My recent voyage to Antarctica was like a trip to another planet. It was a surreal, unearthly place that because of its pristine beauty and vast stretches of whiteness with the glaciated mountains and icebergs transports one to a different realm physically, emotionally, psychologically and even spiritually. Antarctica is almost a holy, even a godly place because it is largely untouched and untainted by sinful man. The message of this video was birthed in the Antarctic as a result of some transcendent thoughts that came to me while there concerning the higher walk to which Yeshua is calling us. May this message edify, bless and encourage the listener onward and upward!
No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matt 9:16–17)
Matthew 9:17, New [Gr. agnaphos] patch…old [Gr. palaios] garment. A brief dive into the Greek words for new and old is instructive and yields some rich treasures that will be lost on most modern persons without a proper explanation.
The word new (as in “new patch”) is the Greek word agnaphos referring to the work of a fuller whose job it was to prepare cloth for garment making by first carding it. So what did a fuller specifically do? The fibers (whether of wool, cotton, flax or some other natural fibrous material) must first be smoothed and aligned by carding with a wire toothed brush thus disentangling the fibers and washed, which prepares the fibers for spinning.
Next, the Greek word for old (as in “old garment”) is palaios meaning “antique, that is, not recent, worn out.”What an apt description of a carnally oriented and spiritually unregenerate person before coming to the Messiah! They are a tangled and uncarded mess spiritually, as well as being old and worn out.
Each of us is like old garments that need patching. In order to receive the new patches of Yeshua’s gospel, our old, carnal man must be carded (disentangled and set in order), washed (baptized) and shrunk in size. That is, we must be divested of our innate pride, humbled and brought down to size at the foot of the cross. Further the carnal and sinful man needs to be shrunk in size and yield to the larger regenerative and transforming power of YHVH’s Spirit. In the next parable of the new and old wineskins, Yeshua alludes to this second work of the Spirit that needs to occur in a new believer after they have been carded. It is only through allowing these processes to occur in our lives that we can qualify to be potential candidates to be the bride of Yeshua (v. 15).
New wine…new wineskins. The analogy of the new wine and new wineskins is similar but different than that of the new patch on the old clothes. Both have to do with regeneration of something that is old, but each parabolic analogy intends a different spiritual truth because each a involves different process that with a different objectives. Sadly the phrase,“New wine into old wineskins…new wine into new wineskins” (the translation as found in most of our English Bibles) is a muddy one a misses the deeper meaning from the Koine Greek, and therefore doesn’t give us the proper understanding of Yeshua’s words. Here is the verse from Matthew 9:17 with the Greek words following in brackets:
Neither do men put new [neos] wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new [neos] wine into new [kainos] bottles, and both are preserved. (KJV
In English, the word new can mean “brand new, never been used before” or it can mean “new to you, although it may have previously belonged to someone else.” It can also mean “renewed, reconditioned new.” In Koine Greek, there are two words for our one word new. They are neos and kainos.
The Greek word neos means “new as in brand new.” The Greek word kainos means “new in the sense that something is renewed or reconditioned,” so it’s not brand new.
Both Mark and Luke in their accounts use kainos in the same way Matthew does in his (Mark 2:22; Luke 5:38).
This verse would have been better translated as:
Neither do men put new [neos] wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new [neos] wine into reconditioned [kainos] bottles, and both are preserved.
Stern captures this meaning in his Complete Jewish Bible where he translates kainos as “freshly prepared wineskins.” J. P. Green in his Bible translates kainos as “fresh.”
Interestingly, Luke adds a statement that the other two Gospel writers (see Matt 9:17 and Mark 2:22) omit:
And no one, having drunk the old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘”The old is better.” (Luke 5:39)
What is the meaning of this? One commentator states that in ancient times, aged wine (i.e., being fully fermented, and thus having a higher alcohol content) was generally preferred over new wine (not fully fermented, thus having a lower alcohol content). He suggests that Yeshua is probably indicating why the religious people were objecting to the joy of Yeshua’s disciples (verse 33): because it was something new (The IVP Bible Background Commentary, p. 203, by Craig Keener). So depending on the context of Yeshua’s usage of the new/old wine analogy, sometimes the new is better, sometimes the old is better.
Also consider this. New wine must be put into newly refurbished leather wineskins. Why is this? Old leather gets dry and cracked like a pair of old leather boots that needs to be oiled occasionally to keep the leather pliable. Similarly, if one is to qualify to be the bride of Yeshua (v. 15), then one must receive the new wine of Yeshua’s teachings, where mercy (i.e., the weightier matters of the Torah [i.e., justice, mercy and faith from Matt 23:23) is more important than sacrifice (i.e., a letter-of-the-law, legalistic obedience to the Torah while missing its heart and spirit). The only way for an old wineskin to be newly refurbished and thus able to contain the new wine is to treated with oil (likely olive oil) to made supple. Similarly, a person (on old wineskin) must be immersed in the Holy Spirit to become the supple or teachably pliable vessel necessary to receive the new wine of Yeshua’s teachings. The evidence that a person has become a newly refurbished wineskin is the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in their life. This is something that those who are legalistically bound to a letter-of-the-law obedience religious system will find hard to manifest because of their hard, rigid, exclusivistic, judgmental and unloving view of and demeanor toward others.
Afflicting the soul—it’s time to get serious about putting our soul man to death if we’re going to be ready to meet King Yeshua!
This is an unpopular subject with men, but a popular one with YHVH Elohim!
FOR SPIRITUALLY MATURE READERS ONLY WHO DON’T WANT THEIR EARS TICKLED AND ARE SERIOUS ABOUT FOLLOWING YESHUA!
Our souls need afflicting. This is a tough, unpopular message that few want to think about, much less discuss or preach about. Afflicting the soul or dying to self is what the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur is all about. In fact, this is what our entire life is all about. It’s about dying to the world and the devil, but most importantly, dying to self. If we want to see Yeshua, we must talk about it, and then learn to do it!
Dying to self is the lifelong struggle that Paul, the mighty apostle of Yeshua and the writer of a good portion of the New Testament discusses in Romans chapter seven that each of us faces every day.
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of Elohim according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Rom 7:14–24)
Why must our souls be afflicted? So they can be brought under the power of the Spirit of Elohim, and so that we think and act like Yeshua, and eventually be transformed into the people that he wants to spend eternity with. Becoming like Yeshua is ultimate purpose of life! When a person’s main goal in life is to make money, or to gain material possessions, to achieve fame, power, knowledge or even to become happily married and to raise a family, they are falling way short of their full and destiny as potential children of the Creator, Most High YHVH Elohim. That’s why Yeshua asks the question, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mat 16:26). That is why YHVH Elohim, our Father in heaven sent Yeshua his Son to this earth. It was not only redeem us from the death grip of sin, but to show us how to live—to show us the way to our Heavenly Father. For this to occur, we must overcome the world, the flesh and devil every day of our lives and live as Yeshua did. The Word of Elohim tells that without holiness, spiritual purity or sinlessness, no one will see Elohim (Heb 12:14). These are words to live by and to guide us in all that we do, say and think. This means becoming a living sacrifice for Yeshua or dying to self.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of Elohim, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to Elohim, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of Elohim. (Rom 12:1–2)
Dying to self and being overcomers is necessary if we are to be the chaste bride ready to meet Yeshua our coming King and Bridegroom—a bride that will be one or echad with him for eternity. We must die to everything else that will get in they way of our love for him.
Who shall separate us from the love of the Messiah? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE ACCOUNTED AS SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of Elohim which is in the Messiah Yeshua our Lord. (Rom 8:35–39)
One aspect of becoming like Yeshua by dying to self and overcoming this world and the flesh may well involve our rethinking or even changing our entire paradigmatic perspective concerning our current lifestyles. What do I mean by this? Let me explain.
Most of us have spent a lifetime constructing neat little nests all around us to shield ourselves from the harsh realities of life. Almost everything we do, everything we buy, everything we construct, the relationships we nurture, and the material possessions that we collect is about self preservation and comfort. To this end, we all have furnished the nests of our lives in a way to protect ourselves from the harsh reality of death. Then beyond this, we have embellished our nests to look good to the outside world, and to feel good about ourselves, and live comfortable and self-gratifying lifestyles, while forgetting that it could all be gone in an instant, or that we could die at anytime, and then what?
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mat 16:26)
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry. ‘ But Elohim said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward Elohim.” (Luke 12:16–21)
Sadly, many of us placed more of our time and energy attempting to fulfill our physical expectations instead following Yeshua’s instructions to his disciples to “seek first the kingdom of Elohim and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you,” (Matt 6:33). As a result, in many cases, our expectations have become idols that, to one degree or another, are keeping us from walking out the Truth of YHVH, and the higher life of a disciple of Messiah by walking as he walked. In many respects, our affluent and free Western lifestyle has not helped us in achieving the higher spiritual walks that Yeshua requires of his disciples. This is because we have been blessed with civil liberties, freedoms and luxuries never before experienced by any previous human society, and this has not helped us to grow stronger spiritually. Instead, in many cases, and as a whole, we have grown spiritually weak, lukewarm and careless, anemic, somewhat apathetic toward our faith. For many of us our passion for Yeshua and the Truth of Elohim has waned if not all but evaporated. YHVH warned ancient Israel and the Laodicean church over these same issues.
For the YHVH’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so YHVH alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him. He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, and oil from the flinty rock; curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs; and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the choicest wheat; and you drank wine, the blood of the grapes. But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, you grew thick, you are obese! Then he forsook Elohim who made him, and scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons, not to Elohim, to gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear. Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten the Elohim who fathered you. (Deut 32:9–18)
For Jerusalem stumbled, And Judah is fallen, Because their tongue and their doings Are against YHVH, To provoke the eyes of His glory. The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves. Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him. As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.” YHVH stands up to plead, And stands to judge the people. YHVH will enter into judgment With the elders of His people And His princes: “For you have eaten up the vineyard; The plunder of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the faces of the poor?” Says the Lord GOD of hosts. Moreover YHVH says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with outstretched necks And wanton eyes, Walking and mincing as they go, Making a jingling with their feet. Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, And YHVH will uncover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the finery: The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; the headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; The perfume boxes, the charms, and the rings; The nose jewels, the festal apparel, and the mantles; The outer garments, the purses, and the mirrors; the fine linen, the turbans, and the robes. And so it shall be: Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; Instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty. (Isa 3:8–24)
“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of Elohim: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Rev 3:14–22)
What are some expectations that our Western lifestyle has automatically provided us such that we automatically expect them and if deprived of them, we would be scandalized, inconvenienced, shaken physically and spiritually? In America, for example, they include…
The American dream (a house, an automobile or two, vacations, a cushy retirement beginning at a young age, having a few toys, e.g. a boat, travel trailer, a second home, etc.)
Freedom of speech.
Freedom of religion and the right to practice it freely.
Freedom to peaceably assemble.
Freedom from government intrusion and tyranny.
Freedom to maintain personal privacy.
The right to travel freely and unmolested on our way whenever and wherever we want to go
A just judicial system that is impartial and not a respecter of persons where one is innocent until proven guilty.
No taxation without representation.
Freedom to defend oneself with firearms if necessary.
Freedom to live privately without government surveillance and intrusion.
The expectation that we can buy whatever we want whenever we want with no supply shortages including the basic necessities of life.
The knowledge that our national constitution guarantees and protects our basic civil rights.
The belief that our politicians represent us.
Freedom to raise our children how we want and that parents have ultimate authority over their minor children.
Freedom to live on our own land and to do what we want on it as long as it doesn’t hurt someone else or violate their freedoms.
The expectation to live a safe, secure, settle, undisturbed life free of worry and stress, discomfort, insecurity and privation of any kind.
The following is an email question that I recently received and will then answer below:
I’m asking this tough question for myself but also on behalf others out there. The world ID and money system, or at least part of it, has already been launched and is growing fast.
Q: Which point of view should we have, A or B?
a) It is staunchly against Elohim to take part in this, because it’s the front door to or an early stage of the mark of the beast system and all its surveillance and eventual tyrannical control.
We should instead get out of Babylon and trust in YHVH and refuse to sign up for a system that represents evil globalist tyrants and their world government system which will be used to enslave us,
or
b) This is not the mark of the beast per se. No under the skin mark is presently a requirement of joining or being able to buy or sell using the system. Until that’s the case, there’s no moral or biblical prohibition against signing up for or partaking of the new WorldID system, giving an iris scan, etc. YHVH understands if sooner or later we sign up and become involved in this WorldID/money system. If regular fiat currencies become worthless, we will still have to eat, pay the rent, and buy the necessities of life.
Nathan’s Response
This is a timely question in light of current world events as they relate to end times Bible prophecy. However, the answer to this question is not as simple as the either…or answer suggested above. As we shall see, my answer is much more nuanced, since there are some deeper spiritual implications that we need to consider before determining a course of action vis-à-vis the mark of the beast (Rev 13:15–18). Thusly, in answering this relevant question, we will take this discussion in a different direction than expected. Let’s step outside the paradigmatic box of our natural thinking and step into a different realm and reality—that of the Spirit and the supernatural. As begotten sons and daughters of the Most High Elohim, is not this spiritual dimension our destiny—the higher goal and level to which we are all aspiring? Is not our physical life merely a proving ground, a place to be refined, a school to graduate from and a stepping stone to the blessed higher level or our ultimate existence? Yes! So let’s now explore how we can overcome this satanic world as we appropriate the victory that Yeshua our Messiah experienced when he led the way for us as he overcame all evil to ascend to the right hand of the Power in heaven.
To start with, in several places, the Bible informs us that the just or righteous person shall walk by faith, not by sight. That is to say, our faith ultimately must be in YHVH, not in anything else including the events we see transpiring around us, or other people, ourselves, or what we think we have to do to protect our physical lives.
What is faith? Faith is trusting YHVH to work things out for our ultimate good, regardless of what the physical circumstances around us appear to be. Why is such trusting faith important. The Bible gives many reasons. But for our discussion here, it is because no one knows exactly what will happen in the future, so it is impossible to game our perfectly what to do. Think about this: Look back over the last 40, 30, 20, 10 or even five years of you life. Did everything go exactly as you planned or expected it to go? Probably not. So what makes you think that you will be able to figure out the future including what to do when it comes to your exact course of action in response to preparing not to take the mark of the beast or how you will survive outside the New World Order’s mark of the beast system? Prepare? Yes. Know the exact details? No. This is where faith in YHVH comes in. He knows the end from the beginning, so we must look to him for our future provision and security as to how we will survive without taking the satanic mark. Several scriptures give us guidelines in this regard.
Trust in YHVH with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Prov 3:5–6)
Trust in YHVH, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in YHVH; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto YHVH; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.…Rest in YHVH, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.… YHVH knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.… For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered by YHVH: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for YHVH upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.…Wait on YHVH, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.… But the salvation of the righteous is of YHVH: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And YHVH shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him. (Ps 37:3–5, 7, 18–19, 22–25, 34, 39–40).
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if Elohim so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of Elohim, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matt 6:25–34)
In light of these Bible truths, ask yourself this: Since you have been a redeemed believer, during the past 40, 30, 20, 10 or even five years did you ever starve? Go naked? Live homeless? Have to beg for food or shelter? Likely not. YHVH provided. Therefore, have faith that he will take care of you in the future. As the saying goes, prepare as if it were up to us, and pray as if it were up to Elohim.
It is true that YHVH instructs his people to exit Babylon (Rev 18:4). But what exactly does this mean? As far as leaving Babylon goes, is there really any way to leave this global system completely? Realistically, to do so, you would have to leave the planet! The truth is that we will only completely leave Babylon when Yeshua destroys this satanic world order at his second coming and sets the captives free. Think of the children of Israel and their exodus from Egypt. YHVH kept his children safe and protected in the land of Goshen, but they weren’t free to leave Egypt until he brought divine judgment down upon that nation. As Yeshua told his disciples, though we are in the world, we are not of it. That said, YHVH has the sovereign ability to protect his people even in the eye of the proverbial storm.
So let’s now consider the concept of Babylon the Great as the futuristic Book of Revelation presents it. In the past, Babylon was a geographical entity in the Near East—a localized city and a regional empire called Babylonia. Now Babylon is a global technocracy that is run electronically with the help of a power grid, satellites, computers, artificial intelligence, government surveillance, digital banking, biometric identification, robots and much more. It is difficult to operate outside this system including holding a regular job, traveling, purchasing food and the necessities of life and paying your bills, unless you live in a log cabin off-grid in Alaska or the Yukon territory. If so what are you going to do when you are buried under ten feet of snow for months at a time in 40 degree below zero weather and you lose your ax or survival knife, run out of gun powder or flour? Most likely, you will have to go back into the global system to buy these things. How are you going to pay for them? With gold dust? Assuming the stream next to your cabin contains gold. Get the point?
This said, if you can and it is Elohim’s will for you, in the mean time, consider relocating as far outside of urban areas as possible. Cities are environments where people are more easily controlled and surveilled by tyrannical governmental systems. If you relocate to a rural area, you will likely have more privacy and be able to live somewhat self-sufficiently. But even then, if you want to keep your land, you still have to pay your property taxes with money. So now, we’re back in the world’s economic system again. Regardless of where you live, however, YHVH’s arm is not shortened in his ability to protect and provide for you. How? Don’t know. Again, that is where faith comes in.
There are 49 days between First Fruits Day, which occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot or Pentecost). Why does YHVH in the Torah command his pepole to count the seven weeks or 49 days between these two events, with Pentecost occurring on the fiftieth day? The short answer is that Yeshua doesn’t want to marry a spiritual baby. For the long answer, keep reading…
From the Depths of Slavery to a Kingdom of Priests
Every detail in Scripture is for our learning and edification. All the examples of the past are for our learning upon whom the ends of the world are come (1 Cor 10:11; Rom 15:4). Everyday, YHVH is uncovering the prophetic mysteries hidden in the Scriptures that are being revealed to those who diligently seek him by diligently studying to show themselves approved as a workman rightly dividing YHVH’s Word (2 Tim 2:15).
YHVH’s command us to countdown 49 days from First Fruits Day to the Feast of Weeks (Heb. Shavuot; Gr. Pentecoste, Lev 23:15–16) to memorialize the Israelites’ journey from spiritual babyhood to adulthood. During this 49-day count, Israel ascended out of the depths of slavery and suffering in Egypt, was baptized in the Red Sea, and then arrived at Mount Sinai—a place of a spiritual standing before YHVH to become a kingdom of priests (Exod 19:6). It was there that YHVH gave the Israelites his instructions in righteousness—the Torah on Shavuot. This 49-day period represents Israel’s passage from slavery to freedom. They came out of slavery permeated with the leaven, that is, the sins, values, and pagan concepts of Egypt. YHVH instructed them to leave it all behind as symbolized by deleavening their lives during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. After that, YHVH gave Israel 49 days to overcome and to get rid of the impurities of Egypt, and to become the nation of Israel—a holy priesthood and the bride of YHVH. There, at the foot of Mount Sinai, YHVH wanted them to become his ambassadors to this world of the truths of his heavenly kingdom.
The counting of the omer is the story of our lives also. It pictures our going from bondage to the world, the flesh and the devil and coming to a place of spiritual standing before YHVH, so that we can be used of him to advance his kingdom.
It’s a process ordained of YHVH and it’s his pattern that we must follow. There is no escape from this process if we are to be groomed and prepared for use in YHVH’s service.
Why Fifty Days Between the Wave Sheaf Offering and Shavuot?
Fifty is the biblical number signifying complete redemption or liberty. In ancient Israel, all debts were forgiven every seven years. This was called the seven-year cycle. Every seven years, one had to let their land rest; no crops were planted. This was called the land Sabbath. Seven seven-year cycles equaled 49 years. In the Scriptures, 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 Feast of Unleavened Bread signified deliverance from sin (Egypt), then Shavuot, occurring 50 days after the wave sheaf offering during the week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, symbolizes total redemption, deliverance and victory over sin. How? For us, this occurs through the divine gift and glorious power of the indwelling presence of the Ruach HaKodesh (the Set-Apart Spirit), which Yeshua poured out upon his disciples on the day of Pentecost.
We must recognize this YHVH-ordained process, submit to it and realize what he wants to accomplish in our lives as a result. As we are going through the process, we must keep our eyes on the end goal and keep heading in that direction. Yeshua is that end goal. He is the “end” or “final aim, goal of the Torah” (Rom 10:4). He is “the fulfillment of the law”, that is, he is the full manifestation or fruition of the Torah (Matt 5:17). As such, he is our example to follow. Paul says we are to imitate him—to do what he did (1 Cor 11:1).
The 49 Days Represent a Time of Overcoming and Spiritual Development
When the people of Israel left Egypt, they were immersed or baptized in the Red Sea. This represents the redeemed believer being baptized for the remission of sins at the time of their conversion, and their receiving the Spirit of Elohim. The gift of YHVH’s Spirit is for the purpose of producing within us YHVH’s divine nature. There are seven levels of spiritual growth and development that involve overcoming and equipping, so that we come to a place where YHVH can use us in a special way as his representatives on earth for kingdom outreach.
The seven levels of spiritual development of the divine nature are found in 2 Peter 1:4–8,
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindnesscharity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Master Yeshua the Messiah. [For an explanation of each of the character attributes, see the end notes.]
The fruit of the Spirit must proceed or underlay the gifts of the Spirit. Without love (or the fruit of the Spirit) all the gifts of the Spirit are zero, in YHVH’s eyes (1 Cor 13). The power of the Spirit without the fruits makes for an out-of-control, fleshly or soulish and unloving person.
Divine Empowerment for Kingdom Advancement
Upon conclusion of the 49 days, we arrive at the fiftieth day or the giving of the Torah (in Hebrew, mattan Torah). It is at this point that we receive YHVH’s gift from above—YHVH’s Torah written on our hearts by his Set-Apart (Gr. Paracletos or Comforter, John 14:16–18, 25–26; 15:26; 16:7–8 12–14). The Spirit of Elohim is the One who comes along side of us to aid, help, strengthen and succor us in walking out the Torah. With this divine help, we are able to do that which we could not achieve by our own limited capacities. We receive the gift of true freedom from the world, the flesh and the devil through the gift of the Spirit of Elohim indwelling us, writing his Torah on our hearts thus empowering us to live at a spiritual level beyond what would be otherwise impossible solely through our own human capacity. It is by YHVH’s divine empowerment that we are granted the ability to transcend our human limitations and touch the Divine.
The Bible reveals that Satan the devil is the great counterfeiter, who comes as an angel of light to deceive everyone including Christians. How do we know whether the gifts of the Holy Spirit are real or are just a demonic counterfeit? After all, many of the pagan (demonic) religions of the world have similar manifestations going on in them including healings, tongues, prophetic words, and so on. How do we know if what we see going on in many charismatic and Pentecostal churches is from Elohim, the devil or some other source? This video answers these questions.
