Feast of Weeks = Shavuot

The passover offering was at a specific time: 14th day of the first month, at twilight.  Thus began the seven days of Unleavened Bread and together commemorate Yah's Set Apart People being freed from bondage in Egypt to Pharaoh.  Some 40 years later, after the Israelites settled in the promised land of Canaan and were able to plant fields and harvest crops, we learn of Elohim's next appointed time.

Leviticus 23:10- When you enter the land which I am giving to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest.  He shall wave the sheaf before YHWH for acceptance in your behalf (on the day after the weekly sabbath).  :14 Until that very day, until you have brought the offering, you shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears, it is a law for all time throughout the ages in all your settlements. :15 from that day after the sabbath you shall count off seven weeks; until the day after the seventh week - fifty days (total) - then you shall bring an offering of new grain to YHWH - two loaves of bread (of the first fruits) as a wave offering, as first fruits to YHWH.  :20 The priest shall offer these- they shall be set apart to YHWH, for the priest. :21 On that same day hold a celebration, a sacred occasion - do no work at your occupations. This is a law for all time in all your settlements, throughout the ages.

In Deuteronomy 16 He names this time the Feast of Weeks. The fiftieth day (Shavuot) is a sacred occasion, a day of 'new grain' offering. As instructed in Leviticus, seven weeks are counted off from when the sickle is first put to standing grain.  As I have learned, both wheat and barley are planted at the same time but barley ripens earlier than the wheat, so this Feast of Weeks begins the day of the barley harvest.  The first fruits of this harvest (sheaf) are taken to the priest as an offering to YHWH.  On the day after those seven weeks, the 50th day, is when a celebration is held commemorating the blessings of YHWH shown in the bounty of the wheat harvest.  This is not a 'date specific' event but hinges on the harvesting of barley, the day the first sheaf is cut.

Note:
Three times a year all males went to the place where Yah chose to place His Name: Feast of Unleavened Bread for the passover offering; Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) for the offering of first fruit of the harvest; Feast of Booths (Sukkot) for the offering from the ingathering of the threshing floor and vats (grape harvest).

Deuteronomy 31 points out that every 7th year is set for remission and that every 7th year during the Feast of Booths is when all Israel (all Hebrews and Set Apart believers) come together before YHWH (in His place of choosing).  Torah is read aloud during this time in the presence of all the men, women, children and strangers that they may hear and so learn to revere YHWH our Elohim and to observe faithfully every word of this Teaching = Torah = YHWH's Instructions for His People.

These appointed times are to be observed that we may rejoice in the blessings from YHWH - He blesses our all our undertakings that we may have nothing but joy.  We obey and receive the blessing - Life Eternal.

YHWH appeared to the people at Mount Sinai.  When they had been at the mountain long enough, YHWH instructed the building of the Tabernacle and He traveled with them in the wilderness. Years later, Solomon built the House of Elohim in Jerusalem, the last known place for the priesthood, their duties, and where YHWH attached His Name.  Jerusalem still exists but the temple and priesthood no longer exist.  YHWH's set apart times did not cease to exist. He put them in place, as He said, for all time, throughout the generations and all ages - a command not to be ignored.  There is no excuse for substituting other behavior in place of His Teaching.

We can't make things up and believe that we are truly pleasing YHWH Elohim.  Satan has a counterfeit for almost everything put forth by our Creator; let us not fall into this same pattern.  A similar example given is what happened in 1 Kings 25 when Jeroboam (out of fear of losing his position of power) convinced the Israelites (who had chosen him as king) that they did not need to go to Jerusalem to worship YHWH anymore.  Jeroboam had built 2 temples, one in Bethel and the other in Dan, in which he had a golden calf placed in each, telling them 'this is your god'.  He convinced them that 'God was Everywhere' and it was okay to worship Him anywhere. This is not what Yah taught!  Jeroboam also made cult places and appointed priests from the ranks of people who were not descendants of Levi.  This same example applies to religious traditions of today when teachers and leaders and preachers convince folks of things that just aren't correct according to what is written in Scriptures.

During this time called the Feast of Weeks we are thankful for His bounty in our lives.  We give Him our best every day and are content with what we have.  We are grateful for how He has provided for our needs as we see to the needs of others.  We will not substitute vain imaginings to replace His Instructions.  If you can't take the first sheaf of the harvest to the priest to make an offering in your behalf, don't fake it with anything else.  Jeroboam was 'faking it' and  did not turn back from his evil way whereby the House of Jeroboam incurred guilt.

We must abide by the Creator's Instructions and follow Him with all our heart, doing what is right in His sight.  Lets not be displeasing or provoke YHWH and incur guilt.  Continue to read Scriptures and let the Ruach haKodesh reveal His Truth.

Halal or Kosher

'Halal' is not the same as 'Kosher' and the definition of 'Kosher' is questionable.

Muslims, many Jews, Set Apart believers and some Christians avoid eating certain animals, but those of the Islamic faith also have their meat blessed in the name of their god. Their god is a false idol and eating food sacrificed to an idol goes against the Instructions of our Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

'Kosher' meats are chosen according to what YHWH says is 'clean' but traditions have been added to this set of Instructions.  Bottom feeders, for example, clean up the assorted dead and dying debris that settles on the bottoms of lakes, oceans, ponds and rivers. Remember that next time you get a mouth full of lobster or shrimp or flounder or catfish - you're eating one of nature's garbage trucks. Scavengers clean up other dead animals, bugs and birds. We are not to eat what God put here to clean up the dead and decaying.

His dietary laws for us are found in Leviticus and again in Deuteronomy. Calling foods 'Kosher' has its down-side.  There is a set of Jewish dietary laws which have been added to the Word of Yah and adhered to by tradition.

Quote from the Jewish Virtual Library:

Kashrut is the body of Jewish law dealing with what foods can and cannot be eaten and how those foods must be prepared. The word "Kashrut" comes from the Hebrew meaning fit, proper or correct.  The word "kosher," which describes food that meets the standards of kashrut, is also often used to describe ritual objects that are made in accordance with Jewish law and are fit for ritual use. Food that is not kosher is referred to as treif.  Any kind of food - Chinese, Mexican, Indian, etc. - can be kosher if it is prepared in accordance with Jewish law. At the same time, traditional Jewish foods like knishes, bagels, blintzes and matzah ball soup can all be treif if not prepared in accordance with Jewish law.

Things referred to as Jewish Law are not always in accordance to what YHWH taught. Rabbis are guilty of adding to His Word and making up excuses for human behavior just like any other religious leader.  It is so important to read Scriptures for yourself in order to know His Truth and separate truth from the doctrines of man. 

If you already did not know, here is what our Creator says we can eat and should not eat, as written in Leviticus and Deuteronomy:

Animals with true hoofs (hoofs with clefts through the hoofs) AND chew the cud.  The examples given for what not to eat are the camel, daman, and hare which chew the cud but do not have true hoofs.  The swine has true hoofs but does not chew the cud - these are considered 'unclean'.  It is OK to eat: ox, sheep, goat (domestic or wild), deer, gazelle, roebuck, ibex, antelope, mountain sheep and any other animal that has true hoofs which are cleft in two and brings up the cud: buffalo, elk, moose and beef.

Of the things that live in water, we may eat them as long as they have both fins and scales. This excludes from our menu such popular items as clams, lobster, oysters, mussels, squid and shrimp. This also excludes scallops, shark, whale, octopus, eel, swordfish and sturgeon.

I am of the mind that if you cannot see the scales on the fish without the use of a microscope then consider that particular fish unclean.  Halibut, for example, have tiny scales naked to the human eye so they appear to us as not having scales... they should not be eaten. YHWH put forth His Instructions to benefit our health and well being.  They didn't have microscopes or other testing equipment back then - they trusted Him - as we still should in this day and age. Who caused Eve to doubt the Word of God? Let's not fall for the same gimmick.

Birds that are not to be eaten: eagle, vulture, kite, falcons, ravens, ostrich, nighthawk, sea gulls, any hawk, owl, cormorant, pelican, bustard, stork, herons, hoopoe and bats.

It's OK to eat winged swarming things that walk on all fours, have jointed legs above their feet (hoppers) as in locust, crickets and grasshoppers.

Any animal that walks on paws, on all fours, are not on the menu. No variety of cat or canine is to be eaten.  Also, we are not to eat: moles, mice, lizards of every variety or crocodiles.

We have been given every seed bearing fruit to eat and of grains of the field.  Modern day 'seedless' varieties should not be eaten, as what was once one of my favorites: seedless watermelon!  All genetically modified foods are off the list of things that can be eaten.

With all that said and done, our food sources have become corrupt, so sticking to God's Plan becomes more challenging.  Letting the land rest every 7th year is not being followed so over the years farming has depleted the nutritional value of the land. The food it produces is lacking in vitamins and minerals and what is being added (supplements) isn't nearly enough.  I've read that almost all corn is now genetically modified.  Seeds have been engineered that produce food that does not 'go to seed'.  There are hybrid foods such as beets, carrots and potatoes as well as seedless varieties of apples, bananas, dates, pineapple and grapes. 

Man does not trust YHWH to know what He is doing and that is a mistake.

..::``Information Overload``::..

As I lay awake in bed the other night, my brain was being bombarded with thoughts ricocheting around and my head felt full and ready to explode.  One thought after another fading in and out, words and pictures of current events with threads connecting them to past events to the point of Creation itself... it was very difficult to control this onslaught. I then realized it was time to stop trying to debate the pros and cons of current events in light of the Word of God with people who didn't want to include His Instructions or use His wisdom in sorting out right from wrong.  By no means do I consider myself 'smarter' than any one but when you have a book full of past experience to study and learn from, why ignore it?  Folks are fond of saying 'history repeats itself' but then ignore the signs indicating that historical behaviors are repeating and then they fail to change course for the better.  

There is nothing new under the sun but man sure likes to think he's in control.

The other realization I made was that if one does not have faith or trust or believe that YHWH Elohim is the Creator and heavenly Father, then there is no point in trying to explain what has caused these current events.  It would take an in depth study of Scriptures first in order to lay the ground work for understanding (and I pray that the studies contained here in this blog along with links to other related sites will help those who are seeking Him). Take the initiative and choose that path.  God says to seek Him as if looking for treasure.  It is His Creation and we are all part of it - the good, the bad and the ugly.  It is all written in a collection called Scriptures (the Bible variations are abbreviated version of the ancient texts).  It has been recorded for all to read and to understand what was, what is and what will be. 

The Devil's Music

I have never really gotten 'christian rock' and maybe that's because I grew up with rock and roll and later learned the origins of that music - the devil's music. I started thinking... how can you take something profane (sex, drugs and rock-n-roll) and call it holy unto God? You may change the lyrics but the rhythms are the same.

QUOTE: - The origin of rock music and the term "rock 'n' roll" are interesting ones. In the early 1950s, a disk-jockey named Alan Freed was one of the first white people to be involved in "rhythm & blues" music, which was the direct forerunner of rock 'n' roll. (The complete genealogy of rock 'n' roll music is: voodoo to jazz to blues to rock 'n' roll.)  Rock 'n' roll was a kind of fusion between rhythm & blues and country & western music. Freed was one of the first white people to play this new rhythm & blues/country combination on his radio program, and was perplexed as to what to call it since it obviously needed a new name. Freed had been receiving bizarre reports concerning kids' reactions to this new music, so decided to name it after a ghetto term that black people used for pre-marital sex in the back seat of a car-hence, the term "rock 'n' roll" was coined. End Quote

Christian or Satanic?

Christian Contemporary Music

Lunar Tetrad

This study is in regards to the teachings of Mark Biltz and John Hagee in regards to the 'Blood Moons' of late. They were promoting prophecy and the imminent return of Y'shua, and used Joel 2:31 as their launch pad.   In the Tanakh there is no Joel 2:31, but there is Joel 3 which reads:

After that I will pour out My spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. I will even pour out My spirit upon male and female slaves in those days.  Before the great and terrible day of YHWH Elohim comes, I will set portents in the sky and on earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke; the sun shall turn into darkness and the moon into blood. But everyone who invokes the Name of Elohim (YHWH) shall escape; for there shall be a remnant on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as YHWH Elohim promised.  Anyone who invokes YHWH will be among the survivors.

Note: Before the sun goes dark and the moon turns red there are portents on the earth: blood, fire and pillars of smoke. Perhaps the blood, fire and smoke fills the air and causes the sun to darken and the moon appear red? What caused the fire? A *great earthquake* maybe?

Joel 2

Blow a horn in Zion, sound an alarm on My Set Apart mount! Let all dwellers on earth tremble, for the Day of YHWH has come! It is close - a day of darkness and gloom, a  day of densest cloud spread like soot over the hills. A vast, enormous horde - nothing like it has ever happened, and it shall never happen again through the years and ages. (The shofar/horn/trumpet is blown before the darkness and gloom*)

Note: Nothing like this has ever happened before and will not happen again - that pretty much rules out lunar eclipses as the cause of the moon turning 'blood red', because those, even the tetrads, have happened several times in the past and are calculated to occur again in the future. 

I do not deny that this prophecy most certainly concerns the end time events and the return of Y'shua haMashiyach, Son of Elohim,  but there are other signs which have been recorded that precede this scenario that have yet to occur.  Scripture does indeed interpret itself, so focusing on the lunar tetrads and trying to make something out of them that is not backed up by Scriptures can turn into a false teaching.  It's understandable, though, because these are exciting times we live in, but we must always study out events as they are written and not try to force the Word of God to fit current events.  It is important to keep Scripture in context so as not to spin a 'theory' out of control.  We have been warned against the imaginings of man. We have been told beforehand; given the facts, as it were.

In the book of Matthew, the disciples had asked Y'shua about the signs of the end and his return.  He spoke of several things and the suffering that will happen, then he said:

Matthew 24:29

And immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not shine its light.  And the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of heaven will be shaken.  And then will be seen the sign of the Son of man in heaven... :31 And he will send his Messengers (angels) with a large trumpet (shofar/horn) and they will gather his chosen ones from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. (*His Set Apart believers are rescued before the darkness and gloom)

Lets take a look at the writings in Revelation.

Revelation 6:12

And I looked when he had opened the sixth seal, and there was a *great earthquake*; and the sun became black, like sackcloth of hair; and the whole moon became like blood. and the stars of heaven fell on the earth...

The Sixth Seal has yet to be opened.  We are in the time frame known as The Beginning of Sorrows which I have studied out to be related to Seals 1 through 4, which have been opened. (See the link provided below: 'Signs')

The prophecy referred to in Joel, Matthew and Revelation is one and the same and has yet to happened.  They all report that this darkened sun and blood red moon happen before the great and glorious day of YHWH, which is when Y'shua is set to return.  But before that happens the one world united nations government system with its world leader will be in place.  The 3-1/2 years of peace and safety will have passed by and Satan will possess that final world leader to do abominations that cause desolation for the remaining 3-1/2 years.  The 'mark' will have been put in place in order to buy or sell... you get the picture.

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For more detail about the signs of the times, refer to my study:
 Signs 

To understand who His Chosen people are, refer to my study:  
Who is Israel?

For more information according to astronomy, visit:
EarthSky.org

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After you have prayed and studied on this yourself, let me know if I have overlooked anything. Your thoughts, input and comments are always welcomed as well as corrections when needed.