SONset – sunrise – sunset– SONrise – Apocalypse of the Tamid.

The Hebrew word for sunrise is זְרִיחָה, (zuree-chah), which comes from the simple verb לִזְרוֹחַ meaning:

to shine or to rise, when referring to the sun.

The Hebrew word for sunset is הַשְּׁקִיעָה(shash-kee yah), literally, the setting.

Sunset is termed שְׁקִיעַת הַחַמַּה – the setting of the sun.

  שקיעה is the noun form of the verb לִשְׁקוֹעַ, meaning to sink, or to settle in a low place.

Strong’s Hebrew: 1121. בֵּן (ben) — son

Strong’s Hebrew: 1247. בַּר (bar) — son – 

Strong’s Hebrew: 8121. שָׁ֫מֶשׁ (shemesh) — sun

Strong’s Hebrew: 2224. זָרַח (zarach) — to rise, come forth

Strong’s Hebrew: 6942. קָדַשׁ (qadash) — to be set apart or consecrated

Nisan or Nissan, נִיסָן – ni’-san, (nican), in Hebrew has a meaning of renewal – a beginning. Today, new year begins in January but in the Bible, in Torah, it was not that way.

Nisan is the 7th month in the Hebrew Civil calendar and the 1st month in the Torah – spiritual Calendar.

The sign of Nissan is a Lamb.

Strong’s #07716 – Lamb – Seh –  שֶׂה – SHIN – HEY – BEHOLD GOD.

In the shamayim/heavens, the sign of the Lamb of God is the heavenly constellation of stars called Aries. Passover was the sign of the Lamb of God in Egypt.

The ram provided to Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah in Israel was the prophetic sign of God providing the future sacrifice for sin and for reconciliation of relationship through Jesus’s/Yeshua’s death on the cross as Redeemer.

Lambs graze in a flock, faithfully following the shepherd.

Being a follower is sometimes a mature choice, not a passive failure. The Israelites made the choice to follow God.

When God created the world, His plan was that we choose to know Him.

The month of Nisan is the 1st month of the spiritual year and in Hebrew, Spring called AVIV.

אביב AVIV, derived from the word abīb, actually translates as the season of SPRING. From the Hebrew word ābhībh literally, ear of grain also meaning an ear, or a time of year where grains come into ear, commonly known as Aviv, (or Nisan, the 1st month of the Hebrew calendar). (Notably seen in Place Names in Israel e.g. Tel Aviv).

After the Babylonian exile, the new name for Abib/Aviv, was Nisan/Nissan. Although this name is technically of Babylonian origin, the Aramaic word Nissan is related to the Hebrew word, nitzan, (נִצָּן) meaning bud. In Song of Songs, King Solomon’s epic poem in which he depicts the love that bonds us to God, redemption is symbolically referred to as “the time that the buds were seen in our land,” which means that the earth gave birth to a people who would soon blossom or flower.

Another derivation is from the word nissim (נִסִּים) meaning miracles, and by definition is the month of miracles. Both of these suggest freshness and renewal physical and spiritual resurrection in our lives.

In Aviv, אביב the first month is NISAN and the 1st Feast/Appointed Time of the Lord is…

Pesach – Passover – פֶּסַח – Pesah, Pesakh.

It is a paradox because although it’s the genesis of the year and the Appointed time of New Beginnings; it is also the time of the end of Messiah’s life, (earthly); and it is also the beginning – genesis – beresheet – בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית – of life (eternal).

The beginningberesheet – genesis

of the end, ends with the beginning with no end.

It all began – genesis – beresheet – in a garden..גַּן, we know as Eden..עֵדֶן

גַּן עֵדֶן, Gan ʿEḏen 

 Here in Gan Eden, God formed ha’adam the first אדם adam.

The Hebrew word for earth is adama.

The Hebrew word for man derived from Hebrew אדם  adam meaning “to be red“, referring to the ruddy color of human skin, or from Akkadian adamu meaning “to make”

The Garden of Eden was the 1st of 3 specific and important Gardens, the beginning of the end was in a garden

..and the end of the beginning also began in a garden.

in the 3rd and last garden (tomb), was Messiah, the last adam. 

The first man, Adam, became a living person, and the last Adam (Christ in the flesh) became a spirit that gives life.1 Cor. 15:45

Our Father planted the very first garden. He is THE Gardener/Vinedresser/Husbandman. John 15:1; I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

Strong’s Hebrew. 3755. karam

עברית  vinedresser  וינדרסר

Vinedresser is just one way to translate the Greek word used by Jesus (Yeshua). It can also mean Gardener, Farmer, and Husbandman (KJV). It is a generic word for someone who tends plants.

Jer.33:15;  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Is 53:2; He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and He is called “the Branch of the Lord“. Is.11:1; Heb.12:24; Zech. 3:8, “I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH, and 6:12; Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH.
A Branch, or the Branches of a tree, are the glory of a tree. Messiah, the Son of man, being the real offspring and son of David according to the flesh, is the glory of all David’s race, and of the whole church of God in general. Matthew 22:45.

My Father is the Husbandman, not simply the ἀμπελουργός, or vinedresser, but also γεωργός, the owner of the land as well.

Jesus is the Word /Yeshua is Torah. He is the Tree of Life/Etz Chaim to all who take hold of Him and eat of Him. The tree of Life in gan Eden whose fruit would give eternal life.

but there is one Biblical place in particular which takes its name from another garden. that of GAT SHMANIM

This was the garden of Gethsemane – Gatshmanim

Gethsemane, Greek: Γεθσημανή, Gethsemane; Hebrew: Gat Shmanim;

שמניםגת

ים= IM = Yod and (final) Mem.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-mysteries-of-im/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-mysteries-of-im-part-2/ 

Strong’s Hebrew: 2132. זַ֫יִת (zayith) — olive tree, olive

Below looking up the Kidron Valley towards Gethsemane, Jerusalem is to the left.

Gethsemane is changed into English from two Hebrew words: GAT and SHMANIM. It means ‘the place where olive oil is pressed‘.

A further insight into the Hebrew words GAT and SHMANIM, reveals GAT, as a Hebrew word by itself (Hebrew: גת – gimel, tav), which means a winepress.

SHMANIMשמנים –  means oils, and is the plural IM – ים, of the singular Hebrew word שֶׁמֶן SHEMEN, for oil.

A literal translation of GAT SHMANIM would be winepress of oils.

 However, it refers to a pressing-method far more violent than the crushing of grapes underfoot.

This is one Biblical place in particular that takes its name from GAT SHMANIM

olive – zayit – זית – zah’yeet

Also the symbol of peace, light and longevity together with the dove (יוֹנָה – yona) which brought Noah an olive leaf after the flood, (Genesis 8:11). 
Some olive trees have been known to live for more than 2,000 years, maybe even there when Jesus/ Yeshua walked among them.

Pictured below is a replica of a first-century olive press (בֵּית בַּד beit bahd) in modern day Israel.

The stone weights suspended from the beam likely exert more than 1 ton (2,204 lbs/907 Kilos) of pressure on the olives.

Each one requires multiple people to move.

The shemen gat – meaning: the winepress (gat), of oil (shemen.)

Where His suffering began.

It is located on a slope of the Mount of Olives just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem.

photo above 1890-1900

Here He surrendered His will. In the face of the approaching will of the Father.

Isaiah 53:10-12

The Lord was pleased to bruise him; he has put him to grief [or: caused his pain]; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the pleasure [picking up on the first line] of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

The Father was pleased to bruise the Son for our iniquities, and the Son was pleased to be bruised by the Father’s will. As we heard on Monday, Jesus had a choice. He chose to have the iniquity of us all laid on Him.

The arrest was the beginning –

the genesis – beresheet – בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית

– of the end…of the beginning.

Leviticus 8:10–12; Luke 22:39–44.

The garden was not a garden in our western understanding. It was an olive grove, a place where the olives from the trees that grew there, were made into oil.

Jews would extract this oil by placing sacks of freshly-picked olives underneath a massive, wooden beam which they would pull down using heavy stone weights to crush both olives and their pits with tremendous force.

It was the place of the oil press. The word for oil in Hebrew is Shemen.

The word for Press in Hebrew is GAT. Oil press is a gat shemen, or a gatshmanim.

The olives would be placed on top of the Big Stone and a large ‘wheel like’ stone would roll over them, crushing them.

The crushing of the olives would cause them to release their oil.

So the meaning of Gethsemane is the oil press.

There is a secret in the meaning connected to Yeshua, as the word Messiah is linked to oil, gat;

to Olive oil, to shemen, and it’s no coincidence it is the place where the suffering began – because it was the place of crushing. The olive press, is the place where His crushing began.

First the crushing of His will and then the crushing of His life.

Oil is also linked to healing and joy.

The SON of Righteousness

(and here is BEN the ‘other SUN’..)

1 Yeshua Ben Joseph and

2 Yeshua Ben David

Risen with healing in His wings.

Links below for more on wings.
https://www.minimannamoments.com/miracles-on-a-z-string/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/life-on-the-fringe/

And to anointing oil which is the most sacred holy (set apart) use. Oil was poured over those set apart ones who were to be prophets priests and kings. This oil in its highest form of symbolism signifies the Holy Spirit being poured out.

The hidden mystery of the gospel was and is now revealed, the crushing of Messiah in the oil press of Gethsemane would be and is linked to joy and healing in the anointing and outpouring of the Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh.

In His deathS (Maveth מָוֶת), is Life/liveS (CHAIM)

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-mystery-of-in-his-deaths/

It began with the oil of the olives crushed in the press, so every desire and ambition not of God, must be surrendered and crushed.

And in the crushing, the set apart, (Holy/ Kodesh), ones will be filled, anointed with oil and released by the Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh to fulfil His Will, Plans and Purposes.

Strong’s Hebrew: 6944. קֹ֫דֶשׁ (qodesh) — apartness, sacredness

Kodashim (Hebrew: קדשים ‎, “Holy Things)

As the disciples slept in the garden,

Jesus/Yeshua poured out His soul to His Father, in agony. Luke writes, 

Hematidrosis is the incredibly rare medical phenomenon, where extreme stress causes a person’s skin to release blood in sweat; few humans have ever experienced the levels of stress needed to cause it.

Yet as Jesus/Yeshua prayed,

“My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done,” 

the unthinkable pressure of the weight of all our sins crushed Messiah,

pressing out His life and blood like olive oil flowing from a press.

GAT SHMANIM could not have been more aptly named!

As the heavy weights hung from the wooden beam of an ancient olive press crushed olives underneath,

the weight of our sins crushed Jesus/Yeshua as He hung upon the wooden beams of the cross.

Jesus/Yeshua’s Blood was poured out for us like olive oil, as

 He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. – Isaiah 53:5-6

Yet His blood is worth far more than oil; it is our Salvation,

our hope,

and our light!

Messiah,  מָשִׁיחַ = Christ = anointed one = Mashiach, Mah-she-AKH = anointed one.

So the Messiah = the anointed one, just as Christ does. Greek = christos.

Jesus comes from Yeshua. Jesus Christ is Yeshua ha Mashiach or Jesus the Messiah = Jesus the anointed. Anointed = oil. With olive oil.

The apocalypse (revealing) of the mystery of the TAMID – תָּמִיד – taw-meed’

Messiah is the lamb but not only that for He is also our TAMID.

The eastern side of the temple faced the Garden of Gethsemane

it was also the side closest to the location of the altar of sacrifice.

It is sobering to note that every time Yeshua/Jesus was upon the Mt. of Olives in the Garden at Gethsemane He was looking directly at the altar of sacrifice.

Ex. 29:38–39; Mark 15:25–37; Rev. 7:9–17;

the Torah called for two lambs…

Offer one in the morning and the other twilight.

This is called the law of the TAMID. 

The Tamid was the name for the morning and evening sacrifice,

the first (Alef) and last (Tav)

that began and ended a series of daily sacrifices for the various sins and offerings of the people.

The Chamber of Lambs Once it has been established that the proper time has come for offering the tamid daily sacrifice, and the gates of the Sanctuary are open, the overseer instructs the priests who will be attending to the service: “Bring a lamb from the Chamber of Lambs!”

The halves of the Tamid were two lambs.

The 1st was offered in the morning at the third hour of the day.

With its death, the temple trumpets would sound and the temple gates were opened.

This was at 9am (the exact time Yeshua/Jesus was crucified and the cross lifted up)

and the 2nd at 3pm (the time Yeshua/Jesus died).

The beginning and end of every day in the Israelite community was marked by the reference to the tamid offering. In other words, at the outset of both the day at sunrise and sunset at night, their thoughts were directed upon God, which in fact was focused on the coming Messiah.

The daytime was divided into 12 seasonal hours, but the day division of hours was focused on the schedule of the Tamid sacrifice.

In the first century AD the night was divided into 4 night watches of 3 hours each:

(1) from sundown to 9PM;

(2) from 9PM to 12 midnight;

(3) from 12 midnight to 3AM; and

(4) from 3AM to dawn.

Tamid תָּמִיד (taw-meed’) Strongs 8548 means: continuity, continual, daily, perpetual, always, all times, forever.

He is our answer every day and forever. Our covering always and for eternity.

Just as the unblemished Tamid lamb was the standing sacrifice presented continually on the altar of sacrifice in the Jerusalem Temple, Messiah Yeshua/Jesus is the unblemished Lamb standing before the throne of God in the Temple of the heavens/shamayim.

Just as a lamb’s blood flows at the base of the altar, so too did Messiahs blood flow to the base of the cross.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul (Leviticus 17:11).

Hebrews 10:4 teaches that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.

The very fact that the Bible says the blood of bulls and goats cannot save is solid evidence that Messiah’s blood is 100% required, important and essential for our redemption.

His death alone is insufficient to save anyone. The blood had to be shed and applied to the mercy seat/ kapporet in the Heavens, just as it was required by the High Priest/Kohen HaGadol, in the Old Testament tabernacle/mishkan.

 After He died and a Roman soldier thrust a spear through Yeshua/Jesus’ side, piercing both the lungs and the heart, blood and water came from His side just as John recorded in his Gospel (John 19:34).

The spear that was thrust into His side, likely under His ribs,

could have ruptured the pericardial sack,

resulting in a flow of both blood and water.

This to fulfill scripture that of His identification with and healing for the brokenhearted. Also: Sin is passed on through the blood, that is why we say Adam passed the sin on to all.

1Jn 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot….

He reveals to Nicodemus about a spiritual birth and gives an explanation for being born of water, referring to his need for spiritual cleansing. From then on it is possible to be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God. (John 19)

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. v. 7-8 KJV

The TAMID Sacrifice

From the Genesis in Gan Eden, later confirmed with the covenant at Sinai; Elohim set apart (made holy), a people who would be a picture for the world, and He taught them that sin could only be redeemed with the shedding of innocent blood.

The WAY to cleanse the wrong choices of those created in His image and likeness yet, a little lower than the angels.
This began the (prophetic) ritual of the Tamid,
a lamb for the first and last sacrifice of each day.

The Priests drew lots (PURIM), for various official duties, such as slaying the Tamid, sprinkling its blood, and cleansing the altar and the candlestick; the announcement of the time of slaying the morning sacrifice; the bringing of the sacrificial lamb,

(which was given to drink from a golden cup before it was killed;) and taking it to the place of sacrifice. 

This together with the statement, in conformity with

Ezek. 34:2, that no man ever passed through the postern on the southern side of the large door; how the opening of this great portal was heard as far as Jericho, as was the sound of the trumpets and other music of the Temple.

Then at the ninth hour, the evening sacrifice would be offered on the altar; at which time all the sacrifices would finish, the day complete.

At that point there were NO more sacrifices.

Morning lamb -9 AM, the third hour.

The same time Messiah was crucified.

So as the morning lamb was slain on the altar in the temple Messiah the lamb of God was lifted on the altar of the cross.

The trumpets sounded to announce the sacrifice and the temple gates were opened.

The evening lamb was killed at 9, our 3 PM, this is when He died.

His sacrifice began with the a.m. offering of the morning lamb. And ended with the p.m. offering of the evening lamb.

This was the point at which the WAY was RE-opened to God. And all took place during six hours of the temple sacrifices. RE-storation and RE-demption completed.

“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.”  Hebrews 10:12

The Son of the Father, Creator of the morning sunrise and evening sunset
began a six-hour journey
In between the two lambs, in between the 2 suns for the 2 Sons, from the first to the last; the lamb of God was the ultimate sacrifice. And because His sacrifice was perfect, it was all in all, every sin and every offering was covered by His Blood.

He’s the one who died for many – the sacrifice for all. Nothing more is needed.

He is the TAMID the Son/sun,(shemesh), of Righteousness that Malachi 4:2 prophesied of the coming Messiah. 

He is connected to the sunset and sunrise of that Passover day in the order of evening and morning, of sunset,

when He was to sheqi’ah, sink, or to settle in a low place (the grave).

Then to the sunrise, when on the first day of the week, that resurrection dawning of the Sun,

He rose from the dead and (zarach/ come forth), as the morning came and the sunrise (to shine or to rise). The Son of God arose and shone.

Even from before the genesis in gan eden, the Tamid had a name. He was there at creation, for nothing was made without Him and when the plan was set in motion, He knew what His part would be…. Yeshua HaMashiach/Jesus the Messiah, the anointed one,

is our Tamid

Mount of Olives at sunset.

Mount of Olives at sunrise.

From the Genesis/beginning, He revealed/apocalypse, the end/Revelation. For He is the Alef and the Tav – From Gan Eden to Gatshmanim/Gethsemane and to His rising from the GARDEN tomb with the sunrise – זְרִיחָה to shine or to rise,

זָרַח (zarach) — to rise, come forth

From long ago He told us things that had not yet happened, saying in essence, “My plan will stand, and I’ll do everything I intended to do.” And history will come full circle at the end of time to reveal Him and His Glory in the universe.

He has released upon us the Ruach Ha Kodesh for setting us apart and anointing us with His oil of gladness.

for HE did provide a Lamb

Hebrew phrase is literally translated as:

“lamb of THE God”.

שה האלוהים

The message for us is this, the only WAY to get into the garden is by going to the garden tomb first. We cannot get to the tomb until you have first gone to the cross by Way of gethsemane’s garden where we willingly give up/surrender our life/chaim. By dying to the old life, and crucifying the flesh life, by losing it and counting our old life as dead and gone.

This is the WAY to the garden of God and all it’s blessings. It’s the WAY/derek of the cross and always leads to life. (Chaim – lives, plural). The paradox and contradiction that death leads to life/chaim is summed up once again, in the fact that life, death and then life, were in the gardens and all had special trees, the end is the beginning, the Genesis, the garden, gan Eden; And here the mystery of the 3 gardens is revealed in Yeshua our Tanim, for He is the WAY of the Lamb, the truth and the CHAIM/ lifes.

Now we have a deeper understanding, this year let’s remember our Tamid at the coming Pesach and allow the fullness of the Son/sunshine to dawn and shine His resurrection glory,

on us,

in us

and through us,

as we celebrate..

Messiah our Tamid is RISEN indeed.

Shalom shalom!

To all mmm Mishpachah – משפחה – Mish-pa-KHa – Family

Have a zisn (Zeesen) Pesach = (Have) a sweet Pesach

a koshern Pesach = (Have) a kosher Pesach

a freylakhn Pesach = (Have) a happy Pesach

To say Happy Passover in Hebrew you literally say holiday passover happy

chag pesach sameach    חג פסח שמח 

(pronounced) KHAG PAY-sock sah-MEY-akh

Chag = festival (holidays) and is pronounced KHAHG. It’s similar to the English word cog, with the same breathy, raspy sound described below as used for the ch.
Happy = sah-MEY-akh.” Use a hard “k” sound with a raspy quality from the back of the throat. Don’t use an English “ch” sound use raspy kh sound also for PAY-sock in Pesach/Passover.

Please Do Not leave this page without the surety in your heart that you have Messiah our Tamid in your life and heart as the days draw ever closer to the end of the age..

NOT CERTAIN?

YOU CAN BE..

Make sure Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

Its all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and very precious in His sight.

He longs to give you the Shalom He paid the ultimate price for..

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. Amen.

13 For Supper and Only 4 Cups?

Arba’ah Kosot

אַרְבַּע כּוֹסוֹת 

Four Cups of Wine

at their

Pesach (Passover) Seder.

סדר ‎‎פסח

Arba’ah (Arba) Kosot —

Hebrew for ‘four cups.’

In this case, it refers to the four cups of wine drunk at the Passover/Pesach Seder.

Passover is the name of the celebration of the release of the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage.

It is celebrated with a feast called Seder, the evening meal that teaches of God’s miraculous deliverance described in Exodus.

Jesus/Yeshua and His 12 Disciples and every author of the New Testament celebrated Passover/Pesach.

In the year 196 A.D. the celebration of Passover was replaced with the worship of Ishtar, the Babylonian fertility goddess. The name Ishtar was written in Greek as Istar, due to the fact that there is no ‘sh’, sound in the Greek language. Because the Greek and Latin letters for I, are pronounced EE, Istar became Easter, when spelled with English letters. The celebration of Ishtar brought with it eggs and rabbits– symbols of fertility and reproduction. This was done by the then church leaders, to separate ‘christianity’ from the Hebrew/Jewish roots of our faith and belief in Messiah, to make it easier for heathens to become Christians by letting them retain some of the pagan customs.

Seder is the name of the Passover/Pesach meal.

This meal may be called a feast but it really is a modest meal.

In modern times frequently featuring lamb/roast chicken and although ample, never the over eating many associate with celebration dinners.

The Seder meal, which included ‘the communion’ even prior to Jesus/Yeshua’s death, was observed in every home and in extended families since the Exodus.

The four cups of wine, known in Hebrew as, arba kosot, are drunk by each participant at the Passover Seder meal.

(סדר ‎‎פסח – Pesach Seder)

Seder means, order, and is a reminder of the Passover meal eaten by the Hebrew people before they were delivered from bondage as Egyptian slaves.

The Passover was the reference to the final plague of the angel of death who had to PASS OVER the homes of the Israelites that had applied the Blood of the sacrificial lamb on their doorposts.

The word SEDER is the same root from which we derive the word ‘siddur’, (prayer book). 

The text of the Passover Seder is written in a book called the Haggadah, which means, tellingהַגָּדָה.

A retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the first Passover.

This begins with the youngest person in the gathering, asking The Four Questions, a set of questions about the proceedings designed to encourage participation in the Seder.

The Four Questions are also known as 

Mah Nishtanah נשתנה מה  

(Pronounced MAHN-isht-ahn-ah.)

This Hebrew saying originated in a religious context: it’s the beginning of first of the four questions asked during Passover, which asks “How is this night different from all other nights?”

The questions are included in the haggadah as part of the maggid which is designed to satisfy the needs of four different types of people:

the wise son, who wants to know the technical details;

the wicked son, who excludes himself (and learns the penalty for doing so);

the simple son, who needs to know the basics;

and the son who is unable to ask, the one who doesn’t even know enough to know what he needs to know.

At the end of the maggid, a blessing is recited over the second cup of wine and it is drunk.

Maggid: מגיד (a term used to describe two distinct concepts); The Story. 

The Passover became communion when Jesus/Yeshua, instituted it at His last Pesach Seder, His ‘last supper.’ Making it the remembrance of Him being THE Pesach Lamb (of God) and fulfilling perfectly the meaning of the Passover sacrifice. So communion came out of the SEDER and is still part of every Sabbath meal for an orthodox Jewish home as well as service in the synagogue. In ‘taking communion,’ we are reaffirming our covenant with God, each saying ‘everything I have is yours.’

The Seder that the disciples were to prepare for was to begin after sundown on Nissan 14 which was the Thursday night, ie at sundown at the start of the 6th day of the week, and eaten that same night. Ex. 12:6.

Remember the Hebrew day follows God’s original order in Genesis 1:5..

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Each day begins at sundown.

 

John’s text referred to the Seder in 18:28 and 19:14; this was not just any supper it was the Passover Seder Pesach meal פֶּסַח (Pesah, Pesakh pronounced pay-sak).

Every year it served as a reminder to the Israelites that they ate Passover with the blood of the lamb on the door posts then eaten in Egypt at the deliverance of the chosen people from their bondage as slaves and also as a rehearsal of their future coming Messiah.

This is what Jesus/Yeshua was literally about to do, in fulfilling the prophecies concerning Messiah, Son of Joseph, (משיח בן־יוסף‎‎, Mashiach ben Yoseph), being, the suffering servant.

He was about to break the bondage of the god of this world and set the people free by the sacrificial shedding of His own Blood.

It may or may not be clear to all that read, that the meal was and is very significant. Within the ‘order’ of how it was eaten, was hidden the secrets of our freedom.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

CUP 1

To start the Seder, a cup of wine was raised and a blessing recited to sanctify the table. This was so it can serve as an altar for the evening’s service, (of remembrance.)

This is the first cup and is called the Kiddush.

A silver Kiddush cup.

The Kiddush – from Kadesh, קדש,‎‎ means the sanctification and is recorded in Luke 22:17.

The first cup is mixed with water and wine. After the mixing occurred, (in a family setting,) the father begins with the formal blessing over the cup. The blessing over the meal is referred to in Luke 22:19 when Jesus/Yeshua raised the bread.

Each blessing He said started with ‘Blessed are you Lord our God King of the universe.”

The blessing over the bread continued with “who brings forth bread from the earth.” Bread in this context means everything we need.

After the blessing, the food is then brought out, which includes unleavened bread, bitter herbs, a bowl of sauce, and the roasted lamb.

This is known as the body in traditional Jewish sources the actual meal had not yet started. Before eating the exodus story is told.

These four cups are named using an excerpt from Exodus 6:

Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
Exodus 6:6-7

The main theme of Cup 1 is

I will bring you out

from under the burdens of the Egyptians. This is the promise to remove the children of Israel from their bondage of heavy labor.

Luke 22:17 refers to the cup Jesus/Yeshua drank and He said the blessing in Hebrew /Aramaic as He gave thanks.

A second cup of wine is also drunk during the meal.

Already there is a difference to our traditional communion service, for we only ever have one cup or drink one sip from a communal chalice.

CUP 2

The Cup of Proclamation – the Haggadah cup – also called the cup of Deliverance or Judgment, (from the plagues.)

The second cup would be mixed, but not drunk. The father would “proclaim” what the Lord did for Israel in Egypt. It is at this point the son asks the question – why is this night different from other nights? The son’s question is connected to the drinking of the second cup.

The father would then answer by quoting a specific section from the Scriptures Deuteronomy 26:5-11.

5 “And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. 7 Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.
26:5. A Syrian was my father…That is, Jacob; for though born in Canaan, he was a Syrian by descent, his mother Rebecca, and his grandfather Abraham, being both of Chaldea or Mesopotamia, which in Scripture is comprehended under the name of Syria.

This exchange between the father and the son displays how the Passover meal looks back to the exodus and redemption the Israelites received by God in Egypt.

The father then explains the parts of the meal – unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and the lamb. Explaining the significance of the meal was essentially the center of this part of the meal.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

To express their thanksgiving to God, the family would then sing the Hallel, ‘praise’; Psalms 113 and 114.

The Hallel is where our word ‘hallelujah’ comes from.

The main theme of Cup 2 is .. and I will rescue/deliver you from their bondage; as it tells of the exit from Egypt and from the slavery.

Some translations say ‘I shall save’, but deliverance is the primary meaning of the Hebrew.

For believers, this is an interesting parallel that should be in the walk of each disciple. As each receives the promise to be taken out of bondage and receives salvation by faith, the next step should be deliverance from all bondage.

Very few churches come through with deliverance and it has resulted with many churches full of ‘walking wounded’. In Jesus/Yeshua’s ministry it was recorded that at least one third of His time was spent in ministering deliverance, it goes hand in hand with healing and wholeness. This cup is a much needed one and little employed or ‘drunk’ today.

This cup is drunk during the meal and represents our walk with Him while proclaiming the freedom He bought for us. The blessing over the meal is what Jesus/Yeshua would have said in Luke. 22:19. Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the universe Who is bringing forth bread from the earth.

However this is not the end because there is a third cup which is taken after the meal and this is the one that Jesus/Yeshua lifted up as recorded in Luke 22:20.

CUP 3

The Cup of Blessing (for the food, i.e. the Passover sacrifice)

Called the Berakah cup – Cup of Redemption

The third cup would be mixed and this is where the supper officially begins. The family would finally eat the lamb and the unleavened bread. As customs change over time, it’s hard to be certain exactly how this actually was staged, however there was a blessing over the bread, and a serving of a small morsel of bread, and at the end the main course was eaten. Once the meal was completed, the father recited another blessing over the third cup and it was consumed.

The main theme of CUP 3 is I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Yeshua is the prophetic arm of the Lord the זרוע – Z’roah – strong arm – a roasted shank bone.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

Redemption came to Israel when they passed through the ‘Reed sea’.

The only redeemer in Hebrew is the kinsman redeemer (more on Ruth & Boaz link below) the one who pays the price to redeem his kin.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/50-days-later-an-earthly-and-spiritual-harvest-pentecost-shavuot/

The children of Israel and their descendants are His kin, His family and we are grafted into spiritual Israel.

This is the cup Jesus/Yeshua drank in verse 20 when He said that this was the renewed covenant in His Blood – this is the Cup of Redemption and He made it very personal and real as He was literally about to fulfill the prophetic type.

Each time we are ‘taking communion,’ we are renewing our covenant with the King of the universe.

The third cup of wine is poured, and grace after meals is recited. This is similar to the grace that would be said on any Sabbath. At the end, a blessing is said over the third cup and it is drunk.

The fourth cup is poured, including a cup set aside for the prophet Elijah, who is supposed to herald the Messiah, and is supposed to come on Passover to do this. The door is opened for a while at this point (supposedly for Elijah.)

The Seder closes with the fourth cup which is called the cup of Elijah, coming to announce the arrival of Messiah. This cup is not drunk.

A mini Seder is held every Sabbath in Jewish homes.

CUP 4

The Cup of Praise (the hallel cup) –

The remainder of the Hallel Psalms (115-118) would be sung. Psalms 115-118 are known as the Great Hallel. These psalms may not mean much to us today, however it is important to learn their significance, they were well known to Jesus/Yeshua and His Apostles/Disciples for the simple reason they would sing them every year for the Pesach/Passover.

The Hallel Psalms were like a script for the one offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 116). After Psalm 118 was sung, the meal was finished.

It is very pertinent to note that Jesus/Yeshua would have seen His own imminent fate prophetically declared in the Psalms. When He said, He had desired to eat this Passover with them He was saying in effect “My whole life I have eaten the annual Pesach Seder waiting for this specific year and now My life will fulfill the prophetic events in real time.”

The main theme of Cup 4 is: and I will take you to myself for a people and I will bring to you and you will know that I AM the lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

This represents the crossing of the Jordan into the promised land. (Here where God said He would go before them His angel… was it the pre-incarnate Messiah who went before them? In the same Way as He does for us today, as we cross our Jordan and enter into the Promised Land, where He leads and guides us until we complete our walk through this life.)

Spiritually, the fourth cup represents crossing into eternal life. As it is called the cup of Elijah which is poured but not drunk. It can only be drunk after Elijah comes heralding the return of Messiah and the beginning of the Messianic reign. (Some rabbis have taught that there are 5 cups by inserting one after the 3rd cup but before the cup of Elijah.) Traditionally the cup of Elijah announces the Messianic reign but we have not yet had the Messianic reign bringing peace-shalom, to all mankind. So we cannot yet drink the cup of Elijah.

Other pertinent facts about the 4 or is it 5 cups?

The four cups symbolize the Israelites freedom from the four exiles: The Egyptian, Babylonian, and Greek exiles, and the current exile which they hope to be rid of very soon with the coming of Moshiach. The words “cup of wine” are mentioned four times in Pharaoh’s butler ‘s dream (Genesis 40:11 -13).

Other Possible Reasons: There are 4 Cups of Wine at Passover. One view suggests that each cup of wine represents one of the matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah. Therefore the Cup of Elijah is the fifth cup that appears at the seder?

Other examples of the special symbolic significance of the number four in the Haggadah are the Four Questions (“Mah Nishtannah”.) Four Sons, and the four types of food at the seder meal: unleavened bread (matzah), lamb, bitter herbs, and ḥaroset.

The four cups of wine should be drunk in a reclined position, as in Roman times reclining was a sign of freedom.  They did not sit up to a table on chairs as many artists have portrayed the setting.

In examining the Passover Seder, here’s some questions to ponder as we dig a little deeper– Did Yeshua/Jesus, finish the meal and how many cups did they drink?

Some possible answers…Firstly, Yeshua /Jesus vowed not to drink of ‘fruit of the vine’ until the coming of the kingdom of God, so was He speaking of the fourth cup?

 (Luke 22:18). This announced the fourth cup, the cup of praise for the coming of God’s Kingdom and His return as Messiah the King (בן־דוד משיח, Mashiach ben David).

Second, after the third cup, Yeshua /Jesus and Apostles/Disciples ‘sing a hymn” (Hallel, Psalms sung glorifying God and blessing Israel. Included in these songs are The Hallel Psalms (113-118) which were usually sung both at the end of the meal (Mat. 26:30, Mark 14:26) and during the offering of the Pesach sacrifice) and then they ‘went out,’ however nothing else was drank…. In both Matthew and Marks Gospels they speak of where Yeshua/Jesus makes reference to the fourth cup, but refuses to drink it. Did they leave before the meal was finished?

In Matthew 26:36-46 we are told Yeshua/Jesus and His Apostles/Disciples make their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. Here we read that Yeshua/Jesus prays three times for the cup that He must drink.

He said: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Luke 22:42

Consider this scripture Luke’s narrative of Jesus/Yeshua’s celebration of Pesach right before His death, it becomes apparent that he understood this tradition:

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying,This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. Luke 22:7,14-20

Jesus/Yeshua begins the celebration with the cup of blessing (Luke 22:17). The next cup in this text is the third cup, the cup of redemption or blessing after the meal.

So where is the second cup, the cup of plagues? And where is the fourth cup, the cup of praise?

With His first cup, Jesus/Yeshua started the meal (Luke 22:17).

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 1 Cor. 10:16

Jesus/Yeshua spoke of the second cup, the cup of judgment, shortly after the celebration with His disciples. This is the cup He drank on the cross.

The Scriptures mention three “cups” that Jesus faced in connection with His death on the cross. He confronted the cup of God’s wrath in stark reality in the Garden of Gethsemane.

As He looked closely at its contents, He prayed: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Luke 22:42

When Jesus arose from His final period of prayer in this garden, He was committed to drinking this cup completely. This is the judgment that we deserved, the plague He took by dying for us:

The second cup that Jesus confronted was the cup of sedation, a cup that would have a numbing effect upon Him, depriving Him of clarity of mind.

Jewish tradition says that kindhearted women in Jerusalem customarily provided wine mixed with myrrh or another deadening property for condemned prisoners to drink just before they were executed.

Matthew records that as Jesus went to the cross, “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink” (Matthew 27:34). Mark described the drink as wine mingled with myrrh (Mark 15:23). The drink offered to Jesus was a cheap Roman vinegar wine, which had a drug mixed in to dull the senses.

Is this cup, (or chalice in some translations), the fourth cup, the final cup of the Passover meal?

Between the giving of His body at the Passover/Pesach Seder as the sacrifice and declaring one of the cups as His own Blood, Yeshua/Jesus classifies His body as the New Passover, (Re-newed Covenant).

Once the meal is over, His blood will be literally poured out, and Yeshua/Jesus will be dead within the day as the sacrificial Lamb.

Did He finish the meal in the Upper Room or finish it with His death on the cross? Is this another reason for Him saying, ‘It is finished’?

The other cup in relation to Yeshua/Jesus’ death on the cross is also known as the Cup of Consummation.

However when we look at the final moments of His life on the cross, we notice the reference to “the fruit of the vine.”

Toward the end of His torturous six hours on the cross, Yeshua/Jesus called for another cup, a cup of refreshment. According to John, He said, “I am thirsty” (John 19:28).

The soldiers had a jar of sour wine available for their use. A kind hand took some of the wine, put it on a sponge, and lifted it to His lips.

Jesus “received the sour wine” (John 19:30).

This was the only personal request that Jesus made from the cross, and it was granted by some nameless person beneath the cross who heard His appeal for a sip of something to quench His thirst.

Of the second of these three cups, the one Jesus rejected, Matthew said, “They gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink” (Matthew 27:34). Mark wrote, “They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it” (Mark 15:23). The “gall” mentioned by Matthew must be a figurative term for “bitterness,” while the “myrrh” mentioned by Mark names the specific substance that produced the bitter taste. The myrrh could act as a narcotic, providing some numbness to His mind and body. When Jesus realized what He was being offered, He refused to drink it.

However, in Mark 15:23, does He drink, since the wine is filled myrrh, which would have dulled his sufferings?

Matthew 27:48 states, “a sponge…filled it with vinegar” is lifted up for Him to drink. The most interesting reference comes from John 19:28, which states that Jesus/Yeshua requests a drink and says, “I thirst.” Did He drink of the vinegar given to Him?

It would seem to indicate that He literally drank this cup while hanging on the cross:

During His last hour on the cross, Jesus asked for a drink with the words “I am thirsty.” John said that He made such a request in order to fulfill an Old Testament prophecy (John 19:28). He was no doubt referring to Psalm 69:21b ‘And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.’ The writer of this psalm was describing an awful trial that he was going through, but the Holy Spirit guided his words for a much higher purpose, using them to picture one aspect of Jesus sufferings on the cross.

For then in John 19:30, Yeshua/Jesus says, “It is finished.” When Messiah speaks these words, is He referencing the meal started at the Passover/Pesach Seder and not referring to His life or ministry? Was it there on the cross that Messiah finishes the Pesach/Passover meal, and drank the fourth cup?

Ex 6:6,7; set the pattern for the Seder, each cup representing a promise in those verses. These are referred to as the four expressions of Redemption

1 Cup of Sanctification (Kiddush: Thanksgiving to the Lord for ‘the fruit of the vine’)

2 Cup of Wrath (Maggid: After reciting the ten plagues; wine is also sprinkled on the table)

3 Cup of Blessing (Birkat Hamazon: After The main meal is consumed; the cup that over-flows)

4 Cup of Praise (Hillel: After the reciting of the last Hallel hymns, the end of the Passover)

The Scriptures likens the cup to our life, with all the sorrows and joys we experience and guides us to “drink to the bottom,” fulfilling the mission God has called us to. The cup of rejection and opposition, betrayal and regret. Like vinegar and gall, pungent and tart, making you wince and recoil. But not only that – for the cup is deceptively deep – there are hopes and joys in there, too. 

Matt 20:22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” Berean Study Bible “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered. Berean Literal Bible And Jesus answering, said, “You do not know what you ask for.

‘You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?’

If He were to ask us ‘Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?’ what would be our answer?

One final mysterious question for thought…. Luke 22:17-19 states And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you verse 20.
17 And having taken a cup, having given thanks, he said, `Take this and divide to yourselves, 18 for I say to you that I may not drink of the produce of the vine till the reign of God may come.’ 19 And having taken bread, having given thanks, he brake and gave to them, saying, `This is my body, that for you is being given, this do ye — to remembrance of me.’
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
17 And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He said, Take this and divide and distribute it among yourselves; 18 For I say to you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine at all until the kingdom of God comes.  Amp.

Does this indicate that He took just one of the 4 cups (which one of the cups?) and then told them to divide His portion from His cup!

Very significant… and how did one small cup divide between 12 other men’s cups? Unless, like the loaves and fishes, as they began to divide and distribute it, the wine (symbolic of His poured out Blood,) multiplied, as He had already ‘given thanks‘, just as He had for the feeding of the multitude.

Was there a miracle implied by this verse? That His cup would yield a miraculously never ending supply in His atoning blood, for all that would celebrate Passover with Him?… Just a thought!

My cup is poured out for you is My blood. Jesus/Yeshua’s blood/wine/water mix, was poured out into 12 cups, v.17; if there had been no cups it could not have been poured out. The water and the blood, it is also significant of that which was released from His body, by the soldiers spear piercing His side.

The Lamb died wearing a crown…

it ended in VICTORY and a perfect place to sing the Hallel-ujah!

Yeshua/Jesus, was the Lamb of God, fit for the Passover/Pesach sacrifice, because John, as a son of Zechariah the High Priest, (Luke 1:3), was legally allowed to declare lambs pure for a Pesach sacrifice.

‘Taking Communion’ came out of this celebration of Passover remembrance and when we take the bread and wine, remember these 4 cups combined into the cup we drink and all the Lord has done for us.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/scripture-based-prayers/taking-the-bread-and-the-wine/

Shalom, Shalom to all Mishpachah – family.

Please don’t leave this page until you have the assurance that you are sealed to the day of redemption by the Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.
Not sure ..you can be…
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.
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.

Double Take and Casting Lots

As the 1st of the Appointed Times of the Lord begin.

Moedim – (moe-eh-DEEM) – מ֣וֹעֲדִ֔ים

Purim is remembered and with it the brave and selfless actions of Esther who was willing to lay down her life to save the nation of Israel. To risk all for salvation of her people Israel. Esther’s Jewish name Hadassah – Myrtle. Strongs 1919: Pronounced, had-as-saw’.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/who-was-hadassah/

There are however, some amazing links between Purim, Pesach (PAY-sahch), Passover and Yom Kippur. (Also known as Day of Atonement,)

פּוּרִים                פֶסַח                כפור יום

First we see some connections with the holiest day of the year, which in ancient times occurred on Yom Kippur.

Yowm Kippur

כפור יום

(This one comes towards the end of the year, see chart.)

The High Priest, כהן גדול , Kohen ha’Gadowl, was commanded to cast lots over twin goats, to see which goat would be killed and which goat would be sent away as the scapegoat, (Leviticus 16:8-10).

The initial Hebrew meaning of the root ‘K-P-R’ {כ-פ-ר} – from which ‘Yom Kippur’ comes – actually means ‘to cover’ and can be found in the original Hebrew name for the ‘Mercy Seat’ of the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ which is called in the Hebrew Bible ‘Kaporet’ {כפורת} (‘covering’).

More on the ark https://www.minimannamoments.com/are-we-boxed-in/

The High priest, (Hebrew: כהן גדול – kohen gadol; with definite article הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל ha’kohen ha’gadol, the high priest; Aramaic kahana rabba), was the title of the chief religious official of Judaism from the early post-Exilic times, until the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE.  His duties were many, but they culminated with a blood sacrifice for sin for himself, the other priests, and the nation.

This was performed in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur each year on the day we call the Day of Atonement.

The noun kohen is used in the Torah to refer to priests, whether Jewish or pagan, such as the kohanim (priests) of Baal (2 Kings 10:19) or Dagon, though Christian priests are referred to in Hebrew by the term komer (כומר).

Upon his chest was the breastplate or sacred pouch, choshen, חשֶׁן (pronounced kho’-shen) Strongs 2833

He would stand before the people with two goats at his side. They had to be identical in appearance, (double-take).

On this day Special Sacrifices were offered for Atonement.
These Special and Peculiar offerings were those of two goats.
One goat for God/Jehovah/YHWH and the other goat for Azazel (Scape goat or goat for departure).
By the hand of HaShem one goat is chosen for blood sacrifice and was slain, the other goat was taken into the wilderness by the hand of a fit man (one able to perform the task), bearing away the sins of the people and was allowed to escape, here combining the Hebrew words aze -goat, and azal – escape, which form the name.

In Hebrew the word scapegoat is azazel which means goat of departure. 

Lots (Purim Puwriym), were cast as to which goat was for the Lord in sacrifice and which goat would be taken into the wilderness to be released.

 

The high priest – Kohen ha’Gadowl – would then reach into a pouch/container and pull out two lots, one in each hand.

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast within the bosom but its entire outcome is with HaShem/The Lord God, who has chosen the goat/lamb for blood sacrifice ahead of time. 

Each lot had a different Hebrew word inscribed on it.  (Ex. 28:30. Lev. 16:8; 8:8)

Urim םאוּרִי (pronounced oo-reem’) Strongs 224

Thummim תֻּמִים (pronounced toom-meem’) Strongs 8550

Note here also the connection to Alef /Tav the Dalet (Door)

and the Urim = Light

and Thummim = Truth

(Casting Lots – the words, lottery and lot, in the sense of real property, were derived from the original word. Purim – Puwriym)

Josephus (Antiquities 3:8;9) says that the Ancient Greeks got the idea of oracles from the Hebrew Urim and Thumim.  ורים ותמיםא

He then placed one lot on the head of the goat to his right and the other on the head of the goat to his left.

One stone identified the goat that would die as the sacrifice for the sins of the people, the other identified the goat that would be set free.

So before there could be a sacrifice that had to be the presentation of the two goats before the people and the decision of the two destinies.

Remember what took place before Messiah’s sacrificial death. He was presented before the people for them to choose – for the decision of the destinies over the two men.

There had to be two men presented before the people and only one could become the sacrifice. So in accordance to the directions on Yom Kippur, Messiah had to be the one of the two lives presented before the people in order to be chosen as the sacrifice.

Messiah understood this and why He was silent before His accusers, (as the Lamb to the slaughter). The other life had to be set free.

The name of the other life that was presented that day and the one that was set free was Barabbas.

This all took place at Passover – Pesach.

The fact that the criminal Barabbas, who was a murderer and obviously a sinner, was set free and Jesus/Yeshua, who was innocent, died; is revealed as the one goat who was released (Barabbas) and did not deserve freedom; and the other goat, (Jesus/Yeshua), was to pay the price for sin by the sacrifice of it’s life as the sin offering in (Barabbas) the sinners (our) place.

According to the requirements of the ancient ceremony of Yom Kippur the two goats or lives had to be identical.

Messiah was the son of God, the son of the father.

How is Barabbas, a criminal, the same as Jesus/Yeshua?

How is this relevant?

The name of Barabbas comes from two Hebrew words, bar which means son, and abba which means father. Barabbas means the son of the father.

Two lives each one bearing the name the son of the/a father.

So the sacrifice and the one set free because of the sacrifice, must be identical.

Now here is the interesting part: if God were to die in our place, He would have to become like us, He would have to become flesh and blood and in the likeness of sin.

He did.

He identified with us in every way. In name and in the flesh life.

Like most things, (Purim – Puwriym), the casting of lots, could be used for good or for evil; because the casting of lots expresses the idea that one has gone beyond the realm of motive and reason into chance, luck or fate.

The High Priest being one of the 3 categories in the Old Testament, that of prophet, priest and king who were anointed of God, were guided by the Holy Spirit in such decisions. It was not chance or luck. 

A lottery is resorted to, when there is no reason or desire to choose one option over the other, so the matter is surrendered to forces that are beyond one’s control and comprehension. In the cases submitted to the Lord in faith, the Holy Spirit guides the outcome.

Next, to make a connection to Purim and Passover or Pesach פֶסַח   Strongs 6453.

The name Pesach – PAY-sahch, (with a ch as in the Scottish loch), comes from the Hebrew root, Pei-Samekh-Cheit, meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare. It refers to the fact that God passed over/spared the houses of the Israelites at the slaying of the firstborn of Egypt.

Book of Esther Hebrew c. 1700-1800 AD Royal Ontario Museum.

(The pattern of the twin goats can be seen in the book of Esther with Vashti & Esther. Haman is a picture of Satan, and Mordecai is a picture of the Ruach ha’Kodesh (Holy Spirit).

Vashti symbolizes the disobedient bride, Israel, Yisra’el, (Tribe of Ephraim/Ephrayim), who was divorced and exiled or sent away (Jeremiah 3:8), just like the scapegoat never to return.

Queen Vashti was summoned to come to the King’s Banquet, but refused (Esther 1:11-17). Vashti is a picture of those who are described in the parable in Matthew 22:2-14. Many were called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb but made excuses and refused to come. Jesus/Yeshua ended His parable by declaring many are called, but few are chosen.

Queen Vashti

Esther, on the other-hand is a picture of the born-again redeemed bride – challah, after she has purified herself and has been found worthy to approach the King. In the Persian Empire many young virgins were sought out and they were brought to the palace of the king for preparation. Here, Esther represents the few who are chosen in Matthew 22:14, for she’s the obedient bride who ultimately won the king’s favor. 

Esther therefore, could be a symbol of the sacrificial goat because she risked her life for her people by coming before the king uninvited. The penalty for anyone coming before the king uninvited was death. (Esther 4:11).)

Esther’s name has a meaning of hidden, this meaning is that the bride of Messiah is to this day hidden from the Jewish people. Esther disguised herself as a Gentile, but secretly she was a Hebrew (Ivri )/Yahuwdiy (Jew). In the same way, those who are born-again by the blood of the lamb are not recognized by those who call themselves Jews because as of today, they do not acknowledge Jesus/Yeshua as their true Messiah. 

Yirmeyahuw (Jeremiah) 31:31 Behold, the days come, says YHWH, that I will make a Renewed Covenant [Briyth Chadasha] with the House of Yisra’el, and with the House of Yahuwdah (Judah).

Our English Bibles say “I will make a new covenant,” rather than a “Renewed Covenant.” It is interesting that Messianic Jews refer to the “New Testament Scriptures” as “Briyth Chadashah.” The reason why is because Jeremiah 31:31 uses a Hebrew word for “new” which in the Strongs #2318 means:
 chadash, khaw-dash, a primitive root; to be new; causatively, to rebuild:–renew, repair.

Here the term new IS the word Chadash which means to renew, rebuild and repair! Hence, the term Renewed Covenant in Hebrew is called Briyth Chadashah, which literally means Circumcision Renewed. Esther’s Hebrew name Hadassah sounds very similar to the Hebrew word Chadashah.

Our Messiah declared that He is The door to the Heavenly Father (John 10:7-9). The meaning to the word chadash (renew) seems to visually indicate the Messiah setting up a fence or a boundary in the form of His commandments, to protect His sheep from being eaten by a wolf. 

In the same way that our Messiah was sent to renew the broken covenant with Israel /Yisra’el, HaShem/God/YHWH, sent Esther to renew the decree that was against the Yahuwdiym (Jews).

Queen Esther Was the Door to Salvation for Her People & Messiah is the Door to Salvation and to the Father.

Messiah fulfilled the pattern of the twin goats during His earthly ministry for the House of Yisra’el (Isaiah 8:14). 

Puwriym Purim celebrates the fact that Messiah, Jesus/Yeshua is the seed of the woman who crushed the plans of Satan when He died on the tree for all. By laying down His life, He made a WAY for everyone to be victorious against the enemy of our soul, the devil. The Book of Esther and Purim – Puwriym, also points us to the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 of the Seed of the Woman. (Yeshua/Jesus).

Bereshiyth (Genesis) 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman [Jerusalem], and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise [crush] your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The Hebrew word for bruise in the above passage literally means to crush!

Strongs #7779 shuwph shoof a primitive root; properly, to crush; gape upon; desire; seize, i.e. snap at; figuratively, to overwhelm:–break, bruise, cover.

The woman in this prophecy is (Eve) literally translated Chawah, and Messiah’s genealogy traces all the way back to Adam & Eve (Luke 3:38). 
The woman in this prophecy is also a type of Miryam (Mary) Messiah’s mother, who gave birth to the seed who would grow up to crush the head (authority) of the devil (the serpent). The woman is also representative of Jerusalem as in Galatians 4:26 we are told “Jerusalem is the mother of us all”.

Purim is the Akkadian word for [casting] lots. Lot = pur. In the Hebrew Strongs Concordance the word Purim, Puwriym,  literally means to cast the lot, but it comes from a root word puwr which means to crush, to bring to nothing.

The festival is called Purim because of the lots cast by Haman. In his pride, Prime Minister Haman cast lots to destroy the Jews, but God intervened and delivered the Jews in His mercy. This is not some incidental detail in the story of Purim, but the single event that most expresses what Purim represents.

Another connection is with Haman who paid money to betray the House of Judah and Judas was paid money to betray the Messiah. 

Haman the son of Hamdata the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had schemed against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast a pur–that is, the lot—to consume them, and to destroy/crush them…

This is why they called these days Purim after the Pur… Esther 9:24-26

The word Pur is also related to the Hebrew word `porer’ which means to dismantle, break, destroy, break into crumbs.

The word hefir, derived from the verb pur, has the sense of cancellation, cessation, breaking of something permanent.

Another link between the two events is that lots were cast for Messiah’s garment & lots were cast for the best time to kill the Jews. 

In the same way that our Messiah was an intercessor for His people. Esther also interceded and asked for the life of her people before her King. He granted that the children of Yahuwdah, (Judah, or the Jews) would be allowed to fight against their enemies. As a result, they crushed and brought the wicked plans of Satan that were against them to nothing.

The word Puwriym, and the root word Puwr,  in the Strong’s Hebrew Concordance #6332 Puwr, poor, also (plural) Puwriym {poo-reem}; or Puriym {poo-reem}; from 6331; a lot (as by means of a broken piece):--Pur, Purim.

#6331 puwr, poor a primitive root; to crush:–break, bring to nought, utterly take.

Messiah was broken for us too.

The men who were under the authority of Haman, cast lots or puwr, to find out when it was a ‘lucky time’ to destroy the Yahuwdiy (Jews). They consulted the lots as if consulting a fortune teller: 

Hadassah (Esther) 3:7 In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Puwr, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. 

Another parallel in the story of Esther and the gospel, is the instance of the Roman soldiers casting lots for the Messiah Yeshua’s robe: Mat. 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; and John 19:24.

 

Yahuwchanon (John) 19:24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which said, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

And so the decree was given that the Persians were to attack the children of Yahuwdah (Judah) on a certain day Hadassah (Esther) 3:13-15

When Messiah hung on the tree, He must have felt as if the Father in Heaven had completely forsaken Him. He even quoted a Messianic prophecy about Himself from Psalms 22: Tehilliym (Psalm) 22:1 My Elohiym, my Elohiym, why have you forsaken me? why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

Messiah was temporarily forsaken by the Father in Heaven as was Esther temporarily forsaken by her Husband. Of course the Heavenly Father had not really forsaken Jesus/Yeshua but it merely felt that way while He hung there on the tree. His cry was toward His Father it was relational not circumstantial. To fulfill God’s plan of redemption, Messiah had to take upon His body the curse of sin and death, to experience and feel all that we do in our humanity for the fulness of identification with us. The Father had to hide His face from Him, because the scriptures tell us the presence of the Holiness of the Father cannot be in the same place as and look upon sin.

Is 54:7 “ For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you. 8 “In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,”

Likewise, Esther felt as if she had been forsaken by her husband Ahasuerus when he failed to call upon her for thirty days. (Esther 4:11). The sentence for appearing before the king uninvited was death, and so the same thing is true with our Father in Heaven. We cannot approach His throne lightly, with sin in our lives. If the High Priest in the Temple went into the Holy of Holies with any sin in His life, he could die in the presence of God’s holiness.

Hadassah (Esther) 4:11 All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or women, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.

Both Esther and Yeshua felt as if they were forsaken for a moment, however, at the proper time, they both found grace in the eyes of the Father/The King, and could approach the throne of the king to save their people! In this story, the wicked Haman built a gallows from a tree (symbolic of the cross) intending to hang Mordecai on it.

Once King Ahasuerus found out about Haman’s wicked plot, he ordered that the gallows which Haman had built for Mordecai would be used instead to hang him and his 10 sons. (Esther 9:10).

The disciple who betrayed our Messiah named Judas or Judah also hung himself as he is a picture of Haman.

In the same way, Satan thought he would destroy Messiah on the cross, but instead, Yeshua was resurrected and Satan’s kingdom (the ten horns on the Beast?) was defeated on that cross! Haman is a picture of the Antichrist, and his ten sons could represent the ten horns on the beast in Revelation 13. These ten horns are ten nations or political powers that will seek to destroy the House of Yahuwdah (Judah) and the House of Yisra’el in these last days.

The very thing that Satan intended to use against Messiah was actually used to destroy his own kingdom! The cross, like Haman’s gallows was intended by Satan to destroy the plans of our Creator. He thought that he was going to destroy our Messiah and thus prevent the salvation of Yisra’el, His covenant people. Instead the gallows and the cross were both used to destroy satan and his kingdom.

In this story, King Ahasuerus represents the Heavenly Father, and Haman represents Satan. Mordecai represents the spirit of Messiah (the Holy Spirit). Esther represents the physical person of Jesus/Yeshua, as well as the bride/challah of Messiah or the body/ecclesia, of Messiah.

Descendant of the Amalekites named Haman.

During the exile many Jews are living in the capitol city of Susa in Persia and in the 127 provinces of Persia.

In Susa is a descendant of the Amalekites named Haman who hates the Jews, particularly a Jew named Mordecai.
Saul was told to destroy the Amalekites, but disobeyed and the Amalekites were the first people to obstruct Israel from entering the Promised Land.

Haman carried a grudge against the Jews and held a high position in the Persia Empire under King Xerxes.

Haman convinces Xerxes to decree the extermination of the Jews in all 127 provinces and whoever kills the Jews can keep the Jews’ possessions.
Haman casts lots (Hebrew pur or purim), that is, he rolls the dice to determine the day to kill the Jews.
The dice come up Adar 13th (March)

When King Ahasuerus took the ring away from Haman and gave it to Mordecai (representing his authority) this is a picture of the Father handing down his authority to the Son who then took away the keys from satan, (Revelation 1:18) and then he in turn handed down His authority to His followers the keys to the kingdom. Matthew 16:19; Luke 9:1. When Messiah went back to heaven after He was resurrected, His ministry was taken up by Ruach ha’Kodesh/Holy Spirit: John 15:26 16:7

King Ahasuerus his gave authority to Esther just as the Father in Heaven gave his authority to Jesus/Yeshua. In turn, Esther handed that authority to Mordecai, who is a type of the Ruach ha’Kodesh/Holy Spirit. Jesus/Yeshua proclaimed in the above verses that He would send His Holy Spirit to continue His work. (Luke) 10:19

At the start, Yom Kippur was mentioned and although they have casting the lots in common, one could hardly find two more dissimilar days in the Jewish calendar.

Yom Kippur is the most solemn day of the year. It is a day of soul-searching and repentance Purim, on the other hand, is not. It is a day of feasting and drinking.

On Purim, it was the Jewish body that was saved. Haman did not plot to assimilate or paganize the Jews, but to physically destroy every Jewish man, woman and child on the face of the earth so Purim is celebrated.

Hadassah (Esther) 9:19 Therefore the Yahuwdiym (Jews) of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another. 

Yom Kippur is indeed a day LIKE Purim: both are points in physical time that transcend the very laws of physical existence. Points at which we rise above the rational structure of reality and affirm our spiritually supernatural bond with God our Heavenly Father—a bond not touched by the limitations of mortal life.

A bond as free of cause and motive as the free-falling lot/purim.

Thus Yom Kippur is only a day LIKE Purim  k’purim, for it achieves only a semblance of the essence of Purim.

Everything happened quite naturally and it is for this very reason that Purim is the greatest of miracles—a miracle in which the natural order is not merely circumvented or superseded, but in which nature itself becomes the instrument of the miraculous.

On Yom Kippur when all is said and done, the choice as implied by the lots, shows us that no man is worthy in the eyes of God.  So we cast our lot, our purim, with God, confident that He will respond in kind.

These are some of the amazing links between Purim, Pesach and Yom Kippur.

Purim was the sacrifice of Esther for all Israel.

Yom Kippur is for Atonement sacrifice for all Israel.

Jesus/Yeshua’s sacrificial death is the atonement for Israel AND all people, whose Blood was placed on the Mercy Seat, the Kapporet, once for all time.

(At One Ment – Restoration of the broken covenant (marriage) relationship in all cases.)

A Persian-Pur-Purim-Pūru-Die.

Haman’s lot-casting was his attempt to exploit the supernatural-reality of God’s plan to effect and manipulate an opposite end.

Haman declared that the Jewish people, might be the pursuers of God’s wisdom on earth and the agents of His will, thus meriting His favor and protection. But he said, surely God, in essence, is above it all—above our earthly reason and its notions of virtue and deservedness, beyond such concepts as good or evil. Ultimately, the divine will is as arbitrary as a roll of dice. Why not test it to see if its true?

He got his answer and the truth is, God is for us not against us and His promise is to never leave us nor forsake us.

This separation on the cross that Messiah experienced, is surety that the words He spoke are true for all who trust in Him. They can be absolutely depended upon.

Echoed from Deut. 31:6. The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5,6

and reaffirmed in Hebrews 13:5.

Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [Iwill] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] Amp.

He said Matthew 28:20 – Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.

Image from MMM family at Christian Inspirational Designs 

As we follow the upcoming Spring Appointed Times/Moedim, let’s do a double take and purim, cast our lot entirely to the Lord and remember their deeper meanings. Spend some time thinking just how much the Father loves us, in order to orchestrate such praiseworthy connections within the plan of salvation; and complete the restoration to Himself through Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.

Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!

The holiday of Purim falls on the Hebrew calendar date of Adar 14. Purim 2019 will begin at sundown on Wednesday, March 20 and concludes at nightfall on Thursday, March 21. Purim in Other Years. Note: The Jewish calendar date begins at sundown of the night beforehand.

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week, you are greatly loved and please, please, don’t leave here without assurance of your salvation or without knowing you have

purim – cast your lot for the Lord

and that you have the assurance that you are sealed to the day of redemption by the Blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.
Not sure ..you can be…
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.
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.

The Season Of Our Hiding

Strong’s Hebrew: 4565. מִסְתָּר (mistar) — a secret place
mistar: a secret place, hiding place, concealment

מִסְתָּר

Transliteration: mistar

Phonetic Spelling: (mis-tawr’)
When we say it out loud it sounds like our English word mystery. It’s basically the same word. Mystery involves something hidden, secretive. Mis•tor is used interchangeably in the Bible with the word se•ter which is also the root of this noun (may also be an adjective): S.T.R.
Mis•tor or se•ter may also be a place of refuge where one can feel safety and security. Imagine the extent of safety and security we may receive when we make God our se•ter, our hiding place. 

‘You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.’
Psalm 32:7

Spring – Aviv-Abib-abyb

is coming very soon and so is the first month of the Hebrew spiritual year, and the seventh month of the secular calendar, now also called Nisan. It’s in this month the first appointed time of Pesach-Passover is celebrated. Meaning an ear of corn, the month of newly-ripened grain. (Exodus 13:4; 23:15) 

Aviv-Abib signifies green ears of grain, or fresh fruits and ran from mid-March to mid-April.
Strong’s Hebrew: 6779. צָמַח (tsamach) — to sprout, spring up
Spring is coming and the Song of Solomon gives an amazing prophetic insight when he says behold the winter is gone. Song of Solomon 2:11

This Song of Songs declares the old is gone. We have seen that as believers symbolically God is our bridegroom and we are His challah/kallah, His bride.
Strong’s Hebrew: 3618. כַּלָּה kallah
(The final step in the Jewish wedding process is called – Nissuin – the word comes from the Hebrew verb – hsn – (Read from R to L and pronounced nasa) – which means, to carry. This describes the bride who would be waiting for her groom to come – to carry her off to her new home!)
These important words are directed to us, the ecclesia, the called out ones.
Song of Solomon 2:11
In this passage the word for winter in Hebrew literally means the season of hiding.

Our salvation is about the ending of the old life and the beginning of a new. The ending of winter – the season of our hiding – and of the coming of spring – aw-beeb’ – abib – אָבִיב
Strong’s Hebrew: 24. אָבִיב (abib) — fresh, young ears

That is what the old life is – winter, the time of hiding (has tav)…
and living in the darkness.
Messiah died and rose in the spring time to end the winter- the time of hiding – in our lives.

Just before Passover/Pesach is the time of Puwriym – Purim, which is considered a minor holiday and literally means to cast the lot.
Purim occurs 30 days (1 month) before Pesach/Passover on the 14th day of the month of Adar—the day established by Mordechai and Esther as a day of ‘feasting and rejoicing’ in commemoration of the Jews’ salvation from Haman’s evil decree in the year 3405 from creation. (356 BCE) Often considered the most joyous day of the year!
click link below for more on Purim.
https://www.minimannamoments.com/if-i-perish-i-perish-remembering-purim/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/who-was-hadassah/ 
Purim begins Wednesday, March 20, 2019 and ends Thursday, March 21, 2019
Then it is Palm Sunday, April 14, 2019
The triumphal entry into Jerusalem before his suffering and death on the cross.
See post 
https://www.minimannamoments.com/a-lot-can-happen-in-a-week/
Passover begins on Friday, April 19, 2019 and ends Saturday, April 27, 2019

This is the start of a new year in the annual spiritual calendar; beginning the cycle of 7 appointed times of the Lord. We have just looked at the them in the last post, secrets to a life of feasts.
https://www.minimannamoments.com/secrets-of-a-life-filled-with-feasts/
Now is a great time to think about the cycles of life and see them in a new light and with a different perspective as they unfold this year. One of these years Messiah will complete them.

Maybe it will be this year?

Here is yet another reason to see our Heavenly Fathers’ hand in our lives from the very beginning – as the cycle of life in us – has its origins at Pesach/Passover.

Everything has a beginning and an end. Alef and Tav. The beginning precedes all other stages and details, and the end follows all of them. The beginning, if it is a true beginning, contains the seeds of all that is to follow; and the end, if it is a true end, is the completion and fulfillment of everything that preceded it.

This being truth, then the beginning and the end each embody the entire process, both in their own way.
Each is the mirror image of the other.
A true understanding of the beginning reveals the end, while a true understanding of the end uncovers the essence of the beginning. Completing the cycle.

The Way of Life in Messiah Yeshua – Derech/derek, Emet, Chaim. I am the Way Truth and Life – anochi ha Derek v’hemet v’chaiyim.
John 14:6 I am the way and the truth and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me and means we cannot have the Father without the Son.
“The Way of Life”- חיים‎ דרך – Derech Chaim (pronounced – DE-rekh KHY-yeem) – the path of life, including the life cycle and manner of sojourning.

When “The Way of Life”- Derech Chaim- becomes our way of life,
from morning to night and
beginning from life’s Purim to Passover;
every moment becomes a link in a cycle, a season of perpetual joy as we realize our purpose in life, actualizing our deepest potentials, in which there is no greater joy.
Our baby steps begin from the Purim/Puwreem moment of choosing Messiah, which is the pathway towards where new life begins.
God’s sovereignty, together with our free will to Puwriym-Purim, to cast our lot with Him, means that when we do, the process of spiritual renewal begins.
In the same way, as Jesus/Yeshua told Nicodemus, you must be born again born from above of water and of blood. Both physically and spiritually, with the water of natural birth and spiritual renewal through His word and similarily both the blood of childbirth and of His sacrificial death.

The feasts which God gave to the nation of Israel are so filled with truth about Yeshua/Jesus and contain prophetic revelation concerning God’s plan to redeem and restore.
Leviticus 23:2 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.’

The Spring Feasts take place between Nisan and Sivan. Passover – Preparation Day (Pesach)
Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot)
Feast of Firstfruits (Yom HaBikkurim)
Feast of Weeks/Counting the Omer/Pentecost (Chag Shavuot)
The Fall Feasts take place in Tishrei.
Day of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) Day of Atonements (Yom HaKippurim)
Feast of Tabernacles (Chag Sukkot)
8th Day Assembly (Shemini Atzeret)
There are two important words in this passage. The 1st is feast, and the 2nd is assemblies (or ‘convocations’ in some translations.)
The Hebrew word is feast/mo’ed which means ‘an appointment, that is, a fixed time or season; specifically a festival’. The 2nd interesting word is ‘assemblies’ or ‘convocations’. The Hebrew word used is ‘miqra’ which means ‘something called out, that is, a public meeting.’ But it also has the thought of ‘a rehearsal’. So God was setting in a ‘fixed time’ during the year when the nation of Israel would be ‘called out‘ to gather together, every year, to ‘rehearse’ future coming events.
Even from the beginning – genesis – beresheet of this chaim – life/lives, we are part of His cycle of life-(lifes) and we all started out exactly this same WAY.  
Has everyone already completed a cycle of appointed times?
There are secrets hidden within the womb – rachem/racham.  (rekh’-em)

The Hebrew word for womb is רֶחֶם Strongs 7358
Racham/rechem  pronounced (rekh’-em)

Rachamim means mercy/mercies. (Notice the plural IM)
https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-mysteries-of-im/
The word also means tender mercy, compassion and love.
Here within this place, His Torah is a living picture of our Heavenly Fathers pattern in life and godliness/holiness. 2 Peter 1:3 the Derekh chaim – the path of life, including the life cycle and manner of sojourning. Holiness-set apart.
https://www.minimannamoments.com/mystery-of-rechem-the-secret-of-living-like-royalty/
In truth, everyone alive has experienced the appointed times of the Lord before we even breathed one breath of earth’s air.
Each one of us completed a years ‘cycle of life,’ as represented by His Appointed times -in the very first Season of our Hiding!

If this is the case and we believe LIFE was at the moment of conception, then we are already 9 months old when we leave the womb!
This is the first time zinc sparks have been captured in a human egg. Human life begins in a bright flash of light as a sperm meets an egg, scientists have shown for the first time, after capturing the astonishing ‘fireworks’ on film.

An explosion of tiny sparks erupts from the egg at the exact moment of conception-highlighting the very moment that a new life begins..

The moment life began – the genesis of us was a Holy spark, the divine impartation when the eternal soul, the spiritual part of each of us was implanted within the physical genesis of a human body.
In a previous post we looked at a moedim life as a natural annual cycle. To bring a further correlation to this subject are some facts which are probably well known to many believers; however it bears repeating because of its stunning connections.
If you have seen it before, be encouraged to examine it one more time in the light of all the things that Ruach haKodesh/ Holy spirit has been revealing to us, for we will surely gain even greater insight. His Word is alive and ever new.

The story is enhanced a little by adding in some pertinent information related to each appointed time.
 Moedim מועדים – moe-eh-DEEM. A plural Hebrew word meaning “appointments” or “appointed times” Holy Days in Lev. 23:1-44
Zola Levitt discovered an amazing correlation between the Moedim and the gestation and birthing process of a human baby, from conception to birth. While preparing for writing a book for new parents, Zola contacted a gynecologist for some help in understanding gestation. 
During that session, the gynecologist showed him a series of pictures, pointed to the first one (an egg and a sperm) and said, “On the fourteenth day of the first month, the egg appears.”
The statement struck a chord in his Messianic Jewish mind because that was the date of Passover. He remembered the roasted egg on his family table every Passover.

Now, for the first time, he knew what it meant! Not wanting to lead the gynecologist off from the subject at hand, he didn’t say anything, but continued to listen.
Passover represents ovulation and new life, the egg appears.

On the fourteenth day of the first month in the gestation cycle begins the
Baby’s development (ovulation): Ovulation— the release of an ovum (egg) from the ovary— occurs on the fourteenth day of the month and begins the pregnancy, a new life for the baby.
God instructed Moses that the Passover Feast should take place on the fourteenth day of the first month. During the Passover Feast the Jews place an egg on the table symbolic of the new life granted by the sacrifice of the lamb in Egypt. We are no doubt all familiar with the pagan easter (Ishtar) egg that also represents new life.

Messiah’s crucifixion on Pesach/Passover gave us the chance for life everlasting. 
Passover/Pesach signified the salvation of Israelites from bondage and the beginning of a new life in the Promised Land. 
Yeshua/Jesus was sent to be the blood sacrifice for all mankind. Anyone who accepts Messiah as their Savior has a new life in Heaven.
What is interesting about his revelation is that during the Resurrection Season, three of the Jewish Feasts take place – Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. 

The gynecologist continued: “The egg must be fertilized within 24 hours, or it will pass on.” This reminded Zola of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the seed or grain that “fell into the ground and died” in order to produce a harvest, the first fruits of which was presented to God.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread, the planting of the seed or the fertilization, occurs the night following the Passover Feast. (Within 24-hours the human egg must be fertilized or it will pass on.) Twenty-four hours after the Passover Feast Jesus/Yeshua was buried. His burial in the earth, prepared for each of us, the glorious resurrection to come. 

Jesus/Yeshua’s ministry as the Seed. The seed of any plant must be planted in the ground before it can sprout, become a branch and a new creation, and bear fruit. Jesus/Yeshua was buried in a tomb to arise and lead His followers/disciples to bear fruit. 


Next, the gynecologist said, “Within two to six days, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the womb and begins to grow.” And, sure enough, the Jewish evangelist thought, “The Feast of First Fruits is observed anywhere from two to six days after Passover!”
Implantation of the human egg marks the moment when the fertilized egg arrives safely in the uterus and begins its miraculous growth into a human being. This process may take anywhere from two to six days before it implants.
The Festival of First Fruits, the spring planting, is not on a definite time cycle and occurs on the Sunday following the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. It could be the day after, or it could be almost a week away. This represents the Resurrection of Messiah. 
It is evident that God designed the conception of each of us in accordance with those first three majestic feasts, so appropriately fulfilled by our Lord. In so many respects everything that God impregnates us with, goes through a cycle that begins with conception and culminates in victory. In order to truly embrace the new thing, we must first crucify and bury the old thing. 

Jesus/Yeshua was crucified, buried and resurrected giving us entitlement to eternal life. Just like the fertilized human egg, after His burial He traveled into hell’s gates and defeated death. It was in this victory that He was able to rise with all power in His hands. The seed had been planted that opened the doors for us to have everlasting life through redemption.
Israel’s Feast of First Fruits occurred on the Sunday following Passover, or 2-6 days following Passover. A sheaf of the first harvested grain was waved before God as a statement of faith that Jehovah-Jireh would see and provide for the needs of His people and in thanksgiving for His goodness.

Jesus/Yeshua’s resurrection as our Bread of Life, rose from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion. The planted Seed arose to become the first fruit – firstborn from the dead (spiritually) becoming the first, the genesis of new creatures – God’s harvest under the Re-New Covenant.
Baby’s development (implantation): The fertilized ovum (egg) travels 2-6 days in the fallopian tube, before implanting in the endometrium (the womb’s lining).
This is the Festival of First Fruits
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad! Jesus/Yeshua, Our Lord and King, overpowered death!
Rose from the dead!
Not only did He have all power in His hands, but He bestowed upon us that same resurrection power!
Next, he was shown a photo of an embryo showing arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes, a head, eyes, etc. The caption said, “Fifty days.” The gynecologist continued, “Around the fiftieth day, the embryo takes on the form of a human being. Until then, we don’t know if we have a duck or a tadpole.” Zola thought, “That’s Pentecost!” 

50th day the embryo becomes a new creature – a human fetus. That’s the day you can hear the heartbeat – the 50th day, which is the festival of Pentecost/Shavuot, where new creatures are made.

Israel’s Feast of Weeks/Shavuot/ Pentecost, occurred fifty days after First Fruits. New grain was offered to God in thanksgiving for the grain harvest. 
Jesus/Yeshua’s ministry His harvest is The Ecclesia Called Out Ones, the Body of Messiah and it had its genesis on this day. The ministry of His disciples was and is to harvest souls for God’s Kingdom.


As the fertilized ovum divides and grows in the shelter of the mother’s womb, it becomes recognizable as a fetus with human characteristics at approximately fifty days of gestation. From this time, the developing baby becomes even more human in appearance, a new creature.

That is Shavuot/Pentecost/Weeks!
That is the day the Israelites confirmed their covenant at Sinai as God’s people. So with us, we are confirmed in our covenant in Messiah, when we receive His Holy Spirit.
No wonder the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 139 v 13 – 14:  “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee:  for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.”
From now till Pentecost, the next feast, is a long wait.  So does some special event in human development occur before then? 
Dr. Mathison put it this way: “Well, of course, we have a slowly developing embryo here for a long time.  It goes through stages, but there is really no dramatic change until becomes an actual fetus.” 

She showed Zola a chart picturing an embryo becoming a fetus. 
Then there is a period of general growth for every baby. The senses then start to develop. Sight is not first because there is nothing to see there.
Hearing is first.

The next picture showed the embryo at seven months. The gynecologist said, “On the first day of the seventh month, the baby’s hearing is developed. For the first time, it can hear and distinguish sounds outside the womb.”
Zola knew that was the date for Israel’s Day of Trumpets (Yom Teruah):
This day occurred on the first day of the seventh month. Trumpet blasts acknowledged God’s presence in the land, announced the beginning of the High Holy Days, and signaled God’s finality for the harvest.

 Messiah will return in the clouds to call the saints (His followers) to Him for eternity. This blessed event will be accompanied by the blast of God’s trumpet and the shouted command to come up to Him. 
 At approximately the seventh month of gestation, the baby’s hearing is developed, and he or she could hear the sounds accompanying Messiah’s appearing.

The gynecologist continued, “On the tenth day of the seventh month, the hemoglobin of the blood changes from that of the mother, to a self-sustaining baby.” Then the blood begins to change.
Fetal blood must change to adult blood so that the baby can take its oxygen and breathe its own air when it is born.
That change occurs around the 10th day of the seventh month, which is the Day of Atonement – the blood acceptable.
Zola thought, “That’s the Day of Atonement, when the blood was taken into the Holy of holies!” and placed upon the rachum MERCY kapporet seat of the ark of His presence! Could it also be like the womb-rachum containing His shekinah glory?

The scripture says the blood speaks – for it cries MERCY – rachum.

On the Day of Atonement, the 10th day of the 7th month, the High Priest, according to Mosaic Law, took the blood of sacrificed lambs into the Holy of Holies and presented it as an atonement for the sins of Israel.

Leviticus 17 says:
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul.”
The blood acceptable – just as in the baby the blood is made acceptable to sustaining life after birth!

Israel’s Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur is the most important and Holiest day for devout Jews, it occurred on the tenth day of the seventh month.
This day was set apart to atone for sins.

Set apart – Holy

People sought forgiveness of sin through sacrifice of goats. The sacrifices symbolized God’s promise to forgive and forget sins, if there is confession and repentance. 

Scripture states that, Israel will be saved during the Tribulation, as they come to accept Jesus/Yeshua as their Messiah. Redemption for any Gentile or Jew must come through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. Like the goat for Azazel, used in this day’s sacrifice, Jesus/Yeshua became our Scapegoat, taking upon Himself our sins and dying for them. 

Baby’s development (blood— hemoglobin A): Oxygen is carried throughout the body by the iron-containing protein, hemoglobin, found in red blood cells. The baby’s hemoglobin, hemoglobin F, begins changing to adult hemoglobin, hemoglobin A, in the seventh month of gestation. This change in hemoglobin better adapts the baby to live in the outside world, breathing atmospheric air, rather than living in the womb, having his/her mother do the breathing.
Next, the gynecologist said, “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the lungs become fully developed.
Then in the 15th day of the seventh month, the tabernacle or the houses of the spirit, the lungs, are finished. That is the first day of a safe delivery. If born before then, the baby would have a hard time breathing.”

And Zola thought, “That’s the festival of Booths/Tabernacles/Sukkot, a time of celebrating the Temple, home of the Shekinah Glory or Spirit of God.” In the New Testament, the Greek term pneuma, normally translated as “breath,” is applied to the “Holy Spirit.” 
Israel’s Feast of Tabernacles/Booths/Sukkot, occurred on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. This joyous feast celebrated the days that God lived with the Israelites in the wilderness, when they lived in temporary accommodations (booths) and worshiped in a portable tabernacle. 

Immediately after Messiah’s Second Coming, scripture indicates He will dwell with His people for one-thousand years called the Millennial Kingdom.
The unborn baby’s lungs begin to mature enough to support life outside the mother’s body during the seventh month. “Spirit” and “breath” come from the same word, whether in Old Testament Hebrew (ruach) or New Testament Greek (pneuma). God blew His breath/ spirit into Adam, which He has transferred to every generation since.
The birth of the Ecclesia was accompanied by the sound of a rushing wind, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.  The Ark of the Covenant was the dwelling place of the Shekinah Glory, where God had instructed the Israelites to prepare Him a Holy/set apart, dwelling place within the fallen earth; so He could temporarily dwell with His creation; for He cannot be in the same place where sin is present.
Now the Tabernacle made without hands Yeshua/Jesus; made the WAY for each of us to Have His presence within the tabernacle of our hearts. Our bodies being that Holy/set apart place, within which He can abide/tabernacle. We will finally tabernacle with Him beginning on that 8th last great day, redeemed by Jesus/Yeshua.
If we go all the way into another month and a half for a full-term pregnancy, we land on the 25th day of the month Kislev. We now have 10 Jewish months of 28 days, or 280 days, which is a full-term pregnancy, and that day is Chanukah, the Feast of Rededication, or new life; and that is the birth day. Any pregnancy will fit on that calendar of the seven feasts as they are announced in Leviticus, Chapter 23.
Birth takes place on the tenth day of the ninth month. Eight days after birth, in Jewish families, a son is circumcised. Zola noted that the eight days of Hanukkah are celebrated right on schedule, nine months and ten days after Passover. 

Israel’s Feast of Hanukkah (Dedication, Lights, Chanukah): This feast was held ten lunar cycles (280 days) into the Hebrew calendar. After the defeat of Antiochus, this festival symbolized victory for and a new birth of Israel.
The eight candles may represent “the eight day of creation” (eternity), and these candles are lit by the Shamash (the servant candle), as Jesus/Yeshua came as the Suffering Servant to be the Light of the world. 

After Messiahs rule in the Millennial Kingdom, scripture states the New Jerusalem (Heaven) will descend to Earth. We will live eternally with our Savior in this place of unimaginable beauty and true shalom/peace. 

The baby is delivered (born) after approximately 280 days of gestation. The baby is an eternal person, because he/she possesses an eternal soul/spirit. This is the genesis of chaim on the earth and is the time where he or she will make a freewill choice which WAY will be followed.
No human being could have understood the gestation period 3,500 years ago. The establishment of the God’s Appointed Holy Days was given to Moses by God, Himself. Its correlation with the human gestation period is not only remarkable but clearly proves Intelligent Design and the existence of an Creator beyond this world that guides the affairs of man. 
On Wednesday, April 19, 2006, Zola Levitt went home to be with the Lord but what a marvelous insight that he left for us.
This is the miracle of life(s)/chaim and true proof that we are not some random evolutional soup. We have a Creator, a Father, who made us in His own image, with love and kindness and with details beyond miraculous.

Think seed… and how God planted within the seed all the instructions for life(s)/chaim – for its development – all within itself and correlating it with His Appointed Times to foreshadow the process of events that would bring redemption to each one of us!
Mem – concealed hidden the place where the seed is planted – think womb – heart/lev – aretz /earth, soil. The seed is the container of the instructions and patterns – the blueprint of life(s) written by THE authority, THE Creator.
Mem in the paleo Hebrew from the word Mayim meaning waters, as in life abundant seas. It is symbolized by water for the way that many living things can be pulled out of it, (fish, as in fishers of men)- and also refers to the waters of childbirth and the amniotic fluid that protects the baby within the womb!

During Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths, which is a seven day feast, the Kohanim (Priests), performed the sacred water libation. During the days of Temple service, priests would pour out water and wine as part of the ceremony.
The water pouring ceremony at The House Of The Water Drawing: The Water Libation Ceremony, known as Nissuch Ha-Mayim (nisukh hamayim) ניסוך המים
lit. “Pouring of the water”   ניסוך המים
המים ניסוך
Like the breaking/pouring forth of the waters at the birthing time – This was also the ceremony when Jesus/Yeshua cried if you drink of Me you will not thirst again. He is the living water – the water of life/chaim.
Take the word torah and leave out the vowels and reverse the order, read trh (R to L like Hebrew) – hrt is says h(ea)rt.
Yeshua is the HEART of Torah.

To take Gods Word TORAH to HEART, we must leave the things of our winter and the season of our hiding and enter His spring and in doing so, enter the heavenly cycle of New life so meticulously and beautifully prepared and detailed in His Appointed Times.

When you remove the alef – Jesus/Yeshua, who is the truth; from the word truth, all that remains is dead… so
make certain Jesus/Yeshua is the truth in your Chaim/life(s) today…
This is a great opportunity to share with a family who are expecting another child.

Shalom, Shalom!

Don’t leave this page without making a decision.
Its all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and very precious in His sight.
He longs to give you the Shalom He paid the ultimate price for..
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. Amen.