Atonement

Leviticus 16

:32 ~ The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall make atonement. He will put on the sacred linen garments and make atonement for the Most Set Apart Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the assembly. This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the people because of all their sins. And all this was done as Master Yahweh had commanded Moses.…

Atonement was necessary because of the impurities and rebellious acts of that mixed multitude that came out of Egypt in regard to all their sins. It is just as necessary for us today and it is Y'shua the Anointed One, Son of the Heavenly Father, who shed his blood for the atonement of our sins. 

Atonement is the act of making amends, offering expiation for a wrong or injury which reconciles believers to Yahweh through the death of His Son, Yahshua, who said no-one comes to the Father except through him. This isn't a catch-all or end game scenario. Y'shua's shed blood only covers those who abide by YHWH's Instructions and have the testimony of His Son. When we come into covenant with our Creator we agree to the terms of that covenant. If we don't we shall not be part of the first resurrection at the return of Y'shua.

In Matthew 26 Y'shua told his 12 apostles: 

"This is my blood of the renewed covenant, which for the sake of many is shed for the forgiveness of sins."

For the sake of many, not for the sake of everybody.

And in John 10 Y'shua tells them: 

"There is no love that is greater than this, that a man lay down his life for the sake of his friends. You are my friends if you do all that I commanded you everything that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

He laid down his life for those who live by all that he has taught which is everything he has heard from our Creator aka YHWH's Instructions (Genesis through Deuteronomy). This is the blood of the renewed covenant, the writings found in what is commonly called the New Testament.

Revelation 12:11- And they overcame (Satan, the Accuser), because of the blood of the Lamb, (Y'shua, whom they acknowledge openly); and they loved not their own lives, even to death. In Leviticus 17:11 Yah says- "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have assigned it to you for making atonement for your lives. It is the blood, as life, that effects atonement."

When we spend time reading Scriptures it becomes clear as to what our responsibilities are if we desire to spend a thousand years with Y'shua as our king and high priest and have eternal life.  How many times have I thought to myself, "O, to have been there to hear him speak! To reach out and touch the hem of his garment and be healed!" Well folks, in order to be sharing the earth with Messiah for a thousand years there are rules and regulations set forth by the Father. It is by His Set Apart Spirit we see these truths and choose Life, the Blessing, the promise YHWH made with Abraham. We come into covenant with our Creator.  It is a choice, not automatic inclusion. It is made possible by His Son who taught us the Good News of the Kingdom to Come, wherein we find comfort.

Love Yah first and foremost, love your fellowman as yourself and let His Set Apart Spirit comfort you with all truth.  Accept Yahweh and have eyes to see the spoken word and ears that hear the written word. Humble yourself and allow YWHW to lift you up in due time. Recognize the need for atonement, accept the blood of the renewed covenant as necessary for the life of your soul.  We were once carnal Gentiles but are no longer slaves to our old sin nature because we have the testimony of Y'shua Son of Yahweh, and we are in convent with the Creator.  

Let us cling to the Rock of our Salvation.

The Reason Why

Let us take a look at what Yahweh's Instructions tell us about His Set Apart times. In previous studies I've gone over the descriptions given for each 'feast day' and many have seen how they are 'types and shadows' reflected in the life and times of Y'shua and the end times scenario yet to come. Now lets focus on why we are to observe them. 

Each 'feast day' covered in this posting is linked to a previous in-depth study for your further research, so you will see that I am not 'adding to or taking from' His word. This particular study will single out its reason and how we should observe each set time in today's world. I believe we are at that point where we worship YHWH in spirit and in truth.

Note that I have combined Passover with Unleavened Bread because the passover offering was made the evening before the first day of Unleavened Bread. I know it was common for the entire 8 days to be called The Passover but as you see, only the last few hours of daylight of the 14th day are set apart for the passover. Yahweh's days are counted from sunset to sunset, so the passover offering kicks off the days of unleavened bread. First Fruits, Feast of Weeks or Feast of the Harvest cover the time line up to Shavuot.

Passover/Unleavened Bread

The passover offering was made to YHWH as protection from death, it was the blood of the lamb painted on the doorposts and lintel that was a sign to Yahweh to pass over that dwelling and not kill any first born that may be inside. This was the final plague He brought against Pharaoh convincing him to let His people go. They leave on the 15th day of the first month which is the first day of Unleavened Bread, to be observed for all time. And when ask why and what does it mean, the answer is:

It is the passover sacrifice to YHWH Elohim because He passed over the houses of the (descendants of Jacob and the mixed multitude) in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians. 

His people are instructed to do this so they remember the day of their departure from the land of Egypt for as long as they live. The blood of the lamb was a sign to YHWH and saved them from death - they were set free from being slaves to Pharaoh. In modern times our acceptance of the shed blood of His Son is also a sign to YHWH, and sets us free from our old sin-nature, saving us from death eternal. We will be passed over on the day of His Wrath.  The Blood of the Lamb was shed for our sake. Yahshua is the Spiritual Bread from heaven, without blemish, without sin, without leaven.

Feast of Weeks/Shavuot

"Feast of Weeks" is the time of counting the days (49 days = 7 weeks) from the barley harvest. Day 50 is Shavuot. The barley harvest is not date specific because it can ripen and be ready for harvest on different days, year after year, depending on the weather. Day 50 was when the new grain offering was made. The new grain at this time was of the wheat harvest. All in all, this time period was for folks to offer the best of the best from their harvest to the priest to offer up before Yahweh. We should remember to always be thankful for His abundance in our lives and not hesitate to give the best of what we have to those in need. We should not try to put a date on something which He did not.

Trumpets

(this link covers more than just the Day of Trumpets)

This day is for making a joyful noise, something pleasing to our Creator letting him know that we are here and not to forget us, as we praise Him as our Elohim and rejoice in all His Ways. It is the first day of the seventh month according to Yah's Calendar.

Atonement

(once you click on this link you'll need to scroll down a bit to reach the Day of Atonement study)

The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement, a day to practice self denial, the day on which expiation is made on our behalf before Yahweh. It is a day we resist from tending to our usual daily 'things' and realize the importance of Yahshua who laid down his life for our sake. We should be silent this day as he goes before Yahweh on our behalf.

Sukkot

(after you click on this link, scroll down to the part about Sukkot)

This is the time of the in-gathering of Yah's people, which begins on the 15th day of this seventh month. It is a time when Set Apart believers will be gathered together and inherit the promised land.  

The cycle for the year is complete.

In observing our Creator's set times we are being trained up in order to enter His Kingdom on earth at the return of Y'shua. His set times remind us of being set free from slavery to our old sinful ways by way of His Son; to offer up the best of the best to our Creator giving thanks for His abundance in our lives. We give our offerings to the poor and needy, the hungry and thirsty and we care for widows and orphans in our communities.  We are being made ready to receive His Spirit as we continue on His path of righteous living. The sounding of the trumpets bring our attention to the beginning of the seventh month and on the tenth day we give our full attention to our Father in Heaven where Y'shua offers atonement for our sins. In all this we are made ready to be gathered together with other Set Apart believers to receive our inheritance, the land of Canaan with Yahshua as our king and high priest.

Remember that we are not to substitute what we think is right and proper. Since the temple or priesthood no longer exist, we adapt accordingly and do not travel to Jerusalem three times a year or stay home and pretend we honor Yahweh with our traditions. All added tradition only confuses the issue and takes away from Yah's intentions. 

1. Remember how He set His people free from bondage and has done the same for us 
2. Remove leaven/temptations from our homes and lifestyle so we don't fall back into our old sin nature
3. Give freely of what we have to our brothers in need thanking YHWH for His abundance in our own lives 
4. Become ready to receive His Set Apart Spirit, the Comforter who is the Spirit of Truth 
5. Obey Yahweh and speak the testimony of His Son, do not be silent about the Good News of the Kingdom to Come 
6. Be humble - it is in the hands of Yahshua to go before Yahweh on our behalf and offer atonement for our sin 
7. Look forward to the day of Messiah's return when we shall be gathered together and set down on our land as promised.

Search Scriptures and you will find that we are not instructed to observe or celebrate the birth, death or resurrection of our heavenly Father's Son, Yahshua the Anointed One. It is not a commanded holiday, feast day or set apart time found anywhere in Scriptures. Yet millions of people take part in various man-made rituals associated with Christmas and Easter while ignoring the Creator's Instructions, not knowing they are only mimicking pagan practices dressed up as Christianity. Ash Wed., Lent, Holy Week, Good Friday nor any Sunrise Service activity is found to be endorsed by YHWH; in fact we are warned against adopting the practices of pagans. Once you come out of Churchianity don't let yourself be led down the path of Judaism either. Jewish Traditions are just as big of a distraction from the truth as all other man-made religions. Let me point out that it is out of love and compassion that I share this truth, and encourage you to read Scriptures to learn this for yourself; study to show yourself approved. There are No Dead Ends on His Path - Once we discover a truth lets not stop there and set up camp in a perceived comfort zone. Falsehoods continue to fall away like the scales fell off Paul's eyes - it took me a few years of casual study before I began see more clearly, but imagine what it would be like to have His Light go on all at once!

Atonement

Matthew 26:26- while they were dining, Y'shua took bread and blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, "Take, eat. This is my body." And he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them and said, "Take, drink from it, all of you (his 12 Apostles). This is my blood of the renewed covenant, which for the sake of many is shed for the forgiveness of sins."

In John 10:11 Y'shua says he is the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the flock. Then, in John 15:13 he says, "There is no love that is greater than this, that a man lay down his life for the sake of his friends. You are my friends if you do all that I commanded you - everything that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."

And what did Y'shua the Anointed One eventually do? He willingly fulfilled his part in the divine plan and was led to his death, without argument, without resistance. He laid down his life for his friends, those who abide by the Father's Instructions. His blood was shed for our sake, for atonement.

Revelation 12:11- And they overcame (Satan, the Accuser), because of the blood of the Lamb, (Y'shua, whom they acknowledge openly); and they loved not their own lives, even to death. Leviticus 17:11 Yah says- "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have assigned it to you for making atonement for your lives. It is the blood, as life, that effects atonement."

Leviticus 23:26 ~

Mark, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you. You shall practice self-denial and you shall bring an offering by fire to YHWH. You shall do no work throughout that day for it is a Day of Atonement on which expiation is made on your behalf before YHWH Elohim.  Indeed, any person who does not practice self-denial throughout that day shall be cut off from his kin and whoever does any work throughout that day I will cause that person to perish from among his people. Do no work whatsoever, it is a law for all time, throughout the ages in all your settlements. It shall be a sabbath of complete rest for you as you practice self-denial, beginning on the 9th day of the month at evening until the 10th day at evening, you shall observe this sabbath. (A Hebrew day is from evening to evening)

Numbers 29:7 ~

On the tenth day of the same seventh month you shall observe a sacred occasion when you shall practice self-denial and do no work. (Offerings by fire and libations are no longer done).

Today we observe the tenth day of the Hebrew 7th month by abstaining from all our usual daily behaviors. For the most part, the practice of sacrifice stopped in the year 70 AD, when the Roman army destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, the place where sacrifices were offered. The practice was briefly resumed during the Jewish War of 132-135 AD, but was ended permanently after that war was lost.

Hebrews 10:11

For every high priest who stood and ministered daily, offered again and again the same sacrifices which never were sufficient to purge away sins. But this Priest (Y'shua the Anointed One) offered one sacrifice for sins, and forever sat down at the right hand of Elohim (where he waits for his kingdom to come). For by one offering he has perfected forever, them who are sanctified by him.

Now, where there is a forgiveness of sins there is no offering for sin demanded.

The Fall Appointments

These are the set times of Yahweh to be celebrated as sacred occasions:

Leviticus 23:23-44

• On the first day of the 7th month sound the shofar;
• The 10th day of this month is The Day of Atonement; 
• On the 15th day of this 7th month begin the Feast of Booths
• Followed by the 8th Day, a solemn gathering

It has been noted that Yah's Set Apart times are also types and shadows of things to come, that those which occur during the spring have been fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Yahshua, and that the ones which occur in the fall (the 7th month) are yet to be fulfilled. These could be related to events recorded in Revelation:

The 7th Seal, which has yet to be opened...

The 7 Shofars, which have yet to sound....

The Gathering of Yah's Chosen People...

Yahshua as our king and High Priest

After 1,000 years Yah restores all things

Leviticus 23:23

Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, "Speak to the Israelite people thus: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts. You shall not work at your occupations and you shall bring an offering by fire to YHWH Elohim.

23:27

The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you: you shall practice self denial, and you shall bring an offering by fire to YHWH Elohim; you shall do no work throughout that day. It is a Day of Atonement on which expiation is made on your behalf before Yahweh your Elohim. Whoever does not practice self denial throughout that day will be cut off from his kin, and whoever does any work throughout that day, I will cause that person to perish from among his people. Do no work whatever; it is a law for all time, throughout the ages, in all your settlements. It shall be a sabbath of complete rest for you and you shall practice self denial; on the ninth day of the month from evening to evening, you shall observe this sabbath.

And again in Numbers 29 with more details:

In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations. You shall observe it as a day when the horn is sounded (a day of festivity). You shall present a burnt offering of pleasing odor to YHWH: one bull of the herd, one ram, and seven yearling lambs, without blemish. The meal offering with them - choice flour with oil mixed in - shall be 3/10 of a measure for a bull, 2/10 for a ram and 1/10 for each of the seven lambs. And there shall be one goat for a sin offering, to make expiation in your behalf in addition to the burnt offering of the new moon with its meal offering and the regular burnt offer with its meal offer each with its libation as prescribed, offerings by fire of pleasing odor to YHWH.

29:7

On the tenth day of the same seventh month you shall observe a scared occasion with you shall practice self denial. You shall do no work. You shall present to YHWH a burnt offering of pleasing odor: one bull of the herd, one ram, seven yearling lambs, without blemish. The meal offering with them - of choice flour with oil mixed in - shall be 3/10 of a measure for a bull, 2/10 for the ram, 1/10 for each of the seven lambs. And there shall be one goat for a sin offering of expiation and the regular burnt offering with its meal offering each with its libation.

New moons, regular offerings, blasts of the shofars, atonement, 7th month, days of the month... how do we apply these rules to our modern days? How do we know God's Calendar of Months? If the temple nor the the priesthood exist, how are we to make offerings? Did Y'shua fulfill all offerings? How do we observe these times without causing YHWH to become upset with us?

We can keep these days as sacred occasions and not work at our occupations. We can shout out to YHWH on the first day and practice self denial on the tenth day. We can live as examples of what it means to be Set Apart and study out the Word of Elohim to be familiar with these appointments He put in place for us. We should not substitute other behavior or traditions and think we are pleasing Him. 

A 'sacred occasion' is akin to a dignified ceremony; solemn; earnest. 'Self-denial' is akin to setting aside our own interests; restraining our own desires; being in control of our impulses as we refrain from indulging ourselves (turn off the TV, radio, computer, phones, etc...)

On the first day of the 7th month of Yah's Calendar we observe the Feast of Trumpets as a sabbath's day rest and do no work on this day. Shout praises unto Elohim, let Yahweh know you're here! Then on the 10th day of this 7th month, set it aside as a dignified ceremony wherein not only do we treat it as a sabbath of rest and do no work but also deny ourselves our usual activities. Go without eating regular meals this day, be in prayer about your life and where you stand in the Word and know Y'shua the Son of Elohim is making Atonement in our behalf. Let us be worthy of this friendship with the one who laid down his life that we could gain life eternal.

Sukkot = The Ingathering of Yah's People

This is one of the set times where the males traveled to Jerusalem, after the end of season harvest, to make the appropriate offerings at the temple, and they lived in huts or tents while there. Only during every 7th year did the entire household attend this Feast of Booths. We can treat the first day as a sabbath day of complete rest and do the same for the 8th day. If we want to 'camp out' in our own backyards, I don't see why not as long as we remember we do this so that we teach future generations that YHWH made His people live in booths when He brought them out of Egypt.

There are many groups who like to advertise a gathering place for folks to celebrate Sukkot, which seems like a good thing, when in reality Yah chose Jerusalem, the last place He attached His Name was there, so how can we think we are honoring him if we do it our own way, where ever we choose?  We should know enough by now not to make it up as we go along.

!!! HOLD EVERYTHING !!!

Here is one of the unforeseen benefits of studying topics such as this. I had recently read a post from folks already celebrating the First Day of the 7th Month, which I thought was aligned in October, not September, but I never followed that trail at the time. Right now while looking for a calendar to share I found out where that discrepancy came from... turns out to be a rabbinic error in adding a leap month when it was not necessary.  Here is a quote from The Refiner's Fire:

For 2016 our calendar and the traditional Jewish calendar are FAR off! The reason is, the traditional calendar applies a fixed cycle of leap years, so for 2016, the traditional calendar is a leap year when it should not be! It has Nisan a whole month late! Our calendar has Nisan falling at the correct date so Pesach (passover) falls just after the Vernal Equinox, i.e., Spring. Thus our calendar for 2016 differs from the rabbinic 2016 calendar for all dates after February 9th!

So let it be known - how can we please our Creator if we don't even know what day it is? and whose fault is that? and how do we remedy this?  I see another study on the horizon! Stay tuned! 

And I also see why YHWH Elohim said this:

Isaiah 7:11 What need have I of all your sacrifices... I have no delight that you come to appear before Me - trample My courts no more. Bringing your offerings is futile, incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath you proclaim solemnities and assemble with wickedness I cannot tolerate. Your new moons (months) and your fixed seasons (man's traditions and substitutes for Yah's moedim) fill Me with loathing - they have become a burden to Me, no longer a joy. When you lift up your hands in false praise and worship I will turn My Eyes away from you.

Spiritual Metaphors

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable; a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else. A parable is a short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or biblical principal.

Y'shua spoke in parables many times, telling stories to illustrate spiritual lessons; stories that are to be interpreted in order to reveal the hidden meaning of what he was teaching.  There is no real mystery. He was teaching us to use our 'brain', to think and reason - not just follow what was fashionable at the time.

Matthew 13:34
All these things Y'shua spoke in parables to the crowd, and he would not speak to them without a parable, so might be fulfilled the things which was spoken through the prophet who said, "I will open my mouth with parables and will bring out secrets that were from before the foundation of the world." (Psalms 78:2)  

Mark 4:2
And he would teach them by parables, and would say many in his teaching.

Y'shua told his disciples that they were given to understand the mystery of the Kingdom of Elohim, but to others everything is in parables.  This can be gleaned from the parable of the sower of seeds. (Mark 4:3)

Mark 4:34
And he would not speak to them (the crowds) without parables but to his disciples he would explain everything. 

If we read and study Scriptures, we too may gain understanding.

Lets take what we know about Y'shua teaching technique and apply it to the following:

John 6:48
I am the Bread of Life. :50 this is the Bread that has descended from heaven that  a man may eat from it and he will not die! :51 I am the Living Bread who has descended from Heaven. And if a man should eat from this Bread, he will live forever. And the Bread that I give is my body which I give for the sake of the life of the world. 

He has caused quite a stir among the Yehudeans saying such things, and they couldn't understand, 'how can he give us his body to eat?' They were thinking in the physical not the spiritual realm.

John 6:53
I say to you, that unless you eat the body of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in Qnoma (underlying substance/self).  :54 And he who eats from my body and drinks from my blood has life that is everlasting, and I will raise him up on the last day. :55 for truly my body is food and truly my blood is drink.

I quote Andrew Gabriel Roth of One Faith One People Ministries --

"The body/blood imagery is metaphoric. Y'shua of course knows very well  that it is an abomination to drink any kind of blood, let alone human blood (Leviticus 17:11). Consuming human flesh is also an abomination that is strictly prohibited. There are two underlying parts: Part 1 recalls the imagery of Ezekiel 3:1-15 where the prophet ate a Torah scroll, the imagery symbolizing the prophet being sustained by and proclaiming Torah, which is the essence of what Y'shua is teaching.  Y'shua's example and teaching are to be part of our innermost being, literally taken... into our hearts.  This imagery is also seen in Mark 7:19 which distinguishes between physical food and spiritual food, and Jeremiah 31:33 which speaks of writing Torah upon the heart. Part 2 is the life which Y'shua refers to, it is not physical as in one's self, but the core essence of being, the spirit of man." end quote


John 6:63 
It is the Spirit that makes alive; the body does not profit anything. The words that I speak with you are spirit and are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe.

Here I find it useful to quote Mr. Roth again:

"As the body does not profit anything, then neither can ingesting a wafer that symbolizes the body! Sin is a violation of Torah.  The absolution of sin begins with Teshuva (turning to YHWH). Faith in Mashiyach is evidence that the Ruach haKodesh has begun to write Torah upon the heart. Obedience to Torah as the Word of YHWH is the process of Sanctification which is the setting apart of YHWH's people unto Himself, from all manner of worldliness and false religion. No volume of wafer-ism or canned prayer... will provide an acceptable substitute to being born into the Image of Elohim." end quote

John 6:58
This is the Bread that has descended from heaven. It is not as manna (physical) your forefathers ate and died. He who eats this Bread (spiritual) will live forever!

"Nothing is being eaten while Y'shua is making this statement; he had just levied a rebuke for their desire of physical rather than spiritual 'bread'.  It is Faith in Y'shua as Mashiyach which causes a person to (be sustained by him).  The 'wafer' is a pagan adulteration against Y'shua's teaching. Y'shua  observed Torah to perfection, his perfect atoning sacrifice would be remembered specifically on the Moedim (feast of Unleavened Bread) as the Word of YHWH instructs." -- Andrew Gabriel Roth

John 6:35

Y'shua said to them, I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will not hunger. And whoever believes in me will not ever thirst.

He calls himself the Bread of Life: whoever comes to him will not hunger! whoever believes in him will never be thirsty! All who believe and follow his teaching will be sustained spiritually.

The following accounts are from the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Y'shua knows his time has come, and it is the last time he will dine with his beloved disciples.  He hasn't instituted anything new or added to the Instructions of the Father in regards to keeping this fixed time. He came to do the will of the Father. He has always maintained that he is the True Bread from Heaven.

Matthew 26:26

And while they were dining, Y'shua took bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, "Take, eat. This is my body." And he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them and said, "Take, drink from it, all of you (his 12 disciples). This is my blood of the renewed covenant, which for the sake of many is shed for the forgiveness of sins."

Mark 14:22

Then while they were eating, Y'shua took bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them and said to them, "Take it. This is my body."  And he took a cup and gave thanks and blessed it and gave it to them and all of them drank from it.  And he said to them, "This is my blood of the renewed covenant, shed for the sake of many".

Luke 22:19

And he took bread and gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them and said, "This is my body, which for your sake is given.  Do this for my memorial." And likewise also concerning the cup, after they had eaten supper, he said, "This is the cup of the renewed covenant in my blood, which is shed for your sake."

It is during this set time of YHWH that the bread Y'shua is breaking is unleavened and he tells his disciples that it represents his body, as he is the true Bread from Heaven.  The cup represents his shed blood for the forgiveness of sins.  Leaven is a metaphor for sin and Y'shua was sinless - there was no leaven to be found in him. So, to do this in remembrance of him would be to break the unleavened bread at the passover meal -- not every weekend at 'church'.  It is appropriate to remember him during the feast of Unleavened Bread, as YHWH's reason for this time is to remember how powerful and awesome He Himself is by recounting all He did prior to Pharaoh setting His people free -- a foreshadow to remembering His Son whose shed blood has set us free from guilt of past sins.  This is not the 'lord's supper' or the 'last supper' but it is where the church spun their doctrine for the ritual of a weekly communion.

We have the testimony of the Son and obey the Instructions of the Father, both of which are required to become Set Apart, to become part of the commonwealth of Israel - His Chosen people.  We do remember that Y'shua died for our sake - we accept his shed blood as atonement for our sins - spiritually symbolic, a one time sacrifice but a forever covenant.

Here is more concerning the bread/wine analogy:

1 Corinthians 11:27- "He, therefore, who eats of the bread of Master Y'shua and drinks of his cup AND is not worthy of it, is guilty of the blood of Y'shua and of his body. :28 For this reason, a man should examine himself... :29  For whoever eats and drinks of it while he is unworthy... brings condemnation upon himself by not discerning the 'body of Master YHWH'. :30 For this cause, many among you are diseased and sickly and many sleep.  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (meaning if we hold ourselves up to God's Standard, in obedience to His Instructions in Righteousness, we shall not bring condemnation upon ourselves) :32 But when we are judged by our Master Y'shua we are really disciplined, that we many not be condemned with the world."

1 Corinthians 11:33- Wherefore, my Brothers, when you assemble to eat, wait for one another. And let him who is hungry eat at home, that you may assemble and not for condemnation.

1 Corinthians 10 - the entire chapter is a good teaching.  Paul points out examples from Torah so that we do not covet after the evil things  as they did - those who died in the wilderness who did not enter the promised land.  They were all immersed by Moses, under the same cloud, all passed through the same sea... they all ate the same spiritual food (provided by YHWH) and drank the same spiritual drink (water from the rock at Horeb)... yet there was a multitude of them that God was not pleased.  All the things that befell them were for an example to us and they are written for our instruction, on whom the end of the world has come. (10:11)

He is referring to idolatry, and not to eat foods sacrificed to idols.

1 Corinthians 10:16- The cup of thanksgiving which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the blood of the Messiah? And the bread which we break is it not the fellowship of the body of Messiah?  As therefore that bread is One so we are all one body.

We come to understand the we are all one in the Messiah by accepting the 'bread and the wine' of eternal life in the renewed covenant. In Deuteronomy 8 we are taught that man does not live by bread alone but he may live on anything decreed by YHWH. Therefore keep the commandments of YHWH your Elohim: walk in His ways and revere Him.

The common belief in performing 'communion' rituals is what spurred this study.  Folks think that the above mentioned Scriptures mean we should be eating the wafer and drinking the wine every weekend to remember the suffering 'Jesus' went through. Some denominations believe the wafer and wine actually become the body and blood of Messiah. 'Communion' carries way too much traditional religious baggage from the Catholic realm and distorts the original meaning of the Hebrew word for 'fellowship'. 

What is taught and believed in the Catholic Church:

Quote: Our Catholic teaching that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus, not bread and wine, is clearly taught in the Bible and throughout the 2,000-year tradition of the Church.  The early Church took this teaching seriously. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul says, "Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the Body and Blood of the Lord... for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1 Corinthians 11:27,29) Paul's statement makes sense only if the bread and wine have become the real Body and Blood of Christ.  How does this change take place? It happens during the eucharistic prayer of the Mass. At that time, the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, as the Church has always taught. Although they still look like bread and wine, they have, by divine power, actually changed into His Body and Blood. How can we know this? It requires faith. It is a mystery which, like love, we will never fully understand. The Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, His death and Resurrection are other mysteries which, along with the Eucharist, we will never fully comprehend in this life." end quote

It is appropriate to ceremoniously remember Y'shua during the time of the feast of Unleavened Bread.  He did not replace the Father's plans and instructions for us, nor did he add anything new - but he is very much a part of all of it!  Messiah is prophesied throughout the 'old testament' and the 'new testament' is an account of those prophecies fulfilled and those yet to occur. All of Scripture is to help us Remember who we are, Whom we came from and where we are going.

More about Pagan Holidays

Halloween, christmas, easter, and others... even though I took part in these festivities (from my birth through the mid 90's) I have learned the difference the study of Scriptures.

My friends and family say any time is a good time to praise (Jesus)... but even by unknowingly taking part in pagan rituals, one is NOT bringing praise to YHWH nor His Son, but you make Satan feel pretty good. He loves deception as he is the father of lies.

This 'keep christ in christmas' and believe 'jesus is the reason for the season' are just wrong. Not because I don't believe in Y'shua, but because I DO believe AND understand what YHWH is telling us, as it is written in the Original script - Leviticus in particular.  YHWH gave His people specific times to keep and observe forever, to remember Him, His power and glory and how He has brought us to where we are today. These appointed times (moedim) are:

• Pesach/Passover
• Chag HaMatzah/Unleavened Bread
• Yom HaBikkurim/First Fruits
• Shavuot/Pentecost
• Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets
• Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement
• Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles and then the 8th Day which is
• The Last Great Day

All other man-made traditional holidays we've been taught and celebrated since birth are not of our Creator but are of pagan origins - Satan inspired to lead us away from our Elohim YHWH.