The Day of One's Birth

The celebration of birthdays year after year is not something we should be doing. Although, the day of one's actual birth is praiseworthy and a joy beheld by the parents and shared with family, as children are gifts from Elohim, but to make a yearly party out of it doesn't lead to anything good. Yes, this includes the pagan celebration called Christmas that many people have been duped into thinking as the day Messiah was born.

As punishment for disobeying that one commandment: 

Genesis 3:16 To (Eve) He said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you will bring forth children....

Should we celebrate the day, elevating ourselves to such importance, forgetting that we caused our mothers great physical pain?

Pharaoh had his chief baker impaled during his birthday party: 

Genesis 40:20 Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. ... He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation of the dream.

Job makes sin offerings for his sons who celebrate their birthdays: 

Job 1:4 And his sons went and had a feast in the house of each on his day, and sent and invited their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it came to be, when the days of feasting had gone round, that Job would send and set them apart, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings – the number of them all – for Job said, “It might be that my sons have sinned and cursed Elohim in their hearts.”

John the Immerser is beheaded at Herod's birthday party: 

Matthew 14:6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 

With that scenario in mind, I will include a link to this information:

Bad Dancing

There is nothing wrong with knowing how many years we have lived. Knowing the age of people was kept track of since there were age requirements in regards to taxes and military service. The ages of those recorded in the genealogies give us a time frame to work with in our studies. It is the adopted pagan practice of celebrating the day with drinking, eating and dancing (party time) that has been passed on down through the generations that we should stop doing.  

Birthday celebrations are actually rooted in paganism. The Encyclopedia Americana (1991 edition) states: "The ancient world of Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Persia celebrated the birthdays of gods, kings, and nobles."
Authors Ralph and Adelin Linton reveal in their book The Lore of Birthdays: "Mesopotamia and Egypt were also the first lands in which men remembered and honoured their birthdays. The keeping of birthday records was important in ancient times principally because a birth date was essential for the casting of a horoscope."
So, there is a direct connection between the Pagan practice of birthday celebrations and astrology (horoscopes and fortune telling).

Also, The World Book Encyclopedia (volume 3, page 416) states:

"The early Christians did not celebrate [Y'shua's] birth because they considered the celebration of anyone's birth to be a pagan custom." 

Down to the fourth century Christianity rejected the birthday celebration as a pagan custom.

Notice also the record of the first century historian Josephus: The Jews in Christ’s day knew God’s attitude toward birthday celebrations, “Nay, indeed, the law does not permit us to make festivals at the births of our children” (Flavius Josephus, Against Apion, Book II, section 26). 

Remember His Name

Jeremiah 23:26 (YHWH asks) 

"How long? 

Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets 
who prophesy falsehood, 

even these prophets of the deception of their own heart, 

who intend to make My people forget My name 

by their dreams which they relate to one another, 

just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal?

~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~

Hebrew is read from right to left....

 ←

This is the Name of our Father: 

→ Y H W H

Romans 10:13- For everyone that will call on the name of Master YHWH will have life. How then will they call on him, in whom that have not believed? Or how will they believe in him of whom they have not heard? Or of whom will they hear without a preacher? how will they preach if they are not sent forth? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of the heralds of peace and of the heralds of good things."

I have learned that the alphabet of Old Hebrew (Aramaic) was derived from the Phoenician. And the Phoenician alphabet came from what is called the Proto-Sinaitic, represented by the image above. As Hebrew is read from right to left the picture reads: Yod - Heh - Waw - Heh. 

This alphabet was in part derived from Egyptian hieroglyphics and adapted to the Semetic language.

As we continue to learn, and begin to remember the Name of our Creator, I quote linguist and historian Andrew G. Roth who points out: 

Waw or the W sound is the more ancient pronunciation in both Hebrew and Aramaic. Later Hebrew literature leans more to the Vav or V sound. (end quote)

Pronouncing His Name as "Yah-Weh" is acceptable, if not the proper way to pronounce it, but I will not turn this into a topic of contention.  There are way too many views on this and I am happy to know that there is a Name Above All Names and we His people are finally accepting the fact and learning it.  Knowing His Name does not mean that we must learn to speak the entire Hebrew language, but I do suggest learning to recognize Hebrew idioms and poetic writings (which were lost in translations). All is helpful in gaining a better understanding when reading Scriptures.  

Andrew Gabriel Roth from the Aramaic English New Testament:

YHWH is the name of the Most High Elohim. Netzari followers of Y'shua never subscribed to the Rabbinic ban against vocalizing the Name of YHWH (Yah-Weh). Neither was the pronunciation lost within Jewish culture.  When Torah was translated into Greek, observant scribes preserved the Name of YHWH by writing it with Hebrew characters in the Septuagint. Mainstream rabbinical Judaism decided that because of the sanctity of the Name and the fierce punishment for abuse and blasphemy of the Name, that they would ban the pronunciation and say "Adonai" instead of YHWH. "Adonai" was then translated into the Greek "Kurios" which was then translated into the English "Lord".  The English word "Lord" is an equivalent term for Baal. 

Exodus 20:7 ... do not bring the Name of יהוה your Elohim to naught, for יהוה does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught.

What are we doing when we call our Father "Lord"? We are taking His Name in vain, replacing it with the name of a pagan god, bringing His Name to naught, to nothingness.

Hosea 13:1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel, but he incurred guilt by worshiping Baal and died.

Deuteronomy 4:4 Your eyes have seen what יהוה did at Ba‛al Pe‛or, for יהוה your Elohim has destroyed from your midst all the men who followed Ba‛al Pe‛or.

Baal was the name of the supreme god worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. The practice of Baal worship infiltrated the life of the Israelites during the time of the Judges (Judges 3:7), became widespread in Israel during the reign of Ahab (1 Kings 16:31-33) and also affected Judah (2 Chronicles 28:1-2)

~ * ~ * ~

Quote from Britannica:  Although Christian scholars after the Renaissance and Reformation periods used the term Jehovah for YHWH, in the 19th and 20th centuries biblical scholars again began to use the form Yahweh. Early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century, had used a form like Yahweh, and this pronunciation of the tetragrammaton was never really lost. Many Greek transcriptions also indicated that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh.

I am YHWH your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage: You shall have no other gods besides Me. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. I YHWH am your Elohim, impassioned, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children upon the third and the fourth generations of those who reject Me, but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments. You shall not swear falsely by My Name for I will not clear one who does.

Leviticus 23:10 .... There came out among the Israelites one whose mother was Israelite - Shelomith, daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan - and whose father was Egyptian. A fight broke out in camp between the son and a certain Israelite. The son of the Israelite woman pronounced the Name in blasphemy and was brought to Moses and was placed in custody. YHWH told Moses to take the blasphemer outside the camp and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let the whole community stone him.

There are reasons we've become unaware of His Name and Satan is the only one happy about that. If we don't know His Name we might just call upon any god.  One reason is given in Jeremiah 44:24-26 - they have been worshipping a pagan goddess while calling upon the Name of Elohim, all while they burnt incense to the Queen of Heaven.

44:24 Hear the word of YHWH, all Judeans in the land of Egypt! You and your wives have confirmed by deed what you spoke in words saying; We will fulfill the vows which we made, to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and to pour libations to her. 26 .... none of the men of Judah in all the land of Egypt shall ever again invoke My name... 

Semiramis was the Queen of Babylon. When deified she became known as the Queen of Heaven, the Babylonian goddess Ishtar.  The modern day version of this Babylonian goddess worship is the Catholic Mary mother of god worship....

Yud (Y)

Ancient Name: Yad 

Pictograph:  Arm and closed hand

Meanings: Work, Throw, Make, Praise

Sound:  Y, iy

Hey (H)

Pictograph: Man with arms raised

Meanings: Look, Reveal, Breath

Sound:  H, eh

Waw (W)

Ancient Name:  Waw 

Pictograph: Peg 

Meanings:  Add, Secure, Hook 

Sound:  W, ow, uw

Hey (H)

Pictograph:  Man with arms raised 

Meanings:  Look, Reveal, Breath 

Sound:  H, eh

~ * ~ * ~

Symbolic Connections to the Name YHWH:

Yod: 
Symbol: Arm and closed hand ~ Meaning: Work, Throw, Make, Praise

Heh: 
Symbol: Man with arms raised ~ Meaning: Look, Reveal, Breath

Waw: 
Symbol: Peg ~ Meaning: Add, Secure, Hook 

Heh: 
Symbol: Man with arms raised ~ Meaning: Look, Reveal, Breath

His Name does not represent:  "Behold Nail Behold Hand"

That is a backwards reading of His Name some folks use to point towards the crucifixion of Y'shua. Their intentions may be good but the idea is stretching it quite a bit. It is true that the Son came in the Father's name, to do His works and both Names will be written upon the foreheads of the 144,000 first fruits of the earth when that day comes.  But lets not twist the physical in an attempt to make it fit the spiritual.

quote:

The name of the Heavenly Father is composed of four Hebrew letters. For that reason it is referred to as the Tetragrammaton. Understand that when James Strong produced his concordance, the popular view among scholars was that the name of the Heavenly Father was Jehovah. Strong and most scholars of that time were still following the error of the original English translators who had mistakenly incorporated the vowel points occurring in the Hebrew text into the transliteration. These vowel points had been added by the Masoretes to maintain their belief that the Sacred Name should not be spoken. For those fluent in Hebrew the vowel points are not necessary for reading or understanding the text. .... the same “liberties” that were taken with YHWH’s Name were also applied to the Savior’s Name in Hebrew. Because of these corrupted traditions it is necessary to disregard the vowel points when translating these names. (end quote)

The name of the Son

The name of the Father is in the name of His Son, the name He gave him, meaning:

Yah is Salvation = Yahshua

י ה ו שׁ ע

from right to left the Hebrew letter are:

yod - hey - waw - shin - ayin 

pronounced Yah-Shua

Priesthood Chart

Click Here to go to the source of this chart

Tighten Your Belts

Know that there comes a time when we are to knock the dust off our feet and walk away from certain types of people. Love them = Yes; Forgive them = Yes; Take your shalom and go = Yes.

Mark 6:10 ~ “When you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them.”

The reason it is alright to walk away from these folks is because they are the types of people who will suck the life blood out of you; drag your heart into their misery; pretend to listen to your words of advice then continue to use you at their every whim.  It is a sad deal but I believe it all plays into the end time warnings we have been given and identifies types of people we all know. 

Y'shua answered his disciples when they asked about the signs of the end of the world and his return: Many stumble, hate each other and will report 'believers' to the authorities to save their own lives (betray one another). Because of the spread of wickedness, lawlessness, the love of many grows cold. 

What we see going on today is our practice-run, folks. It is not going to go well with the ones left behind and the reason our time is shortened is because it would break our hearts to witness His Day of Wrath which will affect our family, friends and loved ones, just to name a few. It just might turn us into a pillar of salt if He left us on this earth to witness the results of His Wrath. Sure, we've read all about it, being in His Word every day.... but to see the unimaginable happen before our eyes to folks we love? It would be as if no flesh could survive. 

Now is the time to separate ourselves from those who won't listen. Now is the time to leave those places we are not welcomed.

Abiding by His Instructions: The Moedim

When we come into covenant with our Maker there are terms of that covenant we are to abide by. A section of those terms are instructions in observing specific set apart times, His moedim. There are segments of those instructions we are unable to fulfill these days because the temple no longer stands in Jerusalem nor is there the priesthood to handle the daily affairs of temple life. This includes the various offerings which were to be brought to the temple in Jerusalem three times a year: the passover offering, Shavuot and Sukkot. Neither are we to substitute what we think is right in the meantime. His Set Apart times are meant to be observed throughout the generations, which we can do in 'remembering' why they were done and realizing how they train us up for a future time. We still treat them as sacred times and observe them as the Sabbaths that they are, sans sacrifice, offerings and traveling to Jerusalem.

Y'shua is the Lamb of Elohim and his blood was shed for the forgiveness of sin. In this he has become our High Priest offering atonement on our behalf. He has gone before the throne of Elohim for our sake, seated at His right hand until the day of wrath. He also pointed out that 'we' are the temple, as he knew the destruction of the physical temple would come. Designating our physical bodies as 'temples' makes it possible for the Spirit of YHWH, the Ruach haKodesh to dwell within.  This Spirit comforts us with truth.

Because of the sacrifice of His Son we are no longer obligated to make a passover offering which was originally for the sake of painting the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintels of the houses believers were living in, protecting from 'death' that night and set free from bondage to Pharaoh in Egypt. Nor should we try to substitute any other behaviors at this time.  They were also instructed not to delay nor wait for the dough to rise before they left, hence the days of Unleavened Bread. We, too, can eat unleavened bread for seven days in remembrance of the mighty works of our Creator. We treat the first and the last day as Sabbaths. We can take this opportunity to read and share from Exodus to remember why Yah did what He did. 

The Feast of Weeks is a tough one to fulfill as most of us are not farmers, raising barley and wheat. And, again we cannot bring an offering to the priest in Jerusalem on the fifty day count after the barley harvest. One can't even rely on an accurate day of when the barley harvest begins in Israel, let alone count off 50 days! So even our attempts at observing Shavuot is iffy at best.

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.

During this time called the Feast of Weeks we can observe it by being 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 must 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 ways whereby the House of Jeroboam incurred guilt.

The next appointments are referred to as the fall feasts, set times of Yahweh to be celebrated as sacred occasions. 

Leviticus 23:23-44

• On the first day of the 7th month sound the trumpet;
• 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

After further study I have learned that the Day of Trumpets was originally called a Day of Shouting as in making a joyful noise unto Yahweh. Searching out this moed further, I came across something I had totally missed before! 

Numbers 10:

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Make two silver trumpets. Of hammered work you shall make them, and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp. And when both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. But if they blow only one, then the chiefs, the heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you. When you blow an alarm, the camps that are on the east side shall set out. And when you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are on the south side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out. But when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow a long blast, but you shall not sound an alarm. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations. And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before Yahweh your Elohim, and you shall be saved from your enemies. On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months (new moon), you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your Elohim: I am Yahweh your Elohim.”

Do you see what I see? Two Silver Trumpets - not shofars (ram's horn) - to be sounded to gather the congregation, or to be blown over burnt offerings and sacrifices of peace offerings and to be sounded at the new moon sighting and appointed feasts. Two silver trumpets. So I must ponder this: if we can no longer make offerings and not gather at the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem, the only time (other than wartime) we would sound two silver trumpets would be at the sighting of the new moon (Jerusalem time) and at Yom Teruah, the day of shouting, making a joyful noise of thanksgiving to our Creator. But wait! Only the priests were in charge of these two trumpets!  So, what are regular old joes doing blowing on their shofars whenever they feel like it?

Leviticus 23:23 ~ YHWH 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.

On the first day of the 7th month of Yah's Calendar we may observe the Feast of Trumpets as a Sabbath's day rest and do no work on this day. Shout praises unto Elohim, let Him remember 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 or fast if you are able, stay off the computer and turn off the TV and radio, 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.

Leviticus 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 Yah 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.

Next up is Sukkot, the in-gathering of Yah's people, which begins on the 15th day of this seventh month. This is another one of the set times where the males traveled to Jerusalem, after the end of the season's harvest, to make the appropriate offerings at the temple, and they lived in sukkahs while there. Only during every 7th year did the entire household attend Sukkot. We 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' with our family in our own backyards for the seven days, I don't see why not as long as we remember we do this so that we teach future generations that Yah made His people live in make-shift shelters when He brought them out of Egypt. He left the 'light on' but it wasn't at Motel 6. Read from Scriptures every day and night, Genesis through Deuteronomy, remembering the awesome power of our Creator, Yahweh.

There are many groups who like to advertise a gathering place for folks to celebrate Sukkot, which seems like a good thing, but in reality Yah chose Jerusalem as the last place He attached His Name, so how can we think we are honoring him if we do it our own way, and wherever and however we choose? We know enough not to make it up as we go along. I refer back to Jeroboam. 

Follow His Instructions. Do not substitute what you think is right and pleasing. Think about what Nadab and Abihu were doing, remember what Jeroboam did, and make the realization we are not to improvise.

We must abide by the Creator's Instructions, the terms of His covenant, and follow Him with all our heart, doing what is right in His sight; and not substitute anything in place of His Instructions lest we become displeasing or provoke Him and incur guilt. Continue to read Scriptures and let the Ruach haKodesh reveal His Truth. 

From my studies I share the basic outline of how to keep Yah's Set Apart times in this day and age within His parameters. See how different and easy it is compared to the various offerings and engagements from the Hebrew Roots Messianics plan of action which cost money, time and travel? and how simplified compared to Jewish tradition (oral law: the very thing Y'shua taught against).

I can understand why our heavenly Father said this in 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 (calendar 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.

Satan has a counterfeit for almost everything put forth by our Creator; let us not fall into this same pattern. The example of Jeroboam is what happened in 1 Kings 25 when he (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 according to Yahweh! 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 right in comparison to what is actually recorded in Scriptures.

Click Here to go to the study

Who is Israel? 

 and Scroll Down to the heading:

The time of Solomon - Division of the Tribes

for more about Jeroboam's deception

Babylon: A Mystery No More

A Mother and Her Harlots

⇔⇔⇔

Come out of her My People

_=_=_=_

In Revelation 18 we read of the demise of Babylon. She, Babylon the Great, has Fallen ... it has become a cavern of demons, and the home of every unclean spirit, and every unclean and hateful bird and every unclean and hateful beast of prey. All nations have drank the wine of her wrath and the kings of the earth have practiced whoredom with her... the merchants of the earth have been enriched by the abundance of her luxuries. We are warned to 'come out of her' so as not to participate in her sins, which have reached high heaven, nor should we be subject to her plagues because The Creator has remembered her wickedness.

Click here to go to my study A Woman Rides the Beast

In an attempt to understand who and what the end times Mystery Babylon represents, we'll take into consideration that most (if not all) events in the Tanakh (Old Testament) are types and shadows pointing towards what is happening in our day and age. Imagine it similar to the skin of an onion peeling away. It's the same onion, just another layer being removed. 

Lets take a look at the original City of Babylon, it's history, lifestyle and religious mindset.  Genesis 11 is a short reference to this city, but sets the ground work:

Everyone on earth had the same language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said, "Let us make hard bricks and build a city and a tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for ourselves..." When YHWH came down to take a look, He said, "If these people of one language can come up with an idea like this, then there is nothing that they set their mind to that will be out of reach. Lets go down and confound their speech so they won't be able to understand each other" (thus putting an end to such behavior). Yah scattered them from there over the face of the earth and they stopped building the city. It is called Babel (Babylon) because it was there Yahweh confounded their speech and scattered them.

Out of their pride and arrogance they came together for the sake of their own glory... they wanted to make a name for themselves. Not only did Yahweh confound their speech but He scattered them. Years later the House of Israel was scattered, part of which was exiled to Babylon in Nebuchadnezzar's day. During those seventy years living among the Babylonians many bad habits were picked up by those dispersed Israelites, and they brought them back to Judea whence they returned. During this time line is when the religion of Judaism became woven with mysticism and man's own pride and arrogance, the Babylonian Mindset.

Cain, a condemned murderer had started the first cities before the Flood. Nimrod builds the first post-Flood cities. Nimrod's name is from the root word which means "let us revolt." He is said to be a mighty hunter in the sight of Elohim. He becomes a tyrant leading an organized rebellion against the rule of The Creator. He hunts not only animals, but the souls of men.

Here is more information I gathered 

from the website of L. Dolphin:

Nimrod is the founder of both Babylon and Nineveh, the two great cities of antiquity which became, ultimately, enemies of Israel. Nimrod evidently gained a great reputation as such a hunter, but he was more than a hunter of wild animals. By the founding of Babylon and Nineveh we have a hint given of the nature of this man. We are told here that he was "the first mighty man on earth," i.e., after the flood. That phrase, "mighty man," takes us back to Genesis 6 where, in that strange story of the invasion of the "sons of God" into the human race, there resulted a race of giants called Nephilim. We are told that "these were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown." This demonic invasion of the race .... brought into being a race of giants that were morally degraded. These also appear later on in the Canaanite tribes. We have found this suggestive line of thought running through the Scriptural account up to this point. Nimrod apparently was one of these "mighty men," and therefore introduced a perverted, degraded form of religion into the world. It began at Babylon, spread to Nineveh, and can be traced in history as it subsequently spread throughout the whole of the earth. Thus, in this man Nimrod, we have the seed of idolatry and false religion coming in again after the flood. In the Babylonian religion, Nimrod (aka Marduk) held a unique place. His wife was Semiramis. Marduk and Semiramis (became known as) the ancient god and goddess of Babylon. They had a son whom Semiramis claimed was virgin-born, and they founded the mother and child cult. This was the central character of the religion of ancient Babylon, the worship of a mother and child, supposedly virgin-born. You can see in this a clever attempt on the part of Satan to anticipate the genuine virgin birth and thus to cast disrepute upon the story when Y'shua would later be born. (end quote)

Click here to go to my study Nephilim - Then and Now

Our Creator was never about religious groups, churches, denominations or 'other gods' and as He states later in Exodus 20. It is important enough that it is one of the first things on the list that our Father explains during His meeting with Moses on Mount Horeb.

Exodus 20:
I am YHWH your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage: You shall have no other gods besides Me.  You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them.  I Am your Elohim, impassioned, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children upon the third and the fourth generations of those who reject Me, but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

We are not to have any other gods, idols, deities, icons, likeness or images of what we think god or 'Jesus' looks like or angels, nor are we to have fetishes like good luck charms, nic-nacs or statues of earthly things or of things in the waters. No 'fish symbols' or dream catchers, peace signs, obelisks, crosses, crescent moon, pentagrams, hexagrams...

YHWH has established Himself as the Only Living Elohim and instructs us right off the bat to have nothing to do with 'other gods' from the imagination of men which they make for themselves. There is only "One God" and His Name is YHWH (Yah-weh) who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them. It is by Faith that we believe what He says is true. Spending every day reading His Word helps to reveal this Truth. Anything else is a false god, idol, image that has its origins in deception and its purpose is to distract us from our Father and His Instructions in Righteousness.

If you do not believe this,

then nothing else will make sense to you.

Remember, 
Satan wants to be worshiped as 'god' and he's been working a very long time at achieving this status.

~~~

Babylon is the setting for Daniel and his dreams and visions which tell about the time of the end when a final king would arise and attempt to conquer the world.  We'll start with Nebuchadnezzar's dream about a large statue.

Daniel 2:32
The head of that statue was of fine gold; its chest and arms were of silver; its belly and thighs of bronze; its legs were of iron, and its feet part iron and part clay. A stone was hewn, not by hands, and struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. All at once, the iron, clay, bronze, silver and gold were crushed and became like chaff of the threshing floors of summer; a wind carried them off until no trace was left. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that YHWH Elohim in heaven reveals mysteries and has made known to the king what is to be at the end of days, and proceeds to interpret the king's dream:

The head of gold represents Nebuchadnezzar's current reign as king of Babylon. After his kingdom one represented by the silver, inferior to gold, arises, then yet a third kingdom, of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. But the fourth kingdom, strong as iron, will smash and crush those before it. The feet which were part iron and part clay means it will be a divided kingdom. And the toes which are mixed iron and clay means that kingdom will be part strong and part brittle.
:43 You saw iron mixed with common clay; that means: they shall intermingle with the offspring of men, but shall not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. In the time of those kings, YHWH will establish a kingdom that shall never be destroyed nor transferred to another people. It will crush and wipe out all these kingdoms and itself shall last forever, just as the stone hewn from the mountain, not by hands, crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver and gold.

Make a note here, verse 43, "they shall intermingle with the offspring of men..." sounds an awful lot like what what was going on in the days of Noah when those divine beings left their station in heaven to defile themselves with the daughters of men resulting in genetic mutants known as the Nephilim. Y'shua also warns us about it 'being like the days of Noah' as one of the signs prior to his return.  Who are 'they'? Non-humans? Trans-humans? Demon-spirits posing as extraterrestrials? These all exist in today's world, whether real or imagined, the kingdom of iron mixed with clay, the last one before the return of Y'shua. Iron mixed with clay could represent Artificial Intelligence (robotics) mixed with human beings = Transhumanism. 

Nebuchadnezzar's dream of this statue was while he was king of Babylon.

Babylon is located south of Bagdad in Iraq 

It is hard to discuss the end times government and religious system without including Daniel's visions and prophecy, but those details are many and I don't want to branch off of our Babylon study, so here is the link to the rest of that story in a study I posted couple of years ago:  Future Govt

Babylon is in the same area known as Chaldea, and Ur is near the location of Babylon.  Ur is where Yah called Abram to come out of. Abram's dad was into paganism. What do these things have in common?  They ALL have their roots in paganism. They put other gods in place of the Living Elohim. They made images and worshiped them. Coming 'out of Babylon' seems to be a call to leave paganism behind, just as Abram was called out.

What is paganism?
Any thing, thought, practice, tradition, behavior which is opposed to the Instructions set forth by our Creator, YHWH.

In Nimrod, we have the same pride and arrogance within that seed of idolatry and false religion coming in again after the flood: Sun God, Virgin Mother and Child worship. (This is rather evident in the Roman Catholic Church and carries through in other religions.) 

Did Nimrod carry the demon spirit of the Nephilim? Genesis 10 records the lines of Shem, Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, who were born after the flood. Verse 6 tells us the descendants of Ham and verse 7 lists the descendants of Cush. Interestingly, verse 8 reads: "Cush also begot Nimrod", as if making a special side note about it.  Stay tuned for yet another study in regards to Nimrod.

It is possible for me to come to the conclusion that Mystery Babylon represents the entire religious political order of the world today, rooted in paganism, seeking to gain earthly honor by means of religious authority. This is Satan's plan. He wants to be 'god' and he uses religion and churches, temples and synagogues, shrines and mosques, and those who teach lies, as part of his counterfeit to YHWH's Instructions in Righteousness.  Many have sold their souls to the Dragon for the promise of wealth and prestige. Many thrive on their pride and arrogance. This is the Babylonian mindset.

There are interesting things in current events that seem to mirror what we have read in Scriptures in regards to the end. For example, the pope has been meeting with world leaders and establishing an agenda for a one-world-system. Indeed, those in dark rooms have had this planned for centuries and it is the same old story as the tower of Babel. The cycle repeats.  And I agree... "They" just need to get the right puppet leaders in place. The stage is being set.

Now, consider this possible connection: 
Out of their pride and arrogance the UN has come together to form the final world governing system. Modern technology has brought all languages back as one, so all can understand each other and continue planning and building as they rebel against YHWH.  The final world leader will take his position as the head of this organization in the near future.... Welcome back, Nimrod. 

Let There Be Light - Part I

A Day by any other name is still a Day

But on the Seventh Day we are to Rest

This links to Part II 

of the study on YHWH's Method of Counting

It has come to my attention that there are those who believe in a New Moon Day separate unto itself, and that the day of rest is an eight day count, and these people even suggest counting backwards to the new moon to justify the dates of His Set Apart times. After a few days pondering this idea, it still does not set right within me.

If we cannot agree on when a day begins, then, really, none of this matters.

This is Mrs. G's comment that began the discussion and my study: "...the calendar from Scripture (shows) His weekly Sabbaths will fall on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th every time when using His calendar. Scripture verifies this in the OT and the NT" (end quote)

Therein is the challenge.

I figured I'd better take a closer look at Scriptures about this topic of 'day' and the first thing that came to mind was:  Wouldn't a seven day count be 7, 14, 21 and 28, every time?

YHWH did His work of creation in six days; blessed and rested from His work on the Seventh Day. Yah made the seventh day Sabbath for us, as a sign between Him and His people. Since He is Set Apart and rested on the 7th day of creation He desires that we also rest on the 7th day from our work. He set the pattern for us to follow, and this was just the first of many included in His Instructions for His created (that includes you and me). He began His count of days from the beginning of creation, when there was darkness over the face of the deep.

In Genesis 1:3 Our Creator said 'Let there be light." He separated the light (Day) from the darkness (Night) and there was evening and there was morning, a first day. 
(the way I read it, the definition of a Day is from evening, including the morning and on to the following evening. It consists of both the Light and the Dark phases of the time line called Day.)

Exodus 16:23 ...then he said to them, "This is what Yah meant: Tomorrow is a Sabbath observance, set apart to Him. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning." 35:2 "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Set Apart day, a Sabbath of Complete Rest to Yahweh Elohim. 
(Set it aside to be kept until morning:  Set is aside at evening time, before the beginning of the next day... Get all preparations done before sundown, the beginning of the seventh day...)

Leviticus 23:3 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of Complete Rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a Sabbath to your Elohim, in all your dwellings.

Deuteronomy 5:12 'Observe the Sabbath day to keep it set apart as YHWH your Elohim commanded you.

If the new moon is usually visible towards evening time, and the sighting of it denotes the beginning of another month (first day of that month), then wouldn't the time period called 'day' begin at evening? Each day from evening to evening.

The Pattern: 1. Darkness 2. Light 3. Day 4. Night

In the beginning the earth was unformed and void with darkness over the surface of the deep. Yah said Let there be light, and it was good, and He separated the light from the darkness = Day and Night.  And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.

Unformed defined:: not arranged in regular shape, order, or relations; undeveloped

Void defined:: containing nothing :not occupied :vacant :not inhabited :being without something specified

↭↭↭↭

Our Father counted days from the first day of creation. We begin our count of days from the sighting of the new moon. Each new moon begins a new count; the first crescent is Day One, the beginning of the month. Each seven day count from the new moon is the Sabbath Day of Rest.

Later on in Scriptures we read that Jeremiah tries to remind the people about that day of rest: 17:21 Thus says YHWH, "Take heed for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.  You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day set apart, as I commanded your forefathers." Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction.…"  (no buying or selling, conducting commerce, doing work)

Quote from Mrs. G: Back in their day they worked from sunup to sundown. So in the creation account we see that the LIGHT was called the DAY part, and the darkness was called NIGHT. Now where people get thrown from is from "And the evening and the morning were the first day." He started His work in the morning and He finished in the evening as the sun was setting turning into night. The DAY part consists of the morning and the evening. (end quote)

This doesn't make sense to me, and Mrs. G assumes "He started His work in the morning and He finished in the evening as the sun was setting turning into night." In Genesis 1, in the beginning when our Creator began His work the first thing He created was Light, which He separated into Day and Night; so would it be safe to say He started His work at night, in darkness? He didn't even create the sun and the moon util day four.  Day and Night are a necessary part of living on this earth, and He did not curse these things.

Quote from Mrs. G: Remember He separated the light from the darkness, therefore what He separated we cannot then join together. Our heavenly Father is not about darkness but about light. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that Elohim is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (end quote)

This statement is partly true but her assumption is crazy to me because if you ever watched the sun set, day slowly blends into twilight at the setting of the sun. It's not like 'lights out!' a definite break between light and dark.  I'm pretty certain misunderstandings occur because of the use of words and our modern day perception of what we think those words mean. That sort of confusion comes from the Adversary if we don't study it out for ourselves.

This verse has been used to support a day begins at sunrise; Messiah said: "Is there not 12 hours in a day?" 

In John 11 we read the verse in context:  Y'shua's friend Lazar is sick and dies. Y'shua heard about him but stayed where he was for two days, then says to his disciples he's ready to go to Judea.  They promptly warn him that the Jews are ready to kill him, why would he want to go there now?  His reply is: "Are there not twelve hours in a day, and if a man walks during the daylight, he will not stumble because he sees the light of this world. But if a man should walk during the night, he will stumble because  there is no flame in him. "(Note: 'no flame in him' is an Hebrew idiom meaning one is not enlightened) How does his response tie in with the warning his disciples were concerned about?  They were afraid for his life because the Yehudeans were on the warpath. Messiah refers to twelve hours in a day, walking during daylight would be easier than traveling at night, perhaps meaning now during the daylight hours was a better time to go to Lazar's home than to try to sneak around in the night time to avoid being stoned by the Jews?

I note that as the seasons pass, the light of day grows shorter until the shortest day and then begin to grow longer. The amount of daylight changes... this verse does not define what a day is and may be another parable pointing to the fact that we are children of light and not of the devil. Children of Satan do enjoy living in the darkness of night.

Day and Night are not evil opposites and were clearly a necessary part of creation. Spiritual darkness came later and is an evil thing opposing Y'shua who is the Light of the World, and not just the daytime part only. According to what is written in John 11, one who is enlightened can walk day or night and not stumble.  We know that Satan is the 'prince of darkness' over this world, and not just the nighttime part only. It seems when folks forget to separate the physical occurrence from the spiritual implications of what we read in Scriptures an understandable misunderstanding can arise between the use of words, such as day/night and light/darkness, which makes it easier to choose the definition of a day as being from sunup to sundown and just ignore the night altogether; and just ignore YHWH.