The Biblical Feasts of the LORD

Shalom,

Leviticus 23 is the single chapter of the entire Tanakh that sums up everything. God’s eternal plan -- from chaos to eternity -- is ingeniously revealed through the nature and timing of the Seven annual Feasts of the LORD.

Lev 23:4  KJV
These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

In less than seven minutes, we will come to realize that the entire human race now exists between two of these feasts. Let us survey God’s calendar in its essence.

Sacrifice is the major feature of the feasts.

Believers in Mashiach are also responsible to keep these feasts, and the knowledge of them enhances our faith. Our Lord kept every one of them without fail, even celebrating Pesach on His last earthly night. Now we will see what the feasts are called, when they happen and why they remain significant.
   
It was on Mount Sinai that God gave Moses the dates and observances of the seven feasts. Here are their names :

   1. Passover (Pesach) - Nisan 14
   2. Unleavened Bread (Chag Hamotzi) - Nisan 15-22
   3. First Fruits (Yom habikkurim) - Nisan 16
   4. Pentecost (Shavu’ot) - Sivan 6
   5. Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah) - Tishri 1
   6. Atonement (Yom Kippur) - Tishri 10
   7. Tabernacles (Sukkot) - Tishri 15



When do they happen?

God’s calendar is based on the phases of the moon. Each month in a lunar calendar begins with a new moon.

Pesach falls on the first full moon of Spring. The first three feasts, Pesach, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits fall in March and April.

The fourth one, Shavu’ot, marked the summer harvest and occurs in late May or early June.

The last three feasts, Trumpets, Yom Kippur and Sukkot happen in September and October.
           
The Spring Feasts
   
1.
Passover (Pesach).
Leviticus 23:5 specifies that the festival year begins with Passover on “the fourteenth day of the first month” (Nisan 15).

Lev 23:5  KJV
In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.

Passover is the Feast of Salvation.

In both testaments, the blood of the Lamb delivers from slavery – the Jews from Egypt, the Christians from sin.

Think about the tenth plague in Exodus 12:27 when Egypt’s first born sons died while the angel of death “passed over” the Jewish homes with the blood of the lamb on their door posts.

Exo 12:27  KJV
That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

In the B’rit Chadashah (New Testament), Jesus serves as the sacrificial lamb. It is no coincidence that our Lord Himself was sacrificed on Passover.

In Egypt the Jew marked his house with the blood of the lamb. Today the Christian marks his house – his body, “the house of the spirit” with the blood of Christ. Passover, then, represents our salvation.

2.
Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMotzi).
Leviticus 23:6 puts the second feast on the next night : “On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the Y-H-V-H; seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.”

Lev 23:6  KJV
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

Leaven or yeast in the Bible symbolized sin and evil.

Unleavened bread, eaten over a period of time, symbolized a holy walk, as with the LORD (Y-H-V-H).

Unleavened bread, in the B’rit Chadashah (New Testament) is, of course, the body of our Lord, Yeshua Ha Mashiach. He is described as “the Bread of Life” (Lechem haChayim).

Joh 6:35  KJV
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Joh 6:48  KJV
I am that bread of life.

He was born in Bethlehem, which, in Hebrew, means, “House of Bread” (Bet Lechem).

Look at the matzah !

Matzah (also Matzoh, or Matsah) Hebrew : מַצָּה‎, in Ashkenazi is Matzo or Matzoh, and, in Yiddish, Matze) is a cracker-like flatbread made of white plain flour and water.

You will see that the matzah is striped :
Isa 53:5  KJV
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

The matzah is pierced :
Psa 22:16  KJV
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

Zec 12:10  KJV
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

And the matzah is pure, without any leaven, as His body was without any sin. And the Passover custom of burying, hiding and then resurrecting the second of three pieces of matzot (the middle piece), presents the Gospel (Afikomen).

3.
First Fruits (Yom Habikkurim).
“On the morrow after the Sabbath” following Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:11 schedules First Fruits, the feast for acknowledging the fertility of the land He gave the Israelites.

Lev 23:11  KJV
And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

They were to bring the early crops of their spring planting and “wave the sheaf before the LORD.”

Lev 23:12  KJV
And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

Unfortunately, the modern church has come to call this feast “Easter,” named after Ishtar, the pagan goddess of fertility.

We continue to revere objects of fertility such as the rabbit and the egg which is totally wrong and against the Scripture.

The First Fruits celebration was to be over God’s replanting of the earth in the spring. Today this feasts celebrates the resurrection of the Lord Yesua Ha Mashiach on First Fruits, which indeed occurred (plus, eventually, the resurrection of the entire Church!).

To be more details please click here : Yeshua is our First Fruits - Wednesday Crucifixion  

4.
Pentecost (Shavu’ot).
Leviticus 23:16 says, “Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shell ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Y-H-V-H.”

Lev 23:16  KJV
Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

In late May or early June, Shavu’ot marked the summer harvest. Leviticus 23:17 requires an offering of two loaves of bread, baked with leaven. These loaves symbolize the church being comprised of both Jew and Gentile.

Lev 23:17  KJV
Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

A review of the first four feasts reveals that Yeshua was crucified on Pesach, buried on Unleavened Bread, raised on First Fruits and sent the Ruach Hakkodesh on Shavu’ot. Because we have not yet seen the fulfillment of feast number five - Trumpets - we remain under the orders of Shavu’ot.
   
   

The Fall Feasts
   
5.
Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah).
Ever since Isaac was spared by virtue of the ram being caught in the thicket by its horn, God seems to have enjoyed the trumpet. He used it when Joshua conquered Jericho. In Leviticus 25:8-10, he specified its use in having trumpets “proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” (that quotation appears today on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, assuring the people that America was founded by Bible readers).

Lev 25:8  KJV
And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
Lev 25:9  KJV
Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
Lev 25:10  KJV
And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

Leviticus 23:24 requires that, “in the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets.”

Lev 23:24  KJV
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

The Feast of Trumpets occurs in September.

This jump in time from the Feast of Pentecost in May or June seems to represent the Church Age in God’s planning, since the trumpet unquestionably represents the Rapture of the Church.

The trumpet was the signal for the field workers to come into the Temple. The high priest actually blew the trumpet so that the faithful would stop harvesting to worship. Now, when the trumpet sounds in accordance with 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, living believers will cease their harvest and rise from the earth. The Church will be taken out of the world.

1Co 15:51  KJV
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52  KJV
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53  KJV
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

6.
Atonement (Yom Kippur).
Leviticus 23:27 provides a day of confession, the highest of holy days.  “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Y-H-V-H.”

Lev 23:27  KJV
Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

This is the one feast that is not fulfilled by the Church, because the Church owes no atonement. The Church is not innocent, of course, but it is exonerated. The Day of Atonement will be fulfilled in a wonderful way when the Lord Yeshua Ha Mashiach returns at His Second Coming.

Yom Kippur is vitally important for Messianic Jews and Christians, since it reminds us of our great need for God’s intervention in our lives, and also helps us walk in the truth. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye (plural) may be healed" (James 5:16).

Eschatologically, Yom Kippur represents the national restoration of Israel at the end of the Great Tribulation period, but it also is a reminder of the terrrible cost of sin in our lives. Sin is so offensive and the debt is so great that it took nothing less than the sacrifice of Yeshua Himself in order to secure our reconciliation with God. We therefore should tremble with fear before God in reverent gratitude of His mercy toward us.
                                       
The Future Fulfillment
Just as Rosh HaShanah reveals the coming time of Judgment and the rapture of the kehillat Mashiach (church of Christ), Yom Kippur prophetically pictures the Day of the LORD or the Day of Judgment in the Acharit HaYamim (last days).

After the judgment of the nations during the Great Tribulation, national Israel will be fully restored to the LORD and their sins will be purged (see Matthew 24). Indeed, our beloved Mashiach will one day return to Israel, cleanse her temple, restore her to Himself, and set up His glorious kingdom.

Hallelu-Yah!

7.
Tabernacles (Sukkot).
Leviticus 23:34 says, “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.”

God wanted to celebrate the fact that He provided shelter for the Israelites in the wilderness. Each year on Tabernacles, devout Jews build little shelters or “booths” (sukkot) outside their houses and worshipped in them. Tabernacles represents the Lord’s shelter in the world to come (olam habah), His great Tabernacle to exist in Jerusalem during the Kingdom Age.

The LORD will establish His Tabernacle in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 37:26), and the world will come every year to appear before the King and worship Him (Zechariah 14:16-17).

Eze 37:26  KJV
Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

Zec 14:16  KJV
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Zec 14:17  KJV
And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

Chanukah, by the way, was not given by God on Mount Sinai, but was prophesied in Daniel 8:9-14, and took place in 165 BC when the Temple was rededicated.

Dan 8:9  KJV
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
Dan 8:10  KJV
And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
Dan 8:11  KJV
Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Dan 8:12  KJV
And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
Dan 8:13  KJV
Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
Dan 8:14  KJV
And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Chanukah is actually the Day of Dedication, the day when Y-H-V-H dedicated His only begotten Son Yeshua Ha Mashiach to all mankind.

Chanukah is actually the Day of Light, the day when the Light of the world came from everlasting, it is the day when the Word was conceived. It is the day when Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Mat 1:18  KJV
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

To be more detail about Chanukah please click here : When Jesus was conceived - When Jesus was born

Now you probably agree that Christianity’s Jewish roots offer an eye to the future as well as the past. The next time someone mentions “The Seven Feasts of Israel,” you’ll realize they’re really talking about the Seven Feasts of all time!

Blessing,
Andre

Comparing The Pre Tribulation Rapture and The Jewish Wedding Tradition

Shalom,

First of all, I must say for the opponents of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, that they  fall short in consideration of several aspects in the study of eschatology. They fail to see the "big picture".

Consider this…when Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ) walked with the apostles what was His main method of teaching?

He used parables!

Timeless stories relating to real life that would be applicable to all ages. Let's now take the next logical step in this progression of thought. Students tend to emulate their teachers. It only makes sense that the apostles, when relaying the Gospel, would use the same parables and possibly (as we will show) some of their own.

One of the best examples of this is the consistent referral to the Church being the Bride of Christ and Christ being the Bridegroom. When you compare the Jewish tradition of the marriage process and the Scriptural account of the Rapture the parallelism is uncanny.

It is remarkable!

The Jewish tradition of marriage is a several step process. At each step of the marriage process we will see the appropriate verses aligning with the doctrine of the Rapture.

First is the acquisition or purchase of the Bride. This is normally done by money, and the Bride must know the value of the purchase price, AND she can only be acquired with her consent.
(The Scripture here is numerous, salvation, the crucifixion etc.)

1Co 6:20  KJV
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
1Co 7:23  KJV
Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
1Pe 1:18  KJV
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19  KJV
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Secondly, the next part of the ceremony is when the bridegroom gives the wife a ketubah, or marriage contract. The ketubah spells out the bridegroom's obligations to the wife during marriage, conditions of inheritance upon his death, and much more.

Jer 31:31  KJV
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Joh 14:2  KJV
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3  KJV
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Thirdly, next comes the process of the marriage, the kiddushin and nisuin. The kiddushin (commonly translated as betrothal) occurs when the woman accepts the money. At that point the bride is the bridegroom's. The nisuin (from a word meaning "elevation") completes the marriage. In the past the kiddushin and the nisuin would routinely occur as much as one to two years apart.
(Again, look at the concepts of salvation and Christ's work on the cross, in regards to the waiting period)

Luk 5:33  KJV
And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?
Luk 5:34  KJV
And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?

Fourthly, following the kiddushin, the bridegroom will leave to prepare a home for the new family. Along with the new home, he is also preparing the chuppah or bridal chamber which is located in his father's house. There was always the risk that during this long period of separation, the woman would discover that she wanted to marry another.

Joh 14:1  KJV
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2  KJV
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3  KJV
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4  KJV
And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

The other aspect of the ceremony between the kiddushin and nisuin is that the bride is to always remain ready as she does not know when her bridegroom will come for her.

2Co 11:2  KJV
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Mat 24:44  KJV
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Luk 12:40  KJV
Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Apparently during this period the bride will also participate in the mikvah, which is a ritual immersion. Women are immersed for various reasons. This is an ancient Jewish practice dating back to the time of Moses.

Mat 3:11  KJV
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Mat 3:15  KJV
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Take a note here is the bridesmaids. Tradition has the bridegroom arriving to collect his bride at night and the bride's unmarried friends who attend to the bride provide light for the groom who comes at night. This is a traditional custom for friends to light candles in the processional or during the veiling ceremony. (Matthew 25:1-13)

Also, the bridegroom does not know when he will return…only his father did. When the bridegroom's father is satisfied with the work on the new home and the chuppah done by the bridegroom will he release his son to gather up his bride…he does this with the sounding of trumpets. The groomsmen will run ahead fo the groom, sound the Shofar, and shout that he is coming. While the father's head is turned, the groom will steal his bride and carry her back to his father's house where he prepared the bridal chamber.

Mat 24:36  KJV
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Joh 3:29  KJV
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
1Th 4:13  KJV
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 1Th 4:14  KJV
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 1Th 4:15  KJV
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 1Th 4:16  KJV
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1Th 4:17  KJV
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1Th 4:18  KJV
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
At this point comes the Nisuin or ceremony. The word Nisuin also can mean "to lift up" or "carry".

Interesting isn't it?

The Nisuin is a symbolic of Rapture.

Lifting up the bride is an ancient wedding custom of carrying the bride to the ceremony in a carriage lifted by poles. Although seldom done today, the ceremony still bears the name. The Chuppah is not only related to the bridal chamber, it is also "lifted" by poles like the ancient carriage. Both the bride and groom are then lifted up in this processional.
1Th 4:13  KJV
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14  KJV
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15  KJV
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16  KJV
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17  KJV
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18  KJV
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Following the ceremony the bride and groom enter the bridal chamber (chuppah) where the marriage is consummated. They remain in the chamber for 7 days.

Days are interchange with years.

Num 14:34  KJV
After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

7 days are identical to 7 years which reminds us about 7 years Tribulation in the future. It is clearly shows that the Church will not be on the earth during 7 years Tribulation.

The party waits outside and rejoices until the groom tells the best man that is consummated. After 7 days is the wedding supper.
(Daniel 9:27 - 7 days, one week, Daniel's 70th week clearly showing the bride (the Church) will not be present for the Tribulation; Revelation 19:5-10)

At the completion of the marriage supper the bride and bridegroom would then depart for their new home.
(Revelation 19:11; Revelation 21)

In sum, what we have is the Lord, who provided us with the Scripture, speaking through the apostles and Christ Himself showing us the reliability of the concept of the Rapture.

Nothing is a coincidence. What is also significant is how the blowing of the trumpets in the marriage process following the "waiting period" aligns with the Feasts of Y-H-V-H found in Leviticus 23…in particular is the Feast of Trumpets in which the Shofar is blown as a "wake-up call" at the beginning of the feast.

Again, nothing is a coincidence.

Below, we can see the details from Perry Stone when he was elaborating Pre Tribulation Rapture and The Jewish Wedding Tradition. It is a must see video!

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4



Part 5



Part 6



Keep in His Words. Keep holy. We are His Bride. Behold, The Bridegroom is coming.

Blessing in Yeshua's Name,
Andre

Why Christians Should Study Torah?

Shalom,

It is very often for Christians to think that the "Old Testament" is virtually irrelevant today, since the doctrines of the Church are made explicit in the New Testament writings.  However, this is a serious mistake, as the following facts will demonstrate:

1.
Yeshua (Jesus) and all his disciples were Torah-observant Jews. The Scriptures which they studied, loved, and quoted were the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (example : the Jewish Tanakh).  Indeed, Yeshua quoted from the book of Deuteronomy (from the Torah) more than any other book in the Scriptures. As a child, Yeshua would have studied the Torah and memorized it with other Jewish children. He would also have been familiar with the teaching of the earlier Jewish sages of Israel.

When asked what was the greatest commandment of the LORD, Yeshua quoted the ve'ahavta portion of the Shema : ve'ahavta et ADONAI (Y-H-V-H) eloheykha be'khol-levavkha, u'vekhol nafshekha, u'vekhol me'odekha.

Deu 6:5  KJV
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Then He added the commandment, v'ahavta l're'akha kamokha - ani ADONAI (Y-H-V-H).

Lev 19:18  KJV
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.

Both of these commandments come directly from the Torah.

Indeed, Yeshua said that He did not come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets, but to fulfill them.

Mat 5:17  KJV
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
Mat 5:18  KJV
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.
Mat 5:19  KJV
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.

Later, He told a prospective follower of His, "if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (Mat 19:17).

Mat 19:17  KJV
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

What kind of commandments did Yeshua mean in Mat 19:17? Surely, it was the Torah.

When He was further asked which ones, Yeshua replied by citing the Ten Commandments and appealed to the man to follow Him (Mat 19:18-21).

Mat 19:18  KJV
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19  KJV
Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Mat 19:20  KJV
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Mat 19:21  KJV
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
In other word : in order to enter eternal life, we must keep the Ten Commandments and follow Lord Yeshua Ha Mashiach.

2.
Yeshua said that the Jewish Scriptures plainly testify of Him (John 5:39).

Joh 5:39  KJV
Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

As His followers, we should understand what this means and how they indeed bear witness of Him as the King of the Jews (Mat 2:2; 27:11).

Mat 2:2  KJV
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Mat 27:11  KJV
And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.

In addition, by studying Torah, we can more fully appreciate the glory and grace as revealed in the Person and Work of our beloved Mashiach.

For example, we can more fully savor the role of the sacrificial system and how Yeshua fulfilled all of God's holy requirements on our behalf as the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) of the new covenant.

3.
When two disciples were on their way to the town of Emmaus discussing the implications of the crucifixion of Yeshua three days earlier, who but the Master Himself appeared alongside of them and taught them from the Jewish Scriptures? "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luk 24: 13-36).

Luk 24:25  KJV
Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Luk 24:26  KJV
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Luk 24:27  KJV
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Again, as His followers, we should likewise be able to recount how Yeshua is revealed in the Jewish Scriptures.
  
4.
The "Church" was born on a Jewish holiday of Shauv'ot (Pentecost) among the Jewish people in Jerusalem.  Peter's sermon during that festival (Acts 2:1-41) was entirely Jewish, copiously quoting from the prophets and David, which would have meant little to any Gentiles in earshot (if there were any). It is likely, therefore, that the 3,000 people who were saved that day would have been all Jewish. The earliest members of the new church met regularly in the Temple, where Gentiles were explicitly excluded (Acts 2:46).

Act 2:46  KJV
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Note that the apostles Peter and John are recorded to have gone to the Temple for prayer during the time of the minchah (afternoon) sacrifices (Acts 3:1).

Act 3:1  KJV
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
And then, their ministry continued exclusively among the Jewish people, "how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law (Torah)" (Acts 21:20).

Act 21:20  KJV
And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
Even after they were imprisoned but miraculously escaped, an angel told them to "Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life" (Acts 5:20).

Act 5:20  KJV
Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

Peter's vision and visit to the house of Cornelius, a ger tzeddek ("God fearer") who attended synagogue and observed Jewish customs and traditions (Acts 10), was subject to a crisis of conscience for him.

First, in his vision he said that he never would eat of the "unkosher" animals shown to him, and second, he had qualms about even entering the house of a non-Jew. This indicates, among other things, how steeped Peter was in the Torah, even after spending three years under the teaching of Yeshua.

5.
Later, when the Jerusalem Council wrote their letter to the Gentiles regarding their relationship to the Torah, they advised them to at first abstain from those things that would make them abhorrent to the Jews, with the assumption that they would later go on to study the Torah of Moses and the other Jewish Scriptures (Acts 15:19-21).

Act 15:19  KJV
Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
Act 15:20  KJV
But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Act 15:21  KJV
For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

6.
The Apostle Paul was raised a Torah observant Jew who studied under the famous Rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3).

Act 22:3  KJV
I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
Rabbi Sha'ul (as he would have been called) was well-established in the Jewish leadership of his day, and even had a relationship with the Sanhedrin and High Priest of Israel (Acts 9:1-2).

Act 9:1  KJV
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
Act 9:2  KJV
And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
But even after his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-21), he still identified himself a Jew.

In Acts 23:6 he confessed, "I am (not "was") a Pharisee."

Act 23:6  KJV
But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

He even declared that concerning the observance of the Torah he was "blameless," which indicates that he observed a Jewish lifestyle to his dying day (Php 3:6).

Php 3:6 
Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Paul testified that he kept the Torah throughout his life (Acts 25:7-8, see also Acts 28:17).

Act 25:7  KJV
And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.
Act 25:8  KJV
While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.

Act 28:17  KJV
And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

Paul took the Nazirite vow (Acts 18:18), lived "in observance of the Torah" (Acts 21:23-24),

Act 18:18  KJV
And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

Act 21:23  KJV
Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Act 21:24  KJV
Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.

and even offered sacrifices in the Jewish Temple (Acts 21:26).

Act 21:26  KJV
Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

Notice that Paul not only paid for his own sacrifices in order to be released from his Nazirite vow, but also paid for the sacrifices for four other Jewish believers!

Notice also that this was performed at the explicit request of James, the head of the Jerusalem Church (and half-brother of Yeshua).

Paul regularly attended synagogue and kept the Sabbath (Acts 17:1-2).

Act 17:1  KJV
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
Act 17:2  KJV
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures,

When Paul wrote to the Gentile churches, (2 Tim 3:16-17), he was of course referring to the Jewish Scriptures, since the New Testament had not yet been compiled for the church.

2Ti 3:16  KJV
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  KJV
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Indeed, in order to understand Paul's writings, we need to remember his training as a Rabbi when he quotes the Scriptures in his writings. For example, when he wrote,  (1 Cor. 10:4), he was quoting from a story later written in the Talmud (i.e., that from the time that Moses struck the rock at Horeb and brought forth water until the death of Miriam (Ex. 17:6), this water-giving rock "followed the children of Israel through the desert and provided water for them each day" (Taanit, 9a and Bava Metizia, 86b).

1Co 10:4  KJV
And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Exo 17:6  KJV
Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.


7.
Many Christian denominations profess to believe in the authority of both the "Old Testament" and the New Testament Scriptures while functionally relegating the study of the Torah to the dustheap of history. If the Jewish Scriptures are taken seriously at all, these denominational traditions attempt to explain away their clear reading (for example, the covenantal promises made to ethnic Israel) and arrogate the intent of the text as being applicable solely to the Church.

This is both shortsighted and inconsistent, since it is impossible to understand the New Testament writings (including the very Church itself) while ignoring the cultural and theological context of which it is a part.

Moreover, it must be remembered that the Greek text of the New Testament derives its authority and veracity from the Jewish Scriptures, and not the other way around.

In other words, while it's possible that the Hebrew Scriptures are true and the Greek Scriptures are not, it's impossible for the Greek Scriptures to be true if the Hebrew Scriptures are not.

Too many Christian theologians go at this backwards, reading the New Testament (and particularly certain ideas ascribed to the Apostle Paul) as the interpretative filter for the study of the Hebrew text.  Theologians of the Western traditions must consciously remember the dictum, "a text without a context is a pretext" and repent of their heresies of replacement theology and implicit anti-Semitism.

So yes, for these (and many other) reasons, it is important, even vital, for Christians to study the Torah as part of the whole counsel of God (2 Tim. 2:15).

2Ti 2:15  KJV
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Blessing in Yeshua's Name,
Andre

Yeshua is our First Fruits - Wednesday Crucifixion

Shalom,
Feast of “Firstfruits”?
   
The day following the first day of Unleavened Bread is called Reishit Katzir, the “beginning of the harvest” (sometimes confusingly called the Feast of Firstfruits).






In ancient times, on this day a sheaf (omer) of barley (the first grain crop to ripen) was waved before the LORD in a prescribed ceremony to mark the start of the counting of the omer, thereby initiating the forty nine day countdown to the harvest festival of Shavu’ot :

Lev 23:9  KJV
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:10  KJV
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf (omer) of the firstfruits (reshit) of your harvest (katzir) unto the priest:
Lev 23:11  KJV
And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
Lev 23:12  KJV
And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf a he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

In other words, on this day the priest would wave a sheaf (omer) of green barley before the LORD as a symbolic gesture of dedicating the coming harvest to Him.

When was the Wave Sheaf Offering Made?

There is some controversy about precisely when the wave offering (called tenufat HaOmer) was performed, since the phrase “the day after the Sabbath” can refer to either:

1. Sunday (or Yom Rishon). This was the interpretation of the Sadducees. The Wave Offering would occur on the first Sunday after the regular weekly Sabbath.

Note :
Some have argued that since the Sadducees controlled the Second Temple worship schedule, the Wave Offering would have occurred on the Sunday following the weekly Sabbath. However, if this were so, it would not help make the case that the Resurrection of Yeshua occurred at this time, since the gospels state that Yeshua was raised before the women discovered Him missing from the tomb early on Sunday morning (Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1). In other words, the time of the resurrection of Yeshua and the time of the Wave Offering were not coincidental.
      
2. The day following the “High” Sabbath of the first day of Unleavened Bread (a “High” Sabbath is a day of shabbaton (rest) that may occur on any day of the week besides the weekly Sabbath day of Saturday). This is the position of the Pharisees and Orthodox Judaism. The wave offering would occur on Nisan 16, the day following the High Sabbath of the first day of Unleavened Bread (Josh. 5:11).
Chronology of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Yeshua
                   
Here is a tentative chronology of the events surrounding Yeshua’s death, burial and resurrection :

• Nisan 14 evening - Yeshua's early Seder.
• Nisan 14 daytime - Preparation day (Luke 23:54; Mark 15:42). Pesach (Lev. 23:5). Yeshua dies in the afternoon at the same time that the korban Pesach (Passover Lamb) is sacrificed at the Temple, and is buried before evening (before Passover).
• Nisan 15 evening - High Sabbath begins (the actual Seder night).
• Nisan 15 daytime - High Sabbath.
• Nisan 16 evening - Weekly Sabbath begins.
• Nisan 16 daytime - Weekly Sabbath, waving of the omer.
• Nisan 17 evening - Yeshua raised from the dead at/after Havdalah (at least before sunrise).  Women purchase spices.
• Nisan 17 daytime - Women bring spices to the tomb early in the morning. Disciples encounter risen Messiah.

To understand this reckoning, you must remember that a Jewish day starts at sundown!




Since the Jewish day (yom) begins at sundown, you must remember that a Jewish holiday actually begins on the night before the day listed in a Jewish calendar.

For example, Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) occurs on Nisan 27, which actually begins after sundown, Nisan 26 :



If Jesus sacrificed Himself on Nisan 14 (in the afternoon) and was raised after three days and nights, we have:


Total = Three days and nights (Matt 12:40).
Yeshua raised on the third day (Luke 24:45-6).

Yeshua rose from the dead on the 1st day of the week, after being in the tomb three days and three nights. The disciples then encountered the risen Lord on Nisan 17, a Sunday morning (Matt 28:1-10). 

In short, He was crucified on Nisan 14 and resurrected on Nisan 17.



Mashiach Yeshua our First Fruits
                                   
Although not happening coincidentally, the Wave Offering and the Resurrection of Yeshua are linked together prophetically by the Apostle Paul:

1Co 15:20  KJV
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
1Co 15:21  KJV
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22  KJV
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  KJV
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

Here the apostle clearly links the firstfruit offering with the resurrection of Yeshua our Mashiach.  Yeshua’s resurrection was like a “wave offering” presented before the Father as the "firstfruits" of the harvest to come!

Moreover, Yeshua presented His firstfruits offering to the Father on this day :

Mat 27:52  KJV
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Mat 27:53  KJV
And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Our Lord offered to the Father the “early crops” of what will be an overwhelming harvest at the end of the age (acharit hayamim).

Yeshua is the first-begotten of the Father.
Heb 1:6  KJV
And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

The Firstborn of Creation.
Col 1:15  KJV
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:18  KJV
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

The first-begotten of the dead.
Rev 1:5  KJV
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

The Firstfruits of those who are to be resurrected. Baruch HaShem.
1Co 15:20  KJV
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
1Co 15:21  KJV
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22  KJV
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  KJV
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

And just as He is our Firstfruits, so :
Jas 1:18  KJV
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

General Themes of the Season

* Pesach represents our salvation and deliverance by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Yeshua the Mashiach. We are justified by trusting in the blood of the Lamb of God.

* Chag HaMatzot represents our sanctification as we rid ourselves of the old leaven of “Egypt” and die to the carnal nature. In fact, this is represented by the burial of the Mashiach and our identification with His mortification.

* Reishit Katzir represents the resurrection of Yeshua our Mashiach and our future glorious state as part of the coming harvest of God at the end of the age.

A Note about Chag Ha-Bikkurim
   
The Hebrew term bikkurim derives from the same root as bekhor - firstborn.  In the Torah, the general principle that the firstborn of man (and beast) belonged to the LORD is also applied to the first fruits to ripen each agricultural season, beginning with a sheaf of the new barley harvest (omer) on Reishit Katzir, and culminating in the celebration of Shavu’ot, also called Chag ha-Bikkurim — “the first fruits festival,” which represents the birth of the Church!

In other words, Reishit Katzir is a picture of the resurrection of the Mashiach whereas Shavu’ot (bikkurim) represents the birth of the Church.

Blessing in Yeshua's Name,
Andre

Mengapa bulan ke 4 disebut Tammuz?

Shalom,

Jika kita memperhatikan kalendar Ibrani, maka kita akan melihat bahwa bulan ke 4 dalam kalendar Ibrani disebut sebagai Tammuz.



Mengapa bulan ke 4 disebut sebagai Tammuz?
Bukankah Tammuz ini merupakan nama berhala yang disebutkan di Eze 8:14?

Eze 8:14  KJV
Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Bagi orang yang tidak mengerti tentang latar belakang bulan Tammuz, maka mereka akan dengan mudah melecehkan dan mengumpat bahwa salah satu bulan dalam kalendar Ibrani ternyata memakai nama berhala.

Tetapi seperti firman Tuhan katakan : Di dalam banyak bicara pasti ada pelanggaran, tetapi siapa yang menahan bibirnya, berakal budi dan siapa mengumpat, membuka rahasia, sebab itu janganlah engkau bergaul dengan orang yang bocor mulut.

Pro 10:19  KJV
In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
Pro 20:19  KJV
He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

Mengapa bulan ke 4 diberi nama Tammuz?

Setiap tanggal 17 bulan Tammuz maka umat Yahudi akan melakukan puasa untuk menandai dimulainya masa dukacita selama 21 hari. Hal ini dimaksudkan untuk menanamkan rasa pertobatan terhadap beberapa peristiwa tragis yang terjadi dalam sejarah bangsa Israel.

Ada 5 kejadian tragis yang terekam dalam sejarah bangsa Israel yang terjadi pada bulan Tammuz yaitu :

# Dua loh batu yang Musa terima dari TUHAN dipecahkan Musa pada bulan ini karena bangsa Israel menyembah berhala kepada patung lembu emas (Exo 32).

# Korban harian dalam Bait Suci terhenti pada bulan ini karena bangsa Israel dihancurkan oleh kerajaan Babylonia di bawah raja Nebuchadnezzar (2Ki 24 - 2Ki 25).

# Tembok kota Yerusalem dihancurkan pada tahun 70 AD oleh pasukan Romawi di bawah pimpinan Jendral Titus pada bulan ini.

# Raja Manasseh, raja terburuk dalam sejarah raja-raja Israel, menempatkan patung berhala pada bulan ini (2Ki 21:7).
2Ki 21:7  KJV
And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever:

# Kitab Torah dihancurkan pada bulan ini oleh Apustemus, prajurit Yunani di bawah komando Antiochus Epiphanes.

Bulan ke 4 disebut sebagai Tammuz adalah untuk mengingat kembali beberapa kejadian tragis yang terjadi dalam bangsa Israel ketika mereka jatuh ke dalam penyembahan berhala. Hal ini dimaksudkan agar kejadian tragis tersebut tidak berulang lagi.

Dalam Eze 8:3 disebutkan :
Eze 8:3  KJV
And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

Disebutkan dalam ayat di atas berhala cemburuan yang menyakitkan hati TUHAN. Dan dalam Eze 8:13 kita ketahui bahwa berhala cemburuan itu adalah Tammuz.

Eze 8:14  KJV
Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Itu sebabnya bulan ke 4 diberi nama Tammuz. Semoga penjelasan ini bermanfaat.

KAJIAN TENTANG KATA "PASKAH" DALAM KISAH 12:4

KAJIAN TENTANG KATA "PASKAH" DALAM KISAH 12:4
Andre Widodo
© Talmid HaMashiach

Shalom,
 
Kisah 12:4 TB-LAI
Setelah Petrus ditangkap, Herodes menyuruh memenjarakannya di bawah penjagaan empat regu, masing-masing terdiri dari empat prajurit. Maksudnya ialah, supaya sehabis PASKAH ia menghadapkannya ke depan orang banyak.

Acts 12:4  KJV
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after EASTER to bring him forth to the people.

Alkitab KJV memakai kata "EASTER", sedangkan Alkitab TB-LAI memakai kata "PASKAH". 

Pertanyaan-nya :
Apakah "PASKAH" = "EASTER"?

Untuk detailnya mari kita bahas bersama.

Berdasarkan Webster 1828 English Dictionary dijelaskan definisi "PASKAH", yaitu "PASSOVER" sebagai berikut :

PASSOVER, n. [pass and over.] A feast of the Jews, instituted to commemorate the providential escape of the Hebrews, in Egypt, when God smiting the first-born of the Egyptians, passed over the houses of the Israelites, which were marked with the blood of the paschal lamb. The sacrifice offered at the feast of the passover.

PASSOVER, yaitu PESACH, yaitu PASKAH adalah HARI RAYA ketika bangsa Yahudi menyembelih Anak Domba dan untuk mengingat pembebasan bangsa Yahudi dari perbudakan di Mesir. 

Di dalam PERJANJIAN BARU, HARI RAYA PASKAH adalah HARI RAYA ketika Yeshua, Anak Domba Elohim dikorbankan.  

Mat. 26:2 TB-LAI  
"Kamu tahu, bahwa dua hari lagi akan dirayakan PASKAH, maka Anak Manusia akan diserahkan untuk disalibkan.

Setelah Hari Raya PASKAH, maka akan diikuti dengan 7 Hari Raya Roti Tidak Beragi, dimana umat Yahudi akan memakan roti tanpa memakai ragi.

Roti di sini adalah melambangkan Tubuh Tuhan Yeshua itu sendiri, yang tanpa ragi, tanpa dosa.

Yoh 6:48 TB-LAI
Akulah roti hidup.

Lalu bagaimana dengan EASTER? Darimanakah asal mula EASTER?

ONLINE ETYMOLOGY DICTIONARY menjelaskan definisi EASTER :
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Easter

Nama EASTER adalah berasal dari nama dewi kesuburan bangsa Babylonia yaitu dewi ISHTAR.

Berikut ini adalah gambar dewi ISHTAR pada zaman raja Nebuchadnezzar.



Dan berikut ini adalah gambar pintu gerbang ISHTAR yaitu ISHTAR'S GATE bekas peninggalan kerajaan Babylonia yang kini telah direnovasi oleh pemerintah Irak.



Penyembahan kepada dewi ISHTAR erat hubungannya dengan kesuburan. Selain kesuburan dalam konteks seksual, juga kesuburan dalam konteks bercocok tanam. Ketika lamanya siang dan lamanya malam dalam 1 hari mulai sama, penduduk Mesopotamia memahami bahwa ini adalah tanda berakhirnya musim dingin dan awal musim panas. Musim ini disebut dengan musim semi. Ini merupakan tanda dimulainya waktu untuk bertani.

Adalah suatu tradisi dalam masyarakat paganisme di daerah Mesopotamia untuk menyembah menghadap ke EAST (Timur -- yang kemudian berubah menjadi EASTER), tempat matahari terbit, untuk penyembahan kepada dewa matahari, yaitu BA'AL dan juga menyembah kepada ISHTAR untuk kesuburan tanah dan juga untuk kesuburan dalam praktek-praktek seksual. Penyembahan kepada ISHTAR ini juga erat kaitannya dengan praktek orgi.

Selanjutnya dalam tradisi setempat, hari penyembahan kepada ISHTAR ditetapkan pada hari pertama dari musim semi, dan pada hari itu seluruh masyarakat keluar rumah untuk mencari telur-telur liar. Mengapa mencari telur? Karena bagi mereka telur adalah lambang kesuburan dan dimulainya kehidupan baru.

Tradisi kuno ini terus langgeng sampai masa DARK AGES. DARK AGES adalah masa gereja mengalami toleransi terhadap tradisi-tradisi paganisme.

Sampai sekarang istilah EASTER masih dipakai oleh anak-anak Tuhan karena ketidak mengertian akan sejarah yang sebenarnya.

Mengapa Alkitab KJV dalam Acts 12:4 memakai kata EASTER?

Apakah EASTER yang dimaksud Alkitab KJV ini adalah hari raya Yahudi yaitu PASSOVER (PASKAH), atau hari raya pagan ISHTAR?

Untuk mengetahui hal ini, maka kita harus mengetahui tentang pertama kalinya hari raya Jewish Passover ini. Mari kita lihat apa kata Alkitab tentang hari raya PASSOVER ini di :

Exo 12:13  KJV
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye 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.

Dari ayat 13 ini, kita mendapatkan pertama kali kata PASSOVER.

Exo 12:14  KJV
And THIS DAY shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.

Dari ayat 14 ini, kita tahu bahwa hari PASSOVER ini akan menjadi suatu hari raya peringatan atau memorial day.

Exo 12:15  KJV
SEVEN DAYS shall ye eat UNLEAVENED BREAD; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
Sejak dimulainya hari PASSOVER maka 7 hari berturut-turut umat Tuhan harus memakan makanan yang tidak beragi.

Exo 12:16  KJV
And in the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.

Exo 12:17  KJV
And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance forever.

Exo 12:18  KJV
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

Kalau kita melihat ke kalendar bangsa Yahudi maka kita tahu bahwa hari raya PASSOVER ini jatuh pada bulan Maret/April.

Sekarang mari kita lihat ke Bilangan 28:16-18.

Num 28:16  KJV
And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the PASSOVER of the LORD.

Num 28:17  KJV
And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall UNLEAVENED BREAD be eaten.
Num 28:18  KJV
In the first day shall be a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein:

Dari Bilangan 28:16-18 ini kita mengetahui bahwa PASSOVER jatuh pada tanggal 14 NISAN dan begitu besok paginya tanggal 15 NISAN, sudah dimulai hari-hari roti tidak beragi selama 7 hari.

Deu 16:1  KJV
Observe the month of Abib (sekitar bulan Maret/April), and keep the PASSOVER unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.

Deu 16:2  KJV
Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the PASSOVER unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.

Deu 16:3  KJV
Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat UNLEAVENED BREAD therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

Sekarang mari kita lihat ke Kisah 12:3-4.

Act 12:3  KJV
And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
Dari ayat 3 di atas kita tahu bahwa Petrus ditangkap kemudian tibalah hari-hari roti tidak beragi.

Artinya adalah : hari raya Passover sudah lewat. Karena berdasarkan penjelasan di atas kita sudah buktikan bersama bahwa setelah Passover, akan diikuti selama 7 hari roti tidak beragi.

Hari Raya PASSOVER berikutnya akan ada lagi di tahun depan.

Selanjutnya mari kita lihat ayat 4.

Act 12:4  KJV
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after EASTER to bring him forth to the people.

Selain itu, yang perlu dipertimbangkan adalah, Herodes saat itu adalah penguasa Romawi. Ia bukan seorang Yahudi, ia adalah seorang Nabat, yaitu seorang Arab kuno yang bermukim di bagian Utara semenanjung Arab.

Untuk detailnya :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_the_Great

Sebagai non-Yahudi, Herodes tidak merayakan JEWISH PASSOVER. Tetapi sebaliknya, saat itu di kerajaan Romawi banyak hari raya paganisme. Salah satunya adalah hari raya EASTER.

Kerajaan Romawi memang merayakan hari raya EASTER yang berasal dari budaya pagan penyembahan kepada dewi ISHTAR.

Maka Herodes juga merayakan hari raya EASTER ini. Dan dalam Kisah 12:4, Herodes berencana untuk menghadapkan Petrus kepada orang banyak, berhubungan dengan perayaan pagan EASTER.

Jadi apa yang ditulis Alkitab KJV dalam Kisah 12:4 tentang EASTER, itu sebenarnya adalah hari raya PAGANISME. Hari raya penyembahan berhala.

Hari Raya Yom Teru'ah - Rosh Hashanah

Shalom,

Setelah kita membaca artikel yang berjudul Hari Raya-Hari Raya yang tercatat di Alkitab maka pada tanggal 30 September 2008 nanti, para pemeluk Mesianik Judaisme akan merayakan Hari Raya Yom Teru'ah atau lebih sering disebut sebagai Rosh Ha'Shanah yaitu Feast of Trumpets.

Ini sesuai dengan firman Tuhan di Lev 23:24.
Lev 23:24  KJV
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.

Jika kita melihat ke kalendar Ibrani maka tanggal 30 September 2008 adalah bertepatan dengan tanggal 1 Tishri 5769 dalam kalendar Yahudi yaitu bulan ke 7 dari bulan Nisan.

Note :
Untuk detailnya mengenai kalendar Ibrani, silahkan klik dan download di sini

Tanggal 1 Tishri ini juga dirayakan sebagai Jewish Civil New Year.



Bulan Tishri adalah Jewish Civil New Year sedangkan bulan Nisan adalah Jewish Biblical New Year.

Sebenarnya diperlukan persiapan selama 30 hari untuk memasuki Jewish Civil New Year pada tanggal 1 Tishri 5769. Persiapan ini terjadi selama satu bulan penuh dalam bulan Elul (lihat kalendar di atas). Dan 5 hari sebelum tanggal 1 Tishri; yaitu tanggal 25 Elul merupakan hari pertama ketika Elohim menciptakan langit bumi dan segala isinya.

Jadi jika saya boleh ringkaskan :

Tanggal 25 Elul : Hari pertama penciptaan (Gen 1:1-5).
Tanggal 26 Elul : Hari kedua penciptaan (Gen 1:6-8).
Tanggal 27 Elul : Hari ketiga penciptaan (Gen 1:9-13).
Tanggal 28 Elul : Hari keempat penciptaan (Gen 1:14-19).
Tanggal 29 Elul : Hari kelima penciptaan (Gen 1:20-23).
Tanggal 30 Elul : Hari keenam penciptaan (Gen 1:24-31).

Tanggal 1 Tishri : Elohim beristirahat pada hari ketujuh (Gen 2:2-3).

Pada tanggal 1 Tishri Elohim juga memerintahkan dalam Lev 23:24 menjadi Hari Raya Feast of Trumpets atau Rosh Ha'Shanah dan akan diakhiri pada tanggal 10 Tishri dengan Day of Atonement atau Yom Kippur.
 
Terhitung 10 hari setelah tanggal 1 Tishri maka kita akan memasuki Days of Awe atau aseret y’mei nora’im.
 

Berdasarkan Talmud (Oral Tradition) dijelaskan bahwa pada Hari Raya Rosh Ha'Shanah, nama para orang benar dihadapan TUHAN akan dituliskan dalam Book of Life sedangan nama para orang fasik akan dituliskan dalam Book of Death. Karena itu ada waktu 10 hari untuk pertobatan sebelum sampai pada Hari Raya Yom Kippur. Setelah Hari Raya Yom Kippur nama setiap orang akan ditetapkan pada salah satu buku tersebut, apakah Book of Life atau Book of Death.

Bagi Mesianik Judaisme, Yom Kippur ini adalah tidak lain sebagai gambaran dari Messianic Kingdom. Messianic Kingdom ini sering kita sebut sebagai Millenial Kingdom atau Kerajaan 1000 tahun di mana Tuhan Yeshua Ha'Mashiach akan memerintah bersama anak-anak-Nya di muka bumi ini untuk 1000 tahun lamanya. Karena itu tidak ada kefasikan yang diijinkan masuk ke dalam Messianic Kingdom.

Lalu bagi Mesianik Judaisme, gambaran dari apakah Hari Raya Rosh Ha'Shanah?

Hari Raya Rosh Ha'Shanah adalah gambaran dari Rapture.

Sebelum memasuki Hari Raya Rosh Ha'Shanah pada tanggal 1 Tishri, bangsa Yahudi melakukan persiapan dalam bulan Elul untuk menyambut Hari Raya Rosh Ha'Shanah. Sebelum Rapture kita juga memerlukan persiapan/pertobatan agar kita siap pada saat Tuhan Yesus menjemput kita di angkasa. Walaupun kita tidak mengetahui kapan saatnya Tuhan me-rapture anak-anak-Nya, tapi sebagai Mesianik Judaisme kita diperintahkan untuk siap sedia/berjaga-jaga (KJV memakai kata : Watch therefore ) menyongsong Rapture.

Berikut ini beberapa bukti ayat yang tertulis di Alkitab.

Mat 24:36  KJV
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Mat 24:42  KJV
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Rosh Ha'Shanah bagi Mesianik Judaisme merupakan suatu prophetic reminder tentang kehidupan rohani yang akan happy ending bertemu dengan Tuhan Yeshua Ha'Mashiach. Sedangkan Feast of Trumpets sendiri dengan cara meniupkan shofar adalah juga suatu prophetic reminder tentang Rapture di mana the bride of Mashiach akan mengalami everlasting transformation....O Hallelu-Yah.

1Co 15:51  KJV
Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52  KJV
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet (shofar): for the trumpet (shofar) shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Tuhan Yeshua Ha'Mashiach memberkati.

Blessing,
Andre