2 for a tabernacle was prepared, the first, in which was both the lamp-stand, and the table, and the bread of the presence — which is called ‘Holy;’ 3 and after the second vail a tabernacle that is called ‘Holy of holies,’ 4 having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid all round about with gold, in which [is] the golden pot having the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tables of the covenant, 5 and over it cherubim of the glory, overshadowing the mercy-seat, concerning which we are not now to speak particularly. 6 And these things having been thus prepared, into the first tabernacle, indeed, at all times the priests do go in, performing the services, 7 and into the second, once in the year, only the chief priest, not apart from blood, which he doth offer for himself and the errors of the people, 8 the Holy Spirit this evidencing that not yet hath been manifested the way of the holy [places], the first tabernacle having yet a standing; 9 which [is] a simile in regard to the present time, in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which are not able, in regard to conscience, to make perfect him who is serving, 10 only in victuals, and drinks, and different baptisms, and fleshly ordinances — till the time of reformation imposed upon [them] 11 And Christ being come, chief priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands — that is, not of this creation — 12 neither through blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, did enter in once into the holy places, age-during redemption having obtained; 13 for if the blood of bulls, and goats, and ashes of an heifer, sprinkling those defiled, doth sanctify to the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of the Christ (who through the age-during Spirit did offer himself unblemished to God) purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The self sacrifice necessary to atone for our sins is far beyond what any of us are able, or willing to do. It would take every drop, every ounce of blood in our bodies to cover even our own sins much less the sins of another, and what good would such atonement be if we lost our lives in the process. Adonai’s justice might be satisfied but His mercy would go unfulfilled.
On this day the holiest of all holy days, the day of the Atonements, is always on the 10th day of the 7th month, Yom haKipuriym is a Shabbat shabaton, a day to stop from all kinds of work and to rest completely. This day occurs only once a year and the observance begins the previous evening. Unlike the other feasts the main focus of this one is to deny oneself or afflict ones soul. As the high priest performs the atonements for himself, the altar, the tabernacle and the whole community of Israel, the people participate through their non participation because not only are the people not allowed to come near the holy place on this day but we are to deny our own existence. We are to stop ‘being’ on this day by not even satisfying basic needs e.g. food and drink.
The haCohen haGadol is expected to do this, to make atonement for the sins of the people through the shedding of innocent blood. Yet no matter what he does, no matter how much life in the blood, that he can withdraw from the sacrificed bodies of the innocent animals; the flow will eventually stop and it will never ever be enough. The Only One who can sympathize with our weaknesses, yet is apart from sin, (4:15), is the Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. He has come as our haCohen haGadol of ‘the coming good things’. He alone could enter the greater and more perfect tabernacle…neither through the blood of goats and calves but through his own innocent blood. Atonement has been made and Messiah has obtained age enduring redemption for us. Justice is satisfied and mercy fulfilled once and for all. In Messiah there will always be enough atoning blood.
We are to humble ourselves on remembering Messiah, the day when He denied Himself for us; it is an appointed time when we are to deny ourselves and remember what He did that we can never accomplish on our own. He has placed His Blood on the mercy seat.
The mercy seat was the ornate “lid/covering”, the kapporet, for the ark of the covenant, made with the designs of cherubim upon it. The blood of sacrifice was sprinkled upon it for the forgiveness of Israel’s sin on the Day of Atonement (Exodus 25:17-22).
As our Heavenly Father looked down into the ark, He saw the symbols of Israel’s sin, rebellion and failure, but when the blood of sacrifice was applied to that kapporet/mercy seat, the blood of the sacrifice covered the sin of Israel from His sight.
This is how He can look upon each of us in our sinful flesh, He sees the Blood of His Son Jesus/Yeshua which covers us and our sin.
The priests always went into the first area of the tabernacle, to perform the services as appointed, they went daily into the holy place to tend the menorah/lamp stand and replace the showbread.
The second part of the Tabernacle/Mishkan and later the Temple in Jerusalem/Yerushalayim before it was destroyed in 70A.D. is sometimes knows as the “holy of holies”. This area was entered only once a year by the high priest alone, on the Day of Atonement.
His entrance into the Holy of Holies was not for fellowship or to speak with the Father, but only for the purpose of atonement, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people.
These sins of ignorance, were the specific aim of the Day of Atonement. It was assumed that individuals known sin would be taken care of through the regular sin offerings and the daily sacrifices.
We should remember that in this respect, Messiahs’ work is far greater than the work done on the Day of Atonement, because His sacrifice on the cross is sufficient to atone for both the sins we do in ignorance and sins that we know of.
In verse 10 The Way into the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing, the old had to pass away before our Heavenly Father’s new Way could be revealed.
As believers we are cleansed, including our consciences, however this is not so we can live unto ourselves but rather to serve the living God. The Greek word translated serve here is latreuo, which speaks of ceremonial, priestly service.
We should keep in mind that from now on we are to ‘serve the living God’; the kind of service meant here is not that of a slave or servant to his master, but a worshipful service such as priests give unto the Lord God. We that have been redeemed and sanctified by Messiah are to offer to Him the worship of a royal priesthood, presenting prayers, thanksgivings, acceptable to Him.
Like Pesach, YomhaKipuriym finds fulfillment in our Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. As both our High Priest and our sacrifice, He atoned for us once and for all and is continually making intercession for us before our Heavenly Father. He does not need to make sacrifices for Himself and for us year after year in order to atone for our sins, it has already been accomplished forever.
Our self denial on this day therefore does not cause, help or improve our atonement but allows us to become very aware of our own mortality, our sin and our need for atonement. At the same time it causes us to think on and appreciate on some tiny level the sacrifice that Messiah made as He denied His own life on our behalf.
The sanctity and holiness of this day cannot be overstated and though we may find great joy in our eternal atonement in the Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, this is a day for remembering that atonement in such a way that will be very hard to forget. We are to be thoughtful, repentant, humble and die to ourselves. On Yom Kippur/ Kipuriym we are to remember that we live and breathe only because the Father so chooses and that by His choice He has the power to take it away as well.
These are the themes we are to keep in the forefront of our minds because without the sacrifice of Jesus/Yeshua we are truly dead; but through Messiahs atoning blood and His intercession, we are truly alive forevermore. As ardent, faithful followers of the Way, each and every day should be a day when we remember how we are saved, sanctified, redeemed and forgiven; not one should pass without our grateful, hearts releasing praises filled with thanksgiving to the One to Whom we owe everything.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
We are now part of the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands Yeshua/Jesus, as our High Priest, ministers in a superior sanctuary, the very throne room in the Heavenlies.
Links below for earlier posts containing more details on this subject:
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
Once again and it seems to have come around very quickly; we are on the countdown to the Fall/Autumn Moedim/Appointed times of the Lord.
The summer months of harvest have already passed and the 40 days of Teshuvah/repentance have already begun. The cycle of life set in by our Heavenly Father is designed to help us stay close to Him through the year.
These last appointed times of the year begin on the western calendar according to https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/2024-2025. The dates given on https://bsc.messianiclight.com/feast-dates/ are different based on the Biblical Solar Calendar. Let the reader decide.
The Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashana, also spelled Rosh Hashanah and Rosh Chodesh/ Head of Fall; Yom Teruah/ Feast of Trumpets: on
sunset –
nightfall
1-2 Tishrei
Yom Kippur
sunset –
nightfall 10 Tishrei Day of Atonement.
The holiest day of the year in Judaism.
Sukkot – Feast of Booths. Also called the Feast of Tabernacles, the seven-day holiday is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals (Hebrew: שלוש רגלים, shalosh regalim).
sunset –
nightfall 15-21 Tishrei
sunset –
nightfall Dates listed are for Diaspora (outside of Israel) 22-23 Tishrei
Eighth Day of Assembly. Immediately following Sukkot, it is observed as a separate holiday in the Diaspora and is combined with Simchat Torah in Israel.
Leviticus 23:2:“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, [Concerning] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, [even] these [are] my feasts.”
The translation of Lev. 23:2 in the Christian version of the Bible is a little different than the way the Jewish Hebrew Masters render it.
For them it reads as; “Speak unto the children of Israel ‘These are appointed times of God, callings of holiness, which you shall call in their appointed times.’”
Where we have the word feast in English translations, in Hebrew feast is mo’ed, which taken to its Semitic root really means:
an appointed time.
It would follow then that these callings of holiness come during these appointed times.
Callings of holiness in Hebrew is
miqr’ei kodesh – callings of holiness
which may be translated as
holy nutrients.
The rabbis teach that these
miqr’ri kodesh are holy nutrients
that sustain us throughout our lives. In the same way that nutrients from the foods we eat sustain our physical bodies; the spiritual nutrients received at the appointed times are holy for us, enabling us to walk and mature in our spiritual lives.
Some of these spiritual nutrients include
reverential respect/masso/מַשּׂא,
joy/simchah/שִׂמְתָה
peace/shalom/שָׁלוֹם,
courage/amets/אָמַץ,
strength/chazaq/חֹזֶק,
freedom/chuphshah/חֻפְשָׁה,
wisdom/ chokmah/חָכְמָה;
and other spiritual gifts imparted to us by His grace, all throughout our lives. These are the ongoing needs of the soul, mirrored in the body with its’ constant physical needs.
The Levitical festivals are our Heavenly Fathers appointed times when these gifts are imparted to His children. When we read about the first Pesach/ Passover is the gift God gives in freedom from bondage, and from the slavery to sin, release from Egypt / the world system.
Peace /shalom was given during the week of unleavened bread/
During the Omer, reverential respect and courage were given as His children examined themselves and prepared for the coming outpouring of His Spirit.
The first Pentecost/Shavuot was when the Torah or wisdom and instructions of how to approach a Holy God was given; then when Messiah was risen, the Joel prophesy was fulfilled.
The fall Appointed times began with the Day of Blowing /Trumpets. Yom Teruah. The shofar calling the faithful to repentance and to prepare for the most Holy Day of Yom Kippur, when the sacrifice for sin was made and all Israel was forgiven and a new year / rosh hashanah began. The gifts of forgiveness, redemption and sacrifice on their behalf were given to all who obeyed the Lords directions. This was followed immediately by Sukko/Tabernacles/Booths, a weeks rejoicing in the Torah. Simchat Torah, the joy of the Lords provision and the remembrance of His provision all through the wilderness years. The future hope that all His children will dwell with Him forever.
With the basic meaning of the word mo’ed being an appointed time, these miqr’ri kodesh are also spiritual nutrients given for the souls of the Gentile believers in Messiah Yeshua/ Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
To the gentiles, gifts are given at appointed times. To the Jewish people who have not yet received Yeshua as their Messiah, these are the times of their festivals until He comes, however to the Gentile believers who have been grafted into the true vine, these appointed times are to remind us of what has already been accomplished and fulfilled by Messiah.
Many people are fearful concerning the future, the what if’s of life become constant torments. People worry that the economy may collapse, and what if we go to war, or what if there are terrorist attacks, and on and on.
Be encouraged to readLeviticus 23:2like the rabbis do, then we need never worry about any of these things for, if, and when, the time comes, our Heavenly Father will give us what we need when we need it the most, and it will come at themo’ed, the appointed time for that need. For He promises inPhilippians 4:6, Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” because
My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
Today, is always an appointed time. In Acts 28, Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8, which speaks of “the day of salvation.” Then he says not to delay: “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” In other words, today is the day of salvation.
2 Cor. 6:2 For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.
Our Heavenly Father is urging us to do it now, and reminding us what blessings we miss out on by delaying our repentance.
There is the rest of this month given us to reflect and change our ways before Him, opportunities to repent are gifts from our Father. We have an advocate with Him and the precious blood of our Messiah Yeshua/ Jesus that cries mercy for us. He sees us as Holy through that Blood as we apply it to our lives.
Callings of Holiness/ miqr’eikodesh
are appointed times/moedim for us
and they are opportunities for us to receive the
Holy nutrients we need by being filled with His Holy Spirit, according to Ephesians 5:18, which leads to godly living with the fulness of the Lord; not just a few times a year but daily.
There are many previous posts on the Fall Moedim
which can be freely accessed from Home Page.
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name
At this point in time He was resurrected the first born from the dead. The disciples were not born again until after Messiah was risen. Then He breathed into them the breath of new life/chaim in the Holy Spirit/RuachHaKodesh.
We know from scripture that the disciples/talmidim had not yet received the same fullness of power and authority Yeshua/Jesus had while on earth because He did not give it to them until Matthew 28:18.
Jesus came and said to them, “ All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
In Luke 10:19 He gave them authority Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.
However we read in Mark 9:19- 25 that they had encountered an unclean spirit that would not obey them. Yeshua/Jesus called it a deaf and dumb spirit in verse 25.
In verse 26 it came out and in verse 28 the disciples asked why they could not cast it out and in verse 29 29 He replied to them, “This kind [of unclean spirit] cannot come out by anything but prayer [to the Father] and fasting.” This was Yeshua/Jesus’ lifestyle, He was always ready to do His Fathers will – this is why he came – 1John 3:8 For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Messiah gave them this promise in
John 14: 16,17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Verse 18 “I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come [back] to you.
This was His promise, the one that would be fulfilled at Shavuot/Pentecost. The promise of
Luke 24 39 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Acts 1:4 And while they were gathered together, He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss.
Again do we recognize that in verse 17,the Spirit of truth, cannot be received by the world, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him;
but as His children/disciples, we do…
John 14:20 On that day [when that time comes] you will know for yourselves that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.
This description is about the infilling/indwelling of His Holy Spirit.
That day, was the day of Pentecost/Shavuot-
pronounced Sha voo ote.
That was the day that was coming.
Then He said you will know. I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.
The only way to know it, was by the infilling, by impartation of His Holy Spirit.
So, back in Mark 9:28 when they could not cast out the unclean spirit was it because Yeshua/Jesus had not yet died as the Passover/Pesach lamb?- He had not been resurrected and become as the unleavened firstfruit from the dead and the subsequent omer count was not completed. No power had been given them more than the authority we saw Yeshua/Jesus give them to use His name. in Luke 19.
At this point of their discussion, He had not died and His Fathers spirit of Holiness had not been released, as the veil in the Temple separating the Holy of Holies, had not been torn to allow His presence to be released from that sanctuary. Recall the fact that all the Old Testament sacrifices were in place to show the sinful Israelites how to approach a Holy God, and to teach them that only innocent sacrificial blood can pay for sin ..a life for a life. Leviticus 23:15-17.
At that point, that year, Pentecost/Shavuot had not come and the power from on high had not yet been released as both Isaiah and Joel had prophesied.
Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Isaiah 32:15 Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest
Isaiah 44:3,4 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: …
The 49 days of counting from the Omer was still in progress…
Depending on how the counting from the omer is begun, Shavuot could occur any day between 5 and 13th days of the 3rd month. As some don’t yet accept Messiah has come, the Israelites/Jewish people associate Pentecost/Shavuot with the giving of the Torah at Sinai. This is because according to Shmot /Ex. 19 the Torah was given to Moses on the 3rd day of the 3rd month. They have fixed in their calendar to be the 6th day of the 3rd month as a remembrance of Torah and the commandments. This is one of the 3 shalosh regalim /annual feasts they are commanded to attend. The date on our calendars varies because lunar calendar does not have fixed months. The month begins with the new moon and lasts 29/30 days.
And when the prophesied day came
Acts 2:1-21 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place…
In obedience to Yeshua/Jesus command in Acts 1:4 And while they were gathered together, He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss.
Then the power of the Fathers Spirit of Holiness was poured out onto the prepared, obedient disciples who had been counting 49 days from the Omer.
His promise was fulfilled as recorded in Acts 4:31 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
As the cloven tongues of fire like glory, baptized/immersed each one there, they became bold. Peter was now not fearful to stand up for His Lord. They were emboldened.
The descent of the Heavenly Fathers Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit at Shavuot/Pentecost marked a pivotal shift in the lives of the disciples and apostles, equipping them with spiritual strength and courage; and an ability to speak clearly, which was needed to boldly proclaim the gospel. This divine intervention not only emboldened the apostles but also served as a catalyst for the rapid spread of what we now call the ‘Christian’ faith. Acts 2:10-21
They had a 1st infilling when Yeshua/Jesus breathed on them inJohn 20:22; however it was obviously not enough to continually sustain them because at Shavuot/Pentecost, they received power from on high.
A second immersion and infilling, we call it a baptism of the Holy Spirit. Now they were ready to fulfill that great commission, they were equipped with His indwelling power to do what He was commanding them to do. They showed by evidence of speaking in other tongues and all the other gifts and fruit of the spirit flowing through them; that they were spiritually equipped and had received what they would need to fulfill their call. It is very clearly a separate ministration of our Heavenly Father.
Another reference of it being a separate experience is found inActs 19:2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”. So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
It is essential for all believers to be effective and to have a completion of spiritual growth, maturity and fruitfulness.
In Acts 9:22 Paul was still being filled with more and more power; so it is an ongoing re-newing, re-energizing, a continual refilling and infilling. Just as a vehicle needs to be refilled with fuel to continue and take us on our journey, so do we.
Our Heavenly Father needs a vessel of maturity, one that He can fill, and then our testimony will be effective.
As with the apostles and disciples, the power of the indwelling RuachHaKodesh/Holy Spirit was visible and with demonstration, signs and wonders followed them.
Our Heavenly Father wants us mature so He can pour more of His power in and through us. However, power, dunamis, explosive dynamite power, must have a stable container. One with no weaknesses that might give way under pressure. The Lord can only do so much, we have to do our part, we must exert our free will to prepare ourselves spirit, soul and body to become that purified vessel of honor; we are destined to carry the glory of the Father wherever He sends us. These vessels do not have selfish, carnal desires and motives. They cannot hold the power well and any cracks or weak areas have to be healed completely, or the power will leak out.
We saw how in Acts 2 This is the day spoken of by the prophet, referring to Shavuot/Pentecost, and how cloven tongues of fire appeared, together with the mighty rushing wind which filled every room in the house. He wants to do the same with us…To clean out anything that is not of Him, anything of the old man that still remains in our lives and house.
It was a fulfillment prophetically, as are all things pertaining to the coming of Messiah. There is more to this prophetic fulfillment as when He told them to wait found inMatt. 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.
He was referring to the books of Joel and Isaiah. They knew the significance of this Appointed Time, this Moed, this feast; however this particular event was a totally new experience and it initiated a spiritual harvest, the first fruits of Messiahs resurrection.
This is the 2nd of the three mandatory annual harvests/moedim they were to attend in Jerusalem. Called the shalosh regalim. Passover/Pesach, Pentecost /Shavuot and the one in the fall Sukkot/Tabernacles.
Shavuot/Pentecost marks the climax of the Pesach/Passover season and historically it commemorates the giving of the Torah, the commandments, the Word of God to Moses at Sinai.
The cloven tongues of fire and the rushing mighty wind was a similar experience that the Israelites had in the wilderness at Sinai. Exodus 19:16-25. The third morning there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
Now the disciples were receiving a new dimension of Gods power, His Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit to add to the Word which was already imparted, for this specific reason; so they were vessels that would be effective witnesses for the kingdom of God, just as Messiah, Himself the Word of God, had called them to be.
Acts 4:33 . With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And … grace was so powerfully at work in them, all the apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Messiah.
Acts 10:38 … how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went … doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with them …
Another interesting fact is that, in the wilderness 3000 died in one day according to Ex. 32:28. The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day.
Whereas 3000 died at the season of the giving of the commandments, the written Word of God, we now see 3000 saved with the giving of the Holy Spirit through the Living Word of God. Shavuot /Pentecost apparently was on the exact same day of that year!
Acts 2:41 38
The reference in Acts 2:3, With the sound of a rushing wind, and like the appearance of cloven tongues of fire dividing itself upon those in the upper room. It may have been the same upper room they shared Pesach/Passover with Messiah?
Tongues refers to the shape and
Cloven, we can find an explanation in
Leviticus 11:3. Whatsoever parteth the hoof — That is, divides it into two parts only; or, is cloven-footed and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. It is clean for you.
Kosher is the English word for the Hebrew word kashér, which means “fit” as in clean not unclean.
This would have given them peace/shalom, that this was from God, His Holy fire was more than likely the same manifestation as Moses experienced in Ex. 3:2 ‘And, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.’ The fire of God His shekinah glory. And Heb. 12:29. Tells us, for our god is a consuming fire. Always cleansing and purifying yet not destroying.
As the fourth of the Spring Appointed Times/Moedim, Pentecost/Shavuote/Sha voo ote, is the beginning/ of the renewed covenant for all gentile nations, tribes and tongues; the genesis of the church/ecclesia, the body of Christ, and fulfilled by Messiah.
It is also called Chag haKatziyr, feast of the harvest andDay of the first fruits/Yom ha Bikkuriym and is a one day feast of first fruits offering of the newly matured wheat crops and no regular work is done.
Although not named as Shavuot in the gospels, there are 2 passages that could refer to it. One is Luke 6:2 when the disciples were picking grain on a Sabbath and John 5:4 when Yeshua/Jesus goes to an unnamed feast.
Certainly the Israelites were in the wilderness in the 3rd month and the remembrance of the 10 commandments reminds us, we should have no other gods before the Lord; and are commanded to leave all our idols and bad habits behind …Hard to do in this world of materialism and constant temptations, but we must make new habits, Godly ones, denying that flesh daily. The Israelites in the wilderness had many problems too and in our lives, we should ask ourselves, is our focus on material things instead of doing the things Yeshua/Jesus brings out in Matthew 25:35. To feed the hungry and do the works of the kingdom?
In Ex. 19:8
And all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the LORD has spoken.” So Moses brought their words back to the LORD. It is likened to a wedding, tying His people permanently to Him with vows of a covenant. The Mosaic Covenant. For believers in Messiah, Shavuot is important because it has ties to deliverance and salvation celebrated at Passover and with Yeshua/Jesus’ crucifixion, to His resurrection on First fruits of Unleavened Bread. His ascension 40 days later and then His sending the immersion/ saturation infilling of the RuachHaKodesh/Holy Spirit on the 1st Fruits Appointed Time of Shavuot/Pentecost. This gives us the power to live victorious lives, and enables us to witness to all non believers by the way we live.
The time of waiting for the immersion of His Ruach haKodesh/Holy Spirit, parallels the counting of the Omer from the First Fruits of Unleavened Bread to the First Fruits of Shavuot. Just as the farmers could not use the wheat crop until the offering of the loaves referenced inLev 23:17, so also, Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, as the Bread of Life, had to ascend before the rest of the grain.
A clear reference to His teaching in John 12:24 “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.
Yeshua/Jesus explains that His death is necessary for His glorification and the salvation of souls, using the example of a grain of wheat that dies and bears much fruit. The first fruit harvest at Pentecost/Shavuot were the disciples plus the 3000 of the pilgrims to Jerusalem from all the nations under heaven Acts 2:5 -11.
After this baptism/immersion, they were on fire for the Lord preaching with bold confidence and Peter telling the people in verse 38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized/water immersion every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness /remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And in 2:43 many signs and wonders were done through them. They preached the gospel healed the sick, delivered the oppressed, raised the dead and cast out demons..
Are we doing this? Are we disciples?
Are we filled with His Spirit? Do you want to be?
If we are not doing the things Yeshua/Jesus called us to do, then we need to be baptized/immersed in His Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh.
In verse 38, Peter says Holy Spirit is a gift. Are we going to tell the one we say we love that we don’t want His gift?
If you have asked, why we need to know these things, why do we need to know the appointed times of the old testament?
Maybe we should be asking why we don’t think we need to know?
If anyone has ever fallen in love with another person, they immediately want to know all about that individual their history and background, and all about their family. They want to spend every waking moment with them, can’t wait to be with them and talk to them. Longing to hear their voice and what makes them happy and they want to tell them how much they love them; and want to do everything and anything that pleases them and makes them happy, denying themselves in favor of them.
Are we like this with our savior Jesus/Yeshua? Shouldn’t we want to know all there is to know about Him? He said if you love me you will keep my commandments…. Do we truly love Him?
More and more we need His power to live a Godly/Holy life before Him and be ready for that final harvest. The one which will come, just as surely as He came the first time, every prophetic Moedim/Appointed Times of The Lord is fulfilled perfectly.
For those new to the site, there are several other helpful posts on the Spring Moedim listed on Home Page under:
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord, Deliverer and soon returning King; and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
As the week of Unleavened Bread – Matzah are completed, it is not an end in itself but rather a transition into the next season and within that week, there is a Moed without an official name, though some call it yom haBikuriym, day of the first fruits. Lev. 23:9 -16
At this appointed time the sons of Israel are commanded to bring an omer to the priests. An omer is simply a sheaf of the harvest, specifically a bundle of grain from the beginning of the first crop. The priest is then to wave the omer before the Lord as a wave offering so that the omer and the entire harvest as well will be accepted.
This is also significant of Messiah and His resurrection from the dead, being the first fruit of the harvest of souls that will be gathered in at the final spiritual harvest. He was’ waved’, presented before the Father and His offering of Himself was accepted. The children of Israel were further instructed …
Then from the day of your bringing in the omer of the wave offering count 50 days and you will bring near a new offering to the lord.
Counting from the omer began this year, according to one Hebrew calendar, on 24th of April and will extend to 11th June when Shavuot/Pentecost begins.
There is some dispute concerning which day the counting is to begin, and has been since before Yeshua/Jesus day. This dispute hangs on the interpretation of Lev. 25:15 which says the counting is to begin from the day after THE shabbat.
The time to begin the count could be the day after the first day of the feast of matzah, the 16th day of the first month; which is the day after the 7th day Shabbat week of rest/no work. or the day after the last day of the feast of matzah. The current Jewish calendar fixes the date for the wave offering on the 16th day of the 1st month, the day after the 1st day of the feast of matzah. This is because Judaism considers the 15th day of the first month to be a Shabbat. Hence the day after the Shabbat, according to this interpretation, is the 16th of the month. According to scripture however, neither the first nor the last days of the feast of matzah, are notated within the text as shabbats, they are simply designated as days to do no regular work. Since the days of the month fall on different days of the week every year, the ocurence of the 7th day Shabbat during the feast changes from year to year. The date is always the same but the day varies, which can sometimes be on a weekly Shabbat day; i.e. Friday evening to Saturday evening. Remembering in Hebrew the days are as scripture reads in Genesis – day one through day 7. In Hebrew, day= yom, not as we designate the 7 day week named as Monday through Sunday.
The days are named simply by their numerical order in the week, and a Hebrew week starts with Sunday. “The First Day” Sunday in Hebrew: Sunday in Hebrew is Yom Rishon which literally means “first day”. It is written like this in Hebrew:
יוםראשון
Monday is the second day in the Hebrew week. Thus it is called Yom Sheni which literally means “second day”. Written like this in Hebrew:
יוםשני
Tuesday in Hebrew is Yom Shlishi which means “third day”. Written in Hebrew this way:
יוםשלישי
Wednesday in Hebrew is Yom Rvi-ee meaning “fourth day”. Written like this in Hebrew:
יוםרביעי
Thursday in Hebrew is Yom Chamishi, you guessed it! Yes, it means “fifth day”. This is how it is written in Hebrew:
יוםחמישי
Friday in Hebrew is Yom Shishi, meaning “sixth day” and this is how it is written in Hebrew:
יוםששי
Saturday Shabbat. This is how we write Yom Shabbat or Shabbat in Hebrew:
יום שבת or simply שבת
The modern Hebrew calendar has been designed to ensure that certain holy days and festivals do not fall on certain days of the week. As a result, there are only four possible patterns of days on which festivals can fall. Note that Jewish days start at sunset of the preceding day.
This time of counting is the combined period when Yeshua/Jesus was 40 days on earth after His resurrection and before His ascension; and it included the added 10 days He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until the promise of the coming of His Holy Spirit. These 7 weeks are an important link between the first 3 feasts and the last of the 4 spring appointed times. They call for introspective thought on our lives and to focus on where we are walking daily.
Are we on that narrow Way?
Are we staying true to our commitment to Him?
In the agricultural sense, this is a season of growth, are we growing and maturing spiritually, ready for the harvest soon to come?
The counting from the Omer is a feature of Israel’s calendar that instructs her regarding the correct time to harvest and make an offering from the mature wheat crops. As we walk through the spring Moedim, we can also see a picture of our own walk with Messiah.
At Pesach/Passover, we are reminded of being set free from sin, then during the Feast of Matzah, we have opportunity to practice walking in our unleavened-ness.
As we count from the Omer, we are like the wheat crops growing toward maturity, ultimately destined to become an abundant harvest for Messiah. During this season of counting we can focus on certain spiritual themes such as: sowing, growing, increase, being fed and nourished by our Heavenly Father and being mindful of how we are growing in obedience toward maturity in Messiah.
One very important area is love, everything we do must be done in the love of the Father; which was very evident in Messiahs life.
This is a key to holiness.
1 Thess. 3:12-13 11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and Jesus our Lord guide our steps to you [by removing the obstacles that stand in our way]. 12 And may the Lord cause you to increase and excel and overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; 13 so that He may strengthen and establish your hearts without blame in holiness in the sight of our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His [ a]saints (God’s people).
Our Fathers desire for us is that one day, at the coming of the Lord, we will stand blameless in holiness before our God and Heavenly Father. By what means does He expect us to come to this state of perfection/maturity? As we find ourselves right now, how can we hope to achieve such a perfect/mature state?
Our Father must have some miracle plans of intervention in order to make us appear before Him with all His Holy Ones – His Kedoshim.
When we think of holiness, we usually liken it to levels of sinlessness. In other words, we think we are holy when we are able to resist acting on our physical desires and not fall into sin; and we think that to be really holy, we need to achieve some state of being, where we no longer even have any sinful desires. However, Paul shows us that holiness can be much more human than that and he indicates that holiness is present when the Lord causes us to overflow in love toward one another and toward everyone.
Only when we increase and overflow in such love will we receive the strengthening of our hearts to be blameless. When our hearts are weak we are too easily led away into sin. Strengthening in blamelessness comes as we take the focus off ourselves and pour out love toward one another. We are holy, not simply because we keep ourselves from sinning, but because we give away the love in our hearts; we walk the way the Master walks, we lov
1Cor. 13:4 love suffers long and is kind.
e the way the Master loves. Being holy is not just a matter of being on our best behavior, it requires our submission and active surrender to the Holy One. We do not automatically possess the inner strength to be blameless because of anything we do or think, it is the Lord alone who makes holiness grow and increase in our lives. Let’s choose to humbly and willingly submit and walk in God’s ways, and then yield ourselves fully to Him. He is the one who causes us to increase and to overflow in love –
toward the strengthening of our hearts, to be blameless in holiness.
1Cor. 13:4 love suffers long and is kind.
Love is not premeditated, it is spontaneous, that is; it bursts forth in amazing ways. Paul’s description of love doesn’t speak of precise certainty of how it will show itself. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by making statements such as: now I’ll never think any evil thoughts and I’ll believe everything that Jesus/Yeshua would have me to believe.
No the characteristics of love is spontaneity.
We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus/Yeshua before us as our standard but when His Spirit is having His way with us we live according to His standard without even realizing it. Then, when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions; which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there.
The nature of everything involved in the spiritual life of God in us, is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past. We all have 20 20 vision in hindsight!
The fountains from which love flows are in our Heavenly Father, not in us. It is careless of us to asume that the love of God is naturally in our hearts as a result of our own nature.
Human love is inherently selfish.
His love is there only because ithas been poured out in our hearts by His Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5
If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us, and when we look back we will not be able to figure out why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love within us.
The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit given to us, Who abides within. As we continue on our way towards Pentecost/Shavuot, let’s prepare our hearts and purge ourselves from any hindrance to receiving a fresh outpouring from those cleansing purifying flames; and be ready to be filled afresh with all the fullness of the One Who can complete the work in us. As we engage in this process and let the overflow of His love pour out to those around us, it will enable us to be all He has called us to be.
Keep counting family!
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
Once again and it seems to have come around very quickly; we are on the countdown to the
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