The Covenants, Part 25: Miscellaneous Topics, Are you a stinking sacrifice?

-by Belo Alvaran

(This is a reprint from The Eagles Series No. 19/2001 authored by Brod Belo Alvaran under a different pen-name.)

This is addressed to those of us in the church of God who are training for priesthood under the Order of Melchisedec, which we should all be. Do we know that God wants us to smell sweet? When our Husband, Jesus Christ, sniffs around us, what odor do we emit? As His Wife, would He wrap us in His arms and give us a passionate kiss, or would He cover His nose and walk away in disgust?

God has a standing instruction to us to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God…” (Rom. 12:1). How can we present ourselves a living sacrifice? Do we know that God only accepts a sacrifice that emits sweet savour?

Sacrifice should smell sweet. Anciently, a sacrifice was an offering to God in the form of a clean animal which must be burned for one purpose: Moses says it was “for a sweet savour unto the Lord” (Lev. 8:21). God would inhale the “sweet savour” emanating from a burning sacrifice. After the flood, “Noah built an altar unto the Lord, and took of every CLEAN BEAST, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar (Gen. 8:20). And the Lord smelled a sweet savour…” (v.21). Clearly, God was after the sweet savour of the sacrifice. Among God’s punishments to the Israelites was “I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours” (Lev. 26:31). As we shall see in this article, this punishment has far ranging ramifications. God’s rejection of a sacrifice’s savour extends to the person behind the sacrifice.

Cain’s malodorous sacrifice. There was a man whose burnt offerings were refused by God, and that was Cain. His story can be found in Genesis 4. “And Adam knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground (v.2). And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord (v.3). And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering (v.4). But unto Cain AND to his offering He had no respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell” (v.5). Cain offered the “fruits of the ground”, probably edible herbs and vegetables. Have you smelled the smoke of burning herbs and vegetables? Does it emit “sweet savour”? Far from it. Burning vegetables emit acrid odor, irritating to the nostrils, even suffocating. Some herbs are useful as insect repellent when burned. As a result, God was repelled by Cain’s offering. God had “no respect” BOTH unto Cain and his offering.

The account of Cain’s life conveys some important lessons. One is, when God rejects an offering, He is also rejecting the person giving that offering.

Sacrifice stands in for us. Every ancient Israelite, whenever one had committed a transgression, was required to offer a sacrifice. The sacrifice represents the person offering it. It takes the place of the person so that instead of the person dying, it is the sacrifice that dies, while the person lives a new, reformed, life – a life cleansed of sin. That is why a sacrifice points to the Savior. Christ is our Saviour because He stood in for humanity and made Himself our sacrifice. When He died, He represented our sinful bodies and our unclean minds. He died so that we may live and “be renewed in the spirit of our minds”(Eph.4:23). He died so that we may lead a new life acceptable to God. But you may ask, acceptable as what? As part of His divine family! As HWA has taught us, we are going to become part of God’s Family, His body. In fact, we already are, only in the embryonic stage. However, God cannot absorb into His body a sinner, i.e., a person with an unclean mind, a disease-carrier, one who would sow discord and incite rebellion against God.

Christ’s sacrifice smells sweet. Christ, who lived a sinless life, was very much acceptable to God as a sacrifice. Christ “had given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Eph. 5:2). He was our sacrifice. He died for us, so that we may live as a living sacrifice. The question, therefore, is: Are we, individually, acceptable to God as a living sacrifice? Do we emit sweetsmelling savour?

Prayers are sweet odours. When we pray, we convey our thoughts to God. As a living sacrifice, our prayers serve as our sweet odours. John writes in Revelation 5:8 how that “the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints”. Our prayers, our odours, emanate from our mind. How sweet are our prayers? “He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination (i.e., not acceptable to God)” (Prov. 28:9). “The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind?” (Prov. 21:27). Clearly, God is after our mental health, our thoughts.

Cain had murderous thoughts. Let’s read more details of Cain’s story to see what lesson it conveys today. “And the Lord said unto Cain, Why are you wroth? and why is your countenance fallen? If you do well, shall you (Cain himself, not the sacrifice) not be accepted? and if you do not well, sin lies at the door…” (v.7). Apparently, Cain was not doing well – there was something wrong in his attitude towards God and towards his brother Abel. In short, there was something wrong with his entire thinking processes. His thoughts were revealed in verse 8. “And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” The verse didn’t say the two quarreled. They simply talked. Cain killed Abel in a surprise attack! It was a premeditated murder!

From this short account, we can deduce several things about Cain: 1) he had a murderer’s mind. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong often said in his writings that “action follows thought”. In killing his brother, Cain simply followed his thoughts. 2) he had no respect for or fear of God who made him. As HWA also often quoted in his writings, “the fear of the Eternal is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10). Cain’s lack of Godly fear diminished his wisdom; 3) without any fear of God, he was just going through the motion of making an offering to God. Cain was insincere, his life was a show. His mental health was therefore afflicted with a disorder called hypocrisy which Christ warned us about. “Beware you of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1).

What God rejected therefore was Cain’s thoughts. God is privy to every man’s thoughts. In Genesis 6:5, “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. The next verse says God repented that He had made man! Obviously, that was because of man’s evil thoughts.

Part of God’s instructions in Romans 12:1 is to make our bodies “acceptable to God”. Bodies, item 4983 in Strong’s – means the sound whole. A sound body is physically and mentally healthy. Our thinking process is part of our body. King Solomon, the wisest of Kings, said that “as [one] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). God is after what we think, so this is the area that we should examine. Are our thoughts acceptable to God? Paul admonishes us in Rom. 12:2 to “…be not conformed to this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” There is that word acceptable once again. God is obviously after the “renewing of our minds”. Why? Because the development of one’s character is in the mind.

Clean thoughts are like clean animals. As mentioned earlier,only clean animals were acceptable to God as sacrifice. Clean animals were also prescribed by God as good for human food. When we eat the flesh of a clean animal, it becomes part of our body and helps build our tissues. By contrast, the meat of unclean animals can do damage when absorbed by our body. For example, it is common knowledge that pork contains large amount of hard fat that could damage our arteries and precipitate a heart attack. Pork is also a known carrier of various disease-causing cysts that could afflict humans with tumors and other cancerous growths. In forbidding the consumption of pork, God does not want our bodies to be infected, or much worse, become a disease carrier that can infect other people.

Similarly, a person with an unclean mind can transmit heresies, sow division to the body of Christ which could lead to rebellion against God en masse. That is why the prayers, the thoughts of an unclean mind is an abomination to God. As a living sacrifice therefore, it is necessary that our thoughts be clean, just as a dead sacrifice ought to be a clean animal. How then can we cleanse or renew our mind? Our minds are often infected with thoughts of sin usually from people we come into contact with, or from our own imaginations, or from the broadcasts of the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). (To aid our memory, these are called the three “S” – Society, Self and Satan.) We have to purge our minds of thoughts of sin coming from these sources.

Men more susceptible. The proliferation of pornographic materials make men susceptible to deadly thoughts. Christ said, “Whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart [or thought]” (Mat. 5:28). The word woman means a wife in Strong’s. HWA said a betrothed woman is already a wife, so this woman could be either married or single but engaged. Men therefore should be extra vigilant because they are more prone to sinning in their thoughts.

A wife is God’s favour or gift to a husband. Proverbs 18:22 states: “Whoso finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favour of the Lord”. Did you catch the last part? A wife is a favor from God, a gift! For a married man to lust after another woman is, therefore, more than adultery – it is an insult to the God who gave his wife. Adultery therefore on the part of the husband is rejecting a gift of God. As we have seen in the case of Cain, when God rejects an offering, He also rejects the person behind the offering. This principle works the other way around, too. And this is the other main lesson in this article: When we reject a gift of God, such as a wife, we are also rejecting God.

But why look at another woman if you have a wife? Why not look and look at your own wife, appreciate every curve in her body, cherish her, give her all your love? God’s admonition is: “Husbands, love your wives” Eph. 5:25).

The Bride of Christ. It might come as a surprise to many, but Christ is pictured in the book of Revelation as a lion – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5, 22:16). Think about that. Why would Christ reveal Himself as a Lion in the book of Revelation? We know that He is getting married. A lion cannot take another animal for a wife. If Christ is a lion, then His wife must be, has to be, a lioness! For those who have not studied zoology, a lioness is a most interesting and peculiar animal. Among her peculiarities is that when she is ready for mating, she emits a certain odor that is so irresistible to the head lion. To bring her sweet odours close to the lion’s nostrils, she presents herself before him in a most attractive manner, and that is by crawling (crawling position is her mating position), thus deliberately making it known to the head lion that she is ready. With the irresistible odour that she emits, the head lion could never say no, and indeed he never does, whenever the lioness comes around. They mate as much as 300 times, according to National Geographic, before the lioness hides in a den to deliver her cubs. In one documentary, a commentator said that “they almost never part”. Does that remind us of the verse that says “His wife has made herself ready” in Rev. 19:7?

Brethren, we are the [betrothed] wife of Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. We are the tribe of [spiritual] Judah, His [new] pride, and we have to make ourselves ready – i.e., ready to be wedded with our husband! The question is, do we emit the odour that makes us irresistible to our head Lion? How does our living sacrifice smell? Are our prayers sweet odours or abomination? Are we attractive enough to make our Husband say “there should be no further delay” in his coming? Do we present ourselves to Christ like a lioness does to the head lion? Your answers to these questions could hasten or delay our wedding day.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank God for allowing me to produce this eBook for the benefit of the brethren. After retirement, God gave me a new home in a serene countryside near a beach but not so close thus providing an environment conducive to writing. It was here where I put together the many insights that God gave one at a time during my more or less twenty years of Bible study with scattered brethren. I’m simply a scribe and the credit is God’s, not mine.

I also wish to thank Mr. Andres Yparraguirre, administrator of the website time-to-measure, for his invaluable support. Brod Andy persuaded me to join him in putting up a website after my initial loss of interest in this project. We came to realize the relevance of “iron sharpens iron” principle in Proverbs 27:17 because, as priests-to-be, ignoramuses have no place in our batch.

I also wish to thank Brod Andy’s daughter Ms. Jay Yparraguirre who painstakingly read and formatted every part of this eBook to make them reader-friendly on our website.

In parting, I consider it a privilege to have contributed somehow to the edification of the brethren on the matter of God’s covenants.

I look forward to seeing you all in the coming Kingdom of God!

The Covenants, Part 24: Old and New Covenants Revisited

-by Belo Alvaran

At this juncture of our study, we wish to invite the readers to look again at the OLD COVENANT and the NEW COVENANT from different angles. We need to verify if indeed the Old Covenant is the Covenant of Levi, a.k.a. priesthood under the Order of Aaron; and whether the New Covenant is none other than the priesthood under the Order of Melchizedek. We will delve into some technical analyses of relevant Hebrew and Greek words to ascertain our findings.

As may be gleaned from the Apostle Paul’s writings, Melchizedek is Jesus Christ himself.

Hebr 5:5 (KJV) So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an High Priest; but (God the Father) that said unto him, You are my Son, today have I begotten you. 6 As he said also in another [place, in Ps 110:4], You [are] a priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec.

The Apostle Paul mentioned that there are two (2) Orders of Priesthood, namely: the ORDER OF AARON, and the ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK. Each Order was created by God the Father in a special decree called berith in Hebrew and diatheke in Greek, which Bible translators interpreted as either COVENANT or TESTAMENT.

According to Paul, the Order of Aaron was imperfect; hence it was disannulled and subsequently replaced with the Order of Melchisedec:

Hebr 7:11 (KJV) If therefore perfection were (attained) by the Levitical Priesthood,…what further need [was there] that another priest (who is Jesus Christ) should rise after the ORDER OF MELCHISEDEC, and not be called after the ORDER OF AARON?

An expert in Jewish law, the Apostle Paul talked extensively about PRIESTHOOD in his epistle to the Hebrews. He gave a summary in chapter 8:

Hebr 8:1 (KJV, Paul speaking) Now of the things which we have spoken (from chapter 1 up to chapter 7Heb 7) [this is] the SUM: We have such an High Priest (Jesus Christ), who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty (God the Father) in the heavens; …6 …(Jesus) obtained (meaning He asked for it and the Father granted it) a more excellent Ministry (or Priesthood), …(Hence) He is the Mediator of a better COVENANT (ON PRIESTHOOD) which was established upon BETTER PROMISES. {Margin: COVENANT, Gr diatheke; or, TESTAMENT}

It is very clear that Paul’s topic of discussion in this epistle was mainly about Priesthood, i.e., the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. As the verse indicates, it was Jesus Christ Himself who negotiated with God the Father the issuance of this COVENANT to institutionalize his own priesthood. The Father granted his request:

Psal 110:1 (KJV, David knew there were two persons in the God realm) A Psalm of David. The LORD (God the Father) said unto my Lord (Jesus Christ), Sit you at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool…4 The LORD had sworn and will not repent, (the Father’s appointment of Christ was under oath and, therefore, irrevocable – it was a TESTAMENT!), You (Jesus Christ) [are] a priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek.

Jesus confirmed that he was prophesied in the PSALMS of David:

Luke 24:44 (KJV, Jesus talking to Peter, James and John after his resurrection) And (Jesus) said unto them, These [are] the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet (human) with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the LAW OF MOSES, and [in] the PROPHETS, and [IN] THE PSALMS (David was a prophet, Acts 2:29), concerning ME.

The LORD’s appointment of Jesus as High Priest effectively superseded the already REVOKED Covenant for Levitical Priesthood:

1Sam 2:27 (KJV) And there came a man of God unto Eli (the Levitical High Priest during the time of Samuel), and said unto him, Thus said the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of YOUR FATHER (Aaron), when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? 28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel [to be] MY PRIEST, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of your father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? 29 Wherefore kick you at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded [in my] habitation; and honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

For a brief background, the sons of Eli took from the people more than their dues which were limited to the breast and the right shoulder of every animal sacrifice, thus offending the LORD. Consequently, the LORD revoked the priesthood under the Order of Aaron:

30 (The man of God still speaking to Eli) Wherefore the LORD God of Israel said, I SAID INDEED [THAT] YOUR HOUSE, AND THE HOUSE OF YOUR FATHER (Aaron), SHOULD WALK BEFORE ME FOREVER: but now the LORD said, BE IT FAR FROM ME; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
…35 And I WILL RAISE ME UP A FAITHFUL PRIEST [that] shall do according to [that] which [is] in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed forever.

The “FAITHFUL PRIEST” was Jesus Christ:

Psal 110:4 (KJV) The LORD (God the Father) had sworn and will not repent, You (Jesus Christ) [are] a priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek.

Let’s examine Paul’s topic further:

Hebr 7:12 (KJV) For the priesthood being changed (from Levitical humans to spirit beings like Melchisedec), there is made of necessity a change also of the LAW (i.e., the CARNAL COMMANDMENT on priesthood given to Aaron, v 16 below). 13 For (Jesus) of whom these things (on priesthood) are spoken (in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, Luke 24:44) pertains to another tribe (i.e., tribe of Judah), of which no man gave attendance at the altar (Jews were not designated as priests). 14 For [it is] evident that our Lord (Jesus Christ) sprang out of Judah; of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec (a spirit being) there (from the House of Judah) arises another priest (Jesus Christ), 16 Who is made (i.e., made priest), not after the LAW OF A CARNAL COMMANDMENT (the Order of Aaron; “carnal” means subject to death), but after the power of an endless life (i.e., life of a spirit being – Melchisedec is not subject to death).
17 For (God the Father) TESTIFIED (in Psalms 110:4 where God issued a TESTAMENT for Christ, which became the New Testament), You [are] a priest forever after the Order of Melchisedec.

Testament and Covenant mean the same thing in Hebrew and in Greek; therefore the so-called New Testament is also the New Covenant

NEW COVENANT IDENTIFIED

This therefore IS the NEW TESTAMENT (also NEW COVENANT):

Psal 110:4 (KJV) The LORD had sworn (a Testament is under oath), and will not repent, You (Jesus) [are] a priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek.

Let Paul continue:

Heb 7:18 For there is verily a disannulling (an ongoing process, not all at once) of the (CARNAL) COMMANDMENT (the Order of Aaron) going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. 19 For the LAW (i.e., the law on Levitical priesthood) made no one perfect, but the bringing in of a BETTER HOPE (the hope of ETERNAL LIFE, Titus 3:7) [did (make someone perfect, who was Jesus Christ)]; by the which (hope of eternal life) we (Paul and his converts) draw near unto God.

Paul became a “servant of God” FOR THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE:

Titu 1:1 (KJV) Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ,… 2 (For the) HOPE of ETERNAL LIFE, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; {In: or, For}

Let Paul continue with the disannulling of the Order of Aaron:

Heb 7:20 And inasmuch as not without an OATH (meaning with an oath, irrevocable) [(Jesus) was made priest (by God the Father)]:21 (For those (Levitical) priests were made WITHOUT AN OATH; but this (man, Jesus, was made priest) WITH AN OATH by (God the Father) that said unto him, (in Psalms 110:4) The Lord swore and will not repent, You [are] a priest forever after the Order of Melchisedec:)
22 By so much (i.e., on the strength of God the Father’s oath) was Jesus made a surety of a better TESTAMENT (the NEW TESTAMENT, or NEW COVENANT). 23 And they truly were many (Levitical) priests, because they were not (allowed) to continue BY REASON OF DEATH (because they were CARNAL, i.e., subject to death):

DEATH of the human priests therefore, either by natural causes or as reward for sin, was the reason the Levitical Priesthood was changed and the Old Covenant disannulled!

24 But this [man] (JESUS), because he continues (to live) ever, has an UNCHANGEABLE PRIESTHOOD (i.e., there is no need for replacement) 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them (sinners) to the uttermost (part of the earth) that come unto God by him, seeing he EVER LIVES (because he is spirit) to make intercession for them…
28 For the LAW (the CARNAL COMMANDMENT) makes MEN high priests (under the Order of Aaron) which have INFIRMITY (or weakness, i.e., CARNAL, prone to sin and subject to death); but the WORD OF THE OATH (in Ps. 110:4), which was since (i.e., since it was issued during the time of David) THE (new) LAW, [makes] the Son (Jesus), who is consecrated (as priest) forevermore.

FIRST COVENANT IDENTIFIED

The conclusion is indisputable: The Order of Aaron was the so-called FIRST COVENANT, also known as OLD COVENANT that was disannulled as discussed lengthily by Paul. Nehemiah called it the COVENANT OF THE PRIESTHOOD:

Nehe 13:29 (KJV, Nehemiah praying) Remember them (the priests who intermarried with Gentiles), O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the COVENANT OF THE PRIESTHOOD, and of the LEVITES.

Paul called it the FIRST COVENANT:

Hebr 8:7 (KJV) For if that FIRST [COVENANT (OF THE PRIESTHOOD, the Order of Aaron)] had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the SECOND (COVENANT OF THE PRIESTHOOD, the Order of Melchisedec).

The ORDER OF AARON started as a STATUTE. The word “order” simply means GOD’S ORDER TO MOSES TO APPOINT AARON; hence it was NOT UNDER OATH by God:

Numb 3:10 (KJV, the LORD giving an order to Moses) And you (Moses) shall APPOINT Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office:…
Hebr 7:21 (KJV) (For those (Levitical) priests were made without an oath; but this (priest, who was Jesus, was made) with an oath by him (God the Father) that said unto him, The LORD swore and will not repent, You [are] a priest forever after the Order of Melchisedec:)

We cannot appreciate the New Covenant without knowing the Old. Let’s study in detail the ORDER OF AARON when it was yet a STATUTE:

Exod 28:1 (KJV, the LORD giving an ORDER to Moses) And take you unto you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me (the LORD) in the PRIEST’S OFFICE, [even] Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother for glory and for beauty.…40 And for Aaron’s sons you shall make coats, and you shall make for them girdles, and bonnets shall you make for them, for glory and for beauty.…43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy [place]; that they bear not iniquity, and die: [it shall be] a STATUTE FOREVER unto him and his seed after him.

It should be mentioned that God ordered Moses to appoint the Levitical priests AFTER Moses had written the BOOK OF THE COVENANT between Him and the Israelites in Exodus 19:3 up to 24:7.

Exod 19:3 (KJV) And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shall you say to the House of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;…(the terms of the covenant followed).
Exod 24:7 (KJV, after Moses wrote the covenant into a book) And (Moses) took the BOOK OF THE COVENANT, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD had said will we do, and be obedient.

The Order of Aaron was given in Exodus 28, cited above, three chapters after the Book of the Covenant between God and the Israelites ended! The Order of Aaron therefore was NOT part of the COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND THE ISRAELITES.

The Order of Aaron also covered the Levites:

Numb 3:5 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 6 Bring the TRIBE OF LEVI near, and present them before AARON THE PRIEST, that they may minister unto him. 7 And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the SERVICE OF THE TABERNACLE. 8 And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the SERVICE OF THE TABERNACLE.
9 And you shall GIVE THE LEVITES UNTO AARON AND TO HIS SONS: they [are] wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.

The ORDER OF AARON became a “COVENANT” for PHINEHAS:

Numb 25:11 (KJV, the LORD speaking to Moses) Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, had turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: 13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, [even] the COVENANT OF AN EVERLASTING PRIESTHOOD; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

Please note that, while the services of the Levitical Priesthood were “everlasting”; the Tabernacle was a temporary structure. The Levitical priesthood therefore was not ordained to serve forever, but their services were “co-terminus” with the Tabernacle, and later on, the Temple built by King Solomon. The Tabernacle, and the Temple, and the priesthood, were intended to be “REFORMED”:

Hebr 9:2 (KJV) For there was a tabernacle made…9 Which [was] a figure (or structure) for the time then present (during the time of the ancient Israelites) …10 [Which (tabernacle) stood] only in meats and drinks, and diverse washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed [on them (Israelites)] until the time of REFORMATION.
11 But Christ being come a (new) High Priest of good things to come (as part of the REFORMATION), by a greater and more perfect tabernacle (which will last forever), not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Because the Tribe of Levi was given to the priests, Nehemiah called the Order of Aaron as “COVENANT OF THE PRIESTHOOD AND OF THE LEVITES”:

Nehe 13:29 (KJV) Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the COVENANT OF THE PRIESTHOOD AND OF THE LEVITES.

Moses recorded the MERGER of priests and Levites in Numbers 18:

Numb 18:1 (KJV) And the LORD said unto AARON, You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the iniquity (i.e., see to the orderliness) of the sanctuary: and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity (see to the orderliness) of your priesthood. 2 And your brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, bring you with you, that THEY MAY BE JOINED UNTO YOU, and minister unto you: but you (Aaron) and your sons with you [shall minister] before the tabernacle of witness.

It is clear that God joined the Levites unto the priests. Could this arrangement be a “type” of God joining the Church of the Firstborn and Christ? Let’s see God’s intended effect in ordering the merger:

3 And they (the Levites) shall keep your (i.e., Aaron’s) charge (instructions, orders), and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor YOU (Aaron) also, die. 4 And THEY SHALL BE JOINED UNTO YOU, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come near unto you.
…6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you (Aaron) [they are] given [as] a GIFT of the LORD, to do the SERVICE OF THE TABERNACLE of the congregation.
7 Therefore you and your sons with you shall keep your priest’s office for everything of the altar, and WITHIN THE VEIL, and you (Aaron the High Priest) shall serve: I have given your priest’s office [unto you] as a SERVICE OF GIFT: and the STRANGER THAT COMES NEAR SHALL BE PUT TO DEATH.

The FIRST COVENANT therefore, according to Moses, refers to the “SERVICE OF THE TABERNACLE.” Paul called it “DIVINE SERVICE” or “SERVICE OF GOD” (Heb 9:1 and 6). He further called it “MINISTRATION OF DEATH” in 2Cor 3:7 because the work of the priests consisted mostly of killing animals or “SERVICE OF GIFT” i.e., receiving the people’s gifts, mostly animals, to God.

We will now turn to the writings of Paul:

Hebr 8:7 (KJV) For if that FIRST [COVENANT (OF THE PRIESTHOOD, the Order of Aaron)] had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the SECOND (COVENANT OF THE PRIESTHOOD, the Order of Melchisedec).
Hebr 9:1 (KJV) Then verily the FIRST [COVENANT (the Levitical Priesthood under the Order of Aaron) had also ordinances of DIVINE SERVICE, and a worldly sanctuary. {ordinances: or, ceremonies}
2 For there was a tabernacle made, the first (i.e., the first tabernacle, an enclosure covered with veils), wherein [was] the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the Sanctuary. {the sanctuary: or, holy. Also known as the Tabernacle of the Congregation}
3 And after the SECOND veil, the TABERNACLE which is called the HOLIEST OF ALL (where the LORD dwelt); 4 Which had the golden censer, and the Ark of the Covenant overlaid roundabout with gold, wherein [was] the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
6 Now when these things were thus ordained (Gr. kataskeuazo, inaugurated), the priests went always into the FIRST TABERNACLE, accomplishing the SERVICE [OF GOD]. (He would enter the second only once a year during Day of Atonement.)

It was God who ordered the construction of the Tabernacle with two chambers – the HOLIEST OF ALL, covered with veil, and the TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION:

Exod 25:8 (KJV, the LORD speaking to Moses) And let them (Israelites) make me a sanctuary (the HOLIEST OF ALL); that I MAY DWELL among them. 9 According to all that I showed you (on Mt. Sinai), [after] the pattern (“blue print”) of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall you make [it].

Contents of the Holiest of all:

10 And they shall make an ark [of] shittim wood (like acacia, light but sturdy)…11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, within and without shall you overlay it, and shall make upon it a crown of gold round about…16 And you shall put into the ark the testimony (tables of stone) which I shall give you. 17 And you shall make a mercy seat [of] pure gold: two cubits and a half [shall be] the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. (Note: one cubit equals 18 inches) 18 And you shall make two cherubims [of] gold, [of] beaten work shall you make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: [even] of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. {of…: or, of the matter of the mercy seat} 20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth [their] wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces [shall look] one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. 21 And you shall put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will commune with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which [are] upon the ark of the testimony, of all [things] which I will give you in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Contents of the TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION:

Exod 26:35 (KJV) And you shall set the table without the veil (separating the two chambers), and the candlestick (menorah) over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and you shall put the table on the north side. 36 And you shall make an hanging (veil) for the door of the tent, [of] blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.
Exod 27:20 (KJV) And you shall command the children of Israel, that they bring you pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. 21 In the TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION without (outside) the veil, which [is] before the testimony, Aaron and his sons (meaning anyone of them priests) shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: [it shall be] a STATUTE FOREVER unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Let Paul continue:

Heb 9:6 Now when THESE THINGS (FIRST and SECOND tabernacles) were thus ordained (or inaugurated), the PRIESTS went always into the first tabernacle (i.e., the Tabernacle of the Congregation), accomplishing the SERVICE [OF GOD] (or DIVINE SERVICE)
7 But into the second (i.e., the HOLIEST OF ALL where the LORD dwelt) Holiest H [went] the High Priest alone ONCE EVERY YEAR (during the Day of Atonement), not without blood, which he offered for himself, and [for] the errors of the people:

DAY OF ATONEMENT became STATUTE forever:

Levi 16:2 (KJV) And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto AARON your brother, that he comes not at all times (but only in the seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month) into the (most) holy [place] (the HOLIEST OF ALL) within the veil before the mercy seat, which [is] upon the ark; that he dies not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
… 11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which [is] for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house… 15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that [is] for the people,…29 And [this (day of atonement)] shall be a STATUTE FOREVER unto you: [that] in the seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month, you shall AFFLICT your souls (by fasting, Isa 58:5), and do no work at all, [whether it be] one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourns among you:

To “afflict” the soul means to fast:

Isai 58:5 (KJV) Is it such a FAST that I have chosen? a day for a man to AFFLICT his soul?…
Levi 16:30 For on that day shall [the priest] make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, [that] you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31 It [shall be] a Sabbath of rest unto you, and you shall AFFLICT your souls, by a STATUTE forever.
…34 And this shall be an EVERLASTING STATUTE unto you (Aaron), to make an ATONEMENT for the children of Israel for all their sins ONCE A YEAR. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Let Paul continue WHY the priest entered the Holiest Place ONLY ONCE A YEAR:

Heb 9:8 The HOLY SPIRIT this signifying, that the WAY into the HOLIEST OF ALL (where God the Father dwells) was NOT YET made manifest (not yet accessible to man), while as the FIRST TABERNACLE was yet standing:

The “WAY” to the HOLIEST OF ALL was opened by Christ:

John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus said unto him (Thomas), I AM THE WAY…no man comes unto the Father (inside the HOLIEST OF ALL), but by me.
Mark 15:37 (KJV) And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. 38 And the VEIL of the temple (covering the HOLIEST OF ALL where the Father dwells) was rent in two from the top to the bottom.

We can now enter the HOLIEST OF ALL in prayer to God the Father:

Heb 10:19 (KJV) Having therefore, brethren, (liberty) to enter into the HOLIEST (OF ALL) by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he had consecrated for us, through the VEIL, that is to say, HIS FLESH;

Note that the veil represents the body of Christ. The body of Christ was our sacrifice. The sacrifice stands for the person who offered it. When Christ entered the HOLIEST OF ALL, the persons who accepted his sacrifice were also allowed to enter the HOLIEST OF ALL. We enter the Father’s dwelling place when we PRAY to him:

21 And [having] an High Priest over the house of God; 22 Let us (those who accepted the sacrifice of Christ) draw near (in prayer to God the Father inside the HOLIEST OF ALL) with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled (or cleansed) from an evil conscience (through repentance), and our bodies washed with pure water (the word of God).

Animal offerings were brought only AT THE DOOR OF THE TABERNACLE (Exod 29:42) because the way to the Holiest of all was not yet opened before Christ came:

Exod 29:42 (KJV) [This shall be] a continual burnt offering throughout your generations [at] the DOOR OF THE TABERNACLE of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto you.

Heb 9:9 Which (tabernacle) [was] a figure (construction, a structure) for the time (of the Ancient Israelites) then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices (hence Aaron’s function was “SERVICE OF GIFTS”), that could not make him (the sinner) that did the SERVICE perfect, as pertaining to the conscience (because there was no repentance); 10 [Which (tabernacle) stood] only in meats and drinks, and diverse washings, and CARNAL (physical) ordinances (ceremonies), imposed [on them] until the time of REFORMATION (change of the priesthood and of the tabernacle). {ordinances: or, rites, or, ceremonies}

Christ came as part of the REFORMATION:

11 But CHRIST being come an HIGH PRIEST of good things to come (the Kingdom of God), by a greater and MORE PERFECT TABERNACLE, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this (physical) building;…24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures (i.e., replicas) of the true (holy places); but into heaven itself (the original HOLIEST OF ALL), now appearing in the presence of God FOR US:

PROMISES FOR LEVITICAL PRIESTS ALL GOOD;

BUT PRMONISES FOR MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTS BETTER

We will compare now the PROMISES for the Levitical priests under the Order of Aaron – which were all GOOD, with the PROMISES for the priests under the Order of Melchisedec, which are BETTER.

We are doing this because we are part of the Church of the Firstborn whose assignment is to serve as priests under the Order of Melchisedec. We need to know “what’s in it for us”:

Heb 8:6 …He (Jesus) obtained a more excellent Ministry (or Priesthood), …He is the Mediator of a BETTER Covenant (i.e., the Covenant of the Priesthood) which was established upon BETTER promises…

ONLY MATERIAL THINGS WERE PROMISED TO LEVITICAL PRIESTS

INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES – TITHES AND OFFERINGS

Numb 18:8 And the LORD spoke unto AARON, Behold, I also have given you the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto you have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, by an ordinance forever.
9 This shall be yours of the most holy things, [reserved (the parts that were not burned)] from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, [shall be] most holy for you (Aaron) and for your sons. 10 (As) the most holy [(things)] shall you eat it; every male (of Aaron’s family only) shall eat it: it shall be holy unto you. 11 And this [is] yours; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, by a statute forever: every one that is clean (ceremonially) in your house shall eat of it.
12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given you. 13 [And] whatsoever is first ripe (i.e., the firstfruits) in the land, which they shall bring unto the LORD, shall be yours; every one that is clean in your house shall eat [of] it.
14 Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours.
15 Everything that opens the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the LORD, [whether it be] of men or beasts, shall be yours: nevertheless the firstborn of man shall you surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shall you redeem. 16 And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shall you redeem, according to your estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which [is] twenty gerahs.
17 But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, you shall not redeem; they [are] holy: you shall sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shall burn their fat [for] an offering made by fire, for a sweet savor unto the LORD. 18 And the flesh of them shall be yours, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are yours.
19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given you, and your sons and your daughters with you, by a statute forever: it [is] a COVENANT OF SALT forever before the LORD unto you and to your seed with you.
20 And the LORD spoke unto Aaron, You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any part among them: I [am] your part and your inheritance among the children of Israel. 21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi ALL THE TENTH (tithes) in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, [even] the service of the tabernacle of the congregation…24 But the TITHES of the children of Israel, which they offer [as] an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to INHERIT: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no INHERITANCE.

BENEFITS FOR THE LEVITICAL HIGH PRIEST – TITHE OF THE TITHES

Numb 18:25 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When you take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, [even] a TENTH [PART] OF THE TITHE. …28 Thus you also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which you receive of the children of Israel; and you shall give thereof the LORD’S heave offering to AARON the priest. 29 Out of all your gifts you shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, OF ALL THE BEST THEREOF, [even] the hallowed part thereof out of it.

BENEFITS FOR MELCHISEDEC – ALL THINGS

Hebr 1:1 (KJV) God…2 Had in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son (Jesus Christ, the High Priest under the Order of Melchisedec), whom he had appointed HEIR OF ALL THINGS, by whom also he made the WORLDS (the universe);

INHERITANCE OF PRIESTS UNDER MELCHISEDEC: ALL THINGS

Roma 8:16 (KJV) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together.
Reve 21:7 (KJV) He that overcomes shall inherit ALL THINGS; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Comments: The Levites “merged” with the House of Judah. The Jews today in the mini-State of Israel wearing black hats and trench coats are actually Levites. The merger occurred during the rebellion and eventual secession of the House of Israel from the House of Judah. King Jeroboam ruled over the ten-tribe House of Israel, while King Rehoboam ruled the combined tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and, later on, Levi:

1Kin 12:19 (KJV) So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. {rebelled: or, fell away} 20 And it came to pass, when all ISRAEL heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the HOUSE OF DAVID, but the tribe of Judah only. 21 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the HOUSE OF JUDAH, with the TRIBE OF BENJAMIN (note the merger), an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the HOUSE OF ISRAEL, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the HOUSE OF JUDAH AND BENJAMIN, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 24 Thus said the LORD, You shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.

The Levites joined the merger of Judah and Benjamin into one HOUSE OF JUDAH, hence the Levites became Jews:

2Chr 11:13 (KJV) And the PRIESTS and the LEVITES that [were] in all Israel (under King Jeroboam) resorted to him (King Rehoboam of Judah) out of all their coasts. 14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession (in the territory of King Jeroboam of Israel in Samaria), and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for (King) Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD:

Note that the tribe of Levi became part of the House of Judah. In short, the Levites became Jews! Now we can understand why the oracles of God were given to the Jews and not to the Levites:

Roma 3:1 (KJV) What advantage then has the Jew? or what profit [is there] of circumcision? 2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

The oracles of God were given to Moses who was a Levite, but the Levites became Jews. Because of the merger, Paul, a Benjamite, also became a Jew:

Roma 11:1 (KJV, Paul speaking) I say then, Has God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the TRIBE OF BENJAMIN.
Acts 21:39 (KJV) But PAUL said, I am a man [which am] a JEW of Tarsus, [a city] in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech you, suffer me to speak unto the people.

Since the Levites “became” Jews by reason of the merger, then the Jews became Levites, too. A Jew, who was Jesus Christ, was therefore qualified to be ordained as High Priest:

Jere 33:17 (KJV) For thus said the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; 18 Neither shall the PRIESTS the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually (but Jeremiah did not say under which order, Order of Aaron or Order of Melchisedec).

GENTILES CAN BE PRIESTS UNDER ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK

God also merged some Gentiles with the House of Judah, hence those Gentiles have become Jews and qualified to become priests:

Roma 11:13 (KJV, Paul speaking) For I speak to you GENTILES, inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation [them which are] my flesh (the Jews, Levites and Benjamites together), and might save some of them. 15 For if the casting away of them [be] the reconciling of the world, what [shall] the receiving [of them be], but life from the dead? 16 For if the firstfruit (Christ, a Jew) [be] holy, the lump (rest of the Jews) [is] also [holy]: and if the root (presumably Abraham and the patriarchs) [be] holy, so [are] the branches. 17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and you (Gentiles), being a wild olive tree, were GRAFTED IN among them, and with them partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree; {among them: or, for them, i.e., in their stead} 18 Boast not against the branches. But if you boast, you bear not the root, but the root (bears) you.

PETER CONFIRMED THAT GENTILES CAN BE PRIESTS

1Pet 2:9 (KJV) But you (GENTILE CONVERTS) [are] a chosen generation, a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who had called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: {peculiar: or, purchased} {praises: or, virtues} 10 Which in time past [were] not a people (not a people of God, Gentiles), but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

It was the LORD who called the Gentiles to priesthood:

Deut 32:21 (KJV, the LORD speaking) They (Israelites) have moved me to jealousy with [that which is] not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to JEALOUSY with [those which are] not a people (not a people of God, i.e., GENTILES)…
Isai 65:1 (KJV, the LORD speaking) I am sought of [them (GENTILES) that] asked not [for me]; I am found of [them that] sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation [that] was not called by my name (not Israelites).

OTHER WOMAN

Gentile converts can probably be likened to the “other woman”. The Israelites were God’s ‘first love’, but they proved unfaithful. God is making them jealous to make them return to him by turning to the Gentiles. For this reason, Gentile converts need to show God that they are worthy of his love. We who are of Gentile descent should exert serious efforts to get ready for our wedding!

But that was an aside. We were still discussing the “GOOD, BUT NOT BETTER” promises for the Levitical priests.

RESTRICTIONS FOR LEVITICAL PRIESTS:

Levi 10:8 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto Aaron, saying, 9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die: [it shall be] a statute forever throughout your generations: 10 And that you may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; 11 And that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD had spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.

GUIDELINES FOR LEVITICAL HIGH PRIEST

Levi 21:10 (KJV) And [he that is] the HIGH PRIEST among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; 11 Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother (by touching their dead bodies);
Numb 19:11 (KJV) He that touches the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.
Levi 21:12 Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God [is] upon him: I [am] the LORD.
13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, [or] an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife. 15 Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.

Since Christ is a high priest, then he is covered by this law. The wife of Christ therefore should be VIRGIN:

Reve 14:1 (KJV) 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 (i.e., they keep the covenant that God is their God). …4 These are they which were not defiled with women (“women” represent churches that teach strange doctrines) for they are VIRGINS. These are they which follow the Lamb (Jesus Christ) whithersoever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, [being] the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
John 1:35 (KJV) Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God!
Reve 21:9 (KJV) And there came unto me one of the seven angels…saying, Come hither, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s WIFE.

EXCLUDABLE PERSONS FROM THE PRIESTHOOD

Levi 21:16 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever [he be] of your seed in their generations that had [any] (physical) blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. {bread: or, food} 18 For whatsoever man [he be] that had a blemish, he (God) shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that had a flat nose, or anything superfluous, 19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, 20 Or crookback, or a dwarf, or that had a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or had his stones broken; {a dwarf: or, too slender} 21 No man that had a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come near to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he had a blemish; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He shall eat the bread of his God, [both] of the most holy, and of the holy. 23 Only he shall not go in unto the veil, nor come near unto the altar, because he had a blemish; that he profanes not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.
24 And Moses told [it] unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.

PRIESTS MUST BE GOOD TO LOOK AT:

Exod 28:2 (KJV) And you (Moses) shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother for glory and for beauty.
…40 And for Aaron’s sons you shall make coats, and you shall make for them girdles, and bonnets shall you make for them, for glory and for beauty.

GOOD GROOMING for Levites; GOOD REPUTATION for spirit priests

Prov 22:1 (KJV) A [GOOD] NAME [is] rather to be chosen than great riches, [and] loving favor (of God) rather than silver and gold.

QUALIFICATIONS OF SPIRIT PRIESTS

Reve 21:6 (KJV) And he said unto me (John), It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (this is God the Father). I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcomes shall inherit all things (these things – New Jerusalem and all new things); and I WILL BE HIS GOD, and HE SHALL BE MY SON.

Comments: God the Father is a spirit and everliving; his son therefore shall become spirit and everliving – this is the BETTER promise to spirit priests! The Levitical priests were not promised eternal life.

DISQUALIFICATIONS FOR SPIRIT PRIESTS-TO-BE

8 But (these are the disqualified ones) the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all LIARS (those who say they know God and keep not his commandments, 1John 2:4), shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
1Joh 2:4 (KJV) He that says, I know him (God the Father), and keeps not his commandments, is a LIAR, and the truth is not in him.
Reve 22:13 (KJV) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed [are] they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may ENTER IN through the gates into the city (to serve as priests).
15 For WITHOUT [are] dogs (perverts who misuse their own body and that of others, also ministers who mislead the converts), and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a LIE.

MORE “GOOD” PROMISES FOR LEVITICAL PRIESTS (but not “better”)

Breast and Right Shoulder of animal offerings were for priests

Levi 7:31 And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the BREAST shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. 32 And the RIGHT SHOULDER shall you give unto the priest [for] an heave offering of the sacrifices of your PEACE OFFERINGS. 33 He among the sons of Aaron, that OFFERS THE BLOOD OF THE PEACE OFFERINGS, and the fat, shall have the RIGHT SHOULDER for [his] part.

SPIRIT PRIESTS SHALL ALSO OFFER SACRIFICES

1Pet 2:5 (KJV, Peter speaking to PRIEST-TRAINEES under the Order of Melchisedec) You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an HOLY PRIESTHOOD, to offer up SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. {are: or, be you}
Isai 66:10 (KJV, the LORD prophetically addressing the Israelites from his future headquarters in Jerusalem) Rejoice you with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her: 11 That you (Israelites) may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that you may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.

This is another “better” promise to spirit priests:

12 For thus said the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and (I will extend) the GLORY OF THE GENTILES (who shall then be serving as SPIRIT PRIESTS) like a flowing stream: then shall you (Israelites) suck, you shall be borne upon [her] sides, and be dandled upon [her] knees…20 And they (spirit priests) SHALL bring all your brethren [for] an OFFERING unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, said the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD. 21 And I will also take of them (Israelites) for priests [and] for Levites (meaning they will also train in priesthood under the Order of Melchisedec), said the LORD.

Tenure of Levitical priests

Numb 8:23 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 24 This [is it] that [belongs] unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: 25 And from the age of FIFTY YEARS they shall cease waiting upon the service [thereof], and shall serve no more (meaning retire): 26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shall you do unto the Levites touching their charge.

TENURE OF SPIRIT PRIESTS

Reve 3:12 (KJV) Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and HE SHALL GO NO MORE OUT: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name.

CLEANSING OF LEVITES

Numb 8:6 (KJV) Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 7 And thus shall you do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle WATER OF PURIFYING (containing the ashes of a red heifer, Numbers 19:9) upon them, and let them shave all their flesh (this runs counter to the present practice of Jews allowing their locks to grow), and let them wash their clothes, and [so] make themselves clean.
8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, [even] fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shall you take for a sin offering. 9 And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and you shall gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together: 10 And you shall bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall PUT THEIR HANDS upon the Levites:
11 And Aaron shall OFFER the Levites before the LORD [for] an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the SERVICE OF THE LORD. {offer: Heb. wave} {offering: Heb. wave offering} {they…: Heb. they may be to execute, etc}

CLEANSING OF WOULD-BE-SPIRIT PRIESTS

Roma 12:1 (KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.

We shall discuss how to present ourselves as living sacrifice under the miscellaneous chapter.

NEXT: Part 25 – MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS

Behold the Clouds of Heaven! Christ is coming! Christ is coming!

(For the elect to watch and be ready spiritually)

-by Brod Andy-

Could the exact date of Christ’s glorious return be known ahead of time?

Should God’s church proclaim it?

Will Christ return in 2029? Keep Watching and Be Ready!

In an article written sometime in 2000 by a highly respected evangelist about the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ, the title declares with certainty that Jesus Christ will come again. However, it also strongly warns against setting of specific dates for that glorious and exhilarating event. The opening statement of the article reads,

“Can anyone accurately predict the time of Christ’s “Second Coming”? Should any man dare set a date for that momentous event—or predict precisely when the “6,000 years” of man’s chaotic misrule will end?”

Certainly, the evangelist is not alone among the churches of God (CoG) with strong opposition and serious reservation, even stern warning, against setting of dates for the return of Christ. After all not a few dates had been predicted and failed to the great dismay of the faithful since the 1^st century church to our generation. Even the apostle Paul also erred in supposing initially that Christ would return within his lifetime (1 Cor. 15:50-52). He later on wrote that the day of Christ and the elect’s gathering unto him shall not come except there comes a falling away first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition (2Thess. 2:1-4). Surely there are enough scriptures to support the warning. Those against setting the date are quick to argue that “if Jesus Christ didn’t know it, how could we who are mere men”? But what do we make of certain scriptures indicating that this event could be known to the very day that it will happen? Shall we just ignore them? Isn’t it better to study thoroughly, analyze and reconcile these seemingly contradicting scriptures (2Tim. 2:15) so that the truth will come out? After all as followers of Christ, we are admonished to live by every word of God (Matt. 4:4). But this issue is also primarily a matter that our Father in heaven had kept to himself until the time he would have decided to reveal it. The question therefore is not whether or not it can be predicted but whether or not the Father has intended to make it known before it comes.

Jesus Didn’t Know It Then, But Not For A Long Time

Certain scriptures in the Bible are time-bounded and remained true only for a definite period of time. Such was Christ’s statement in John 5:37.

Joh 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

The part of the above scripture that says, “Ye have neither…at any time…seen his shape” is still true today. However, that part stating “Ye have neither heard his voice at any time” ceased to be true in the course of Christ’s ministry. This happened when he asked the Father to “glorify thy name” days later before his impending arrest…

Joh 12:27-28 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. (28) Father, glorify thy name…

And the Father responded with “a voice from heaven” saying…

Joh 12:28-30 … I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. (29) The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. (30) Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

At this point and for the first and only time Christ’s disciples and others following him were able to hear the voice of the Father in heaven. And as Jesus himself explained, this episode happened for the sake of the people who at that point might still have doubted that the Father did send him.

When the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of his coming and the end of this present world, he didn’t really know the day of his return and so he only gave them signs and then capped these with the following words:

Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mar 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Most if not all who are against setting of particular dates would be quick to quote the above scriptures to support their position. They have the mistaken belief that until our time now Jesus Christ still does not know the exact day of his glorious return. But the scriptures above merely stated a simple fact: that at that point only the Father in heaven knew the day of his coming because the matter was still in His hands or power to decide. This was made obvious in Christ’s answer to a similar query of his disciples after his resurrection.

Act 1:6-8 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? (7) And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. (8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 are not saying that the Father shall keep the day of Christ’s coming a secret until the very day when He sends him back to establish God’s kingdom here on earth. In fact when the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation Jesus Christ already knew the day of his return because the Father had already revealed to him everything he needs to know about his return, namely: the end time events such as, falling away of the church (white horse), terrorism (red horse), trade/economic war (black horse), world war, famines, pandemics (pale horse); and the things to come (Rev. 1:1&19). Jesus Christ knew already every detail of all prophecies written about in the book of Revelation and the sealed book mentioned by Daniel the prophet (Dan. 12:4). At the time John wrote the Revelation, Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 ceased to be true and valid because Jesus Christ already knew the exact day of his second coming. Just like John 5:37 these scriptures are also time-bounded and ceased to be true after certain period of time.

Why Past Predictions Failed

Before continuing it is essential to understand, first of all, why past predictions about the second coming of Christ have failed. There are two (2) important reasons for this and to members of God’s church it should not be surprising. First, when a prediction is given by anybody outside of God’s church it certainly would not come to pass. It is because God reveals his secret only to his servants the prophets and to them that He considers righteous. God’s word is emphatic on this in the book of Amos.

Amo 3:6-7 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? (7) Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

And Proverbs 3:32 adds,

Pro 3:32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.

Since the time Jesus Christ built the church, God’s servants and righteous men could only be found in this one church and not anywhere else. Therefore any prediction by men outside of God’s church, such as those watching the “rapture of the church” that sent me emails of their predictions, are bound to fail. They don’t understand the truth about the coming kingdom and God has not revealed any of His guarded (sealed) secrets to them because they are not righteous neither His servants.

The 2^nd reason is timing. There is a time for God to reveal this date and it shall come only when certain seals have been unlocked to open the understanding of the mystery surrounding it. Hence, setting the date of Christ’s return before the pertinent seals have been unlocked is premature and preemptive of his prerogative to reveal it. This is the most important reason why past predictions, even those of God’s own servants, Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) included, have failed – The protective seals were still in place when such predictions were made. The correct understanding were still locked and the secret kept.

Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Dan 12:8-9 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? (9) And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Rev 5:1-3 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. (2) And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? (3) And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:8-9 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. (9) And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

The immediately preceding verses above (Rev. 5:8-9) confirm that indeed Jesus Christ already knew the day of his return when the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation. It was no longer a matter that the Father placed in His power but one that had been decided and shared with Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:1). Opening the seals of the book that he took from the Father, for the understanding of his servants is now in Christ’s hands since he has prevailed to open them (Rev.5:5). The timing to reveal it to the church is now up to Jesus Christ to decide. Since John was writing from a distant past and was only brought forward in spirit to the time of the day of Lord (Rev. 1:9-10), the understanding of the mysteries in his writings are to be revealed only when the day of the Lord becomes a reality and not before. At this point it must be stated that the day of Christ’s glorious return is not the beginning of the day of the Lord. In fact the latter has already come without anyone predicting it because as the scripture says, it came “as a thief in the night”. To understand this point please read the article “Simplifying the Day of the Lord Puzzle”. Another article titled, “The White Horse and the Red: Mystery Truly Unlocked!” proves conclusively that the day of the Lord has already come as a thief in the night.

Knowing that Christ has prevailed to open the seals, should free God’s elect from the shackles of past failures and belief that the date of Christ’s glorious return could not be known until it comes. Instead, these failures should encourage us to keep watching world events, study and analyze the scriptures about prophecy correctly, and always keep close to God who reveals secrets and gives deeper understanding of his words. Hopefully this article will help us know and understand.

As in the Days of Noah

Reference to the days of Noah has also been cited often as basis for the argument that Christ return couldn’t be known ahead of time. However, a thorough examination of the scriptures pertaining to the great flood that wiped out entire population except Noah’s family would show the very opposite of what has been generally an accepted conclusion that Christ’s second coming can’t be known ahead of its occurrence.

Mat 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (38) For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, (39) And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

As it is of the world we live today, the entire population in the days of Noah consisted of: 1) the vast majority that were so wicked it repented God to have made man on earth, and 2) the very tiny minority that found grace in the eyes of God (Gen. 6:5-8). Jesus Christ used their example to warn the world in general and the elect today in particular, not to be like the vast majority of Noah’s time who ignored the warning about the impending destruction. Noah knew exactly the day that God had set to destroy all flesh on earth with a flood and must have informed the populace of his time, while construction of the ark was in progress. It was on the 17^th day of the 2^nd month, the 600^th year (Gen. 7:4,11) of Noah’s life.

Gen 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
Gen 7:4-6 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. (5) And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. (6) And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
Gen 7:10-13 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. (11) In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. (12) And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. (13) In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;

It’s not that the entire population didn’t know or clueless of the exact day they would be destroyed with the flood. They were warned of the day the flood would come but stubbornly ignored the warnings and continued to enjoy life like everything was fine and business as usual. That’s why they were surprised by the suddenness of the flood and destruction as though they didn’t know it at all. They knew it but didn’t heed because they didn’t believe Noah nor God. It’s worrisome that the same thing could happen to this present generation and to most of the elect even if the date of Christ’s imminent coming and the impending destructions shall be proclaimed.

The Elect Shall Know It, If …

The scriptures are not wanting in giving warning signs for the elect to know and understand what lies ahead. And God certainly would and in fact has already revealed specific dates for the impending destructions and Christ’s glorious return. But the elect shall know it only if they understand and have faith to believe. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ once asked, “…when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Here is a scripture couched as a riddle. Did Christ mean none will believe when he comes in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30)? That would be absurd! It’s not only God’s elect who are waiting for his glorious return. The whole “Christian world” does. Certainly, many would believe, even those without faith, when Christ comes in the clouds of heaven (1Thess. 4:16-17) although a few months later, many will make war against him, supposedly as an invader from outer space (Rev. 19:19). But why would Christ ask that question? It’s because he was referring to his coming as a thief (Rev. 16:15) in the day of the Lord and not to his visible return when every eye shall see him (Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7). This requires faith (Heb. 11:1). Therefore he posed that question. He didn’t expect many would believe when he comes as a thief in the day of the Lord, as in the days of Noah, even if people are told. Occasionally in the past, the Lord God (who later became Christ) had appeared to select men for certain reasons. For instance, he appeared to Noah, Abraham, and Moses. Four days after his resurrection, he appeared to his disciples and later on to Saul and much later he appeared to the apostle John when he instructed him to write the book of Revelation. If people today even of the churches of God couldn’t believe that Jesus Christ had in time past appeared in spirit to HWA and much later to Robert G. Ardis for a very important purpose then it is not because he didn’t but because people simply have no faith to believe it. Having said that, it must now be stated at this point that the day of the Lord came already and it was known only on October 1, 1997 (pp.15-16 The Day of the Lord – 6000 Years Have Ended 3^rd ed. 2006). On page 25 of the booklet “Set Apart By Truth”, Robert G. Ardis (RGA) wrote:

“The day of the Lord has come as a ‘thief in the night’. This extremely important event happened on October 1, 1997. No one was aware of it until it happened! This great Truth was revealed that night, immediately after it happened, and was preached to God’s True Church the next day on the Feast of Trumpets! The Lord ‘came suddenly to His Temple’. The Day of the Lord began!”.

He who does not believe in this revealed truth from God would also most likely not believe the exact date of Christ’s visible return that will be proclaimed shortly in this article. But the elect shall know it, and believe, if … they are watching and not sleeping.

Th 5:1-6 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. (2) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (3) For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (4) But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. (5) Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. (6) Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

In Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus Christ gave a parable about the 10 virgins that have fallen asleep while waiting for their bridegroom. The virgins are God’s elect today and they are being advised through this parable to watch.

Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Those against setting of dates also use the above scripture in support of their belief that the day or hour of Christ’s return could not be known ahead of time. But they are missing the very purpose for watching. In their mind, since Christ’s return could not be known until he comes, all that the faithful should do is watch one’s own spiritual condition. However, that is not the intended purpose meant in this scripture. As stated in the above verse the rationale for watching is because (for) “ye know neither the day nor the hour” of Christ coming, then they should watch. Hence, the purpose obviously for watching is so that they will know the day or the hour of Christ’s coming. It’s like, why should a person study hard a difficult subject matter? Is it for him to become a better person or so that he will understand? That’s no brainer! Of course one should study hard to understand something difficult to understand! And with the acquired understanding becomes a better person. Likewise, we watch so that we will know. And with the new knowledge become a better prepared elect of God (Matt.25:15-29). If the intended purpose for watching is merely to keep track of our spiritual condition, Jesus would have no reason giving the disciples specific end-time signs (Matt. 24:14-26) that we should watch, the fulfilment of which help us know how near his return will be. Jesus had given the signs for good reasons, foremost of which is for his disciples to know the exact day he will return. To emphasize this point he gave the disciples the parable below:

Mat 24:32-33 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: (33) So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

Obviously, as each of the end-time signs is fulfilled, the day of Christ’s return becomes more imminent even as it is now at the doors. For this reason the purpose for watching is achieved.

Signs that Christ is Coming

Those who have fallen asleep spiritually and the rest of the world are oblivious to the fact that the day of the Lord has already come and that only few end time signs have not been fulfilled. The day of the Lord is a pivotal sign that began a few years after the falling away of the church (WCG) occurred and the man of sin who sat at the temple of God was revealed (2 Thess. 2:1-4). The mystery about the white horse and red horse of Revelation 6 are now understood and that they happened already and their impact are still being felt to this day. The great tribulation, which the 5^th seal symbolized (Matt. 24:21; Rev. 6:9) is now looming in the horizon because the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet (Matt. 24:15) is now standing in the holy place (Whoso Reads, Let Him Understand! 2^nd ed. 2006 pp. 18-23). This is now a fulfilled end-time sign. Previously, the work of preaching the gospel (Matt. 24:14) was finished at the death of Herbert w. Armstrong (HWA) in January 1986 although some quarters have disagreed about it. Now, those who are looking at a temple in Jerusalem, whether existing or to be built, for the fulfilment of Matthew 24:15 are looking at the wrong place because nothing is and will be holy in Jerusalem (Ezek. 23:17; 36:17) until Jesus Christ and the saints take their abode there (Rev. 21:1-3). This will be after the resurrection of the 144,000 firstfruits (Rev. 14:1-4; 20:4-6). The prophecy in Luke 21:20 pertaining to a desolation once Jerusalem shall be compassed with armies has nothing to do with a holy place because there is no place holy on the face of the earth today except God’s church. Very soon the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21; Rev. 3:10; 6:9-11) will be upon this world to try every person on the face of the earth. Sudden destruction will be upon the whole earth and in their panic people around the world will seek our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God’s elect should not believe anyone who will say Christ has arrived and here or there (Matt. 24:23-26) because many false prophets and Christ’s shall come out to deceive. In warning his disciples against deception prior to his imminent return Jesus said,

Mat 24:26-28 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. (27) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (28) For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

It is easy to understand what Christ meant regarding the lightning. However, what did he mean about the “carcase” and “the eagles” that will “be gathered together”? When Jesus Christ returns, every eye shall see him in the clouds of heaven approaching our planet earth. Like a lightning he will be seen from all parts of the world. And satellite cameras will certainly capture scenes of his coming and show them in television sets everywhere. However, when he gets closer to the earth, only the eyes of them who are near the place where he awaits the resurrected and the translated saints (eagles) will be able to see him. Therefore Christ issued this warning sign so that when the great tribulation comes the elect will not be deceived. But, where is that place where the eagles will be gathered together? It is the place where the bodies (“carcase”) of the 2 witnesses that should be killed at the end of their work, will lie unburied (Rev. 11:8-9). That place is a mountain where Jesus was crucified, just outside the city of Jerusalem (Luke 23:33; Rev.11: 8). Now that we know this, there is no way any false prophet could deceive the elect when they say Christ is here or there. But their declarations that Christ has returned will fulfill this very prophecy about them (Matt.24:23-26) and tell us how very imminent Christ’s coming is.

Can We Set the Date of Christ’s Return?

It is not for any man, and not me definitely, to set the date of Christ’s return. But if he reveals it from the scriptures can we not and shall we not proclaim it? As we proceed, it will become obvious that we are not by ourselves setting the date of Christ’s coming but Christ himself through the scriptures that can be put together pointing to a specific day that this event will happen. It is no different from putting together all the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that can be fitted in only one particular way to reveal the beautiful picture that is hidden in the cut-out pieces.

Deciphering the exact day of Christ’s coming lies in the understanding of the following factors, namely: 1) That the day of the Lord has already come as a thief in the night; 2) That the resurrection of the firstfruits will be on feast of firstfruits, Pentecost day; and 3) certain sealed scriptures that include a few verses that involve certain number of days. Enough has been written about the day of the Lord and posted in this website, so that we will not discuss it further in this article.

In chapter 15 of Paul’s 1^st letter to the Corinthians he wrote:

1Co 15:3-6 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (5) And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: (6) After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

What did Paul mean by “according to the scriptures”? Of course there is no other way to interpret that. “According to the scriptures” means according to prophecy as found in the Word of God, the Holy Bible particularly in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ said of this in the following verses:

Mat 26:53-56 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? (54) But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? (55) In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. (56) But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

Two times in the above verses (1Cor. 15:3-6) Paul used the phrase “according to scriptures”. First with respect to Christ’s death and then with respect to his burial and resurrection. So which prophecies did the apostle refer to and what aspects of these scriptures is relevant to Christ’s imminent return? Are there any references to dates? Somewhere in another article posted in this website, it is stated that God’s master plan for salvation of mankind and the coming kingdom of God, as pictured by the feast days in Leviticus 23, can be considered as “the mother of all prophecies”. Therefore, a lot of information about prophetic dates can be learned from Leviticus 23. We know from various scriptures that Jesus came to fulfil the ultimate sacrifice pictured in the scriptures by the Passover lamb (John 1:29; 1Pet. 1:19; Rev. 5:12). He was also referred to by the apostle Paul as “the firstfruits of them that slept” after he was “risen from the dead” (1Cor. 15:20). And so let us examine certain scriptures pertaining to these events.

The Date of Christ’s Death

In Leviticus 23 we find the complete list of the feasts of God that should be proclaimed in their seasons (Lev. 23:4). These feasts as we already know picture the master plan for man’s salvation and the establishment of God’s kingdom here on earth. Since they are to be proclaimed and kept in their seasons dates and days are involved. The Passover which pictures the death of Jesus was proclaimed to be kept on the 14^th day of the first month (Lev. 23:5). The Passover lamb was to be killed in the evening of the 14^th. Details pertaining to this as kept by the Israelites is found in Exodus 12.

Exo 12:3-6 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: (4) And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. (5) Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: (6) And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

In God’s reckoning of a day the night part comes first, beginning with the evening, before the day part, beginning with the morning (Gen. 1:5). So how did Christ die for our sins according to the scriptures? In his last Passover observance, Jesus kept it with his disciples in the evening of the 14^th day of the 1^st month in accordance with the above verses. He was not killed that evening but only arrested after some time because he had to keep first the foreshadowing of his own death and to change the manner by which Passover must be kept thereafter. But early morning of the 14^th his trial and sufferings began and by about 12 noon (6^th hour) his tormentors killed him.

Luk 22:7-15 Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. (8) And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. (9) And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? (10) And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. (11) And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? (12) And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. (13) And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. (14) And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. (15) And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
Luk 22:54 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off.
Luk 22:62-67 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. (63) And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. (64) And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? (65) And many other things blasphemously spake they against him. (66) And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, (67) Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:
Luk 23:44-46 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. (45) And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. (46) And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Other details relative to Christ’s death such as how his body and face were disfigured while none of his bones was broken and the insults he suffered were also according to scriptures (Isa. 53:1-7). What we are interested here is only the fact that he died on the same date the scriptures indicated, on Passover day.

The Date of Christ’s Resurrection

As declared in Leviticus 23 the 15^th day of the 1^st month is 1^st day of the feast of unleavened bread (Lev. 23:6) and by evening following Christ’s death no work should be done. Before sundown that day Christ’s dead body should therefore be buried and all the multitude who watched Christ’s agony go their respective homes.

Now there is written in Leviticus 23 a special offering that the priest should perform relative to the harvests of the fields. It is something that is not even proclaimed as part of any feast but so essential nonetheless that unless this and the related offerings are done, nothing could be eaten from the firstfruits harvest.

Lev 23:9-12 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, (10) 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: (11) And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. (12) 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 the LORD.
Lev 23:14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

This is the sheaf of the firstfruits that the priest should wave to the Lord to be accepted “for you” (on behalf of the people) on the morrow after the weekly Sabbath within the days of unleavened bread. What does this wave sheaf symbolize? It symbolizes the resurrected Christ who had ascended to the heaven above to be accepted by the Father not only for the firstfruits of God’s kingdom but for all people who shall also, in their appointed time, gain eternal life. And this was how it was fulfilled:

Mat 28:1-6 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. (2) And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. (3) His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: (4) And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. (5) And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. (6) He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Jesus Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven on the very same day and hour that the priest in charge of the offerings during that time was waving the sheaf of the firstfruits. That was on the morrow after the Sabbath during days of unleavened bread. Thus were the dates of Christ’s death burial and resurrection according to scriptures or prophecies.

Pentecost Day Firstfruits Resurrection

When will the resurrection of the firstfruits be? Robert G. Ardis has adequately and conclusively answered this question in his booklet titled “The Feast of Trumpets OR Day of Pentecost… WHICH? The resurrection of the firstfruits will be on the day of Pentecost, feast of the firstfruits. We shall not belabor to explain it here but state only that just as the dates of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection were all according to scriptures found in Leviticus 23 so also is the day of the resurrection of the firstfruits. Fifty (50) days after the waving of the sheaf of firstfruits that represented the risen Christ, the priest shall perform another offering again. He shall wave two loaves of bread representing the firstfruits on the morrow after Sabbath, day of Pentecost. This symbolizes the resurrection of the firstfruits, an event that will coincide with the visible and glorious return of Christ (1Thes. 4:13-17).

Lev 23:15-21 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: (16) Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. (17) Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD. (18) And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD. (19) 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. (20) And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. (21) And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

It follows therefore that if we can determine the exact day of future Pentecost when the resurrection of the firstfruits occurs we will know that on that date our Lord Jesus Christ will come. With this information our task has become easier. And we are closer to proclaiming the exact date of Christ’s glorious return on Pentecost day, feast of firstfruits!

The End of this Present World

The late Robert G. Ardis (RGA), in his booklet “WHOSO READS, LET HIM UNDERSTAND!” (2^nd Edition, 2006) come up with a 2008-2012 timeline detailing the end-time events leading to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ on a Pentecost day. The timeline starts with his findings that the day of the Lord has already come as a thief in the night; that man’s 6000 years of misguided life away from God have ended in 1997. Dates are indicated on specific events based on a clear understanding that the 1335^th day in verse 12 chapter 12 of the book of Daniel coincides with the prophet’s very own resurrection when he shall stand at his lot.

Dan 12:12-13 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (13) But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

This will also be the day when the bodies of the 2 witnesses shall arise and ascend (Rev. 11:7-12) to meet Jesus Christ in the clouds (1Thess. 4:16-17).

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:7-9 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. (8) And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (9) And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

In this timeline RGA was able to fit all the relevant numbered days in the books of Daniel and of Revelation such as the above copied scriptures. However, in presenting how they fit snugly, he wrote on page 41of the booklet:

Therefore, let’s put all of these appointed times, these numbered days, together so that they all “dovetail”, fitting perfectly. Let’s look at the possibilities (and I emphasize “possibilities”, not “actualities”) that we can understand about the next few years.

And then he concluded with these statements on page 48:

“NOW—WE DO UNDERSTAND HOW TO CALCULATE THE “TIMES”,

BUT IT IS IN GOD’S HANDS AS TO WHEN THE “TIMES” SHALL BE!

PERHAPS 2005 TO 2009 WAS A “TRIAL RUN” FOR US. IT WON’T BE

LONG BEFORE 2008 WILL BE HERE, SO LET’S WATCH AND PRAY AND BE

READY FOR WHATEVER GOD DECIDES.”

Now we have come to year 2020. Obviously, in 2006 it was not the time yet to be certain on the date of Christ’s return when Robert Ardis was inspired to put together the appointed times that will be fulfilled as pictured by the holy days proclaimed in chapter 23 of the book of Leviticus. That is why he could only invite the reader to “look at the possibilities”. And indeed they were just possibilities because God has not decided that they become “actualities” in 2008-2012. We can only commiserate with RGA and everyone who hoped for Christ’s return in 2012. But why did Christ not come in 2012? What was amiss in the calculation of RGA? Has God delayed Christ’s schedules? If RGA could only present possibilities, can we at this time be certain of Christ’s coming?

To be sure, God has not delayed any schedule for Christ’s return. Just the opposite.

Rom 9:27-28 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: (28) For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

RGA couldn’t really be certain with the timing of Christ’s return because of a few loose ends he failed to tie together. And that’s what we are going to do shortly in this article.

The End of 6000 Years

It’s a well-accepted belief in God’s church that man was given 6000 years to go his own way after Adam and Eve turned their back on God by listening to the voice of the adversary Satan the devil. At the end of 6000 years the kingdom of God shall come and be established here on earth at the return of Christ. But when did the 6000 years begin? Unless we know this we are at a loss how to figure out the end of 6000 years of man’s misguided life. Some if not most watchers of the end time, for lack of historical or scriptural record, were construed to assume that man’s 6000 years began at his creation in 4004 BC. This led RGA to calculate and believe that the 6000 years of man’s self-reliant life have ended when the day of the Lord was revealed to have begun in 1997 (The Day of the Lord booklet, 3^rd ed. 2006 pp. 15-21). However, this is inaccurate. It is a loose end that should be properly tie up and not keep hanging. Adam and Eve were not immediately driven out of their place in Eden and separated from God for disobedience at the time of creation. This is the reason why RGA was careful in presenting his timeline for the coming of Christ and God’s kingdom as possibilities. This time however, we are going to show that it’s no longer just possibilities but, as revealed in scriptures and historical events, the period God has determined “THE TIMES SHALL BE” when Jesus Christ shall return.

There is no record in the Holy Scripture that reveals the day nor the year when Adam and Eve disobeyed God but there is a scripture indicating the age of Adam and Eve when Satan came to deceive them. It was the age of Jesus Christ when Satan tried to tempt and deceive him to follow the latter’s corrupted way (Matt. 4:1-3) against God. And that age was 30 (Luke 3:23; 4:1-3). God could not have allowed Adam and Eve to be tempted by Satan at an age younger than 30 because that would make Christ’s victory over Satan of lesser value if not empty for being unfair to Adam and Eve. It’s because it can be argued that had they been tempted at the age of 30 they also could have overcome the devil. Viewed from this perspective, man’s separation from God to go his own way must have begun in 3974 BC when Adam and Eve were about 30 years of age. Consequently, this will bring the end of man’s 6000 years of misrule under the influence of Satan to year 2027. That is the conclusion that can be extracted and seen from the scriptures.

100 Years Prior to Noah’s Flood

Another perspective from which to view the end of man’s 6000 years is from the last 100 years of Noah’s life just before God let lose the waters from the fountains of the deep and from the opened windows of heaven. There is a similarity between the work of Noah and that of HWA. It was to HWA, the church as it was the ark, to Noah. And they preached a similar message. God used Noah to preach repentance and the end of the old world (2Pet. 2:5) to the people of his time and warned them of the flood that would end all flesh on earth because of widespread wickedness. And he was instructed to build the ark so that those who would repent could be saved. But the world that was then just ignored him (Matt. 24:37-39). His work began when he was 500 years old (Gen. 5:32). After 100 years (Gen. 7:6) only he, his wife and his 3 children and their wives boarded the ark and saved with a host creatures in pairs. When we read Christ’s end-time warning that relates to the days of Noah this fact is overlooked because our focus is drawn to the last few days when the people then were eating, and drinking, and marrying, etc. when suddenly the floods came.

Mat 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (38) For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, (39) And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

That Noah was preaching as well as building the ark does not come automatically into our mind when we read the above scriptures. Likewise, God called and began to use HWA in the 1920’s to raise the 6^th candlestick end-time church and to fulfill prophecy pertaining to the gospel and the end of this present world. He was baptized in God’s church in 1927 became a minister in 1931 and in 1934 began to preach on air the gospel of the coming kingdom of God (Matt.24:14) and the end of this present world (verse 3). This he continued to do while membership of the end-time church kept growing. But until his death 52 years later he too was largely ignored except by very few individuals whom God called to support him in the Work. We don’t know how many years Noah preached and nobody listened. He might have stopped at certain point and focused on completing the ark realizing the futility of preaching because all he got were ridicules. Likewise, HWA is now dead. But some bigger churches that sprang up after his death are vainly preaching again to the world that which he had already finished, instead of preparing the church for Christ’s return. The smaller churches though have their focus on preparing for the coming of Christ. It would be 100 years in 2027 since HWA’s baptism and God began using him. The same length of time that God used Noah in warning the old world before the floods. This is truly amazing. This is a neglected but equally significant aspect of “as in the days of Noah”. This is another piece of information that was not available to RGA in fixing the end of 6000 years. Very soon this world will be terrified for ignoring the gospel and end-of-the-world message that HWA preached.

Christ’s 30-Non-meddling Years

It might seem insignificant to many in the church but, viewed with prophetic lenses, Christ’s 30 years from his human birth in 4 B.C. to his baptism (Luke 3:21-23) in 27 A.D. says a lot about the work the Father has commissioned him to do. For that duration of time he did nothing to meddle with the affairs of men whether civil or religious although he was born with a royal blood, even to be a king (Isa. 9:6-7). He just watched and observed the ways and the daily grind of the people of that time while preparing for his work (Luke 2:46-50). It was only after he was baptized in 27 A.D. at age 30 and overcame Satan’s temptation, that he began to preach that “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand…” (Mark 1:13-15; Luke 4:13-15). However, that was just the beginning of the work he was to do and not the completion. After founding the church and teaching his disciples to continue with the work and take care of the church, he died, was resurrected and returned to the Father in heaven. In the ensuing years, he made sure the church would survive despite many trials, opposition and persecution. He watched and saw and evaluated the work of each of the 7 churches that came in succession (Rev. 2 & 3). After 2,000 years he came as a thief in 1997 to reveal to the church that the day of the Lord has already come; that the great tribulation is imminent; that the kingdom of God is now at the doors (Matt. 24:33). And yet since 1997 until this writing, he has not meddled in the affairs of men but merely watching and observing. Meanwhile, world events are rushing toward the great tribulation. Famines, pestilences and earthquakes are getting worse these days and great sorrows are now upon many people in the world. Will Christ just continue observing all the evils that mankind has brought upon themselves, or at last intervene in 2027 to end all sufferings and cut short the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21-22) after 30 non-meddling years?

The 40-Year Wilderness of Israel

The end of this world can also be viewed from the experience of the Israelite in the physical wilderness at the outskirts of Canaan, the promise land. The apostle Paul cited their doings in the outskirts of the promise land as an example for us today (1Cor. 10:1-11). In verse 11 Paul wrote,

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

At no other time is the journey of the Israelites from the land of Egypt more relevant than it is for God’s elect today. The Lord God delivered them from bondage in Egypt with miracles and wonders but when trials came murmured against him. Therefore they were in the wilderness 40 years prevented from entering (Josh. 5:6) Canaan, because of their murmurings and disobedience against God (Numb. 14:27-29; 32:10-13). They have even desired to return to Egypt (Numb. 14:1-4). Similarly, God’s elect are also having their wilderness to this day after the church (WCG) had fallen away from the truth in 1989 and broke up into various churches of God. For 31 years to date these churches are groping in darkness of spiritual wilderness at the doorstep of God’s kingdom. They have forgotten what they were taught about having “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” , etc. (Eph. 4:3-6). Many have lost love for the truth (2Thess. 2:10-11), their first love, and succumbed and returned to the fallacies of the ungodly. The rest have unwittingly allowed Satan to prevail in creating confusion and division while calling themselves churches of God. It will soon be 2029 and the 40-year wilderness of God’s end-time elect will be finished. Are all of these significant events mere coincidence or in the plan of God? Will Christ finally intervene in 2027 to end this present world and prepare for his rule? Will he come in 2029?

Let Us Proclaim the Day of Christ’s coming!

The day of Christ’s coming in the clouds of heaven on Pentecost day, feast of firstfruits, is no longer a secret. We did not set it, but our God our Almighty Father in heaven.

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

The time has come for it to be revealed in our generation now in the day of the Lord. Our Lord Jesus Christ has revealed it through certain scriptures the full understanding of which have been kept hidden for many generations. And he has revealed it through certain prophetic events that converge at no other day but Pentecost and no other period but 2025-2029. First, we didn’t know that the resurrection of firstfruits will be on Pentecost day, feast of first fruits. We previously thought it would be on feast of trumpets. But now we know. It was revealed to RGA and we understand it. Second, we didn’t understand that: 1) the 1335^th day of Daniel 12:12 coincides with the resurrection of firstfruits, on day of Pentecost and 2) the 1335 days could be fitted only occasionally from feast of trumpets and four Pentecosts later. But now we know. Christ has also revealed it to his servant RGA along with the understanding of other numbered days. Third, we didn’t know that the 6000 years of man’s existence apart from God began in 3974 B.C. and will end in 2027 A.D. But now we know. Fourth, we didn’t realize that the days of Noah before the flood spanning 100 years, foreshadowed the work of HWA that started in 1927 and will end in 2027 when the 6000 years of man’s self-rule shall expire. But now we know. Fifth, we didn’t realize that Christ’s 30-non-meddling years from human birth to the beginning of his ministry pictures 30 years of no intervention since day of the Lord until 2027. But now we know. Sixth we didn’t understand that the 40-year physical wilderness of Israel at the outskirts of the promise land was a type of 40 years spiritual wilderness of God’s elect that started in 1989, 3 years after the death of HWA’s. But now we know. And Seventh, we have been taught and believed that even Jesus Christ does not know the day and hour of his return until now. But now we understand it’s not true because he knew it already when Revelation was written.

All these, plus the knowledge we have that the dates of Christ’s, death, burial and resurrection were according to scriptures, have given us enough certitude, courage and confidence to proclaim right here and now that:

Jesus Christ is coming on Pentecost day, Feast of Firtsfruits: May 20, 2029!

There are only two reasons the date above for Christ’s return might be wrong, namely: 1) if the calendar that we in the churches of God have been using since the WCG days is erroneous; and 2) if the 2 witnesses shall not confirm it because this event has to be reset for reasons only our Father in heaven knows at this point. We don’t know but there is a possibility that this day shall be moved earlier because of Christ’s words in Matthew 24 that reads,

Matt 24:22 (KJV) And except those days should be shortened, THERE SHOULD NO FLESH BE SAVED: but for the elect’s sake THOSE DAYS SHALL BE SHORTENED.

Based on the tenor of Christ’s statement, the days of the great tribulation will surely be shortened. Therefore there is a possibility that the day of his return might be advanced.

Let it be noted though that delaying Christ’s coming beyond 2029 or moving it earlier than 2027 is not likely to happen because having such would result to non-convergence of significant prophetic events (fulfilled and still to be) at Christ return on a Pentecost day, feast of firstfruits. In other words many loose ends won’t tie up and keep hanging in having a different date outside 2027-2029.

A Few Events to Watch

Following the pattern that RGA has laid out in “Whoso Reads, Let Him Understand! let us now put together a timeline of a few events which are associated with Christ’s coming and the establishment of God’s kingdom here on earth.

From feast of trumpets September 23, 2025 to Pentecost day, feast of firstfruits, May 20, 2029 is 1335 days. This is the period of time indicated in Daniel 12:12 that pronounces blessings to those who have waited for and come into it. At the end of these days the prophet Daniel shall stand in his lot.
The 2 witnesses will begin their 1260-day ministry of prophesying on December 3, 2025. They will be killed on May 16, 2029, 3 ½ days before Pentecost day, May 20, 2029. On March 28, 2026 the elect of God worthy to escape the great tribulation shall begin their 1150 days (Rev. 12:14) in the place Christ has prepared for them to be nourished there until he comes. On April 1, 2026, Passover day, the 42 months (approx. 1240-1260 days) of the great tribulation begins (Rev. 6:9-11; 11:2; 13:5-8). Those of the elect who are not worthy to escape the great tribulation shall make their ultimate sacrifice to be worthy of their place as firstfruits in the kingdom of God.
On feast of trumpets 2027 or earlier, the 6000 years of man’s disastrous self-rule against the spiritual laws of God’s love will end as Christ begins to intervene supernaturally to cut short the great tribulations (Matt. 24:21-22, 29; Rev. 6:12-15). Twenty centuries ago at age 30 in 27 A.D. Jesus Christ began to intervene in the affairs of man by preaching the gospel of the coming kingdom of God. He will this time intervene again to fulfill it. On feast of trumpets 2028 the 7 trumpets shall begin to sound. This will continue Christ’s intervention to cut short the great tribulation for elect’s sake. When the last trumpet shall be sounded on Pentecost day May 20, 2029, every eye shall see the Lord Jesus Christ as he appears in the clouds of heaven to meet the 2 witnesses and the rest of the firstfruits. The first resurrection will be fulfilled and those alive which are Christ’s shall be changed and put on an incorruptible glorious body at the twinkling of an eye. Also at the sound of the last trumpet, the pouring of the 7 vials of the wrath of God begins the last of which shall be on feast of trumpets September 10, 2029.
On May 20, 2029 Christ will present the 144,000 firstfruits to the Most High God, the Almighty Father in heaven. Officially they shall become new members of the ruling God Family, marriage ceremony and celebration will follow. Orientation of the new family members about their office shall be conducted in preparation for the great work when Christ begins to reign on earth. They will stay in heaven until the feast of trumpets September 10, 2029.
On Feast of Trumpets September 10, 2029 Jesus Christ returns to earth with the 144,000 firstfruits (Rev. 19:11-14). On this day the powers of this world will fight against the returning Christ (verse 19) but they will be destroyed and overthrown. The great tribulation will be ended.
By Day of Atonement, September 19, 2029, all resistance against Christ will be subdued. The beast and false prophet that has led the war against Christ shall be thrown into the lake of fire alive (Rev. 19:20) and Satan cast into the bottomless pit to be restrained for 1000 years.
And finally on Feast of Tabernacles September 24, 2029 a new world order shall begin as Christ assumes his office as King of Kings and Lord of Lords with the 144,000 firstfruits of the Kingdom of God.

Thus shall this present evil world be ended and the foretaste of God’s kingdom, the 1000 years of Christ’s reign on earth begun and established. Year 2025 is very near. In 5 years world events can change suddenly. There will be chaos and violence and before we know it the great tribulation is upon the whole earth (Matt. 24:21; Rev. 3:10). Great suffering will come to all the world but likewise the great deliverance (Psa. 18:46-50; Luke 4:18). May the elect of God keep praying and watching (Luke 21:36) and be worthy to stand before Christ when he comes!☻

P.S.

The end of man’s 6,000 years is only 7 years away! We don’t want to be caught napping on the job, so in anticipation of the LORD’s fast-tracking of world events, we have posted on this website several articles designed to help us make it to the wedding with Christ! In particular, the series of articles on “God’s Covenants, Extinct or Extant?” are excellent review materials for the prospective Bride of Christ.

High-resolution timeline available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L1qGaBBkSmMhLtYMvfBjpllHELDBBreB/view?usp=sharing

The Covenants, Part 23: God’s Berith for Abraham, Accession by the Israelites – Provision No. 3 Continued

By Belo Alvaran

Section VI. FEAST OF TABERNACLES / INGATHERING

We were reviewing the Statutes of God given to Moses which he wrote in the Book of the Covenant.

Exod 23:16 (continued)…and (you shall observe) the FEAST OF INGATHERING (or feast of tabernacles),[which is] in the end of the year, when you have gathered in your labors out of the field.

The details of this festival were given in the book of Leviticus:

Levi 23:33 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month [shall be] the FEAST OF TABERNACLES [for] seven days unto the LORD. 35 On the first day [shall be] an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work [therein]. 36 Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day (The Last Great Day) shall be an holy convocation unto you; and you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it [is] a solemn assembly; [and] you shall do no servile work [therein]. {solemn…: Heb. day of restraint}
John 7:37 (KJV) In the Last Day, that Great [Day] (eight day) of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirsts, let him come unto me, and drink.

Here again are quotes from HWA’s booklet God’s Holy Days or Pagan Holydays, Which?

             “FEAST OF TABERNACLES AND LAST GREAT DAY
“NOW WE come to the festival of Tabernacles — or Feast of Booths — the sixth festival. Let us notice the instruction concerning this occasion:
     “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, after that you have gathered in your corn and your wine. And you shall rejoice in your feast, you, and your son, and your daughter ….Seven days shall you keep a solemn feast unto the Lord your God in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord your God shall bless you in all your increase, and in all the works of your hands, therefore you shall surely rejoice … and they shall not appear before the Lord empty: every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you” (Deut. 16:13-17).
     “Here is the Festival of Tabernacles, to be kept for seven days, beginning the 15th day of the seventh month of God’s sacred calendar. Notice Leviticus 23:33-35: “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation; you shall do no servile work therein.”
     “On the first of these days is a holy convocation — a commanded assembly. No work is to be done. “… And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days …. It shall be a statute forever in your generations: you shall celebrate it in the seventh month” (Lev. 23:40-41).
     “Notice that it is commanded forever.
     “Here are pictured those final culminating events in God’s great plan: after Christ has died for our sins to redeem mankind — after He has sent us the Holy Spirit and picked out a people for His Name to become kings and priests through the thousand years — after His glorious Second Coming — after He has finally restored the redeemed by placing all the sins upon the head of Satan, their real author, and separating both him and the sins from the presence of God and His people, thus finally perfecting the at-one-ment, making us finally joined in one — then we are ready for that final series of events, the commencement of the “Marriage of the Lamb,” the actual making of the New Covenant, the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth and the reaping of the great harvest of souls for a thousand years.
     “This festival is the picture of the Millennium!
                     “Pictures the Millennium
“To portray His plan, God took the yearly material harvest seasons in ancient Israel as the picture of the spiritual harvest of souls. In the Holy Land there are two annual harvests. The first is the SPRING grain harvest. Second comes the main harvest.
     “Notice that the Festival of Tabernacles is to be held “at the year’s end” (Ex. 34:22). In this verse the Festival of Tabernacles or Booths is specifically called the “feast of ingathering.” The harvest year ended at the beginning of autumn. Just as Pentecost pictures the early (Spring) harvest — this church age, so the Festival of Ingatherings or Tabernacles pictures the fall harvest — the great harvest of souls in the Millennium!
Today not the only day of salvation
     “Today is not the only day of salvation. Today is a day of salvation. Isaiah said so: chapter 49, verse 8. In fact, the original Greek words of Paul in II Corinthians 6:2 should be translated “a day of salvation,” not “the day of salvation.”
     “Turn to the book of Zechariah to understand this more thoroughly. In the 12th and 13th chapters we have a picture of Christ returning and the reconciliation of the world commencing. Here the meaning of the Festivals of Trumpets and Atonement is made plain.
     “Next, notice the 14th chapter. The time is the Millennium. “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one … there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited” (verses 9, 11). It is the time when “living waters” — salvation, the Holy Spirit — “shall go out from Jerusalem” (verse 8). The “waters” are literal as well as figurative. God often pictures His spiritual plan by material events.
     “In that day, when the earth is safely inhabited, when the Holy Spirit is granted to all mortal flesh, what happens? “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles” (verse 16).
        “Gentiles Forced to Keep the Feast of Tabernacles
“Notice this 16th verse of Zechariah 14. After Christ returns, the nations — mortal Gentiles who have not yet received salvation — will come to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles! How could they keep a festival that was abolished at the cross? They could keep it only if it were commanded forever.
     “And what will happen if they refuse to obey God? “And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain” (verse 17). Strong words these!
     “The nations will be forced to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, from year to year, when Christ is ruling with a rod of iron!
     “And if the nations still won’t obey? “… there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen” — there are still heathen nations just beginning to learn the way of salvation — “that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment … of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles” (verses 18-19).
     “To receive salvation even the Gentiles will have to keep this festival. Of course, it is commanded forever!
     “Now we customarily quote Isaiah 66:23, showing that the Sabbath will be kept in the Millennium, as proof we must keep it now. Will we, then, when we read Zechariah 14:16, showing that the Feast of Tabernacles will be kept in the Millennium, be consistent by keeping it today?
     “Can we qualify as a son of God — a king and priest — ruling with Christ on His throne, assisting Christ at that time, if we now refuse to keep these festivals? Notice that Christ kept the Feast of Tabernacles. The Apostle John devoted an entire chapter of his gospel — the seventh chapter — to describe what Jesus said and did during the Feast of Tabernacles in the last year of His ministry.
               “Why Called the Feast of Tabernacles
     “During the Millennium, the Kingdom of God into which we may be born will rule the nations which are composed of mortal men begotten by the Spirit of God. The billions of mortal men alive during the Millennium will still be heirs to the Kingdom of God. They will not yet have inherited it as long as they remain mortal flesh, for “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (I Cor. 15:50). “You must be born again” — “of the Spirit” — to inherit the Kingdom, said Jesus.
     “Remember that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were merely heirs when they dwelled on earth (Heb. 11:9). While heirs they dwelled in tabernacles or booths, sojourning in the land of promise. Booths or temporary dwellings pictured that they were not yet inheritors. Thus we read of the Feast of Tabernacles that “you shall dwell in booths seven days … that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. 23:42-43). Israel dwelled in booths in the wilderness before they entered the Promised Land. Those booths pictured that they were only heirs. Even during the Millennium, when the Kingdom of God is ruling over mortal nations, the people will be only heirs to the Kingdom. They must overcome and grow in knowledge and wisdom to inherit the promises.
     “What a marvelous picture. God says of Ephraim (the younger son of Joseph who was to be greater than his elder brother Manasseh, and therefore represents all Israel, Gene 48:19) that they will “dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast” (Hosea 12:9). Israel, in the wilderness, was a type of all people who must go through trials and tribulations to inherit the promises. They were wanderers, waiting to inherit the promises of salvation.
     “The contention, held by some sects, that mortal human beings in the Millennium will remain flesh and blood forever is plainly denied by the Feast of Tabernacles, for the festival itself points toward an eternal inheritance.
     “Besides, after Jesus gathers the Church to Himself, and after He is seated on His throne where we will be ruling with Him, He will gather the nations before Him and say: “Inherit the Kingdom” (Matt. 25:34).
                      “Yet Another Festival!
“Did you notice that the Feast of Tabernacles is only the sixth festival? There is yet another — the seventh!
     “The Feast of Tabernacles is, strictly speaking, seven days long — to picture the entire Millennium. Seven is God’s number of completeness. Therefore, there must also be seven festivals. Let us notice where it is mentioned: “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord … on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you … it is a [day of] solemn assembly; and you shall do no servile work therein’ (Lev. 23:34, 36).

Section VII. EIGHT DAY A SEPARATE FEAST

     “This eighth day, technically a separate feast, is called “the last day, that great day of the feast” (John 7:37).
     “What does this final holy day represent?
     “Notice what Jesus preached about on that day: “If any man thirsts, let him come unto me, and drink … out of his belly [innermost being] shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive …)” (John 7:37-39).
     “This was Jesus’ sermon giving the meaning of the last great day!
     “Now turn to Revelation 20. After the Millennium, what happens? A resurrection! The dead stand before God. This couldn’t include true Christians today, as they will appear before the judgment seat when Christ returns. It couldn’t refer to those converted during the Millennium. They have already inherited the Kingdom during the Millennium, after living out a normal life — span. Those in this resurrection must be those who died in ignorance in past ages! They are not brought to life until after the Millennium (Rev. 20:5).
                  “Pictures the Day of Judgment
“This is that judgment day mentioned in Matthew 10:15. It is a time when Gentiles who died in ignorance will be given an opportunity to receive salvation. Ezekiel 16:53-55 makes this very plain. Even those in Israel who died in their sins will be given their first opportunity to understand the truth of God and His way (Ezek. 37). The prophet wrote that God would pour out His Spirit on those resurrected (verse 14).”
Comments: the words of God are spirit, John 6:63. God will pour out his words through the teachers, who are us.
John 6:63 (KJV, Christ speaking) It is the SPIRIT that ~~quickens~~ (makes alive); the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are SPIRIT, and [they] are life.

Let HWA continue:

     “This is precisely the salvation that Jesus mentioned in His sermon on that great day of the feast in the autumn of A.D. 30.
     “This eighth day, which immediately follows the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, pictures the completion of the plan of redemption. It is just prior to the new heaven and the new earth. All — parents and children, young and old — will be resurrected.
     “Notice that the “book of life” — typifying salvation — is opened (Rev. 20:12). Revelation presents the final view of the “judgment day” as the present material heaven and earth are perishing — and the faithful are receiving their eternal reward at the throne of Christ. The wicked — those who disobey — are seen perishing in the lake of fire!
     “What a marvelous plan! All will have an equal opportunity.
     “And finally, notice in Leviticus 23:37-38. After describing these annual holy days, it says: “These are the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations … beside the Sabbaths of the Lord.” We are, then, to keep these besides the Sabbaths of the Lord. (End of quotes)

To summarize, the festivals picture God’s Plan step by step.

     “The Passover (Step 1) is to remind us that JESUS CHRIST paid a tremendous price for our sins. He offered something more valuable than anything we could offer — the sacrifice of HIS PERFECT HUMAN LIFE!…
     “Next (Step 2), God reminds us to QUIT SINNING! The Days of Unleavened Bread picture putting the LEAVEN OF SIN (I Cor. 5:7-8) out of our lives, and beginning to live in complete submission and obedience to God’s laws. When we begin to obey God and totally surrender to Him, we take the SECOND STEP in God’s plan. But that is not enough! We need the Holy Spirit of God if we are to really obey God and inherit eternal life…
     “This THIRD STEP in God’s plan is pictured for us by the Day of Pentecost, or Feast of Firstfruits” …

To remind us, we are firstfruits, and the Feast of the Firstfruits is for us! It is God’s way of honoring us.

Jame 1:18 (KJV) Of his (God the Father’s) own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

When Christ comes back we firstfruits shall stand on Mr. Zion with him.

Reve 14:1 (KJV) And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty [and] four thousand…4…These were redeemed (or bought) from among men, [being] the FIRSTFRUITS unto God and to the Lamb. {redeemed: Gr. bought}

We need to review again the distribution of firstfruits which foreshadows our reward. Anciently, the LORD had a standing instruction to give the firstfruits to the Levites.

Numb 18:8 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto AARON, Behold, I also have given YOU the CHARGE (custody, responsibility, control, but NOT ownership; the owner is still God) of mine HEAVE OFFERINGS (tithes and offerings)of ALL the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto YOU have I given them by reason of the anointing, and TO YOUR SONS, by an ordinance forever.
…13 [And] whatsoever is FIRST RIPE (or FIRSTFRUITS) in the land, which they shall bring unto the LORD, shall be yours (the Levites collectively, including Aaron and his sons); every one that is clean in your house shall eat [of] it.
…24 But the TITHES of the children of Israel, which they offer [as] an HEAVE OFFERING unto the LORD, I have given to the LEVITES (including Aaron and his sons) to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

The Levites’ “charge” was spelled out in verse 25:

25 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 26 Thus speak unto the LEVITES (collectively as a tribe, including Aaron and his sons), and say unto them, When you take of the children of Israel the TITHES which I have given you from them…then you shall offer up an HEAVE OFFERING of it for the LORD, [even] a TENTH [PART] OF THE TITHE. …28 Thus you also shall offer an HEAVE OFFERING unto the LORD of all your TITHES, which you receive of the children of Israel; and you shall give thereof the LORD’S heave offering to Aaron the (High) Priest.

The distribution of firstfruits therefore is very clear: ten percent (10%) of all their collections should go to the High Priest.

Let’s go to Reve 14. Note that the 144,000 in verse 1 are firstfruits. Following the distribution of firstfruits, it is safe to conclude that only 10% of that number, or 14,400, will be given to our High Priest who is Jesus Christ. Those 10% will form, presumably, what is called the Bride of Christ. The Bride of Christ therefore is very limited.

There was in the hierarchy of priests a rank called CHIEF PRIEST. They worked closely with the High Priest in Jerusalem while the lower ranking priests were deployed in cities away from the capital.

Numb 35:1 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the LEVITES of the inheritance of their possession CITIES to dwell in; and you shall give [also] unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them. 3 And the CITIES shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.
Josh 21:3 (KJV) And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these CITIES and their suburbs. 4 And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the CHILDREN OF AARON THE PRIEST, [which were] of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.

Clearly, the Levites, some of whom were priests, lived in far-flung cities. But the CHIEF PRIESTS lived in Jerusalem. Mt Zion is the priests’ HQ.

Matt 26:3 (KJV) Then assembled together the CHIEF PRIESTS, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, (in Jerusalem) unto the PALACE of the HIGH PRIEST, who was called Caiaphas,
Ezra 10:5 (KJV) Then arose Ezra, and made the CHIEF PRIESTS, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they swore.

Presumably, just presumably, those 10% of the 144,000 firstfruits shall be CHIEF PRIESTS. If we want to join that number, we need to strive hard.

Step No. 4: FEAST OF TRUMPETS

Here are quotes from God’s Holy Days or Pagan Holydays, Which?:

“AND THE Lord spoke … saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall you have a Sabbath, a memorial [not a shadow] of BLOWING OF TRUMPETS, an HOLY CONVOCATION. You shall do no servile work therein …” (Lev. 23:23-25).
“Here is pictured to us that next blessed event in God’s redemptive plan, when Christ shall COME again, in clouds, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the TRUMP of God (I Thes. 4:14-17). It shall be “at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised (by Christ) incorruptible, and WE SHALL [ALL] BE CHANGED” (from human to spirit) (I Cor. 15:52).

Step No. 5: DAY OF ATONEMENT

This Day of Atonement is discussed by HWA in his BCC Lesson 37:

“What the Day of Atonement Pictures
“…The Day of Atonement has…a deep PERSONAL meaning for everyone whose eyes have been opened. When Satan and his demons are dethroned and removed from office, they must be replaced by qualified rulers. Satan will be replaced by Jesus Christ. His demons (will be replaced) by those of us who have surrendered to God and been willing to obey Him…

STEP NO. 6: THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

“Here are pictured those final culminating events in God’s great plan: after Christ has died for our sins to redeem mankind — after He has sent us the Holy Spirit and picked out a people for His Name to become kings and priests through the thousand years — after His glorious Second Coming — after He has finally restored the redeemed by placing all the sins upon the head of Satan, their real author, and separating both him and the sins from the presence of God and His people, thus finally perfecting the at-one-ment, making us finally joined in one — then we are ready for that final series of events, the commencement of the “Marriage of the Lamb,” the actual making of the New Covenant, the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth and the reaping of the great harvest of souls for a thousand years.
“This festival is the picture of the Millennium!

STEP NO. 7: THE LAST GREAT DAY

     “This eighth day, which immediately follows the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, pictures the completion of the plan of redemption. It is just prior to the new heaven and the new earth. All — parents and children, young and old — will be resurrected.
     “Notice that the “book of life” — typifying salvation — is opened (Rev. 20:12). Revelation presents the final view of the “judgment day” as the present material heaven and earth are perishing — and the faithful are receiving their eternal reward at the throne of Christ. The wicked — those who disobey — are seen perishing in the lake of fire!
     “What a marvelous plan! All will have an equal opportunity.

CONCLUSION

The Holy days are part of Statutes. Statutes are among the three provisions of the Covenant, namely, Commandments, Judgments and Statutes.

Deut 7:11 (KJV) You shall therefore keep the COMMANDMENTS, and the STATUTES, and the JUDGMENTS, which I command you this day, to do them.

To remind us, the main proviso of the Covenant was, and still is: I will be to you a God, and you shall be to me a people.

Exod 6:7 (KJV) And I WILL TAKE YOU TO ME FOR A PEOPLE, and I WILL BE TO YOU A GOD: and you shall know that I [am] the LORD your God (by listening to God’s servants and through study), which brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

This proviso was changed after the birth of Christ. Now it says I will be a Father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters.

2Cor 6:18 (KJV, Paul quoting God) And I WILL BE A FATHER UNTO YOU, AND YOU SHALL BE MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS, said the Lord Almighty.

The Covenant is God’s main instrument in carrying out his plan to create man after his own likeness in Gene 1:26. God’s plan supports Mr. Armstrong’s Restored Truth No. 2: God is reproducing himself in us and that man can become God.

The Holydays which we now know are Statutes, is Restored Truth No. 3 in Mr. Armstrong’s own list while the Commandments is Restored Truth No. 4. Pentecost, honoring the firstfruits is Restored Truth No. 11.

In case you did not notice, we have been discussing Mr. Armstrong’s restored truths but under a different cover.

NEXT: Part 24: The Abolished Covenant – what is it?

The Covenants, Part 22: God’s Berith for Abraham, Accession by the Israelites – Provision No. 3 Continued

By Belo Alvaran

We were previously discussing the third provision in the Book of the Covenant which is Statutes. We are now on the subject of Pentecost or feast of Firstfruits.

Section IV. PENTECOST a.k.a. Feast of Harvest or Feast of Weeks or Feast of Firstfruits

PENTECOST A HOLY CONVOCATION:

Levi 23:15 (KJV) And you shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: 16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall you number FIFTY DAYS (Pentecost);…21 And you shall PROCLAIM on the selfsame day, [that] it may be an HOLY CONVOCATION unto you: you shall do no servile work [therein: it shall be] a STATUTE forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

SIGNIFICANCE OF PENTECOST

Acts 2:1 (KJV) And when the day of PENTECOST was fully come, (the disciples of Christ) were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

For a review, WCG’s Bible Correspondence Course No. 35 has this to say about Pentecost:

“Day of Pentecost — THE CHURCH IN GOD’S MASTER PLAN
     “Did you know that unless Christ’s disciples had been KEEPING the Day of Pentecost THEY WOULDN’T HAVE RECEIVED GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT?
     “Without God’s Spirit NO ONE could ever inherit eternal life! Without God’s Spirit you can’t even WORSHIP God as you should! John said, “God is a spirit: and they that worship Him MUST WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH!” (John 4:24.)      Absolutely no one can worship God in spirit if he has not the Spirit of God!
     “God’s Holy Spirit came to the disciples for the FIRST TIME on the Day of Pentecost, SUNDAY, June 17, 31 A.D. It changed their lives…
     “You need to thoroughly understand the importance of the Day of Pentecost — the day on which Jesus founded the New Testament Church. Pentecost pictures the little-understood THIRD VITAL STEP in God’s Master Plan!
“Steps in God’s Plan Reviewed
     “God’s seven annual festivals outline His Master Plan. Because the world rejects these Holy Days, it has lost the KNOWLEDGE of the PURPOSE for human life.”

Comments: Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong RESTORED the “lost knowledge” of God’s truths. We are reviewing now a part of those “lost knowledge”.

This was HWA’s reference:

Matt 17:10 (KJV) And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and RESTORE all things.

THE WORD “RESTORE” DEFINED

The word ‘RESTORE,’ Gr. apokathistemi, item 600 in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, means to RECONSTITUTE in HEALTH, HOME and ORGANIZATION.

Some brethren and even ministers refuse to recognize Mr. Armstrong’s restoration work saying ‘all things’ refer to the ENTIRETY of God’s creation, which he had no power to restore. But by definition, his restoration is limited to only three things: HEALTH (individual), HOME (family, both human and divine) and ORGANIZATION (church and society), NOT TO THE ENTIRE CREATION.

Who benefits from the KNOWLEDGE in HEALTH, HOME and ORGANIZATION? Answer: we, the members of the Church of God. Mr. Armstrong taught us God’s laws of health – which focus on the individual; he also taught us laws on proper behavior at home with our family members. He also taught us God’s guidelines on how to live in the community where we belong. Among his writings, the Seven Laws of Success was a hit!

But his most important contribution to our spiritual upbringing was, he brought us into the family of God and made us grow together in the Church. There, hetaught us how to relate witheach other in the congregation. That was invaluable. Those who came to the Church of God in the 70’s would certainly know the advantage of constantly hearing lectures at services.

Let’s continue with Bible Correspondence Course No. 35:

PENTECOST PART OF GOD’S STEP-BY-STEP PLAN OF SALVATION

     “The PASSOVER is to remind us that JESUS CHRIST paid a tremendous price for our sins. He offered something more valuable than anything we could offer — the sacrifice of HIS PERFECT HUMAN LIFE!
     “Because we broke God’s law and earned the wages of sin, which is death (Rom. 6:23), Jesus had to DIE IN OUR STEAD. We need the cleansing blood of Christ to pay for our sins. The Passover was given to us as an ANNUAL MEMORIAL SO WE WOULD NEVER FORGET IT. The Passover service is the FIRST STEP in God’s Master Plan of salvation!
     “Next, God reminds us to QUIT SINNING! The DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD picture putting the LEAVEN OF SIN (I Cor. 5:7-8) out of our lives, and beginning to live in complete submission and obedience to God’s laws. When we begin to obey God and totally surrender to Him, we take the SECOND STEP in God’s plan. But that is not enough! We need the Holy Spirit of God if we are to really obey God and inherit eternal life.
     “This THIRD STEP in God’s plan is pictured for us by the DAY OF PENTECOST, or Feast of Firstfruits.” (End of quotes)

Let’s see what that THIRD STEP is:

Exod 23:16 And (you shall keep) the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of your labors, which you have sown in the field:..
Levi 23:10 (KJV) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When you be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then you shall bring a sheaf (a handful) of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: {sheaf: or, handful: Heb. omer} 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow (a Sunday) after the Sabbath (i.e., the weekly Sabbath within the days of unleavened bread) the priest shall wave it.
…15 And you shall count unto you FROM THE MORROW (a Sunday) AFTER THE (weekly) SABBATH (during the Days of Unleavened Bread), from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: 16 Even unto the morrow (also a Sunday) after the seventh Sabbath shall you number (DECLARE) FIFTY DAYS (hence Pentecost means “count fifty”); …21 And you shall proclaim on the selfsame day, [that] it may be an HOLY CONVOCATION (known as the FEAST OF WEEKS or PENTECOST) unto you: you shall do no servile work [therein: it shall be] a STATUTE forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

COUNTING “FROM THE MORROW AFTER THE SABBATH”

Sabbath means the seventh-day, singular. The morrow after the weekly Sabbath is Sunday, also known as the first day of the week.

However, the First Day of DUB was also a Sabbath, but may not be the seventh-day of the week. So, the question is, which Sabbath was mentioned, a first day of DUB or the weekly Sabbath that occurs during DUB?

When Christ ascended to God the Father, he fulfilled the SHEAF, i.e., the handful of firstfruits which was waved on the morrow after the Sabbath. Let’s see when he ascended:

John 20:1 (KJV) The FIRST [DAY] OF THE WEEK (a Sunday) came Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and saw the stone taken away from the sepulcher. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple (John, the son of Zebedee), whom Jesus loved, and said unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him.
3 Peter therefore went forth, and (John), and came to the sepulcher. 4 So they ran both together: and (John who was still young) did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher. 5 And he stooping down, [and looking in], saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
6 Then came Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and saw the linen clothes lie, 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8 Then went in also (John), which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
11 But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, [and looked] into the sepulcher, 12 And saw two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weep you? She said unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and SAW JESUS STANDING, AND KNEW NOT THAT IT WAS JESUS.
…16 Jesus said unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and said unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17 Jesus said unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and [to] my God, and your God.
Questions: Why did Christ wait until the first day of the week to ascend to his father in heaven? Why did he not ascend immediately after his resurrection on later afternoon of that Sabbath day? From all indications, he was waiting for the priest to wave the sheaf which was to be done on that first day of the week at around 9:00 a.m.

Here are quotes on the subject from WCG Bible Correspondence Course, Lesson 35, 1969 edition:

“On Sunday morning, following the weekly Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread, a small handful of newly sickled stems and heads of barley was brought to the priest to be accepted by God. This was called the “Wave-Sheaf Offering,” or the “first of the firstfruits.”
“It was on this very day that Jesus Christ, the first of the firstfruits of God’s spiritual harvest, was accepted as the WaveSheaf Offering in heaven!” (End of quotes)

Note that Mary saw him in the morning of a Sunday, the first day of the week, when it was yet dark. The waving of the sheaf, according to Jewish tradition, was to happen around 9:00 a.m. during that first day of the week, THAT Sunday, when the sun was up.

John 20:19 Then the same day at evening (Gr opsios, LATE AFTERNOON), being the FIRST [DAY] OF THE WEEK (Sunday), when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and said unto them, Peace [be] unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he showed unto them [his] hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

The Sabbath mentioned therefore must be a weekly Sabbath, not the First Day of Unleavened Bread which was also a Sabbath. The day therefore to begin counting to Pentecost is a FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, a SUNDAY following a weekly Sabbath during the days of unleavened bread.

Offering required during Pentecost:

Deut 16:10 (KJV) And you shall keep the FEAST OF WEEKS unto the LORD your God with a tribute of a FREEWILL OFFERING of your hand, which you shall give [unto the LORD your God], according as the LORD your God has blessed you: {a tribute: or, sufficiency} 11 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite that [is] within your gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that [are] among you, IN THE PLACE WHICH THE LORD YOUR GOD HAS CHOSEN TO PLACE HIS NAME THERE.

Now, this is the THIRD STEP in God’s Plan:

We are firstfruits, and the Feast of the Firstfruits is for us! It is God’s way of honoring us.

Jame 1:18 (KJV) Of his (God the Father’s) own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

When Christ comes back, we firstfruits shall stand on Mr. Zion with him.

Reve 14:1 (KJV) And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty [and] four thousand…4…These were redeemed (or bought) from among men, [being] the FIRSTFRUITS unto God and to the Lamb.

It should be mentioned that anciently, the LORD had a standing instruction to give the firstfruits to the Levites.

Numb 18:8 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto AARON, Behold, I also have given YOU the CHARGE (custody, responsibility, control, NOT ownership; the owner is still God) of mine HEAVE OFFERINGS (tithes) of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto YOU have I given them by reason of the anointing, and TO YOUR SONS, by an ordinance forever.
…13 [And] whatsoever is FIRST RIPE (or FIRSTFRUITS) in the land, which they shall bring unto the LORD, shall be yours (Aaron and his sons); every one that is clean in your house shall eat [of] it.
…24 But the TITHES of the children of Israel, which they offer [as] an HEAVE OFFERING unto the LORD, I have given to the LEVITES to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

Aaron’s “charge” was spelled out in verse 25:

25 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 26 Thus speak unto the LEVITES, and say unto them, When you take of the children of Israel the TITHES which I have given you from them…then you shall offer up an HEAVE OFFERING of it for the LORD, [even] a TENTH [PART] OF THE TITHE. …28 Thus you also shall offer an HEAVE OFFERING unto the LORD of all your TITHES, which you receive of the children of Israel; and you shall give thereof the LORD’S heave offering to Aaron the (High) Priest.

The distribution of firstfruits therefore is very clear: ten percent (10%) of all their collections should go to the High Priest.

Note that the 144,000 in Reve 14:1 are firstfruits. Following the distribution of firstfruits, it is safe to conclude that only 10% of that number, or 14,400, will be given to our High Priest who is Jesus Christ. Those 10% will form, presumably, what is called the Bride of Christ.

There is a little known echelon in the hierarchy of priests, and that is the rank of CHIEF PRIEST. This title or rank became to be known during Ezra’s time:

Ezra 10:5 (KJV) Then arose Ezra, and made the CHIEF PRIESTS, the LEVITES, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they swore.

The next time we heard of CHIEF PRIESTS was during the time of King Herod in the book of Matthew.

Matt 2:3 (KJV) When Herod the king had heard [these things (about the birth of the Christ)], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the CHIEF PRIESTS and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

The chief priests worked closely with the High Priest in Jerusalem. This was probably because the lower ranking priests were deployed in cities away from the capital.

Numb 35:1 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the LEVITES of the inheritance of their possession CITIES to dwell in; and you shall give [also] unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them. 3 And the CITIES shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.
…7 [So] all the cities which you shall give to the Levites [shall be] forty and eight cities: them [shall you give] with their suburbs.
Josh 21:3 (KJV) And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these CITIES and their suburbs. 4 And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the CHILDREN OF AARON THE PRIEST, [which were] of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.

Clearly, the Levites, some of whom were priests, lived away from Jerusalem. But the CHIEF PRIESTS lived in Jerusalem.

Matt 26:3 (KJV) Then assembled together the CHIEF PRIESTS, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, (in Jerusalem) unto the PALACE of the High Priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill [him].

Following the distribution of firstfruits, presumably, just presumably, only 10% of the 144,000 firstfruits shall be CHIEF PRIESTS.

Reve 14:1 (KJV) And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him AN HUNDRED FORTY [and] FOUR (144,000) THOUSAND …4… These were redeemed from among men, [being] the FIRSTFRUITS unto God and to the Lamb.
Jame 1:17 (KJV) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the FATHER of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of FIRSTFRUITS of his creatures.
1Pet 2:9 (KJV) But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal PRIESTHOOD, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the ~~praises~~ (virtues) of ~~him~~ (God the Father) who has CALLED you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

God the Father’s “praises” or virtues are expressed in his law:

Mala 2:7 (KJV) For the priest’s lips SHOULD KEEP knowledge (of the law), and THEY SHOULD SEEK THE LAW AT HIS MOUTH: for he [is] the ~~messenger~~ (Ambassador) of the LORD of hosts.

In the Church of God today, there is a lacking ingredient for members to become priests. That ingredient is – unity of the faith:

Ephe 4:1 (KJV, Paul penned this letter while in prison at Rome) I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the VOCATION (item 2821,Gr klesis, CALLING which is PRIESTHOOD) wherewith you are CALLED, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the UNITY OF THE SPIRIT (item 4151, Gr. pneuma, a current of air, a blast of breath, figuratively, mental disposition, presumably referring to our HOPE of eternal life, Titus 3:7) IN THE BOND OF PEACE (we should be peacemakers.)

The following is considered the Christian Statement of Beliefs:

4 [There is] one body, and one SPIRIT (one mental disposition), even as you are called in ONE HOPE of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Ministry needed for our perfection:

…11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 FOR THE PERFECTING of the saints, for the work of the MINISTRY, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

The ministry has tenure – it should end when its purpose – i.e., unity of the faith – had been attained:

13 TILL we all come in the UNITY OF THE FAITH, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

We therefore need to arrive at a unity of the faith to become priests. And we need to be zealous in pursuing it.

14 That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

When we were young, the WCG ministry dissuaded us from listening to other preachers and insisted that we should listen to only one teacher, who was Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong. Now we hear of brethren claiming that WCG was “not the only source of truth”. We should regard “other truths” as strange doctrines IF CONTRADICTORY TO WCG DOCTRINES.

Hebr 13:9 (KJV) Be not carried about with diverse and STRANGE DOCTRINES.

There is a saying that “old dogs don’t learn new tricks”. The same is true with us. The time to learn the basics WAS when we were young. God called us when we were young.

Eccl 12:1 (KJV) Remember now your Creator IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when you shall say, I have no pleasure in them;

Now that we are seniors, we should be building upon those basic doctrines.

Ezra 5:5 (KJV) But the eye of their God was upon the elders (senior citizens) of the Jews, that they (the local populace opposing them) could not cause them to cease (from building the Temple)…

As senior citizens, we cannot cease from building our spiritual temple. And, our study should only be built upon the basic doctrines that we learned during WCG days!

Ephe 4 continued:

Ephe 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, (we) may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ: 16 From whom the whole body FITLY JOINED TOGETHER and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Sad to say, but we are still far from being fitly joined together. We need to try harder.

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk (the Ephesians were mostly Greeks), in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

Now we come to the Feast of Trumpets:

Section V. FEAST OF TRUMPETS

Here are quotes from God’s Holy Days or Pagan Holydays, Which?:

“FEAST OF TRUMPETS
“AND THE Lord spoke … saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall you have a Sabbath, a memorial [not a shadow] of BLOWING OF TRUMPETS, an HOLY CONVOCATION. You shall do no servile work therein …” (Lev. 23:23-25).
     “Here is pictured to us that next blessed event in God’s redemptive plan, when Christ shall COME again, in clouds, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the TRUMP of God (I Thes. 4:14-17). It shall be “at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised (by Christ) incorruptible, and we shall [all] be changed” (I Cor. 15:52).
     “Unless Christ returns to resurrect the dead, we would never gain eternal life — if there is no resurrection “then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (I Cor. 15:18).
     “Christ directly intervenes in world affairs at the seventh or the last trump (Rev. 11:15-19). A trumpet is a symbol of war. He comes in a time of worldwide war — when THE NATIONS ARE ANGRY! As soon as the work of gathering in the firstfruits (pictured by Pentecost) is completed at the end of this present age, then Christ will begin to set up again the tabernacle of David (Acts 15:16) — to set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people (Isa. 11:11) — to search out and to find His lost sheep that the ministers of the churches have failed to search out and save during this period (Ezek. 34:1-14).
     “Notice exactly when this takes place! “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the GREAT TRUMPET SHALL BE BLOWN, and they [Israel] shall come which were ready to perish…and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem” (Isa. 27:13).
     “When will Israel be regathered? At the sound of the TRUMP — at the Second Coming of Christ. Because the churches have forgotten the Festival of Trumpets, many think that the return of a part of the Jews to the Holy Land and the setting up of a nation called Israel now is the fulfillment of this prophecy!
     “Christ’s direct intervention in world affairs will be the next event in the plan of redemption.
     “And perhaps the glorious Second Coming shall occur, in whatever year it may be, on this very day of the Feast of Trumpets– -who knows? While we cannot say for certain, yet cannot we see this possibility? The crucifixion was upon the Passover day — the very day! The Holy Spirit came, beginning the selecting of the firstfruits of salvation, on the very day of Pentecost…
     “The Festival of Trumpets is a day of rejoicing — and (being a Sabbath) holy unto the Lord (Neh. 8:2, 9-12).” (End of quotes)

Section VI. DAY OF ATONEMENT

This Day of Atonement is discussed by HWA in his BCC Lesson 37:

“What the Day of Atonement Pictures
     “God’s Holy Days constantly remind us how, step by step, God is working out His Master Plan.
     “The first three of these — Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost — picture the first harvest of souls. The preparation, TRAINING and final reaping of the firstfruits — THOSE FEW NOW being called.
     “The last four show the plan God has for completing salvation for the REST OF THE WORLD.
     “We learned in the last lesson, how Christ will suddenly intervene in this world at His return. He will be swift and firm in punishing the nations.
     “But what about SATAN? What happens to him?

SIGNIFICANCE OF DAY OF ATONEMENT

     “The fifth annual Sabbath — the Day of Atonement (or At-one-ment) — reveals the answer. It pictures Christ deposing Satan the Devil from his present position as world ruler, and removing him to a place completely away and apart from mankind. He will be bound, no longer able to deceive the nations, for one thousand years! (Rev. 20:1, 2.)
     “The Day of Atonement has also a deep PERSONAL meaning for everyone whose eyes have been opened. When Satan and his demons are dethroned and removed from office, they must be replaced by qualified rulers. Satan will be replaced by Jesus Christ. His demons by those of us who have surrendered to God and been willing to obey Him…
“Humility Through Fasting
     “The Day of Atonement is perhaps the most unusual Holy Day. For it is the one day on which God has commanded us to fast!
     “WHAT, exactly, is FASTING? What is its purpose?
     “The purpose of fasting is to humble oneself — to help us to see ourselves as we are! And to see God as He is!
     “Fasting on the Day of Atonement means denying yourself food and water for 24 hours — from sunset to sunset. Fasting is NOT penance NOT A HUNGER STRIKE to force your own will on God. Mahatma Gandhi fasted that way. A Christian is to fast in order to humble his or her own fleshly mind with its carnal will and to draw closer to God. To ACKNOWLEDGE his or her own NOTHINGNESS and ask for GOD’S strength.
     “JESUS CHRIST RECEIVED the strength to resist the Devil’s strongest temptation by fasting 40 days and nights! Spiritually, He was at His strongest at the end of 40 days, because He was COMPLETELY humble before God. God, of course, doesn’t ask or expect us to fast 40 days. He only commands one day of us each year, though we are also told to fast voluntarily at other times.
     “A little hunger on the Day of Atonement serves to prove to every one of us that we, as Job, are just like WORMS (Job 25:6) — puny, insignificant little creatures down here inwardly WARRING WITH ONE ANOTHER! How absolutely DEPENDENT we are on the food and the water of this earth!
     “Fasting on the Day of Atonement reveals to us how much we still love ourselves. How DIFFICULT it is to give up some of SELF! This day is a TEST to see which we will put FIRST. WILL it be the cry of the body for food or the sincere desire to obey God?
“Day of Atonement – or the Fast
     “Next, let us read Leviticus 23:26, 27, 31-32: “And the LORD spoke … saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a DAY OF ATONEMENT: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and you shall afflict your souls [fast] “….You shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall you celebrate your Sabbath.” Wonderful mystery! At-one-ment with God! Man at last made one with his Maker!
     “Again, in the 16th chapter of Leviticus, verses 29 and 31, where the symbolism of the Day of Atonement is explained, we find it instituted a holy Sabbath to be kept forever: “And this shall be a statute forever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourns among you ….It shall be a Sabbath of rest unto you, and you shall afflict your souls, by a statute forever.”
     “Notice, too, in Leviticus 23:32, the expression “from even unto even, shall you celebrate your Sabbath.” Every Sabbath keeper quotes this passage to show that the Sabbath begins at sunset…
              “Meaning Pictured by Day of Atonement
“The Day of Atonement pictures a wonderful and great event, to take place after the Second Coming of Christ, which the world is in total ignorance of because it has failed to see the true significance of these annual Sabbaths holy unto the Lord. It has failed to keep them as a constant reminder of God’s plan of redemption!
     “The symbolism is all expressed in the account of the events of the Day of Atonement, as carried out before the crucifixion, in the 16th chapter of Leviticus.
     “Verse 5 — “And he [Aaron, or the high priest] shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering ….”
     “Verse 6 — The high priest offered a sin offering for HIMSELF and his house.
     Verses 7 and 8 — “And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; the one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat” (margin, Hebrew, Azazel)…
     “The key to the whole explanation lies in a correct understanding of the meaning of Azazel. This word does not occur elsewhere in the Old Testament. The Comprehensive Commentary has: “Spencer, after the oldest opinions of the Hebrews and Christians, thinks Azazel is the name of the Devil, and so Rosen “….The word scapegoat signifies the goat which went away.” The One Volume Commentary says: “The word ‘scapegoat’ in the A.V. is not a translation.” It is merely an interpretation of the supposed meaning by the translators.
     “True, the English word “scapegoat” signifies “one who bears blame or guilt for others.” But “scapegoat” is an English word, and is not a translation of the Hebrew word Azazel. The word “scapegoat,” and the meaning attached to this English word, is not a translation of the Hebrew word Azazel, and therefore it is not the word inspired originally. Continues the One Volume Commentary: “Azazel is understood to be the name of one of those malignant demons.”
                    “Types of Christ and Satan
“These two goats were, of course, types. Notice, it was necessary to be decided by lot, which one was qualified to represent Christ, and which Azazel. Some say BOTH were qualified. The scripture does not say this. Let us not assume it. Now a “lot” is a solemn appeal to God to decide a doubtful matter. It is a sacred religious ceremony. It included a supernatural act of God. That is why lotteries and gambling are of the devil — an actual profaning of a holy service appealing to God.
     “Notice, men were unable to decide which goat was qualified to represent Christ. This involved an appeal to God to decide! “One lot for the Lord, and the other lot for Azazel.” Now one lot was for the Lord — this goat typified Christ — but the other lot was not for the Lord, did not typify Christ, but Azazel — Satan! These words most naturally suggest that Azazel is the name of a person, here contrasted to the Eternal! Notice the contrast — one for the Lord, the other for Azazel.
     “Now the goat which God selected — through lot, to represent Christ — was slain, as Christ its antitype, was slain. But the other goat selected by God to represent Azazel was not slain, but was driven, alive, into an uninhabited wilderness. It was not a resurrected goat, symbolizing the resurrected Christ, for it never died. The uninhabited wilderness, to which this goat was driven, cannot, as we shall show, represent heaven, where Christ went. Heaven is neither uninhabited, nor a wilderness.
     “After God designated which goat represented Christ and which Azazel, the high priest (verse 11) killed the bullock for a sin offering for himself, then took the burning coals of fire and the sweet incense into the Holy of Holies, also sprinkling the blood of the bullock before the mercy seat, typical of the throne of God, covering the tables of testimony (the law). This the high priest was required to do in order to purify himself to officiate, and to represent Christ as High Priest. In the antitype, this was not done, for Christ, our High Priest, had no need of this purification as the typical substitutionary priests did.
     “Now the Levitical high priest was ready to go out and officiate.
     “Next, the goat which God selected by lot to represent Christ, as the sin offering of the people, was killed. Thus the sins of the people were borne by the goat, even as Christ, finally, once for all, bore our sins on the cross. But Christ rose again from the dead, and ascended to the throne of God in heaven…
      “The risen Christ, now at the right hand of the throne of God in heaven (I Peter 3:22), is called — what? Our High Priest!…After Christ died, He went to the heavenly mercy seat interceding for us, as our High Priest. “… entered into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec” (Heb. 6:19-20).

Comment: This next paragraph contains something important about the services of the Levitical Priesthood. We will discuss this at length when we discuss the Order of Aaron and the Order of Melchisedec:

“The slain Christ was not our High Priest, because the LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD, with its high priest, DID NOT END until Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven as a High Priest after the ORDER OF MELCHISEDEC. But the risen Christ was (to be) High Priest.”

Comments: Christ was, and still is, “HIGH PRIEST-DESIGNATE”

Hebr 5:5 (KJV) So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but (God the Father) that said unto him, You are my Son, today have I begotten you. 6 As (God the Father) said also in another [place (Ps 110:4)], You [are] a PRIEST forever after the Order of Melchisedec.
…8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10 CALLED of God (the Father) an HIGH PRIEST after the Order of Melchisedec.

The word CALLED, Gr. prosagoreuo, means addressed, meaning he is not yet holding office, but already being addressed as High Priest by God the Father; in short, a High Priest-Designate. A high priest needs subordinate priests to function as such. He has none yet.

Let’s continue with our review of BCC Lesson 37:

“Now WHO took this part in the Levitical ceremonies, temporarily re-enacted year by year, on this eternal Holy Day? Why,…it was the LEVITICAL High Priest…!

Comments: The Levitical High Priest was therefore there to provide TRANSITION from the human priests under the Order of Aaron to the spirit priests under the Order of Melchisedec.

Let HWA continue:

                 “The High Priest — Type of Christ
“As soon as the slain goat was dead, who went within the veil, presenting the blood of this goat before the typical throne of God?
     “Leviticus 16:15-16 — “Then shall he [the high priest] kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and [now the high priest himself typifying the work of the risen Christ] bring his blood within the veil … and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat: and he shall make an atonement for the holy place ….”
   “And so it was the high priest taking blood within the veil, to the mercy seat, that typified the risen Christ figuratively taking HIS blood, once for all, within the veil to the very throne of God in heaven, there to intercede for us as High Priest…
     “The slain goat represented the crucified Jesus. The HIGH PRIEST, by taking the blood of this slain goat into the veil to the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies, a type of God’s throne, represented and did the work of the risen Christ, who ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on high, there interceding as our High Priest…
     “The high priest going within the veil, into the Holy of Holies, symbolized Christ’s return to heaven. The work he did while in the Holy of Holies symbolized Christ’s work these 1900 years interceding for us, presenting His shed blood before the mercy seat in heaven. Now, coming back out, symbolizing Christ’s return to earth, what did the high priest do?
     “And when he has made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him [Fenton: shall carry upon itself] all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. And Aaron shall … wash his flesh with water …. And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat [Azazel] shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp” (Lev. 16:20-24, 26).
                        “Satan the Accuser
     “Satan is the accuser of the brethren. His power over men is founded on sin. When all these sins, of which he is the author, are laid back on him, after being removed from us by Christ, then Satan shall have lost his claim on us. And no longer can he accuse us!
     “Thus, finally, as the acceptance of the blood of the first goat (Christ) symbolized complete propitiation, and pardon of Israel’s sins, so the sending of Azazel bearing away those expiated sins symbolizes the complete removal of all sins — deliverance by the atonement from the power of the adversary.
     “The sacrifice of the first innocent victim was the means of reconciliation with God, but not yet complete justice.
     “The driving away of the second live goat shows the final atonement, by placing the sins on their author where they belong, and the complete removal of the sins and their author from the presence of God and His people — and thus the complete deliverance of the people from the power of Satan.
     “Webster says to atone means to set at one. To join in one — to form by uniting. We shall not be completely joined in one, and united with God, until this is done.
     “Before leaving this, notice, too, that after laying both his hands on the live goat, Azazel, Aaron had to wash and cleanse himself before coming in contact with the people. So, too, the “fit man” also had to wash his clothes and bathe himself after coming in contact with the Azazel goat, before he came into the presence of the people. The symbolism is certainly that of having come in contact with the devil!
     “Notice, now, this act of putting these already expiated and forgiven sins on the head of this live goat does not take place until after the high priest returns from the Holy of Holies within the veil — so this typified an act to take place after the Second Coming of Christ to this earth!…

SUMMARY:

     “The first goat represented the innocent Jesus who died for our sins — the high priest represented the risen Christ going within the veil to the mercy seat, or throne of God in heaven, for over 1900 years — and the high priest returning to place the sins finally upon the head of the live goat represented the return of Christ who will place the sins He bore on their author, the devil, and who will send him away alive into a desolate uninhabited wilderness — the “bottomless pit” or abyss of Revelation 20:3.
     “In the 19th chapter of Revelation, we have the prophecy of the Second Coming of Christ. At the beginning of the 20th chapter, what is to happen? Exactly what the 16th chapter of Leviticus shows. The devil is sent away — the symbol here used is the “bottomless pit” symbol of an uninhabited desolate wilderness (Rev. 18:2) — and he is sent there by a FIT man — an ANGEL from heaven. Now the devil is not killed. He does not die. He is still alive a thousand years later — after the Millennium (Rev. 20:7).
     “Now a few points that will come to mind. Both goats were “presented before the Lord.” Can Satan be presented before the Lord? Job 1:6 and 2:1 says he has presented himself before the Lord. Note, too, Azazel was driven away from the Holy of Holies, a symbol of God’s presence.
     “And so the annual Day of Atonement was instituted forever to keep continually before God’s children and His Church the plan of redemption, to occur after the Second Coming of Christ.
     “And we find this annual holy day recognized in the New Testament. In Acts 27:9, it is recorded that Paul was on his perilous sea voyage to Rome, “when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past ….” See the margin in your Bible. The fast refers to the Day of Atonement — the 10th day of the seventh month. Now this day could not then have been past on that particular year unless that day was still in full effect and force and existence. Otherwise the Holy Spirit surely could never have inspired those words! Surely this strongly indicates that this day was still in existence and being recognized thus by the Holy Spirit.” (End of quotes)

Next: Part 23: The Feast of Tabernacles

The Covenants, Part 21: God’s Berith for Abraham, Accession by the Israelites – Provision No. 3 Continued

By Belo Alvaran

The night following the Passover was called the Night-To-Be-Much-Observed. Questions: Who observed whom and what was the need for observation?

Section II. NIGHT-TO-BE-MUCH OBSERVED

Exod 12:41 (KJV) And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty (430) years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt
42 It [is] a NIGHT TO BE MUCH OBSERVED UNTO THE LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this [is] that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations. {a night…: Heb. a night of observations}

The NIV is clearer:

Exod 12:41 (NIV) At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions left Egypt.
42 Because THE LORD KEPT VIGIL THAT NIGHT to bring them out of Egypt, on this night ALL the Israelites are to keep vigil TO HONOR the LORD for the generations to come.

Clearly, on that FIRST Night-To-Be-Much-Observed, it was the LORD who observed the Israelites – He was proving them:

Exod 20:20 (KJV) And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come TO PROVE YOU, and that his fear may be before your faces that you sin not.

Note that the LORD continued to PROVE the Israelites for forty (40) years after that FIRST Night-To-Be-Much-Observed.

Deut 8:2 (KJV) And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God led you these forty (40) years in the wilderness, to humble you, [and] TO PROVE YOU, to know what [was] in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or no. …6 Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

The Israelites therefore should have continued to “keep vigil” i.e., to remain vigilant “to honor the LORD”. The sad part was, they proved Him instead, but did not honor Him:

Psal 95:8 (KJV) Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, [and] as [in] the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, PROVED me, and saw my work.

In short, the Israelites saw God’s great miracles, YET they refused to believe their eyes! They hardened their hearts! That was THE provocation – they provoked God to anger. They should have believed God after they have proved that indeed He was THE God!

Numb 14:11 (KJV) And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be before they BELIEVE me, for all the signs which I have shown among them?

God denied Moses entry to the Promised Land because of unbelief:

Numb 20:12 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron, Because you BELIEVED ME NOT, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

Not believing God is a form of rebellion. Rebellion therefore was THE provocation:

Numb 27:14 (KJV, the LORD talking to Moses) For you (Moses) rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that [is] the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
Deut 9:7 (KJV, Moses talking to the Israelites) Remember, [and] forget not, how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that you did depart out of the land of Egypt, until you came unto this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD.
Hebr 3:12 (KJV, Paul talking to the Jews in Rome) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of UNBELIEF, in departing from the living God. (Departing from God is rebellion!) 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence (or belief in God) steadfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, Today IF you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts (in unbelief), as in the provocation. 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke (by hardening their hearts and NOT believing God)…

The Israelites therefore FAILED “to keep vigil to honor the LORD” for a longer period despite all the signs of His Godship that He showed to them! They kept vigil for one night, on the Night-To-Be-Much-Observed. But they did not remain “vigilant”! As a result, God put them away:

Isai 50:1 (KJV) Thus said the LORD, Where [is] the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? (Answer: None!) or which of my creditors [is it] to whom I have sold you? (Answer: None!) Behold, for your iniquities (lawlessness) have you sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother PUT AWAY (separated, but not divorced).

But we are different. We are commanded to be vigilant, always honoring God. Our life therefore is a continuing Night-To-Be-Much-Observed:

Roma 13:11 (KJV) And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The NIGHT is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness (lawlessness), and let us put on the armor of light.

Section III. DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD:

Exod 23:15 You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread: (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, in the time appointed of the month Abib (also called Nisan): for in it you came out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty) (i.e., empty-handed, meaning with offerings to honor God):
Deut 16:3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shall you eat unleavened bread therewith, [even] the bread of affliction; for you came forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that you may remember the day when you came forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. 4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with you in all your coasts seven days;…
Levi 23:6 (KJV) And on the fifteenth day of the same month [is] the FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD unto the LORD: seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day you shall have an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein. 8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day [is] an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work [therein].

To appreciate the full significance of the Days of Unleavened Bread, let us review parts of the booklet Pagan Holydays — God’s Holy Days — Which? By Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, 1976 edition:

“Purpose of Festival
“But let us learn the full significance of this. Why did God ordain these feast days? What was His great purpose? Turn now to Exodus 13, verse 3: “And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt ….” This was the 15^th of Abib (or Nisan). Verses 6, 8-10: “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD … This is done because of that which the LORD did” — (a MEMORIAL) — “and it shall be for a sign”—that is, having also a FUTURE MEANING—“unto you upon your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes”—having to do with both works and will—why? — “THAT THE LORD’S LAW MAY BE IN YOUR MOUTH …. You shall therefore keep this ordinance ….”

Question: Why should the LORD’s law be in their mouth? Because they were being trained in priesthood! The Prophet Malachi would make it clear:

Mala 2:7 (KJV) …[T]he PRIEST‘s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his MOUTH: for he [is] the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
Exod 19:5 (KJV, the LORD speaking) Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then…6 …you shall be unto me a kingdom of PRIESTS…These [are] the words which you (Moses) shall speak unto the children of Israel.

Let Mr. Armstrong continue with his Pagan Holydays — God’s Holy Days — Which?

“Can you see the wonderful meaning? Do you grasp the true significance of it all? Do you see God’s purpose? The Passover only pictures the death of Christ for the remission of SINS THAT ARE PAST (Rom. 3:25). The accepting of His blood (i.e., His sacrifice) DOES NOT FORGIVE SINS WE MAY LATER COMMIT; it does not give license to continue in sin. Therefore when we accept it, our sins are forgiven only up to that time—past sins…
“…The seven days of unleavened bread following Passover picture to us the complete putting away of sin, the KEEPING OF THE COMMANDMENTS—AFTER PAST SINS ARE FORGIVEN.
“They picture the life and work of the risen Christ—who ascended to the throne of God where He is now actively at work in our behalf as our High Priest, cleansing us of sin—delivering us completely from its power!
“To observe the Passover alone, and then fail to observe the seven days of unleavened bread, means, in the symbolism, to accept Christ’s blood, and then to CONTINUE IN SIN—to erroneously say the Law is done away, that we are UNDER GRACE ALONE, meaning license, to continue in sin!…”

Note: We will discuss after this the meaning of the expression “not under the law but under grace”

Roma 6:14 (KJV) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Let’s hear the rest of Mr. Armstrong’s comments:

“Notice how marvelously this (Feast of Unleavened Bread) ordinance pictures the plan of redemption. I remember one year, during the last of these Sabbaths, 21^st Abib, one housewife mentioned she had found a half slice of leavened bread behind some things in her home, during the days of unleavened bread. Of course, she had put it out of the house immediately.
“Another said she had found a can of baking powder half full, which she did not know she had. Another found a slice of bread and some yeast. All had put the leaven out as soon as discovered.
“How true to life is the picture! How often do we, after we think we have put away sin, discover hidden sins or habits we did not know we had—or thought we had overcome? They must be overcome and put away, as soon as discovered.

The Perfect Picture

“But let us notice the wonderful picture further. The children of Israel started out of Egypt, the night of the 15^th of Abib, as we must, willingly, of our own accord, START OUT OF SIN as soon as we accept the blood of Christ. They started out on their own power—and WE MUST MAKE THE START OURSELVES.
“But they did not get far until Pharaoh pursued after them (Ex. 14:5-7). If Egypt is a type of sin, then surely Pharaoh must picture Satan; the army of Egypt, Satan’s demons.
“While Israel (the type) was in Egypt they were Pharaoh’s slaves, helpless and powerless under his taskmasters—just as the sinner (the antitype) is in the power of the devil. But when Israel took the blood of the lamb, then God acted, and as a result Pharaoh released Israel. When we accept Christ’s blood, GOD acts, and the devil must release us.
“And, as the Israelites went out with a high hand (Numbers 33:3), in great exultation and elation over their deliverance from bondage, so does the newly begotten Christian start out his Christian life—up in the clouds of happiness and joy. But what happens?
“The Devil and sin immediately pursue after the newly begotten son of God—and soon the new and inexperienced Christian finds he is down in the depths of discouragement, and tempted to give up and quit.
“Notice Exodus 14, beginning verse 10 — as soon as the Israelites saw this great army pursuing them, they lost their courage. Fear came over them. They began to grumble and complain. They saw it was impossible for them to get away from Pharaoh and his army, because he was too powerful for them. And they were helpless. So it is with us.

Our Strength Not Sufficient!

“But notice the message of God to them through Moses: “Fear you not, standstill, and see the salvation of the LORD … for the Egyptians … you shall see them again no more forever. The LORD shall fight for you”! How wonderful!
“Helpless, we are told to stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD. He shall fight for us. We cannot conquer Satan and sin, but He can. It is the risen Christ—our High Priest—who will cleanse us—sanctify us—deliver us—who said He would never leave us nor forsake us!
“Notice verse 19. The angel that had gone before, showing the Israelites the way, now went behind them, getting between them and their enemy, protecting them. And then God parted the waters of the Red Sea. “… and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left” (verse 22). In Isaiah 55:1 and John 7:37-39, the waters (the type)are a symbol of the Holy Spirit (the antitype).
“The living waters of God are a wall to us, on our right hand and on our left, guiding us in the true path, making the path, protecting us in it. But when Pharaoh and his army attempted to follow after Israel in this divinely created path, these same waters completely covered them, as the Holy Spirit removes and covers our sins, and the Israelites saw them no more! What a wonderful picture!”

Comments: Paul explained that the passing of the Israelites through the sea was also their baptism. The Israelites therefore were baptized, cleansed of sin, on the Days of Unleavened Bread:

1Cor 10:1 (KJV) Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea…

Let Mr. Armstrong continue:

“No Sacrifices Originally

“Thus we see the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as well as the Passover, was ordained and established forever…Let us be consistent about this. Opponents tell us these are in the Law of Moses. We reply they existed before the Law of Moses, are carried over in the New Testament, and therefore are binding today.

Notice especially, that originally there were no sacrifices—no meat and drink ordinances—held on these days. See Jeremiah 7:22-23. These days were not instituted for the purpose of the sacrifices as some have wrongly supposed. These holy days are memorials, and twice plainly called such…

“Days of Unleavened Bread Kept by Paul and the New Testament Church

“It is faithfully recorded in the New Testament that the Church, during the period its history covers, was keeping those days!

In Acts 20:6: “We sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread.” Paul and companions plainly had observed the Days of Unleavened Bread at Philippi. The Holy Spirit could never have inspired such words otherwise.

Notice also Acts 12:3: “Then were the Days of Unleavened Bread.” Why this, if those days had, in God’s sight, ceased to exist?

Notice, it is not anyone ignorant of what was abolished making this statement. It is Almighty God saying it through inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This was years after the crucifixion. The Days of Unleavened Bread still existed, or the Holy Spirit could not have inspired “then were the Days of Unleavened Bread.” (End of quotes.)

As Mr. Armstrong pointed out, Egypt was a mere symbol — it symbolized sin. Its reward is death:

Roma 6:23 (KJV) For the wages (or reward) of sin [is] death…

Death was precisely what Christ came on earth for to conquer:

Hose 13:14 (KJV, the LORD speaking) I will ransom them (the people) from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be your plagues; O grave, I will be your destruction…

Death’s destruction comes when God changes our mortal bodies into spirit:

1Cor 15:51 (KJV) Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.

The Days of Unleavened Bread therefore symbolizes “putting on incorruption” which is a pre-requisite for “immortality”.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption (meaning shall have been cleansed of sin), and this mortal shall have put on immortality (i.e., our physical body is changed to spirit), then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where [is] your sting? O grave, where [is] your victory? 56 The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. 57 But thanks [be] to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember this last verse: God gives us victory over death through Jesus Christ! How? By reconciling us to God the Father who alone can give us eternal life.

Roma 6:23 (KJV) …the gift of God [the Father is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Colo 1:19 (KJV) For it pleased [the Father] that in Him(self) should all fullness (of the Godhead) dwell; 20 And, (the Father) having made peace (with us) through the blood of His (Son’s) cross, by (the Son) to RECONCILE all (humans) unto (the Father) Himself…21 And you (the Colossians who were mainly Greeks)… had (Christ) reconciled (to the Father)… 22 …to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his (Father’s) sight…

Now, we can discuss the expression “not under the law but under grace”! This topic properly belongs here because it has to do with the sacrifice of Christ at Passover.

WHAT “NOT UNDER THE LAW” MEANS

Paul’s statement in Romans 6:14 is being misinterpreted by many to mean the law is done away. Let’s read it:

Roma 6:14 (KJV) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are NOT UNDER THE LAW, but UNDER GRACE. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

At first glance, Paul’s statement seems to suggest that we are no longer under the law of God, specifically, the Ten Commandments. However, a close look would show that Paul was not talking about the Ten Commandments. He was talking about being under the death penalty of the law because of sin.

In Paul’s usage, the phrase “UNDER THE LAW” is associated with persons who are guilty, meaning they have transgressed the law.

Roma 3:19 (KJV) Now we know that what things soever the law says, it said to them who are UNDER THE LAW: that every mouth may be stopped, and ALL THE WORLD may become GUILTY (of transgression of the law) before God.

“All the world” includes us. We are all guilty of transgression of the law:

1Joh 3:4 (KJV) Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Roma 6:23 (KJV) For the wages of sin [is] death;…
2Cor 1:9 (KJV) But WE had THE SENTENCE OF DEATH IN OURSELVES, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raised the dead (Christ):

Roma 3:19 (KJV) Now we know that what things soever the law said, it said to them who are UNDER THE LAW…

“UNDER THE LAW” A JARGON

The phrase “under the law” is apparently a long expression but shortened through a process called “linguistic evolution”. Let’s take a look at some idioms using “under” taken from the website http://www.myenglishpages.com/site

under a cloud – means to be suspected of something.

e.g.) After the murder of the kid, all the relatives were under a cloud of suspicion.

After sometime of usage, the long phrase “UNDER A CLOUD OF SUSPICION” has been shortened to “UNDER A CLOUD”. That is called linguistic evolution:

After the murder of the old lady, everyone living in the house was under a cloud.

under the influence of alcohol – means intoxicated, inebriated, or otherwise stupefied by an ingested mind-altering substance, commonly speaking of alcohol; in simple term, drunk!

e.g.) He was arrested for driving under the influence.

Note that “under a cloud of suspicion” can be shortened into “under a cloud” while “under the influence of alcohol” can be shortened into “under the influence”.

Driving under the influence” is now further shortened to “d.u.i.”

Similarly, the phrase “under the law” is, from all indications, a shortened form of the phrase “under the curse of the law”.

Gala 3:10 (KJV, Paul speaking) For as many as are of the WORKS of THE LAW are UNDER THE CURSE: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that continues not in all things which are WRITTEN in the BOOK OF THE LAW (the Book of Deuteronomy) to DO them.

Let Paul continue:

Gala 3:13 (KJV) Christ had REDEEMED us from the CURSE OF THE LAW …

Logic dictates that BEFORE Christ “REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW,” we were “UNDER THE CURSE OF THE LAW”! However, in the same context, Paul omitted the words “curse of the” and shortened the phrase to “under the law”:

Gala 4:4 (KJV) …God sent forth his Son (Jesus Christ)…5 To REDEEM them that were UNDER THE LAW…

Note that the words “curse of the” have become ellipses. In linguistics, this is called “elliptical construction”.

ELLIPTICAL CONSTRUCTION means “the omission from a clause of one or more words that are nevertheless understood in the context of the remaining elements”. The ellipses should be supplied for clarity.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis_(linguistics)

Let’s see if we can supply to Gala 4:4 the ellipses “CURSE OF THE” from Gala 3:13 since the author is one and the same:

Gala 3:13 (KJV, Paul speaking) Christ had REDEEMED us from the CURSE OF THE law being made a curse for us:…
Gala 4:4 (KJV, Paul speaking) …God sent forth his Son…5 To redeem them that were under the (CURSE OF THE) law…

There. The ellipses fit very well.

The CURSE OF THE LAW, by the way, is DEATH:

Hose 13:14 (KJV, the LORD speaking) I will ransom them (the people) from the power of the grave; I WILL REDEEM THEM FROM DEATH: O death, I will be your plagues; O grave, I will be your destruction…

We are all UNDER THE CURSE OF THE LAW, or, as Paul shortened it, UNDER THE LAW, but the meaning become clear when the ellipses are supplied:

Roma 3:19 (KJV) Now we know that what things soever the law says, it said to them who are under the (CURSE OF THE) law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become GUILTY before God.
Gala 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the CURSE (OF THE LAW):

TO SUMMARIZE at this point, we could see that while Paul tended to be verbose in his discourses, his epistles were interspersed with elliptical constructions and jargons that were probably known only to a small segment of converts (most probably among Jews!) but not to the broader Church memberships of diverse nationalities thus making his writings, in the words of the apostle Peter, “hard to be understood” (2Pet 3:16).

Paul, however, gave an apt description of the sacrifice of Christ:

Hebr 10:12 (KJV) But this man (Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;…14 For by one offering he had perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

For an in-depth discussion on LAW and GRACE, we have a dissertation on the subject in the MISCELLANEOUS chapter. Next: Part 22 – Pentecost

The Covenants, Part 20: God’s Berith for Abraham, Accession by the Israelites – Provision No. 3 Continued

In previous post, we were discussing the Passover, its rituals and, most important, its significance. Let’s continue:

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PASSOVER

For a brief review of what we have learned from the Worldwide Church of God, here are excerpts from WCG’s Bible Correspondence Course Lesson 33 on the subject:

“PASSOVER FIRST STEP IN GOD’S PLAN

“The Bible clearly reveals that the DEATH of Jesus Christ is the very FIRST EVENT, or STEP, in God’s GREAT PLAN for man’s SPIRITUAL CREATION!”

NOTE: “Spiritual creation” refers to Gene 1:26: And God said, Let us make man in our image (made of clay), after our LIKENESS (made of SPIRIT):…

BCC 33 continued:

   “The PASSOVER, the FIRST of God’s annual festivals, PICTURES that EVENT (i.e., the death of Christ, represented by the lamb in the original Passover). Jesus commanded that it be observed YEAR BY YEAR, with NEW symbols so that we would NEVER FORGET His sacrifice (Luke 22:19-20).”
     “God says: “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). THAT INVOLVES YOU! Your TRANSGRESSION OF GOD’S LAWS has CUT YOU OFF from all contact with your Creator. The penalty now hanging over you is DEATH — eternal death — for the wages of sin is DEATH (Rom. 6:23).
     “That ETERNAL DEATH PENALTY MUST BE REMOVED BEFORE YOU CAN HAVE ANY HOPE OF RECEIVING ETERNAL LIFE!
     “What is the only way God says that penalty can be removed? Notice Romans 5:8-10: “But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners (due to ignorance, NOT willfully), CHRIST DIED FOR US. Much more, then, BEING NOW JUSTIFIED by His BLOOD, we shall be SAVED FROM (the death penalty for sin) through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were RECONCILED TO GOD BY THE DEATH of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we SHALL BE SAVED BY HIS LIFE.”…
     “So the BLOOD of Christ does NOT FINALLY SAVE you! It only means that Christ has PAID IN FULL THE PENALTY OF YOUR PAST SINS for You! The barrier that has stood between you and God has now been removed and you are now, by Christ’s sacrifice, allowed contact with God — RECONCILED to Him!”… (End of quotes)

SACRIFICE OF CHRIST ANALYZED

To better appreciate the sacrifice of Christ, we need to go back to the time when God was actively leading the Israelites and sin was punishable with death by stoning. There was, however, one circumstance that God would show clemency, and that was, if the sin was committed through ignorance. In a case like that, the sinner was allowed to offer an animal which would then be killed in the sinner’s stead, thus enabling the sinner to carry on a reformed way of life:

Ezek 18:20 (KJV) The soul that sinned, it shall die…21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he had committed, and keep all my STATUTES, and DO THAT WHICH IS LAWFUL AND RIGHT, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Here is the STATUTE that should be observed when one had sinned by ignorance at that time:

Levi 5:17 (KJV) And if a SOUL sinned, and committed any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though HE KNEW [IT] NOT, yet is he guilty and shall bear his iniquity (i.e., he shall suffer the prescribed penalty, presumably death. Note that ignorance of the law is not an excuse!).

To avoid the death penalty, this was what the sinner should do:

18 And he shall bring a RAM without blemish out of the flock, with your estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the PRIEST shall make an atonement for him concerning his IGNORANCE wherein he erred and KNEW [IT] NOT, and it (the sin) SHALL BE FORGIVEN HIM.

FORGIVEN BUT NOT BEGOTTEN

The Israelites were not allowed entry to the Holy of holies, a room in the tabernacle reserved for God the Father. The DOOR of the Tabernacle was the closest place they could come before God. The door was covered with a veil:

Levi 1:2 (KJV) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you brings an offering unto the LORD, you shall bring your offering of the cattle, [even] of the herd, and of the flock. 3 If his offering [be] a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a MALE without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the DOOR of the TABERNACLE of the congregation before the LORD.

When Christ died on Passover, God OPENED his DOOR to everyone:

Mark 15:37 (KJV) And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. 38 And the VEIL OF THE TEMPLE (covering the Holy of holies symbolic of God the Father’s residence) was RENT in two from the top to the bottom.

All of us have sinned through ignorance prior to conversion. According to Paul, the torn veil represents Christ’s flesh that was sacrificed for us so that today there is no need for a sinner to offer animal sacrifices in seeking forgiveness of his sins:

Hebr 10:14 (KJV) For by one offering (Christ) had perfected forever them that are sanctified…19 Having therefore, brethren, liberty to enter into the holiest (where God the Father dwells) by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a NEW AND LIVING WAY (i.e., by doing that which is lawful and right, Ezek 18:20), which he had consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

All the sinner has to do is “confess” or acknowledge the sacrifice of Christ and it is as good as an offering:

Matt 10:32 (KJV. Christ speaking) Whosoever therefore shall CONFESS me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

However, in confessing Christ, words are not enough. The apostle John explained that:

1Joh 4:15 (KJV, Apostle John speaking) Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God (who died for us on a Passover), GOD DWELLS IN HIM, AND HE IN GOD.

But…

2Joh 1:9 Whosoever TRANSGRESSES, and abides not in the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, HAS NOT GOD.

Confessing Christ therefore should be accompanied with belief in his doctrine! Here is the doctrine of Christ

Hebr 6:1 (KJV, Paul, after discussing the doctrine of Christ over and over ad nauseam, wanted to change the subject) Therefore leaving the principles of the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the FOUNDATION of REPENTANCE FROM DEAD WORKS, and of FAITH TOWARD GOD; 2 Of the doctrine of BAPTISMS, and of LAYING ON OF HANDS, and of RESURRECTION of the dead, and of ETERNAL JUDGMENT.

Confessing Christ therefore entails going through the conversion process.

After the door to the Holy of holies was opened, Paul directed us to draw near to God the Father, which we can do when we pray:

Hebr 10:22 (KJV) LET US DRAW NEAR (to God the Father in prayer) with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled (cleansed) from an evil conscience (through repentance, which was not required of the Israelites), and our bodies washed with pure water (i.e., the word of God taught by Christ and his true ministers).

Let’s return to the Passover ritual. Clearly, without Christ’s sacrifice, the veil would not have been opened by God the Father. As Christ had said, he is the way to the Father:

John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus said unto him, I am the way…no man comes unto the Father (inside the Holy of holies), but by me.

From there, God can give his holy spirit to the sinner:

Ephe 1:13 (KJV) In (Christ) whom you also [trusted] after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in (Christ) also AFTER that you believed, you were SEALED (by God the Father) with that Holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

This verse is difficult to comprehend because of the “dangling modifiers”. Let’s rearrange the modifiers to see the simple sentence construction as follows:

Ephe 1:13 You also trusted in Christ after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation (preached by Pauyl); also, after that you believed in Christ, you were sealed with that promised Holy Spirit, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession (when God gives you a spirit body), unto the praise of his glory.

When that happens, when God changes our mortal bodies into spirit, then it can be said that God has created man after his likeness!

Gene 1:26 (KJV) And God said, Let us make man in our image, AFTER OUR LIKENESS:

That, in a nutshell, is the significance of the PASSOVER! And that is what we will teach the Israelites!

Meanwhile, we are commanded to keep the Passover Memorial every year.

WHO MAY TAKE PART IN THE PASSOVER MEMORIAL

Exod 12:43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This [is] the ORDINANCE of the PASSOVER: There shall NO STRANGER eat thereof: 44 But every man’s SERVANT that is BOUGHT for money, when you have CIRCUMCISED him, then shall he eat thereof.

MODERN APPLICATION: Christ BOUGHT us, and we are circumcised in the heart, so we may take part in the Passover ceremony:

1Cor 6:20 (KJV) For you are BOUGHT with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

A Christian’s circumcision is in the heart. It means his mind is open to God’s instructions. It means the person is converted and baptized. Those circumcised in the heart may take part in the Passover:

Roma 2:29 (KJV) But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.

Section I, Item B. MODERN EQUIVALENTS OF PASSOVER SYMBOLS

To better understand the symbols of the Passover, we shall invoke the Principle of Duality taught by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong. According to this principle, God does things twice: first He creates a TYPE (or a prototype), and then He creates the ANTITYPE (or the final version). Quoted below are the pertinent texts in Mr. Armstrong’s booklet Proof of the Bible:

“There is a principle of duality in…most prophecies, — a type and antitype…Almost no one understands this type and antitype, this duality in the prophecies. You can’t understand prophecy unless you understand it. That is one of the vital keys to Bible knowledge.”

Here is another quote from his article “Why Prophecy?” printed in the June 1960 issue of The Plain Truth:

“Prophecy is DUAL! Notice the THEME of duality running throughout the Bible. There was the first man Adam, and the second Adam, who was Christ (I Cor. 15:45-47). There is the Old Testament, and the New Testament. There was the Old Jerusalem and a new heavenly Jerusalem.” (End of quote)

According to the thesaurus, a “type” means “an event, figure, or sign taken as foreshadowing something in the future” while an “antitype” means “later of an associated Biblical pair; somebody or something seen as being foreshadowed by or having striking similarities to an earlier person or thing (type) in the Bible”.

Here is another quote from Mr. Armstrong’s Divorce and Remarriage booklet:

“[A] type cannot be the type unless CONSISTENT with the antitype.”

From here on we can proceed to apply the Principle of Duality. These are the dualities that can be deduced from the first Passover.

TYPE 1: The ancient Israelites gathered INDOORS all NIGHT with their respective fathers when the LORD passed over them in Egypt. They were not allowed to go out of their own house UNTIL THE MORNING.

Exod 12:21 (KJV) Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover. {lamb: or, kid} 22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip [it] in the blood that [is] in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that [is] in the basin; and NONE OF YOU SHALL GO OUT AT THE DOOR OF HIS HOUSE UNTIL THE MORNING.

ANTITYPE 1: Today is NIGHT for us – because we are walking in darkness.

Isai 59:9 (KJV) Therefore is judgment far from us,…we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, [but] we walk in DARKNESS. 10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if [we had] no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night;…

After Christ died on that Passover, God the Father wanted all his children to be gathered in his house. Those of us who for one reason or another have gone out of the Church of God are not following the instruction of Moses.

Ephe 1:10 (KJV) That in the dispensation of the fullness of times (in God’s coming Kingdom) (God the Father) might GATHER TOGETHER in one (government all his creation with the help of) CHRIST, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;…

We are not all gathered, YET. But God the Father and Jesus will attend to that.

Isai 45:23 (KJV, God the Father speaking through his Spokesman) I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth [in] righteousness, and shall not retract, That UNTO ME EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW…

God had started asserting his government over us in the Church. We should bow our knees to God the Father in prayer to show that we are under him. Our models are Paul and Daniel:

Ephe 3:14 (KJV, Paul speaking) For this cause I BOW MY KNEES (in prayer) unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Dani 6:10 (KJV) Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, HE KNEELED UPON HIS KNEES three times a day, and PRAYED, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

TYPE 2: The LORD passed over the Israelites and did not destroy those whose doors were smeared with lamb’s blood. In short, the LORD judged who the Israelites were by looking at the lamb’s blood on the door.

Exod 12:13 (KJV) And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you [are]: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy [you], when I smite the land of Egypt. {to destroy…: Heb. for a destruction}
Exod 12:23 (KJV) For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the DESTROYER to come in unto your houses to smite [you].

ANTITYPE 2: The LORD is now judging us. If we have Christ’s blood on us, meaning, if we “confess” that he is our sacrifice, then, the Destroyer will pass over us:

1Pet 4:17 (KJV) For the time [is come] that judgment must begin (it is still on-going) at the house of God:
John 6:53 (KJV) Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoso eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

We are still being judged by Christ, and every year at Passover, He symbolically passes over us:

1Cor 11:26 (KJV) For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup (i.e., once a year), you do show the Lord’s death till He comes.

TYPE 3: The Israelites spent the Passover night with their shoes on in preparation for the long trip to the Father’s House where THEY WERE TO TRAIN IN PRIESTHOOD.

Exod 12:11 (KJV) And thus shall you eat it; [with] your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it [is] the LORD’S Passover.

Sadly for those PROSPECTIVE PRIESTS, they never made it.

Josh 5:4 (KJV) …All the people that came out of Egypt, [that were] males, [even] all the men of war, DIED in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.

ANTITYPE 3: Some GENTILES were called to PRIESTHOOD to make those insensible Israelites JEALOUS. We, non-Israelite WCG members, are among those Gentiles and we are now on our way to God’s Kingdom. So, let us put our shoes on:

Deut 32:21 (KJV, the LORD speaking) They (Israelites) have moved me to jealousy with [that which is] not god; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to JEALOUSY with [those which are] not a people (of God, meaning Gentiles);
Roma 9:25 (KJV) As he said also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people (i.e., Gentiles); and (I will call) her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, [that] in the place (in Gentile territories) where it was said unto them, You [are] not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

1Pet 2:9 (KJV, Peter speaking to Gentile converts) But you [are] a chosen generation (i.e., one has to qualify to be chosen), a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, an holy nation, a peculiar people…10 Which in time past [were] not a people (of God), but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Note that God’s prophecy focuses on the Gentiles because of the Israelites’ intransigence. But this should not cause our brethren of Israelite descent to lose hope because we have the same calling.

Luke 24:46 (KJV) And (Christ) said unto them (apostles), Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations (not limited to Gentiles or Israelites), beginning at Jerusalem (There! Many Israelites are also called at this time).

What a pleasant surprise! But that was only a preview to make us appreciate and hold fast our calling — which is priesthood.

Here is one more important duality:

TYPE 4: The Israelite firstborns stayed indoors on that Passover night to hide themselves from the Destroyer which was a PLAGUE. A plague cannot be seen but deadly.

Exod 12:13 (KJV) And the blood (of the lamb) shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you [are]: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the PLAGUE shall not be upon you to destroy [you], when I smite the land of Egypt.

ANTITYPE 4: We are FIRSTBORNS-to-be and, like our ancient type, we are the target of the DESTROYER. Is there a Destroyer in our midst? Yes, there is! And it is a plague:

Gala 1:6 (KJV) I marvel that you are so soon REMOVED from (God the Father) that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ (which is about the coming Kingdom of God the Father).

It is the perverted gospel, such as one that says “God’s commandments are done away,” that can “REMOVE” us from the house of God our Father. A perverted gospel therefore is a PLAGUE that cannot be seen but deadly. It is THE modern Destroyer.

Matt 5:19 (KJV) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven (that will be the start of that man’s separation from God the Father!).

This plague has carriers:

Gala 1:8 (KJV, Paul speaking to his converts) But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any OTHER GOSPEL unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let HIM be accursed.

The Prophet Isaiah called these PREACHERS of other gospel SHEPHERDS. From all indications, these SHEPHERDS are THE carriers of the plague that can kill the Firstborn – which are us.

Isai 56:8 (KJV) The Lord GOD which gathers the outcasts of Israel said…10…(Israel’s) watchmen (not the LORD’s) [are] blind: they are all ignorant, they [are] all dumb dogs…11 Yea, [they are] greedy dogs (or pimps, prostituting the brethren) [which] can never have enough, and THEY [ARE] SHEPHERDS [that] cannot understand:…

As the readers may have noticed, almost every WCG splinter group has a self-styled SHEPHERD called PASTOR GENERAL at the top. Are all of them the LORD’s watchmen? Just asking!

MORE PASSOVER SYMBOLS

Section I, Item C. RITUALS OF PASSOVER AMENDED BY CHRIST

Luke 22:5 (KJV) And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer:¹⁶ For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.¹⁷ And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:¹⁸ For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.¹⁹ And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: THIS (ceremony of drinking some wine and breaking of bread) DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.

FOOT-WASHING A NEW RITUAL:

John 13: 2 (KJV) And supper being ended (on the preceding eve of Nisan 14), the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him;³ Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;⁴ He rose from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.⁵ After that he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

Anciently, the Levitical priests were commanded to wash their hands and feet before entering the Tabernacle to perform God’s service. Washing each others’ feet would ensure that not only the person is himself clean, but also the others within the brotherhood of priests. Foot washing therefore was, in effect, Christ’s way of saying God’s servants should have themselves cleansed spiritually, that is, BEFORE DOING GOD’S WORK.

Exod 30:17 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 18 You shall also make a laver [of] brass, and its foot [also of] brass, to wash [withal]:…19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: 20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation… 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, THAT THEY DIE NOT: and it shall be a STATUTE forever to them, [even] to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

We are about to serve in God’s Temple as priests. This is therefore the time to wash our hands and feet, so-to-speak to remove the dust and grime, those strange doctrines and wrong practices that we have collected here and there while in transit.

Section I, Item D. SECOND PASSOVER INSTITUTED

Numb 9:10 (KJV) Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your POSTERITY shall be UNCLEAN by reason of (touching) a dead body, or [be] in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover unto the LORD.

Those who may have been infected with communicable diseases should be quarantined to prevent contagion:

Numb 19:11 (KJV) He that touched the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.
Numb 5:2 (KJV) Command the children of Israel, that they PUT OUT OF THE CAMP every leper, and every one that has an issue, and WHOSOEVER IS DEFILED BY THE DEAD:

Those who had been put out of the camp may be readmitted after physical cleansing using the water of purification.

Numb 19:17 (KJV) And for an unclean [person], they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and fresh water shall be put thereto in a vessel: 18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip [it] in the water, and sprinkle [it] upon the…19…unclean on the third day…

MODERN APPLICATION: a converted person may be considered unclean if he had been disfellowshipped for some transgressions of the law.

Roma 16:17 (KJV) Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; and AVOID them.

Marked persons may be written to, probably, just probably, symbolized by the hyssop, but should not be contacted in person because he is contagious. However, those marked were usually readmitted to the Church after repentance, just as the unclean person may be readmitted after physical cleansing.

SECOND PASSOVER continued:

Numb 9:11 The fourteenth day of the second month (IYAR) at EVEN they shall keep it, [and] eat it with unleavened bread and bitter [herbs]. …13 But the man that [is] clean, and is not in a journey, and forbears to keep the (first) Passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because HE BROUGHT NOT THE OFFERING OF THE LORD IN ITS APPOINTED SEASON.

Next: PART 21: Section II. THE NIGHT-TO-BE-MUCH OBSERVED

Q: Who was observing whom on this night?

The Covenants, Part 19: God’s Berith for Abraham, Accession by the Israelites – Provision No. 3

-by Belo Alvaran

To review what we have discussed, there are three (3) MAIN PROVISIONS in the covenant between God and the Israelites, namely: (1) COMMANDMENTS, (2) JUDGMENTS and, (3) STATUTES. We have already discussed the Commandments and the Judgments.

Deut 6:1 (KJV) Now these [are] the COMMANDMENTS, the STATUTES, and the JUDGMENTS, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that you might do [them] in the land whither you go to possess it:

We will focus now on the STATUTES.

Levi 20:8 (KJV) And you shall keep my STATUTES, and do them: I [am] the LORD which sanctify you.

God has many STATUTES strewn in the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In this study, we will limit our discussion on the ones comprising the THIRD SET OF PROVISIONS in the BOOK OF COVENANT as mentioned in Exodus 3 up to Exodus 24.

Exod 24:4 (KJV) And Moses wrote ALL the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning…7 And he took the BOOK OF THE COVENANT, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD had said will we do, and be obedient.

Section I. GOD’S STATUTES / ORDINANCES

Note: God’s STATUTES are also known as ORDINANCES. It is vital that we know them by heart to get us ready for our teaching job in God’s Kingdom.

Reve 19:7 (KJV) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to (the LORD God Omnipotent, v. 6 – this is God the Father making arrangements for his son’s marriage): for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready.

God has called us ahead of the rest of humanity to serve as teachers of the law in his coming Kingdom and he is apparently giving us time to improve our skills during these prolonged lockdowns worldwide. In God’s scheme of things, there is no room for failure, or better yet, there is no room for those who will fail:

Jere 4:4 (KJV) Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart (meaning open our minds to instructions), you men of Judah AND INHABITANTS of Jerusalem (referring to those Israelites who were not Jews and those Gentiles who were grafted into the House of Judah, Roma 11:17): LEST MY FURY COMES FORTH LIKE FIRE, and BURN that none can quench [it], because of the evil of your doings.

HOLY CONVOCATIONS

God’s statutes are mostly about HOLY CONVOCATIONS to be observed on certain dates.

Section I, Item A. PASSOVER AN ORDINANCE FOREVER

Exod 12:1 (KJV) And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month [shall be] unto you the beginning of months: it [shall be] the FIRST MONTH of the year to you.

Note that God designated the FIRST MONTH of the year without naming it. Moses revealed its name as ABIB in his other book Deuteronomy.

Deut 16:1 (KJV) Observe the month of ABIB, and keep the Passover unto the LORD your God: for in the month of ABIB the LORD your God brought you forth out of Egypt by night.

In Persia, Queen Esther who was a Jewess called the first month NISAN which wasa Babylonian term. Persia was under the Babylonian Empire at that time.

Esth 3:7 (KJV) In the FIRST MONTH, that [is], the month NISAN…

The Jews therefore had a way of knowing the first month of the year wherever they dwelt. How they were able to do that is to be explained later.

Let the LORD continue with his instruction to Moses in Exod 12:

Exod 12:3 Speak you unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the TENTH [DAY] of this month (Abib) they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of [their] fathers, a lamb for an house:…6 And you shall keep it up until the FOURTEENTH DAY of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it IN THE EVENING.

As recorded in the book of Genesis, evening is the beginning of day in God’s reckoning. The Passover lamb should be killed in the evening which was the start of day on Nisan 14. A day always begins at the going down of the sun:

Gene 1:5 (KJV) And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the FIRST DAY…8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the SECOND DAY…13 And the evening and the morning were the THIRD DAY.

Let the LORD continue with his instruction on Passover observance:

Exod 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike [it] on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; [and] with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it… 11 And thus shall you eat it; [with] your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it [is] the LORD’S PASSOVER…

Passover to be kept as MEMORIAL:

14 And this day shall be unto you for a MEMORIAL; and you shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; YOU SHALL KEEP IT A FEAST BY AN ORDINANCE FOREVER.

Meaning of memorial:

me·mo·ri·al

Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/memorial?s=t

noun

something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday.

Comments: The PASSOVER was instituted by God to portray the DEATH OF CHRIST, but the actual event was A LITTLE different from the MEMORIAL. God’s instruction, however, is very clear:

Deut 16:5 (KJV) You may not sacrifice the Passover (lamb) within any of your gates, which the LORD your God gives you: 6 But at the place which the LORD your God shall choose to place his name in, there you shall sacrifice the Passover (lamb) at even, AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN, at the SEASON (Spring) that you came forth out of Egypt.

Clearly, the MEMORIAL ceremony is the God–PRESCRIBED time and manner to keep the Passover. Christ himself kept the MEMORIAL:

Luke 22:14 (KJV) And when the hour was come (at the going down of the sun on Nisan 14), (Jesus) sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer:…

Christ died on that same day of Nisan 14 at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. By keeping the memorial, he was able to keep the Passover before he died.

Luke 23:44 (KJV, Jesus was hanging on the cross on Nisan 14) And it was about the SIXTH HOUR (12:00 p.m.), and there was a darkness over all the earth until the NINTH HOUR (3:00 p.m.) …46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

What is important to remember is that the time of Christ’s death was NOT the COMMANDED time to kill the lamb. In the MEMORIAL CEREMONY, the lamb was to be killed “AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN” which was the beginning of day on Nisan 14 while Christ died when the day was about to end. To reiterate, it is the MEMORIAL that we are commanded to keep!

SEASON EMPHASIZED

Please note also that the SEASON is emphasized in this statute. The seasons of the year don’t change much, at most a matter of hours from one year to the next. And Passover must be kept in the Spring, its APPOINTED season. God so ordered it that the days and months of the year are not exact. In due course, the fractions of time that accumulate could push the holydays from one season to another, hence the need to “calculate” their dates of observance every year to put them back each in its “appointed” season.

THE HEBREW CALENDAR CONTROVERSY

As the feasts of God are closely tied with the Hebrew Calendar, a controversy started when some members questioned its accuracy prompting some COG ministers in splinter groups to conduct their own review on the subject. We can read some of their findings on the web. Sadly, most of them have missed the point. This issue cannot be resolved without pinpointing WHOM God commissioned to do the holyday proclamations!

WHO MAY PROCLAIM GOD’S FEASTS?

Levi 23:1 (KJV) And the LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, [Concerning] the FEASTS OF THE LORD, which YOU (who is this YOU?) shall PROCLAIM [to be] holy convocations, [even] these [are] MY FEASTS.

Note: The word “PROCLAIM” means to MAKE KNOWN PUBLICLY OR OPENLY. Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/proclaim

The verse implies that a holy convocation needs to be PROCLAIMED before its date of observance comes up.

Let the LORD continue:

Levi 23:4 (KJV, the LORD speaking to Moses) These [are] the FEASTS OF THE LORD, [even] HOLY CONVOCATIONS, which YOU (who is this YOU?) shall PROCLAIM in their seasons.
Numb 10:7 (KJV) But when the congregation is to be GATHERED TOGETHER (during convocations), YOU (who is this YOU?) shall blow (the trumpets in advance of the gathering)…

God identifies the “YOU”:

8 And the SONS OF AARON, the PRIESTS, shall BLOW WITH THE TRUMPETS; and they shall be to you for an ORDINANCE FOREVER throughout your generations.

Note that the MANDATE to proclaim the feasts was solely given to the Levitical priests, and it was an ORDINANCE FOREVER.

Based on the above instructions, lay members of the Israelite “public” are not mandated to “make known publicly” the dates of God’s holydays! That would be absurd!

Moses, who was at the helm of the Levitical priesthood, PROCLAIMED their first Sabbath in the wilderness one day IN ADVANCE:

Exod 16:23 And (Moses) said unto them, This [is that] which the LORD had said, TOMORROW [is] the rest of the holy SABBATH unto the LORD:

From here, we can safely deduce that God ALSO gave him and the Levitical priests the knowledge on all the other holy days and, most important, the APPOINTED SEASON to keep them each.

SOME LEVITICAL PRIESTS BECOME PHARISEES

John 1:19 (KJV) And this is the record of John (the Baptist), when the Jews SENT PRIESTS and LEVITES from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you?…24 And they which were sent were of the PHARISEES.

Christ taught his disciples to OBEY the Pharisees:

Matt 23:1 (KJV) Then spoke Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying, The scribes and the PHARISEES (who were priests) sit in Moses’ seat (they were, and still are, the successors to Moses and his group of priests) 3 All therefore WHATSOEVER THEY BID YOU OBSERVE, [THAT] OBSERVE AND DO; (including, but not limited to, the observance of festivals) but do not you after their works: for they say, and do not.

SANHEDRIN TAKES OVER THE ISSUANCE OF PROCLAMATIONS

Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/23751

“The FIRST DAY of the Jewish month (Abib), Rosh Chodesh (First Month), had to be PROCLAIMED by the SANHEDRIN (the Supreme Court in Israel). Like any judicial procedure, this followed strict rules, and had to be based upon halakhically-accepted evidence – in this case, the testimony of two valid witnesses who testified before the Sanhedrin that they had seen the New Moon.
“…In order to PROCLAIM the new month…the Sanhedrin established a series of FIRE-BEACONS, signaling from hill-top to hill-top, beginning on the Mount of Olives. Thus even the far-flung Jewish communities in Babylon (present-day Iraq) would receive the Sanhedrin’s PROCLAMATION within a few hours.

RIVAL SECTS SABOTAGE GOD’S FEASTS

“However, in the late Second Temple period, various (rival) sects…began lighting FALSE SIGNALS. Once a false signal had been lit, it would be impossible to stop the false declaration from spreading.

A question may be asked at this point: Are today’s persons or entities doing their own calculations unwittingly presenting themselves as modern sources of false signals?

“And so the SANHEDRIN changed the method of announcing the start of the month: instead of fire-beacons, they sent out messengers on horse-back.
“But this created a new problem: these messengers often could NOT reach the far-flung communities in time for the Festival. So as a safeguard against profaning a Holy Day, those distant and isolated Jewish communities would have to keep two days…Thus each community would make an ad hoc decision (whether to keep) one day or two, as the need arose. If the messengers from Israel arrived in time for the Festival, then one day; if not, then two.

HEBREW CALENDAR MADE PUBLIC

“In the fourth century (301-400 A.D.) with the Roman Empire in turmoil (during the reigns of Caesar and Constantine)…and with the Land of Israel under harsh anti-Jewish decrees…the SANHEDRIN was prohibited from proclaiming leap years (i.e., adding the extra month if Passover falls outside its “appointed season”), which of course struck a vital nerve of Jewish life: the observance of all Festivals, for ALL Jews THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, depended upon this PROCLAMATION.

Note that the Jews in outlying areas were not allowed to make calculations on their own. They all look to Jerusalem for guidance.

“As a response, and sensing approaching doom, Hillel II convened a SANHEDRIN in 4109 (349 C.E.) to establish (unveil is the appropriate word) a calculated CALENDAR (which in all probability the priests had been using all along away from the public eye). A decade later this FIXED CALENDAR was promulgated (i.e., made known to the public, but it had been there all along serving as the priests’ reference for their proclamations) – THE CALENDAR WHICH WE USE UNTIL TODAY.

Historians attributing solely to Hillel the existence of the Hebrew Calendar are taking God out of the picture. It was God who gave those priests the dates of his festivals! Hillel simply unveiled the calendar which the priests had been using all along.

“(Consequently) PROCLAMATIONS of New Moons no longer depended upon eyewitness sightings, testimonies to the Sanhedrin, and PROCLAMATIONS by the Sanhedrin.

Note how easy the eyewitness testimonies were dispensed with and the calendar unveiled by the Sanhedrin after it came under pressure. It may therefore be safely deduced that the required testimonies of eyewitnesses being sought before Hillel’s time was simply to show deference to an established tradition but the priests always had a foreknowledge of the dates of God’s holydays based on their secretly kept calendar.

“Jewish communities no longer depended upon receiving messages, month-by-month, from the SANHEDRIN to know when the month had begun.
“Thus …with this NEW CALENDAR IN FORCE, there was no longer any doubt as to when the (first)month (Abib or Nisan) would begin.” (End of quotes)

Comments: From all indications, the so-called Hebrew Calendar was based on records kept by the Levitical priests cataloguing new moons, Sabbath days, annual holydays, leap years, etc. which they updated every year until they came up with the present calculations that proved accurate for reference purposes.

As we can see by now, the HEBREW CALENDAR is simply an instrument in the hands of the SANHEDRIN being employed for the purpose of proclaiming the dates of God’s holydays which was their assigned task from God. It is considered SACRED and may not be privately revised because it was dedicated to God’s work.

Levi 27:28 (KJV) …Every devoted thing (including the calendar) [is] most holy (sacred) unto the LORD.

QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT

So, now, let’s look at ourselves. Can anyone of us “blow the trumpet” so-to-speak, by making his own festival calculations which may fall on dates different from the Hebrew Calendar? As the holydays are “convocations”, can one keep his own feasts on different dates away from the brethren and still claim membership to the Church of God?

PRINCIPLE OF COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY

There are of course relevant statutes that dissuade this malpractice, such as the master-servant relationship mentioned by Paul in Roma 14:4 which is closely related to the “Principle of Command Responsibility” being taught in management schools. The Levites are God’s servants, Numb 3:12, and God, as master, exercises “Command Responsibility” over them. Under this principle, if there is any error in the Hebrew Calendar, God, the master, is responsible for it. Whether he rectifies it or not is his prerogative as the highest authority. Privately revising the work of the Levites could be viewed as an accusation of dereliction and an affront to the God who commissioned them for that purpose. And God is very sensitive of criticisms!

MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

To remind ourselves, the tasks of the Levitical priests, including the proclamation of feast days, were exclusive and MEDDLERS were to be meted with CAPITAL PUNISHMENT:

Numb 3:10 (KJV) And you (Moses) shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that comes near (to meddle in their tasks, including the proclamation of holydays) shall be PUT TO DEATH.

May this serve as warning to those WCG “MEMBERS” who “proclaim their own holydays”. On second thought, are those doing that still WCG members? Really? Just asking!

Now we can discuss in earnest the significance of God’s various feast days as contained in his ORDINANCES.

NEXT: PART 20 – significance of the Passover ceremony