticus 23:15 has the sense of 'time periods' or we could interpret it as 'cycles' of seven days. Let's journey with the nation through this cycle to see the process they went through in being prepared to come to the mountain of The Most High God.

The first 'week' or cycle in this period is the Feast of Unleavened Bread during which no leaven is to be eaten. It is a time to remove all the leaven - all the wrong doctrine, mind-sets of the world etc., and ensure that we truly are 'unleavened' and "be renewed in the spirit of our mind" 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; Ephesians 4:20-32; Romans 12:1-2

The second period brings them to Marah - the place of bitter waters. The purging of His Word that ensues from removing ourselves from the worldly cisterns of life will be bitter to our flesh until we apply the principle of the stake (the tree) that makes the bitter water, sweet. We have to crucify the old nature and its lusts. Healing of soul and body will be the resultant blessing. Exodus 15:22-26; Galatians 6:14; 2:20; 5:16-26

Next they come to Elim, the place of deep wells and shady, fruit-bearing palm trees. A time of rest and refreshing in the shade of the righteous pillars of the House of God and His governmental system. The righteous are said to be like palm tress (Psalm 92:12), and the twelve wells symbolise sources of living water in a system of divine government (12 = government). Through submission to His ordained authority there is refreshment and nourishment. We need to submit to His authorities. Ex. 15:27; 1 Peter 3:1-12; 5:5; Titus 2:1-15; 1 Tim. 5:1-2; Heb. 13:17

Then after more time in the wilderness the flesh cries out for the old gratification that the pleasures of Egypt gave them. They have to learn to collect heavenly manna and enforce a change of diet upon themselves. Also the lesson that the provision of their own desires brings death on them. We have to make Y'shua the source of our life and draw our sustenance from Him. Exodus 16:1-16; Matthew 11:28-30; James 1:12-25; John 8:31-32; 15: 1-17

Provision is made for them to keep the Sabbath. The lesson here that if they obey, He will provide. We can rest in Him and trust Him to provide if we cease from our own works. We must put to death the motivation of our own nature, our own will. Exodus 16:22-30; Hebrews 4: 1-16; James 4:13-17; Proverbs 3: 6; 4:26-7

A little while after bringing into subjection the natural mind, the thirst for the natural sources of life will rise up and cry out for satisfaction. Our natural man doesn't want to die. We have to learn to drink from the Rock, from the living water He supplies. Exodus 17: 1-7; John 4:10-15; Isaiah 12:3; James 3:12; Colossians 3: 1-17

War with Amalek ensues. This time it is not a natural battle - it comes from without, it is a spiritual one that can only be won through prayer over the forces of the enemy that would come against us to stop us reaching the goal. We have to stand upon His Word (the Rock) and win the victory over his assault. Ex. 17:8-16; Eph. 6:10-18; 1 Pet. 5:8-11

The "Omer count" is a physical "type" or typology of a spiritual reality -- the spiritual life process of sanctification - of becoming changed into His likeness. It represents the journey of our lives, our time of betrothal to our Heavenly Bridegroom, as we go through the wilderness, overcome obstacles, and root out the negative attributes of the flesh, and develop and strengthen the positive qualities of God's Spirit in our lives in preparation for the consummation of our spiritual union with Messiah. Each day counts. Each week is significant in the preparation period.

Each of these weeks end on a Sabbath, a day of cessation from our own works. At the end of each cycle of days counted, each week, we come into His rest - elevation over the works of our flesh. As we "count the Omer," then, seven times we come to a Shabbat, that is, a "cessation from labor," signifying an attainment of spiritual rest after we have fulfilled that week of counting -- that week of "overcoming."

"For he who has entered into His rest has himself also ceased from his works, as God did from His " (Hebrews 4:9-10).

If we would submit to The Most High's timetable and pattern by literally counting the Omer, we would be in harmony with the moving of His Spirit in our lives in overcoming the flesh. As we go through the process of marking off each day and go through the ritual celebration, we are inscribing the significance of the Omer upon us and ordaining the day for the sanctifying work of the Spirit in our lives.

Let's 'Count the Omer' and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Y'shua the Messiah and be prepared ready to meet our heavenly Bridegroom at His coming in glory upon the Mount! (Philippians 3:14)
Scriptures

In making the Omer count in our lives, meditating on these scriptures will be helpful

WEEK 1
The first 'week' or cycle in this period is the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a time to remove all the leaven - all the wrong doctrine and ensure that we truly are 'unleavened' and "be renewed in the spirit of our mind"

Days:
1: 1 Corinthians 5: 6-8
2: Romans 12:1-2
3: Ephesians 4:20-24
4: Ephesians 4:29-32
5: Ephesians 5: 1-2
6: Ephesians 5:15-20

WEEK 2
he second week brings us to the purging of His Word upon the worldly sources of life. We have to crucify the old nature and its lusts. Healing will be the resultant blessing.

Days:
1: Galatians 5:16-18
2: Galatians 5:22-26
3: 1 John 2:15-17
4: James 3: 1-6
5: James 3: 8-12
6: James 3:13-18

WEEK 3
That brings us to the place of submitting to the ordinances which He has established and putting to death the inclination of our rebellious natures.

Days:
1: 1 Peter 3: 1-6 or 7-12
2: Titus 2: 1-10
3: 1 Peter 5: 5-7
4: 1 Timothy 5:1-2
5: Romans 13: 1-5
6: Romans 13: 6-7; Hebrews 13:17

WEEK 4
The lusts of the flesh have to be brought into subjection to the spirit. We have to make Yeshua the source of our life and draw our sustenance from Him.

Days:
1: James 1:12-15
2: 1 John 3: 4-9
3: John 8:31-32
4: John 15: 1-8
5: 1 John 5: 3-5
6: John 15: 9-15

WEEK 5
We are instructed to keep the Sabbath and to rest in Him and trust Him for our provision. We must put to death the motivation of our own nature, our own will, and cease from our own works

Days:
1: Hebrews 4: 1-16
2: James 4:13-17
3: Proverbs 3: 5-10
4: Proverbs 4:26-27
5: Romans 8: 5-8
6: Isaiah 58:13-14

WEEK 6
Our natural man doesn't want to die. We have to learn to drink from the Rock, from the living water He supplies.

Days:
1: John 4:10-15
2: 1 John 1: 1-3
3: John 1: 1-5; 14-18
4: Matthew 6:31-34
5: Colossians 3: 1-4
6: Colossians 3:16-17

WEEK 7
War with Amalek ensues. This time it is not a natural battle, it is a spiritual one that can only be won through prayer over the forces of the enemy. We have to stand upon His Word (the Rock) and win the victory over his assault.

Days:
1: 1 Thessalonians 5: 5-8
2: 1 Peter 5: 8-11
3: Ephesians 6:10-13
4: Ephesians 6:14-18
5: 1 John 4: 4-6
6: Jude 20-25

SHEMA SELAH ISRAEL!!! This is our time of preparation in the wilderness to meet our Bridegroom at mount Sinai!!! 

Making It Count!!!!!

Leviticus 23


We are walking in today: Making It Count!!!!!

Counting the Omer Day 4

Psalm 119

ד Daleth


25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word. 26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes. 27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. 28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word. 29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.
30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me. 31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O Lord, put me not to shame. 32 I will run the way of thy commandments,
when thou shalt enlarge my heart.

Witness count throughout the Bible: H5608 caphar--to count, recount, relate; to count (things); to number, take account of, reckon; to be counted, be numbered; to recount, rehearse, declare

Psalm 139:18 If I should count H5608 them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

The Torah testifies...............
 Leviticus 23:15 And ye shall count H5608 unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:

The prophets proclaim..................
 Isaiah 33:18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? H5608 where is the receiver? where is he that counted H5608 the towers?

The writings bear witness...........................
 1 King 3:8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted H5608 for multitude.

Fiveamprayer, for the Most High wants us to count, number, remember and declare what He has already done for us!! Let us not be distracted by the temporary when the eternal is sure and guaranteed!

Job 31:4 Doth not he see my ways, and count H5608 all my steps?

Shalom Alakeim (Peace be unto you FIVEAM prayer Community) Ahayah asher Ahayah knows our endings from the very beginning--He told us to count and number, He is setting an expectation in this season--it is the remembrance and reflection of the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai--these are the instructions from the King
that leads, guides, directs and orders our lives!!


SHEMA ISRAEL HEAR LISTEN AND OBEY!!!!

Weekend Meditation--Why Did Yeshua Have To Die?!?

Matthew 27

We are walking in today: Weekend Meditation--Why Did Yeshua Have To Die?!?

Witness die throughout the Bible: H4191 muwth--to die prematurely (by neglect of wise moral conduct); to kill, put to death, dispatch; have one executed

Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely H4191 die. H419

The Torah testifies...............
Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it,
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. H4191

The prophets proclaim..................
Jeremiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, H4191 because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.

The writings bear witness...........................
Judges 6:23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. H4191

Proverbs 5:23 He shall die H4191 without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

SHEMA ISRAEL!!! Why did Yeshua have to die?? To return out access to the Most High--this is our restored relationship!!

Passover vs. easter--From Mt. Sinai To Calvary!!!

1 Corinthians 5

We are walking in today: Passover vs. easter--From Mt. Sinai To Calvary!!!

Witness Passover throughout the Bible:  H6453 pecach--passover, sacrifice of passover, festival of the passover; appears in the King James Bible 46 times

Exodus 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the  LORD'S passover. H6453

The Torah testifies...............
 Exodus 12:48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover H6453 to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

The prophets proclaim..................
 Ezra 6:19 And the children of the captivity kept the passover H6453 upon the fourteenth day of the first month.

The writings bear witness...........................
 2 Kings 23:21 And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover H6453 unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.

Ezekiel 45:21 In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, H6453 a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

The Most High’s 1st Passover
The 14th of Abib
(Nisan) through the 18th of Abib (Nisan)
Messiah’s Renewed Passover
The 14th of Abib
(Nisan) through the 18th of Abib (Nisan)

1.) Yisra’el ate the Passover Lamb with unleavened bread in Egypt the night before the Exodus. This was the beginning of the 14th of Abib after the sun went down on the 13th of Abib, it then became the 14th of Abib (Exodus 12:3-23).

This supper was to redeem Yisra’el, as the “first-born son” (Exodus 4:22-23, 13:15).

1.) Messiah ate the Passover Lamb with his disciples with unleavened bread. It was the 3rd night of the week (Tuesday) at the beginning of the 14th of Abib after sundown in 30/31 C.E. (Mark 14:12-18, Matthew 26:17-23, Luke 22:9-15).

This supper was to redeem the lost sheep of Yisra’el, and to betroth her as his bride.

2.) The Most High commanded Yisra’el to place shoes on their “feet.” Yisra’el was commanded to have shoes on their “feet” to be ready to leave (Exodus 12:11).

In Joshua 1:3, they were given a promise that wherever their “foot shall tread” they would be given as an inheritance.

2.) Messiah washed the “feet” of his disciples. That night after the Passover Supper, he washed the “feet” of his disciples (John 13:12).

Feet represent those who “bring good news” (Isaiah 52:7, Romans 10:15, Ephesians 6:15).

In Luke 15:22 the prodigal son at his return was given “shoes on his feet” as an inheritance.

3.) The blood of the Lamb was placed on the two side posts of the door symbolic of the Two Houses of Yisra’el (Isaiah 8:14).

They were commanded to strike the blood of the lamb on two side posts & the upper door post (Exodus 12:7). The upper post represents Messiah who is the “head” of the body.

The Most High established Two Houses of Yisra’el: The first-born sons of Yisra’el (symbolized by Judah).

The Egyptians that “sojourned” among them were grafted into Yisra’el, and they are symbolic of Ephrayim who was born in Egypt. The Passover was a betrothal (engagement) between Yisra’el and The Most High. The blood of the lamb sealed his covenant with them. This was still the 14th of Abib.

3.) The blood of the Lamb was placed on the Two Houses of Yisra’el as Yahuwshuwa Messiah’s blood covenant was symbolized by the wine when he declared “this is the blood of the new testament shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28).

The night before he was sacrificed on the tree, he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and he “sweat drops of blood” (Luke 22:44).

Messiah came to restore the Two Houses of Yisra’el and this Passover was his betrothal (engagement) to his bride. This was still the 14th of Abib.

4.) The Most High said he would “smite all of the first-born of the Egyptians” (Exodus 12:12).

The first-born sons of the Egyptians (symbolic of sin) would be smitten for the first-born sons of Yisra’el.

This was still on the 14th of Abib. Mosheh & Aharown (Moses & Aaron) did not go to Pharaoh to negotiate their departure until the following morning as they were commanded in Exodus 12:22: “none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.”

4.) The Most High said he would “smite” the shepherd. Messiah repeated the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7 “I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad” (Matthew 26:31).

Yahuwshuwa is the shepherd who would be smitten for sinners to redeem the first-born sons of Yisra’el.

This was still on the 14th of Abib. Messiah and his disciples did not leave the House (Jerusalem) until the next morning when they followed him to the place of execution which was outside of the city.

Exodus 12:22 says: “none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.”

5.) Judgment from The Most High came over Egypt and smote all the “first-born” in the land. This parallels to the night that Yahuwdah (Judas) realized that he had betrayed innocent blood and he hung himself.

Exodus 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

Exodus 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight YHWH smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle.

The Egyptians also “hung themselves” (metaphorically) when they chased after the Yisra’elites and they were then drowned in the Red Sea.

In the same way that Judas died in the “field of blood,” the Egyptians were buried in the “Red Sea”(symbolic of blood).

5.) Judgment from The Most High came to the House of Judah typified in the disciple who betrayed Messiah named Yahuwdah (Judas).

He represents the older son (the first-born) in the story of the prodigal.

The first-born of the Two Houses of Yisra’el was being judged that night because as a nation they killed their Messiah and the person named after this tribe (Yahuwdah or Judas) was being used to illustrate this judgment that was going to come to them 40 years later in the Roman Siege.

However, Messiah also took “the cup of wrath” (the 2nd cup) for them as a nation to those from the House of Judah who would repent and later on accept his sacrifice. On the night after he betrayed Messiah, Judas declared: “I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4).

Judas hung himself in what is called “the field of blood” (Matthew 27:8).

6.) Pharaoh released on Passover the “first-born sons” of  the Most High (Yisra’el) out of Egypt that night because the Most High “smote” Egypt’s first-born in exchange for his first-born son (Yisra’el).

Exodus 12:30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

Exodus 12:31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both you and the children of Yisra’el; and go, serve YHWH, as you have said.

This was still the 14th of Abib, but they did not actually leave Egypt until the 15th of Abib as the Egyptians were busy burying their first-born (Numbers 33:3-4).
6.) Pontius Pilate released on Passover, Barabbas who represents “the first-born sons” of Yisra’el. Barabbas is “Bar Abba” in Aramaic which means “Son of the Father.”

The Most High “smote” the shepherd (Messiah) who became the scapegoat for the “first-born” sons of Yisra’el. Pontius Pilate released Barabbas in the same way that Pharaoh released Yisra’el that same night on the 14th of Abib.

Matthew 27:17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will you that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Yahuwshuwa which is called Mashiyach (Messiah)?

Messiah represented “the first-born” sons of Egypt (the scapegoat) who died in place of the “first-born sons” of Yisra’el. The innocent children of the first-born of Egypt had to die in order to release the first-born of Yisra’el.

Messiah was now taking the place for guilty sinners. The word “scapegoat” means “the innocent party who takes the place of the guilty party.”

Barabbas was being released to symbolize that all of Yisra’el was being released from their debt of sin and Messiah was taking their place! Messiah died on the 14th of Abib and was buried before the sun went down approaching the 15th of Abib.

7.) Pharaoh finally gave the people of Yisra’el what they wanted when they cried “Let us go!”

Pharaoh let the people go, as they requested, as he sent for Moses & Aaron to take the people out of Egypt.

Exodus 12:32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

Pharaoh recognized that the blood of the innocent lambs had protected Yisra’el that night but Yah took the first-born sons of Egypt.

Pharaoh was about to release the children of Yisra’el from Egypt recognizing that the blood of the innocent Egyptian children as well as the blood of the lambs was shed in order to free the Yisra’elites. This was still the 14th of Abib, but they did not leave until the 15th of Abib.
7.) Pilate finally gave the people of Yisra’el what they wanted when they cried “Let Barabbas go!

Pontius Pilate let Barabbas go and sentenced Yahuwshuwa, as the people of Judah cried out “Crucify him! Let his blood be upon us!”

Pilate washed his hands of “innocent blood” as he recognized that Messiah was the innocent scapegoat for the House of Yahuwdah (Judah) for they were shouting “let his blood be upon us.”

Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see you to it.

Matthew 27: 25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

Matthew 27: 26 Then released he Bar Abba (Barabbas) unto them: and when he had scourged Yahuwshuwa he delivered him to be crucified.

Pilate was about to release the guilty party (Barabbas) who was symbolic of the nation of the House of Yisra’el, and he was about to execute the Messiah in his place. This was still the 14th of Abib.

8.) The Most High destroyed the Egyptians in the Red Sea (symbolic of sin and bondage). Pharaoh and his Egyptian armies were destroyed in the Red Sea (Exodus 15:4).

This happened on the 18th of Abib (3 days after) Yisra’el ate the Passover Lamb with Unleavened Bread. Yisra’el was led by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, symbolic of the Holy Spirit (Exodus 13:21-22; 14:19 & 24, Numbers 33:3-8).

When they came to the Red Sea, this represented immersion (water baptism). Yisra’el “crossed over” from death to life, from bondage to freedom. The blood of the Egyptians paid for their freedom when they drowned in the water!

There were three elements present at this event: Spirit, Water & Blood! (1st John 5:8).
8.) the Most High destroyed sin through the sacrifice of Messiah on the tree. This was the very next day after Yahuwshuwa ate the Passover Lamb, with Unleavened Bread with his disciples, but it was still the 14th of Abib (Passover).

Messiah purchased for his elect “life instead of death, freedom instead of bondage to sin.” Messiah died, and then he gave up his “spirit.” Then the Roman Solider put a spear into his side and out came blood and water (John 19:34).

The blood of Messiah paid for our freedom. When we are immersed in water, we are being baptized into his death (Romans 6:4).

There were three elements present at this event: Spirit, Water, &Blood! (1st John 5:8).

9.) The Red Sea was parted at the precise moment that Moses lifted up his rod (shepherd’s staff). In Exodus 14:21-22, the Most High parted the Red Sea so that Yisra’el could cross over from death to life, from slavery to freedom.

The Hebrew for “red” is “cuwph” and it literally means to terminate, to consume, to fulfill, to bring to an end!

The Most High sanctified his bride Yisra’el and put an end to the Egyptians (a symbol of bondage to sin and idolatry).

This took place on the 18th of Abib which was 3 days after they left Egypt (Numbers 33:3-8). This correlates to Messiah being 3 days & 3 nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40).
9.) The Temple Curtain was parted (torn) at the precise moment that YHWH smote the shepherd and Messiah died (Isaiah 26:31). The temple veil that separated mankind from the Holy of Holies in the Temple was torn in half! (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:35, Luke 23:45).

This granted the royal priesthood after the order of Melchizedek access to the Father in Heaven so that we can come “boldly before the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:6). Messiah brought an end to sin.

Yahuwshuwa has immersed his bride and “sanctified her by the washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26). This was still on the 14th of Abib.

10.) Sin was punished in the “Sea of Reeds” (Red Sea), as the Egyptians were symbolic of sin and bondage. This correlates to the way that our Messiah was also beaten with a “reed” (Matthew 27:29-30).

The Red Sea is symbolic of the sacrifice of Messiah. It contains two of the elements of covenant (blood and water).

The English word for “Red” in Hebrew literally means “reeds” or “cuwph” and it means: to terminate, to consume, to fulfill, to bring to an end!

Messiah “brought to an end” to the “law of divorce” which separated Yisra’el from the marriage covenant.

The word “Red Sea” in Hebrew is literally “Sea of Reeds” or Yam Cuwph.

Jonah was in the belly of a whale for “three days and three nights” in the “sea” before he was taken out of the whale and delivered.

Yisra’el journeyed through the “Sea” after three days, and they were “taken out” of Egypt and delivered.
10.) Sin was punished with “reeds” as our Messiah’s body became “sin” and he was beaten with a “reed” (Matthew 27:29-30).

The Red Sea is symbolic of the sacrifice of Messiah. It contains two of the elements of covenant (blood and water).

The English word for “Red” in Hebrew is literally “reeds” or “cuwph” and it means: to terminate, to consume, to fulfill, to bring to an end!

Messiah “brought to an end” the “law of divorce” which separated Yisra’el from the marriage covenant.

The word “Red Sea” in Hebrew is literally “Sea of Reeds” or Yam Cuwph.

The “sign” of Jonah to validate that Yahuwshuwa was the Messiah, is that he would be “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).

11.) Yisra’el Departed from Egypt.

Their destination was the Promised Land.

They first descended into the Red Sea, before they ascended to dry land on the other side.

The “Ruwach” (Spirit) led them in the form of a “cloud by day” and a “pillar of fire by night” (Exodus 13:21, Numbers 33:3).

This was the 15th of Abib when Yisra’el finally left Egypt. This is called “a night to be much observed” (Exodus 12:42).
11.) Messiah Departed from this world, as he gave up his ruwach (spirit) and died.

His destination was the Heavenly Throne where he would wave the souls of the redeemed as his “first-fruits” offering before the Father.

He first descended into the lowest parts of the earth to redeem those in Abraham’s Bosom (Luke 16, Ephesians 4:8-9), before he ascended back to the Father.

Just before he died, he committed his “Ruwach” (Spirit) into the Father’s hands (Luke 23:46).
This was at 3:00 p.m. on the 14th of Abib, just 3 hours before the 15th of Abib when the sun would go down and he would be buried. This is called “a night to be much observed” (Exodus 12:42).

Our Messiah was buried on the same anniversary night of when Yisra’el departed from Egypt and the Egyptians also buried their dead.

12.) The Egyptians buried in the “Red Sea.”

The Hebrew word for Red” is cuwph which means “to consume” just like the Red Heifer had to be completely consumed (Numbers 19).

The Egyptians were buried at sea on the 18th of Abib (three days after they left Egypt) according to Numbers 33:3-8.
12.) Messiah buried as the “Red Heifer.”

Our Messiah was prophetic type of the Red Heifer sacrifice as seen in Numbers 19.

His body was placed into a brand new tomb that had never been used (John 19:38-41).

The Red Heifer had to be completely consumed.

Numbers 19:9 says that the ashes of the Red Heifer must be placed in a clean place.

His burial took place before the sun went down on the 14th of Abib just before the 15th of Abib.

13.) The Egyptians buried their dead before sundown the 14th of Abib, just before the 15th of Abib (Numbers 33:4).

Yisra’el traveled a “three day’s journey” to the Red Sea and there Pharaoh & the Egyptian soldiers were also buried at the Red Sea on the 18th of Abib on the Day of First-Fruits.

This represented resurrection for Yisra’el because they “crossed over” from death to life, from bondage to freedom.

The Most High won the “victory” for Yisra’el over the Egyptians as “death was swallowed up in victory.”

Miriyam and the Yisra’elite women danced as they sang “the Most High has triumphed gloriously...” (Exodus 15:21). 

 
13.) Messiah was buried before sundown on the 14th of Abib, just before the 15th of Abib.

Yahuwshuwa remained in the heart of the earth “three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40).
He was buried just before the 15th of Abib and he resurrected on the 18th of Abib which was when the priest in the temple waved the “first-fruits” of the barley sheaf.

In the 2nd Temple period, the priests cut the first sheaf at the end of the weekly Sabbath at sundown (what we call Saturday).

It is called “Havdalah” in Hebrew which means “separation, or exiting the Sabbath.”
It was the women who first went to the tomb and discovered that the Messiah had resurrected.

They reported to the other disciples that “Death was swallowed up in victory” (1st Corinthians 15:54).

14.) Mosheh (Moses) communed with YahuWaH in the mountain for “forty days and forty nights.”
During this time, he received the commandments in stone as the written marriage agreement between the Most High & Yisra’el (called a ketubah) Exodus 24:18.
14.) Yahuwshuwa communed with his disciples for “forty days” after his resurrection.

He taught them the Towrah of Mosheh.

He also taught them that the Towrah (Mosaic Law) was now going to be part of the “Renewed” Marriage Covenant written in their hearts on the day of Shavuot (Pentecost) Acts 1:3, Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10, 10:16.

Shema Selah The Passover lamb slain for the world is Yeshua!!!

3 Days And 3 Nights!!! You Do The Math!!

Matthew 12

We are walking in today: 3 Days And 3 Nights!!! You Do The Math!!

Witness three throughout the Bible: H7969 shalowsh--three, triad, third

Exodus 3:18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three H7969 days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

The Torah testifies...............
 Exodus 10:22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three H7969 days:

The prophets proclaim..................
 Jonas 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three H7969 days and three H7969 nights

The writings bear witness...........................
 Esther 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three H7969 days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

Matthew 12:40 (KJV) For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Many of us have been brought up in the church to believe that Yahuwshuwa (whom many call Jesus) died on “Good Friday” and he resurrected on “Easter Sunday.”

Well today, I am going to dismantle these lies, and show how these deceptions actually prove to discredit him as the authentic Messiah.

In Matthew 12:38, the religious leaders of his day asked him for a “sign” to prove that he was their awaited Savior that was prophesied about by Moses and the prophets.

His response to their asking for a sign is in Mattithyahuw (Matthew) 12:39-40: 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Yownah (Jonas).​ 40 For as Yownah (Jonas) was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

If he had not resurrected EXACTLY THREE DAYS & THREE NIGHTS after he was killed on the evening of Passover, then his prophecy would have failed, and this would have rendered him a false prophet, and not the true and genuine Messiah.

When the Christian Church teaches that he died on “Good Friday,” and then resurrected on Sunday morning, the devil dances with glee, because he knows that this makes him out to be a false prophet!

We all know that you cannot get three days and three nights out of 36 hours. The devil wants to discredit Yahuwshuwa as the Messiah, so that our faith in him will be destroyed. This would mean that his victory over death, Hell, and the grave was not won, and therefore, we are all doomed to eternal damnation. At least, this is what the devil wants you to believe!

That is why proving that he was in the heart of the earth for EXACTLY three days and three nights is crucial to our salvation!

Before I get into the meat of this study, we must first ask ourselves, “Why have we been conditioned to believe that Messiah was crucified on the 6th day of the week on Friday?”

The answer to this question is simple. The gospel accounts tell us that after Messiah was crucified, and his body taken down from the ​stake, the women were in a hurry to anoint his body with spices, because at sundown began a High Sabbath.

Those who are uneducated in the Mosaic Law (Towrah) see the word “Sabbath,” and they naturally assume that he was buried just before the weekly Sabbath, (what we today call Saturday). In John 19:31, it specifically tells us that this was not a regular weekly Sabbath, but an annual Sabbath:

Yahuwchanon (John) 19:31 The Yahuwdiym (Jews) therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

What is a High Sabbath Day? The Greek word in John 19:31 used for “high day,” is “megas,” which means “great, mighty, large, high.”

Shemoth (Exodus) 12:42 It is a night to be much observed unto The Most High for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of The Most High to be observed of all the children of Yisrael in their generations.

Our Messiah was killed on the 14th day of the first Hebrew Month known as “Abib” (Exodus 12:2 & 13:4). The Towrah commands that we kill the lamb on the 14th day of the first month in the evening. The Hebrew word for evening is “ereb,” which means “dusk.”

He was nailed the cross at 9:00 a.m. and he died at 3:00 p.m. It was getting close to darkness at 3:00 p.m., for they did not have daylight savings time in 1st Century Jerusalem. This means that at 3:00 p.m. in the month of April, it was already growing dark by this time.

Shemoth (Exodus) 12:6 And you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Yisra’el shall kill it in the evening.

After the sun went down on the 14th of Abib, it then became the 15th of Abib, The Feast of Unleavened Bread. Remember, on the Creator's reckoning of time (Genesis 1:5), a calendar date changes at sundown, not at midnight. It was Pope Gregory who caused the date to change at midnight in the year 1582.

Right after our Messiah died on the 14th (Passover), he was taken down from the cross, and then buried before the High Sabbath, known as The Feast of Unleavened Bread:

Wayyiqra (Leviticus) 23:​ 5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at evening is The Most High's Passover.  6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto The Most High: seven days you must eat unleavened bread. ​ 7 In the first day you shall have an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein.

The day in which Yahuwshuwa’s crucifixion took place was called the “preparation day.” On the 14th day of Abib (Passover) we are commanded to prepare the Passover Lamb, and clean out all the leaven from our homes. Our Messiah was buried just before the sun went down on the 14th, and then it became the 15th of Abib, the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Since The Most High introduced his divine calendar to us at creation in Genesis 1:5, a new calendar date was to begin at sunset. However, as I already mentioined Pope Gregory XIII caused the new date to change at midnight during his reign in 1582.

In Daniel 7:23-25, the angel told Daniel that the “fourth beast” (Rome) “shall think to change times and laws,” and since Rome has been instrumental in altering the calendar of our creator, the result has been the distorting of many prophetic events.

At the time of Yahuwshuwa’s crucifixion, Yisra’el and the entire world still acknowledged Yah’s standard of measuring time. Therefore, Yahuwshuwa was crucified and died on the 4th day of the week (what we today call Wednesday) at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and then he was buried at sunset, around 6 p.m. After sundown, the date changed, and it then became the 5th day of the week, (what we today call Thursday).

Since the day was almost over when he died, we don’t start counting “Three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” until he was buried, and the sun went down that Wednesday evening. The count of 72 hours (three days and three nights) begins on Wednesday Night after sundown once he was in the grave.

Explanation about the word “day” in the King James Version:
It is important to note that whenever we see a word in italics in the King James Version, it means that the word was not there in the original text. It means that the English translators added that particular word into the text to help the sentence structure flow better.

In order to help you see where the words are italicized in the King James Version, I will highlight in red the italicized words for “day.” This will bring clarity to many of the translation anomalies in the gospels which seem to confuse people about the timing of these events.

At creation, The Most High “divided” (separated) the 12-hour period called “day” from the 12-hour period called “night,” and he treated them as two separate periods.

In Genesis 1:4-5 we read: “And Elohiym saw the light, that it was good: and Elohiym divided the light from the darkness. And Elohiym called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

As you can see, the “day” has a different name than “night.” He also did not include the “night” in with the period called “day.” He divided the 12 hours of day from the 12 hours of darkness and called them two different things.

In Genesis 1:5 people are often confused by the phrase “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” They assume that the word “evening” means the same thing as “night” and that Elohiym was combining these two periods of “day and night” and calling the combination of the two periods “day.”

However, this does not make sense, because he had just finished dividing the two periods in the previous verse, yet why would he combine day and night again and call it “day?” The Hebrew word for “evening” is “ereb” which means “dusk, mixture of light and darkness,” and it is still considered part of the twelve-hour period called “day.” However, it becomes “night” when all the light is completely gone. The Hebrew word for “night” is “layil” which means “opposed to the day.”

Thus, we see that there were actually six 12-hour periods being spoken of in the prophecy of Jonah wherein our Messiah said that he would be “Three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” If he was speaking of three 24-hour periods, he would have only said “Three days in the heart of the earth.”

You may be asking yourself “Why is this important?” It is important because some people would try to argue that he was in the heart of the earth approximately three days or “inside of three days.”

Many people rationalize that if one counts the day of his crucifixion (allegedly on Friday at 3:00 p.m.), the entire day counts as day # 1. The next logical conclusion is that day # 2 was Saturday, and day # 3 was Sunday.

They claim that even a fraction of the day counts as the same thing as a 24-hour period when reckoning the three days and three nights prophecy. The only problem with this logic is that The Most High, our Creator always uses precise measurements when it comes to prophecy. He is perfectly accurate in all of his ways.

From Friday evening at 3:00 p.m. until Sunday morning (when he allegedly resurrected) would mean that he was rendering a 36-hour period as “Three days & three nights.” However, we know that he purposely spoke of “Three days & three nights” because it is exactly 72 hours.

Hence, the reason why it is important to distinguish that a day is only 12 hours--not 24 hours! The period called “night” is also a 12-hour period.

Yahuwchanon (John) 11:9 Yahuwshuwa answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walks in the day, he stumbles not, because he sees the light of this world.

See my other article entitled “How Does the Sabbath Day Point to the Resurrection? I will Raise Him Up at the Last Day.”

Yahuwshuwa rose again as the Sabbath was ending “After three days.” This is why he said that he is “Lord of the Sabbath.” The Catholic Church changed the Sabbath to Sunday because they rationalize “Jesus resurrected on Sunday morning.” However, a careful study in the original language of the New Testament (Aramaic & Greek), will clear up this false notion of a Sunday resurrection.

What follows is a detailed and exhaustive study on the timing of the resurrection dissecting all four gospels and laying it out for us to see, that our Messiah resurrected on what we today call Saturday (the seventh day of the week), just as the Sabbath was ending!

3 DAYS AND 3 NIGHTS IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH

One of the most common questions asked by new Christians is, this:

“How could Jesus have been in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights if He died on a Friday afternoon and rose before sunrise on a Sunday?”

Most Christians duck the question, since at most they can only come up with one day and two nights (Friday nighttime, Saturday daytime, and Saturday nighttime in our measure of days). If they add in the Friday daytime they get two periods of daytime, even though Yahuwshuwa would have died in the late afternoon. This late afternoon death is consistent with the Passover lamb being killed between the two evenings according to the Mosaic Law.

The lamb was killed between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. on the afternoon of the 14th of Abib/Nisan and prepared, because the 15th was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was an annual Sabbath observance (the first and last days of Unleavened Bread were annual Sabbaths in addition to the normal weekly Sabbaths). This search of the Word is important, not because it affects salvation, but because it answers the questions posed on whether Yahuwshuwa kept His Word, and whether the Bible is true in this matter. A legitimate concern and question for all followers of Messiah!

Wayyiqra (Leviticus) 23:5-8 In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at evening is The Most High’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto The Most High: seven days You must eat unleavened bread. In the first day You shall have an holy convocation: You shall do no servile work therein. But You shall offer an offering made by fire unto The Most High seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: You shall do no servile work therein.

The above text confirms that the first and last days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread are annual Sabbaths, to be observed as a day of rest in addition to the weekly Sabbaths. These days would occur on the 15th and 21st of Abib/Nisan.

The Passover meal was an important religious observance in which to remember that the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their houses kept them alive when the angel of death passed by, and that The Most High had delivered them from slavery in Egypt.

The Passover is a perpetual observance to celebrate passing from death to life. These ancient events foretold the blood of Yahuwshuwa being spilled for our sins, and our passage from death to eternal life, by the everlasting covenant of the blood of Yahuwshuwa. They also foretold that Yahuwshuwa would die exactly on the 14th of Abib/Nisan and that the day following was an annual Sabbath.

What follows is a close examination of the biblical record, in which Yahuwshuwa was killed on the 14th of Abib/Nisan in the afternoon, and the next day was the annual Sabbath, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We shall also see from the biblical record that this annual Sabbath did not fall on the weekly Sabbath, in the year that Yahuwshuwa died.

Mattithyahuw (Matthew) 12:38-40 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from you. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Yonah (Jonah): For as Yonah (Jonah) was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Mattithyahuw (Matthew) 27:62-66 Now the next day that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, You have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as You can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

The above verses show that Yahuwshuwa had openly taught that the major sign that He was the Messiah was that He would die and three days later rise again. Even more clearly, He said that He would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. This promise meant that 72 hours would pass from His death to His resurrection and that this would be the sign for the Jews that He was who He said He was (the Messiah). The Friday crucifixion with a resurrection before sunrise on Sunday morning totals approximately 36 hours.

If we understood Yahuwshuwa to mean that “within” three days and three nights He would rise again, then any period short of that would suffice. But He taught that “after” three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, then He would rise again. This logically would necessitate the crucifixion on a Wednesday, then the daylight and nighttime periods of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday would be three days and three nights. We count from either His actual death shortly after 3:00 p.m. or from the time His body was laid in the tomb, shortly before the annual Sabbath began, although I believe we should count the 72 hours from the time the body was laid in the tomb.

You’ll notice that the above text from Matthew 27, recorded that the chief priests met with Pilate the morning after the crucifixion to get permission to post a guard and seal the tomb. The Bible records that this was the day after the day of preparation. This day of preparation is the 14th of Abib (Nisan), when the homes were scoured for any leavened bread within the house and a preparation of food was readied for the Passover meal, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, John 19:14, 31, 42].

Therefore, the grave of Yahuwshuwa was not sealed until the morning of the 15th of Abib (Nisan), on the annual Sabbath. In the text from John 19, we learn that the body of Yahuwshuwa needed to be removed from the cross because the Sabbath was about to begin and that Sabbath was a high day or annual Sabbath. This is consistent with the other verses which teach that the day of preparation was the day that Yahuwshuwa died. Now we only need to determine whether the annual Sabbath and weekly Sabbath fell on the same day, which would lead us to the conclusion that Yahuwshuwa died on a Friday afternoon, shortly after 3:00 p.m. as commonly taught. If not, then He died on another day of the week.

Yahuwchanon (John) 19:31 The Yahuwdiy (Jews) therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Shema Israeal Selah!!  We must count as the Most High has taught us to count!!!