News Letter 5849-054
28th day of the 12th month 5849 years after the creation of Adam
The 12th Month in the Fourth year of the Third Sabbatical Cycle
The Third Sabbatical Cycle of the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Earthquakes Famines, and Pestilences

March 1, 2014

Shabbat Shalom Royal Family of Yehovah,

Two weeks ago we sent out part 1 of The Great Enlightenment of Mankind which coincided with the Olympics in Russia and the news that Russia was not going to tolerate any gay activities.
Last week we sent out part two of the video.

Just this week, in Arizona, a bill was passed to allow people not to serve those of the LGBT lifestyle. However, on Thursday the Governor vetoed the bill which pitched religious freedom against personal freedom after a great deal of pressure from the White House. LGBT people are free to force us to accept their erroneous choice, but when someone expresses their religious views they are hounded as bigots and racists and, well, you name it.

Last week Uganda passed into law a bill that outlawed homosexuality. The condemnations came from the the UN and the USA both saying this was against “Human Rights” which, as we have shown you, was the very first law of the “covenant made with many” in the UNEP (created in June 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden) to save the environment. What does human rights have to do with the environment in the first place? Nothing at all.

On Thursday the news stated that the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark were withdrawing millions in aid to Uganda.  Notice that these are Israelite nations demanding the rights of LGBT to uphold the “covenant made with many.” Once again the curse of Balaam is ringing loud and clear. That curse is that in order to defeat Israel, you can not defeat them; but you can defeat them by getting them to sin and Yehovah will destroy them for you.

I am pointing these things out to you so that you can see, in reality on the nightly news, the effects of this “Covenant made with Many.” The UN and the USA are looking to place sanctions on Uganda as well.

The following report from one of the Aviv teams is just coming in as I go to post.
The following is an Aviv report from Brian Convery whose team annually inspects the barley and associated conditions in Israel:

Abib Report
Thursday February 27, 2014

Hi Folks,

We hope you are all well. We are looking forward to some sleep tonight.
Today we traveled to our traditionally early sites in the Western Negev. No surprises so far. The volunteer barley is very young. It is now firmly in second place as to the youngest of any inspection outside of the barley found in 2005. The most advanced stalks were just out of the boot in the flowering stage. Even the roadside barley was in that stage as well with much of it still in the boot (looking like grass). Of course you all know we don’t use such but it illustrates how young the crop is in the traditionally early areas. Many of the wild oats are still just emerging from the boot as well and the pattern over the years has proven they are usually 3-4 weeks earlier than the wild/volunteer barley. It is a witness to pre-aviv stages. Also the red anenomies of the South are in full bloom in some areas and in some fading. This is another pre-aviv sign when dealing with the lower elevations of the Negev.
The manipulated domestic wheat and barley are, in many cases, in the head with little kernel development inside.
The grapes are, in most cases, very dormant with a few locations of designer grapes starting to bud. Of course we do not use them as a witness. Of the 20 or so Fig trees looked at in Shoresh only 2 show any bud activity.
We saw a lot of sheep and goats today but only a handful of lambs. Most ewes we either barren, pregnant, or in some cases showed signs of just having dropped their lambs. That makes them too young to accompany the mom out for feeding.
Tomorrow we will be inspecting the areas in the North. It has been much drier there of late so it will be interesting to see if it confirms the findings in the Negev.
Brian, Rick, Moe, and Ben

We have waited to learn if the barley is Aviv or not. We have not been able to plan or schedule the time we are to take off work in order to keep the Holy Days until we learn this one factor. The Barley is determined by the amount of sunshine and warmth it receives along with the rains. Many people quote Genesis 1:14 but do not realize what is being said.

Gen 1:14  And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to divide between the day and the night. And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.

Last week as we posted the article on where barley was mentioned in the Bible, we had another group claiming that barley was only mentioned in one place and that you need to depend on the equinox to begin the New Year. Again, they quoted Genesis 1:14. So our timing of the article was perfect to counter their false claims. Yehovah uses the sun to cause the plants to mature at a certain time. We need to check the plants to see how close they are to maturing for the start of the year. This week I am going to re-post an article we did last year on when Passover IS. Many Ephramites are now saying it is on the 13th at the beginning of the 14th. As with many of the newfangled ideas put forth by various factions in Ephraim, I ask where are the Jewish groups that do the same thing? There are none. But there are many anti-semitic Israelites who will do anything so as not to be like “those Jews” or like “those Karaites,” and so they invent new ideas.

Let us examine this in detail and know when to keep Passover. Like we have been saying, if you keep the Sabbath on the wrong day it is sin. If you do not keep the Holy Days, or you keep them at the wrong time by using the wrong understanding, it is also sin. Likewise, if you do not keep the Sabbatical year it, too, is sin. So let us stop sinning and return to the simple truth and just do it and not add to it. Passover is found in Lev 23. We do not need to mix it with other false teachings like Easter. You do not keep Holy what is not Holy.

For the last few years I have learned just how entrenched many of you are in the keeping of Passover on the wrong day. So this year I want to get the jump on this and give you time to think this out and be obedient to Yehovah and keep Passover at the right time. Not according to me but according to both the Torah and those who also kept it with Yehshua.

Many of you, like me, came from the World Wide Church of God groups. And we kept Passover with the church service and foot washing at the end of the 13th day which began the 14th.  On the next night, at the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th, we kept what was called “the night to be much remembered.”  The 1st Day of Unleavened Bread, a High Holy Day, followed this. The Church of God groups kept the events at the right time using the Hebrew calendar, but called the events by the wrong names. This has led some who have come out of them to draw wrong conclusions.

Many coming in to this Hebraic way of life from the other churches and learning about Passover for the first time are eager to keep them but get caught up in the misleading teachings that they discover and do not pray and think about it before they jump in. Many of you have read Matthew, Mark and Luke and using only these three Apostles, have fallen into wrong understandings. So, let us go through this series of events and learn and do as we are told to do. Let us keep Passover as Yehovah told us and also as Yehshua kept it because they are not two different events, they are exactly the same.

The very first thing we must do in preparing for this night is to know that the barley is ripe in the land of Israel. Why, you may ask? The barley was needed in order to keep the wave offering on the first day after the weekly Sabbath during the days of Unleavened Bread. To understand the rich meaning of this teaching, refer to last weeks Newsletter. This is one part of Lev 23 that many just skip over and do not pay attention to. It tells us when to keep this offering and that, when we do so, we are then to begin our counting to the next wave offering which is also very important.

Lev 23:9 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 10 Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When you have come into the land which I give to you, and shall reap the harvest of it, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah to be received for you. On the next day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And you shall offer that day when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering to Jehovah. 13 And its food offering shall be two-tenths part of fine flour mixed with oil, a fire offering to Jehovah for a sweet savor. And the drink offering of it shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. 14 And you shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears, until the same day, until you have brought an offering to your God. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 15 And you shall count to you from the next day after the sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete.

So we must have barley. You are not to eat anything from the land until you have made this offering. And that firstfruits crop was the barley. Are you aware that the barley to be waved and blessed was equal to the amount of manna that was portioned to each individual as they wandered during those 40 years in the wilderness? This was an additional reminder that the Mighty One of Israel brought the Hebrews out of Egypt and would bless them. Do you understand how important the barley is now?

Lev 6:14 And this is the law of the food offering. The sons of Aaron shall offer it before Jehovah before the altar. 15 And he shall take from it his handful of the flour of the food offering, and of the oil of it, and all the frankincense which is on the food offering, and shall burn it on the altar for a sweet savor, the memorial of it, to Jehovah. 16 And the rest of it Aaron and his sons shall eat. It shall be eaten with unleavened bread in the holy place. They shall eat it in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation. 17 It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of My offerings made by fire. It is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass offering is.

If you remember, we have talked about the daily offering, and how that refers to our prayers at 9 AM and 3 PM. And our prayers were symbolized by the Frankincense that went up unto Yehovah. The Barley Wave Sheaf Offering was done on the Sunday morning at 9AM, the time of the daily offering. The barley was “marked off” before the weekly Sabbath that would fall during the Days of Unleavened Bread or, if the 1st High Holy Day was on a Sunday, then they would mark the barley the Friday before; using cords to identify which sections had been chosen as the best barley to harvest. Then, after the sun had set on the weekly Sabbath, they would go out and cut the barley Saturday night and get it prepared for the wave offering Sunday morning. http://www.templeinstitute.org/the_omer_offering.htm

On the 16th day of Nisan, the barley to be used in the Omer offering was harvested in a grand public event. Residents of the villages surrounding Jerusalem would all come out to take part in the joyous occasion. After completing the harvest, the kohanim, (priests), would bring baskets filled with barley to the eastern side of the inner Temple courtyard. There, the newly ripened grain was beaten, roasted, and sifted in thirteen seives. A handful of the flour was burned on the altar, and the rest was eaten by the kohanim. Torah states that the first grain offering must consist of fresh barley kernels rosted in a perforated pan, and then ground into a coarse meal. “You must place olive oil and frankincense on it…” (Leviticus 2:15) Next, the kohen must “wave the Omer before G-d.” (Leviticus 23:11) This was done in front of the northeast corner of the altar, the kohen facing westward. The final step of the Omer offering involved the kohen scooping out a handful of flour from the meal mixture and placing in on the fire atop the altar. This was followed by the bringing of a single male sheep as a burnt offering. From this point on, grain from the new harvest could be eaten. After waving the Omer at the northeast corner of the altar, the kohen presented the first grain offering before the southwest corner of the altar. This was standard procedure for nearly all meal-offerings.

Once we know the Barley is going to be ripe for Passover and the Wave Sheaf Offering on the Sunday during the Days of Unleavened Bread, then we wait for the New Sighted Moon to be seen to begin the New Year.

Exodus 12:2 This month shall be to you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you.

The New Year begins with this first month in which Passover is held. It is not in the seventh month known as Rosh Hashanah. No, the first month of the year is when Passover is and this first month is called the 1st Month, also called Rosh Chodashim; the “head of the months” or, the “month of Aviv.”  We are then told that we are to take a lamb on the 10th day of this 1st month.

Exo 12:3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth of this month they shall take to them each man a lamb for a father’s house, a lamb for a house.

And we are also told that it can be a lamb or a goat, but also it had to be a male that was at least one year old.

Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take from the sheep or from the goats.

This then ties Passover in with Atonement, when the two goats are brought before Yehovah. One represents Satan and is taken by a strong man into the wilderness. You can see this same thing shown to us in Revelation:

Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. 3 And he cast him into the abyss and shut him up and set a seal on him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that he must be loosed a little time. Lev 16:7 And he shall take the two he-goats and present them before Jehovah at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots on the two he-goats; one lot for Jehovah and the other lot for a complete removal. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat on which Jehovah’s lot fell, and offer it for a sin offering.10 But the goat on which the lot fell to be the complete removal shall be presented alive before Jehovah, to make an atonement with him, to let him go for a complete removal into the wilderness.

At Passover your sins have been paid for by our Redeemer. The price of sin cost our maker His own life in our stead. We will explain this in next weeks Newsletter. But the blotting out of those sins and placing them on the guilty party of Satan does not take place until the Day of Atonement in the fall of the year. This is also very important to keep in mind as we keep the Holy Days throughout the year. So now we come to Exodus chapter 12:

Exo 12:6 And you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month. And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

This is where some begin to get confused. Each day begins at sunset and then ends at the following sunset. So each day, as we are told in Genesis, is first the night and then the day, the evening and the morning, to make one complete 24 hour period. The evening comes first. We are to keep our lamb until the 14th day and shall kill it in the evening. When is that? The evening is when the sun is setting. Once the sun has reached it highest point it is then beginning to set and is on its way to setting. The lamb is to be killed at 3 PM in the evening of the 14th day. I am not going to get into this long debate with you. You can search that up at a reputable site. Instead, I want to have you reason this out. I know you can do it. All you have to do is think just a little. We know and we are told Yehshua is our Passover Lamb.

1Co 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For also Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast; not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Here, we also see Paul is telling those who follow him that WE ARE TO KEEP PASSOVER. And that Yehshua was our Passover lamb and, just as the lamb was sacrificed, so was Yehshua. So here, years after Yehshua is killed, Paul is telling people to keep the Passover. It is one of the Feasts of Lev 23 in which Christians today say was “nailed to the cross.” Paul does not agree with that. You also know and need to understand that each Holy Day has special events that are precise in the things Yehovah is going to do on those days at the exact same time. So the ceremonies are important to understand for those events that will come in the future on these appointments with Yehovah also known as His Holy Days.

Exo 12:7 And they shall take some of the blood and strike on the two side posts and upon the upper door post of the houses in which they shall eat it.

Yehshua is our Passover lamb and it is by His blood that those of us who repent and return from not keeping the Torah- to now keeping and obeying the Torah- are forgiven. Yehshua is also represented in the doorpost and the threshold. It is only after the lamb is killed that the blood from the lamb can be put on the doorpost and lintel. The lamb is killed at 3 PM in the afternoon (evening) and then, as the 14th is ending and as the 15th is about to begin at sunset, the blood was smeared on the doorpost and lintel. Now, the next point is important- so please pay attention.

Exo 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted with fire, and unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire, its head with its legs, and with its inward parts. 10 And you shall not let any of it remain until the morning. And that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire. 11 And you shall eat of it this way, with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in a hurry. It is Jehovah’s passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. I am Jehovah.

The 14th Day is the preparation day. It is not Holy; it is just a preparation day the same as Friday is the preparation day for the weekly Sabbath. We cook the lamb on the 14th as the 15th is about to begin and we get rid of the rest of the leaven that may still be in the house. We can only cook the lamb after it is killed at 3 PM on the 14th day which leaves us about 3 hours to get it ready for the Passover meal at the beginning of the 15th day after sunset. And we are to eat it with Unleavened Bread. You are to eat unleavened bread for 7 days (not 8 but 7) and the first day is the High Holy Day when you eat the Passover lamb. On that evening of the 15th, once the sun has set, we eat the Passover Lamb with our families. We eat it with our shoes and our coats on and we must be ready to flee. This is exactly what Israel was going to do the next morning of the 15th, still part of the same day. It was on this 15th of the month, during the night (dark hours) that the Death Angel “passed over” the Israelites; hence, this is where we get the term Passover; because the death angel “passed over” on the night of the 15th, the night of the first Holy Day, those homes with blood smeared on the doorposts. We eat this with our shoes and coats on in preparation of a future time when we will have to flee once again at Passover. This will be, according to the Prophecies of Abraham, in the year 2030. That is the year we are all brought back to the Land of Israel.  It will be at this same time that the two witnesses will be killed and then the martyrdom of those who will be keeping the Passover at the wrong time. There will still be a controversy over which calendar to keep, the Sighted Moon or the Hebrew (conjunction). You must chose; and if you chose the wrong one, you will be killed. So choose carefully. We are to keep the memorial of this day forever. The “Memorial Day” is the 15th the day of the Passover event called the first day of Unleavened Bread, which is also the first Holy Day of the New Year.

Exo 12:13 And the blood shall be a sign to you upon the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And the plague shall not be upon you for a destruction when I smite in the land of Egypt. 14 And this day shall be a memorial to you. And you shall keep it as a feast to Jehovah throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by a law forever.

Now we read something back in Leviticus. So let us now address this as some will use it to confuse you.

Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month, between the evenings, is Jehovah’s Passover, 6 and on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Jehovah. You must eat unleavened bread seven days.

First of all, some say that the Passover is applied to the whole of these events, all 8 days. The actual day that Passover took place was on the 15th, as we have just shown you. The 14th day is the “preparation” day and is not holy. The remaining days are called the days of “Unleavened Bread” not “Passover.”

Lev 23:7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no work of labor, 8 but you shall offer a fire offering to Jehovah seven days. In the seventh day is a holy convocation. You shall do no work of labor.

Even the last day of Unleavened Bread is included in what some call the “season of Passover.” Now start to think.

Exo 12:15 You shall eat unleavened bread seven days; even the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. Lev 23:6 and on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Jehovah. You must eat unleavened bread seven days.

You are commanded to eat Unleavened bread for 7 days only. Not 8 days nor 9 days. If you start eating Unleavened Bread on the 14th, what do you do when you get to the last day of Unleavened Bread? That would be 8 days not 7. From the 15th day, which is Passover and the first Holy Day, until the 7th Day of Unleavened Bread which is another Holy day, are 7 days. You are to eat Unleavened Bread during this time and no yeast is to be found in your homes or in your office space where you work or your vehicles. This is where we get the idea of spring-cleaning. Our ancestors did it for the preparation of Passover and we still do it now but had no clue why. Now you know why. And, as we have just read, we are to eat the Passover Lamb with Unleavened Bread and the only way to do that and eat Unleavened Bread for 7 days is to eat the Passover lamb on the 15th; at the beginning of the 15th, as the 14th has just ended, after the Lamb has been killed at 3 P.M.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is for 7 days and you eat Unleavened Bread for seven days. Yes, this means you must go and purchase or even make your own unleavened bread. No donuts, no bread with yeast. Clean them out of your house and put them in the garbage. Do not give them to the neighbor, do not put them in the garage and expect to bring them back in to your home after the 7th day of Unleavened Bread. That is like putting sin out of your life and stopping this sin and then in 7 days going back to it once again. Put it out of your life once and for all.

So, as you can see, those who begin to eat unleavened bread on the 14th and call it Passover are, in fact, breaking the commandment by eating unleavened bread for 8 days. You must eat this bread on each of the 7 days of Unleavened Bread. If you include the 14th, then you have now made this an 8 day event which it is not. It is in remembrance of this time when we fled Egypt and arrived at the Red Sea. A time period of 7 days. You know the word “remember” in Exodus 20 concerning the Sabbath of which Passover is part of? This is included in the 4th commandment. This word “remember” is the Hebrew word H2142:

H2142 zâkar zaw-kar’ A primitive root; properly to mark (so as to be recognized), that is, to remember; by implication to mention; also (as denominative from H2145) to be male: – X burn [incense], X earnestly, be male, (make) mention (of), be mindful, recount, record (-er), remember, make to be remembered, bring (call, come, keep, put) to (in) remembrance, X still, think on, X well.

It is similar in meaning to Yehovah marking us in the palm of His hand. The Sabbath is the mark that is placed in our minds and on our hands. This is Yehovah’s mark on us. Satan’s mark is any other day or “holiday” not found in Lev 23. Which is why I admonish you not to keep any of those days which are not found in Lev 23. Do not add to nor take away from His Torah.

H2710 châqaq khaw-kak’ A primitive root; properly to hack, that is, engrave (Jdg_5:14, to be a scribe simply); by implication to enact (laws being cut in stone or metal tablets in primitive times) or (generally) prescribe: – appoint, decree, governor, grave, lawgiver, note, portray, print, set.

Now let us look at the events in Yehshua’s last day, which we will begin on the 13th in the afternoon. Here is a good chronology of the Last Supper. Notice it is the Last Supper not the Passover meal. Many of those who subscribe to keeping the Passover meal at the end of the 13th day and beginning of the 14th will never quote the book of John. They will quote the verses in Mathew, Mark and Luke which are not accurate chronologically. But John is.

Joh 13:1 And before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come when He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And when supper had ended, the Devil now having put into the heart of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon to betray Him,

Here we have the clear testimony from the Apostle John who placed his head on the breast of Yehshua and asked who it was that was to betray him. This supper was clearly before the Passover.

Joh 13:18 I do not speak of you all; I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.” 19 From now I tell you before it comes, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, He who receives whomever I send receives Me. And he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 21 When Jesus had said this, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you shall betray Me. 22 Then the disciples looked upon one another, wondering of whom He spoke. 23 But there was one of His disciples leaning upon Jesus’ bosom, the one whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore signaled to him to ask whom it might be of whom He spoke. 25 And lying on Jesus’ breast, he said to him, Lord, who is it? 26 Jesus answered, It is he to whom I shall give the morsel when I have dipped it. And dipping the morsel, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 And after the morsel, then Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, What you do, do quickly. 28 But no one reclining knew for what reason He spoke this to him. 29 For some thought, because Judas had the moneybag, that Jesus had said to him, Buy what we have need of for the feast; or that he should give something to the poor. 30 He then, having received the morsel, went out immediately. And it was night.

And again it is referred to in John chapter 21:

Joh 21:20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following (the one who also leaned on His breast at supper, and said, Lord, who is he who betrays You?)

There are a number of things to consider here. First of all, if you have ever eaten Matzo Bread/Unleavened Bread you will know that you cannot “sop it in a sauce,” as it is very hard, like a saltine cracker. But leavened bread, you can. Yehshua was taking the last of the bread and dabbing it in- to collect all the other pieces on the table; preparing to give it to Judas who, in this case, represented sin; as does leaven in this case. Judas then leaves. He had made a deal to betray Yehshua for 30 pieces of silver.

Mat 26:14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests. 15 And he said to them, What will you give me, and I will betray Him to you? And they appointed to him thirty pieces of silver.

Were the High Priest and Judas doing business on a Holy Day? No, they were not. How do we know? Because this was before the Passover meal was eaten. And the handing over of Yehshua would have completed the business and it, too, was done before the Passover; and yet it was done after the “Last Supper.” But if this was the Passover, which was kept on the first High Holy Day, then why was Yehshua sending Judas out to purchase supplies on a Holy Day? Everything would be closed. Once again brethren, think of these things when people come to you with their mixed up Scriptures they quote. It is after the “Last Supper” that Yehshua then washes the feet of the Apostles. Again, this is the end of the 13th day and the beginning of the 14th, as night was beginning. The “Day of the Preparation” for the High Holy Day of the 15th. This is the foot washing ceremony that we are all to keep now at the beginning of the 14th.

Joh 13:2 And when supper had ended, the Devil now having put into the heart of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon to betray Him, 3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and went to God, 4 He rose up from supper and laid aside His garments. And He took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, Lord, do You wash my feet? 7 Jesus answered and said to him, You do not know what I do now, but you shall know hereafter. 8 Peter said to Him, You shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me. 9 Simon Peter said to Him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and head. 10 Jesus said to him, He who is bathed has no need except to wash his feet, but is clean every whit. And you are clean, but not all. 11 For He knew who would betray Him. Therefore He said, You are not all clean. 12 So after He had washed their feet and had taken His garments and had reclined again, He said to them, Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me the Teacher, and Lord, and you say well, for I AM. 14 If then I, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, A servant is not greater than his master, neither is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

It was during the super that Yehshua gave the bread to the Apostles and then the wine:

Mat 26:25 And answering, the one betraying Him, Judas, said, Master, Not am I the one? He said to him, You said it. 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is My body. 27 And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink all of it. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom. 30 And singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

I have, on a few occasions, kept Passover on the Mount of Olives, actually called the “Mount of Offense,” and prayed in the garden where Yehshua prayed and listened to the wind fill my tallit while I prayed. The distant noises of Jerusalem are not heard here. It is extremely peaceful and quite. You can see the city lights across the Kidron Valley and feel so close to the One who has created these events for our understanding. Today we break the bread, drink the wine and wash each others feet as a memorial of this last supper. It is not the Passover meal. It is Yehshua’s Last Supper with His apostles. When I was with the Churches of God, this night was very somber. It had the feeling of being at a funeral. Everyone was quiet and reading their Bible and not talking. It was a very serious night; not to be taken lightly. Some women wept as they read the events of the beating and the death of Yehshua. We are remembering that on this night we, as men on this earth, betrayed our Messiah and had him sent to His death. Each and every one one of us are guilty of betraying Him. He had to die because we would not keep the Covenant which we agreed to with Abraham and then again at Sinai. Yehshua died instead of us. The Covenant required that we die for breaking it. He took our place instead. So I encourage you all, when you gather on this night, to make it a somber evening and not one for talking about other things or for joking around. Treat this night with the seriousness this Memorial represents. The beginning of the excruciating suffering that led to the death of the Messiah on our behalf.

We then read in John about the Priests not going into the Praetorium. If they did, they would become defiled. The Praetorium is today known as the Dome of the Rock. This is also the Place of the pavement spoken of in John. Yes, the Dome of the Rock is not the place where the Temple once stood. It was the place where Pilot had his headquarters which is why the Dome of the Rock is unclean.

Joh 18:28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the praetorium. And it was early. And they did not go into the praetorium, that they should not be defiled, and that they might eat the Passover.

So they have had supper and then went over to the Mount of Offence across from the temple on the other side of the Kidron. Yehshua is arrested and then beaten that night of the 14th. Then, early the next morning, He is taken to the Praetorium. But the Passover (“Passover” is the word used to cover the whole of this Feast. The actual Passover meal took place on the 15th) had not yet happened because the Priests did not want to defile themselves as that would have meant they could not perform their duties on Passover which was still yet to come. So, it is still early on the day (light) part of the 14th . Passover has not yet happened. For those who still hold to the evening of the 13th being the Passover meal, the next Scripture in Johns chronology is very convincing:

Joh 19:13 Then when Pilate heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat at a place called the Pavement (but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha). 14 And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, Behold your king! 15 But they cried out, Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him! Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

So here is Yehshua- at the Dome of the Rock which is, at that time, called “The Pavement,” and it is the 6th hour of the day. This day, just as all others, began at sunset so the 6th hour would be about midnight. This is still speaking of the 14th which is the “preparation day” for Passover, and the time of the Passover meal takes place on the 15th. Now we come to the actual death of Yehshua. We are told that He was crucified about the 3rd hour of the day. This 3rd hour of the day begins with sunrise being about 6 AM; so the 3rd hour is 9 AM. If you remember in last weeks Newsletter, I told you about praying at 9 AM and then again at 3 PM; the same time the daily sacrifices were done and the same time Daniel and others prayed.

Mark 15:25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.

Yehshua then dies at 3 PM, which is also called the 9th hour.

Mark 15:33 And it being the sixth hour, darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? (which being translated is, My God, My God, why did You forsake Me?) 35 And hearing, some of those standing by said, Behold, he calls Elijah. 36 And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But they said, Let alone, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down. 37 And letting out a loud voice, Jesus expired. 38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood across from him, saw that He cried out so, and expired, he said, Truly this man was Son of God.

Again when we come to the testimony of John we see that they wanted the two thieves killed so that they would not be hanging on a tree overnight. This is a command of the Torah that no one was to be left on a tree overnight or else they would all be accursed.

Deu 21:22 And if a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and if he is put to death and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree. But you shall surely bury him that day (for he that is hanged is accursed of God), so that your land may not be defiled, which Jehovah your God gives you for an inheritance.

It is interesting to note that there is no punishment for hanging anyone on a tree, yet we have this command not to leave them there. Again, in John we are told they wanted them dead because it was a High Sabbath that was coming. It was the 1st day of Unleavened Bread; a High Sabbath. Not the weekly Sabbath as most Christians assume it is. Note it was the “Preparation Day,” the day of the 14th, when the Lambs are killed at 3 PM before the High Holy Day of the 15th.

Joh 19:30 Then when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished! And He bowed His head and gave up the spirit. 31 Then the Jews, because it was Preparation, begged Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the sabbath. For that sabbath was a high day. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a lance, and instantly there came out blood and water.

We next read of Joseph of Arimathea, who was the Great Uncle to Yehshua, and also a member of the Sanhedrin. Joseph of Arimathea was also a NOBLE DECURIO for the Roman government and, as such, had a great deal of pull; so, once he claimed the body of Yehshua, he would then become the target of the Pharisees. And, as we have shown you before in past Newsletters, he was attacked by Paul who put him in a boat with no oars and, along with many others, sent into the Mediterranean Sea.

Mar 15:42 And it, becoming evening already, since it was the Preparation, that is, the day before sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counsellor, who also waited for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate wondered if He were already dead. And calling the centurion, he asked him whether He had died already. 45 And when he knew it from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 And he bought a linen cloth, and took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a tomb which was cut out of a rock, and rolled a stone to the door of the tomb. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where He was laid. Joh 19:31 Then the Jews, because it was Preparation, begged Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the sabbath. For that sabbath was a high day. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a lance, and instantly there came out blood and water. 35 And he who saw bore record, and his record is true. And he knows that he speaks true, so that you might believe. 36 For these things were done so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “Not a bone of Him shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look upon Him whom they pierced.” 38 And after these things, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews) begged of Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave permission. Then he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And Nicodemus also came, who at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus and wound it with linens with the spices, as is the custom of the Jews to bury. 41 And in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one yet had been placed. 42 There, then, because of the Preparation of the Jews, because the tomb was near, they laid Jesus.

So now picture this. It is 3 PM and Yehshua has now died. The 1st Day of Unleavened Bread, which is the time of the Passover meal, is coming at Sunset- in about 3 hours. Joseph has to leave the Mount of Offense, cross the bridge back towards the Temple over the Gihon Spring and then go up to where the Dome of the Rock now is, (which was then called the Praetorium) and seek Pilots permission to have the body of Yehshua. He could do this because he was his Uncle; a blood relative of Yehshua. He could also do this because he held such a high position in the Roman government. It is about a 20 minute walk one-way. By the time he comes back with the Centurion, who had to check that Yehshua was dead, it would be the better part of an hour. So we are now at 4 PM. The soldier then stabs Yehshua; blood and water come out which John also witnessed. And they now have to take down the body and wrap it in a cloth and then carry him about a hundred yards or less to the tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea. This would now be some time after 5 PM and the Sabbath and Passover would begin at sunset, which would have been around 6 PM. So now, with all these facts before us, can you still deny that the meal Yehshua kept was just His last supper and not the Passover meal? However, it was, in fact, much more than simply a “last supper.”  It was, in fact, all the ingredients necessary for a Suzerain treaty to be renewed. Yes, I am quite aware of what it says in Matthew.

Mat 26:17 And on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, Where do You desire that we prepare for You to eat the Passover?

This verse is obviously incorrect. For, if it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, then the Passover would have already passed; having been eaten the night before. Something is amiss here. Uh, oh!  Am I really saying that your Bible has it recorded incorrectly here? Yes, I am. We have just proven it to you. But next they will quote to you what Paul says in the book of 2 Timothy:

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

The word for “Scriptures” here is:

G1124 graph? graf-ay’ From G1125; a document, that is, holy Writ (or its contents or a statement in it): – Scripture.

This word is referring to the only “Scriptures” that Paul and Timothy had. Those were the Torah, the Prophets and the Psalms. Nothing more, nothing less. Yehshua Himself tells us what they are in Luke; HE tells us the Scriptures are, specifically, the Torah, the Prophets and the Psalms:

Luk 24:44 And He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms about Me.

The writings of Matthew were not considered part of the Scriptures nor was any of the New Testament. If the “New” Testament does not agree with the Torah of the “Old” Testament then it is the “New” Testament that is wrong. So the Last Supper, along with the breaking of the bread and drinking of the wine as well as the foot washing, are all done at the beginning of the 14th as the 13th ends. The Passover meal is then held after the Passover Lamb is killed, which Yehshua typified, and died at the exact same time the Passover Lambs would have been killed; at 3 PM on the 14th day. The blood is  smeared over the doorposts and then the lamb is roasted over fire. After sunset that day, as the 15th Day then begins, the Passover meal is eaten and it is on this night that the firstborn in Egypt were killed; it is an important part of what we are to remember. Yehovah paid for our redemption then with the firstborn of Egypt. He later paid for our redemption with the life/blood of Yehshua. The 15th day of the month is also the 1st day of Unleavened Bread and we are to eat Unleavened Bread for 7 days from the 1st day to the 7th day of Unleavened Bread and on each day of this Feast.

Next we would like to point out Exodus chapter 13. It is there you will see that the day they left Egypt is considered the day that the Firstborn of the sons of Israel were Consecrated (Sanctified) unto Yehovah. (See Exodus 13: 1-16) This is a very important day of remembrance. This was the 15th day of the month and it is a very important day; as THIS day serves as a “sign.” It is a Sabbath. The first day of Unleavened Bread is the first High Holy Day of that 7-day Feast. It falls on the 15th day of the month and it is a Sabbath. Yehovah’s “sign/mark” is upon us when we are obedient to it. If you are not observing the Passover meal on the correct day then you will “consecrate/sanctify” the firstborn of Israel on the wrong day that is not a “Sabbath Day” and thus are in disobedience to the Commandment.

Triennial Torah Cycle

We continue this weekend with our regular Triennial Torah reading

01/03/2014      Gen 27     1 Sam 9-11      Ps 57-58          Mark 4:24-5:34

Jacob’s Deception (Genesis 27:1-28:5)

This chapter contains the well-known story of Jacob’s deception of his father Isaac. It is important to note the elements of the story, and to recall Jacob’s previously cunning acquisition of the birthright, for Jacob is here sowing very bad seed that would yield a bitter crop in due time. There is a real law of cause and effect operating not only in the physical universe but also in the moral universe. What you sow, that you shall reap (Galatians 6:7).

Recall that Jacob obtained the birthright through a cunning business transaction. Later, however, Jacob meets his match when he becomes entangled with the even more cunning Laban, who outwits or takes advantage of Jacob at every turn for the better part of 20 years. Here, Jacob deceives his blind father with a slain goat and a special coat. Later, Jacob is deceived by Laban when he is “blinded” by the darkness of his wedding tent, and by his own sons who counterfeit the death of Jacob’s beloved Joseph by using the blood of a slain goat and Joseph’s special coat. Indeed, for more than 20 years, Jacob will believe the terrible lie concocted by his own sons—that his dearly loved son is dead. Notice also Rebekah’s fateful words: “Let your curse be on me.” Indeed, she would be cursed—for just as Isaac could not see his son, so Rebekah would never again see her beloved Jacob after he left for Padan Aram. For before Jacob’s return some 20 years later, Rebekah would die.

Beware: Reaping what you sow is a very real spiritual principle. And just as God did not completely remove the bitterness of the crop Jacob was to reap—even though Jacob finally repented and became converted—so God will not completely remove the bitterness of the crop you sow. The spiritual effects of your bad actions may be forgiven, but in the flesh there will still be consequences. “Behold the goodness and severity of God” (Romans 11:22, KJV). Just as God allowed Jacob to reap hardship and live a bitter life in order to help purge his character, so God will do with you in many respects. God is not mocked. Sow good seed—and reap the same. Sow bad seed—and reap the same as well!

After Jacob obtained the blessing by deception, Isaac and Rebekah sent him to Padan Aram, primarily to get him away from the wrathful Esau, but also to find him a wife from one of the daughters of Laban, Rebekah’s brother.

Saul Chosen as King (1 Samuel 9:1-26)

God had long before prophesied a line of kings from Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17:15-16). This line was to come through their grandson Jacob (35:9-11). And God had Jacob prophesy that this kingly line would come through his son Judah (Genesis 49:10; see 1 Chronicles 5:1-2). But though God personally chooses the king for Israel, He does not yet select a descendant of Judah. Instead, Saul, Israel’s first king, is from Benjamin.

God knew that Saul was the type of person the people were looking for, apparently the tallest man in the nation, and good looking (verse 2). Through circumstances, God arranges for Saul to visit Samuel in Ramah (verse 16).

Samuel was not an Aaronic priest, and yet, as we saw in our previous reading (see 7:9-10), he appears to have himself offered sacrifices—although in one case it is clear that he was simply officiating at the sacrifice, blessing it and the people (1 Samuel 9:12-14). These sacrifices were done in various locations. However, there is no record that Samuel offered sacrifices specifically at the tabernacle altar of burnt offering, wherever that was currently located. Normally, all sacrifices were to be brought to “the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His habitation” (Deuteronomy 12:5). But with the apparent abandonment of Shiloh, and the loss of the ark, perhaps there was no obvious place where God was “dwelling” at this time. In any case, Samuel’s offering of sacrifices at a variety of locations throughout the land—including the altar he had built near his home in Ramah (see 1 Samuel 7:17)—is presented in the Bible as acceptable and proper. Perhaps he had special instructions from God—we know for certain that he did in 1 Samuel 16:2.Saul Anointed King (1 Samuel 9:27-10:27)

Saul’s initial anointing is done in secret, after his servant is asked to make himself scarce (9:27-10:1). Saul is then given several signs to encourage him and prove God is behind this.

Among the instructions is one involving a visit to Gilgal, and the command to wait there a week for Samuel to arrive for a sacrifice. This is one of the tests Saul will not pass (see 13:8-14).

The “group of prophets” mentioned in 1 Samuel 10 (verses 5, 10) points to the emergence of an institution that accompanied the emergence of the Israelite monarchy. In 1 and 2 Kings, what is evidently a continuation of the same group is called the “sons of the prophets.” In its entry on them, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible says they are “members of a prophetic guild, or order, first appearing in the time of Saul and Samuel in the service of Yahweh…. The sons of the prophets appear again prominently in the ninth century B.C. in association with Elisha…. The guilds of professional prophets continue to appear variously indicated [in Scripture] (I Kings 18:4, 19; 22:6; II Kings 23:2; Jer. 26:7-8, 11) until the fall of Jerusalem in the early sixth century B.C.”

Saul chooses not to tell his family about being anointed as king. Then, when Samuel calls the nation together at Mizpah to announce to them the king God had appointed at the insistence of the elders, Saul, in a moment of either humility or outright fear of his new responsibility, hides himself. God lets them know where to find him, he is accepted by most of the people, and he returns to his home with a bodyguard, not quite sure what he is to do now.

Saul Defends Jabesh Gilead (1 Samuel 11)

Jabesh Gilead, located east of the Jordan in Manasseh’s territory, had nearly been destroyed by the Israelites following the war with Benjamin in order to obtain wives for the few remaining Benjamites (see Judges 21). Now Jabesh Gilead is threatened by the Ammonites, one of the two nations descended from Lot, and sends to the rest of Israel for help.

When the messengers come to the Benjamite city of Gibeah, the very city which had committed the grievous sin that precipitated the war against Benjamin years earlier, and which happens to be the home of Saul, the residents seem particularly distressed. As two thirds of the wives provided for the remnant of Benjamin had come from Jabesh Gilead, it is probable that many of Gibeah’s inhabitants had ancestors who came from there. Saul himself may have traced his roots to that city.

In any case, the Ammonite threat against Jabesh Gilead unites the Israelites in a common cause under Saul, who conscripts 330,000 troops under penalty of the loss of livestock. Their victory under Saul and Samuel assures Saul’s acceptance by the nation as king, and on the way back home, they stop at Gilgal (the location of Joshua’s first encampment after crossing the Jordan) to reaffirm his kingship.

 Psalm 57

Psalm 57 is the second in the sequence of five mikhtams here. We earlier read it along with the account mentioned in the superscription-when David “fled from Saul into the cave.” Actually, David hid in a cave on two occasions we know of-once in Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1-5), the setting of Psalm 142, and once in the oasis of En Gedi (1 Samuel 24:1-7), which is evidently the setting of this psalm. In En Gedi, David in a miraculous circumstance spared Saul when he could easily have killed him and was afterward blessed with a period of respite. This was in answer to David’s prayer recorded here (see the earlier Bible Reading Program comments on Psalm 57; 1 Samuel 24).

David cries out for mercy, trusting God will save him (Psalm 57:1-3). The imagery in verse 1 of finding refuge under God’s wings as a young bird finds protection under the wings of its mother is also found elsewhere in Psalms (17:8; 36:7; 61:4; 63:7; 91:4).

As David fervently prays for help, he is not yet out of peril from those who seek to harm him (verses 4, 6). But he sees a new day dawning (verse 8). Note the repeated refrain of praise (verses 5, 11). And indeed, God would soon rescue him, as 1 Samuel 24 shows.

The end of Psalm 57 (verses 7-11), with its exuberant expression of joy and praise, is used in Book V of the Psalter as the beginning of Psalm 108 (verses 1-5), while the end of Psalm 108 is taken from Psalm 60, the last of the sequence of miktams here.

“Deliver Me From My Enemies, O My God” (Psalms 58-60)

Psalm 58, the third miktam of David out of five in a row, addresses human misrule and injustice. He may have written this before he was king-while on the run from Saul, as in the preceding psalm and the one that follows. However, even while king, David could not completely control every judge under his authority and certainly not the rulers of enemy lands outside his empire.

In verse 1, the NKJV calls the offenders “silent ones,” a valid translation, because they remain silent when it comes to saying what needs to be said and rendering appropriate judgment. Verse 2 appears to say that those being addressed commit evil and violence themselves. Yet it may mean that by failing in justice, they promote these things in society.

The beginning of verse 3 says, “The wicked are estranged from the womb…” This is an odd turn of phrase in English but is clearly explained by the next line, an example of Hebrew poetry’s repetition: “…they go astray as soon as they are born”-that is, they are drawn away from God early in life.

In positions of judgment and leadership, the wicked are dangerous-compared to a cobra that can’t be mesmerized by a snake charmer (verses 4-5). David further compares them to ravenous lions and urgently calls on God to break their fangs-that is, their power to hurt people (verse 6). He also asks that they be swept away as running water and that their “arrows,” or means of dealing out destruction, be rendered useless (verse 7). In verse 8, when David asks that they melt away like a snail and that they are not brought to term like a stillborn child, it is not clear if he means the wicked themselves or their arrows of verse 8. Either way, the point is to neutralize the grave threat they pose.

In verse 9, the added italicized words “the burning” before “thorns” gives the correct sense here, as is made clear by other verses: “Twigs from wild thornbushes were used as fuel for quick heat (see 118:12; Ecc 7:6)” (Zondervan NIV Study Bible, note on Psalm 58:9). The meaning of the verse is that God’s judgment will come suddenly on the wicked.

In its note on verse 10, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary states: “The joy of the righteous comes to full expression when they see evidences of God’s justice. It is not so much the case that they are bloodthirsty [as might appear here at first glance] but rather that they delight in justice. The reign of terror must come to an end! Isaiah portrays the Lord as the Divine Warrior coming with red garments, stained by the blood of his enemies (Isa 63:1-6). Here the godly join in the victory march, as they too have been granted victory. The imagery of feet in blood portrays the victory (cf. Isa 63:1-6; Rev 14:19-20; 19:13-14), rather than the gruesome picture of people relishing the death of the wicked. The godly share together with the Lord in his triumph over evil.”

The injustice of human misrule will at last be overturned and righted when God brings His true and righteous judgment (Psalm 58:11). The message will be clear: righteousness pays; wickedness doesn’t.

Mark 4:24-5:34

Yeshua warns us to take careful charge of what we allow ourselves to hear and be able to discern. In hearing things not of Elohim we are to disregard and not listen, and in hearing things of Elohim we are to listen more. If we do this, more will be given to us to hear and understand of His Kingdom.

Yeshua speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven as in parables: first comparing it to how seeds grow and develop until they bear fruit and then it is harvest time. This is just as history from the beginning until now as we near the end of the age. He gives another parable for the Kingdom of Heaven: how it began so very small, with one man (Abraham – the mustard seed) and then developed so much so that it become very great… so great that it even has room for the tares to secretly lodge and live there.

Yeshua commands the wind, the storm, and the sea and His disciples are amazed.

Chapter 5

Yeshua and His disciples cross over into the land of Gad and meet a man with an unclean spirit. This man possessed of the demon acknowledged Yeshua as the Son of Elohim. Yeshua by great authority ordered the demon out of the man and cast them into a herd of pigs. It is interesting that a land that was settled and belonged to a tribe of Israel was now herding and raising pigs… an animal know to be an abomination to Elohim.

The man who was restored from the unclean spirit desired to follow and go with Yeshua but Yeshua told him to go out to family and friends and give testimony of the mighty work Yeshua had done for him.

They cross back over the sea to the other side and people are still thronging to be near Yeshua. He heals the woman with the issue of blood.