This issue of YAHSHUA'S
WITNESS MAGAZINE
was published for MAY-JUNE 2009
Inside this issue
EDITOR:
ASSOCIATE EDITOR:
PROOFREADERS:
Abortion--The Destroying of our seed!
In the last issue of Yahshua’s Witness Magazine I wrote about how we
are awesomely and wonderfully made. Then in our latest newsletter I wrote about
the abortion and gay movements. These two movements are nothing more than seeds
of destruction!
As I continue to look into the Hebrew language, especially the more
ancient Hebrew, specifically the Paleo-Hebrew and the more ancient
Pictorial-Hebrew, so many, many powerful things are revealed. Recently, in
perusing some of the information on the Hebrew letters provided by Frank Seekins,
I came across the Hebrew letter tet which is a circle with a cross in it (u).
He revealed that the Hebrew word for belly or womb is beten (nTb
[Paleo-Hebrew fonts]).
The beit (b) is an hieroglyphic for a
tent, temple, or house. In this instance the tet (T) has to do with something
that is surrounded or surrounding. The final letter nun (n) has to do with the seed,
the heir, or life. The more ancient Pictorial-Hebrew would look like this (nub).
Now
take a look at the image provided. Do
you see how the Hebrew word beten (belly or womb) fits? The womb is the
house (b)
that surrounds (T [and protects) the seed,
the heir, the life (n).
But now, let’s look into the word for our arch enemy Satan. Satan, in
Hebrew is nTc (shin, tet, nun). The name
Satan contains the same two last letters that the word beten (belly or womb) has. The only different
letter is the very first letter (remember that Hebrew reads from right to left).
This letter, shin (c) is an hieroglyphic for teeth and carries the idea of
consume or destroy. Therefore, Satan seeks to consume or destroy the seed, the
heir, the life.
The Hebrew word for Father is ba (ab or av, depending on the
dialect) and the word for mother is ma (em). The characters for
father (ba)
tell us his story. The first letter, aleph (a), is an hieroglyphic for the head
of an ox, which gives the idea of the head, chief leader, etc. Thus, the father
is the head and chief leader (a) of the house, tent, or temple (b).
The mother (ma) also is a head and chief
leader (a,
under the father, of course). The mem (m) is an hieroglyphic for
water. Water is a type of the spirit (Jn. 7:37-39, for instance) and spirit in
Hebrew is ruach, which is also the word for breath. The child is carried in
water in the mother’s womb, but she is also the one who surrounds and protects
the life of the seed until it can emerge and breathe the breath (m) of life (n).
Isn’t it interesting that the mem (m) precedes the nun (n) in the Hebrew alphabet as
well as our own? The nun is also an hieroglyphic for fish and fish require water
in order to live, so the mem must come before the nun. It is the same with us,
we must be brought forth in the water (of the womb) before we can be born and
breathe in the breath of life in order to live.
Yahshua said, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many
shall wax cold,” Mat. 24:12. Iniquity is lawlessness, the state of being
without law. In this case it is the law of Yahweh, not the laws of man. A father
and mother naturally love their children, their seed, their heirs. The mothers
in most of the animal world raise their offspring and will give their lives for
them. In man’s world, the father and mother with natural love and affection
will do the same. They will live an work together in order to bring forth their
children and will even gladly give their lives for their children. That is what
life is all about, folks. That is even what Yahweh is all about.
How cold has love become when one is willing to give over to Satan and
allow him to destroy their own offspring? Those who support abortion are
absolutely of Satan the devil. They want to destroy life, not preserve it. They
want to destroy our heirs so that we have no future families, no descendants.
Does this not smack of the end times and the latter days?
I would refer you to our article entitled “The Love of the Father”
that appeared in our Jan.-Feb. issue of the magazine, to get an idea as to how
the Hebrew reveals true love. True love comes from only one source and that is
the Heavenly Father. Yahshua understood His love and His desire was to provide
children for Him, so He was willing to come and give up His life in order to
bring forth sons and daughters for the Father above.
What about you? Do you support abortion? You have now been told of what
spirit abortion originates from. It is a spirit that loves lies, deceit,
wickedness, iniquity and death, not life. You are allowing yourself and your
posterity and the posterity of others to be robbed of their existence if you
support such things.
Here is something interesting that appeared in The Last Trumpet
Newsletter May, 2009 issue.
It is almost beyond comprehension how
wicked this end time society has become. People do not think at all like they
once did. If the thinking and actions of this society of today could suddenly be
transferred back to the society of fifty years ago, the people of that time
would think they were suddenly living in hell. We have degenerated into an
antichrist society through gradualism, and now the earth is ready to receive her
king!
Homosexuals,
lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals, and so on are a sure sign of the very end of
the world. The sodomite movement has become a large and accepted one with full
government protection. On April fourth, the state of Iowa legalized "gay
marriage," and other states are rapidly planning to do the same. (36) Fire
and brimstone fell on Sodom and Gomorrah; why should America escape the wrath of
the Almighty?
Witchcraft
is another sure sign of the end. Groups and organizations are forming all across
America that are designed to merge so-called "Christianity" with Wicca
and other forms of witchcraft. One such group has been formed in Traverse City,
Michigan, and is called the Area Council on Religious Diversity, or ACORD. (37)
The group is made up of witches, Unitarian Universalists, and even Quakers. Our
society, and especially mainstream Christianity, has been deeply affected by the
saturation of witchcraft under the guise of entertainment. The Harry Potter
books and movies, the television programs, and even the toy industry have all
been turning hearts toward Wicca and the occult. This is happening worldwide.
One example is Australia. According to Dr. She' D'Montford, an Australian High
Priestess of witchcraft, there are 130,000 initiated witches in Australia. (38)
All
of this rebellion against God has taken another reprehensible form that is
detestable to Almighty God. Abortion is the worst form of murder, and it is
legal in America, the United States of Babylon! We must remember that there is a
spiritual reason for all of this baby killing. It is human sacrifice to the
Devil. In Jeremiah 2:34 we read as follows: "Also in thy skirts is found
the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret
search, but upon all these." Here let it be known that on April 2nd, 2009,
Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, an openly lesbian minister in the American Episcopal
Church, preached a sermon entitled "Our Work is Not Done." In her
sermon, she blatantly stated that "abortion is a blessing." She also
called for unrestricted abortion in every city, village, town, and military
base. (39) We have also leaned that the University of Wisconsin Hospital and
Clinic's Surgery Center made secret plans to perform late-term, second trimester
abortions at its facilities. When it became known, thirty Wisconsin legislators,
massive groups of protestors, and a petition with twenty thousand signatures all
appealed to the hospital board to stop their plans to use their publicly funded
surgery center to do the late-term abortions. On February 6th, 2009, the surgery
center board members ignored every plea and voted unanimously to proceed with
the baby killings as planned! (40)
On
March 23rd, 2009, Almighty God made a direct statement against abortion, which
was nothing short of a miracle. On that day, an airplane crashed into a cemetery
near Butte, Montana. On board the chartered plane were the family and friends of
Dr. Irving (Bud) Feldkamp, and there were no survivors. Dr. Feldkamp of northern
California was waiting at the entrance of an ultra-exclusive ski resort for
everyone on the plane to arrive, so they could join him there. Dr. Feldkamp and
his family were heavily involved in the abortion industry. Feldkamp is the owner
of the largest chain of abortion clinics in America, and his clinics all perform
late-term abortions. He became filthy-rich and a multi-millionaire from blood
money from the slaughtering of babies. The truly amazing part of this is that
the cemetery where the plane crashed was unique in one special respect. This
cemetery contained a special monument that was set up by pro-life and
anti-abortion groups, and the monument carried the inscription "The Tomb of
the Unborn." It is there that the plane crashed, and all fourteen people on
board perished. (end of
excerpt)
I know that
this brother doesn’t utilize the Sacred Names, but his news and newsletter is
worthy to receive because he has a great deal of news concerning what is going
on in the world and special insight concerning it as you can see from the
excerpt.
The man’s
name is David Meyer and he was raised in witchcraft until he was led to repent
of that wickedness and does speak out against it.
You can
subscribe to his newsletter by writing to him at Last Trumpet Ministries, PO
Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916.
For all
abortionists, we would encourage you to deeply repent of this grievous
wickedness, as we encourage everyone to repent of their sins (law-breaking,
iniquity). The account presented here about Dr. Feldkamp’s family and dear
ones, reveals the retribution that we will receive.
We, in this
ministry, know that there is a Great Creator Elohim and we know that this is not
the only life that we will live. There is a promise of a much greater and more
powerful existence beyond this one. What if your actions of abortion, the
destruction and shedding of the blood of innocents, would cause you to be
aborted from that life to come?
Fear Yahweh. Trust in Him. Walk in His commandments through His Anointed One Yahshua, and you will find great peace, rest, faith and confidence. You will find the purpose of life itself and joy and happiness forevermore! Turn and be blessed in Him! JH
According to Scripture, the next most
important ones following the Father and the Son are the firstfruits. This
article helps to explain who they are.
By Jerry Healan
Yahweh commanded Israel to observe His feast
days, “And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel,
and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of Yahweh, which ye shall proclaim to
be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but
the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work
therein: it is the sabbath of Yahweh in all your dwellings. These are the feasts
of Yahweh, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons,”
Lev. 23:1-4.
The Sabbath, of course, was a weekly observance, which takes place every
seventh day as a memorial of the creative works of Yahweh spoken of in Gen.
Chapters one and two. But the feasts, which are to be proclaimed in their
seasons, are annual feasts, which are tied in with the cycles of the moon, sun
and stars. They were agricultural feasts, which Yahweh commanded Israel to
observe so that they would remember Who controlled the heavenly cycles and also
Who it was that provided their sustenance.
The first month of the year which also contained the first feast was
called the month of Abib, “Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the
year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened
bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the
month Abib;
for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown
in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year,
when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field,” Ex. 23:14-16.
“Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto Yahweh thy Elohim: for
in the month of Abib Yahweh thy Elohim brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto Yahweh thy Elohim, of the flock
and the herd, in the place which Yahweh shall choose to place his name there.
Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened
bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the
land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth
out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life,” Dt. 16:1-3.
ABIB – GREEN EARS
The term “Abib” will
designate to us what month that Yahweh was originally speaking of. “Abib” is
defined as, “from an unused root (meaning to be tender); green, i.e. a young
ear of grain; hence, the name of the month Abib or Nisan (Strong’s Exhaustive
Concordance,
Hebrew Lexicon, #24). The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon defines it as, 1. Fresh, young ears of barley
Ex. 9. 2. Month of year-forming, or growing green. Abib, month of Exodus and
Passover….1st month.
It is a fact that the first
grain to ripen in the spring was the barley. Thus, when the barley grain is in
the green ear stage, the first month of the year begins.
Yahweh commanded, “Seven
weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou
beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto
Yahweh thy Elohim with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which
thou shalt give unto Yahweh thy Elohim, according as Yahweh thy Elohim hath
blessed thee: And thou shalt rejoice before Yahweh thy Elohim, thou, and thy
son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite
that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow,
that are among you, in the place which Yahweh thy Elohim hath chosen to place
his name there. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and
thou shalt observe and do these statutes,” Dt. 16:9-12.
While the statement in verse 9,
“begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the
sickle to the corn” could be taken as ambiguous concerning which grain is
spoken of, whether barley or wheat, the simple fact of the matter is that, as
stated, the first grain (corn) to ripen in Israel is barley. It doesn’t take
much research into Jewish works such as the Encyclopedia Judaica or the Jewish Encyclopedia and other works to deduct the fact that the
first month of the year “Abib” which contained the Passover, days of
Unleavened Bread and the beginning of the count to Pentecost was associated with
beginning of the harvest of the barley grain.
THE WAVESHEAF (BEGINNING)
Concerning this harvest, Yahweh
commanded Israel, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you,
and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the
priest:
And he shall wave the sheaf
before Yahweh,
to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave
it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without
blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto Yahweh. And the meat
offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an
offering made by fire unto Yahweh for a sweet savour: and the drink offering
thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. And ye shall eat neither
bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have
brought an offering unto your Elohim: it shall be a statute for ever throughout
your generations in all your dwellings. 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 Yahweh. 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 Yahweh. 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 Yahweh, with their meat
offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet
savour unto Yahweh. 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 Yahweh, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to Yahweh 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,” Lev. 12:10-21.
Notice that this is called a
“sheaf of firstfruits” and also a “sheaf of a wave offering.” The Hebrew
word for “firstfruits” is “tySar
(re'shiyth).” It is defined as, the first, in place, time,
order or rank
(specifically, a firstfruit), and is generally translated as “beginning.” This wavesheaf or sheaf of firstfruits
was a type of Yahshua the Messiah.
Paul writes that he and the
other apostles spoke the wisdom of Yahweh in a mystery which is hidden and
ordained so from the foundation of the world (1 Cor. 2:7). Yahshua came speaking
in parables in order to keep the mysteries of the kingdom of Elohim hidden (Mt.
13:10-17). Furthermore, Yahshua told the people of His day that Moses wrote of
Him (Jn. 5:39-47).
Paul, writing concerning the
mystery of Yahshua declared, “And he is the head of the body, the assembly:
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the
preeminence,” Col. 1:18. If we convert the word “beginning” to Hebrew, the
word would be tySar
(re'shiyth).
When John wrote “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim,
and the Word was Elohim. The same was in the beginning with Elohim,” (Jn. 1:1-2), again the
principal Hebrew word would be tySar
(re'shiyth). When He wrote, “That which was
from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked
upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have
seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was
with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare
we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship
is with the Father, and with his Son Yahshua the Messiah,” 1 Jn. 1:1-2, again,
the Hebrew word would be tySar
(re'shiyth).
Yahshua is the beginning “tySar
(re'shiyth)!” John reveals that He is the
One Who created all things, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that
was made… He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not,” Jn. 1:3, 10.
Going back to Genesis chapter
one, we read, “In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth,” (v. 1). The Hebrew for “in
the beginning” is tySarb
(b’re'shiyth). A beit (b [B]) is added to tySar
(re'shiyth) to give us the word “In” The is added for clarification.
Yahshua is the beginning “tySar
(re'shiyth)! He began the creation! He began
the New Covenant process that we read of in the New Testament (Covenant)! John
says that He is not only Elohim (Jn. 1:1-3), but that He is eternal life (1 Jn.
1:1-2).
The sheaf of first fruits “tySar
(re'shiyth)” was a type of Him. It began the
count-down to Pentecost, the feast of weeks, feast of firstfruits. Yahshua was
offered up as the firstfruits (tySar
[re'shiyth]), the wavesheaf from the dead
(Col. 1:18) so that the count-down could begin to the pouring out of the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost, feast of weeks, feast of firstfruits, that we
read of in Acts chapter two!
THE SHEAF OF BARLEY
Why is barley the grain
associated with the month Abib, Passover, the days of Unleavened Bread and the
sheaf of firstfruits? Barley was the first grain to ripen (already alluded to).
It was the first grain to head into green ears (Ex. 9). It was the grain
associated with the first month (moon) of the year. The sheaf of barley was
offered during this time in order to count to Pentecost. It typified Yahshua as
the firstfruits/firstborn from the dead.
THE OMER
The amount of barley and its
estimation is very important and critical to know and understand in order to
learn more lessons of the mystery of Elohim as they apply to Yahshua the
Messiah. Therefore, we must learn what a “sheaf” is. When we think of a
sheaf, we think of grain that is bound into a bundle. But the Hebrew word for
“sheaf” is “omer.” The “omer” was a measure. In Exodus 16 we read,
“Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah,” v. 36.
What is an “ephah?” “Ye
shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath. The ephah and the
bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an
homer, and the ephah the tenth part of
an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer,” Ez. 45:10-11.
The homer was the overall
measure employed by the Israelites just like in today’s world the bushel is
our overall measure of grain. An ephah was a tenth of an homer while an omer was
a tenth part of an ephah. In other words, the omer was a tithe of a tithe. When
Israel harvested their grain, they measured it in homers. They would then tithe
a tenth of the homer (an ephah) to the Levites. The Levites, in turn, would
tithe a tenth of the ephah (an omer) to the High Priest. (Num. 18:25-29) The
tithe of the tithe belonged to the High Priest who was a type of Yahshua in his
role as High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Thus, we have one type of
Yahshua, the High Priest, receiving another type of Yahshua the tithe of the
tithe or the omer of the grain.
The sheaf of barley was an omer.
It was to be green ears (Abib) beaten out and placed into a container that was
an omer in measure. This was to be waved before Yahweh as the firstfruits from
the dead.
Another most important thing to
understand is the estimation of the barley. “And if a man shall sanctify unto
Yahweh some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be
according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels
of silver,”
Lev. 27:16. If an homer of barley is estimated at fifty shekels of silver, then
an ephah (one tenth of an homer) would be estimated at five shekels and an omer
(one tenth of an ephah) would be estimated at one half shekel. The half shekel
was the amount assigned as ransom (atonement) money for the sons of Israel,
“And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the children
of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a
ransom for his soul unto Yahweh, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou
numberest them. This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are
numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the
offering of Yahweh. Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old
and above, shall give an offering unto Yahweh. The rich shall not give more, and
the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering
unto Yahweh, to make an atonement for your souls. And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint
it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before Yahweh, to make an atonement for your
souls,”
Ex. 30:11-16.
The omer of barley, a type of
Yahshua, was valued at one half shekel of silver which was the ransom and
atonement required for the sons of Israel. Paul declares, “And not only so,
but we also joy in Yahweh through our Sovereign Yahshua the Messiah, by Whom we
have now received the atonement,” Ro. 5:11.
THE OMER OF MANNA
There was another omer, which
is important to focus on at this time. About a month after Israel went out of
Egypt and came into the wilderness they had expended all of their bread stuffs
and began to complain to Moses and Aaron because they had no bread to eat. (Ex.
16:1-3) Yahweh told Moses that He would rain bread from heaven for them to eat
and that they were to gather a certain rate each day for their eating (v. 4).
Some gathered more than others, but they measured it with an omer so that
everyone had an equal amount (Ex. 16:17-18).
Israel was sustained for forty
years by each man’s omer of manna. They gathered manna every morning for six
mornings. On the sixth morning, they gathered two omers so that they could
prepare the extra omer of manna for the Sabbath day’s rest. A golden pot was
even filled with an omer of manna to be kept as a witness in the tabernacle of
Yahweh (Ex. 16:33-36).
Yahshua told the people of His
day that He was the true bread from heaven (Jn. 6:27-58). The manna had only
been another type, another mystery of Elohim which pointed us to Him. The omer
itself was a type of Yahshua. The omer of barley and the omer of manna were both
types of Him. He informed us that we should ask the Father to give us each day
our daily bread (Mt. 6:11). We should be asking for the true daily bread each
day, which is Yahshua the Messiah.
THE COUNT
The specific instructions to begin the count
to Pentecost is given in Leviticus chapter 23:9-22. The omer of firstfruits was
to be offered before Yahweh on the morrow after the regular Sabbath day (Lev.
23:11). They were to then count seven weeks or Sabbaths until the morrow after
the seventh Sabbath (Lev. 23:15-16). This was to be a fifty day period, but one
of the most important things is the forty nine days or the seven Sabbath cycles
leading up to the fiftieth day. The Scriptures say that seven Sabbaths shall be
complete (Lev. 23:15). The Hebrew word for complete is “tamiym.”
“Tamiym” is defined as, entire
(literally, figuratively or morally); also (as noun) integrity, truth. It is generally translated as, without blemish, complete,
full, perfect,
sincerely (-ity), sound, without spot, undefiled, upright(-ly), whole (Strong’s Exhaustive
Concordance,
Hebrew Lexicon, #8549.
Why seven Sabbaths? What is the
purpose for the Sabbath cycle? “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six
days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath
of Yahweh thy Elohim: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor
thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days Yahweh made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day:
wherefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it,” Ex. 20:8-11.
The Sabbath week is a memorial
to Yahweh’s creative powers! When we observe the Sabbath cycle we are
following the example of our mighty Creator Yahweh. It reminds us that we are
His creation and that even though the physical creation was finished, He is
still in the process of bringing forth a more mighty and powerful creation! He
is in the process of bringing forth a spiritual creation!
The book of Hebrews explains
the concept to us, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of
entering into his rest,
any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the evangel
preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not
being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have
sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my
rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the
seventh day on this wise, And Elohim did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter
into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein,
and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Again, he limiteth a (the) certain day, saying in David, To day, after so
long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your
hearts. For if Yahshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have
spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a
(the) rest (Sabbath) to the people of Elohim. For he that is entered into
his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as Elohim did from his. Let us labour therefore to
enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief,” Heb. 4:1-11.
Notice verse 10 again, “For
he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as
Elohim did from his.” We are following His example when we embrace the Sabbath
cycle as He originally established, blessed and commanded.
THE NUMBER SEVEN
Seven is a most important
number to Yahweh. Seven denotes rest. One of the Hebrew words for rest is “shabath.”
It is #7623 in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. We find this word utilized in Ex. 23:12,
“Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest (Heb.
= shabath, #7623): that thine ox and thine ass may rest (Heb. = nuach, #5117),
and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.”
Notice that this Sabbath rest (shabath)
provides rest (nuach) for all and that they will be able to be refreshed. The
Hebrew word for “refreshed” is “naphash” which is defined as, to
breathe; passively, to be breathed upon, i.e. (figuratively) refreshed (as if by
a current of air). Air, breath, is the Hebrew word “ruach” and the Greek
word is “pneuma.” Both words are also translated as “spirit.” Sabbath
observance is for the purpose of being not only physically revived, physically
rested, but spiritually as well! Those who truly receive His Spirit, turn from
first day of the week observance to the seventh day Sabbath observance.
In Lev. 23:3 we read, “Six
days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work
therein: it is the sabbath of Yahweh in all your dwellings.” The Hebrew word
for “rest” in this verse is shabbaton. It is #7677 in Strong’s Exhaustive
Concordance.
It is defined as, a sabbatism or special holiday.
The number seven not only has
to do with rest, but it also has to do with an oath or the making of a sworn
covenant as well as a witness, “And it came to pass at that time, that
Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying,
Elohim is with thee in all that thou doest: Now therefore swear unto me here by Elohim that thou wilt not
deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to
the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land
wherein thou hast sojourned. And Abraham said, I will swear. And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a
well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. And
Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me,
neither yet heard I of it, but to day. And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave
them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs
of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe
lambs which thou hast set by themselves? And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt
thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. Wherefore he called that place
Beersheba; because there they sware both of them. Thus
they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the
chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the
Philistines,” Gen. 21:22-32.
The Hebrew word for “swear”
is “shaba/sheba.” “Shaba” is #7650 in Strong’s Exhaustive
Concordance
and is defined as, a primitive root; propr. to be complete, but used only as a denominative from 7651; to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a
declaration seven times). “Sheba” is #7651 which is defined as, or (masculine) shibrah {shib-aw'};
from 7650; a primitive cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number.
We find, therefore, that the
seven day weekly Sabbath cycle has many various meanings. It has to do with
rest. It has to do with being a memorial to Yahweh’s creative efforts. It is a
sign that Yahweh is our Elohim, Who sanctifies us and we are His people (Ex.
31:13-17). It has to do with Yahweh’s oath to bring in a one thousand year
period of rest. It is a witness of Yahweh’s covenant, etc. When we count seven
complete, perfect weekly Sabbath cycles, then we are placing ourselves under
Yahweh’s oath, His promise. We are repeating this declaration seven times!
Seven times the seven day creative weekly cycle would be that cycle multiplied
by itself, which would typify bringing forth a new creation, a new rest! The day
after this seven times seven weekly cycle would bring us to the number fifty
which is the number for jubilee, freedom, liberty, deliverance, restoration and
refreshing!
It was upon the Messiah
Yahshua’s resurrection and ascension into heaven on the first day of the week
(the day after the weekly Sabbath) that the count-down began to the feast of
weeks, the feast of Sabbaths, the day of Pentecost wherein Yahweh poured out His
Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Liberty upon Yahshua’s disciples, thereby raising
up those who began to proclaim vociferously A NEW AND LIVING WAY! (Acts 2; Heb.
10:20).
THE NEW FIRSTFRUITS
With the perfect
count of seven times seven sabbaths having been completed, on the morrow of the
seventh sabbath (the fiftieth day) a new meat (food, meal) offering was to be
brought forth, “Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number
fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto Yahweh. 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
Yahweh,” Lev. 23:16-17.
The Hebrew word for these
firstfruits is “bikkuwrim.” This word (bikkuwrim) is #1061 of the Hebrew
lexicon of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance being defined as, from 1069; the first-fruits
of the crop. As noted, it comes from another Hebrew word, which is #1069, which
is the word “bakar.” “Bakar” is defined as, a primitive root; properly, to burst the womb, i.e. (causatively) bear or make early fruit (of woman or tree); also (as denominative
from 1061) to give the birthright.
Two tenth deals is simply
another way to say “two omers.” The one omer offered during unleavened bread
has become two omers. This grain also consists of the firstfruits of the wheat
harvest. These two omers are a type of the 144,000 who are shown to be sealed in
the book of Revelation chapter seven and fourteen.
They consist of twelve thousand
of each of the twelve tribes of
Israel (Rev. 7:1-8). These are the first to be redeemed from among men (Rev.
14:4), thus the leaven in the loaves of bread. We all are the offspring of Adam.
Because we are his offspring, we have a law of sin in the flesh (Ro. 7:21-23).
Leaven is a type of sin.
These firstfruits are Zion.
They will be the upper echelons of Yahweh’s government which will rule the
world under the power of the Lamb, “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the
mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's
name written in their foreheads,” Rev. 14:1.
Once these firstfruits are
resurrected and become reality, then the earth can be reaped of its wheat
harvest, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could
number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their
hands,” Rev. 7:9. “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and
to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice,
Fear Yahweh, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and
worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of
waters…. And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat
like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a
sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice
to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is
come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on
the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped,” Rev.
14:6-7, 14-16.
THE NUMBER FIFTY
At this juncture, it is
interesting to point out that the Hebrew letter that is associated with the
number fifty (50) is the letter “nun” (n). Nun
has to do with life, seed, an heir, liberty, etc.
On Pentecost, the fiftieth day
after the wavesheaf was offered, loaves were brought out that typified those who
would be the heirs of salvation, heirs of the kingdom of heaven and eternal
life.
On the fiftieth day from when
Yahshua was resurrected, the Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles signifying
that the work of sealing the heirs of salvation was begun. They were given the
Spirit of liberty, the Spirit of life everlasting. The Spirit of the New
Covenant. They were sealed with the name of the Heavenly Father and His Son.
In today’s world, those who
have been sealed with the Holy Spirit have been sealed with this liberating,
eternal Spirit. Those thusly sealed will stand with Yahshua at the resurrection
that will take place on the Feast of Trumpets yet future.
The salvation of the earth now
rests on the manifestation of these firstfruits. May Yahweh speed that day.