03/18/2005 Sabbath Meeting Transcript

Last week, we went over the various scriptures that deal with the question of "What is Passover?" in a literal sense.

This week, let's examine the awesome spiritual meaning of the feast of Passover (Pasach).

As was mentioned last week, Passover is not like the so-called 'holi-days' of the mainstream. These holy days are found in scripture and commanded to be observed.

Also, unlike the holi-days of mainstream Christianity, Passover has a very powerful spiritual meaning that demonstrates the plan of salvation. I personally love this feast because it is so symbolic of what Yahushua has done for us and it applies very much to Yahweh's plan of Salvation.

This week's study may be a little difficult to understand unless one has read of the Passover feast as far as what it is in the literal sense. If you are unfamiliar with the Passover in the literal sense, I would encourage you to read "Introduction to Passover" at http://www.eliyah.com/transcripts/

One of the greatest testimonies to the greatness of Yahweh is how His plan for salvation is found in the literal history of Israel.

Within each of the following events of Passover, we will explore it's symbolic meaning.

First, scripture teaches us that we, as believers, are Israel:

John 8:38 - I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

John 8:39 - They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Yahushua saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

John 8:40 - But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of YAHWEH: this did not Abraham.

Galatians 3:7 - Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

Galatians 3:29 - And if you are the Messiah's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

I don't believe in replacement theology, but I do believe that those who are Messiah's are Abraham's seed, and thus are ISRAEL.

In the book of Exodus, we can read that the children of Israel (Jacob) were dwelling in Egypt and were increasing in number and size.

In fact, there were so many of them that the Pharoah of Egypt began to fear what might take place if they had gotten too large in number

Exodus 1:9 - And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:

Exodus 1:10 - Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

Spiritually, Egypt represents the sin laden world and all its glory

We (like literal Israel) were in bondage, in slavery to satan while in our sins.

Satan is the ruler and prince of this world. When speaking of the Holy Spirit, Yahushua mentioned this:

John 16:8 - And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

John 16:9 - Of sin, because they believe not on me;

John 16:10 - Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

John 16:11 - Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

and again..

John 12:31 - Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

and again..

2Corinthians 4:3 - And even if our evangel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,

2Corinthians 4:4 - in whose case the elohim of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the evangel of the glory of the Messiah, who is the image of YAHWEH.

Pharoah symbolically represents satan because Pharoah ruled Egypt (symbolic of the world).

Satan also tries to destroy the predestined children of Israel (us) lest we be large in number:

1Peter 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

So Pharoah divised and carried out a plan:

The children of Israel were oppressed and in the bondage of slavery to the Egyptians. The taskmasters, perhaps symbolic of demons, afflicted those in who were bondage.

As we have learned, Yahweh called out Moshe (Moses) to lead the children of Israel out of the land of bondage and slavery and promised to lead them into a beautiful land 'flowing with milk and honey'

Moses' purpose was to show them the way. This way is the way of righteousness through the learning & keeping of Yahweh's commandments.

The land flowing with milk and honey is symbolic of the "promised land", the eternal kingdom of Yahweh that we all seek to inherit, along with eternal life

Hebrews 3:14 - For we have become partakers of the Messiah if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,

Hebrews 3:15 - while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."

Hebrews 3:16 - For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?

Hebrews 3:17 - Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?

Hebrews 3:18 - And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?

Hebrews 4:1 - Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.

We are admonished here not to disobey as they did, but to overcome and inherit the kingdom promised us

While they were in bondage, Yahweh heard the cry of the children of Israel who wanted to be delivered from their bondage

Exodus 3:7 - And YAHWEH said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

We also knew the bondage that sin had brought upon us. We too, cried out to Yahweh. As we shall see, Yahweh delivered us in the same manner as He delivered Israel from their bondage!

Moshe (Moses) was Yahweh's spokesman. Yahushua was a Prophet 'like Moshe' but the mediator of the new covenant.

Pharoah did not want to let them go out of Egypt. The same is true of satan who does not want us to serve Yahweh but wants us to serve him and advance his works instead. He wants to keep us in sin and in bondage

Pharaoh/Satan tries to prevent people from worshiping Yahweh and would rather us give all the glory to him in our works and service.

Each time a person chooses to sin, they are advancing the kingdom of darkness. But we are delivered from this bondage!

Later in Exodus, Yahweh called out Moshe and worked many plagues upon the Egyptians who worshiped idols

Yahweh showed His superiority over dumb idols by sending 10 plagues. With the first plague, the water coming from the Nile river turned into blood for seven days. But the Pharoah would not heed them, as Yahweh had predicted.

In the same way, Yahweh has revealed to us His superiority over the gods of this world whether they be lusts, pride, drugs, money or whatever sins might come between us and Yahweh

Such idols are doomed for destruction, just as Yahweh destroyed much of Egypt through His plagues

The last plague given was an important one. Yahweh told Pharaoh through Moshe:

Exodus 11:4 - And Moses said, Thus saith YAHWEH, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:

Exodus 11:5 - And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

Exodus 11:6 - And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.

Exodus 11:7 - But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that YAHWEH doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.

And so Yahweh planned on making a difference between the Egyptians and Israel who desired to serve Yahweh. As we shall see, the Israelites were saved by the blood of the Lamb

Exodus 12:1 - And YAHWEH spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

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

Exodus 12:3 - Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

Exodus 12:4 - And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

Exodus 12:5 - Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

It is no secret that in many scriptures, Yahushua the Messiah is referred to as the "Lamb of Yahweh"

Even before He was baptized, He was spiritually called the Lamb of Yahweh

John 1:29 - The next day John seeth Yahushua coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of YAHWEH, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Other times in scripture, Yahushua is referred to as "The Lamb". Here is one of the 27 times Yahushua is called the "Lamb" in the book of Revelation:

Revelation 5:11 - Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,

Revelation 5:12 - saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!"

Yahushua is called the "Passover":

1Corinthians 5:7 - Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even the Messiah our passover is sacrificed for us:

Many today will call Yahushua the Lamb, but few truly understand why He is called the Lamb. This is because many who call Him the Lamb do not keep Passover, but choose to observe a day named after an idol: "Easter/Astarte"

Now, let's examine the text in Exodus once more:

Exodus 12:5 - Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

Exodus 12:6 - And ye 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.

So we see that on the tenth day of the month of Abib, the lamb was to be set aside from Abib 10 to Abib 14.

Yahushua the Messiah entered Jerusalem and went into the temple on Abib 10. He was on display until Abib 14, though it was hidden from all that on Abib 14, He would become the Passover Lamb

Now, if we were to understand that one day could be equal to 1000 years in prophetic terms:

2Peter 3:8 - But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with YAHWEH one day [is] as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Then one other possible meaning would be that Yahushua was hidden from the sight of man for 4000 years (4 days) until He became the Lamb of Yahweh sometime around 30 AD (CE).

The Lamb of Yahweh must be without blemish and without spot. Yahushua, our Lamb was totally without sin:

1Peter 1:18 - knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

1Peter 1:19 - but with the precious blood of the Messiah, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

The Lamb of Yahweh (Yahushua) was examined many times by the chief priests and elders, as well as Pilate. The reality was that there could be no real fault found in Him. When we examine Yahushua, we can all see that He was without spot and without blemish!

So on the tenth day of Yahweh's first month, the households of Israel would take for themselves an unblemished male lamb of the first year and set it aside and keep it seperated from the others.. ensuring that it was without blemish

As we said last week, it is helpful if we understand that in those days, a person's prosperity was primarily based on their livestock. To take a male lamb of the first year out of their flock would be a real monetary sacrifice.

Today, we nay think of sacrifices as something different. But it truly was a 'sacrifice' for the children of Israel to give up one of their lambs. In fact, not all households had one

Sheep only bear young once a year, so to give up a lamb was no small matter

Ultimately, it was Yahweh who provided the lambs for the children of Israel through His blessing. And ultimately, it is Yahweh who has provided for us a Lamb to save us from death.

Consider the example of Abraham who was told to offer His own son, Isaac on the altar:

Genesis 22:6 - And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

Genesis 22:7 - And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

Genesis 22:8 - And Abraham said, My son, Elohim will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

They later discovered a RAM in the thicket. But where was the Lamb?

Indeed, Yahweh HAS provided a Lamb to be offered for us.. just as Abraham said

Abraham was prepared to do what Yahweh was going to do. A few mention this, but behold the awesome obedience of Isaac in the above example!

For this, Abraham was greatly blessed

Going back to Exodus..

Exodus 12:6 - And ye 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.

So the whole assembly was about to kill the lamb and place the blood on the lintel and doorposts of their homes.

We, through our own sins have brought about the need for Yahushua's death. He died for all sinners.

But not all sinners will receive Him

If it were not for our sins, Yahushua would have no need to die. In this way the whole assembly has killed the Lamb of Yahweh

And it was the crowds that demanded Yahushua's death and desired His blood to be upon them and their children:

Matthew 27:24 - When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

Matthew 27:25 - Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

Continuing in Exodus..

Exodus 12:7 - And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

Continuing in Exodus..

We are all the household of Yahweh. The only way into the household of Yahweh, is through the Door

Yahushua said:

John 10:9 - I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

One of the clearest evidences in scripture that we should be observing the feasts today is in the commanded observance of the memorial supper that Yahushua instituted.

Many churches today practice this every sunday. But most of them do not have the realization of what they are even doing.

When one observes the Passover as instituted by Yahushua the Messiah, we can know exactly what the significance of it all truly is.

Modern theology wishes to divorce Passover from the partaking of Yahushua (the Passover), but this is not truth

Let's examine what Yahushua instituted:

Luke 22:15 - And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

Luke 22:16 - For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of YAHWEH.

Luke 22:17 - And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

Luke 22:18 - For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of YAHWEH shall come.

Luke 22:19 - And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

This is unleavened bread, for the Passover in Exodus 12 was to be eaten with unleavened bread. Leaven represents sin and there was no sin in Yahushua.

It was Yahushua's commandment to do this, and we are to do it in remembrance of Him

Scripture indicates that Yahushua died at the time of Passover. Therefore, when we partake of the bread we are breaking it to remember Yahushua's broken body

It was for our sins that He had to come into the world and die. And it was at this time of Yahweh's year that He died for us. He didn't die every Sunday, but on Passover.

1Corinthians 11:26\ -

1Corinthians 11:26 - For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew Yahushua's death till he come.

Bread is also known to represent His word in scripture

Yahushua IS the Word of Yahweh

John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The word of Yahweh convicts us of our sin and shows us our sin.

Therefore we need redemption!

When we partake of Yahushua's body, we are a part of Him:

John 6:47 - Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

John 6:48 - I am that bread of life.

John 6:49 - Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

John 6:50 - This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

As we said, bread can be symbolic of the word of Yahweh

Isaiah 55:1 - Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Isaiah 55:2 - Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Isaiah 55:3 - Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

And again:

Revelation 10:8 - Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, "Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth."

Revelation 10:9 - So I went to the angel and said to him, "Give me the little book." And he said to me, "Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth."

Revelation 10:10 - Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.

Revelation 10:11 - And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."

Continuing in John....

John 6:51 - I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Knowing that bread represents the word and the word is Yahushua the Messiah, we should know that it is His word that manifests our sins

His word itself is not sin, but His word reveals to us what sin is:

Romans 7:7 - What shall we say then? Is the law sin? By no means!! Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Knowing that the law reveals our sins, we need redemption!

This is why we partake of the fruit of the vine (Yahushua's blood) because now that His word convicted us, it pointed us to the need of Yahushua's blood to cover the sins that His word revealed to us! It must be applied to our dwelling place for us to be saved

Galatians 3:24 - Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to the Messiah, that we might be justified by faith.

HalleluYah, our faith in Yahushua the Messiah brings us justification... no matter our past sins

Getting back to Exodus 12, we see that they were commanded not to break any of the lamb's bones:

John 12:46 - I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

Yahushua's bones also were never broken:

John 19:32 - Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.

John 19:33 - But when they came to Yahushua, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:

Another attribute is that the children of Israel were to eat the Passover in haste

Exodus 12:46 - In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.

Exodus 12:11 - And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is YAHWEH's passover.

Notice that it is the LAMB that is Yahweh's Passover

They were also to eat it quickly because they would begin departing from Egypt that night. We too, must be quick to leave Egypt (the world) and trust in the blood of the Lamb for deliverance!

Now, after Passover is the feast of Unleavened bread

During 7 days of Unleavened bread..

Leviticus 23:5 - In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is YAHWEH's passover.

Leviticus 23:6 - And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto YAHWEH: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

Leviticus 23:7 - In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

Exodus 12:18 - In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

Exodus 12:19 - Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.

Exodus 12:20 - Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

As Exodus 12:19 shows, these commandments were not only for the children of Israel, but also for anyone who decides to join themselves unto Yahweh and be part of His people.

Therefore, let's keep the feast! What is so beautiful about this feast is that it casts a shadow

It is symbolic of our walk with Yahweh. The bondage, the leaven, the mercy of Yahweh with the lamb and its blood on the doorposts, the bitter herbs representing the bitterness we feel when we realize our sin and the need for Messiah's sacrifice, the promised land to come and so many other things all represent a powerful symbology of our own walk with Yahweh

It is well established in scripture that Yahushua died on the day of Passover. Does scripture then say what hour He died?

Matthew 12:46 - While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.

Matthew 12:47 - Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

Matthew 12:48 - But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

Matthew 12:49 - And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

Matthew 12:50 - For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

Wrong chapter..

Matthew 27:46 - And about the ninth hour Yahushua cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My El, my El, why hast thou forsaken me?

Matthew 27:47 - Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for EliYah.

Matthew 27:48 - And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

Matthew 27:49 - The rest said, Let be, let us see whether EliYah will come to save him.

Matthew 27:50 - Yahushua , when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the Spirit.

So, we see that Yahushua actually died at the "ninth hour" on the day of Passover

This is the exact time the Passover lambs were being sacrificed in Jerusalem!

Scripture predicted in the book of Isaiah that Yahushua would indeed be spotless and as a slain lamb:

Isaiah 53:7 - He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Isaiah 53:8 - He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

Isaiah 53:9 - And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Notice that verse 8 says "For the transgressions of My people He was stricken". As we continue on in Isaiah 53, we will see that this is because Yahushua, the perfect Lamb without sin and without blemish, was a sin offering:

Isaiah 53:10 - Yet it pleased YAHWEH to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of YAHWEH shall prosper in his hand.

In review, Yahushua the Messiah is called the (Passover) Lamb and He redeems us from sin and death.

Sin (Egypt) is bondage. Sin leads to death but we are redeemed from death by the blood of Yahushua.

Therefore what we have here with the feast of Passover and unleavened bread is a powerful symbol of our walk with Yahweh

As we have seen, we ARE Israel!

For only Israel will be a part of the New Covenant

Jeremiah 31:31 - Behold, the days come, saith YAHWEH, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Jeremiah 31:32 - Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith YAHWEH:

Jeremiah 31:33 - But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith YAHWEH, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their Elohim, and they shall be my people.

Jeremiah 31:34 - And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know YAHWEH: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith YAHWEH; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Forgiveness of iniquity and the blotting out of sin is what Yahushua made possible for us

Because we are Israel (in HIM) and because Yahweh commands us to, we want to keep the Passover and other feasts of Yahweh. My family and I celebrate the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread every year.

This year, we will be observing Passover on 3/25 and Unleavened Bread on 3/26 - 4/1 with the first and last days of Unleavened Bread being Sabbaths unto Yahweh

For those interested, the specifics of our Passover observance can be found at http://www.eliyah.com/passoverservice.html. We believe that Yahushua is our Passover Lamb and our service is done with this in mind

When we received Yahushua, we left behind the leavening which represents sin and false doctrine:

1Corinthians 5:6 - Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

1Corinthians 5:7 - Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even the Messiah our passover is sacrificed for us:

1Corinthians 5:8 - Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Therefore, let us keep the feast! And now we have been cleansed and washed of our sins by the blood of the Lamb:

Revelation 7:13 - Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?"

Revelation 7:14 - And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 7:15 - "Therefore they are before the throne of YAHWEH, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.

Therefore, like Israel, we are saved from death:

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of YAHWEH is eternal life through Yahushua the Messiah our Saviour.

This is the good news of Yahushua ha Mashiach!

So upon repentance, believe in Yahushua and a desire to follow Yahweh to the Promised Land we must be baptized!

Acts 2:38 - Then Kepha said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yahushua the Messiah for the forgiveness of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Baptism separates us from Egypt (The world) and represents the death of the 'old man'

The children of Israel were baptized when they came out of Egypt (sin):

1Corinthians 10:1 - Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

1Corinthians 10:2 - And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

Then they saw the bodies of the 'old men' being buried in the waters

And just as the children of Israel ate manna, we must find pasture on the word of Yahweh which feeds us with words of everlasting life. We must also be led by the Spirit of Yahweh through this wilderness, through a land and a world that is not our own.

1Corinthians 10:3 - And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

1Corinthians 10:4 - And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was the Messiah.

1Corinthians 10:5 - But with many of them YAHWEH was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Let us feed on His word, and not let the trials of life in this strange land cause us to fall into disfavor with Yahweh!

And remember: We are being led by Yahweh.. do not murmur!

Rejoice in Yahweh always. Let all things be done without murmuring or complaining

Deuteronomy 8:3 - And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of YAHWEH doth man live.

Let's seek to live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh. Not just the "New Testament".. but Every Word!

John 6:58 - This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

We, as the children of Israel are in a time of learning the law of Yahweh

Just as the children of Israel learned the law during their time in the wilderness, now we are in the wilderness learning the will of Yahweh

As we learn, we are also in a time of temptation and of trial, just as they

But as we grow, we advancing to the promised land, where Yahweh will reign!

Let's not grow faint brethren

Notice that Moshe did not bring them into the land?

It was Joshua who ultimately led them in

The name "Joshua" in Hebrew is the same name as the Messiah, Yahushua.

It is spelled the same and pronounced the same

What is the meaning of this?

In truth I perceive that we are being taught here that Moses can show us the way, and can show us righteousness. But in order for us to actually enter the Kingdom, we need a man named Yahushua to take us there!

For Moshe shows us what righteousness is, but Yahushua the Messiah gives us the righteousness we need to be found worthy to attain it

Moshe was imperfect.. He struck the Rock

Water flowed out

Because of our sin the Rock was struck:

John 19:34 - But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

Brethren, this imagery could not have happened by accident. It was done for a purpose.

It is to show us all His plan for us, His awesome plan

Will we accept His offer of salvation?

Will we accept His love?

Walking in sin is no way to repay Yahweh for His acts of kindness and love toward us

Let's heed the call to follow Yahushua into the promised land!

Yahweh showed us righteousness in written form through Moshe

and He shows us righteousness by example through Yahushua

He is the Living Torah that dwells within us.. the Torah written in our hearts

He wants to place His righteousness in us and give us power to live a sinless and endless life

Will we examine ourselves and purge out the leaven out of our lives for Yahweh this year?

Will we let the 'old man' die and truly let Yahushua ha Mashiach be on the throne of our hearts?

It's high time brethren

Truly, Yahweh has done a great work to reveal to us that this is what He wants us to do...this year and every year

So let's follow Yahushua and walk as He walked, for where He is we can be also

Though few or none go with us, let us still follow

With Yahushua (His word) before us and the world (Egypt) behind us, let's press on!

Let's press on toward the promised land.. where righteousness will reign, and Yahweh will be KING.. forever and ever

May Yahweh bless you and may He have mercy on us all!