This is Just A Test

Joseph F. Dumond

Isa 6:9-12 And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed. Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land laid waste, a desolation, and until Jehovah has moved men far away, and the desolation in the midst of the land is great.
Published: Jan 19, 2024

News Letter 5859-045
The 7th Year of the 4th Sabbatical Cycle
The 28th year of the 120th Jubilee Cycle
The 8th day of the 12th month 5859 years after the creation of Adam
The 4th Sabbatical Cycle after the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Sword, Famines, and Pestilence

January 20, 2024

 

Shabbat Shalom to the Royal Family of Yehovah, 

Welcome to those of you who are new to sightedmoon.com.

We are again, this week up dating you on the barley which we must have for the Wave Sheaf Offering in order to keep Passover. It is going to be a nail-biter again this year as to whether or not it will be ready. No man knows the day or the hour, which is once again exemplified by the growth of the barley and our inability to determine the exact time of Passover this year.

But we will prepare for Passover as though we had just 6 weeks to get ready. I am, therefore, going to show those who want to learn another way to understand and prove whether Yehshua kept the 14th or the 15th for Passover.

But the feature article I want you to focus on is about the test and meaning of the word in Hebrew. I find this most amazing and at the same time it gives us direction as to what we are to be running for. It is the flag. It is the test. May Yehovah bless your understanding and give you  the wisdom to discern that knowledge and understanding about Him.


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There are way too many events taking place in the world right now for me to post them all in this newsletter once a week. The world temperatures are shooting through the roof. Climatic disasters are following one after another. Now Hamas entered Israel on Oct 7 and butchered 1400 people, decapitating babies, taking over 200 hostages. All of these things are leading to the 5th curse of famine War and Plague. I am trying to keep you updated so that you are aware. But I am now doing so daily on Telegram.

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It Was A Riddle Not A Command

You should all have a copy of this book to understand and know the deeper things of this Amazing Feast, the Feast of Trumpets. 2024 Represents the Feast of Trumpets day. Do you understand the basics of this day?

It Was A Riddle Not A Command

Yehshua always spoke in parables publicly.

Matthew 13:34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable, so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

He did this on purpose so they would not understand.

Matthew 13:10-17 And the disciples said to Him, Why do You speak to them in parables?

He answered and said to them, Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.

For whoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whoever does not have, from him shall be taken away even that which he has.

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not; nor do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which said, “By hearing you shall hear and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see and shall not perceive; for this people’s heart has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them; and to hear what you hear, and have not heard them.

Yehshua spoke about the 5 Foolish Virgins in a parable.

Matthew 25:11-13 Afterwards the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

But he answered and said, Truly I say to you, I do not know you.

Therefore watch, for you do not know either the day or the hour in which the Son of Man comes.

The expression “No Man Knows the Day or the Hour” is what Yehshua was speaking about in the previous chapter, Matthew 24:36 and here He is using the same expression in this parable again.

This is what most Christians use to dismiss any and all end time prophecies as being false teachings. They do not realize it was a parable meant to say something and hide the truth from those who hearts have grown stupid which is what that word gross means when Isaiah says their hearts have become gross.

Yehshua was telling the foolish they would not and could not know the day or the hour and at the same time telling the wise the precise time He would return on.

The question is which one of the virgins are you?

Order the book and find out which one you are and learn how to change from being a foolish virgin to one of the 5 Wise Virgins.

If you want to understand the Feast of Trumpets…if you want to know about Yehshua birthday, if you want to get the basics understanding of the 10 days of Awe, which we are about publish then you need to read this book as your foundation.

Order the book so you never have to hear the words, I never knew you.

You can also buy the PDF direct from us and start reading it right now. Just click the button below.

Torah Portion

Torah Portions

We read through the entire Torah along with the Prophets and the New Testament, once over the course of 3 1/2 years. Or according to the Sabbatical Cycle which means we read it all twice over a 7-year period. This allows us to cover more in-depth rather than being rushed to cover as much as is covered on an annual basis. We allow all to comment and take part in the discussions.

Septennial Torah Portion

If you go to Torah Portion at our archived section, you can then go to the 7th year which is the 7th year of the Sabbatical Cycle, the one we are in now, as we state at the top of every News Letter. There you can scroll down to the proper date, and see that this Shabbat we could very well be midrashing about:

Deuteronomy 26-27

2 Chronicles 9-16

Revelation 3-7

As we approach the end of the year we are doubling up on our Torah Portions so that we can fit them all in before the year ends. We thought we had an Adar Bet and four more weeks. I am not sure we do so we are going to double up. 

If you missed last week’s exciting discoveries as we studied that section, you can go and watch past Shabbats on our media section.


Join Our Sabbath Meetings

Join Our Sabbath Meetings

There are many people in need of fellowship and who are sitting at home on the Sabbath with no one to talk to or debate with. I want to encourage all of you to join us on Shabbat, and to invite others to come and join us as well. If the time is not convenient then you can listen to the teaching and the midrash after on our YouTube channel.

What are we doing and why do we teach this way?

We are going to discuss both sides of an issue and then let you choose. It is the work of the Ruach (Spirit) to direct and to teach you.

The medieval commentator Rashi wrote that the Hebrew word for wrestle (avek) implies that Jacob was “tied”, for the same word is used to describe knotted fringes in a Jewish prayer shawl, the tzitzityot. Rashi says, “thus is the manner of two people who struggle to overthrow each other, that one embraces the other and knots him with his arms”.

Our intellectual wrestling has been replaced by a different kind of struggle. We are Wrestling with Yehovah as we grapple with His Word. It is an intimate act, symbolizing a relationship in which Yehovah and I and you are bound together. My wrestling is a struggle to discover what Yehovah expects of us, and we are “tied” to the One who assists us in that struggle.

Today, many say Israel means “Champion of God”, or better — the “Wrestler of God”.

Our Torah sessions each Shabbat teaches you and encourages you to constantly challenge, question, argue against, as well as view alternative views and explanations of the Word. In other words, we are to “wrestle with the Word” to get to the truth. Jews worldwide believe that you need to wrestle with the Word and constantly challenge Dogma, Theology, and views or else you will never get to the Truth.

We are not like most churches where “The preacher talks and everyone listens.” We encourage everyone to participate, to question and to contribute what they know on the subject being discussed. We want you to be a champion wrestler of the Word of Yehovah. We want you to wear the title of Israel, knowing that you not only know but are capable of explaining why you know the Torah to be true with logic and facts.

We have a few rules though. Let others talk and listen. There is no discussion about UFO’s Nephilim, Vaccines or conspiracy-type subjects. We have people from around the world with different world views. Not everyone cares who is the President of any particular country. Treat each other with respect as Fellow wrestlers of the word. Some of our subjects are hard to understand and require you to be mature and if you do not know, then listen to gain knowledge and understanding and hopefully wisdom. The very things you are commanded to ask Yehovah for and He gives to those who ask.

Jas 1:5  But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him.

We hope you can invite those who want to keep Torah to come and join us by hitting the link below. It is almost like a Torah teaching fellowship talk show with people from around the world taking part and sharing their insights and understandings.

We start off with some music and then some prayers and it’s as though you were sitting around the kitchen back in Newfoundland having a cup of coffee and all of us enjoying each other’s company. I hope you will grace us with your company someday.

Sabbath services begin at 12:30 PM EDT where we will be doing prayers songs and teaching from this hour.

Shabbat Services will begin at about 1:15 pm Eastern.

On the Holy Day, Shavuot, we will be having two meetings. One at 10 AM Eastern and the afternoon will be 2 PM Eastern. Look forward to seeing you all there.

We look forward to you joining our family and getting to know us as we get to know you.

Joseph Dumond is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
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The Sabbatical Year Ends Aviv 1

The Sabbatical Year Ends Aviv 1

This means that once we know when the 1st day of the New Year is, you can begin planting. But because we do not know whether or not the barley will be ripe at any particular time, we must wait to discover if we have a 12th or 13th month this year. It does not matter whether you are in the southern or northern hemisphere. Aviv 1 is the same date around the world. Yehovah’s laws do not change and we all must be diligent in obeying them if we desire to break the curse that are now upon the world. Obey so you and your family can be free of the chains of sin and know His Freedom.

The Year goes from Aviv to Aviv.

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

You are not to plant or harvest in this Sabbatical year from Aviv 1, 2023, to Aviv 1, 2024.

You are not to plant.

Lev 25:4  But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest to the land, a sabbath for Jehovah. You shall neither sow your field, nor prune your vineyard.

You are not to harvest.

Lev 25:5  You shall not reap that which grows of its own accord of your harvest, neither gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It is a year of rest to the land.

You are to stock up on food in the sixth year.

Lev 25:20  And if you shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? Behold, we shall not sow nor gather in our increase!

Lev 25:21  Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.

Lev 25:22  And you shall sow the eighth year, and eat of old fruit until the ninth year; until its fruits come in, you shall eat the old fruit.

You are to read the Entire Torah on the 1st day of Sukkot in the Sabbatical Year.

Deu 31:9  And Moses wrote this Law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and to all the elders of Israel.

Deu 31:10  And Moses commanded them, saying: At the end of seven years, at the set time of the year of release, in the Feast of Tabernacles,

Deu 31:11  when all Israel has come to appear before Jehovah your God in the place which He shall choose, you shall read this Law before all Israel in their hearing.

Deu 31:12  Gather the people, men and women and the little ones, and your stranger who is within your gates, so that they may hear and that they may learn and fear Jehovah your God, and be careful to do all the words of this Law,

Deu 31:13  and that their sons who have not known may hear and learn to fear Jehovah your God, as long as you live in the land where you go over Jordan to possess it.

You are to forgive debts in the Sabbatical Year.

Deu 15:1  At the end of every seven years you shall make a release.

Deu 15:2  And this is the manner of the release. Every man who has a loan to his neighbor shall release it. He shall not exact it from his neighbor, or from his brother, because it is called Jehovah’s release.

War and Bread

War and Bread

As of January 2024, all of Israel is at war with Hamas and the residents of the Gaza area who are not fighting at the front, have evacuated to Eilat and are staying in hotels; much of the food is now rotting in the fields and on the vines. They have not allowed the land to rest in this Sabbatical year from Aviv 2023 to Aviv 2024. They did keep the land for the rest of the year before, but during that one, they sold the land to an arab for a dollar and continued to farm it.

 

Yehovah is not mocked and they are now struggling.

This past week, Becca Biderman posted an interesting word study, and I am adapting it here.

“Israel’s breadbasket,” is the vital agricultural region between Gaza and the Negev Desert and accounts for over 60% of Israel’s agricultural produce.

The fields should be full of grain crops maturing to the harvest at either Passover or Shavuot.

Notice the Hebrew word for Bread. Lacham. The definition says you are waring as you knead the doe.

 

H3898   (Strongלָחַם   lâcham   law-kham’

A primitive root; to feed on; figuratively to consume; by implication to battle (as destruction): – devour, eat, X ever, fight (-ing), overcome, prevail, (make) war (-ring).

H4421   (Ancient Hebrew)

H4421 = AHLB# 2305 (h1)

2305) Mhl% (Mhl%LHhM) ac: Fight co: Bread ab: ?: Flour an water are mixed together and kneaded. Also war in the sense of fighting with the bread when kneading. [from: mh – food]

V) Mhl% (Mhl% L-HhM– I. Eat: II. Fight: [freq. 177] (vf: Paal, Niphal) |kjv: fight, war, eat, overcome, devour, prevail| {H3898}

Nm) Mhl% (Mhl% L-HhM) – I. Bread: [Hebrew and Aramaic] II. War: [freq. 299] |kjv: bread, food, meat, loaves, shewbread, victuals, feast, fruit, provision| {H3899H3900H3901}

dm) Mfhl% (Mfhl% L-HhWM) – Meat: [freq. 2] |kjv: eating, flesh| {H3894}

hf1) Emhlm% (Emhlm% ML-Hh-MH) – War: [freq. 319] |kjv: battle, war, fight| {H4421}

Notice what happens to the word and meaning when you add an מִ to the front. The מִ means water or chaos and can also mean peoples. Then at the end of the word for bread you add the Heh ה for the man.

H4421   (Strongמִלְחָמָה   milchâmâh   mil-khaw-maw’

From H3898 (in the sense of fighting); a battle (that is, the engagement); generally war (that is, warfare): – battle, fight, (-ing), war ([-rior]).

Interestingly, we are at war near one of the biggest bread belts in Israel. And it’s at a time when the grains should cover the earth there….even if it’s only grass at this point. But guess what?

War, which is מלכם takes away from our bread, which is  לכם 

The מ in front of bread forms the word war because מ signifies a loss of or being from something. Men at war don’t plant grains or tend to the barley and wheat while in battle. The earth is saying precisely that this year.

The fields should have all been planted before now; many are not; if you look, they have been planted at vastly different times. War takes farmers from the field. For three months, there has been a great effort made by those not fighting to harvest food crops because war affects food. Soldiers were the farmers, and farmers are now the soldiers.

Aviv Barley

Aviv Barley

As reported last week, Becca Biderman, on January 11, 2024, shared the following report about the state of the Barley. The heads have just popped out.  Watch the video again and learn to begin to be the watchman you are.

Let me now share with you the grain growth chart so you can see just how many days are needed until the barley is ripe.

In the video you can see the barley is just heading. It is approximately in the day 51 range on our charts. We cannot state categorically that the barley will be ripe in so many days.

But….

We cannot run around with our heads in the sand, ignoring the obvious.

Shabbat January 13, 2024, was day one of the 12th month. When we look at the calendar, this next month will be a 30-day month by default.

Knowing this 12th month is 30 days long makes it easier to know potentially when Passover will be if next month is indeed the 1st month.  Passover will be on the 15th day beginning the night before. The 15th day is February 26, 2024. This all depends on the Barley being Aviv.

From this Sabbath until the potential Wave Sheaf Day on March 3, 2024 is 43 days. We have 43 days for the barley to be in the state of Aviv, ready to be roasted and offered as the first fruits of the land on Wave Sheaf Day March 3, 2024. Looking at our charts above if we add these next 43 days to just the 45 day mark when the barley is booting or in the in the ear then the barley would be in the dough stages at 88 days.

But if the state of the barley this next month is not Aviv, then we must wait until March 31, 2024, to make the Wave Offering.  That is 71 days from Shabbat, January 20, 2024. If we do that, then the barley, according to our charts, would be 71 + 45 = 116. This would be 17 days past the ripening stage on the charts. Will there be enough barley to make an offering? That is the next question. An omer is about the size of a dry measure of grains to fill a large salad bowl.

2023 was the hottest year on record. 2024 is expected to be even hotter. This will affect the growing seasons, making them earlier than before.

It is time to read the instructions again for the Wave Offering.

The Feast of Firstfruits

Lev 23:9  And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

Lev 23:10  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.

Lev 23:11  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.

Lev 23:12  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.

Lev 23:13  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.

Lev 23:14  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.

It is crucial to get this right because the day you begin to cut the barley is the same day you start to count to the Feast of Shavuot.

Deu 16:9  You shall count seven weeks to yourselves. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time you began to put the sickle to the grain.

We also know that the barley was not harvested until after the Sabbath was over. At sunset Saturday evening, they would go out to harvest the first fruits of the barley. It was a big deal and the whole community took part in it. Read what is stated in the Babylonian Talmud. But as you read, know it was the Pharisees who wrote the Talmud and the Sadducees are portrayed as the bad guys. The Sadducees today would be called the Karaites. The Pharisees were pushing for the start of count to begin on the first day of the 7 days of Unleavened Bread and not the first day of the week. So keep that understanding as you read the following.

  1 Lev. 23:10

The process itself is elaborated at length in the Talmud, which states,2

כיצד הן עושין שלוחי בית דין יוצאין מערב יום טוב ועושין אותן כריכות במחובר לקרקע כדי שיהא נוח לקצור כל העיירות הסמוכות לשם מתכנסות לשם כדי שיהא נקצר בעסק גדול כיון שהחשיכה אומר להן בא השמש אומר הין בא השמש אומר הין מגל זו אומר הין מגל זו אומר הין קופה זו אומר הין קופה זו אומר הין בשבת אומר להן שבת זו אמר הין שבת זו אמר הין אקצור והם אומרים לו קצור אקצור והם אומרים לו קצור שלש פעמים על כל דבר ודבר והן אומרים לו הין הין הין כל כך למה <לי> מפני הבייתוסים שהיו אומרים אין קצירת העומר במוצאי יו”ט

How do they do [it]? Delegates of the Beit Din go forth on the eve of the festival day (Yom Tov) and make bundles while [the sheaves] are connected to the ground so that it will be easy to reap. All the residents of the adjacent towns assembled there, so that it will be reaped with great affair. As soon as it was dark, [the reaper] says to [the people], “Has the sun set?” [The people] say, “Yes!” “Has the sun set?” [The people] say, “Yes!” “This sickle?” [The people] say, “Yes!” “This sickle?” [The people] say, “Yes!” “This basket?” [The people] say, “Yes!” “This basket.” [The people] say, “Yes!” On the Sabbath, he says to [the people], “This Sabbath?” [The people] say, “Yes!” [He says to the people], “Shall I reap?” And [the people] say to him, “Reap!” [He says to the people], “Shall I reap?” And [the people] say to him, “Reap!” [He asks a question] three times for every thing, and [the people] say to him, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Why so? Because of the Boethusians (Sadduccees) who would say that the omer is not reaped on the conclusion of the festival day (i.e., after Nisan 15).
Footnotes

2 Seder Kodashim, Tractate Menachot, Chapter 6, Folio 65a, Mishna

Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides) wrote,3

How was [the offering] brought? On the day before the festival of Pesach, the agents of the court would go out [to the field] and tie [the barley] into bundles while it was still attached to the ground so that it would be easy to reap. [On the evening after Pesach,] all [of the inhabitants] of all the neighboring villages would gather so that it would be reaped with much flourish. They would have three men reap three se’ah of barley in three baskets with three sickles.

When it became dark, the reapers would ask those standing [in attendance]: “Has the sun set?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Has the sun set?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Has the sun set?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Is this a sickle?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Is this a sickle?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Is this a sickle?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Is this a basket?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Is this a basket?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Is this a basket?” They would answer: “Yes.” If it was the Sabbath, they would ask: “Is it the Sabbath?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Is it the Sabbath?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Is it the Sabbath?” They would answer: “Yes.” Afterwards, they would ask: “Should I reap?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Should I reap?” They would answer: “Yes.” “Should I reap?” They would answer: “Yes.”

Three [questions and answers] were given regarding each matter. Why was all this necessary? Because of those who erred who departed from the community of Israel in the Second Temple [era]. They maintained that the Torah’s expression [Leviticus 23:11]: “From the day following the Sabbath” [should be understood literally, as referring to] the Sabbath of the week. Nevertheless, according to the Oral Tradition, [our Sages] derived that the intent is not the Sabbath, but the festival. And so, was understood at all times by the prophets and the Sanhedrin in every generation. They would have the omer waved on the sixteenth of Nisan whether it fell during the week or on the Sabbath.
Footnotes

3 Mishneh Torah, Sefer Avoda, Temidin uMusafin, Ch. 7, Halakha 11

Alfred Edersheim wrote,4

When the time for cutting the sheaf had arrived, that is, on the evening of the 15th of Nisan (even though it were a Sabbath), just as the sun went down, three men, each with a sickle and basket, formally set to work.

But in order clearly to bring out all that was distinctive in the ceremony, they first asked of the bystanders three times each of these questions: ‘Has the sun gone down?’ ‘With this sickle?’ ‘Into this basket?’ ‘On this Sabbath (or first Passover-day)?’—and, lastly, ‘Shall I reap?’ Having each time been answered in the affirmative, they cut down barley to the amount of one ephah, or ten omers, or three seahs, which is equal to about three pecks and three pints of our English measure. The ears were brought into the Court of the Temple…
Footnotes

4 Edersheim, pp. 223–224

The Jewish Encyclopedia notes,5

The reaping was done with much ceremony. Messengers, sent by the bet din to the chosen field on the day preceding the Passover Feast, drew the heads of the stalks together in sheaves and tied them in order to facilitate the work of the reapers. Then when the hour for gathering came the reapers thrice asked permission to reap; this was done in order to impress upon the Boethusians that this was the proper time for the gathering of the ‘omer (Men. vi. 3).
Footnotes

5 Vol. 9, ‘Omer, p. 399, left column

Long story short, the Beit Din assigns a trustworthy delegate (or three delegates) with the task of reaping the grain on Nisan 16 and bringing it to the Temple.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is seven days long, so unless I am mistaken, one could appear at the Temple at any point during that period to fulfill the mitzvah. Furthermore, one did not have to remain in Jerusalem during the entire seven days after fulfilling their obligation.

References

Babylonian Talmud.

Edersheim, Alfred. The Temple—Its Ministry and Services, as They Were at the Time of Jesus Christ. London: The Religious Tract Society, 1874.

Moshe ben Maimon. Mishneh Torah. Trans. Touger, Eliyahu. Vol. 22. Brooklyn: Moznaim.

The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. Ed. Greenstone, Julius H. Vol. 9. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1907.

In fact, all the Holy Days are determined by this singular event, declaring which month is the month of Aviv.

To help us know at what stage the barley is to be harvested we must look at the laws for making a grain offering. In them, we are told what to do with the grain and what stage of growth is acceptable to an offering. Green ears of grains are not yet fully ripe, so they must be roasted in order to bring to that stage when they can then be ground into flour and then offered as a Wave Offering.

Laws for Grain Offerings

Lev 2:1  And when anyone will offer a food offering to Jehovah, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it.

Lev 2:2  And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. And he shall take out of it his handful of flour and its oil, with all its frankincense. And the priest shall burn the memorial of it on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Jehovah.

Lev 2:3  And the rest of the food offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’, most holy of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire.

Lev 2:4  And if you bring a sacrifice of a food offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.

Lev 2:5  And if your offering is a food offering on the griddle, your offering shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil.

Lev 2:6  You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it. It is a food offering.

Lev 2:7  And if your offering is a food offering in the frying pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

Lev 2:8  And you shall bring the food offering that is made of these things to Jehovah. And when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar.

Lev 2:9  And the priest shall take from the food offering a memorial of it, and shall burn it on the altar. It is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Jehovah.

Lev 2:10  And that which is left of the food offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons: it is most holy of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire.

Lev 2:11  Any food offering which you shall bring to Jehovah shall not be made with leaven. For you shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of Jehovah made by fire.

Lev 2:12  As an offering of the firstfruits, you shall bring them to Jehovah. But they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet savor.

Lev 2:13  And every sacrifice of your food offering shall you season with salt. And you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your food offering. You shall offer salt with all your offerings.

Lev 2:14  And if you bring a food offering of your firstfruits to Jehovah, green ears roasted by fire, grains of a garden, you shall bring near for a food offering your firstfruits,

Lev 2:15  And you shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it. It is a food offering.

Lev 2:16  And the priest shall burn it as incense with its memorial offering from its grains and from its oil, besides all its frankincense, a fire offering to Jehovah.

 

If you are new to the barley teachings then I encourage you to read the following.

Norman Willis of Nazarene Israel wrote the following, and I encourage you all to go and read it and understand why we have the current barley wars. He is correct that one of the witness groups changed their understanding of what Aviv is barley. Starting in 2016, when Nehemia retired from searching for the barley, those who took over decided you must have fields of barley before you could wave it. Since then, they have begun to teach everyone that they must have ripe barley so everyone can make the wave offering. That is why in 2023, Devorah was two months later than we were in keeping the Holy Days. Michael Rood, Nehemia and Keith Johnson all kept the Holy Days one month later than we did, breaking from Devorah’s idealogy.

Josephus, the Talmud, and the Omer

Josephus, the Talmud, and the Omer

Josephus, the Talmud, and the Omer

by Norman Willis

Nazarene Israel

Josephus the Talmud and the Omer

[Study adapted from the video “Josephus, the Talmud, and the Omer“, from the series Establishing the Head of the Year.]

This study is not “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. Instead, it is “Josephus, the Talmud, and the Omer”. And along the way we are going to talk about the Curious History of the Aviv Barley in 2021 CE.

We could also title this study: Why Do Devorah’s Date Tree and the Equinox Calendar People Not Seem to Care that We Have Broken and Shattered Barley Already on the Ground at Least Two Weeks and Two Days (closer to a month) Prior to their Wave Sheaf Offering on the 4th of April 2021? (Which is two days from now).

Or we could also entitle this study: “If the Karaites Do Not Believe in the Talmud, Why Do the Karaites Secretly Follow the Talmud?”

To give you some background on my history with the aviv barley, I initially trained with the Karaites in 2002-2003 when I was first introduced to the aviv barley calendar. And I have followed the aviv barley closely ever since that point in time. There was a big change in the way that the Karaites reckoned the barley around 2016. They changed the way they reckoned the aviv barley and they did not tell anyone. Well, there was a big ruckus, and it seems like it is a big problem every year. So, I have been praying on this and in 2019 or 2020 (the junction of those two years), Yahweh showed me some new things about how the aviv barley should be reckoned, and apparently, He showed a lot of other people also. Because a lot of people are arriving at this same conclusion.

So, last year we followed sister, Becca Biderman, for our aviv barley reports, because she happened to have reports that agreed with our understanding of the aviv barley. So, then this year, which began in December of 2020, on December 24th, sister Biderman found three sections of advanced barley near where she lives in Poriya Illit in Israel.

In the following image you can see how the barley here is in bloom, you can see little white flecks. Those are barley flowering. So, this generated a lot of discussion. And so, this led to this, that led to that, and we spoke with Becca Biderman and had a lot of discussion. The study called “Aviv Barley Simplified explains these things. If you haven’t read it, I recommend you do so. It explains the whole thing.

Two of the main things that we explain in that video are why the wave sheaf (Omer) is symbolic of Yeshua, and we explain that the Omer (wave sheaf) must be offered before the harvest. That way Yahweh is pleased, and Yahweh then blesses the harvest and sets it apart. The reason why that pleases Yahweh is precisely because the Omer is symbolic of Yeshua. So, this sets the pattern for us. The pattern that we see is that we first bring the Omer, and then we can bring in our harvest. So first the one, then the other.

There are other groups that do not believe that. Other groups believe that you bring in the harvest, and then you bring in an “anti-sheaf” of that barley to the priest. But that does not work. We are going to see a lot of reasons why that does not work.

Because of questions over this, we made a study called “Let us Not Break Deuteronomy 16:9”. And in that study, we explain why it is so very necessary to bring the very first sheaf of aviv, which we define as medium dough barley, as the Omer. So, the barely farmers with the earliest ripening crops will not lose their crops, and this is so important. If you do not understand this point you need to read that study and “Aviv Barley Simplified” until you do get that point. Just for example, there are a lot of people who are in rebellion against this, and I apologize, I do not mean to name names, anybody can make mistakes. But we need to be getting together as a barley community. We need to be moving forward on this issue.

There are a few groups that are in rebellion against this, I would like to point out the very simple fact that we had aviv barley spotted in the land of Israel on the 6th of February 2021. We had a second patch of aviv barley spotted in the land on the 22nd of February. There was a third patch that we will talk about in just a little bit. In any event we had three fields of barley, three witnesses to the aviv barley spotted in the month of February. With those we need to offer a wave sheaf offering on the 28th of February, because the very next opportunity is all the way on the 4th of April (two days from now).

The problem is this. We had this barley that was ready on the 6th of February that would have basically been shattered when the field was bulldozed (which is really too bad). But that would have been shattered and on the ground about a month later. Once you reach the aviv stage you have got two or three weeks to bring in the harvest. By the fourth week you are losing that harvest. The barley is shattering, it is going on the ground.

Then we had the two fields that were found around the 22nd of February. Sister Biderman inspected those on the 19th of March, the day before the equinox, the day before it was officially spring. That barley was already shattered. We will talk a little bit more about this. But amazing, surprisingly, we still have these other groups: Devorah’s Date Tree, Abib of God… we have not even begun to talk about Abib of God. We have had to talk about the other calendars first and we will hopefully get to them soon. They have some very complicated things going on. But also, the equinox people. They are all waiting to do a wave sheaf offering two days from now.

Friends, brothers, we already have the barley shattered on the ground on the 19th of March. If the first field had not been bulldozed, we would have barley shattered on the ground by the 6th of March. Here it is. And they do not want to offer a wave sheaf until a month later? That does not work.

So, we kept going. We made another study called “Where is Spring Commanded?” where we explain that we are not commanded to wait until spring before holding the Passover and the Wave Sheaf. In other words, it does not need to be spring, it does not need to be warm, spring, sunny weather for the barley to be aviv. Barley is a very hardy, robust plant. Barley can come aviv, barley can become ripe, when the weather is still cold. In Yochanan (John) 18:18 it says Kepha (Peter) warmed himself by the fire, because it was cold!

So, what this tells us is, it does not have be spring, it does not have to be past the spring equinox. It does not have to be warm to hold the Passover and the Wave Sheaf, that is myth. It does not exist in reality. That is things that people have made up and traditions that have come into being over time, that have no correspondence to Scripture. So, with that in mind, now we want to look at what is happening with the aviv barley harvest this year. And we will see how things get curiouser and curiouser.

So, the barley that sister Biderman found to be in flower on the 24th of December, give it about 6 more weeks and on the 6th of February 2021 Becca Biderman cited at least an Omer of aviv barley near Poriya Illit in Israel. In the following image we can see that this barley here is still green, it is still young, and it is still immature. But it is starting to turn this golden color. That is when you inspect it and that is when you hope to find what we call aviv (or medium dough). You only need a wave sheaf; you do not need a whole field of it because you only need to bring one sheaf.

This contrasts with some of these other groups that are looking for harvestable fields. If you see barley like this on the 6th of February, then you need to declare that 28th of February is the Wave Sheaf date. Because this barley will not make it until April 4th. There is no possible way, it cannot make it. It is just too long for barley to remain in the head.

So now, curiouser and curiouser. Five days later, Devorah’s Date Tree (an interfaith barley and new moon search group by their claim), they have Karaite theology. They are looking for different things. They are looking for a whole field or more. They are looking for harvest fields (plural). They want to see a lot of barley being ripe before they are willing to declare the aviv. So, five days later, just after Becca Biderman has been there, here comes Devorah’s Date Tree. They know exactly how to find the field, they know exactly where to park, they know all kinds of things. But they inspected the exact same field (about the size of 2 full sized football fields) and they claim that they could not find aviv barley.

So, now this was very surprising to us. I was very surprised by this. Becca Biderman contacted me; she was very upset. Her feeling was that unless someone was intentionally closing their eyes to the barley you could not help but find the aviv barley in that field. I am going to leave it there. I do not want to say anything more than that. But we published our report, I did a very extensive interview with sister Biderman. We spent I do not know how many hours.

So, you know, when someone is claiming that another barley observer has made a false witness, that is a very serious charge, and I did not want to take part in a false charge. So, I spent several hours (I do not know, three, four, maybe five hours) speaking with sister Biderman and trying to basically disprove her witness. I was not able to do so. After having reviewed the photo-graphic evidence for four hours maybe five, I was not able to conclude anything other than that somebody did not want to see the aviv barley in that field. Now I do not know that, but it sure seemed difficult to miss from the evidence that I saw.

So, based on that, we then published a report which we called the “Karaite Aviv Barley Report Impartial” and of course, as you might suspect, Devorah’s Date Tree wrote to demand of us that we take the video down. We did but not without protest.

We wrote an open letter to Devorah’s Date Tree regarding her email, video takedown, and talking with her asking her some basic questions. How could you miss the barley in a field that is only the size of two football or two soccer fields? How could anyone miss that barley? You look at the picture here.

So, you know the patch in question, it is about a hundred yards from the base of the hill. Why did you only inspect at the base of the hill? Why did you not come down to where the aviv barley was shown? You can see the whole field from any point in the field. I mean there was a particular point at which she was standing, you could stand at that point and I could look at the video evidence. I could look in the video on my screen thousands of miles away and I could see the aviv barley. Why couldn’t she? She did not answer our questions so that was very interesting to us. So, I encourage you, it is on the Nazarene Israel website, to search for the Open Letter to Devorah’s Date Tree Video Takedown. A very interesting, curiouser and curiouser story.

So, we do not want to accuse anyone falsely. So, we re-recorded the interview with sister Becca Biderman and we published basically the same information with different packaging as: “Becca Biderman’s Barley Field Confirmed.” We have yet to hear back from Devorah’s Date Tree. We also (I should add) asked Devorah’s Date Tree to take down their video which stated that there was no aviv barley in that field or at the very least that they could not find aviv barley in that field. Because we have ample photo and video evidence. How can anyone say there is not? Anyway, let me leave it there. I do not want to say the wrong thing. I do not want to get anyone in trouble. We are just going to leave it there.

So, then, after she had found the aviv on the 6th, about 15 days later, on the 21st of February, sister Becca Biderman and her assistant, Cindy, harvested a bucket of barley out of the Poriya Illit field.

So, from the time the barley was aviv it was another two weeks and a day. Now we have got aviv barley that had turned into harvest ready barley, and they took a bucket out to prove it.

Then the next day on the 22nd they found a second field of aviv barley in Re’im, Israel. And then as it turns out, there was a third field that we found out about later. So, sister Biderman is very busy, she is scouring the land looking for barley. And she found a third field in Migdala which is also near the Sea of Galilee (Kineret). So, we had three witnesses to the aviv barley this year.

 

Well wonder of wonders, lo and behold, give it a little bit more time and we come from the 21st of February, 22nd of February, to about 10 more days. And Devorah’s Date Tree comes in again, inspects the same field right behind Becca in Re’im, Israel. The exact same field. She knows exactly how to find it, wonders, curious, she does not see the first flush of barley which had been aviv about eight days earlier. Because why? Because it had already fallen over, this is what aviv barley does. This is why Yeshua says that when the crop is ripe immediately the wise farmer puts in the sickle because the harvest has come. Because if you do not put in the sickle right away that barley falls over and it loses its seed. That is the whole point.

So, people can make up hypothetical theories about how the barley does not lose its seed. It does lose its seed, do not let anyone tell you different. That is one of the characteristics of barley, it loses its seed. So basically, if you watch those videos from that point in time, you can see the first flush. The early aviv barley had already fallen over and already had lost its seed and she walks right past it and she is focusing on the second flush of barley which of course was still green. So why is this happening? I do not know. The best thing I can think of is she is looking for something else as a Karaite, she is looking for what they call harvestable fields. They are not looking to bring the first sheaf symbolic of Yeshua. They are looking to bring whole harvestable fields and then they are going to bring an anti-sheaf of that harvest. It is a very different doctrine. That is why Yeshua says to beware of the leaven [meaning the doctrine] of the Scribes and the Pharisees, is because you are expecting something different, so it leads to a different result.

Okay so, moving on. Well, along with her video report, Devorah Gordon also published the following. Now this is where it starts to get very interesting. We are asking ourselves why is all this happening? What is going on? Why, you know, we are writing to them, we are asking them questions, we are not getting answers. What is going on, what is happening? For a sample of what she says, the following is an image of Devorah’s Date Tree: March 1-2nd inspection report:

Okay, so I did not understand that because to me, as I look at things, Deuteronomy 16: 9 has a very big prohibition against harvesting early. So Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16 starting in verse 9 says:

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:9-10
9 “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.
10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks [Shavuot or Pentecost] to Yahweh your Elohim…”

Now to us it is very simple. What He is saying is when you begin the count, that is when you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain, or if you prefer, when you begin cutting, you begin counting. Or when you begin counting that is when you can begin cutting, and then seven weeks later that is your Feast. It is a very simple equation, but Devorah’s Date Tree insists that no you can start cutting without beginning the count and then it has always been done that way. So why is she saying that? So, the mystery is getting thicker.

Well so we made another video called Shattered Barley in Migdala. On the 19th of March Becca Biderman found lots of broken and shattered barley in Migdala Israel, this was the day before the spring equinox of the 20th of March. So, 19th of March, 20th of March. Here is a picture of the shattered barley, this is exactly what you do not want. This is exactly what you are trying to avoid is barley being on the ground. So, I mean, that is the whole point of a wave sheaf offering, it is to clear the way for the harvest so that this kind of thing does not happen. Here we have we have broken and shattered barley on the ground at least two weeks and two days before the Karaite Wave Sheaf Offering on the 4th of April 2021.

Now take a moment to conceptualize this, this is what we are talking about right here. Here we have got aviv barley, we saw that the picture was cited on the 6th of February. And then we had another field in Re’im that was cited to be aviv on the 22nd of February. There was another field in Migdala which was also cited about the same time, Becca said it was about two weeks behind the first field. Add two weeks (14 days), it would be about 20 days, it is about the same time. So, we had effectively three witnesses to the aviv barley, all these three witnesses call for a wave sheaf offering here on the 28th of February. Why? Because they will not manage to stay in the head until the fourth of April, it cannot happen. You have the aviv barley in Migdala that should have been aviv about the 20th of February, here it is shattered a month later.

What we are saying is you have about two or three weeks to harvest your barley once it becomes aviv. If you do not harvest your barley once it becomes aviv you are going to lose it because it becomes shattered.

Here (Aviv 6) is the barley on Poriya Illit, it would have been shattered about a month later (the 6th of March). Here (Aviv 22) was the field that was about two weeks behind it in Migdala and it was shattered just less than a month later.

This is all before your spring equinox. Here we have all these equinox people saying oh, no you must wait for the equinox you have to wait for the expert HELLO! Knock, Knock! Is anyone home?! I mean, this is what we are trying to AVOID!! you have got SHATTERED BARLEY ON THE GROUND!! You need to avoid that! Why is this such a problem? Why can people not understand? you need to avoid having shattered barley on the ground.

So, we would have had shattered barley here (yellow line; March 6th), we have had two more fields of shattered barley here (red lines; March 19th and 20th), and yet Devorah’s Date Tree and the equinox people are all calling for a wave sheaf on the 4th of April. Unbelievable. (And we have not even talked about Abib of God yet).

We published another study, called “Where is the Equinox Commanded in Scripture?. We explained that the equinox does not exist in Scripture. The word does not exist in Scripture. Therefore, the equinox cannot be the determining factor. You have got the barley shattering and on the ground before the equinox, the equinox cannot be the determining factor. Hello! Hello! Earth to Equinox People! The equinox cannot be the determining factor.

Okay I do not know how much clearer we can make it. I am sure we are still going to get hate mail because the equinox basically is a demon. You can show them all the evidence you want, and you are going to get complaints, protests, angry emails, nasty grans, whatever you want to call them. You can show them you have got barley on the ground; they do not care: ‘You have to wait until after the equinox because’…. fill in the blank.

Well, whatever. I mean pray, pray with us for them. Because this is a demon that they have. And if you want more information about that I can encourage you to read Nazarene Scripture Studies Volume Two: “The Equinox Error” study. There is also another study in there called “The Lunar Sabbath Error”, I recommend both of those studies to people who are focused on the equinox or the lunar sabbath. These studies show the reasons why they cannot work.

Well, here we are, here is the commandment from Yahweh. What are we going to do? So, He says:

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16: 9
9 Begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.

Begin the count when you begin to cut. You can begin to cut when you begin counting. First you bring the Wave Sheaf, then you may harvest your crops. It is very simple.

Well, there was another ancient Israelite who agreed and said the same thing. Now it is a very interesting man. Flavius Josephus, he was born Yosef ben Mattityahu. He was the son of a priest and of a noble woman. She was from the royal line of kings. He was educated, he was multilingual, he was a war general, he was a historian. Some people love him, some people hate him. But he wrote a lot of historical works that have a lot of very good value to them.

He lived approximately from 37 to about 100 CE. That is during the second temple era (the second temple was destroyed in the year 70). So, he knew what happened in the first century in the second temple era. He was born around 37 CE around seven years after Yeshua’s sacrifice. He was an eyewitness to how things were done in that time.

Now if we are here, we might as well mention, there is a thing called the Testimonium Flavianum. Again, a lot of people are for it, a lot of people are against it. The orthodox obviously do not like it. It is found in Josephus Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 3:3. So, if this passage is to be believed (and many people believe it is to be believed, other people are completely against it), it is as follows:

Also, in Antiquities of the Jews Book 3 Chapter 10:5 Josephus talks about the Wave Sheaf Offering:

“And they offer the first-fruits of their barley, and that in the following manner: they take a handful of the ears [meaning you do not need that many that is why you do not need harvestable fields, you just take a handful of the ears], and dry them [meaning it has to be immature barley, this is an issue because both the Abib of God Calendar and the Karaite Calendar are looking for barley that is basically already hard and dry (it does not need to be dried). But this barley needs to be dried because it needs to be green in keeping with Strong’s Old Testament 24: the barley needs to be tender young and green, so they dry the barley], then they beat them small, and purge the barley from the bran; then they bring one tenth deal to the altar to Elohim; and, casting a handful of upon the fire, they leave the rest for the use of the priest. And after this it is that they may publicly or privately reap their harvest.
[Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, Book 3, Chapter 10:5]

Once again, he says after you bring the wave sheaf offering, that is when you may publicly or privately bring the harvest. It follows the same pattern. First you bring the wave sheaf, then you can bring in the harvest. First Yeshua is presented, then comes the harvest of the other believers. It follows the same pattern.

But the Pharisees and the Sadducees, (the rabbis, the orthodox and the Karaites), they do not like that pattern because it symbolizes Yeshua. It witnesses to Yeshua, So, they have a built-in reason not to want to honor that pattern. That is why Yeshua says “take heed and beware of the leaven [meaning the doctrine] of the scribes (Sadducees) and Pharisees.” Because if you are looking for something else you are going to find something else. It is a very important principle. People need to understand it. So, Josephus says after you bring the Omer (after you bring the wave sheaf) that is when the people may publicly or privately reap their harvest.

With that understanding now let us look at the Talmud. Now I do not read the Talmud for fun, I never pick up the Talmud and read it for giggles and laughs. It is just something I look at, to us it is not an inspired book, but it is an important historical reference. It is not an infallible historical reference, there are a lot of problems with the Talmud. So, very briefly we are going to talk about the Talmud.

The Talmud is basically a book about rabbinic commentary. Now it has got two main parts of the document. The core document is called the Mishnah and then there is the Gemara which is commentary on the Mishnah. The rabbis allege that the Mishnah was given by Elohim, they believe it was dictated by Yahweh to Moshe at the same time the Torah was handed down in the wilderness of Egypt. The problem is there is just no possible way. Because it dates to around 515 BCE which is effectively when Judah came back from Babylon, there is a reason it is called the Babylonian Talmud. It contradicts Scripture in all sorts of ways in all sorts of places. It does not read like Scripture, it does not have the same spirit of Scripture, but it is an interesting historical reference. We also must remember that it was redacted, meaning it was heavily edited (was censored) around the year 220 CE.

The following is from Wikipedia:

“According to Rabbinic Judaism, the oral Torah [Talmud or Torah she-be-‘al peh] was given to Moshe with the Torah [that is not true] at Mount Sinai [Mount Horeb] as an exposition to the latter. [Meaning it explains, that is part of the rabbinical deals, the rabbis will say you cannot understand the Torah without the Talmud. That is kind of like the Catholics saying you cannot understand Scripture without understanding the papal commentaries to Scripture. It is the same kind of a thing]. The accumulated traditions of the oral law, expounded by scholars in each generation from Moses onward, is considered the necessary basis for the interpretation, and often for the reading of the Written Law.”

Let us decipher that what they are really saying here is they are saying ‘do not you dare read Scripture’ and I have heard Jews say this. They say we are taught ‘do not read the Tanakh, do not read the Old Testament, without then turning and reading the Talmud to tell you how to interpret it’. It is the exact same thing as the Catholics, you are sort of discouraged from reading Scripture. You can read Scripture that is okay, just make sure it does not conflict with what the pope says. You need to consult the Catholic Church so you can understand Scripture, you can understand how to interpret it, you can understand how to understand it. That is the same thing as what they are saying here.

So, Jews orthodox sometimes refer to this as the Masorah, the word Masorah meaning traditions. And if we have time hopefully, we will talk about the Masoretic Hebrew text, meaning the traditional Hebrew text. It has been edited (or redacted you might say), but it has been edited. For the most part it is reliable, we can generally read it and we can understand (with the few issues and errors there are) what is going on with it. We will talk about that in another place. It is not a cause for panic or alarm, but it is something to be aware of for sure. Here is the big problem Yahweh says not to do that. So, In Deuteronomy chapter 4:2 for example, Yahweh says:

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 4:2
2 “You shall not add to the word which I command you nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your Elohim which I command you.”

Meaning if you change my word, if you add things to my word or take things away from my word, it is no longer my word. Now it is your word. It is no longer my Torah; it is your Torah. Do not do that. That is exactly what the Talmud is. So, He says the same thing in Deuteronomy 12:32.

And once again that is exactly what the Talmud does. So, we know that there was no oral Torah for several reasons. In Exodus 24:4 it says that “Moshe wrote down all the words of Yahweh”.

Okay, so, where is an oral tradition in that? We cannot find one. Deuteronomy 5:22 likewise says:

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 5:22
22 “These words Yahweh spoke to all your assembly in the mountain from the midst of fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.”

Where is an oral tradition in that? It does not exist. If you are orthodox Jewish pay attention to this.

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 31:9
9 “So, Moshe wrote this Torah and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and to all the elders of Israel.”

Where is an oral tradition in that? Does not exist.

Okay, so moving on. The Talmud again has the core document called the Mishnah and the Gemara is commentary on the Mishnah. You can always tell the Mishnah because in certain versions they usually put it either in bold or in all caps, we will see a lot of all caps.

Well, there is a very complex and complicated history to the Talmud, and we do not want to go through the whole thing because it is just too much. But these are some notes that were passed to me by a brother Johanan Maerschalck.

But as I understand it and from what I have read on the internet also, there were the Tannaim who were the “Reciters of Tradition”. Depending upon the source and some overlap in the dates you have various levels and generations upon generations upon generations of commentary. But the era of the Tannaim lasted from perhaps about 10 CE to about 220 CE. These are the so-called sages of the Mishnah. If you ever hear people quoting the sages that is what they are talking about. And these are the first generation Tannaim and this includes rabbi Shammai, rabbi Hillel, rabbi Gamliel (or Gamaliel) we read about in the RenewedCovenant, there is also Rav. Yohanan ben Zakkai. These are what you might call your heavy hitters of heresy. So Yeshua lived in this era and when we see Yeshua rebuking “Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” these are the people he is talking about- the first generation of the Tannaim.

Okay so, the first generation of the Tannaim lasted from about 10 CE until about 220 CE. That is when Rabbi Judah HaNasi (Judah the prince) died, he lived from approximately 135 to approximately 220 CE (depending upon the source). Then they considered that the Talmud had been redacted around 220 CE, when they say redacted, they mean heavily edited (or censored)

So, when you read the Talmud (we are going to read a little bit of it), it is this rabbi said this… and that rabbi said that… but no this rabbi disagreed. And that rabbi said it is over here… and somebody says oh no that causes a problem… he says no it does not cause a problem. So, if have you ever seen our orthodox Jewish brothers argue, this is the kind of thing; they go back and forth… and back and forth… and back and forth… and back and forth. And if you watch, they can start out talking about Scripture and then they end up concluding that is completely something else. And you are just like what has happened… once again, this is why they call it the Babylonian Talmud. The word Babylon means confusion.

So, okay. So, the Talmud was redacted, censored, edited by Rabbi Judah HaNasi until the year around 220. And he probably removed all the favorable references to Yeshua and the apostles. They are probably you know… as Scripture says, “these things were not done in a corner”. So of course, they were recorded but then of course they had to be edited out. That is how that goes.

So, there are many contradictions, the Talmud contradicts Scripture a lot. One of the things is that the pharisees (our orthodox brethren) they change the date of the Wave Sheaf offering from the first day of the week following the Passover to the 16th of that month, which they call Nissan. They also slam the Karaites whom they call the Boethusians for disagreeing with them. (We will see that in just a little bit).

One of the things is that the Wave Sheaf represents Yeshua. So, why do the Pharisees have a different doctrine? Because they do not want the Wave Sheaf to represent Yeshua. Because in Mattityahu (Matthew) 12:40 Yeshua says:

Mattityahu (Matthew) 12:40
40 “For as Yonah (Jonah) was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

We know that Yeshua was cut off in the middle of the week as Daniel says. And then He was raised three days later, whether it was at the end of Sabbath or at the start of the first day of the week, He was raised three days and three nights later. He then fulfilled the symbolic meaning of the Wave Sheaf which was always offered on the first day. But if you as a Pharisee or as an orthodox Jewish brother change your doctrine to where now the Wave Sheaf is offered the day after the Passover, well then it is only a one-day delay. How does that tie in with Yeshua being raised three days and three nights later? It does not tie in anymore. But that is why they like to change their doctrine. That is also why the Karaites like to change their doctrine to bring in what they call harvestable fields. Because it undercuts Yeshua’s role as the Wave Sheaf.

So, now the plot thickens. Let us come back to what Miss Gordon said after her second barley field inspection on the 1st and 2nd of March. Again, it is as follows:

What she is saying is that you can harvest your barley whenever you like, it is not a big deal, there has never been any prohibition against that historically. You just cannot eat of it until the Day of the Wave Sheaf Offering. I just could not understand, what is she talking about? So, I figure well you know, she is coming from the Jewish side of the house, so let us look in the Talmud and let us see if we can find something that will speak to her. Some historical reference, something that can help her understand and interpret Scripture. Because that is what they say, you cannot understand and interpret the Scriptures without the use of the Talmud. So, let us look in the Talmud and see what we can find.

Okay, so that is what we did, and I came across something that I at first misunderstood what it was. I came to Sefaria.org and they have all sorts of books and all kinds of reference materials from the Jewish side of the House. Now we came to Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 11b: 6, this is the Davidson edition, this is not the Soncino. And one of the things is that the Davidson edition is kind of like what you might call the Amplified. If you read the Amplified Bible you will have your Bible verse here, and then they will have parentheses and they will add some things to try to give more emphasis and help you understand what the general thrust (or the gist) of the message is.

So, they add things to the text, and this is kind of what the Davidson edition does. I did not know that, but anyway, I am reading here in the Talmud in Sanhedrin 11b:6 in Sefaria Davidson edition. It says:

“The new crop may be harvested and eaten only after the sacrifice of the wave sheaf”.

I thought there it is, we will just send it to Devorah’s Date Tree. We will help her understand, this is great. So, I copied it down, I sent her an email along with a lot of other things, not understanding this was commentary. I sent her a nice long letter; we will have it posted on the open letter page. She writes back only this; this is the sum total of her of a response. She says: ‘You wrote Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 11b: the new crop may be harvested and eaten only after the sacrifice of the omer, it does not say that in the text. Devorah.’

What a nice friendly letter. What a very helpful, what a wonderful piece of communication from another wonderful member of the barley community who only wants to see the truth established so that everyone can understand what the Torah actually says with regards to the aviv barley and the aviv barley calendar. What a wonderful uplifting message that was, or we wish it were.

You know, my whole thing is there are a lot of people out there. I hope I will say this the right way. I would like to ask for prayer for all these groups, I would like to ask for prayer that there can be unity among the barley community, and I think the only way that that is going to happen is that people need to give up their dogmas. They need to give up their doctrines and we need to talk about what does Scripture say. We can talk about the Talmud, we can talk about historic references, these kinds of things. I found the reference to Josephus very interesting. I sent it to Devorah, she did not want to respond. Okay, so maybe she does not like Josephus for whatever reason. He confesses Yeshua, he also actually defected to the Romans. So, I can understand that. Maybe she does not even want to mention him or the rest of my letter or my many other letters. But you know, maybe we can talk about whether we can get together for the barley searches so we can cut out the confusion. We can help people out, this kind of a thing.

So, I thought well, you know, we are going to have to do some research. Here we go, I am doing some research, I am going to Sefaria.org. I come to Sanhedrin 11b: 6 (here it is in the Hebrew) and note that when they have got it in bold that means that is actually what the Hebrew says, and then the rest of it is added text or supplied text. Like you see a little bit of supplied text in the King James version. They will add a word or three but here whoever this rabbi is who is doing this, he is adding sentences to clarify the thing. And I personally agree completely with what he said. So, he says:

“The Baraita continues: And when the ripening of the grain is one of the concerns, everyone is happy. [That is in the Hebrew. But then he adds]: Since the grain is not yet ripe the people do not mind waiting an extra month for Nissan (or aviv). If the grain is already ripe however, the extra month would simply prolong the period during which the grain may not be eaten due to the prohibition of the new crop, as the new crop may be harvested and eaten only after the sacrifice of the omer offering on the 16th.”
[Rabbinic Commentary; Sefaria.org; Sanhedrin 11b:]

It is the wrong day, but I thought wow, there it is. There is our historic reference in the Talmud that you are not allowed to harvest your crops until after the Omer has been offered. Great, perfect, that is what Scripture says. So, I sent that to Devorah. She did not like it. Well, we need to do more research. Okay, so we are not sure about Sefaria, so I fall back onto the trusty Soncino edition. The problem with the Soncino is that my version is built for Windows 95 or something. I have had it a long time, it crashes when I try to run on Windows 10, this kind of a thing. But you know, it still works. So, I figured, well, there are questions about Davidson, so we will look it up in Soncino. Because Soncino was the more orthodox of the versions or what have you. We are not trying to be right; we are trying to find out what is right. It is not that we have an agenda. It is that we want to do what Yahweh says, we want to do what Scripture says. And if you will talk with us, if you will help us understand, if you will communicate with us, then maybe we can achieve some kind of unity. If that is actually your goal also.

So, as for the Babylonian Talmud Menachot 65a Soncino edition, this is the Mishnah and again it is all caps because this is considered the words of Elohim. Now help me out here, somebody who understands the Mishnah better than I do, please send me an email, and help me understand, because I have a hard time understanding these as being the words of Elohim. It says:

“WHAT WAS THE PROCEDURE? [Now I do not know why Yahweh is going to ask this question, it does not sound like Yahweh to me].
THE MESSENGERS OF THE BEIT DIN USED TO GO OUT ON THE DAY BEFORE THE FESTIVAL [feast] AND TIE THE UNREAPED CORN IN BUNCHES TO MAKE IT THE EASIER TO REAP. [Now I have a hard time understanding Yahweh saying this in the wilderness of Sinai, that does not make any sense to me but never mind we will just move on].
AND ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWNS NEWAR BY ASSEMBLED THERE, SO THAT IT MIGHT BE REAPED WITH MUCH DISPLAY.”
[Babylonian Talmud: Menachot 65a Soncino edition]

And maybe I misunderstand what the Mishnah is and hopefully we will publish what the Mishnah really says or why it is written this way, I have no idea. But I found this passage interesting because this passage says the Omer must be the first thing that is cut That is what I am getting out of this. You do not bring in the harvest and then bring a sheaf to the priest. It is very clear the Omer must be the first thing that is cut that is why they tie it ahead of the cutting. okay so it continues on in the Mishnah, they talk about a procedure for the cutting, and it says:

AND WHY WAS ALL THIS? [or why are we doing it this way?] BECAUSE OF THE BOETHUSIANS [which was a sect of the Sadducees, just like the Karaites] WHO MAINTAINED THAT THE REAPING OF THE OMER WAS NOT TO TAKE AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE [FIRST DAY OF THE] FESTIVAL.

So, once again, this is the Pharisee (the Rabbinical) doctrine. Whatever day is the Passover that is when the wave sheaf is offered the next day on the First Day of Unleavened Bread. That is how they do it and there is never a difference. That is not how it is done. We talk about that in “Aviv Barley Simplified” and in other places.

So now it gets confusing, it gets difficult. The Karaites correctly believe that the Wave Sheaf Offering (just like we do) takes place on the first day of the week after the Passover week, rather than on the 16th. Whatever day of the week the Passover falls, then you wait until the following first day of the week. That is your Wave Sheaf Offering. That is how the Karaites understand it, that is how we understand it. That is not how the Pharisees, or the rabbis understand it.

Now we come here Menachot 67b, and if your head starts to hurt after a while just remember it is the “Babylonian” Talmud. It is the “Confusion” Talmud, and the Mishnah says:

“AFTER THE OMER WAS OFFERED THEY [PRIESTS] USED TO GO OUT AND FIND THE MARKET OF JERUSALEM ALREADY FULL OF MEAL AND PARCHED CORN [OF THE NEW PRODUCE]; THIS, HOWEVER, DID NOT MEET WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE SAGES. SO R.MEIR. R. JUDAH SAYS, THEY DID SO WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE SAGES.”[Babylonian Talmud: Menachot 67B Soncino]

Again, I have a hard time with this being the words of Yahweh being delivered in the wilderness of Sinai. I do not understand how Yahweh is talking about the market of Jerusalem being already full of meal when they have not even made it to the land of Israel yet. Maybe that is just me, again if you are an expert in the Talmud help me out, send me an email and we will get some clarification on that. But this says that they offer the Omer and then they walk out, and the markets are already full. And it says this however did not meet with the approval of the sages. Why? It is obvious why. Because if you are going to have already parched barley what that means is, they are actually cutting the barley at the same time as the Wave Sheaf is being offered. They are bringing in the harvest before the completion of the Omer offering.

This is the Talmud for you, it says this however did not meet with the approval of the sages. And Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Judah says they did so with the approval of the sages. Again, here is the Talmud, this rabbi says this, and that rabbi says that. This rabbi disagrees and that rabbi says oh there is a contradiction, somebody else says there is no contradiction. It just goes back and forth and that is the Talmud for you.

Now we come to Menachot 71a Soncino Talmud and the Mishnah (the document that is allegedly dictated by Elohim so we can understand how to interpret the Torah, allegedly). It says:

“ONE MAY REAP [BEFORE THE OMER, THE CORN] IN IRRIGATED FIELDS. IN THE PLAIN, BUT ONE MAY NOT STACK IT.”
[Menachot 71a Soncino MISHNAH]

“But one may not stack it”. Okay, so what they are saying is if it is an irrigated field you can reap it, but do not stack it. You just reap it and then leave it to rot “says Yahweh”. You know, like they say, truth has got to be stranger than fiction, because fiction has got to make sense. Okay, I do not know, somebody is making this stuff up, it is not me. So, the Mishnah (allegedly Elohim) says “one may reap before the Omer of offering in irrigated fields in the plain [I believe the plain of Jericho probably] but one may not stack it.” Then it says:

“THE MEN OF JERICHO USED TO REAP [BEFORE THE OMER] WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE SAGES, AND USED TO STACK IT WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE SAGES, BUT THEY DID NOT FORBID THEM.”
[Menahot 71a Soncino MISHNAH]

I am having a hard time with this passage here, because notice the inherent hypocrisy in what they are saying. What they are saying is: Yahweh says this, the sages agree with Yahweh, the people do the wrong thing, the sages do not reprimand them. The sages sort of turn a blind eye to the sins of the people and this is spoken by Yahweh in the wilderness of Sinai or something like that? I do not know. I am not responsible. This is not me; this is not my book; this is not my favorite book. But I am looking for something to help Devorah understand or else to help myself understand what is going on. So that we can come to some kind of an understanding within the barley community.

Now we come to Menachot 68 a Soncino Talmud. Once again, I am trying to stick to the MISHNAH because I want to stick close to the source. This is considered divine; this is considered inspired by the rabbis. It says:

“AFTER THE OMER WAS OFFERED THE NEW CORN WAS PERMITTTED FORTHWITH; [as soon as you offer the Omer you can have the new stuff. Okay, we agree with that part]. BUT FOR THOSE THAT LIVED FAR OFF IT WAS PERMITTED ONLY AFTER MIDDAY. [In other words, if you lived far away from the temple then you just sort of watched your sundial back in those ancient times, the ancient Timex. And then after midday you can reap your crop]. AFTER THE TEMPLE WAS DESTROYED R. YOHANAN B. ZAKKAI [remember he is one of our major heavy hitters of heresy, he is on the same level as Hillel, Shammai, Gamliel; these first generation guys] ORDAINED THAT IT SHOULD BE FORBIDDEN THROUGHOUT THE DAY OF THE WAVING.”
[Babylonian Talmud: Menachot 68a Soncino]

Okay so, good idea. Now why is he suggesting this? It is because they have the wrong interpretation, but this is how the rabbi’s work. They have the wrong interpretation. What they are saying is that they are coming out from offering the Omer, the marketplace is already full of all this stuff that is been harvested before the Omer was offered, or during the time the Omer was being offered, something like that. So Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai first generation Tannaim, he is forbidding this for whatever reasons. The Talmud explains those reasons it gets complicated, but you get the idea.

Now we are going to come to Sefaria and the Davidson Talmud. I looked for it in Soncino, I could not find it. So, we come to the Babylonian Talmud (Sefaria, Davidson edition), Rosh HaShanah 30a:23, it says:

If people eat the new grain at midday, they will have retroactively transgressed a prohibition. [What does this mean? It means that they would be transgressing because the barley that was eaten at midday had to be harvested before midday before the Omer was properly offered] Therefore, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai instituted that the new grain should be prohibited for the entire day of the sixteenth.

Good idea, right? But notice again what they are doing. They are changing things so they can add things and subtract things and they have all kinds of discussion. I mean it just goes on and on and on… about this rabbi said this… about what rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai said… and that rabbi said that… about rabbi… it is like four or five pages of this stuff. It is just like why do they not just follow Deuteronomy 16:9? That way we do not have this problem. Oy vavoy!

So, here are MY QUESTIONS in regard to all this.

1. Why did Josephus (who lived in the first century) say he was a witness? Why did this first century witness say that the Omer had to be offered first?

2. Why does the Talmud (which was redacted, edited, or heavily censored until the year 220 CE, over 100 years later, almost 200 years later) say that you can harvest early?

3. When Judah HaNasi censored out all the references to Yeshua and the apostles, is it possible that he censored any opinions that might say that the Omer had to be brought first? Such as was said by witnesses like Josephus?

4. The Karaites allegedly reject the Talmud. But if the Karaites reject the Talmud then why are they secretly referencing the Talmud? Why are they secretly following the Talmudic traditions contained in the Talmud? In other words, if the Karaites are truly obeying Scripture and not the Talmud then why are the Karaites saying it is okay to break Deuteronomy 16:9 to start the cutting before you start the counting just so long as you do not eat of the crop? Because the Talmud says it is okay? Because this is what Devorah is referring to. She is saying it has always been understood that there was never a prohibition against harvesting the crop early. Only a prohibition against eating of that crop. Why is she doing this? Because the Talmud says so? I do not know, it is a question, I am asking.

5. Why do Devorah’s Date Tree and the equinox people (we will talk about Abib of God hopefully next week, that is a whole separate kettle) not seem to care that we already have broken and shattered barley on the ground at least 16 days (nearer a month) prior to their Wave Sheaf Offering of April 4th? Does this mean nothing to them? This is what I asked in the letter. Does it mean nothing to you that you have broken and shattered barley on the ground? It is not your field, what do you care. Why is that? I do not know; it is a good question, I think.

6. And as a final question, even if the rabbis condoned breaking Deuteronomy 16:9 in the past, and this hypocrisy. This Torah breaking, this is sin, this flagrant disobedience to the words of Elohim just happens to be recorded in the Talmud. Does that mean we should do the same thing just because they sinned back in the Talmud times? Does that mean that we get to sin also? And in particular, if we can show in “Aviv Barley Simplified” and in these other studies that there is a better way to do this that does not require breaking Deuteronomy 16:9, then why not do it that way? Especially when it gives a witness to Yeshua’s role as the Omer. Or perhaps is that why they are specifically not doing it? Is it because it gives a witness to Yeshua’s role as the Omer? There is a question I am asking.

Why do not we do things Yahweh’s way as He says in Deuteronomy 16:9?

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:9-10
9 “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the [standing] grain.
10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to Yahweh your Elohim…

So, begin to count when you begin to cut or begin to cut when you begin to count. What is wrong with doing it the way that Yahweh says?

To sum it up, if the Karaites do not believe in the Talmud then why are the Karaites secretly following the traditions recorded in the Talmud? Is there perhaps some special link between the Pharisees and the Sadducees that maybe we do not know about today? It is a question, I am asking.

This is Just A Test

This is Just A Test

Growing up through the 1960s and even until today, we have all heard of the Emergency Broadcast System. When I was a child, we were in the midst of the Cold War with Russia and the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which President Kenedy went head to head with Russia, and the threat of all-out Nuclear war was very real.

The Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), sometimes called the Emergency Action Notification System (EANS), was an emergency warning system used in the United States. It was the most commonly used, along with the Emergency Override system. It replaced the previous CONELRAD system and was used from 1963 to 1997, at which point it was replaced by the Emergency Alert System.

The system was established to provide the President of The United States with an expeditious method of communicating with the American public in the event of war, threat of war, or grave national crisis.[1] The Emergency Broadcast System replaced CONELRAD on August 5, 1963.[2] In later years, it was expanded for use during peacetime emergencies at the state and local levels.[1]

Although the system was never used for a national emergency, it was activated more than 20,000 times [3] between 1976 and 1996 to broadcast civil emergency messages and warnings of severe weather hazards.

The testing became normal after a while and then ignored later. It was just another test and we knew the drill. Even though we all knew to hide under a desk in case of a real nuclear attack, we were nowhere close to being prepared because we had assumed many false understandings about being prepared.

I am going to insert this other short story here, which may seem out of place, but I want you to begin to think about a tradition we keep and the deep respect we give to the flag. Part of what I am teaching today is related to this very point. The only time a flag was allowed to touch the ground is when it was bowed down before the Monarch as they passed by, because nothing was above the Monarch. The Monarch represented Yehovah here on earth. The flag represented the Monarch. Below the Monarch’s flag would be flown those of each individual tribe. There is a list of protocols on the treatment of the Flag. It was highly regarded long before the Americans began to wave it as something held in great respect.

My last Flag-Post.com article considered the rule in the U.S. Flag Code, “The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.”   At the end of that article, I promised to explain how this rule came to be.  While the historical record does not fully explain everything, we can get a good idea of how this came to be by studying our nation’s history.

Many of the rules and traditions governing display of the Stars and Stripes grew from the national experiences of the U.S. Civil War.  Before that conflict, the flag was used mainly by the government and the military.  Private individuals and businesses seldom flew the U.S. flag, and the strong feeling of love and respect for the flag did not exist as we know them today.

Confederate Flag stomped by Unionist, drawing from 1861

“Down with the Traitor’s Serpent Flag”, Flint & Higgins, 1861.

During the war, many cartoons and illustrations published in newspapers and magazines, showed “enemy” flags thrown to the ground while triumphant soldiers held their flags high in defiance.  At an 1862 Christmas wedding celebration in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, “giddy Confederates danced on floors carpeted with the American flag.”  During the Battle of Murfreesboro a few days later, Union flag bearer William H. Steel of the 34th Illinois Infantry Regiment was shot seven times while carrying the Stars and Stripes into that battle.

Carrying the flag into battle during the Civil war was a great honor, but also extremely dangerous as flag bearers were good targets.  Flag bearers on both sides of the conflict were almost always killed or wounded while carrying their flags into battle.  During only one day of battle in Gettysburg, twenty-three color bearers from two units were killed during the fighting.  As one man was shot, another would grab the flag and would in turn be shot.

Perhaps the most dramatic incident of a wounded flag bearer is the story of Sergeant William H. Carney of the famed 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment chronicled in the movie “Glory.”  Sergeant Carney was severely wounded during the attack on Fort Wagner.  The 54th was driven back but Carney, although wounded continued to carry the flag.  As the regiment withdrew, a member of the also retreating 100th New York Infantry Regiment, seeing Carney’s wounds offered to carry the flag for him.  Carney refused saying, “No one but a member of the 54th should carry the colors.”  Struggling back to the Union lines, Carney was wounded again, but continued to carry the national color.  When Carney finally carried the flag to safety behind Union lines, he collapsed as other members of the 54th grabbed the flag.  Carney’s words as he at last handed off the flag were, “Boys, I only did my duty.  The flag never touched the ground.”  For his heroism Carney was the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor.

From these and many other stories, it is easy to see how a flag touching the ground came to be viewed as an insult and how it came that we honor the flag by not allowing it to touch the ground.  Logically it makes sense, but emotionally it expresses love and respect rooted in the Civil War that has grown over the years to become unquestioned by those who choose to honor the flag.

The Old Flag Never Touched the Ground, oil painting which depicts the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment at the attack on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863

The painting The Old Flag Never Touched the Ground, which depicts the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment at the attack on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863.

Abraham Lincoln also attached strong symbolic meaning to the Stars and Stripes, and while many suggested changes reflecting Southern secession, Lincoln refused.  In my next blog I will tell the story of one unusual change to the U.S. flag suggested by Samuel F.B. Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, who sought desperately to avoid the coming conflict.

Let me now return to the article I want to teach on.

Moses tells us how Yehovah tested the people of Israel.

Deu 8:15  He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground, where there was no water, who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint,

Deu 8:16  who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know, so that He might humble you and so that He might prove you, to do you good in your latter end,

I want to drill down on the English word “prove” used here. It comes from the Hebrew word:

H5254   (Strong) נָסָה  nâsâh  naw-saw’

A primitive root; to test; by implication to attempt: – adventure, assay, prove, tempt, try.

H5254   (Ancient Hebrew)
H5254 = AHLB# 1314-H (V)
1314) Xn% (Xn% NS) ac: Lift co: Standard ab: Refuge: The pictograph n is a picture of a seed representing continuance, the x is a picture of a thorn representing the idea of grabbing hold. Combined these mean “continue to grab hold”. The tribal flag that is hung from a horizontal pole and lifted up high and seen from a distance.

A) Xn% (Xn% NS) ac: ? co: Standard ab: ?

Nm) Xn% (Xn% NS) – Standard: A flag that hangs from a pole. Also a sail. [freq. 20] |kjv: standard, ensign, pole, banner, sail, sign| {H5251}

af1) Exnm% (Exnm% MN-SH) – Trial: [df: hom] [freq. 5] |kjv: temptation, trial| {H4531}

B) Xxn% (Xxn% NSS) ac: ? co: Standard ab: ?

V) Xxn% (Xxn% N-SS) – Standard: To lift up the standard. [freq. 2] (vf: Paal) |kjv: ensign, standard-bearer| {H5263, H5264}

C) Xna% (Xna% ANS) ac: Compel co: ? ab: ?: A grabbing hold.

V) Xna% (Xna% A-NS) – Compel: To grab hold of one to perform. [Hebrew and Aramaic] [freq. 2] (vf: Paal) |kjv: compel| {H597, H598}

E) Axn% (Axn% NSA) ac: Lift co: Burden ab: ?

V) Axn% (Axn% N-SA) – Lift: To lift up a burden or load and carry it. [Hebrew and Aramaic] [df: aVn] [freq. 659] (vf: Paal, Niphal, Hiphil, Hitpael, Piel) |kjv: bear, take, bare, carry, borne, amourbearer, forgive, accept, exalt, regard, obtain, respect| {H4984, H5375, H5376}

Nf2) Taxn% (Taxn% NS-AT) – Gift: [df: taVn] [freq. 1] |kjv: gift| {H5379}

am) Axnm% (Axnm% MN-SA) – Burden: [df: aVm] [freq. 66] |kjv: burden, son, prophecy, set, exaction, carry, tribute| {H4853}

af1) Eaxnm% (Eaxnm% MN-S-AH) – Burden: [df: haVm] [freq. 1] |kjv: burden| {H4858}

af2) Taxnm% (Taxnm% MN-S-AT) – I. Burden: [df: taVm] II. Cloud: A cloud of smoke as lifted up from the fire. [df: taVm] [freq. 15] |kjv: burden, mess, collection, flame, gift, oblation, reward, sign, lift| {H4864}

bm) Aixn% (Aixn% N-SYA) – Chief: The leader of a family, tribe or people as one who carries the burdens of the people. [df: ayVn aVn] [freq. 132] |kjv: prince, captain, chief, ruler, vapour, governor, cloud| {H5387}

df1) Eafxn% (Eafxn% N-SW-AH) – Wagon: A vehicle for carrying burdens. [df: hawVn haVn] [freq. 1] |kjv: carriage| {H5385}

acm) Afxnm% (Afxnm% MN-SWA) – Respect: In the sense of lifting one up. [df: aVm] [freq. 1] |kjv: respect| {H4856}

H) Exn% (Exn% NSH) ac: Test co: ? ab: ?: A test to prove one is deserved of being lifted up.

V) Exn% (Exn% N-SH) – Test: [freq. 36] (vf: Piel) |kjv: prove, tempt, assay, adventure, try| {H5254}

J) Xfn% (Xfn% NWS) ac: Flee co: ? ab: Refuge: The family standard as the place of refuge that one flees to.

V) Xfn% (Xfn% NWS) – Flee: To run to the standard for safety. Also a fleeing to any safe place such as a city or mountain. [freq. 161] (vf: Paal, Hiphil) |kjv: flee, abate, display, flight, hide, lift| {H5127}

km) Xfnm% (Xfnm% M-NWS) – Refuge: A place of safety. [freq. 8] |kjv: refuge, escape, flight, flee| {H4498}

kf1) Exfnm% (Exfnm% M-NW-SH) – Fleeing: [freq. 2] |kjv: flight, fleeing| {H4499}

M) Xin% (Xin% NYS) ac: Flee co: ? ab: ?: The family standard as the place of refuge that one flees to.

Nm) Xin% (Xin% NYS) – Flee: [freq. 1] |kjv: flee| {H5211}

Yes, this is where we get the word NASA from, which is used in the United States. As you can see from the meaning of the word itself, it is also connected to the word Banner, or Flag, which is why I included the Flag article as part of the introduction.

And I want to especially focus on the word: Exn NSH nâsâh: a test to prove one is deserving of being raised up; of being the standard bearer for your tribe; of grabbing hold of that standard and not letting go and as William H. Carney did, no matter what, allowing your Flag to hit the ground or fall.

acm) Afxnm% (Afxnm% MN-SWA)Respect: In the sense of lifting one up. [df: aVm] [freq. 1] |kjv: respect| {H4856}

H) Exn% (Exn% NSH)ac: Test co: ? ab: ?: A test to prove one is deserved of being lifted up.

V) Exn% (Exn% N-SH)– Test: [freq. 36] (vf: Piel) |kjv: prove, tempt, assay, adventure, try| {H5254}

With just this understanding of the word “prove,” I hope you can now grasp exactly what Yehshua meant when He said He would raise us up in the last days.

Jhn 6:37  All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will in no way cast out.

Jhn 6:38  For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

Jhn 6:39  And this is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all which He has given Me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day.

Jhn 6:40  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes on Him should have everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day.

He will raise up those who grab onto the standard of Yehovah and will not let Him go. Those who will not let the flag fall on the ground, those who are burdened to hold it up.

Yehshua said in John 6:40 that He would raise up those on the last day. Those who passed the test is implied by the Hebrew word raised up as Yehshua spoke Hebrew and was a Jew who kept the law. Moses also said at the end of Deuteronomy 8:16 to do you good in your latter end or in other words, the last days. How will being humbled or tested do us good in the last days?

We are tested so that we can learn to obey, and by obeying, He will raise up those who pass the test and uphold the law. It is just that simple. Yehovah wants to know who will and who will not obey His commandments.

Gen 22:1  And it happened after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Behold me.

What would you do? We all know what Abraham did, and we read in verse 12 that only then did Yehovah know that Abraham feared God.

Gen 22:12  And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad, nor do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.

Abraham passed the test. Notice the blessing Yehovah gave him and what happened next. Abraham lifted up His eyes. He “Nasah” his eyes and saw the standard, the ram, on the very mountain where Yehovah would later, raise up His Standard, where Yehshua was later crucified on Mount Golgotha.

Gen 22:13  And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked. And, behold, a ram behind him was entangled in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

Gen 22:14  And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Will See; so that it is said until this day, In the mount of Jehovah it will be seen.

Gen 22:15  And the Angel of Jehovah called to Abraham out of the heavens the second time,

Gen 22:16  and said, I have sworn by Myself, says Jehovah; because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one;

Gen 22:17  that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies.

Gen 22:18  And in your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

The standard of Yehovah was moved to Mount Golgotha.

Ezk 10:4  And the glory of Jehovah rose from the cherub, over the threshold of the house. And the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of Jehovah’s glory.

Ezk 10:18  And the glory of Jehovah went from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubs.

Ezk 10:19  And the cherubs lifted up their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels also were beside them. And he stood at the door of the eastern gate of Jehovah’s house. And the glory of the God of Israel was over them from above.

Ezk 11:22  And the cherubs lifted up their wings, and the wheels beside them. And the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

Ezk 11:23  And the glory of Jehovah went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

Notice what Abraham calls this place. Yehovah will see. In a recent study we did on Golgotha, we showed you how the wheels of Ezekiel represented Golgotha and the eyes which were all over the wheels, and the Cherubim represented Yehovah’s spirit. I have written many times about how peaceful it is on Golgotha and how much I love staying there. Yehovah Will See.

Right after Israel crossed the Red Sea and the Egyptian army was destroyed, something strange happened at the waters of Marah.

Exo 15:22  And Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

Exo 15:23  And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, because it was bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.

Exo 15:24  And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

Exo 15:25  And he cried to Jehovah. And Jehovah showed him a tree. And when he had cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a decree and a law for them, and there He tested them.

Exo 15:26  And he said, If you will carefully listen to the voice of Jehovah your God, and will do that which is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all His Laws, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am Jehovah who heals you.

We go into a very in-depth explanation of this event in our book, The 10 Days of Awe, so I will not do so here. I want to point out that in verse 25, Yehovah made a decree and a law for them, and He tested them there. In verse 26, Yehovah tells them what will happen if they pass this test, and not only this test but all future tests.

When Moses goes to bless each of the tribes of Israel, we are told of the blessing to Levi as a result of passing the test here at these waters of Marah. Because Levi passed the test by keeping the covenant, they became the Standard bearers. They were chosen to teach the Torah to Israel and to make the sacrifices the incense.

Deu 33:8  And of Levi he said, Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one whom You proved at Massah; You strove with him at the Waters of Strife,

Deu 33:9  who said to his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; and he has not acknowledged his brothers, nor knew his own son, for they have observed Your Word and kept Your covenant.

Deu 33:10  Let them teach Jacob Your judgments, and Israel Your Law. Let them put incense before You and whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar.

Deu 33:11  O, Jehovah, bless his strength, and accept the work of his hands. Strike through the loins of those who rise against him, and of those who hate him, that they should not rise again.

When Yehovah gave Israel the manna from heaven, it was a test to see if they would honour and respect the Sabbath, which Yehovah commanded us to rest on. It was and is today still a test. Will you pass this test and be raised up or will your standard be dropped and left behind on the ground?

Exo 16:4  Then Jehovah said to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from the heavens for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain amount every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My Law or not.

Exo 16:5  And on the sixth day it shall happen, they shall prepare what they bring in. And it shall be twice as much as they gather day by day.

At the end of the giving of the Ten Commandments, when the people are afraid, we are again told Yehovah has come to test you.

Exo 20:20  And Moses said to the people, Do not fear, for God has come to test you, and so that His fear may be before your faces, so that you may not sin.

The testing is so we do not sin. Adam Clarke comments on this verse in this manner:

And Moses said – Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces – The maxim contained in this verse is, Fear not, that he may fear – do not fear with such a fear as brings consternation into the soul, and produces nothing but terror and confusion; but fear with that fear which reverence and filial affection inspire, that ye sin not – that, through the love and reverence ye feel to your Maker and Sovereign, ye may abstain from every appearance of evil, lest you should forfeit that love which is to you better than life. He who fears in the first sense can neither love nor obey; he who fears not in the latter sense is sure to fall under the first temptation that may occur. Blessed is the man who thus feareth always.

In Deuteronomy 13, we have another example of Yehovah testing the people by sending them a false prophet. Yehovah sent this prophet to tell them a lie. The test was in whether or not they knew their Torah well enough to not be led astray. Do you know Yehovah and HIs Torah so that you are not led astray?

Deu 13:1  If a prophet rises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder,

Deu 13:2  and the sign or the wonder which he foretold to you occurs, saying, Let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us serve them,

Deu 13:3  you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For Jehovah your God istesting you to know whether you love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deu 13:4  You shall walk after Jehovah your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.

Deu 13:5  And that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken to turn you away from Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slaves, to thrust you out of the way in which Jehovah your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put the evil away from the midst of you.

In the book of Judges, we are told how Yehovah left the remnant of those who were supposed to be driven out so that, once again, Yehovah could test Israel and see if they would obey Him or not.

Jdg 2:20  And the anger of Jehovah glowed against Israel. And He said, Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to My voice,

Jdg 2:21  I also from now on will not expel any from before them of the nations that Joshua left when he died;

Jdg 2:22  so that by them I may test Israel, whether they are keeping the way of Jehovah, to go in it, as their fathers kept it, or not.

Jdg 2:23  And Jehovah left those nations, without driving them out quickly. And He did not deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

Jdg 3:1  And these are the nations which Jehovah left, to prove Israel by them, as many as had not known all the wars of Canaan;

Jdg 3:2  only that the generations of the sons of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least those who before knew nothing of it:

Jdg 3:3  five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon to the border of Hamath.

Jdg 3:4  And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commands of Jehovah, which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

In like manner, as Abraham obeyed and was then blessed for having done so, Israel failed the test and became burdened with the curses for not obeying Yehovah. Our word Nasah also means burden in an evil sense.

King David asked Yehovah to come and test him and through that testing to purify his heart and mind. How many of us do this?

Psa 26:2  Examine me, O Jehovah, and prove me; purify my heart and my mind.

Let us now look at a similar word and subject that is used in our testing.

Ezk 20:7  then I said to them, Let each man throw away the abominations of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.

Ezk 20:8  But they rebelled against Me and would not listen to Me. They did not each man throw away the abominations of their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. And I said, I will pour out My fury against them to fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

Ezk 20:9  But I worked for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the nations among whom they were, for I made Myself known to them in their eyes, by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

Ezk 20:10  And I caused them to go out from the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

Ezk 20:11  And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

Ezk 20:12  And also I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am Jehovah who sets them apart.

Ezk 20:13  But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes, and they despised My judgments, which if a man does, he shall even live in them. And they greatly profaned My sabbaths. And I said, I will pour out My fury on them in the wilderness to destroy them.

Ezk 20:14  But I worked for My name’s sake, so that it should not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I brought them out.

Ezk 20:15  And also I lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey; it is the glory of all lands;

Ezk 20:16  because they despised My judgments and walked not in My sabbaths; and they profaned My sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.

Ezk 20:17  But My eye spared them from destroying them, nor did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

Ezk 20:18  But I said to their sons in the wilderness, Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.

Ezk 20:19  I am Jehovah your God. Walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them,

Ezk 20:20  and keep My sabbaths holy; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am Jehovah your God.

Ezk 20:21  But the sons rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My statutes, nor kept My judgments to do them; the judgments which, if a man do, he shall even live in them; they profaned My sabbaths and I said I would pour out My fury on them, to fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.

Ezk 20:22  But I withdrew My hand and worked for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, from whom I brought them out in their eyes.

Ezk 20:23  I also lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations and scatter them through the lands,

Ezk 20:24  because they had not done My judgments, but had despised My sabbaths and had profaned My sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.

Ezk 20:25  Also I gave them statutes not good, and judgments by which they should not live.

Ezk 20:26  And I defiled them in their own gifts, in that they caused all that open the womb to pass through the fire, that I might waste them, to the end that they might know that I am Jehovah.

Ezk 20:27  Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, So says the Lord Jehovah: Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed Me, in that they have committed a sin against Me.

Ezk 20:28  When I had brought them into the land forwhich I lifted up My hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered their sacrifices there. And there they offered their provoking gifts. There also they made their sweet aroma, and poured out their drink offerings there.

Ezk 20:29  And I said to them, What is the high place to which you go? And the name of it is called High Place to this day.

Ezk 20:30  Therefore say to the house of Israel, So says the Lord Jehovah: Are you defiled in the same way as your fathers? And do you go whoring after their abominations?

Ezk 20:31  For when you offer your gifts, when you make your sons to pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I Live, says the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.

Ezk 20:32  And what comes up on your spirit shall not happen at all, that you say, We will be like the nations, like the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

The Sabbaths were given to us as a sign between Yehovah and us, so that we would know He was Yehovah. Look at the meaning of the word sign. It is the STANDARD OR FLAG we are to run towards. Our Aleph Tav we are to hold up and never let hit the ground no matter how many arrows or bullets strike us.

H226   (Ancient Hebrew)
H226 = AHLB# 1022-J (N)
1022) Ta% (Ta% AT) ac: Plow co: Mark ab: ?: The pictograph a is a picture of an ox. The t is a picture of two crossed sticks used to make a sign or mark. Combined these pictures represent “an ox moving toward a mark”. When plowing a field with oxen, the plowman drives the oxen toward a distant mark in order to keep the furrow straight. A traveler arrives at his destination by following a mark. The traveling toward a mark, destination or person. The arrival of one to the mark. A “you” is an individual who has arrived to a “me”. The coming toward a mark. A standard, or flag, with the family mark hangs as a sign. An agreement or covenant by two where a sign or mark of the agreement is made as a reminder to both parties. (eng: at – a moving at something)

J) Tfa% (Tfa% AWT) ac: ? co: Mark ab: Agree: The coming toward a mark. A standard, or flag, with the family mark hangs as a sign. An agreement or covenant by two where a sign or mark of the agreement is made as a reminder to both parties.

Remember our opening article?

twenty-three color bearers from two units were killed during the fighting.  As one man was shot, another would grab the flag and would in turn be shot.

Yehovah, the Sabbaths and the Torah are your flag. When the person going before you gets taken out, you must pick up that flag and run with it. you must bear the standard of Yehovah. And when you are taken out another will step into your place.

I used to think how hard it was to do this Sabbath thing. How many friends and family I lost; how my own wife and family do not and will not have anything to do with me. How many promotions or opportunities in business I was passed over, because of the Sabbath issue. My pity parties were quite big, and the only people who came were other self-pity people. But at some point I began to the feel honour and the pride in the fact I was able to bear this standard. But now I realize I am bearing not just the Sabbath Standard, but the very Standard of Yehovah our King. He selected me above all my family to do this for Him.

But He is still going to test me to discover if I am worthy of the honour to carry His Standard.

He has sent false teachers across my path.

He has sent confusing calendar issues across my path. Which one obeys Yehovah? Hillel, Equinox, Enoch, Zadok, Lunar, Barley, Crescent Moon, Dark Moon, Full Moon, Day Only Sabbath, No Sabbath, Sunday Sabbath, Passover 14th or 15th, Atonement fast or no fast…which one was I going to trip over and drop the flag? A boot camp of obstacles to overcome and get past and the testing comes each week, each month, and seven times for the annual Holy Days… Yehovah sent them all to test me, to determine if I was worthy of bearing the Standard and running to the Migdal Eder, the strong tower of Yehovah.

Like any test, you must be able to discern the multiple-choice answers. Some or many sound similar but are not. You must read the fine print and know the subject thoroughly so you can explain each false teaching and where it fails. But in order to do this you must know the original Torah and know it through and through so that when the false teachings are presented to you, you can see the forgery for what it is. This is why we spend so much time in the Torah studying it and knowing it so that when we come to the New Testament, we are able to see what was meant and not get sidelined by what people say it means and thus end up doing away with the Torah as they teach.

Jhn 5:45  Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you trust.

Jhn 5:46  For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me.

Jhn 5:47  But if you do not believe his writings, how shall you believe My Words?

Most Christians condemn the Jews for not believing in Jesus. But I say to you and to them, the Jews know Yehshua who kept the Torah better than any and all Christians. Yehovah is going to say to many who do not know the Torah, and therefor do not know Yehshua, that He NEVER KNEW them. They never came to know Yehovah because they did not and would not learn about Him through the teachings of Moses.

Isa 12:2  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation.

The word Salvation in Hebrew is Yeshua. Now read it again.

Isa 12:2  Behold, Yehovah is my Yeshua; I will trust and not be afraid for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also has become my Yeshua.

Some of you have picked up another flag along your march. You believe you are holding the true standard. Take a moment and examine your standard before you arrive at the Migdal Eder and are told by Yehovah, I never knew you.

Deleavening Your Home

Deleavening Your Home

It is now just past the full moon. In two months time we will begin to celebrate Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. We read in Mt 24:45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?

So with the Passover season approaching and with many new people learning the Torah and wanting to keep the Holy Days we shall begin now to teach on these.

Once again I am telling you to turn off Oprah and Dr. Phil and to start to read you bible. There is nothing on TV worth watching. Many of you are sharing this News letter and encouraging others to read it and to prove those things said here true or false. I do thank you. But in reality it is those who have come here and learnt the truth that are thanking you. You have saved their lives.
But once you have been turned on to the truth, do not just read what is written here. Search other sites and other groups and learn also from them, what is true and what is not true.

I keep telling you how little time is left and so I am trying to give you as much information as I can without you being over whelmed. Turn off the TV and this will help.

We now have just two months to Passover.

Immediately after the Passover comes a festival that shows us the next step in the plan of Yahweh. After Yahshua is sacrificed as the Passover Lamb, and we have been forgiven for our sins, how do we continue to avoid sin, since we must go on living in newness of life? How do we live as Yahweh’s redeemed people? We find the remarkable answer in the symbolism of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

When Yahweh freed Israel from slavery in Egypt, He told His people that for “seven days you shall eat unleavened bread” (Exodus 12:15). Verse 39 further explains: “And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.”
The leavening process, which makes bread rise, takes time. The Israelites had no time to spare when they left Egypt, so they baked and ate flat bread. What started out as a necessity continued for a week. Yahweh appropriately named this time the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6), or Days of Unleavened Bread (Acts 12:3).

When Yeshua came to earth as a human, He observed this seven-day festival’ sometimes called the Feast of Passover by the Jews because of the proximity of the Passover to the Days of Unleavened Bread. Yeshua kept it as a child and later as an adult (Luke 2:41; Matthew 26:17). The early Church, kept it as well.

Yahweh gave His earliest instructions concerning this festival to the Israelites as they prepared to leave Egypt. “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD’ a lasting ordinance. For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat-that is all you may do” (Exodus 12:14-16, New International Version).

This is where we get the expression of spring cleaning from De leavening our homes.

Each year as the Israelites observed this feast, it reminded them of Yahweh’s deliverance of their forefathers from Egypt. The Creator instructed, “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt” (verse 17, NIV). The exodus from Egypt remains as a foundational reason for observing this feast today. Just as Yahweh delivered ancient Israel, He delivers us from our sins and difficulties.

Now notice Yeshua’s teaching about leaven, which expands the meaning of this feast.

During Yahshua’s ministry He performed two miracles in which a few fish and loaves of bread fed thousands of people. After one of these incidents, when His disciples had gone around the Sea of Galilee, they forgot to bring bread with them. So Yeshua told them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

The disciples thought Yeshua was referring to their lack of bread. However, He was using the occasion to teach them by calling on the symbolism of leaven. Yeshua asked them, “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then the disciples “understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:5-12, NASB).

Some of the members of the religious establishment of Yeshua’s day appeared to be righteous, yet they secretly practiced sinful behavior. Yeshua let them know He knew their hearts. They may have appeared righteous to other people, “but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:28).

The Days of Unleavened Bread remind us that with Yahweh’s help we must remove and avoid all types of sin “symbolized by leaven” in all areas of our life.

Symbolically we do this by cleaning our homes and our places of business and our cars and removing any bread or bread products that contain leaven or yeast from them.

During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the apostle Paul taught the same spiritual lessons as Yeshua, invoking the comparison of sin to leaven. In the context of reprimanding the Corinthian congregation for its divisions, jealousies and tolerance of sexual misconduct, Paul wrote: “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Yeshua, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 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” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).

The church at Corinth was obviously and unmistakably keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread, to which Paul repeatedly alluded. However, Paul used the Corinthians’ faithful obedience in keeping the feast physically (removing leaven from their homes) as a basis to encourage them to celebrate this feast with proper understanding of its spiritual intent.

Today removing leaven from our homes for seven days reminds us that we, too, through prayer and Yahweh’s help and understanding, must recognize, expel and avoid sin. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is thus a time of personal reflection. We should meditate on our attitudes and conduct and ask Yahweh to help us recognize and overcome our shortcomings.

Paul spoke of this much-needed self-reflection in 2 Corinthians 13:5 when he told the Corinthian church: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Yeshua the Messiah is in you, unless indeed you are disqualified.”

Paul explained the significance of the phrase “Yeshua the Messiah is in you” in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Yeshua; it is no longer I who live, but Yeshua lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of Yahweh, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

These seven days of self-examination prove invaluable in helping us to devote our lives to Yahweh and Yeshua. This week-long period also pictures our eventual triumph over sin. As Yahweh delivered the ancient Israelites from enslavement to Egypt, so He delivers us from our enslavement to sin (Romans 6:12-18).

We learn by doing. We learn spiritual lessons by doing physical things. Performing the task of deleavening our homes reminds us to vigilantly watch for sinful thoughts and actions so we can avoid them. Yahweh knows that, in spite of our good intentions, we all sin.

Many years after his conversion, Paul described the powerful human tendency to sin. “I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of Yahweh according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank Yahweh-through Yeshua the Messiah! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of Yahweh, but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:21-25).

Paul knew life itself is a battle with sin. The Bible speaks of “the sin which so easily ensnares us” (Hebrews 12:1). We have our own part to play in struggling to overcome sin. Yet, paradoxically, we must rely on Yahweh to help us. Paul explained this to the Philippians by telling them to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is Yahweh who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13, King James Version).

Our observance of the Days of Unleavened Bread helps us realize our need for Yeshua’s help in overcoming our weaknesses. Yet this feast is certainly a time for rejoicing because Yeshua freely gives us the help we need. Yeshua, the Lamb of Yahweh, was sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sins, thus unleavening, or cleansing, our lives. He continues to help us live obediently through Yahweh’s Spirit dwelling in us.

Paul tells us in Ro 2:13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;

James tells us it is the doers of the law who will be justified. Jas 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Let’s read what James also has to say about doing things.

James 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your F6 works, and I will show you my faith by my F7 works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe–and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? F8 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” F9 And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Some brethren do not believe we should keep the days of Unleaveded bread. Some do but they say you do not have to remove the leaven from your homes.

The bible says we do have to keep this time for ever, and that you do have to remove the leaven, and that by doing so you are acting out your faith by your works.

I am sharing this message now with you, so that you have time to begin to clean one room or two a week before the Days arrive in about two months time. You will see as you move your frig and stove how the crud has piled up over time and how hard it is to remove. This is the same as sin sneaking in to your lives and you not knowing it until one day it is exposed. Then you see how hard it is to remove or correct that sin. It is not easy.

You will learn by doing. Please consider doing the necessary work in cleaning your home so that you will be ready for the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.

Always remember that as you move closer to Yahweh, He moves closer to you. When you stop so does He and he waits for you to make the next move.

The more you learn and practice the more that will be revealed to you. But if you do nothing you learn nothing.

So may your spring cleaning be bountiful in teaching you many lessons from the scriptures.

 

Six Days to Passover

Six Days to Passover

Palm Sunday and 6 Days Before Passover

We have been going over the 3 days and 3 nights. We also went over the expression “And this is the 3rd Day” in our article on The road to Emmaus, noting that the word today is not in the origin text.

There is yet one other section of scriptures that people will toss out at you in order to tell you that the the crucifixion was not on Wednesday, but rather was on the Thursday.

We already have abundance of scriptural support for the Wednesday Crucifixion, but let us examine the scriptures that some are putting out and see if they have any merit or not.

“They say” that Yehshua road into Jerusalem on a colt on Palm Sunday. This is the tenth of Nisan. So Monday is then the 11th and Tuesday is then the 12th and Wednesday is then the 13th. Not the 14th as I am claiming. In order for Sunday to be the 14th they say, this then means that Yehshua would ride into Jerusalem on the colt on Sabbath and thereby be breaking the Sabbath. So it is impossible for Wednesday to be the 14th. It has to be the Thursday and I am wrong in my assertions.

Many times those with such errant claims get traction when you leave out other scriptures. Never forget Satan knows the scriptures quite well. He even used them when he tempted Yehshua. But Yehshua did not argue with him nor debate him, Yehshua just quoted scriptures back to him.

Let us do the same.

Passover beginning on Nisan 14 and the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread which follows are filled with meaning for Christians and Messianic Jews.  The preparations for this Feast of the LORD actually begin several days before.   In ancient times and in Yeshua’s day, when the Temple stood, the lambs chosen for sacrifice had to be inspected for four days.  This began on Nisan 10.  The lambs were brought into Jewish homes and were carefully watched to be certain there were no blemishes or illness, which would disqualify them for the Passover sacrifice.  Just as the lambs were inspected, so was Yeshua, who is our Passover and the Lamb of God.

We read in Exodus 12 the start of the Passover event. What we are going to focus on in this study is when that lamb was taken and then killed. Many are muddying the waters on this, and this is why we are looking at it.

Exodus 12:1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: “On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

Yehshua is known to be the Lamb of God.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:36 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

Rev 5:4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

Every detail of the Passover Exodus event is replayed now in the Crucifixion of Yehshua.

He was the Lamb of Yehovah and He was the lamb that had to be examined and then killed.

And just as that lamb was taken into the houses of those who were about to kill it, so Yehshua was taken to the Temple and examined for those days leading up to His death and he was found not guilty.

Mark 12:13 Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.

Mathew 26:59-60 Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.

Luke 23:1 Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault in this Man.”

Luke 23:13 Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).

Luke 23:22 Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.”

These are the events that show us the examination and then slaughter of Yehshua. He was and is that Lamb of Yehovah.

Now let us look at the chronology of these events which again will prove that He was killed on the Wednesday and rose again three days alter at the end of the Sabbath.

John 11:55 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?” Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

It is close to Passover and then we read in

John 12:1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.

Passover was on the Thursday. It was the High day John mentions. Passover is eaten after the sunset at the end of the 14th day when the lambs are killed. Yehshua was killed and was our Passover lamb killed at 3 PM on Wednesday afternoon, the 14th of Nisan.

The following is from TorahCalendar.com and shows you the days of the week according to the crescent moon to begin the month. There are no other months that match this in any year except 28 AD when Yehshua began his ministry. This is from the second month according to TorahCalendar.

The Passover meal would then be eaten that night of the 14th after the sun had set and the 15th was just beginning. Again, see our article 3 Days and 3 Nights.

Now let us count back six days and double-check on the calendar above.

Wednesday, Nisan 14, is one.

Tuesday Nisan 13 is two.

Monday Nisan 12 is three.

Sunday Nisan 11 is four.

Saturday Nisan 10 is five.

Friday, Nisan 9, is the sixth day and the day Yehshua arrives at the house of Lazarus and Mary and Martha.
Notice that Mary made Him supper. So now the 6th day has passed, and Sunset has occurred, and they are now into the Sabbath Friday evening. They are having a Sabbath meal.

Then, in verse 3, we read about the oil being poured on the Feet of Yehshua by Mary and how Judas rebuked her and then was himself rebuked.

John 12:3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

John then goes on to tell us of the crowd that came to see both Yehshua and Lazarus. This was not at supper time but had to have been on the Sabbath the next day.

John 12:9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

We must point out something here that almost everyone misses. This Sabbath day when Yehshua was brought into the home of Lazarus and all these people came on the Sabbath to see both Him and Lazarus was, in fact, the 10th day of the month when you are to select the lamb and bring it into your home. This is what Mary, Martha and Lazarus did. And so did the crowd that came the next day. They all selected Yehshua as their lamb.

Mathew, Mark and Luke have nothing about this meeting taking place at the home of Lazarus.

All three of them then begin with Yehshua coming from Bethpage to the Mount of Olives just before Jerusalem.

This is now Sunday. It is what has been called Palm Sunday.

Continuing in John from where we just left off, he says the next day after these men came to see them at Lazarus’s house.

John 12:12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

“Hosanna!

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’

The King of Israel!”

Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

“Fear not, daughter of Zion;

Behold, your King is coming,

Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

Therefore, the people who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. For this reason, the people also met Him because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees, therefore, said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

Mark then is going to describe the same thing and then give us another bit of information.

Mark 11:1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.”

So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. But some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?”

And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna!

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’

Blessed is the kingdom of our father David

That comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!”

And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

This is Sunday, and Yehshua rides in on a colt on this Palm Sunday and then goes up to the Temple and looks around, and then leaves, going back to Bethany because it is already late.

Mark then continues and tells us the event of the next day which is now Monday, Nisan 12, 31 AD.

Mark 11:12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.

So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”

And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. When evening had come, He went out of the city.

We have now come to the end of the Monday, Nisan 12, 31 AD. Mark then goes on to tell us about the events that took place on Tuesday Nisan 13, 31 AD.

Mark 11:20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

You can read all the events that happened on that Tuesday in Mark up until Chapter 13. Then we read about Yehshua leaving the Temple and heading back over to the Mount of Olives when He then explains about the end times.

Mark 13:1 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”

And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am He,’ and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.

Mark then goes on to say in Mark 14 that after two days, it will be Passover. This was on that Tuesday. So we can count 2 days to Thursday, Nisan 15, 31 AD when Passover was, and it is two days away.

 SUN                        MON                            TUES                        WED                         THUR                              FRI                     SABBATH

Mark 14:1 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.

In Mathew 26:1, we read the same statement, only this time by Yehshua Himself

Mat 26:1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Then, further on in Mathew 26, we read about them getting ready to keep the Passover, and this is still that same Tuesday, Nisan 13, 31 AD.

Mat 26:17 Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ ”

So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

I have to take this moment and deviate for one second. Many use this verse to justify keeping Passover on the wrong day. Below is a commentary on this one verse. It is now Tuesday, and at Sunset will be the beginning of Wednesday, Nisan 14, 31 AD and the Preparation Day. Passover is still two days away. Passover will be on the Thursday. The entire 7 Days of Unleavened Bread plus the Preparation day beforehand are spoken of as the eight days of Unleavened Bread, or they are spoken of as the eight days of Passover.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
17. the first day of the feast of unleavened bread] This was the 14th of Nisan, which commenced after sunset on the 13th; it was also called the preparation (paraskeué) of the Passover. The feast of unleavened bread followed the Passover, and lasted seven days, from the 15th to the 21st of Nisan. Hence the two feasts are sometimes included in the term “Passover,” sometimes in that of “unleavened bread.” On the evening of 13th of Nisan every head of the family carefully searched for and collected by the light of a candle all the leaven, which was kept and destroyed before midday on the 14th. The offering of the lamb took place on the 14th at the evening sacrifice, which on this day commenced at 1.30; or if the preparation fell on a Friday, at 12.30. The paschal meal was celebrated after sunset on the 14th, i. e. strictly on the 15th of Nisan.

The events of the Passover are full of difficulty for the harmonist. It is however almost certain that the “Last Supper” was not the paschal meal, but was partaken of on the 14th, that is after sunset on the 13th of Nisan. It is quite certain, from John 18:28, that Jesus was crucified on the preparation, and although the synoptic narratives seem at first sight to disagree with this, it is probably only the want of a complete knowledge of the facts that creates the apparent discrepancy.

The key verse here is And when evening came, they sat down to eat this supper meal. But it was not the Passover meal, as it was still one day away. Remember, before the sunset, Yehshua said it was still two days away. This is now Tuesday evening, which is the start of the 14th of Nisan. The very day Yehshua is to be killed, at the same time, the lambs are killed, which is 3 PM in the afternoon of the Nisan 14.

It is on this fateful Tuesday evening that is now the 14th day of the 1st month when the lambs are slaughtered at 3 PM in the afternoon, that the chain of events takes place with His arrest.

Saturday Sabbath was the 10th day of Nisan.

Sunday was the 11th day of Nisan

Monday was the 12th Day of Nisan

Tuesday was the 13th day of Nisan

Wednesday was the 14th day of Nisan and the Preparation day of the Passover

The Lamb was anointed and examined during the preceding Sabbath on Nisan 10. On this final day when the lamb is to be slaughtered, Nisan 14, Pilot will find no fault in him three times.

Sunday was not the 10th day of the month of Nisan that year. Sabbath was. And the Lamb of God was selected and taken in the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary on the 10th day as were the lambs for Passover that year. Yehshua was taken into the home of people that He loved.

When people assume or presume that Sunday is the 10th day because of Yehshua riding on the colt, they then create the confusion that we presently have.  Some people think that because this Sunday was the 10th, they then assume that Yehshua must have been killed on the Thursday.

So, we go back to the beginning statement. It is this opening statement that causes the deception in the exact same way that Satan deceived Eve in the Garden Of Eden. Satan does not deny the facts; he just twists them a little to cause doubt and confusion.

That opening statement states that Palm Sunday is the 10th day when the Lamb is selected. Therefore, the 14th is Thursday.  The deception was in causing you to assume Palm Sunday was the 10th of Nisan. The deception then goes on, having already told you that the 10th day was Palm Sunday, to solidify that deception by saying if it was not on Sunday, then would Yehshua ride the colt into Jerusalem on the Sabbath? Obviously not. But they have now presumed and also, now have you thinking that the ride into Jerusalem had to take place on the 10th of Nisan.

And by now, you have bought into the lie and fallen for the deception, and you then have doubts about many things.

Yehshua was selected by Lazarus, Martha and Mary with the apostles that Sabbath evening when He was invited into their homes. This was the start of Nisan 10 when the lambs were selected. The next morning, that very same Sabbath, many Jews came to examine Him and to meet Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. Then, on Sunday, Nisan 11, Yehshua rode into Jerusalem.

The chronology is there for you to understand. This same chronology also shows you that Yehshua knew when the Passover meal was to be eaten. He did not eat the Passover meal with the apostles. That was something different. For now, understand the chronology of events and study the calendar.

When you read the events of Passover in 1379 BC when the exodus took place, read it and look at the days of the week so you can understand.

The Passover

Exo 12:1  And Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

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

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.

Exo 12:4  And if the household is too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take according to the number of the souls, each one, according to the eating of his mouth, you shall count concerning the lamb.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Exo 12:9  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.

Exo 12:10  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.

Exo 12:11  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.

Exo 12:12  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.

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.

Exo 12:14  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.

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.

Exo 12:16  And on the first day shall be a holy gathering, and in the seventh day there shall be a holy gathering for you. No manner of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you.

Exo 12:17  And you shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For in this same day I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall keep this day in your generations by a law forever.

Exo 12:18  In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.

Exo 12:19  Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses. For whoever eats that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, among the aliens and among the natives of the land.

Which day is the Passover meal to be eaten? This is the Test. Did Yehovah, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, change the Passover meal dates from the 15th to the 14th? This is a test! Did Yehshua, who said, I change not, change the date to from the 15th to the 14th? It is a test. Run to the banner, the flag of Yehovah.

It is just a test, as you practice this year after year. But all tests are created so that when the day comes and you need to put into practice what you have learned, you will be able to do so correctly. Although Passover took place 3403 years ago, the day of our knowledge of our knowledge of this event will be tested in just 7 year’s time in 2030.

Below is the calendar dates expected for 2030. Do you know when to eat the meal and when to flee? This is when the test becomes real with deadly consequences for those who fail to get it right. Yehovah tests those who love Him. It is just a test.

Passover according to the Hillel calendar, for the year 2030, starts on the evening of Thursday, April 18th and ends with the 7-day festival at sunset on Wednesday, April 24th. It is just a test.

 

 

28 Comments

  1. Stuart Wall

    Thank you Joe, the article on testing and likening our learning to being able to pass a multiple choice test really helped me understand for the first time why the scriptures are not clear, and helped me understand a lot of the trials of my faith. It was a second witness for me today.

    However I do have a concern over your encouragement to start deleavening weeks in advance, as the scriptures tell us to do this on the first day of the Feast. Are you not adding to scripture and creating a greater burden? I can see your logic, but perhaps there is meaning in doing it all on one day?

    Shalom.

    • Truth Seeker

      Shalom Stuart,

      I agree with your comment about taking weeks to “deleaven” your house. That is not scriptural but tradition added to Torah. It says in Exodus 12:15- Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread, even the first day yee shall put away leaven out of your houses……….Why? In my opinion its because we were thrust out of Egypt.
      So we should take one day to throw out the leaven, not weeks. It doesn’t say in scripture to remove every little crumb hiding in every nook and cranny.
      When my family first got into Torah, we used to go through the whole deleavening process and it was a major burden. To a point I dreaded the Feast of Unleavened Bread because of the deleavening tradition. We broke free of this and other man made traditions and it feels so liberating. We pitch out any yeast and bread in one day and focus our energy on the events of Passover, the Exodus and Yeshua.

      • Shannon Elliott

        I love your testimony about following the Word in Torah more than tradition. I am thankful for the one day thing also.

        I understand the sentiment of tradition, but tradition should always bow to truth. Amen!

      • Sonia Clarke

        Thank you so much on your comment of deleavening the home. I had been troubled greatly over emptying crumbs from the toaster, throwing out herb cubes that had yeast extract in them. I too decided to throw out yeast and bread but did it weeks earlier. Now I can do in one day.

        • Truth Seeker

          Thank you Shannon and Sonia for your kind comments. We shouldn’t add to Torah unecessary traditions or works like the Pharisees do, to be seen by men. Jesus said it himself.

          I noticed today on Chabad.org if you look under Passover 2024 there is a list of passover topics including a topic called Law and Lore. You might want to check it out. This is where the the ritual ofthe many days of rigourous deleavining comes from. Anything that has mystical underpinnings should be avoided like the plague. It is short and I have cut and pasted it for your interest.

          Law and Lore

          First published in Hebrew under the name Sefer HaToda’a (literally, “The Book of Knowledge/Awareness”) in 1963, Rabbi Eliyahu KiTov’s Book of Our Heritage, became an instant classic. In the forty years since, it has become a favorite and indispensable resource for students and educators, for novices and scholars alike, and a “must have” for every Jewish library.

          The Book of the Heritage follows the annual cycle of the Jewish calendar, devoting a section to each of its twelve months, and the festivals and special days it contains. It summarizes the laws and customs, then delves into their history, the reasons and meanings behind the observances, as well as their MYSTICAL (my emphasis) underpinnings.

          The following pages contain excerpts from the English edition published by Feldheim, translated by Rabbi Nathan Bulman and edited by Dovid Landesman.

          Excerpts from the Book of Our Heritage

          Chametz
          Search and Nullification
          The Candlelit Search
          The Time for the Search
          Searching with a Candle
          Where To Search
          After the Search
          Search, Removal and Burning of Chametz
          Selling Your Chametz
          Preparing Vessels for Use on Passover
          More on Chametz

    • Ploni Almoni

      Under the SIX DAYS TO PASSOVER section, you will find the following:
      “The preparations for this Feast of the LORD actually begin several days before.  In ancient times and in Yeshua’s day, when the Temple stood, the lambs chosen for sacrifice had to be inspected for four days.  This began on Nisan 10.  The lambs were brought into Jewish homes and were carefully watched to be certain there were no blemishes or illness, which would disqualify them for the Passover sacrifice.  Just as the lambs were inspected, so was Yeshua, who is our Passover and the Lamb of God.”

      If the Paschal lamb is inspected for defects for four days before it is sacrificed, we should be scrutinizing ourselves 10 times four days! Thus, the traditional 40 days of repentance leading up to Yom Kippur teach us that we need time to prepare. If we wait until the 14th of Nisan to begin inspecting the leaven in our lives, or likewise wait until the Day of Atonement to repent, then we have missed out on the opportunity to thoroughly and completely examine ourselves for defects – even more so than the lamb.

  2. Truth Seeker

    The reason Joseph. D. does not believe that Yeshua’s meal was Pesach is because it does not agree with pre-conceived ideas and Jewish traditions that relegate the Pesach meal to the evening (beginning) of the 15th of the Abib. Moses clearly states that the Pesach was to be offered on the 14th and eaten on THAT NIGHT (the 14th) and that on THAT NIGHT (the 14th) YHVH would ‘pass-over’. Furthermore, they were COMMANDED to remain inside their dwellings THAT NIGHT (the 14th) until daybreak. The Torah also clearly states that it wasn’t until the following evening (the 15th), the First High-Day of Unleavened Bread, that He, YHVH, began to bring their armies, Yisrael’s, out of the land of Egypt BY NIGHT!
    And if a clear and simple reading of the Torah, without the added Jewish tradition, isn’t enough for you to understand that THE PESACH (the sacrifice, the meal, and the event) was on the 14th, then you also have the example of YESHUA HIMSELF who clearly said that the meal He prepared and had WAS A PESACH SACRIFICE AND MEAL multiple times in several Gospel accounts, and that He held that symbolic sacrifice and meal on the EVENING BEGINNING THE 14TH OF ABIB approximately 20 hours before BECOMING IT!
    Follow Yeshua and not Rabbinic or Karaite Jewish traditions!

    I pray Yehovah will open your eyes.

    • Shannon Elliott

      It wasn’t Pesach. He was slain on preparation day, along with the other lambs.

      He was to be “eaten” if you will. I know people hate that one, but it flies in the face of the “Ishtar Ham” nicely, don’t you think?

      Anyway, He WAS the Passover Lamb (that year, and forevermore), so no, He did not eat it. He was prepared for it.

    • Ploni Almoni

      Deu 16:1  Observe the month Abib, and keep the Passover to Jehovah your God. For in the month of Abib, Jehovah your God brought you forth out of Egypt by night.

      Many times, clauses in Biblical Hebrew are stuck at the end of a verse. For better understanding in English, “by night” should be placed here:

      Deu 16:1  Observe the month Abib, and keep the Passover to Jehovah your God [by night]. For in the month of Abib, Jehovah your God brought you forth out of Egypt.

      This now makes more sense because we were actually taken out of Egypt in the morning, since “the next day” begins at daybreak:

      Num 33:3  And they pulled up stakes from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the next day after the Passover the sons of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.

      So the Pesach was to be offered on the 14th and eaten that night (as the 15th began) with unleavened bread, because it was now the first high day of Unleavened Bread. They were commanded to remain inside their dwellings that night (still the 15th) because at midnight (still the 15th), YHVH would pass-over. Then that morning they left at daybreak (still the 15th).

  3. Niel de Villiers

    Shalom Joe

    Something that has bothered me for long now – why the institution of a perpetual Friday observance as the crucifixion date , by
    a known religious group ? Even when a group of their followers – called the quartodecimans went to Rome and asked to bring the crucifixion date back to the 14th day -they were refused and excommunicated .
    So in my endeavour to see why only Fridays , we can look to what this day may have in common with some of their traditions
    and customs , which they state is of greater value than scripture .

    When we look at perpetual habits , the eating of fish on this day has been an perpetual observance , maybe not so much in our modern day .

    The headgear of the leadership of this institution , has perpetually been that of the fish head in their acknowledgement of Dagon
    the fish god .

    Yahusha ( Christ ) have been perpetually kept on the cross – whilst we know , the cross has been empty since First Fruits that year .

    So what other aspect might complete this puzzle ?

    Might it be 1 Samuel 5 : 1 – 5 ? Who knows , but it’s worth thinking about it .

    Shalom and God bless

    • Shannon Elliott

      Not sure what 1 Sam 5:1-5 has to do with it, but your message about the dagon hat & fish day observance came through loud and clear. And the empty cross as well, for sure.

      Very good points!

  4. bernard baruch carman

    while many debate over calendar & Passover timing issues, perhaps most noteworthy is the fact that Jesus Christ, Yahshua Messiah, didn’t. perhaps this is because His perspective is that these timing matters are not paramount. what appears to be more paramount is that His worshipers strive to come together at His appointed times in His Spirit of love, and most importantly to dispense with condemning others for observing slightly differently. we should never proclaim that other believers’ observances are not recognized by God, or that those who the Father has not yet opened their understanding regarding His Sabbaths & appointed times are doomed to hear, “i never knew you”. when we do so, we are disobeying “torah”, for the instruction to not condemn others is very clear within the scriptures. i pray the Father will open more eyes to this truth. Godbless… 🙏🏼😎❤️♾️

    • Shannon Elliott

      The whole world is being led to rivet on 2030. It’s a test all right. I am so thankful to know that this is when the fake king of the world will come into power, and so be doubly aware. Thank you for your work with the Timeline, Brother Joseph.

      As to the questions concerning judging Aviv. We “are” kings and priests in Yeshua. Two witnesses would be nice, to confirm, but my sister in Mashiach there in Israel is qualified according to the Blood of the Lamb, and the Word of His Testimony.

      As has been pointed out before (last year) when any barley is Aviv in a field in Israel, within two weeks, the harvest will be happening. This makes for enough for the First Fruits offering. And, no, the whole harvest is not needed for First Fruits — only the first of the grain was required for that.

      I’m very interested to know what’s happening there with the barley. We still have a few weeks to determine. I hope to be ready — whether there is one Adar or two.

      I don’t and won’t go in for lauding that deceptive so-called space program or any of its unbelieving heros and founders and wizards of CGI.

      But, I liked the end of your newsletter really well. And I got the flag thing, though I wish for the Commandments to be our flag — obedience to our Yehovah Yoshia!

      Shalom!

      • bernard baruch carman

        also consider that besides the millions of stars in the universe whose constellations tell of the plan of God, there are two specific celestial witnesses created by God for us to determine His appointed times: the Sun & Moon.

        regarding your “wizards of CGI” comment, what are you suggesting… that NASA, SpaceX & every other space exploration team works over any and all video/photo evidence regarding something about the planet? you’re not suggesting a “flat Earth” scenario here, are you?

    • Shannon Elliott

      Did you ever stop to consider that Yeshua/Jesus never debated over the dates for the Moedim because they were making real-time observations in the right way then?

      That’s not even the case today, not officially. The whole world (that officially observes) is following the Hillel II calculated, not onserved, calendar — or, like so many others — either don’t care — or are off doing their own thing.

      If Yehovah bothered to set up His system for His appointed times, to meet with Him, we ought also to care when these things are, in my opinion.

      I’m not an expert, and not judging others that don’t know better — but know enough to feel keenly interested, and excited even. And I wish the whole world was on Yehovah’s Moedim, honoring Him to the best of their ability.

      • bernard baruch carman

        yes, i have considered this as well. however, many who push one calendar method as being the “only one God recognizes” don’t often consider the fact that pretty much every method places God’s appointed times in their due season. therefore, one could make the case that NONE of these calendar systems are “wrong” and are “not recognized by God”, and that’s why Jesus didn’t criticize the calendar method at that time.

        also consider that God included no prohibition of calculating His sacred calendar system. the calculated calendar has served God’s people in locations throughout the globe for a very long time in coming together. i know of some people who have forsaken the gathering of brethren at God’s appointed times in order to do it their understood way… as if the precise timing of such annual assemblies is more important than the gathering together of God’s people.

        regardless of perspectives, the problem is that too many Sabbatarians condemn others for observing a different system than they do. i once directly asked Mr. Dumond this pointed question and his answer was not very direct, but he seemed to convey a dogmatic approach as most everyone does. that’s between him & God, but if he does condemn the observances of other brethren, then he has to repent of this.

  5. bernard baruch carman

    Genesis 1:
    14 Then God‭ said‭‭, “Let there be lights‭ in the firmament‭ of the heavens‭ to divide‭‭ the day‭ from the night‭; and let them be for signs‭ and seasons‭, and for days‭ and years‭;‭
    15‭“and let them be for lights‭ in the firmament‭ of the heavens‭ to give light‭‭ on the earth‭”; and it was so.‭

    it seems clear from Genesis that the means for determining God’s “seasons” or appointed times has to do with the lights (the luminaries or celestial bodies) in the heavens. this includes celestial events, even equinoxes & solstices. if the barley harvest was to be the primary indicator of God’s “seasons” it would have been included here. regardless, be blessed & do according to your best understanding of God’s Word.

    • Shannon Elliott

      But the sun does help determine the Moedim, because without it the barley wouldn’t grow at all. It is in the Word to use the barley, and its growth is the contribution of the sun. The moon is set to determine the start of each month. Other than that, it’s a matter of counting, according to the scriptures. It’s really quite simple, and God endorsed.

      • bernard baruch carman

        yet, Genesis is clear about the celestial bodies being the determining factors of determining God’s appointed times — it says nothing about the barley, yet it appears so many people ignore this & only look at the barley. sure, the barley could certainly be another witness to the time of year, however, secondary to that which Genesis states.

        why is it that so many people ignore the equinox when it is specifically an event created by the celestial bodies? (i’m not saying you or Mr. Dumond ignores the equinox, but many do and only look at the barley. besides, the barley being ripened varies widely due to elevation variances. we know that Jerusalem isn’t the only legitimate location to determine God’s appointed times, because such times were determined while then children of Israel were still wandering in the desert for 40 years.

        it is all relatively simple, however, the Bible does not give *explicit* instructions as to the most accurate or best method in order to determine God’s appointed times. again, determine according to whatever method you feel is most accurate and be blessed. however, no one has the authority to condemn the observance of God’s appointed times by another method, and we must repent of doing so.

        • Glenn

          Bernard , All the explantion is found in Gen 1:14-18 on . It says the SUn for days and years( sun ripens barley(a sign directly reulting from the SUN) required for Wave sheaf day for PASSOVER , no Barley, No passover) Moon for Appointed times sliver says when in union with the barley aviv . Moon determines the day and hour no man knows. Below you mention That it doesnt say not to harvest but it does …. Deu_16:9  You shall count seven weeks to yourselves. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time you began to put the sickle to the grain.
          Once you start harvesting is when you are to start the count to Shavuot … ALL of the Appointed times rest on the NEw years redering , if you are off then they are all off. I hope this helps.

  6. Jayson

    Lev 23:10 says “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, THEN ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:”

    I’m not trying to stir the pot any more than it already has been stirred but, a simple observation and understanding of the verse above seems to say “reap the harvest, THEN bring a sheaf of the firstfruits”. I could be wrong.

    I’m also wondering what makes us qualified to determine the timing of the “Aviv”? Sure, we can understand what scripture instructs but wasn’t this the responsibility of the Priests, specifically the Zadoks who were given charge of the Sanctuary, even when the Levites went astray? Isn’t it interesting that the barley growth chart we use to determine the stages of growth is called the “Zadok Scale”?

    After reading this newsletter, I’m especially thankful that Yehovah looks at my heart because, even when I’m wrong, I have the possibility of getting full credit. I don’t have all the answers and I don’t proclaim to always be right but, I do always strive to be obedient.

    Blessings to all on this wonderful Shabbat!

    • bernard baruch carman

      AMEN! we should all be so thankful that YHWH looks upon the heart. God knows our intentions.

      i don’t personally view such discussions or “stirring the pot” as a bad thing, but a good thing so long as it’s done without condemnation of one another.

      i’m not against using the barley harvest as yet another indicator of the time of year, as it also indicates Spring has sprung. 😉

      however, this account in Lev 23 doesn’t specifically state that which Genesis 1:14-15 does — that the celestial bodies are specifically used to determine God’s appointed times. therefore, we must conclude that these are the primary indicators to be used in doing so.

      again, be blessed in the observance method you are convinced of while not condemning the observance methods others are likewise convinced of, as we all see only in part. & i’m not suggesting you are condemning others, but that it’s very common among those dogmatic regarding a particular calendar method perspective.

    • Glenn L Caron

      Deu_16:9  You shall count seven weeks to yourselves. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time you began to put the sickle to the grain.
      Its pretty clear that we are NOT to touch the grain until the offering is made THEN we can harvest . ALl the Appointed times require that the declaration of the new year be RIGHT or they will all be off.

  7. Michael Miiller

    Yehshua was selected by Lazarus, Martha and Mary with the apostles that Sabbath evening when He was invited into their homes.

    My question, where is Mary, the mother of Yehshua? You hear of her at the time of Him being crucified. Not days prior. Goes to the point that we are not accepted by our own family members. We need to be strong when carrying the banner!!!

    • Ploni Almoni

      She loved Him so much, as a mother and even a disciple, that her own soul was pierced with His.

      Luk 2:34  And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this One is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign spoken against
      Luk 2:35  (yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also), so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

  8. M.K. Bishop

    Joseph, I looked up the Abraham Accords and the date given was 9/15/2020. Might you have the wrong date in this report?

    The Abraham Accords are bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on September 15, 2020. On September 15, 2020, the official signing ceremony for the first iteration of the Abraham Accords was hosted by the Trump administration at the White House.[3] As part of the dual agreements, both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recognized Israel’s sovereignty, enabling the establishment of full diplomatic relations.

    • James Relf

      I am quoting WIKI on those dates. September 15, 2020. Is that not what I have written there?

  9. Ella

    I pray to pass the test.