April, 2008
Greetings!
It is a beautiful morning here in South Georgia! Trees are beginning to bud and blossom, birds are singing and the geese are nesting. Soon we will have families of geese moving all about the neighborhood. They are such fun to watch when I can be at home to do so. We can learn so much from the geese, especially as the little ones appear on the scene and the parents set about to raise and protect them, teaching them to swim, to fly and beware of predators. So much can be learned about the God given responsibilities of parents to their children and the God given trust and respect of the children for their parents. The little ones grow and mature in such a short period of time. It is so amazing! I just praise Yahweh for all of His Creation!
This time of the year excites me, too, for we begin to celebrate the Spring Feasts of the Lord. In Hebrew the word “feasts” means “appointed times”. Yahweh is the One who has set the time for His Feast Days, and they are a time set aside for all of us who are in Yahshua (Jesus) to meet with Him to celebrate all that He has done for us by leading us out of darkness in to the Light.
Although many people celebrate a lot of different holidays each year, there are only seven Biblical Holidays that the Lord instituted. He has called for all of us to meet with Him, and holiday with Him, on those particular “set apart” days. These seven Feasts of the Lord are discussed in both the Old Testament and the New Testament and collectively they tell a story. The seven Feast Days of the Lord lay out for us Yahweh’s Master Plan of Salvation. Hallelu Yah!
The first of the Spring Feasts of the Lord is Passover (Pesach) and it is the beginning of the Biblical New Year. It is also the foundational feast on which all the others are built. Keep in mind that there was only one Passover thousands of years ago in Egypt. At that time a lamb was sacrificed and the blood of that lamb was applied to the door posts “by faith” and “in obedience” to the Lord’s command. Ever since that Passover, a “memorial holiday” is held every year, and will be “forever”, on the 14th day of the Hebrew Month Nissan as the Lord has commanded.
Remember, the Hebrews were slaves to Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, and he was a hard taskmaster. He showed the Hebrews no mercy at all, refusing to allow them to go in to the desert to worship Yahweh, so all the while the Hebrews were crying out to Yahweh for deliverance. Yahweh heard their continual cries and used a “burning bush” to draw Moses closer so He could commission him to go and deliver His people, the Hebrews, from the hands of Pharaoh. He was to go to them and lead them out of Egypt so they could worship Yahweh in the desert.
The Scriptures tell us that Pharaoh was not about to let the Hebrews go for Moses or anyone else, so the Lord began to send plagues against the Egyptians. However, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened against Yahweh and His plans and purposes for the Hebrews, so Yahweh hardened his heart even more. In doing so, it allowed Yahweh to perform an awesome miracle as He delivered His people through His servant Moses.
Before He sent the last plague, Yahweh told Moses to tell the people to “select” and slaughter a lamb, then put the blood of the lamb on the door posts of each of their homes. This would be the blood covering for each home, so the death angel would see the blood and “Passover” the home, and that was exactly what happened. Because of the blood covering on each home of the Hebrews, all of their first born were saved, but the first born of the Egyptians all died, including the first born of Pharaoh. After that, the Hebrews were released to go with Moses in to the desert to worship Yahweh.
The lambs that were sacrificed in Egypt were a prophetic picture of Yahshua, whose flesh was pierced, His body broken and His blood spilled on a tree (cross) for the sins of the world. Each year we, who are in Yahshua, are called to celebrate His death and resurrection as a “memorial” and we are to do so “forever” at His “appointed time” as He commands in His Holy Word. It is a “set apart” time for each one of us to remember how He led the Hebrews out of Egypt, and it is also a time for each one of us to remember what He did, the Lamb of God, for us at Calvary, as He made the way for us to be delivered out of our individual Egypt. It is a time to remember where He brought us from as He led us out of darkness in to His glorious Light! It is a time to thank Him with all of our hearts for His precious blood that covers us each and every day.
In John 1:29 we hear him saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” In I Corinthians 5:7,8 we hear Paul saying, “For indeed our Passover, Christ, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us “keep the Feast with sincerity and truth”.
Brothers and Sisters, Yahshua was crucified on Passover! Then He was taken from the tree (cross) and buried soon after in keeping with the Jewish tradition. The fact that it was a holy day was no barrier. In Matthew 26 we read, “Yahshua said to the disciples, “As you know, the Passover celebration begins in two days, and I, the Son of Man, will be betrayed and crucified.” At the very same time, the religious leaders were meeting at the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, to discuss how they would capture Yahshua secretly to put Him to death. “But not during the Passover” they agreed, “or there will be a riot.”
John 19:31 tells us, “The Jewish leaders didn’t want Yahshua hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath, (a very special Sabbath because it was Passover), so they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken.” However, we all know that Yahshua’s legs were never broken for He had already died.
The second day, which begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread, is also part of the Passover Season. Yahshua had died and was buried, however, unlike all other corpses, it was prophesied that His body would not decay in the grave. This was confirmed in Acts 2:27 which reads, “You will not leave My soul in Hades, nor will you allow Your Holy One to see corruption (decompose in the grave). In Psalm 16:10 this is also confirmed almost word for word.
On the third day, the Feast of Firstfruits, Yahshua arose from the grave, and immediately erroneous teaching began which denied physical resurrection so that the people would not believe that Yahshua had risen from the grave.
Now during this Feast of First Fruits, which is the third of the Spring Feasts and also a part of the Passover Season, we see Paul refuting the erroneous teaching in I Corinthians 15, as he spoke to the religious leaders of that day, Paul said in 15:14, “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty.” In 15:18 Paul said, “Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished”. And in 15:19 Paul said, “If in this life only, we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable.” Last but not least, in 15:20 Paul said, “But now, Christ is risen from the dead!” Hallelu Yah! Every time in the Scriptures when Paul said, “But now” he was about to bring forth truth, and bring it forth he did! Christ is risen from the dead!
What Paul had in mind was the firstfruits of the barley harvest. (Leviticus 23:10). You see, the Feasts of the Lord center pretty much around the agriculture, because most of the Hebrews were agriculturalists. And that is true of many in Israel yet today.
Now when the people would harvest a crop, they would take the very best of the first of that crop, (firstfruits), to the priest at the Temple, and he would offer it to the Lord for them. When Yahweh accepted the firstfruits they offered to Him, then that became the guarantee that the rest of the crop would be accepted. So think about this: “I Corinthians 15:23 says, “Christ Himself is the firstfruits!” Because His sacrifice was accepted for all of us, He has risen and lives on, and so will we! His Spirit indwells us, He is in us, and we are in Him, therefore that is our assurance of eternal life. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament there were people raised from the dead, however in time they each one died again. Yahshua was the first to be resurrected from the grave never to die again. He and He alone is the Firstfruits! Hallelu Yah!
Think About the Significance of the Feasts
First of all, before the Feast of Passover, the Jews “selected” a young lamb with “no flaws or defects” which depicted “innocence” five days before Passover, and brought the lamb right in to their family to love it and care for it for four days. Then when they had to sacrifice that little lamb to die in their place, they knew the costly nature of the sacrifice. It hurt! It broke their hearts, especially the little children. Therefore, Passover speaks of redemption!
It was prophesied that Messiah, the Passover Lamb, would be sacrificed for us and He was. It is interesting to note that Yahshua entered Jerusalem on the very day of lamb “selection”. The Lamb of God! And in the Temple when the last lamb was slain, the priest announced, “It is Finished! He spoke the very same words that Yahshua spoke as He was slain for each one of us. He cried out, “It is Finished!”
Second of all, before the Feast of Unleavened Bread the Jews would thoroughly clean their homes and then during the holiday they would eat only matzo bread, which is bread without yeast. Just as the Jews clean their homes to set them apart for His “holy purposes” it was prophesied that Messiah’s body would not decay in the grave. He was a “set apart” One. Set apart for God’s holy purposes!
For we who are Believers in Yahshua, leaven is depicted as sin in, (Matthew 16:6,11), (Mark 8:15), (Luke 12:1) and (Galatians 5:9). We are to rid ourselves of all sin, allow Yahweh to cleanse us, purify us, do a deep work within us so that He can set us apart for His use, His plans and His holy purposes. Therefore, the Feast of Unleavened Bread speaks of Sanctification!
As for the Feast of Firstfruits, it speaks of resurrection! It was prophesied that Messiah would rise triumphantly from the grave on the third day, which He did! We believers should be proclaiming for all the world to hear that “Death could not hold Him!” “He is risen!” He’s alive! Don’t forget that Yahshua Himself said, “I AM the resurrection and the life!” (John 11:25)
Yahshua is the Passover Lamb
The Lord is asking how we believers in Yahshua can be silent during the Passover Season! How can we not proclaim that He truly is the Passover Lamb? In both Mark 7 and Matthew 15 we see that the Lord had much to say about the Pharisees and Religious leaders of that day who were holding tight to their traditions and in so doing nullifying the Commandments of God.
Today He is saying the same thing to the Church! He is calling His Remnant to let go of the “pagan” holidays and all of their trappings, and reconnect to our Jewish roots. He is calling all of us to celebrate Yahshua during His “appointed times” for us to meet with Him and holiday.
Yahshua, in Luke 22 was preparing for their Seder Dinner during Passover. The Church calls it the “Last Supper” but in truth it was a “Seder Dinner” celebrated at Passover. He told us at that time what we were to do in remembrance of Him. The Church calls it “communion”, but in truth it was part of the Seder Dinner, which we are to do at Passover in “remembrance of Him”.
In Matthew 26 we read: “On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Yahshua and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal?” Yahshua said, “As you go in to the city, you will see a certain man. Tell him the Teacher says, “My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with My disciples at your house.” The disciples did as He told them and that is where they had their Passover meal.
In John 13 we see Yahshua washing the feet of His disciples before the Passover celebration began. He told them at the time that they should wash the feet of each other, just as He had washed their feet. As He did this, He was in the process of showing us all the full extent of His love for all of us.
In Luke 22 we see Yahshua and the disciples eating their Passover meal, and then we see Yahshua begin to bless the bread and the wine, and tell the disciples how they were to do the same in “remembrance of Him”. It is all a part of the Passover meal which we are to celebrate each year at His appointed time.
Brothers and Sisters, the early Church celebrated the Feasts of the Lord for about three hundred years until a man named Constantine forbid them to do so. Constantine was responsible for severing the Church from its Jewish roots and leading the Church in to paganism, which still binds it today.
Think About Passover Night!
It was the most dramatic night in the history of the Jewish people! Without Passover night there would be no Jewish people, no Jewish Nation, no Jewish prophets, no Jewish Bible, no Jewish apostles, and no Jewish Messiah!
Without Passover night for we believers in Yahshua, there would be no Jewish Messiah, no salvation, no redemption from sin and no everlasting life.
To the Jew, the intent of the Feast of Passover is to obey the precept: “And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, “This is done because of what the Lord did for me when I came up from Egypt.”
To we believers in Yahshua, the intent of the Feast of Passover is to do the same. We remember from whence He has brought us, as He delivered us from darkness in to Light, and we share our testimonies so that His Holy Name will be praised in all the earth.
The Passover Season this year begins at sundown on April 19th. There are many congregations all across the United States who are hosting Seder Dinners or doing demonstrations for teaching purposes for their congregants. I’m sure that they would welcome visitors to join with them in meeting with Yahweh at His appointed time to holiday with Him! To give Him the glory, honor and praise that He so richly deserves. Still others are celebrating in their homes with family and friends. Let’s all celebrate Passover as the Spirit of God leads us to do.
Prophetic Art Exhibit
Krista Bowker has written to tell me that Friday, April 18th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at the Vineyard Community Church, 817 Winchester Rd. #400, Lexington, KY she will be holding an art exhibit. The artwork has been inspired through dreams and visions as well as promptings through times of prayer. Krista is holding this exhibit in order to raise the funds needed to make a trip to Israel. If you are unable to make it to the exhibit, Krista will have a website in operation by then in order to display and sell her artwork that way. If you have any questions you can email her at: bowkerk@gmail.com.
Short Term Missions
Stephen Arrington will be making a mission trip to China this Spring. He will be leaving May 24th and returning June 6th. Let us begin to lay a solid foundation of prayer in under this mission. Stephen has been to China before, and he has a heart of compassion for the people.
Joyce Kuras just made Aliyah to Israel in March. She wrote back asking me to thank all of you for your prayers for everything went very well. She said, “I felt that I was home right away.” She had a good but lengthy flight and now she is searching for the apartment that she knows the Lord has for her. Please pray for her to find the right one and get settled in quickly. Also she is asking us to pray that she will be able to learn the language quickly. She is already enrolled in Ulpan. Joyce is blessed to have family there, who have certainly gone before her to make the way a bit smoother.
“Weep for the Children”
Mylinda Pearson has a group of intercessors who meet every 5th Saturday for two hours to intercede for our young people across America. They cover such topics as Repentance, Public School System, Curriculum, Universities/Colleges, Home schools, Foster Care, Parents/Custodians, and a host of other topics such as School Administrators and their staff. . They hold special times of prayer each year before the School year begins, and also at the end of the school year, in order to cover the children over their Summer vacation.
Recently the Lord spoke to Mylinda about calling forth State Coordinators so that each state will have a chapter of “Weep for the Children”, which will make the ministry far more effective. It is a call to link together for the sole purpose of standing in the gap for the next generation.
Should the Lord nudge you in that direction, you may contact Mylinda at: (770) 506-8522 or write her at P.O. Box 1107, Stockbridge, GA 30281. She will be happy to hear from you, and know, too, that she does have resource materials to be made available to you.
An Encouraging Testimony
Audrey Giacoletto recently wrote me concerning her granddaughter. Suzanna is a part time University professor while working to earn her masters. Her husband has just completed his degree in business PR on the GI Bill. They have lived on food stamps, each working two part time jobs to accomplish their goals, making many sacrifices. They have three children, all in gifted programs. They are both committed Christians. That will give you a bit of background for what Audrey is about to share with us.
Last month as they were coming home from a company dinner, Suzanna and her husband, Gene, were walking to their car when they spotted an empty storefront. They were both drawn to it for no reason at all. As they looked in the window Suzanna said, “This place would make a great book store and coffee house.” Gene said to her, “So, do it!” Then they both laughed because they have no money, just debts. Nevertheless, they could not get the place out of their thoughts. They kept talking about all of the good that could be done there, if only someone would follow through. They laughed some more knowing it could not be them.
This past week Suzanna had gone to visit her elderly mother-in-law. As she was leaving she noticed an elderly woman, disheveled, wearing an old white coat and hat, approaching her. She was in a run-down neighborhood where you have to be very careful who you meet. The woman gave the appearance of being lost, and she called out to Suzanna, “Wait I want to talk to you!”
Suzanna thought to herself, “She is going to hit me up for money and I haven’t any.” Then the woman called out again, “Don’t be afraid, child, I just want to talk to you, I don’t want anything.” When she reached Suzanna she said, “The Lord loves you very much, and He wants you to be happy. He will provide all you need if you will just trust Him. He has plans for your life, do the project you have been thinking about and have faith and trust in the Lord.” So Suzanna asked, “Who are you?” The woman said, “Trust Him!” and walked away. As Suzanna was getting in to her car she turned to see where the woman was going, but she had completely vanished. There was no trace of her! Only one conclusion, an angel! PTL!
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Trust is the conviction and the confidence that Yahweh will fulfill His plan, His way, on His timetable, for His glory! Hallelu Yah!
May you have a blessed Passover!
Myrna
Contact: (912) 265-0019 or myrnamiddleton@yahoo.com or www.fairhavensmissions.org