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| Are we off God’s clock and Calendar? (Part 1)
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By YWGO
Many have experienced allot of problems and felt something was off with their worship and practice of their Christian faith. Maybe if we check the calendar it may be a starting point for the resolution of the problem.
Why the calendar? Because you may be on a different time schedule from God’s. How? If we review our Bible history, we’ll see that from the beginning, He set time and seasons to be counted by the Sun and moon. His economy, worship system, Messianic fulfillments, and last days for mankind was set by these ill luminaries- (Genesis 1:5,14, Psalm 89:36,37, Psalm 104:19, Jeremiah 12:2., Isaiah 13:9-10, Isaiah 24:23, Joel 2:31, Matthew 24:11,25, Acts 2:20, Rev. 6:12-14 ). If we are to truly walk in God’s words, meaning His prophecy, it is important to get on His schedule in order to properly function as believers.
In ancient times and presently, God communicates with His creation through environmental changes, verbal, dreams, and written communication. Those whom cannot read or write depend on other forms of communication from Elohim and His ordained servants. The calendar is another resource from ancient times to tune all our senses to God’s will for our life with Him (Matt. 16:1-3 and 24:32-35).
The word Hebrew word “Moedim” Strongs Concordance, Hebrew numbers H3259 & H4150 means appointed times correlating with a congregation or assembly. It infers God’s time keeping and the believer’s adherence to what He has set to happen. These times are meant for mankind to respond too; like an appointment with Him. He has set certain events to take place on His calendar (Genesis 17:21, Genesis 18:14, 21:2,& Exodus 9:5). These appointed times and seasons point to worshipping Him (Elohim=Most High God) and His Son’s final Atonement for mankind’s sin (Yeshua-Jesus) and future reign over mankind. He called for Israel to check their “intentions”, behavior, and do acts of love that reflect His character (Torah) before operating in His Schedule ( Psalms 40:6, Hosea 6:6, Matthew 9:13, Matthew 12:7, Isaiah 1:11-20 )
The Bible notes, that “some” Jewish leaders misinterpreted the use of the Torah and added extra customs and rules. As a result, they missed their own Messiah because of these man made traditional views (Matt 15:1-20, Chapters 20-23 & John 5). In the Galatians & Colossians letters, the same problem is replicated where one sect of Jewish traditionalism conflicted with the practice of the “Appointed times” by teaching that circumcision, appointed times, and their “man-made traditions” completed the Gentiles as Israelites. To the contrary, the only entrance into God’s kingdom is through Matt 28: 18-19 and Acts 2:38 & 4:12.
Their legal traditionalism interfered with Yeshua’s Gospel sent by Elohim. His Salvation plan does not include self righteousness or self atonement. All customs were designed to foreshadow Yeshua’s fulfillment of His righteousness and atonement for believers. He is the fulfillment and completion of all things written and expressed from the beginning, in order to bring us to Salvation through His “Name”. We are not saved by the practice of Jewish customs. We are saved by Yeshua’s atonement (grace) and practice them with their original intent: to point to Messiah as a testimony to the world and unbelieving Jews. Pagans practice their customs to point to their beliefs. Believers of Yeshua, practice the “appointed times” to point to Yeshua (Jesus).
Ravi Shaul (Paul) was clearly not calling for a doing away with this schedule. Historically, the Christian Church kept the Jewish Feasts and Shabbat (7TH DAY) with a clear understanding of their life cycle and scriptural obedience with Atonement by Yeshua. In the Thessalonians Letter 5:1, “Times and Seasons”-means Moedim. We find Ravi Shaul (Paul), mentioning their “awareness” of the Appointed times and Yeshua’s Return. Some false teachers tried to get them “off calendar”. Paul was against the misinterpretation of the moedim conflicting with the foreshadowing of Messiah by the excessive views of the false teachers.
Example:
Many think their Bible reads Sunday when it comes to" the worship Day" of the early church. If you review many places in the New Testament, you’ll find they were still on the Sabbath service for the New Testament church. “Sunday” named after the Babylonian sun god “was added” by later Sunday traditionalists.
In the “original translation” of (Acts 20:7-8) from the text, Paul was speaking at a service until midnight. Many taught this as all day through the service. No way. He taught at a “1st day of the week service” which is the “Jewish Havdallah service” held in the evening to conclude the Sabbath Day and welcome the next. This means that they met in the evening and he talked past midnight. Not all day. (It was also common for them to meet at the synagogue in ancient times). That’s why Yeshua and Paul spoke at synagogues “on the Sabbath”.
There is no evidence that Yeshua did away with the Sabbath rest or worship cycle. He corrected it's use away from strict add ons from the Pharasees and other religious leaders. Holy work was permitted on the Sabbath such as the type Jesus was perfoming. Many people only point to the strict Mosiac standards and Pharasetic strict rules without seeing the day as a Holy rest and worship day. The Day was not punishment! It was to make people meditate and rest in God's presence. People need to study ancient culture and read the scriptures in context ,not prooftext their own interpretations from modern day Westernized changes. Jesus being "Lord of the Sabbath" did not mean He done away with it. This is the false teaching that keeps people in bondage not the Sabbath. Jesus showed us how to keep the Rest day without all the stress.....
Every word where “Sunday” is seen as a meeting in the Bible means “1st day of week”. This is to the contrary. The “first day service” “on” the first day of the ancient work week calendar was started later after the Apostolic times by Greco-Roman leaders of churches. Many had no concept of the Sabbath, because they were on other calendar systems. This system was later forced on everyone. (Ravi Shaul) Apostle Paul would have taught the mixed Israeli/ gentile churches the Moedim calendar as a tool of their Hebraic faith.
On the 1st day of the week everyone “worked” on the Moedim calendar. Several Bible scriptures “do not appear to describe” a religious service (I Cor 16:1-8, Romans 15:25-28, Acts 11:27-30). Paul is only telling the churches to set aside something from their resources for the people of Jerusalem on “that work day”. The 1ST day was a work day. Everyone started preparing to set aside the first fruits of labor for that week.
Another example is the holiday of “Easter”. In many translations of the Bible the word Easter was associated with “replacing the word Passover” (Acts 12:4). This makes absolutely no sense at all! Yeshua did not celebrate a Pagan holiday associated with sex fertility and human sacrifice. He celebrated and fulfilled the Passover as the Lamb of God (I Corinthians 11:24). Even today, the church celebrates Christ’s resurrection and the Passover as “two separate events”. They celebrate the ressurection of Jesus on Easter instead of Passover timeframe.(Think about it)…Off schedule!
*3 days and 3 Nights- Resurrection: Passover
Historically and Biblically speaking from the Torah (Gen. 1:5, Lev. 23:5 & Exodus 12:6) referred to the between evening and morning Creation concept of timekeeping and Atonement process. Yeshua was crucified in the Moedim month of Nisan at 9am, died at 3PM, and laid to rest at sundown of Passover & preparation day at 6PM of (Wednesday), just before the High Sabbath called Unleavened Bread on (Thursday) (Day 2- Friday) and (3rd Night and Weekly Sabbath) and He rises early on the Havdallah (1st Day service of the week)Sunset (Mathew 28, Mark 16, John 20:1& 19) refer to Messiah already being risen.
Historically, The early Anti-Jewish Gentile church leaders switched Passover celebration correlating with Jesus Christ atonement and the Sabbath. This change later carried on “in the translations of the Bible” because the church was not the same Judean/Christian church of the 1st Century following Messiah's commandments. Yeshua clearly did not do away with the moral laws of the Moses or the Sabbath. He mitigted them in Love (Matt 23:23). Paul even notes the Law is not bad (Romans 7:7).
What are they For?
The seventh Day signified rest from work and communion with Him. The other factors involved are that it also symbolized:
• Elohim sets apart (sanctifies) (Ex.31:13).
• Oath and sign between mankind (Deut. 29:12, 13,31:15, Ezekiel 20:20).
• Gift (Mark 2:27).
• Ordinance-unchangeable command (Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-11, 24:8, Ex.31:16, Isaiah 58:13-14,Matthew 24:20, Hebrews 13:8).
• Foreshadowing of finished work of Salvation (Luke 6:5, Matthew 5:17-19, Hebrews 4:3-11 ).
• His Millennium Reign (Psalm 37, Matt 5, Isaiah 66:22-23, Rev. 21:7-8, Ezekiel 39:27-28; 46:1-7)
*Yeshua never did away with the Sabbath or the Torah. He corrected their use to show grace. Grace is not a new concept in the OT or NT writings. They all represent Him. Only the Seventh day was blessed and sanctified not the 1st day of the week. Notice, Jesus even appeared at the festivals to preach (John 5-7 Chapters and 10:22).
Israel and the First Assembly of the New Testament:
• Followed the Creator's example of resting as He did.
• Memorialized His creation by resting.
• Acknowledged the only sign given to them that informs us of who it is that sanctifies.
• Connected their life and actions with the Torah Festivals and Holy Spirit
• Obedience to Yeshua(Jesus) His commands(Torah)
• Symbolized Salvation
• Foreshadowed His coming, fulfillment and future return
In Lev. 23 God gave His “Moedim” to Israel for accounting of time apart from the world’s pagan system of time keeping. They were getting on His schedule and off the worlds. It can be described as a perfect circle of time as 360 degrees and days.
Purpose:
• Weekly, monthly, yearly rest periods from work
• Forecasted schedule to mediate and meet with God
• Part of their Assembly and Community worship
• Home Worship
• Foreshadowing of events for the prophecy
Spring Feasts
1. Passover (Pesach)-Nissan-March and April
2. Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMazot)-Nissan-April
3. First Fruits (HaBikkurim)-Nissan-April
4. Pentecost ( Shavuot)-Sivan- end of May
Fall Feasts (Unfullfilled until End of Age)
5. Trumpets-(Rosh Hashanah)-Elul-Tishri-August and September
6. Atonement-(Yom Kipper)-Tishri-September October
7. Tabernacles-(Sukkot)-Tishri-October
Many of these laws correlate with the land of Israel and it’s harvest cycle. The Hebrew culture and God’s word is meant to be operate in conjuction. If you notice many times in the Bible, God will use agricultural, biological and environmental terms to outline hidden spiritual terms and His actions. The language of Hebrew does the same thing. This is what Yeshua means in His parables and that every jot and title would be fulfilled. Obviously, if you were going to save mankind from His enemy, you don’t want to say it in plain language.
The festival calendar correlates Israel’s origin, history, God’s covenants & promises, Messianic prophecies, and directs lifestyles back to a Torah perspective. They also promote a healthy global community perspective in that through Abraham’s seed; the entire world will be blessed. How? By the 1st coming of the Messiah as (Ben Yosef) the suffering servant. For over a thousand years the people of Israel had been rehearsing the Passover sacrifice and Temple worship since they left Egypt. Then Yeshua came and fulfilled the first four of the appointed feasts.
Yeshua(Jesus) as the:
• Passover Lamb
• Unleavened Bread of Life
• Resurrected First Fruits of the wave sheaves & vine(new wine)
• Shavuot(Pentecost 50 days later) Giving of the Law( Torah) Holy Spirit –Feast of Weeks
The other fall feasts are about to be fulfilled after the great tribulation period (Matthew 24). At the “Last trumpet” all the dead and living in Messiah will be called up and changed. The Last Day of the Age represents the Day of Atonement when believers receive the final part of their Salvation as eternal life and new bodies. Sukkot represents Yeshua’s Millennium Reign as the (Ben Davidic) King of restoration of the whole world.
We (Christians) are part of Isreal. We are not seperated from it. According to God's plan of redemption, all the families of the earth are blessed through Abraham's covenant and Yeshua's fullfilling of it (Galations 3 & Romans 11). I have never read in the Bible where Israel was replaced by a Gentile church who practices babylonian paganism and rejects moral Bible laws and celebrations. I see an inclusion, not an exclusion. Israel's covenants and festivals reflect a salvation plan of God's grace for all mankind whom believe in Yeshua's atonement(John 3:16-17).
Continued in Part 2-
How did it change and what was it replaced with?
References
1. NET Bible
2. KJV Bible
3. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, James Strong,LLD,STD,1990.
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Posted by YWGO on 2008-10-06 17:17:38 | Rating: | Views: 108
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AMEN
we will cont to pray for Israel
thanks for the message
GOD BLESS
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Posted by good_news
on 2008-10-06 17:29:04
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Blessed teaching T/u Brother
Shalom
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Posted by Christianthoughts
on 2008-10-06 19:13:37
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Thanks for your encouraging comments and teaching. The teaching gave me allot to think about. Bless you, Sheryl
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Posted by sheryl
on 2008-10-07 13:31:45
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Blessings. We all are at different stages of growth in our walk with Christ and from different "Westernized denominations" filled with western views, but the message of God's words are clear in context. Many people have taught Anti-Hebrew traditions, as if God was "only" sending a message through Greco-roman theology and not Hebraisms. This is where we get all the confusion and major historical reformations to try to get back to the original Judeo/Gentile model. People put false legalism charges on the very Hebrew writings that Yeshua(Jesus)and Apostle Paul was not against. They themselves became more legalistic with Sunday worship and added traditions mixed with pagan ideals. I certianly will remain free in the grace of Yeshua in keeping any festival or Sabbath worship toward Him like the original 1st century church. I pray for people who are in "this modern westernized traditional system" and still love them with much respect, but honestly disagree.
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Posted by YWGO
on 2008-10-08 11:01:17
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great teaching. the festivals were never done away. accurate reading of scripture (both old and new covenants are clear about it). There are 2 things the new testments church of acts didn't have: 1) a new testament- the word "scriputre" refers to the Tanakh (OT) and 2) a church: early christians met in synagogues-not churches.
Careful and accurate understand of all scripture (both old and new testaments) will reveal that G-d never changed (Mal 3:6) any of his commandments and the apostles also followed the commandments of torah-including the festivals.
The festivals are not what saves us-as the blood of Yeshau is our only redemtion- but the festivals are sign of what is too come and keeping them also reminds us of our merciful Creator.
If we love G-d we will keep his commandments
Thank you for your post. Dt 5:10, Jhn 14:15
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Posted by meira
on 2008-10-10 22:06:49
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