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Re-Post Friday

Are you striving to be closer to God?

A look back on a very important resolution. Read it HERE!

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The Feast of Trumpets

Let’s examine the first of the feast that Jesus has not yet fulfilled.

Today we begin our look into the last three feasts in the Jewish calendar. What sets these fall feasts apart from the others that we have discussed is something that is very important for believers today to understand. It is the fact that Jesus has not completed these feasts as of yet, but something that He will do in the future to come. These last three feasts represent a hope that we as born-again believers have in the promises of God.

The first of these uncompleted feasts is the Feast of Trumpets. This feast gets its name from the command to blow trumpets and signal the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar. 29 “‘On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. As an aroma pleasing to the Lord, offer a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect.With the bull offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; with the ram, two-tenths; and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and drink offerings as specified. They are food offerings presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma.” Numbers 29:1-6. This feast commemorated the end of the agricultural and festival year. It also announced the preparation for the Day of Atonement, which we will discuss next week.

As I stated at the beginning, this is the first feast that Jesus has not fulfilled, at least not yet. However, just as the other feasts have foreshadowed events that were completed by Christ, so does the Feast of Trumpets. The Bible is full of trumpets being used to signal change, or identify something that is happening. For the Old Testament, trumpets were for an arrival of someone important, war, and even a wedding. For born-again believers in the Church age, the New Testament is clear that the rapture of the church will be accompanied by the sound of a trumpet. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. However, it is not just for the Church age believers that a trumpet signals an event. When you read through Revelation 8-9, you will see that each of the judgments are signaled by a trumpet. Tribulation saints will witness the Revelation trumpet events. Nevertheless, for the Feast of Trumpets, this is something that marks an event that will happen with Christ fulfilling.

While the Jewish nation celebrate the Feast of Trumpets to prepare for the Day of Atonement, there will come a day when a trumpet will be heard calling the believers to God and signaling a time of judgement on the earth for those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

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A STUDY IN GENESIS

Chapter 13 has some hidden treasures for you and I!

Take a moment and read chapter 13. This chapter has a few hidden treasures we need to dig into.

First, we come to an area of scripture that should settle an argument that we hear on a daily basis. I am not here to talk about the Roman Empire rule, the Ottoman Empire subjugation, the British Empire mandates, neither the United States international declarations. When it comes to Israel’s land, it was settled thousands of years ago. There are two unique lessons that need to be addressed. We will first start with the easier of the two. God gave the land to Abram and his children through Isaac and Jacob. Chapter 13 makes this very clear. We now enter a series of events that bring about more than just Abram but others in his family, Genesis 13:17Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” God is not forced to listen to some unprincipled United Nations, nor is He held to any corrupt international criminal court. He is the God who makes nations and brings them down, and as for Israel, they are an eternal living example of God’s grace and mercy with you and I.

Now we come to the second aspect of the chapter that we need to study, Lot’s decision making and the historical comments made. First, let us examine what historical comments are made. Chapter 13 brings up topics to the reader with the idea that they would be very conscious of the interaction God would have had with those people and cities, Genesis 13:10 “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere--this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah--like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.” Moses, who is the author of Genesis, indicates something rather remarkable, the events of Sodom and Gomorrah were well known to the reader. This means the passive comments provide legitimacy to the upcoming accounts of what happen. This proves God’s Word is not only accurate, but in most cases literal.

Secondly, a close examination reveals the character of Abram and Lot. Abram is wanting peace, he is calling on the name of the Lord. Lot is looking at what places will make him “rich.” The decision making process is in error. Instead of shunning himself away from the sin, Lot decides to live in it. The result, as we will find out, is horrible. Examine Proverbs 7 and you can see that the foolish man is out walking in areas that the evil woman is known to be. He dances the line while not crossing into sin but entertains the idea, and with sudden stupidity he fails. This in theme/principle is what has happened to Lot. We should flee and run from sin, for it is what condemns men to an eternal separation from God.

I believe Genesis 13 helps establish something else we need to understand. Genesis 13 follows the mistakes of chapter 12. Abram had made a mistake, and was now following the Lord as he should be. Is this your story? Do you have moments that you fail and think God is done with you? Thankfully, Abram did not. In fact, when he failed he did the one thing you and I should do as well when we fail. Abram ran back to where he was with God. Genesis 13:3-4 “And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.” We must do the same. When we fail, run back to the Lord. His promises will endure to us as well. He does not change. This chapter reveals a redemption story in itself. God forgives Abram and then blesses him. This blessing is still valid today. This does not mean that God will protect you from learning a hard lesson. There are two saved men in chapter 13. Abram does what is right, but Lot, who is also saved, chooses wrong. I think it can be safely said that as Christians, we need to be more like Abram who was not perfect, but acting out his faith and being centered on Christ and not as Lot who would later need an angelic evacuation.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

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The Feast of Weeks

What occurs 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits?

We have now reached the halfway point in our study on the seven Jewish feasts and how Christ fulfills them. Today, we will be discussing the second of the “solemn feasts”, the Feast of Weeks. This feast is also called Pentecost since it takes place exactly 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits.

This feast is another that required all Jewish males to travel to Jerusalem, 16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths; and they are not to appear before the Lord empty-handed.” Deuteronomy 16:16. Like the Feast of Firstfruits that we discussed last week, the Jews were required to attend the feast and offer sacrifices. “16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread as a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord.” Leviticus 23:16-17. However, this feast offers something unique. It is the first feast that we see the Jewish people are required to leave some of the harvest for the poor and strangers. 22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the stranger. I am the Lord your God.’” Leviticus 23:22.

So how does this feast show God’s redemptive plan for all peoples through Jesus Christ? As we saw when we studied the Passover Feast, Jesus was our Passover lamb. We have also seen that He completed the Feast of Firstfruits by His resurrection. Jesus completed the Feast of Weeks when He sent the Holy Spirit to the newfound church 50 days after His resurrection. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God is creating a spiritual harvest of all those who have and will place their faith in Him.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

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A STUDY IN GENESIS

What can God do when we fail in our faith?

If Abram and Sarai’s first faith challenge was to move, their second challenge was to trust if God was going to keep them safe in a new area. Abram is living for the Lord, his life is eternally changed and he is following God, Genesis 12:8-9 “And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent [with] Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.”

Sometimes, God will use natural causes in order to help motivate/guide/and even force us to go in a certain direction. This happened with Abram and Sarai. Genesis 12:10-16 “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine [was] severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you [are] a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 “Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This [is] his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 “Please say you [are] my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.” 14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she [was] very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.”

Instead of trusting the Lord, Abram believes he will be killed because of his wife’s beauty. Thus, he comes up with this idea to lie to Pharaoh. This is not the Pharaoh we see in Exodus nor is this the Pharaoh that we will see later at the end of Genesis with Joseph. Nevertheless, this Pharaoh is still a king with power. However, like any other Pharaoh, God reveals His power. Genesis 12:17-20 “17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What [is] this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she [was] your wife? 19 “Why did you say, ‘She [is] my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take [her] and go your way.” 20 So Pharaoh commanded [his] men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.”

God takes Abram’s lack of faith and shows that He as God is faithful and just to do something rather remarkable. This is a fact that we in the body of Christ need to remember. God is not done with us at salvation, but rather will continue to work in our lives and even at times use our stupid decisions for His glory. As we move forward, we will continue to see moments of faith triumphs and failures with Abram and Sarai, but the dominant lesson is who is there, it is Christ who is bigger than our victories and failures, He is God. And that should be comforting.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

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Re-Post Friday

What can we learn from this Christmas lesson?

A lesson from the three wise men. Read it HERE!

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The Feast of Firstfruits

Are you apart of this feast?

Today we are discussing the third feast, the Feast of Firstfruits. This feast takes place after the Feast of Unleavened Bread and is designed to remind the Israelites that God rescued them from Egypt and gave them a place to live and grow crops, the Promised Land.

“When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it,take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God.Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression.So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.”

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

As we can deduce from the name, the Feast of Firstfruits requires the Israelites to bring the first of the harvest each year to the priest, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest.” Leviticus 23:10. The Israelites were also required to sacrifice a year-old lamb without defect as a burnt offering and give a food offering of grain, oil, and wine 11 He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect, 13 together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine.” Leviticus 23:11-13. This was to remind the Israelites that God was the source of their crops and their provision overall.

So how did Jesus complete this feast? It is through His resurrection. As the first portion of a harvest indicates a full harvest to come, Jesus’ resurrection indicates a full resurrection to come for all those who have placed their faith and acknowledged Him as Lord and Savior.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

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A STUDY IN GENESIS

Who owns the land?

Today we talk about an issue that has been the focal point in human discussions ranging for thousands of years. It is the longest real-estate argument, the cause of wars, and countless deaths. Today, we look at who truly owns the land of Israel.

Abram is living his life and suddenly, it changes.

Genesis 12:1-7 “Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram [was] seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites [were] then in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”

There are several points we need to look at. First, that the Lord is calling Abram to the land. He is not taking it over, but rather being told to go to the land. Abram was content at staying where he was, and yet the Lord had other plans. Second, we see that the Lord has good intentions with Abram. These good intentions are to orchestrate the very rescue of our souls! God is putting into place the very foundation for the nation of Israel and the coming Massiah. Without the faithfulness of Abram and Sarai, we would be doomed. What does this mean for you and I today? It means if God tells us to go and do something we should be about it. While Abram and Sarai did not see the end result, we can see the treasure of their faith.

We next see that God is setting up the international diplomatic norm that is clearly established forever. He will bless those who bless Him and He will curse those who curse Him. This promise is still active today. There is scholarly work that has been published examining the relationship with how the Jewish people are treated and what happens in the nation. This does not mean we give acceptance to everything that the Israeli government does, but rather we support and help the Jewish people. For those who disagree with this statement, I would ask them if they recognize the verse just before, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.” We are quick to recognize God’s literal ancestral birth line, but fail to follow up with the next verse and recognize the rules of how the gentile world will interact with them. Many today say Israel does not belong in the land, however this is God’s land that He gave to Abram and his descendents. Those who claim Israel should not be there are ignorant of God’s call on the land. Next week we will dig more into this declaration and see just how powerful God’s eternal word really is!

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

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Power of Prayer

The importance of prayer in these days!

With all the events that are taking place right now, the call to prayer is much needed. However, I believe that it is important for born-again believers to recognize the importance and power of prayer before frivolously praying. If you had followed along with the study on the armor of God, you would have recognized that prayer is the artillery fire for the believer. I think one of the best biblical examples of this can be found in the book of Esther.

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

Esther 4:15-16

As a quick refresher, at this point in the book of Esther, Mordecai has discovered a plot to annihilate all the Jews. He goes to his niece who has been made queen to implore her to speak to the king about reversing his order. Esther is terrified to go before the king without being summoned as that would result in her death. So what is it that she does? She asks all those both near and far to pray for her. In the rest of the book, we see that through Esther’s actions, the Jews are allowed to fight back and conquer their enemies.

Why do I bring this up today? Events that are taking place are cause for notice, for the believer we can recognize that the day for Jesus to return is getting closer. This should be exciting! However, this does not mean that we as the body of Christ should slack in praying for God’s chosen people, the Jews, the nation of Israel, the believers there and those in the nations that are attacking, as well as the nonbelievers to come to know Him globally. Just as in Esther, our prayers can accomplish wonderful and miraculous things.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

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CALL TO PRAYER

We need to be praying for the Jewish people and for the Persian people.

Once again the Church is called to be ambassadors for Christ. Many fail to recognize this true emphasis that is behind the idea of being an ambassador. We are to represent Christ as called, 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” We are also called to take the concerns of earth to the King of Heaven. Simply put, as the Church, in our special envoy capacity, we need to make use of our direct access to the God of Heaven. We need to be praying for Israel. There are those who will claim Israel is not the true Jewish people or that the Church has replaced Israel. These are fools who know little of the Bible and even less about the nature of God. Today my call is to the born again believers who are not fools, but who rightly divide the Word of truth and know that there is still a special place in human history for the Jewish people as prophesied by God’s Holy Word.

We need to be praying for Israel! We need to be praying for the peace of Jerusalem! We need to be praying for the Jewish people to see the light and run to their Messiah. We also need to be praying for the Persians. There are many who are born again believers and they need our prayers. We need to pray that the Persians who are not saved come to know Jesus Christ. The time is short, let us be about our Lord’s work in prayer, fasting, and with Holy motivation!

God is good and has not abandoned the Jewish people, neither should we.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

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Re-Post Friday

Finishing one of our Christmas series reviews!

Understanding why Jesus came the way He did. Read it HERE!

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The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Let’s examine the second spring feast!

Today we are going to take a look at the second Jewish feast. As I have stated before, it is important for us today understand the meaning behind the different feasts and also see how Jesus Christ has and will fulfill them. Last week we discussed the first feast, the Passover feast. We saw that for the Jews, this feast is important because it showed how God protected them through the blood. This is important for believers today because we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. Today, we will be looking at the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

This feast follows after the Passover feast and last seven days to celebrate the Jews escaping from Egypt. 15 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. 16 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. 17 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 18 In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. 19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. 20 Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.” Exodus 12:15-20. This passage shows us the origin of when the feast began. During this feast, consuming unleavened bread (bread made without yeast) represents how quickly the Israelites had to leave Egypt. If anyone has made bread before, you will understand how long it takes for bread to rise in order to bake. The Israelites did not have this luxury and had to have ingredients that did not take long to bake. However, this feast also presents a spiritual significance. The yeast free bread represents a removal of sin and gives the individual time to reflect and repent on any sin that is in their life. This is especially important to do after a feast where a lamb had been sacrificed for the nations sins.

So, how did Jesus complete this feast? Scripture tells us that He is the bread of life, John 6:35 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus is the only person to have walked this earth who has lived a sinless life. He is the only one who can remove our sins from us and make us clean.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

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FATHERS DAYS IN GENESIS

A lesson regarding Father’s Day and Abraham.

I believe it is not an accident that we arrive at chapter 12 of Genesis the day after Father’s Day in the United States. Abraham was the father of many nations as promised by God, but I want to bring to light something rather remarkable about Abraham that many miss today. Abraham started his life off following his earthly father, but ultimately followed his Heavenly Father. His life is a monument to someone whose faith stood the test of time and kept focused on the Lord God. Was he perfect? Certainly not, but his faith was accounted to him as righteousness. What about fathers today? Is your life reflecting that of Abraham? We will never be perfect, but is our life a living testimony on how we should follow Christ? I certainly hope so. No matter how you came to wear the responsibility of a father figure your life needs to be dedicated to pointing those children no matter the age to their Heavenly Father.

Abraham was more than just a faithful representation, it is because of Him we have a blessing that is beyond measure. His blood line would bring Jesus Christ. For the Church, we are born again and are Christ’s, does this make us Jewish? Certainly not, but spiritually, this makes us apart of the lineage rooted back to Abraham. This is why Abraham is promised to be a father of many nations. Many will examine Abraham’s role in creating Israel or one of the other Middle East nations that we see today. However, I believe we fail at times to recognize his essential part in the Church’s ancestry.

As fathers, we need to be about the Lord’s work that He has called us to, and provide such a living testimony that others will reflect on our lives in the future to use us as an example of what and how they should be when it comes to following Jesus Christ.

Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing men out there, remember we have a Heavenly Father who is there to help us as we serve the children He has placed in our responsibility. I will end on this, a verse that has always come to my mind when talking about what a father should be like, 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all [that] you [do] be done with love.”

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

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The Passover Feast

Can a feast save us from death?

Today, we are beginning our study on the different feasts. Not only are we going to look at the significance of the feasts, but we are also going to see how Jesus Christ has fulfilled them, and in the case of the last three feasts, how He will fulfill them. As I pointed out last week, the Hebrew word for feast means appointed time, this is why it is important to understand how Jesus Christ fulfills the different feasts, it allows us as born-again believers to see where we are at in Biblical times and understand where things are going. So today, we are going to begin with the first feast. The Passover Feast.

This feast ought to be an easy one for believers and is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays. Passover takes place in the spring, for Western countries it occurs close to Easter (as we will study in a couple weeks), typically early- to mid- April.

The significance of the Passover feast can be found in Exodus. It is the celebration to remember how the Holy Spirit would literally pass over houses that had been marked by the blood of a lamb over their doorway. Exodus 12:21-22,21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.” It was with this final plague that the pharaoh released the captive Jewish people and as such, God commanded the Israelites to remember this with a feast. Exodus 12:24-28, 24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.”

So, how did Jesus fulfill this feast? For the born-again believer, this should be an easy answer. He became our sacrificial lamb. 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”; Revelation 5:12, “In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” While the Jews were preparing to celebrate the Passover, Jesus was preparing for the cross. Luke 22:14-16, 14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” It is through applying His blood to our lives by faith. Just as the Jews who trusted in God when they applied the blood of the lamb to their doorways, it is through the blood of Christ that we are saved from death.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

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A STUDY IN GENESIS

Look at the numbers!

We now come to an examination of the numbers up to this point in the events of Genesis. By this time the earth has experienced 21 generations, starting from Adam to Abraham. You already saw the amazing power of God when it comes to the names. However, now let us examine the numbers and see how God is declaring His word to us!

From Adam to Noah’s birth is 1,056 years. I do not believe in coincidences and every student of the Bible should take what God lays out with serious focus. 1056 Samuel inn Naghrela who was the Jewish vizier of Granada died and was succeeded by his son Joseph. Joseph did not have the same aptitude for politics which would eventually lead to his death and the Granada massacre of 1066. I find it interesting that we see Noah’s birth as a sign of coming death and judgement and yet for the Jewish people there is a subtle hint. Some might claim I am reaching too far into the text. However, we know from Deuteronomy that this is their destiny outside of the land God has promised them. Deuteronomy 28:65-66, “And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. 66 “Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life.”

But it gets more interesting. We can see from Adam to Terah being born there is 1878 years. When we examine this date in human history we see something also interesting. We have already learned that Terah was a person who was traveling, who was a pilgrim. He left his home because of pain and sought something new. In 1878, we see a large group of Jews desperate for something go to Petah Tikva. They found a small little settlement in hopes of peace. The characteristics are too similar not to bring up.

However, our greatest number to reflect on and connect is the date of Abraham being born. From Adam to Abraham is 1948 years. Ironically the exact same year that the nation of Israel is recognized once again in their native homeland. It is beyond skipping and should be reflected on. God says what He means and means what He says. Now you might be wondering where are we with other years? I am so glad you ask. In 2048 Isaac was born. His life we will get into, but we can safely say it was a life of deception, turmoil, and two sons who would father nations that have issues to this day. However, let us also look at the next individual’s birth. Jacob was born 2108. Do I know what this means? Not a clue! We know based on research that the last Jubilee has started. This would put us within a certain window of time based on views and scholarly research that I do not have the aptitude to bring to paper here. I would encourage you to review Ken Johnsons’ work at  Biblefacts.org. Never the less, I can make one interesting claim. Many are pointing towards the signs of the times. I would encourage you to do your own digging and see what could be reflected in the promises of God and the historical records that appear to be glimpse of God’s intentions.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

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Re-Post Friday

A look back into a topical Christmas post.

Understanding Joseph’s faith. Read it HERE!

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A Wonderful Feast

An introduction into our new topical study!

When you truly sit and study God’s word, it is amazing how alive it becomes. We can turn to scripture in times of joy, in times of fear, in times of sadness, and everything in between. God’s word has proved over and over again that it is alive and it is perfectly accurate, especially in terms of prophecy. From Genesis to Revelation, God has provided an outline of His entire plan for mankind; one such picture can be found in the Jewish feasts. In fact, the Jewish word for fease (moadim) means “appointed times”. This is why it is important for Christians to understand the meaning of the feasts and see how Jesus has fulfilled the first four and will fulfill the last three.

Over the next several weeks, we will be diving into a study on these feasts to understand the importance of them. Our walk with God will only grow if we understand His word on a deeper level, and in a world that is growing steadily darker, understanding the significance of the feasts will allow us to remember the blessed hope that is to come!

“For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Matthew 5:18

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

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A STUDY IN GENESIS

Look at what God is doing with a list of names!

As promised, today we examine the meanings behind the names from Adam to Abraham. What you will see is something unique. God is declaring something that is truly breathtaking. However, unlike other posts, I believe I will point you to a video to watch, where the names are listed in a way that I would argue is both very simplistic and powerful. The link will be provided below. However, we need to understand that God is wanting to draw our attention, for each person that is different. For some, He is able to draw their attention by a scenario in their life, for someone else it is by examining creation. For some, it is Him telling them to follow Him in a very real and audible way. There is no one simple way God calls people to Him. God getting our attention does not mean there are multiple ways to salvation, but in fact, there is only one way, and that is through Jesus Christ. God can use whatever is needed to get your attention to understand that you need Jesus in your life.

Now, there are some who laugh at Christianity and declare it to be a farce that cannot live up to true scrutiny. For those who make this claim, I chuckle in disbelief that they have ever truly examined God’s Word or His creation. God’s Word is perfect, His creation, while filled with sin, still perfectly points to Him. The more I understand about the human anatomy, the more I am bewildered by those who believe we went from the “goo, to the zoo, to you.” God’s Word reveals a declaration of His intention that is beyond human control. This is where the list of names and their meanings come in. Examine the video, watch and fact check it yourself. It is a rich study that will undoubtedly shed more light on who Jesus really is to you and me. THE VIDEO LINK! Next week, we will dig into the numbers and see what God is pointing out to us.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

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