Why Celebrate the Passover?

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Isn’t your life already busy enough? Who has time for a six-hour Passover Sedercommemorating something that happened thousands of years ago? What could this possibly have to do with my life here and now, you may ask? How can a 3500-year-old Biblical ritual in any way relate to those living in the age of the laser, satellites, the worldwide web and computers? Well, let’s see!

The Preacher said in Ecclesiastes 3:15, “That which is has been already and that which will be has already been.…” Life is full of paradoxes. Do advancements in technology, science, economics, medicine, religion, and world government really promise to give men the rest for their weary souls for which they long?

How about a different approach to the questions and problems facing modern man? Is it possible to go forward by going backwards? This is a thesis that the ancient prophet Yermeyahu (Jeremiah) proffered to those who had ears to hear. He said, “Thus says YHVH, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk in it’” (Jer 6:16). What were those ancient paths to which this white-haired Jewish prophet referred? This question is answered three verses later: “Because they have not listened to My words, and as for My Torah, they have rejected it also” (verse 19). YHVH through his prophets has been showing men the way of rest for their souls for thousands of years, yet men consistently refuse to listen. They always have a better way, so it seems!

The festival of Passover is one of the most ancient paths to be found in all of the Scriptures. In it are contained clues that will help the partakers of it to understand the past, present and the future. 

A God-hater, Karl Marx, the father of modern communism, said that religion is the opiate of the masses. Yes, this can be said of dead, truthless and spiritless religion. But how about that religion which gives definition, purpose, meaning, hope and destiny to a man’s life? How could anything that comes directly from the Loving Father who created you and me in his own image be detrimental to us?

It has been said that the religion of the Bible tells a person where he has come from, where he is at and where he is going. Could it not be said that a man who knows the answers to these questions possesses true wisdom and wealth, and has indeed found rest for his troubled soul?

One of the most important scriptures in the Jewish faith is the famous shemapassage of Deuteronomy 6:4–9. This passage, which is like a “pledge of allegiance” for the Jews, starts out by saying, “Hear [shema], O Israel …” The word shema literally means “to hear and to do.” Later, in verse five, the shema continues, “And you shall love YHVH your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might.” Loving our Heavenly Creator is not just a mind-thing, but also an action and a doing thing. It is something we act out and participate in. This is the Hebrew way … the ancient paths! As a path is for the purpose of walking down, even so, Passover is meant to be celebrated. This is how YHVH’s people showed their love and devotion to him. Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, reiterated this when he said, “If you love me, keep my commandments [or Torah mitzvot]” (John 14:15). 

This is what the Passover Seder is all about. We, as humans, learn by doing. We learn obedience by obeying. We learn to love by loving. We learn about heavenly and spiritual mysteries by walking out the types and shadows found in Scripture (of which Passover is but one) that point to the heavenly and spiritual domain or dimension of YHVH himself. The French have a saying: L’appétit vient en mangeant. Translated this means: Appetite comes while eating. Or we could say that the more one eats (delicious food) the more one wants. David said in Psalm 34:8, “O taste and see that YHVH is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him.” The more we walk out the commandments of our Heavenly Father, the more of his goodness we behold, the more of his blessings we receive, the more our soul finds rest, the more we want to walk out his commandments, the more we behold his goodness, and so on goes this wonderful spiritual growth-cycle.

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Free Passover Resources from Hoshana Rabbah

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Highlights From Nathan and Sandi’s Vacation in America’s Wild West

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For the better part of the past two weeks, Nathan, Sandi along with Jared their son have been making a long road trip through seven western American states. The main purpose was to deliver Zulu the dog to their daughter Kaeli who works as a clinical therapist at a Christian youth ranch that helps troubled and abused teens and pre-teen boys and girls that is located near Minot, North Dakota, located about 1,268 miles and several states away from them. After that, they turned the rest of their trip into a vacation—their first real vacation in more than a year.

After two years of intensive training, Zulu has been become certified to be a resident therapy dog. For the past five months Zulu has lived with us, and Sandi has helped to finish his training program. She volunteers for an organization that raises dogs and trains them from puppies to help people with physical disabilities and those who are suffering from PTSD. The dogs live with us for awhile as part of their training program. During this time, they are taught some 95 commands and learn how to help people with special physical and psycho-emotional needs.

After delivering Zulu to Kaeli, his new owner, we spent a few days with Kaeli and Ryan, her husband, and then we headed off to visit some of YHVH’s natural wonders in the western U.S.A. as we slowly headed our way back to Oregon, our home state.

Sandi and I are especially keen of YHVH’s natural beauty and wildlife. The typical city-type tourist attractions hold little or no interest to us. However, we passionately enjoy, no revel, in the earth’s scenic wonders, and we love to learn about the history and culture of the areas through which we travel.

During this trip, we will have traveled some 3,200 to 3,500 miles geeking out on things such as deer, buffalos, wild turkeys, antelopes, eagles, elk, mountain goats, mountain sheep, magpies and more. We’ve also seen some amazing geological formations, petrified trees, cactuses, spectacular mountains, cloud formations, forests, rivers, amazing geothermal features and too many other things to mention. We’ve been through wind storms that almost blew our car off the road as well as several snow storms as we crossed many mountains and praises as wall as the highest mountain in the U.S. The road in front of our car has, at times, been blocked by flocks of wild turkeys, and herds of elk, deer and buffalo. I could go on and on.

In the mean time, Sandi and I have been able to spend quality time together away from the stressors of everyday life including work and the noise of the city. We’ve also been able to spend quality time with our youngest child and traveling companion, as well as with our daughter and her husband.

Praise Yah for these blessings!

Please enjoy a few of the photos that I took along the way.

Zulu, Nathan and Sandi visiting a wildlife refuge along with their daughter and son-in-law who live in Minot, North Dakota.
At the wildlife refuge near Minot, Jared, or son, is viewing a giant tree that a beaver felled.
A view of the Bad Lands of SW North Dakota at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Rock formations at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Rock formations and prickly pear cactus at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Nathan viewing an amazingly large petrified tree stump at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
A chunk of petrified wood that Nathan spotted in a ravine as they were driving along in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
More pictures of the Bad Lands at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
American bison or buffalo blocking the road at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
A buffalo close up at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
A mountain lake in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Mount Rushmore National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The side of George Washington at Mount Rushmore.
Buffalo grazing in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
A pronghorn antelope in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming.
Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Montana.
Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Montana.
Sandi gazing at one of the hot springs at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Montana.
Another buffalo up close in Yellowstone National Park, near Gardiner, Montana.
 

Correction on Passover Date

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For the past one-and-a-half weeks, Sandi and I have been on a seven state road trip—our first real vacation in more than a year. We’ve been visiting family and sightseeing along the way. I’ll post some photos later. Anyway, we’ve been in and out of cell service and haven’t always been able to connect to the internet, and, in all honesty, I haven’t had my mind on this blog too much. But a couple days ago, I posted the dates for Passover, and got the calendar dates wrong, although the days of the week were correct. Someone called me today while we were in the Black Hills of South Dakota to inform me of the error. Thank you Mark! Now that I’m at our hotel and am able to connect to WiFi, I have correct the typos on my my previous blog post. Just to make sure that there’s no confusion, here are the dates again:

This year, 2022, Passover, based on the abib barley and the new moon in the land of Israel, will begin the evening of Saturday, April 16, with Passover day being on Sunday April 17. The first high day the Feast of Unleavened Bread will fall on Monday, April 18. Our family will be holding our seder at the end of the day on Sunday going into the evening of Monday.

My apologies for the confusion.

Blessings and more blessings to everyone in Yeshua the Messiah!

 

When is Passover?

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When to celebrate the upcoming biblical feast of Passover is currently the big question on the minds of biblically astute, Hebraically-minded followers of Yeshua. We keep his commandments because we love and want to know him, right? Right!

What follows will be a simple step-by-step guide on how to determine the date of Passover. It’s as simple as one, two, three or A-B-C, if you prefer. Once you have done this, you can figure out the times of the other biblical feasts for the rest of the year.

Step one: Determine when the barley in the land of Israel is abib (or ripe).

Step two: Once there is enough barley that is ripe, sight the new moon in the land of Israel. The next new moon that falls after the barley is ripe, will be the first day of the new biblical year.

Step three: Once you know the first day of the new year, then count forward 14 days to Passover, which is on the fourteenth day of the new year.

It’s that simple.

Once you know Passover, you can calculate the rest of the biblical feasts.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is on the fifteenth day of the first month or the next day after Passover day. The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost is on the fiftieth day after First Fruits Day (always on a Sunday). In other words, between First Fruits Day and Pentecost there are 49 days or seven full weeks with Pentecost falling on the fiftieth day—always on a Sunday.

Once you know when the first day of the first month is for the biblical year, it is also easy to calculate when the fall biblical feasts are.

The Day of Trumpets falls on the first day of the seventh month.

The Day of Atonement occurs on the tenth day of the seventh month.

The Feast of Tabernacles falls on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and lasts for seven days. The seventh day of this feast is called, by ancient Jewish tradition, the Last Great Day or Hoshana Rabbah.

The Eighth Day falls on the twenty-second day of the seventh month immediately after the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Important: The biblical new month always begins when the first crescent new moon is visible to the naked eye from the land of Israel. Sometimes is it impossible to predetermine on which day Passover or Day of Trumpets will fall, since this is contingent upon seeing the new moon. A biblical month can have 29 or 30 days. So if one doesn’t see the new moon at the end of the 29th day, then that means that the new month will begin at the end of the 30th day. This marks the first day of the new month. Therefore, it is impossible to know ahead of time the exact day of Passover or Trumpets. You have to wait until you see the new moon or don’t see it, depending on the situation.

Not knowing the exact day for Passover and Trumpets ahead time frustrates and irritates many people, since they can’t plan ahead of time when to take time off from work, or plan to rent a building when planning for a large gathering. For this reason, many people choose to follow the calculated traditional or rabbinic Jewish calendar (aka the Hillel 2 calendar). The problem is that this calendar was not the original calendar used by the Jews of Yeshua’s time, but was invented by the Jews of the dispersion and approved by the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century A.D. It is no longer an accurate calendar in that it usually does not fall on the days that the Torah tells us to keep YHVH’s biblical feasts. That’s why we reject this calendar as being biblically inaccurate.

We reject other calendars as well. These include the spring equinox calendar which is another unbiblical calendar. Neither the Bible nor the ancient Jews uses/used the the spring equinox to determine the biblical feasts. In fact, the Bible never even mentions the spring equinox.

Then there are other calendars such as the Noah calendar, the Enoch calendar, several Qumran calendars from the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the list goes on and on. People who, for whatever reason, do not want to follow the simple truth of the Bible keep coming up with new calendars to make themselves feel special as if they have discovered some hidden, esoteric knowledge that no one else has. The problem is that all of these calendars are all man-made and unbiblical, so we reject them as well.

Having said all of this, this year, Passover, based on the abib barley and the new moon in the land of Israel, will begin the evening of April 16 with Passover day being on Sunday April 17. The first high day the Feast of Unleavened Bread will fall on Monday, April 18.

If you are part of a Hebraic community that follows the traditional Orthodox Jewish calendar and will be celebrating Passover on a different day, we advise you not to cause division and strife over this issue. Celebrate with your community, but then follow Torah by keeping Passover quietly yourself on the exact day Scripture commands. This way, you are part of your community, but not violating the Word of Elohim.

If you want to know exactly when the biblical new month begins and when the barley is abib in the land of Israel, we cordially direct you to two of the reliable sources in the land of Israel that we use to obtain this information. They are:

https://www.facebook.com/datetree

https://www.hebrewinisrael.net/category/blog/

If you are still confused about the biblical calendar, I invite you to read my articles on the subject at: https://www.hoshanarabbah.org/teaching.html#feast or watch some of my videos on the subject at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5EzE5DQnrHfWWbczzkRo6IOnglxhbRfM.

 

From Messy Antics to the Dance of Lovers — The Eight Phases of Coming Out of Spiritual Babylon of the Church

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Alone in a Dark, Strange House

Have you ever found yourself groping and stumbling around in a totally dark, strange room without a light? You’re running into walls and furniture, stubbing your toes on things looking for a light switch or the door? Similarly but on a spiritual level, many people have left the comforts and familiar surroundings of the mainstream church system with some vague notion of returning to the Hebrew roots of their faith only to find themselves in such a dark house. Welcome to the house of the so-called Messianic or the Hebrew roots movement!

Many of us have been in this new spiritual house asking ourselves questions like: Where are we? Where are we going? What’s next? Who’s out there? Am I alone? 

Shifting from a traditional church-system paradigm and lifestyle to that of that of a more first century or Hebraic one as modelled by the early believers in the Book of Acts and apostolic leaders isn’t an easy to do. There are a lot of questions and unfamiliar territory to traverse. Am I moving into cultism? Legalism? Too much Jewishness? Or some bizarre new religion or what? 

Perhaps knowing the transition zones or spiritual growth stages that you will likely go through, as most of us have, might be like someone handing you a flashlight in that dark house. Even a little light on the subject might save your toe from getting stubbed and keep you from doing a nose plant on the floor! Not only that, knowing the stages most people inevitably go through when making the transition from a traditional Sunday Christian orientation to a Torah-pursuant one just might…

help us to stay on course spiritually, so that we won’t get stuck in one stage of spiritual development and fail to move to the next stage.

help leaders to see where people are at in their path to spiritual maturity, and help them to move to the next level.

help those who have advanced through these stages to be gracious and helpful to those who have not yet done so.

Here are the stages, as I see them. Each one’s personal experiences may vary a little, and the order of the steps may be slightly different for each person, but I think that most of us can relate to these steps of spiritual transformation to one degree or another. I know, because I’ve been through these steps myself!

The Eight Stages of Coming Out of Spiritual Babylon

1– Awakening Stage: Hearing the Sound of the Shofar and the Call of the Bridegroom

At this stage, we begin to awaken to our spiritual heritage—to the Jewish or Hebraic roots of the Christian faith.

We begin to develop a love for the land of Israel, the Jewish people as well as the Hebrew Scriptures.

We become aware of our need to return to YHVH’s ancient and good spiritual (Torah) paths (Jer 6:16), which predate Constantine Christianity and the traditions of men that are contrary to the Word of Elohim that often characterize much of what has been associated with our past church involvements. We realize that we have strayed spiritually from YHVH’s biblical paths of Torah-Truth and bought into many lying doctrines and traditions of men (Jer 16:19) that were taught in our Christian church experience.

2 – Anger Stage: Our Fathers Have Inherited Lies

We become aware that our spiritual fathers have inherited lies (Jer 16:19). Namely, we discover that the church has lied to us about our Hebraic heritage and YHVH’s Torah-instructions that he revealed to Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and the patriarchs and then to Moses and the children of Israel. We come to realize that the mainstream church has withheld much in the way of YHVH revealed biblical Truth from us, and has substituted for that Truth man traditions of men and pagan ideas. If not careful, anger against the Christian church—our brothers in the faith—can set in and overtake us.

Some people, at this point, will begin to despise, denigrate and even hate the Christian church and Christians. Some don’t even believe that there are any Christians who are saved. In the process, many Hebraic-minded people become judgmental and bigoted toward Christians who still adhere to anti-Torah belief systems. In anger and bitterness, some people will even turn away from what correct Truth the church does have (e.g., the message of Yeshua, the cross, the basic gospel message, the message of love, etc.) and toss out the proverbial baby with the bath water. Sadly, some people will turn away from belief in the New Testament, the gospel message and the truth about the deity and messiahship of Yeshua.

3 — Exploratory Stage: Learning About the Roots of Our Faith

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Biden is planning a new digital currency. Here’s why you should be very worried

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BY JUSTIN HASKINS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR – 03/26/22 8:00 AM ET

Find link at: https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/599768-biden-is-planning-a-new-digital-currency-heres-why-you-should-be-very-worried/

Whenever the White House says it is working on a plan that would transform a vital part of the U.S. economy, and that the administration is doing so with the “highest urgency,” it should go without saying that the press should pay close attention to what’s going on.

Even more importantly, the press should eagerly and comprehensively inform the public of the potential risks associated with such a proposal.

Unfortunately, that’s not happening today, and the effects of the media’s negligence could reverberate for decades to come.

On March 9, the Biden administration released an executive order (EO) instructing a long list of federal agencies to study digital assets and to propose numerous reports about their use and proposals to regulate them. Much of the executive order is focused on cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum, which run on blockchain technology and have become increasingly popular among many investors and consumers in recent years.

But there is an even more important part of the EO: President Biden has instructed the federal government and Federal Reserve to lay the groundwork for a potential new U.S. currency, a digital dollar.

If the United States were to adopt a digital currency like the one discussed in Biden’s executive order, it would be one of the most dramatic expansions of federal power ever made, one that could put individuals and businesses in grave danger of losing their social and economic freedoms.

Among other important actions, the White House executive order directs several federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, to study the development of a new central bank digital currency (CBDC) and to produce a report within 180 days of the EO discussing the potential risks and benefits of a digital dollar.

The order further directs the Treasury Department, Office of the Attorney General and Federal Reserve to work together to produce a “legislative proposal” to create a digital currency within 210 days, about seven months.

A digital dollar would not merely be a digital version of the existing U.S. dollar, but rather an entirely new currency that would, at least at first, exist alongside today’s currency. Similar to cash, the CBDC would be used to pay for goods and services and would likely be managed by the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States. 

Unlike the current dollar, though, a central bank digital currency would not exist in physical form, meaning you wouldn’t be able to go to a bank or ATM and withdraw it.

It is important to understand that the digital dollar would not be similar to cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Cryptocurrencies operate on blockchain technology, which is decentralized by design. No group or individual can truly control cryptocurrencies once they are launched.

Digital dollars, on the other hand, would be traceable and programmable. The Federal Reserve (or some other designated entity) would have the ability to create more digital dollars whenever it sees fit, and, depending on how the legislation is written setting up the currency, the dollars could be formulated to have various rules and restrictions built into their design. 

For example, a digital dollar could be crafted to restrict fossil-fuel use, to give bonuses to people for spending at particular businesses, to enact de facto price controls by disallowing users from spending too much on particular products, or even to redistribute wealth.

In one report about the development of a central bank digital currency published by the Federal Reserve in January, the Fed outlined a few examples of possible “design choices” for a digital dollar, including that “a central bank might limit the amount of CBDC an end user could hold.”

There are many reasons to believe Biden’s plan for a digital dollar involves a design that will give the federal government and/or Federal Reserve control over much of society and the economy.

Biden’s executive order states that the CBDC and other policies governing digital assets must mitigate “climate change and pollution” and promote “financial inclusion and equity.”

In fact, “financial inclusion” is mentioned five times in Biden’s order, and “equity” and “climate change” are mentioned four times each. 

Further, in a background call with reporters about the executive order, a “senior administration official” (the name was curiously removed from the White House transcript) promised that in creating a new digital currency, the Biden administration will “continue to partner with all stakeholders — including industry, labor, consumer, and environmental groups, international allies and partners.” 

Why would labor unions, industry organizations and environmental groups be involved in the development of a new currency — unless, of course, there is a plan to program that currency to advance various causes special-interest groups care about? 

Even more stunning, in a 2021 question-and-answer session about the development of a digital dollar, David Andolfatto, a senior vice president and economist in the St. Louis Fed’s Research Division, was asked whether the Fed could “assure us [the public] that these digital currencies won’t ever be used to tell us when, how or where our money can be spent?”

“In life one can’t give absolute assurances of anything,” Andolfatto responded before suggesting that “the best we can hope for” is for Congress to “respond to the electorate’s concerns” about privacy.

If the Fed has no plan to use a future central bank digital currency to control Americans’ behavior, Andolfatto’s response is incredibly bizarre, to say the least.

It’s clear that the Biden administration and Fed are working together to create a controllable, traceable, programmable digital currency. And if they are successful, life in America might never be the same. 

Here is the actual text of Biden’s Executive Order from March 22, 2022 entitled, “Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Asset”. Don’t take my word for it. Read it for yourself!

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/03/09/executive-order-on-ensuring-responsible-development-of-digital-assets/

Here is some more information on the coming global (trackable or traceable) digital currency that will replace paper money including the dollar bills in your wallet:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/03/09/executive-order-on-ensuring-responsible-development-of-digital-assets/

Countdown to U.S. Government Default