The Feast of Shavuot—A Brief Explanation
Shavuot is the third festival in YHVH’s cyclical parade of annual sacred appointed times. It is also known as the Feast of the Harvest of the First Fruits (Exod 23:16), Day of First Fruits (Num 28:26) and the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot (which is Hebrew for weeks, Exod 34:22; Deut 16:10, 16; 2 Chr 8:13). Shavuot falls fifty days “from the day after the [weekly] Sabbath” (NKJV) that falls during the Days of Unleavened Bread, and hence the derivation of the name Pentecost (meaning “to count fifty”) as recorded in the Testimony of Yeshua (or New Testament/NT, Acts 2:16).
According to the first-century Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, the concept of counting fifty was expressed by the Jews of that day by the Hebrew word Asartha (Ant. III, x, 6). The 19th century Jewish scholar S. R. Hirsch in his Torah commentary refers to it as Azereth (The Pentateuch-Leviticus, p. 663). Both of these references seem to pointto the Hebrew word VRMG atzerah (or atzereth, Strong’s H6116/TWOT 1675c) meaning “an assembly or solemn assembly.”
- YHVH through his Torah (the law of Moses) instructed his people that Shavuot was…
- a day of rest where laborious or servile work was prohibited (Lev 23:21)
- a commanded assembly (Lev 23:21)
- a time when the priests offered up offerings and sacrifices (Lev 23:18–20)
- a time when all males were to bring the tithes of the increase of their income (Exod 23:14; Deut 16:16)
- a time when the priests were to offer up as a wave offering to YHVH two loaves of leavened bread made of the freshly harvested wheat (Lev. 23:17–20)
- to occur where YHVH would place his name and all were to go there to celebrate it (Deut 16:11)
- a time of rejoicing (Deut 16:11)
- to be forever (Lev 23:21)
An Agricultural Festival With Prophetic Implications
Ancient Israel was an agricultural society that had a spring harvest of grain and a fall harvest of fruit. The spring harvest consisted of the smaller barley harvest, which began during the Days of Unleavened Bread, and the much larger wheat harvest occurring fifty days later at Shavuot. Both the barley and wheat harvests were prophetic pictures symbolizing new life and new creation, and both were presented to YHVH by the priests for his acceptance—a sheaf of barley on First Fruits Day on the Sunday during Hag HaMatzot (the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Lev 23:10–11), and two loaves of leavened wheat bread on Shavuot (Lev 23:17).
On First Fruits Day, the priests of Israel would raise the newly harvested barley and wave it before YHVH for his acceptance. This was a prophetic picture of Yeshua who upon his resurrection Saturday evening, and subsequent ascension to heaven later on the first day of the week to be accepted by the Father (John 20:17) at the exact time the priests were waving first fruits sheaf of barley heavenward. Literally, Yeshua was the first to resurrect from the dead, and can thus be called the first of the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead.
Fifty days later Pentecost occurred when the priests offered to YHVH the two loaves of leavened bread made of wheat from the first fruits of the larger of the two spring harvests. This foreshadowed the larger harvest of souls during the time period from the giving of the Ruach HaKodesh (the Set-Apart Spirit) until Yeshua’s second coming. We are at the close of that time period now as the end of the age draws near. The Feast of Pentecost in Acts chapter two ushered in this time period with the harvest of thousands of people (Acts 2:41,47). It must be inserted here that an even larger harvest of people for the kingdom of YHVH is yet to occur during the fall feast days, which corresponds with the largest harvest of the entire year—the fall fruit harvest. This spiritual harvest will occur just prior to and after the return of Yeshua as an innumerable multitude of people come to faith in Yeshua out of the great tribulation (Rev 7:14) and when many more will be saved during the Messianic Age (or Millennium) itself.
The Prophetic Implications of the Feast of the Harvest of First Fruits
As we have seen, The Feast of the Harvest of First Fruits is another name for Shavuot (Exod 23:16; 34:22; Num 28:26). At Passover time, the barley (Exod 9:31 cp. chap. 12) was ready to be harvested in the land of Israel. Fifty days later at Pentecost, the larger wheat crop was ready for harvest (Exod 34:22). Barley and wheat were the two main grain crops of Israel (Deut 8:7–8; 2 Chron 2:15; Jer 41:8). In the late summer, the larger harvest of fruits and vegetables occurred.
These three harvests coincided, as noted above, with Israel’s three pilgrimage festivals: Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. The success of these three harvests was contingent upon the arrival of the fall (early or former) rains and the latter rains of the spring upon the land of Israel. In biblical and Jewish thought, these rains are prophetic of an outpouring of the Spirit of Elohim upon the earth, as well as of an outpouring of YHVH’s Torah-understanding and glory. This two-fold aspect of YHVH’s Word (spirit and truth) is expressed in many ways in many places throughout the pages of Scripture:
- spirit and truth (John 4:23–24; 1 Pet 1:22)
- letter and spirit (2 Cor 3:6; Col 1:6)
- grace and truth; the truth in love (Eph 4:15)
- truth and life (John 14:15)
- judgment and mercy (Jas 2:13)
- power and authority (Luke 4:36)
- word and spirit (Eph 6:17)
- Moses and Elijah
- “Old” and “New Testaments”
- Mount Sinai and Mount Moriah/Zion
- the two houses of Israel (the Jews/Judah emphasizes the letter of the law/the Torah, while Ephraim/the Christians emphasize the spirit of the law/grace/Yeshua.
The land of Israel and the rain and harvest cycles are spiritual shadows of future outpourings of YHVH’s Spirit and the revelation of his Written Word upon people’s lives as they accept Yeshua and allow his Spirit to teach and instruct them concerning the ways of Elohim. The early rain and the latter rain also teach us about the pouring out of Elohim’s Spirit in a corporate way upon all flesh. The early rain prophetically points to the outpouring of the Set-Apart Spirit during Yeshua’s first coming and the latter rain points to the outpouring of his Spirit during Yeshua’s second (The Seven Festivals of Messiah, by Eddie Chumney, pp. 97–98). Chumney goes on to note that the concept of harvest represents the salvation of people with the spring harvest representing those who would receive Yeshua as Messiah in the present age and the fall harvest representing those who would come to Messiah at the end of the present age (ibid., p. 98).
The Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai on Shavuot
Not of secondary importance to what we have already discussed regarding important things that occurred on Shavuot, was the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai that occurred on this day as well. On Shavuot, YHVH “married” Israel (Ezek 16:1–13) when he formulated a covenantal agreement with her to which to which she agreed when she said “I do” three times (Exod 19:8; 24:1–8). The Torah was the basis of that covenant, or the marriage vows, if you will to which Israel swore allegiance.
YHVH gave his people the words of life to live by, but because of the hardness of their hearts they were not able to be faithful to his Torah. Like a wife who says “I do” in response to her wedding vows, but cannot remain faithful to her marriage covenant, so Scripture likens Israel to such a woman who became a spiritual harlot (Ezek 16:14–34).
In spite of Israel’s apostasy and spiritual whoredoms, YHVH had made promises to Abraham and to his descendants that were unconditional in nature. Whether Abraham’s descendants remained faithful to YHVH or not, YHVH’s promises to Abraham were inviolate. Though the Israelites had violated the vows they made to YHVH at Mount Sinai, he revealed to the ancient Hebrew prophets that he would eventually formulate a second renewed covenant with Israel, and this time he would pour out upon them his Spirit and write his Torah-laws in their hearts (Jer 31:31–33; 24:7; Ezek 11:19; 36:25–27).
On Passover at the last supper, YHVH-Yeshua betrothed himself to Israel all over again (Matt 26:28; 1 Cor 11:25). As a seal or pledge of this betrothal, he promised to send to his disciples the Comforter or Set-Apart Spirt (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; Eph 1:13–14). This occurred on the day of Pentecost when he poured out his Spirit upon Yeshua’s disciples. Each received the fire of his Spirit (Act 2:1–4). In this, YHVH fulfilled his promise to give his people a heart of flesh to replace their heart of stone, thus empowering or enabling them to keep his Torah-commandments (Heb 8:7–13). In other words, Yeshua, the Living Torah-instructions of YHVH, came to take up residence within the very hearts and minds of redeemed believers through the indwelling and empowering presence of his Set-Apart Spirit. In so doing, Yeshua is living out or fulfilling his Torah from within each redeemed Israelite believer even as he himself lived out or fulfilled the Torah-Word of YHVH when he walked this earth.
We can enter into this same renewed covenant with Yeshua who is the Living Torah and our heavenly Bridegroom when we do as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:9 and 10 and confess with our mouths the Master Yeshua and believe in our heart that Elohim has raised him the dead.
Romans 10:13 goes on to say, “Whoever shall call upon the name of the Master shall be saved.” Yeshua also said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” (Matt 10:32). After confessing him, repenting of our sins, we must then be baptized and be prayed over to receive the Spirit of Elohim (Acts 2:37–41). Then one must continue to walk steadfastly in the truth of the gospel message, stay in fellowship with like-minded believers, and maintain a personal relationship with YHVH through personal devotional prayer (Acts 2:42).
Isn’t this a beautiful picture of YHVH’s love and care for his bride—his people? This is all part of the wonderful plan of salvation/redemption that YHVH laid out thousands of years ago to bring people into a life-giving relationship with himself through his instructions in righteousness—the Torah. This has all being accomplished through Elohim’s Son, Yeshua the Messiah, the Living Torah who now leads and guides his people through the wilderness of life not via a pillar of fire over a physical tabernacle, but through the fire of the Ruach HaKodesh living in the spiritual temple of each individual believer’s heart and mind, which guides them spiritually from within.
On Shavuot the first century redeemed believers were divinely empowered with the Ruach HaKodesh, called the immersion in the Ruach HaKodesh (or the baptism of the Set-Apart Spirit, Acts 1:5,8). As a result of the empowerment of the Spirit of Elohim, we see Peter being transformed from a spiritual mouse (compare John 20:23 with John 21:3) into a spiritual lion or dynamo (Acts 2:14–41). The immersion or saturation in the Sprit or Ruach is for the purpose of being empowered with supernatural gifts and enablements (the gifts of the Ruach, see 1 Cor 12) in order to be equipped to go out into the harvest field of human souls spiritually empowered and ready to bring in the spiritual harvest of souls. On the day of Pentecost, YHVH wrote the Torah into the hearts of the redeemed believers by the Ruach, and then supernaturally empowered them to take both the message of Torah—the light of his truth—coupled with the good news of the Redeemer, Messiah Yeshua—the Living Torah word of Elohim—to a lost and dying world. This is the fundamental message and purpose of Shavuot in the Book of Acts.
More Notes from Natan’s Pen
Natan’s Bible Commentary Notes
Leviticus 23:15, Day/morrow after the Sabbath. The Pharisees and their modern successors, the rabbinic Jews, begin the counting of the omer leading up to the Feast of Weeks from the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which occurs on the fifteenth day of the first month. The problem with this is that the Tanakh never refers to any of the biblical holidays as Sabbaths with the exception of the Day of Atonement (Isa 58:4–10 cp. 13). Therefore, from the evidence in the Tanakh and by strict biblical definition, it is a stretch to refer to the first day of Unleavened Bread as a Sabbath. Therefore, the Sabbath mentioned in this verse must be referring to the weekly Sabbath, and can’t be referring to the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread.
Seven sabbaths. The Septuagint or LXX (Sir Lancelot Brenton edition, 1851) reads, “you shall number … seven full weeks.”
You shall count … seven sabbaths. Fifty is the number of complete redemption or liberty. In ancient Israel, all debts were forgiven every seven years. Each seven years one had to let their land rest—no crops were planted. This was called the land Sabbath. Seven seven-year cycles equals 49 years. In Scripture, we see that seven is the number YHVH uses to signify completion or perfection. Therefore, seven sevens, or 49 years, signified total completion. Seven Sabbaths represents redemption, liberty or rest in its fullest or ultimate sense. The fiftieth year was therefore the year of jubilee when all slaves were set free, all land was returned to its original owners and when all debts were forgiven. If Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread signified deliverance from sin (Egypt), then Shavuot, occurring 50 days after the Wave Sheaf Offering during the week of the Days of Unleavened Bread, symbolizes total redemption, deliverance and victory over sin. How? By the glorious power of the indwelling presence of the Ruach HaKodesh in a person’s life.
Leviticus 23:16, Seventh Sabbath. Here again, the modern Pharisees or rabbinic Jews have a problem with the way they traditionally count the omer leading up to the Feast of Weeks. The Torah commands us to begin counting from the day after the Sabbath (v. 15), which to the rabbinics is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, even though the Tanakh never calls this day a Sabbath. Furthermore, the Torah calls for the last day of the omer count to fall on a Sabbath as well. This can only occur if one starts their counting on the weekly Sabbath and ends on the weekly Sabbath. This will seldom occur if one starts the omer count on the first day of Unleavened Bread, for in most cases, the count will end on any other day of the week than the weekly Sabbath. This means that the rabbinic’s Shavuot seldom occurs on the “morrow/day after the seventh Sabbath” as required by this verse.
Leviticus 23:16, The Seventh Sabbath. Today’s rabbinic Jews, the modern descendants of the ancient Pharisees, start the 50-day count of the omer after the first high day of the Feast of Unleavenend Bread, which is the fifteenth day of the month of Nisan or Abib. This verse reveals the error of counting via this method. While the count starts on the first high day of Unleavened Bread, nowhere does the Torah call this a sabbath, though it was a rest and a non-work day. So, technically, it’s not a sabbath. Furthermore, starting the omer count from the fifteenth (which can fall on any day of the week) doesn’t guarantee that the last day of the omer count will fall on a Sabbath, even though this verse speaks of counting the omer starting from a Sabbath and ending on a Sabbath. This is why the Pharisee method of counting the omer is unbiblical.
The rabbinic sages attempt to get around this by claiming that the word sabbath(s) in verses 15 and 16 mean “week(s),” when, technically, it doesn’t. It is the Hebrew word shabbat meaning “rest, sabbath” (cf. TWOT and Wilson’s ; BDB cites Lev 23:15 as a justification for adding the meaning of “week/s” to its definition of the word; Gesenius adds the word “perhaps” to its “week” definition of the word). Beyond Lev 23:15–16, concrete examples can be given from the Tanach where shabbat means anything other than “rest, sabbath” much less “week.” It can mean “sabbaths of years” as in the count toward the jubilee year, which starts and ends on a sabbatical or seventh agricultural or sabbatical rest year (Lev 25:1–8). But in this case, it doesn’t mean strictly a seven-day week, or a seven day cycle. It still starts on a sabbath year and ends on one. The Hebrew word for weeks is shabuwa (sing.) or shavuot (pl.).
Leviticus 23:18–20, The offerings made on Shavuot. On Shavuot, in total the priests performed thirteen animals sacrifices as burnt and peace offering along with a grain and drink offering. They also baked two loaves of leavened bread which along with the peace offering they waved before YHVH. The thirteen animal offerings along with the leavened bread (a representation of sinful Israel) teaches us that Yeshua’s atoning death covered all thirteen tribes (the tribe of Joseph was split into two tribes) despite the presence of sin in their lives (of which the leavened bread is a symbol).
Leviticus 23:17, Two loaves. Bread is symbolic of many things in Scripture. It is a metaphor for the Word of YHVH (Matt 4:4). Yeshua the Messiah is the Word of Elohim made flesh (John 1:1–14) and is likened to spiritual bread, or spiritual manna that sustains the spiritual life of the redeemed believer (John 6:25–58). Redeemed believers partake of bread in remembrance of and identity with Yeshua’s life and death on this earth (Matt 26:26; 1 Cor 11:24). YHVH’s Torah instructs us that bread was to be part of the Passover meal. One of YHVH’s seven annual festivals is called the “Feast of Unleavened Bread.” In the tabernacle and the later temple service, bread was an important component in many of the sacrifices and offerings. Finally, in the tabernacle itself we find the table of showbread containing twelve loaves of bread representing the tribes of Israel.
But all this bread has one thing in common: it is unleavened. Why? Leavening in Scripture almost always represents sin (1 Cor 5:6–8; Gal 5:9). The bread that represents the Word of YHVH, the Person of Yeshua and the sacrifices and offerings that pointed to Yeshua had to be free of leaven (Lev 2:1–17). To impute sin to Yeshua who is both the Written and Living Word of Elohim is blasphemous. Yet, interestingly enough, on the day of Pentecost YHVH instructed the Levites to make two loaves of leavened wheat bread from the new wheat crop and offer them up to him. The two loaves of leavened bread were offered in conjunction with seven lambs, one bull and two rams as a burnt offering in addition to a goat as a sin offering and two lambs as a peace offering. Normally a peace offering was a private matter. This is the only example of a community peace offering in the Torah (Artscroll Tanach Series Vayikra/Levitcus, p. 401). The two loaves of bread were to be waved before YHVH in conjunction with the two lambs of the peace offering (Lev 23:16–20). Why two lambs? Who is the Lamb of Elohim? Yeshua the Messiah is that Lamb (John 1:29, 36; Rev 13:8). But why two lambs? It is because he offered himself up as a sin offering for both the Jews and the people of the nations. (We will discuss this more later.) All must come to the Father through him and there is salvation through no other one than Yeshua the Messiah (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Why did YHVH instruct his priests to offer leavened bread at on Sahvuot?
These two loaves of bread represent YHVH’s grace toward sinners. The unleavened bread on the table of showbread in the set-apart place of the tabernacle’s sanctuary represented the twelve tribes of Israel in a purified, sin-free (unleavened) state in the very presence of YHVH himself. Contrariwise, the leavened bread waved with the meat that was offered on the altar of sacrifice (see Lev 23:18; the bread itself was not burnt, see Lev 2:11 and see ArtScroll Vayikra/Leviticus Commentary on this verse) in the outer court of the tabernacle represents redeemed believers coming to Yeshua still in a state of spiritual impurity. When offered together with the sacrifices, which point to Yeshua’s work on the cross of redeeming sinners, the leavened bread was accepted—leavening and all. YHVH in his grace does not expect people to come to him in a sin-free state. He loved us while we were still sinners (Rom 5:8; John 3:16) and sent Yeshua, his Son, to redeem us from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death (Rom 6:23). But a new believer is not expected to stay spiritually leavened. The spiritual refining process begins in the outer court of the tabernacle and by the time YHVH is finished with his people they will be totally unleavened abiding in his presence in the inner court of the sanctuary of his tabernacle representing deep spiritual intimacy and communion.
But why are there two loaves of leavened bread? Eddie Chumney points out that Pentecost speaks of the birth of Israel as a nation at the foot of Mount Sinai as well as the birth of a congregation of redeemed believers in Yeshua through the Spirit of Elohim on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 (Chumney, pp. 94–95). Who are these two congregations? They are the two houses of Israel. This can be stated in many ways:
The two loaves of bread that the priests lifted or waved on Shavuot represent:
- Jews and Gentiles
- the house of Judah and the house of Ephraim/Israel, which are the two houses of Israel (Isa 8:14; Jer 31:31–33; Heb 8:8–10)
- the two olive trees (Zech 4:3; Jer 11:10, 16–17; 2:18,21; Rom 11:13–24; Rom 11:4)
- the two sticks of Ezekiel 37:15–28
- the two witnesses of Revelation 11:3–4
- Moses and Elijah of Malachi 4:4–6
- the two-fold path of spirit and truth which leads to the Father in heaven to which Yeshua makes reference in John 4:23–24
Batya Wootten, in her book, Israel’s Feasts and Their Fullness, adds the following:
- two nations (Ezek 35:10)
- two chosen families (Jer 23:2–4)
- two sinful sisters (Ezek 23:2–4)
- two lamp stands (Rev 11:3–4)
- two cherubim over the mercy seat in the tabernacle (Exod 25:18–20)
- two tablets of stone upon which the Ten Words (Commandments) were written (Exod 34:29)
- two silver trumpets (Num 10:2–3)
These series of two all speak to the same thing: the two houses of Israel. Wootten explains it this way:
The Word of Elohim, the Bible, is divided into two parts: the Former and Latter Covenants. These are the two loaves of bread. The house of Judah was given charge over the First or Former Covenant (“Old Testament,” which includes YHVH’s Torah), and the house of Ephraim was given charge over the Latter Covenant or Testimony of Yeshua (NT, Wootten, p. 203). Both of these covenants were prophesied to be for the whole house of Israel (Jer 31:31–33), but Judah was given the Torah for safekeeping (Gen 49:10) while the Testimony of Yeshua was primarily given to the “Gentiles” or people of the nations. Paul teaches that those who were formerly spiritual Gentiles once they are grafted into the olive tree of Israel through the redemptive work of Israel’s Messiah (Yeshua) they are no longer spiritual Gentiles, but are Israel (Rom 11:13–24; Eph 2:11–19; Rom 4:16; 9:8–11; Gal 3:7,9,14,28–29).
“The appointed wave offering of this feast teaches us that the Father loves both the houses of Israel. They are his two chosen families (Jer 33:24).
“However, while the fine bread of truth can be found in the teachings of both houses, both also contain leaven. We need to work to bring forth only that which is of the finest flours from our divided family. We need to leave the leaven behind.
“Let us reunite! Let us eat of the latter day bread of Shavuot! As New Covenant priests of Israel, let us wave both loaves before our Father (1 Pet. 2:9). Let us bring in from our dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, let them be of very fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to YHVH (Lev 23:17, Wootten, p. 204).
There are two loaves of bread. What is the significance behind the number two?In Hebrew thought, the number two represents the concept of duality, “for there is diversity in every part of YHVH’s Creation. Only in the Creator himself does absolute Oneness prevail” (The Wisdom In the Hebrew Alphabet, p. 55 by Michael L. Munk). The number two corresponds with bet c, the second letter in the Hebrew alphabet, which pictographically represents a house. According to Munk, the house (home) is the focal point of holiness on earth and additionally pictures the spiritual house, sanctuary or set-apart temple of YHVH, and to man, who himself is to become a miniature temple. There is a blessing in duality when opposites work together (e.g. negative and positive in electricity, male and female in a marriage, heaven and earth, the logos and rhema Word of YHVH, this world and the world to come) to achieve a common beneficial purpose (ibid., pp. 55–58).
The fact that these two loaves of bread contain leavening represent the fact that all the people of YHVH have sin in their lives and to one degree or another and have absorbed pagan traditions of men by which YHVH’s word has become of non-effect (Matt 15:6; Mark 7:7–9). YHVH commands his people to come out of Babylon (Rev 18:4). Both the house of Judah (the rabbinic Judaism of today) and the house of Ephraim/Israel (modern gentile Christianity) have strayed from the truth of YHVH’s word (the former has rejected Yeshua, the Living Torah and the latter has rejected the Written Torah given to Moses), and both have given themselves over to religious systems that contain the leavening of paganism and of doctrines of men.
Alfred Edersheim notes that these two loaves of leavened bread were actually public thank offerings that the ancient Israelites offered up to YHVH. The fact that they were leavened speaks of the imperfection and sin of those making the offerings (The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, p. 210). The fact that YHVH ordained and accepted this thank offering laced with leavening (a biblical metaphor for sin) speaks of the unconditional love and mercy of YHVH toward his sinful people and desire to reconcile himself to man, in spite of man’s sinful condition. Scripture records that YHVH loved us while we were yet sinners (Rom 5:8) and that Yeshua suffered on the cross for our sins while we were still in our wickedness to bring us to the Father (1 Pet 3:18).
Leviticus 23:22, When you reap. This verse follows the instructions regarding the feast of Shavuot and is about outreach to the poor and the stranger. This verse is nestled between Shavuot and Yom Teruah, since this is the harvest time of the year physically and spiritually (the last two thousand years). On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached the message of the gospel to all the known world—to where all the Israelite captives had been scattered and had since migrated (Acts 2:9–11). The message of the gospel is for all the house of Israel (Acts 2:36). We need the empowerment of the Spirit to accomplish the task of reaching our Jerusalem, Judea … (Acts 1:8).
Acts 1:14, One accord [Gr. homothumadon]. The Greek word homothumadon literally means “homo/same thumadon/mind, unanimously.” When the people or saints of Elohim were of one mind, wonderful things happened. What happened or what was the miraculous spiritual dynamic that occurred when YHVH’s saints came together in one accord?
The business of the church was accomplished: a new apostle was chosen.
These all continued with one accord [Gr. homothumadon] in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. (Acts 1:14 )
Spiritual revival occurred. The Spirit of Elohim filled the saints.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord [Gr. homothumadon] in one place. (Acts 2:1)
Spiritual revival occurred. Signs and wonders occurred as people were saved, the church grew and the kingdom of Elohim expanded.
And they, continuing daily with one accord [Gr. homothumadon] in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart… (Acts 2:46)
Spiritual revival occurred. The building where the saints were meeting was shaken, people were filled with the Spirit of Elohim and boldness to preach the gospel.
And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord [Gr. homothumadon], and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is. (Acts 4:24)
Spiritual revival occurred. People were saved and the sick and demonized were healed.
And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord [Gr. homothumadon] in Solomon’s porch. (Acts 5:12)
And the people with one accord [Gr. homothumadon] gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (Acts 8:6)
The business of the church was accomplished: ministers were chosen.
It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord [Gr. homothumadon], to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul… (Acts 15:25)
It should be the goal of the saints to be of one accord, or like-minded.
Now may the Elohim of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Messiah Yeshua, that you may with one mind [Gr. homothumadon] and one mouth glorify the Elohim and Father of our Master Yeshua the Messiah. Therefore receive one another, just as Messiah also received us, to the glory of Elohim. (Rom 15:5–7)
Satan is the author of confusion, strife, division and contention within the church. If he can thus divide the body of Yeshua, then he will prevent the saints from coming together in one accord, thus limiting their ability to advance the kingdom of Elohim through appointing gifted and anointed ministers, through boldly preaching the gospel and bringing the lost to salvation, and by performing signs, wonders, miracles, healings and deliverance from demonic oppression.
Acts 2:4, They were all filled. There is one baptism of the Spirit, but there can be subsequent fillings (Acts 4:31).
Acts 2:5, Men from every nation. According to Josephus, during the feasts, due to the influx of pilgrims, the population of Jerusalem would swell to a million (Golden Jerusalem, by Menashe Har-El, p. 73).
Acts 2:9, Parthians. Lost 10 tribe Israelites. (See Col 3:11, Scythians.)
Acts 2:15, Third hour. This 9 AM in the morning, which would have been at the time of the morning sacrifice. This would explain why there were so many people present from so many nations at this hour of the morning (The Temple–Its Ministry and Service, p. 108, by Alfred Edersheim).
Acts 2:23, Be baptized. (Also see notes at Matt 28:19.) The term baptism in Hebrew is tevilah meaning “immersion,” which occurs at a mikveh meaning “a gathering of waters.” For those coming from a Christian background, baptism is something that occurs at the beginning of a believer’s spiritual walk and involves baptism (immersion) in water for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom 6:3–6; 1 Cor 15:29; Gal 3:27; Eph 4:5; Col 2:12; 1 Pet 3:21). Yet Paul the apostle talks of baptisms (plural) in Heb 6:2. What are these other baptisms? Evidently, in biblical thought immersion for the remission of sins is but one of many such ritual immersions.
Indeed, in the Testimony of Yeshua we not only read about baptism for the remission of sins, but the baptism of repentance of John the Baptist (Acts 1:5; 10:37; 13:24; 19:4), baptism (immersion) of the Set-Apart Spirit (Luke 3:16; Acts 1:5; 8:16; 11:16), and baptism with fire (Matt 3:11; Luke 3:16). Here we see the four types of immersions spoken of in the Testimony of Yeshua.
The concept of ritual immersion for a variety of reasons stems from commands in the Torah relating to ceremonial washings signifying spiritual and physical cleansing (Lev 14:1–4, 7, 9; Exod 19:10; Lev 8:6; 15:5, 8, 10–13, 16–18, 21; 16:4).
Moreover, the prophet Ezekiel speaks of YHVH sprinkling his people to cleanse them from their impurities, which is a picture of the new spiritual life of which immersion is e a type (Ezek 36:25).
Acts 2:37, Cut to the heart. After hearing the preaching of the gospel, the people experienced a heart circumcision experience, which led to their repentance of sin and coming into a spiritual relationship or one accord (v. 46) with Yeshua and the other saints.
Shavuot 2018 Talking Points
What’s should be the higher purpose of religion? It should answer the deeper questions of life.
- What’s the meaning and purpose of life?
- Who am I?
- Where did I come from?
- Who made me?
- Why am I here?
- Whoever made me, what do they expect of me?
- Where am I going? What’s my ultimate destiny? Is there life after death?
Let’s narrow the picture down.
Why are we here today?
So why are we here celebrating Shavuot today?
- To fulfill the requirements of religious ritualism?
- To get your religious fix?
- Out of human pride—to do your religious thing so that you feel better than the poor religious slobs still celebrate Christmas and Easter who don’t keep YHVH’s biblical feasts?
- To hear some exciting exotic, arcane, ear tickling message that leaves your head bursting with something new and exciting? Not! That does nothing to bring you to repentance, change your life and bring you closer to Yeshua.
- Out of obedience to and worship of Yeshua you Lord and Master?
- Or because you love Yeshua with all your heart and want to obey him by keeping his commandments not because you’re expecting anything out of it personally but because he is worthy of worship and obedience? Period?!
- Or to be spiritually transformed, so that you can be about your Father’s business to help transform society around you for the kingdom of Elohim?
- Some of these reasons are good, and some of them are not so good.
For those keeping Shavuot out of obedience, which is a good thing, remember that obeying Elohim’s Torah laws is not an end in itself, but a means to an end.
- Romans 10:4,
- For Christ is the end [end result, goal or aim] of the Torah-law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
- Torah obedience is merely a vehicle to bring you something higher. Too many people make obedience including keeping the feasts the goal and not the process to achieve the goal.
- When you get in a car to go somewhere, you believe that you’ve arrived at your destination just because you’re sitting in your car. Same with Torah obedience.
- What’s the destination? The kingdom. Remember what the gospel message is that John, Yeshua and the apostles preached? “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The Deeper Meaning of Shavuot
Lev 15:15–21—What do the Torah’s Shavuot requirement have to do with anything that’s relevant to our lives now and to the meaning of life?
And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.
And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.
Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
It’s about counting 50 days to the wheat harvest and then getting together to wave some bread and offer some animal sacrifices. What’s the relevance of that?
What’s the deeper and most basic meaning of Shavuot?
The basic aspects of Pentecost has to do with counting 50 days until the wheat harvest, and then gathering together to wave some bread and to make some animal sacrifices. The expanded meaning of Pentecost relates to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, the marriage of Israel to YHVH, and later on, the writing of the Torah on the human heart by the Spirit of Elohim and then being empowered to take the gospel message to the world to gather in the spiritual wheat harvest comprised of the lost sheep of the house of Israel and all those they’ve intermarried and anyone else who wants to be part of redeemed Israel or the Israel of Elohim (Gal 6:16).
Pentecost was about spiritual revival and transformation. Why do we need the transformational empowerment of the Spirit of Elohim in our lives and what will bring it? The preaching of gospel around the world has transformed or renewed lives, nations, empires, cultures and large sections of the world for the past 2000 years.
We need/America and this world needs spiritual transformation and empowerment because man lost paradise when he sinned in the garden at the beginning. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory and deserve the wages of sin, which is death. As happened with Adam and Eve when they sinned, we all have sinned and our sin has cut us off from a loving relationship with YHVH Elohim, our Creator who created us in his image to share eternity with. But our sin caused us to fall under the power of sin resulting in fear, guilt and shame.
Man has been seeking paradise ever since—anything to bring him the love, joy, peace and hope he once had. To bring rest to troubled soul.
Whether humans know it or not, in the deepest yearnings of their heart, they want the Presence of Elohim and the Edenic paradise that can bring. This along with the eternal life that such a relationship can bring is human’s greatest longing desire.
We need spiritual revival because our sin has cut us off from Elohim.
Revival starts with the individual and works out to the family, then to the nation and to the world. This is how the good news of the gospel spreads: first to our personal Jerusalem, then outward to our Judea, Samaria and finally out to the world.
But no one can do this in their own strength. They need the empowerment of the Ruach to fulfill the great commission to gather in the wheat harvest of spiritually lost people.
The way back to Eden (or the way forward to the New Jerusalem) starts with humbly and repentantly accepting Yeshua as the Messiah, then loving him by keeping his Torah commandments and then embracing the mission Yeshua has given us to spread the gospel (the great commission). But before we can spread the good news, we must get empowered by the Ruach.
Yeshua breathed on the disciples and they received the Ruach, but it wasn’t until they were endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49) on the day of Pentecost that they were able to do the great commission.
But first they had to obey and have faith in Yeshua when he told them to tarry in Jerusalem (Acts 1:4). Those who loved Yeshua and obeyed his commands waited expectantly for his Promise of the Comforter to be fulfilled (Acts 1:4). Those who didn’t love him and, instead, had other things to do, left Jerusalem and went home to their cows, chickens and wheat fields. They missed out!
This means Yeshua expected his disciples to not leave Jerusalem until the promise was fulfilled. Some probably did, and lost out. We don’t hear about them. Only about those who stayed and got empowered and formed the foundational backbone and became the key players of a spiritual revival that shook the world.
They had a mustard seed of faith and tarried until they were endued with power. They didn’t know the Ruach as going to fall on them on Pentecost. This had never happened before. But they believed the words of Yeshua with simple child-like faith, and were rewarded.
These people were spiritually thirsty. Are you spiritually thirsty? Or are you complacent in your spiritual state of lukewarm lazy Laodiceanism?
They had to incline their heart or determinately decide even to be thirsty in the first place.
These people knew they had lack. That paradise was only attainable by way of Yeshua. When enough humble and spiritually hungry people came together in one accord in the upper room on the Temple Mount, it was then that heaven and earth met and the glorious kavod of YHVH’s presence fell on each individual and each one became the temple of the Ruach. The glory of YHVH departed the temple in Jerusalem in the time of Ezekiel (Ezek 10:4) and didn’t come back until the day of Pentecost.
Each of you is now the temple of the Ruach if you’ve been filled and empowered with the Ruach.
Have you been endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49) and received the dunamis baptism of the Ruach (Acts 1:5, 8)? If so, when was it? What are fruits of it? Are you regularly manifesting the 1 Cor 12 gifts of the Spirit? What are you doing with these gifts? Are you helping to spread the gospel? To gather in the lost sheep of the house of Israel?
America is depending on you. This nation is hanging in YHVH’s spiritual balance of divine judgment and is currently fighting to keep its soul. The spiritual forces of antichrist are trying to destroy us and everything that we believe in and know to be true.
Revival of this nation starts with you and me. Individually and collectively. It starts here and now today. If not now, when. If not you, who?
When we embrace these truths with our heart, mind and strength, we will find the answers to life’s deepest questions and yearnings. We will find our deepest meaning and purpose in life. We will understand the meaning of life and how we got here, where we’re at and where we’re going and what temporal and ultimate destiny is.
Now let’s look at the Pentecost instructions in Lev 23:15–21 again. The gospel message is contained here in coded form.
This same message is what the elderly John the disciple of Yeshua was still preaching toward the end of his life.
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.…Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.…Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. (1 John 1:5; 2:7–8)
John was old by now, had heard and seen it all, yet his main message was still the basic gospel of Yeshua. He preached no ear tickling doctrines, no traditions of men, no esoteric biblical head knowledge, no arcane or hidden mystery neo-gnostic beliefs and no conspiracy theories. Just the meat and potatoes of the good news of Yeshua the Messiah.
I’m getting older too and have heard and seen it all since my first Pentecost in 1960. Like John, I keep coming back to the basic message of the gospel as well. It is this message that answers all the deeper questions of life and which transforms lives, brings people from the kingdom of darkness into light, erases the guilt and shame of sin, removes the fear of death and gives the hope of eternal life, heals the sick, opens blind eyes, makes the lame to walk and leap for joy, shines a light in the darkness and gives hope to the hopeless.
Those who preach this same basic message of the gospel message and cross of Yeshua the Messiah are the ones who have started nearly all the educational institutions of the world, as well as the hospitals and health clinics, stated nearly the relief agencies to help the poor and needy, brought to the world its greatest art and music, helped to elevate women, feed the hungry and raise the standard of living everywhere and I could go on. Sorry, but it wasn’t the Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, the Jews or the indigenous natives of this or that forgotten land who did this. It was, for the most part, those who preached the gospel of Yeshua the Messiah.
It is that message that I continue to preach today—the same one that the apostles preached that turned the world upside down in one generations and transformed the Roman Empire to Christianity, which is still the world’s largest religion.
Shavuot—Getting in Tune With the Heavenly Philharmonic
This is a story — not just any story, but our story — yours and mine. It’s the story of our lives, the story of our people. It’s an old story, yet a new story. Only the faces and places have changed. The plot remains eternally the same. It’s the story of the Creator reaching out to humans, who struggle to accept his love, yet who end up largely refusing it. It’s a never-ending cycle going from one generation to the next.
This story started a long time ago. When in Egypt, the children of Israel were in tune spiritually to the rhythms and beat of Egypt (a biblical metaphor for this world).
YHVH led the Israelites out of Egypt into the quietude of the wilderness.The Hebrew word for wilderness is midbar and is from dabar meaning “to speak, declare, converse” and is related the word d’bar meaning “to hear.” Thus, one could say that YHVH led the Israelites into the wilderness to hear him speak his word, and to enter into conversation with him — an impossibility in the noise and confusion of the environment of Egypt where man is at the center of everything and a lot is going on. The wilderness was a sterile and neutral environment devoid of the noise and confusion of man-made stuff.
The first place YHVH brought the Israelites to was the foot of Mount Sinai so he could speak to them face to face.
Before they could hear him, they had to prepare themselves. They had to make themselves clean and set apart from the physical and carnal impurities and distractions of the world and the flesh, which impede one’s ability to hear YHVH -— to connect with their Creator (Exod 19).
YHVH spoke to them, but it was too much for them to hear. It frightened them because they weren’t ready to hear him and to get their lives in sync with his Word — the Torah (Exod 20:19). They still had too much carnality in them. They were still too much in tune with the rhythms of Egypt. That old worldly man had to die in the sterile and noise-free zone of the wilderness.
Nonetheless, in his merciful love, YHVH gave Israel his Torah — his words of instructions to live by. The Torah shows man how to get in harmony with his Creator. The Torah is a like a tuning fork. When one follows the Torah, one gets in tune with YHVH’s musical pitch — with the heart, mind and will of YHVH. When this occurs, as a natural result, one gets out of tune with the world, the flesh and the devil.
The fact that Israel was more in tune with Egypt than with YHVH became evident at the golden calf incident when Israel turned to worshipping the Egyptian calf-idol. At the same time, YHVH’s merciful grace for his weak children was revealed. At the same time, Moses was a holy man who, at a great personal price, had already forsaken Egypt and all it had to offer and had already been purified in his own wilderness experience lasting forty years where he learned to hear his Master’s voice and willingly submitted to YHVH’s will. He was by now totally sold out to YHVH. When Israel sinned, Moses had to separate himself from the Israelites by placing his abode outside the camp of Israel (Exod 33:7). The human leaders YHVH chooses to lead his people are often in a special place of their own — one that is a little nearer to YHVH and, thusly, further from those around them who are still in tune with their own carnality. How can a leader be a leader if he’s not out ahead of the people? YHVH prepares his leaders beforehand to lead by often stripping them of everything near and dear to them so that all they have left is him. This helps them get in tune with him. This happened to Moses who lost his Egyptian princely position and all the glory and honor that came with it. He also lost his wife and children. All he had left was YHVH. He had already died to himself, which is why he was set apart from the children of Israel who hadn’t reached this stage in their spiritual development.
The whole history of Israel from the golden calf incident until the day of Pentecost can be described as a tension between being in sync with the vibes of the world versus being in harmony with YHVH. Israel found itself in the middle of this struggle. At times they leaned in one direction, at times in the other, but more often to the negative side. The Israelites’ perennial inclination toward Baal worship is a perfect example of this. To follow Baal was to succumb to the lower and downward pull of man’s carnal nature. “If it feels good do it,” is the mantra of the religion of the Baalim. On the other hand, YHVH demands that men resist the downward, gravitational pull of sin and to ascend to him. This is done only as we submit to YHVH and follow his rules — the Torah.
On the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts, YHVH put his Holy Spirit (or Set-Apart Spirit) into each person and wrote his Torah on his people’s hearts. This was the big breakthrough that helped men to finally have the internal help to get in harmony with the heavenly music of YHVH’s divine will — his Torah. Now, with the internal dynamo of the Set-Apart Spirit, each person could not only operate in harmony with YHVH’s will, but they had the spiritual power to take the symphonic message of the pro-Torah gospel message to the lost sheep of Israel scattered throughout the world.
The whole earth, all of nature, and the universe is in sync with YHVH Elohim. Each aspect of YHVH’s creation does what it was created to do without question. Each knows its master and follows the Creator’s laws. The ox knows its master and the donkey its place in the world, but, on the contrary, Israel fell into rebellion against its Creator (Isa 1:3). The heavens declare Elohim’s glory and the sun follows its circuit of rising and setting (Ps 19:1, 5–6). Everything reproduces after its own kind (Gen 1:20, 24–25). The cycles of seedtime and harvest, winter and summer, day and night continue without cessation (Gen 8:2). Only man rebels against this symphony of creation and refuses to follow the Heavenly Conductor’s direction. Man needs to repent of the sin of Torahlessness and get a new, circumcised heart to obey YHVH Elohim!
The weekly Sabbaths and biblical feasts are in harmony with the seasons, which are in harmony with the sun and moon. The plants and animals are in harmony with the seasons. Even the mighty ocean tides follow the moon’s direction. Like musicians in an orchestra, all follow the Divine Conductor’s direction. Yet man lives out of spiritual harmony with these things. Even man in his calendar, though subdivided into months (moons), refuses to follow the moon’s lunar cycle. Man is rebellious, stiffnecked and proud and thinks he knows better than the Creator. How small, foolish and silly man is! The seasons, months, the seven day week that ends in the Sabbath, and the seven biblical festivals are all like musical instruments that when combined harmoniously create a melodious message pointing to the Creator. The whole creation is shouting, yes, screaming at man to follow the Creator’s direction — his Torah. Yet man refuses to listen, to obey and to walk in harmony with the directions of the Divine Conductor! It’s time for man to repent of his rebellious pride and to get in sync with his Creator.
Psalm 19 says that the heavens declare YHVH’s glory from one end of earth to the other. As the sun’s rays light man’s path in the darkness, so the Torah is a light to direct man in his spiritual walk through the darkness of this world (Pss 19:5ff; 119:105). Yeshua, the Living Torah, is our spiritual Sun of Righteousness who brings healing to the troubled soul (Mal 4:2). He is the spiritual light of the world (John 1:7–9; 8:12), and he will be the only light in the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:23). As Psalm 19 says, the whole creation, like musicians each playing their part in an orchestra, points us toward YHVH and his Torah (both the Written Torah and Yeshua the Living Torah-Word of Elohim incarnate), which is the spiritual vehicle to bring us to YHVH — to put us in harmony with him. About the Torah, Psalm 19 says,
- YHVH’s Torah is perfect (complete, sound, entire,wholesome, innocent, having integrity) converting the soul of man (Ps 19:7).
- The Torah is sure, making the simple wise (Ps 19:7).
- The Torah is right rejoicing the heart (Ps 19:8).
- The Torah is pure, enlightening the eyes (Ps 19:8).
- The fear of YHVH, which is learned through Torah-obedience, is clean and endures forever (Ps 19:9).
- The judgments of YHVH, which are based on Torah, are true and righteous and more precious and desired than gold and sweeter than honey (Ps 19:10).
- The Torah warns us of dangers (Ps 19:11).
- There are rewards and benefits to following the Torah (Ps 19:11).
- Obeying the Torah keeps us from errors, secret faults, presumptuous sin and keeps us blameless and innocent of great transgression (Ps 19:12–13).
- The Torah keeps the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts acceptable in YHVH’s sight (Ps 19:14).
- The Torah is our strength and points us to our Redeemer, Yeshua, the Living Torah, through whose example and the inner strength of his Spirit we can walk in his Torah ways (Ps 19:14).
Being in harmony with YHVH through his Written and Living Torah Word puts you in YHVH’s spiritual river of life. This is YHVH’s sweet spot for his people where he’ll meet them with abundant blessing. At this place, spirit and truth come together. He desires this greatly (John 4:23–24). When the truth of YHVH’s Torah combine with the Holy Spirit…
- the letter of the law comes alive and brings life (2 Cor 3:6; Col 1:6);
- grace and meets truth and truth is made alive in love (Eph 4:15);
- mercy triumphs over judgment (Jas 2:13);
- the word of Elohim is proclaimed in power and authority, thus confounding the wise of this world (Luke 4:36);
- the ministries of Moses and Elijah go forth across the earth together;
- the Old and New Testaments come into perfect harmony with each other;
- Judah stops tripping over the Living Torah and Ephraim stops stumbling over the Written Torah (Isa 8:14) and the two houses of Israel are reunited as the Written Torah of the Jews combines with the Yeshua the Living Torah of the Christians;
- the Written and Living Torah’s combine to form the full picture of YHVH’s plan of salvation;
- in that day, Judah and Ephraim will say, “Come, let us return to YHVH, for he has torn, but he will heal us, he has stricken, but he will bind us up. After two days, he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live in his sight … let use pursue the knowledge of YHVH….He will come to us like rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.” (Hos 6:1–3);
- in that day, together, Judah and Ephraim will say, “Elohim is our salvation/Yeshua, for Yah, YHVH, is my strength and song and has become my salvation/Yeshua. Therefore with joy they will draw water from the wells of salvation/Yeshua” (Isa 12:2–3);
The two houses of Israel will be joined — the stick of Judah and his companions, Joseph and the stick of Ephraim and his companions — and will become one tree (Ezek 37:15–28). Together, the children of Israel and the children of Judah will come weeping seeking YHVH their Elohim and the way to Zion. The will say, “Come let us join ourselves to YHVH in a perpetual covenant that will not be forgotten,” (Jer 50:4–5).
The day of Pentecost in the upper room (Acts 2:1–4) was a partial fulfillment of these prophecies. When YHVH’s people come into spiritually harmony with their Creator good things happen. Heaven meets earth and miraculous things occur. On the day of Pentecost, YHVH’s people came into one accord. They were on the same page musically spiritually and were in sync the Heavenly Conductor’s directions. Signs, wonders, spiritual breakthroughs, repentance, salvations, and spiritual empowerment are the natural result. This is a picture of the tree of life. This will occur only when men repent of the sin Torahlessness and return to YHVH.
Following the Heavenly Composer’s musical notations puts us in sync with YHVH, the entire universe, the whole creation and with those around us. When Israel rebelled against YHVH, the land of Israel rose up in judgment against them. The opposite was true when YHVH’s people obeyed him. The earth rejoiced, it rained at the proper times and the earth produced it’s bountiful harvest and men prospered joyously as YHVH made his face to shine upon them.
This is the marriage of the YHVH with his people — redeemed Israel who has a circumcised heart and whose Torah law is written on their hearts — who love him and keep his commandments (John 14:15). These are the robes of righteousness that Yeshua’s bride will be wearing on her wedding day — robes of Torah righteousness (the righteousness of both the Written Torah-law and Yeshua, the Living Torah, Rev 19:7–8).
YHVH-Yeshua stands knocking at the doors of our spiritual houses to wake us up out the slumber of spiritual lukewarmness (Rev 3:20, 15–16). He’s urging us to stop drinking from the intoxicating mixture of the wine of that the harlot Babylonian religious system of which we’ve all been a part, and which, like the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, is a mixture of a little truth and a lot of soul-damning error.
It’s time that we stop dancing to the drumbeat of this world. He says, “Come out of her my people.” “Come away with me, my love,” he’s calling to his people. He’s calling is people into the quietude of the wilderness were they can learn to hear his voice and dance to his spiritual rhythms. It’s time to get off the endless treadmill pursuit of money, time to turn off the television, take out your ear buds so you can start hearing him, turn off the video games, stop the mad pursuit of material possessions and head knowledge, say no to your friends who want to lead you astray, turn off the sports games and movies, which are nothing more than flesh titillating distractions, and begin getting in harmony with YHVH Elohim, the Fountain of living waters and Divine Conductor of the universe.
Hello! I’ve been debating quite a lot with some from my family upon Yeshua’s bride. I have one question: can Abraham, Moses, David be part of Yeshua’s bride? Is there a scripture to back this up?
Don’t know; Scripture doesn’t say. This I know. There are different levels of rewards in the kingdom of Elohim. Yeshua said that some will the greatest and some will be the least in his kingdom (Matt 5:19). There are also foolish virgins and wise virgins. The latter group was permitted to meet the bridegroom, while the former was not (Matt 25). It seems to me that it would be folly to say that Moses et al will be the least in the kingdom and will not be able to go in and meet the Bridegroom. Whether they are the bride or not, who knows. Does it really matter? To me it doesn’t. I just want to make sure that I’m ready to meet Yeshua the Bridegroom. Beyond that, whatever eternal reward Moses and the other righteous OT saints will receive, to be sure, it will be commensurate with their high spiritual standing.
Question. Are you saying David did not have a new covenant relationship with YHVH? Psalm 51 indicates David did, and had his spirit.
The bottom line is that David had a relationship with Yeshua. He looked forward to the cross, even as we look back to it historically. However, the fact is that the new covenant hadn’t come yet. Yeshua initiated it at the last supper, and it will be fully in place when he returns. Presently, we’re in transition moving toward what Scripture refers to in numerous places as the everlasting covenant. The saints are now in the New Covenant, but it won’t be fully in place until Yeshua returns. (This is a whole other discussion that I’ve addressed several times elsewhere on this blog.) The writer of Hebrews indicates this in Hebrews 8:13 (cp. Heb 13:20).