Church Attendance

I have always had a very great respect and interest in the biblically described churches (the Ephesian Church, the Corinthian Church, the Church of Israel in the Wilderness, etc.). The benefit of Saints working together toward a Godly, common goal cannot be overestimated. It will be life-saving during the Tribulation (such that many will physically survive), and it has been the example from the beginning, when Saints gathered for beneficial purposes.

I have also recognized two distinct types of churches. The first is the One Church, being of the Body of Messiah with Yeshua at the head and Israel at the core (even while Israel is in an unsaved condition!). This is described in Ephesians 5:25-32. (The text must be taken literally in order for this to be seen.) The other type of churches are local assemblies, local bodies consisting of Saints (perhaps a few non-saints managing to appear part of these bodies). These local assemblies consist of folks very fervent in Godliness, righteousness, justice, the fear of God, delight in the Word of Truth, active in doing vital good works and in benefiting.

Folks in our present time who approach the Bible literally tend to see mostly contrast between the Bible and what is commonly taught in churches (fundamental, conservative and liberal), hearing a mixture of truth and error. This tends to grieve them, especially as they see obvious, glaring disagreements between sermon contents and biblical teachings.

My purposes for approaching the texts literally do not include convincing folks to abandon their congregations. I desire them to see the good and high standard of the Word of God, and to recognize the difference between truth and error so that they can live according to the Truth. I also desire them to learn the plans of God and to believe them so that their hope will be a right hope rather than an erroneous one. I am persuaded that some can benefit others in their local churches if they know the Truth (but I am also convinced that they can be viewed as troublemakers by some who are more interested in unity than in sound doctrine and practice). Leaving their churches is an act of ultimate protest and often an expression of hurt and frustration. No recourse usually exists for approaching church leadership about unsound doctrine. The only means of protest for some is to leave. The only means of stopping the frustration for others is to leave. Yet I am no advocate of leaving. I am also no advocate of being grieved every Sunday if the Word of God is being left out and the opinions of preachers is the only ‘food’.

The Word of God and the meeting in a congregation or an assembly must always be for benefit. If that meeting is not beneficial, and if one who desires to both benefit and be benefited from that church meeting is unable to find either after attempting to do both, I know of no other recourse except sitting in silence. This is fine if it is an adult. An adult with children, however, has a greater frustration, since children absorb what they hear. A parent can carefully teach children, “This is true!” and “This is false; do not believe that” during a Sunday School meeting or a church service, but that will affect the children also, and will frustrate others who are in attendance. If I knew of a good alternative, I would definitely consider it.

Some will suggest, “Well, nobody is perfect, and no church is perfect; if it were perfect, as soon as you attended, it would no longer be perfect!” That might sound good, but it is avoiding the problem. Others will suggest, “Well, why not just go find a church where the Truth is being taught?” That sounds very reasonable. It is also reasonable to purchase many rolls of pennies looking for that very rare one of great value. Finding a church where only truth is taught isn’t so easy. Our country values opinions, and one person’s ‘truth’ is another person’s error. The Bible cannot be approached that way; it is the absolute Word of God.

The best way to know the identity of Truth is to look directly into the Word of God. Commentators on the Bible are very common, and they hold very different views. Yehovah alone has the right of Biblical interpretation, but He has given understanding to some. The Scriptures are the best interpreters of Scriptures.

Finding a good church requires that one first gets to know the Word of God lest the person first goes to a church and is persuaded of doctrines that are not Biblical! If the purpose of the local church is to benefit in Godliness, righteousness, justice, Grace, etc., no person should be allowed to ‘join’ that congregation (in membership) who does not understand and believe and live according to the Word of God in the first place. Yet this has been reversed as if the local church is some type of assembly of ungodly folks whom pastors are trying to lead to righteousness. That is not a Biblically described local Church that is in ‘Jesus Christ.’

Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Messiah, he is none of His.

The standards of participation in the Body of Christ (and therefore the standards of participation in a Biblical local Church) are very high, very simple, very plain in Scriptures, and very much ignored in modern ‘church’ practice.

Again, I have no investment in anyone leaving any church. I have much investment in individuals becoming part of the Body of Messiah in Truth, and in their living Godly in every way. If folks leave, it isn’t because I recommended it, because I don’t recommend that. It is rather because either they were driven out directly (by being asked to leave) or they were driven out by their consciences because they discerned right from wrong doctrine. Children (and adults) should not be subjected to voluntarily hearkening to erroneous doctrines and to unsubstantiated spiritualized opinions even if they are given by the theologically trained.

If a group of Saints determined to meet together for benefit and learning the Word of God, this would not be considered ‘church.’ It would be considered a ‘home group’ or a ‘home study.’ ‘Church’ must consist of a formal meeting by a theologically trained and ordained minister, according to the views of almost all. This is akin to the Jewish view that a Jew who believes in Jesus is no longer Jewish. What is believed does not make it true in the eyes of the God of the Bible.

‘Church’ attendance is considered vital for ‘Christian fellowship’. The Bible describes fellowship as folks working together, not as socializing together. That working together was often to save lives from physical death. It also was to gather funds for poverty-stricken Saints who were under persecution. Every fellowship form in the Bible was a very serious undertaking, and any socialization occurring was only secondary. The modern view of fellowship strikes no resemblance to Biblically described events that I have seen. I have heard of folks going and building a church building in a poor area, and this is called an act of fellowship. This is closer than all the other usages of which I am aware; they are working together for a common goal.

Church attendance has social consequences not unlike joining the Rotary Club (though some Rotarians are far more serious about their club’s activities and benefits than I have seen in almost every local church). Seriousness about field trips, praying around poles, and Christmas parties can be very great, but seriousness about righteousness is almost non-existent.

If I cannot see benefit occurring in a local church, should I assume that it is of God? Should I take stock of myself because I cannot see it? Does this mean that I have a problem if the local church is not actively gaining a reputation for Good Works and for demonstrations of the faith of God and of the power of God? If the problem with the local church is ‘I’, it is totally without power. If I participate, and I still see no good works or demonstrations of the power of God, and if I desire that, if the problem is because I am participating, the local church is less powerful than my presence, and it is nothing.

The wise person will spend Sunday morning in Kroger; that will be far more profitable.

If you think that your local church is unique, really stressing Biblical righteousness, the fear of Yehovah, the centrality of Israel, the determination that no person will become part of this group without first truly getting to know the Word of God and demonstrating a belief in it unto righteousness, let me know. I would like to communicate with the pastor.

February 18, 2009April 26, 2017

What is Disinterestedness?

A Definition

Dictionary.com states that it is one who is “unbiased by personal interest or advantage; not influenced by selfish motives.” Such a person demonstrates true impartiality.

While dictionaries will claim that this word also has the same acceptations as uninterestedness, the older usage of this word and the Biblical concept never have to do with a lack of interest. Being uninterested in others and their situations is a subtle form of contempt.

Advantages of Being Disinterested

The main advantage of being disinterested is so that another can benefit from the disinterested person’s perspective and/or actions of justice and propriety.

Anyone having an interest in an outcome will tend to answer, advise or act in a way that will gravitate toward that outcome even if that outcome is not for the best for others or self.

One who practices disinterestedness will guide another or others to a proper outcome even if that outcome is not to the advantage of the disinterested person. A disinterested person has more investment in justice and propriety than in any advantage.

One person usually demonstrates disinterestedness with another person or persons, and not with self.

Self-Esteem

Disinterestedness kills all forms of self-esteem (high, low or normal). Every form of self-esteem is automatically an antagonist against humility, and is pride—and cannot be otherwise.

Low self-esteem is pride. A person with low self-esteem feels less responsibility and a greater freedom to place blame. This person feels special in a low way. The focus on self is always detrimental. Some with very low self-esteem opt for suicide, intentionally determining to destroy the image of God (though perhaps not thinking of this). Low self-esteem corresponds to low self-worth. No person is able to gauge his or her value with any accuracy. Thus, a person who claims to be able to do so is taking upon himself a characteristic permitted only to a god. That is arrogance.

High self-esteem is pride. A person with high self-esteem feels great ability to take on personal power, and feels little responsibility for damage to others. The focus on self is always detrimental. Some with very high self-esteem are cruel and even murderers, intentionally determining to destroy the image of God in others. High self-esteem corresponds to high self-worth. No person is able to gauge his or her value with any accuracy. Thus, a person who claims to be able to do so is taking upon himself a characteristic permitted only to a god. That is arrogance.

Normal self-esteem is pride. A person with normal self-esteem will view self in comparison to others. The focus on self is always detrimental. Some with normal self-esteem are inconsistently cruel and cold or kind and warm, rarely thinking in terms of responsibility and often thinking of advantage. Normal self-esteem corresponds to normal self-worth. No person is able to gauge his or her value with any accuracy. Thus, a person who claims to be able to do so is taking upon himself a characteristic permitted only to a god. That is arrogance.

The only proper esteem is directed to others:

Philippians 2:3 Nothing is through strife or vainglory. But each shall esteem another better than themselves in lowliness of mind.

A person practicing true disinterestedness will not be driven or controlled by destructive bitterness.

Diplomacy

The best diplomats must always prove disinterested in diplomacy, since the interest of the diplomat cannot interfere with the outcome. A diplomat who falters in diplomacy will be a diplomat who has a personal interest in an outcome.

Joseph in Genesis proved to be a truly disinterested slave and brother. He saved many lives. His brother Judah proved to be the opposite, having personal interests in outcomes. Having a personal interest in an outcome is the first step in justifying corruption and in overthrowing justice. Free Masonry is built on personal interest. It is an association dedicated to rescuing each other from proper justice if the situation arises.

Relationships

How does disinterestedness affect the way the disinterested person sees relationships, situations and responses? A disinterested person will value relationships with a value that is at least as great as those with personal interests, and likely even more. That person will see relationships in a way that isn’t centered on feelings, but rather on benefit, on liability, on considering more carefully the symptoms of good behaviour and bad. Intentional disinterestedness almost demands that a person focus on the details of what is occurring in a relationship and how that relationship is affecting others. Cause and effect become very important, and the outcome is very important even though the person will intentionally not sway the outcome for personal interest.

While many may see the benefit of being candid and open in a relationship, a disinterested person will consider whether candidness and direct openness is truly the best for justice, propriety, and for the relationships. That doesn’t mean that a disinterested person doesn’t speak his or her mind, but rather considers benefit, often in a manner that appears fearless. Daniel spoke disinterestedly to Nebuchadnezzar in a way that others would have been terrified to express. Daniel was not interested in his own aggrandizement. He was interested in benefit to the king.

February 18, 2009April 26, 2017

Demonic Assignments and Why They Are Not Yet Locked Up

Demonic Assignments

And Why They Are Not Yet Locked Up

1. They are messengers, and therefore deliver messages.

2. They voluntarily provide the means by which Saints are tested/tempted.

3. They have (limited) powers over certain physical elements. Some are responsible for the winds, one is over Sheol, another is sent on death assignments for the human races.

4. They function to deceive the deceived.

5. They shake up sinners, and even Saints, a few to the point of reconsidering for Truth. (Paul used this in 1 Corinthians 5:4-5.)

6. They rule among pagan rulers. They are in charge of principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, etc. They guide the governments of folks who have no love of Truth.

7. Hebrews 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, “Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool”? ¹⁴Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

The demons have continuing ministerial assignments. The Greek of this text makes clearer that those who shall be heirs of salvation refer to the Israelis.

8. It is not yet time for demons to be restrained, except for those who have already been restrained. (One asked Yeshua if Yeshua will torment them before the time.)

9. They are the stars of Yehovah’s plan for the bad guys in the Tribulation. All of Revelation shows this, with the demons attacking only the bad guys.

10. The demons empower idols. Idols would be of no use without them and wouldn’t work.

11. They will be locked up once idols are permanently abolished, at the end of the Tribulation.

12. The demons who have been locked up, who “left their first estate,” will be released later to do real damage to bad guys.

February 17, 2009August 9, 2016

The Sheol – Paradise Transfer

Promise and Location of Paradise

Yeshua told the thief who turned in faith to Him that he would be in Paradise with Yeshua that same day:

Luke 23:43 And Yeshua said unto him, “I say unto thee faith! Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise!”

Yeshua spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth as He promised:

Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonah was in the whale’s belly three days and three nights, so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.”

In order for him to be with Yeshua and be in Paradise that very same day, Paradise had to be in the heart of the earth. Yet Sheol is the heart of the earth:

Numbers 16:30 “But if Yehovah make a new thing, and the land open her mouth and swallow them with all that appertains unto them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then ye shall understand that these men have provoked Yehovah!” ³¹And it was as he had made an end of speaking all these words. And the ground clave asunder that was under them. ³²And the land opened her mouth and swallowed them and their houses and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. ³³They and all that appertained to them went down alive into Sheol. And the land closed upon them. And they perished from among the congregation.

Thus, Paradise must have been in Sheol at that time.

How did Paradise come to be in Sheol?

Paradise’s Origin

The Garden of Eden (Garden of Pleasure) was and is Paradise; the two are synonymous. See how Paradise is used to substantiate this:

Nehemiah 2:8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest [Paradise], that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Ecclesiastes 2:5 I made me gardens and orchards [Paradise], and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits.

Song of Solomon 4:13 Thy plants are an orchard [Paradise] of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, camphire, with spikenard…

Thus, paradise indicates some type of garden or an orchard.

Revelation 2:7 He that has an ear, he shall hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. I will give to him who overcomes to eat of the Tree of the Lives that is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

The Tree of Life (Tree of the Lives) is in the midst of the Paradise of God, according to the above text. It is also in the midst of the Garden of Eden. Thus, the two are synonymous.

Thus, I will next consider Eden and its role in the Bible.

Eden

Genesis 2:8 And Yehovah Elohim planted a garden eastward in Eden. And there He put the man whom He had formed.

Genesis 2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden. And it was parted from thence, and became to four heads.

Genesis 2:15 And Yehovah Elohim took the man. And He put him into the Garden of Eden to serve it and to guard it.

Adam was placed in this garden, in Paradise. His role was to serve and to guard it. It would respond to him with great strength if he would do these things. He instead sinned.

Genesis 3:23 Therefore Yehovah Elohim sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to serve the soil from whence he was taken.

Genesis 3:24 So He drove out the man. And He placed Cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword that turned every way, to keep the way of the Tree of the Lives.

The Tree of the Lives was now blocked from every direction except one: faith.

Yehovah compares locations to Eden when He describes great fruitfulness:

Isaiah 51:3 For Yehovah shall comfort Zion! He will comfort all her waste places. And He will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of Yehovah. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, confession and the voice of melody.

Ezekiel 36:35 And they shall say, “This land that was desolate is become like the Garden of Eden! And the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited!”

Joel 2:3 A fire devours before them, and a flame burns behind them! The land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and a desolate wilderness behind them! Indeed—and nothing shall escape them.

Yehovah speaks to the future great and violent city of Babylon (a city that will be in its former location, in Iraq) in the following text:

Ezekiel 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God.

He also speaks of the Antichrist as if the man is a great tree. He compares him to the trees in Eden:

Ezekiel 31:9 I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches so that all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied him.

Once the Antichrist is sent into Sheol, the trees of Eden will be consoled:

Ezekiel 31:16 “I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall when I cast him down to Sheol with them that descend into the pit. And all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be consoled in the lower parts of the land.”

Ezekiel 31:18 “To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the lower parts of the land! Thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,” says Yehovah Elohim.

The above text refers to the transfer of the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the land! This is where Yehovah placed Paradise when He removed it from the surface of the earth in the days of Adam.

Eden, Verb

Hebrew has a verb for almost every word form. The verb eden in Hebrew means pleasure, delight. It is used in the following text:

Nehemiah 9:25 And they took strong cities and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells dug, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance. They did eat so, and were filled. And they became fat, and delighted [verb, eden] themselves in Thy great goodness.

Eden, Edna, Pleasure

The Hebrew nouns eden [masculine] and edna [feminine, and where the name Edna is derived] describe pleasure, including sexual pleasure as in the first text below:

Genesis 18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure [Edna], my lord being old also?”

2 Samuel 1:24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights [Adanim, plural of eden], who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

Psalms 36:8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy House! And Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures [Adanim].

Jeremiah 51:34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon devoured me! He crushed me! He made me an empty vessel! He swallowed me up like a dragon! He filled his belly from my delicates [Adanim]! He cast me out.

Thus, Paradise, the Garden of Eden is always rightly associated with delight and pleasure.

Tree of the Lives

The Tree of Life, or better, Tree of the Lives was placed in the center of Paradise.

Genesis 2:9 And Yehovah Elohim made every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, and in the midst of the garden the Tree of the Lives and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad to grow out of the soil.

Genesis 3:22 And Yehovah Elohim said, “Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and bad! And now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the Tree of the Lives, and eat, and live to Hider…

Thus, eating of the Tree of the Lives would give the eater everlasting life.

Genesis 3:24 So He drove out the man. And He placed Cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword that turned every way, to keep the way of the Tree of the Lives.

That tree had to be guarded, since a sinful man who was unrepentant could also eat, and live forever with sin.

The next set of texts refer to the feminine character known as Wisdom.

Proverbs 3:18 She is a Tree of the Lives to them that lay hold upon Her! And everyone who retains her is happy!

Anyone who lays hold upon Wisdom obtains everlasting life. Thus, She is the feminine form of Messiah Yeshua! (Yehovah is neither masculine nor feminine, but He designed the genders for our instruction. Humans of both genders are equally made in the image of God. Thus, it only makes sense that a feminine-gendered being describes another aspect of Yehovah. What radical, liberal feminists might do with this information is of no concern to me, and I suspect that it is of no concern to Yehovah. Perhaps it might be to the salvation of some of them!)

Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a Tree of the Lives. And he that acquires beings is wise!

The fruit of righteous folks is also a Tree of the Lives from which one can eat and obtain everlasting life!

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick. And when the lust comes, it is a Tree of the Lives!

Lust is very, very strong desire. The Bible does not classify lust as automatically sinful. It refers to the type of lust before drawing conclusions. Lust for what is good and righteous is right before Yehovah. The Proverbs text above describes such a good lust; its coming also presents the Tree of the Lives, leading to everlasting life! (If this seems confusing, consider the timing of the fulfillment of this text. Once you see that it is referring to a Tribulation event, this outcome may make more sense.)

Proverbs 15:4 A healing tongue is a Tree of the Lives. But perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit!

Now, a tongue that speaks words that heal is a Tree of the Lives, and able to bring everlasting life!

Revelation 2:7 He that has an ear, he shall hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. I will give to him who overcomes to eat of the Tree of the lives that is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

The Tree of the Lives is still in the midst of the Paradise of God even at this time in the future. Thus, I always associate the physical location of that Tree with Paradise. Though other items can also be a Tree of the Lives, the actual tree remains in Paradise. It is a real tree, not a spiritual concept.

Revelation 22:2 In the midst of the street of it and on either side of the river, there was the Tree of the Lives that bore twelve manner of fruits. And she yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the Tree are for the servicing of the races!

The above text demonstrates that the Tree produces real, physical fruits: twelve different types! I could not tell whether there was a different fruit for each month or whether there were twelve different fruits per month.

One tree straddles both sides of the river! It must be a large tree.

The various races will use the leaves of that tree for various forms of servicing (besides being for service) on the New Earth.

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do His commandments so that they will have right to the Tree of the Lives, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

One who has come to Truth by Biblically correct faith is given the right to the Tree of the Lives, as well as entering through the gates into the city of Jerusalem.

Living Water: Waters of Lives

‘Living Water’ (waters of lives) is also associated with Paradise. The following texts consider this water.

Song of Solomon 4:15 …a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters [waters of lives], and streams from Lebanon.

Most translators thought that the phrase living water was describing running water, the motion of the water being akin to the motion of a living creature. I put no stock in this view. The waters of lives do not represent running water. The above text shows that the water provides a necessity for living plants.

The following text presents a being Who is the fountain of the waters of lives:

Jeremiah 2:13 “For my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters [the waters of lives] and hewed them out cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water!”

This is further explained in the following text:

Jeremiah 17:13 Yehovah the Hope of Israel, all that forsake Thee shall be ashamed! And they that depart from Me shall be written in the land because they have forsaken Yehovah, the fountain of living waters [the waters of lives]!

Two beings are described in this verse. One is obviously Yehovah. The other may not be so easily discerned, so the following text will help:

John 7:38 He who believes on me, as the Scripture hath said, rivers of living water shall flow out of his belly. ³⁹(But He spoke this of the Spirit that they who believe on Him will receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Yeshua was not yet glorified.)

Thus, Yehovah is the fountain; the Spirit of Yehovah is that water of life.

Zechariah 14:8 And he shall be in that day. And living waters [waters of lives] shall go out from Jerusalem—half of them toward the former sea and half of them toward the hinder sea. He shall be in summer and in winter.

A split river will come out of the top of the Great Mount Zion during the Millennium, carrying the waters of lives. Drinking of that water will do as much good as drinking from the Rock that followed and preceded Israel in the wilderness: no good at all except for thirst, unless accompanied by faith!

John 4:10 Yeshua answered and said unto her, “If thou knew the Gift of God and who it is Who says to thee, ‘Give me to drink,’ thou would have asked from Him, and He would have given thee living water [waters of lives]!” ¹¹The woman says unto Him, “Sir, Thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast Thou that living water [water of lives]?” … “¹⁴Whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be a well of water springing up in him into everlasting life.”

John 7:38 He who believes on me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water [waters of lives] shall flow out of his belly!

The above two texts show that those waters, combined with faith, give everlasting life. Thus, the Tree of the Lives and the waters of the Lives are quite connected.

Genesis 26:19 And Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of springing water [waters of lives].

The picture of a well that is life-saving is a type of that water that is everlasting-life-saving.

The following texts consist of types. A type is a person, place, item, time or action that is real and important in itself, but pictures a person, place, item, time or action that is real and far more important. (A symbol is something that is of little value in itself, but stands for something important and/or valuable.) For now, note the centrality of the waters of lives in them:

Leviticus 14:5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water [waters of lives].

Leviticus 14:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it and the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and shall immerse them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water [waters of lives].

Leviticus 14:50 And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water [waters of lives].

Leviticus 14:51 And he shall take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the scarlet and the living bird, and immerse them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water [waters of lives], and sprinkle the house seven times.

Leviticus 14:52 And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water [waters of lives], and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet.

Leviticus 15:13 And when he who has an issue is cleansed of his issue, then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing. And he shall wash his clothes and bathe his flesh in running water [waters of lives], and shall be clean.

Numbers 19:17 And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burned heifer of the sin-sacrifice. And running water [waters of lives] shall be put thereto in a vessel.

(Did you notice immersion in several of the texts above? They form part of the bases of the doctrines of baptisms mentioned in Hebrews 6:2.)

Revelation 21:6 And He said unto me, “It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the waters of lives.”

Thirsting, then, often precedes obtaining everlasting life!

Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of waters of lives, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him that hears say, “Come!” And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, he shall freely take the waters of lives!

Sheol

Since Paradise resided in Sheol for a length of time, considering Sheol is important.

Genesis 37:35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him. But he refused to be comforted. And he said, “For I will go down mourning unto my son into Sheol.” Thus his father wept for him.

Jacob was and is a Saint. He knew he would go to Sheol when he died. Saints (at that time) and non-saints went to Sheol, and thus were ‘gathered to their fathers’.

Genesis 42:38 And he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If mischief befall him by the way in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol!”

Genesis 44:29 “And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol!”

Genesis 44:31 “He shall be, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. And thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.”

The following text is quite unusual. Korah and all who stood with him went down alive into Sheol after the land opened. They fell thousands of miles!

Numbers 16:33 They and all that appertained to them went down alive into the Sheol. And the earth closed upon them. And they perished from among the congregation.

Deuteronomy 32:22 “For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest Sheol, and shall consume the land with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains!”

Sheol has upper and lower parts.

1 Samuel 2:6 Yehovah kills and makes alive! He brings down to Sheol, and brings up.

This speaks of resurrection; it also speaks of bringing some back to mortal life (like Lazarus, Martha’s brother, and like Ezekiel 37 describes with the dry bones event).

2 Samuel 22:6 The sorrows of Sheol compassed me about. The snares of death preceded me.

1 Kings 2:6 “Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to Sheol in peace!”

1 Kings 2:9 “Now, therefore, hold him not guiltless. For thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou ought to do unto him. But bring thou down his hoar head to Sheol with blood!”

Job 14:13 “O that Thou would hide me in Sheol, that Thou would keep me secret until Thy wrath be past, that Thou would appoint me a set time, and remember me!”

The above text demonstrates a speaker who desires to be hidden in Sheol! Please remember that this text is prophetic. It is not describing a theoretical situation, but one that will occur exactly that way. I propose that this corresponds with Ezekiel 37.

Job 17:13 “If I wait, Sheol is my house. I have made my bed in the darkness.”

Job 17:16 “They shall go down to the bars of Sheol when our rest together is in the dust.”

Sheol has bars/gates. Another text refers to this:

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter [Stone]. And I will build my Church upon this rock. And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her!

Job 21:13 “They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to Sheol.”

Psalms 6:5 For there is no remembrance of Thee in death. Who shall confess Thee in Sheol?

The time for confessing Yehovah is past once one goes to Sheol.

Psalms 9:17 The wicked and all the nations that forget God shall be turned into Sheol.

Psalms 16:10 For Thou wilt not leave my being in Sheol. And Thou wilt not suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption.

Psalms 18:5 The sorrows of Sheol compassed me about. The snares of death preceded me.

Psalms 30:3 Yehovah, Thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol. Thou hast kept me alive, and I will not go down to the pit.

This is not referring to Yeshua. Read it carefully, and consider Ezekiel 37.

This normally brings the question of a ‘second chance.’ Everyone with basic mental faculties who lives long enough to outgrow being a baby has regular ‘second chances’ in this life. Yehovah will not give those who have died and gone to Sheol another chance. He has promised to resurrect a very large group from Sheol, however, and bring that group back to mortal life, including giving that group His Salvation. This cannot reasonably be objected, since Salvation is by His Grace, and He has the right to keep His Word. That large group is mentioned in Ezekiel 37, and is the House of Israel (previously slaughtered, leaving only the House of Judah). Since all the tribes must be present to fulfill His Word, He will prove that “neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creation shall be able to separate [the Israelis] from the love of God that is via Messiah Yeshua”.

Psalms 31:17 I will not be ashamed, Yehovah. For I called upon Thee. The wicked shall be ashamed! They shall be silent in Sheol!

The most vociferous ‘bad guys’ are silent in Sheol—that is, they are not protesting, rioting, carrying on, shouting, etc. They already know what awaits them; it is terrifying.

Psalms 49:14 They are laid in Sheol like sheep. Death shall feed on them! And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. And their beauty shall consume in Sheol from their dwelling.

Psalms 49:15 But God will redeem my being from the power of Sheol! For He shall receive me. Selah.

This, again, speaks of an entity (like a group) who will be redeemed from the power of Sheol. It again connects to the previously quoted text:

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter [Stone]. And I will build my Church upon this rock. And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her!

It is the Church (Congregation) of Israel.

Psalms 55:15 Death shall seize upon them! And they shall go down alive into Sheol. For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.

Going down alive into Sheol is very unusual!

Psalms 86:13 For great is Thy Grace toward me. And Thou hast delivered my being from the lowest Sheol.

Psalms 88:3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws nigh unto Sheol.

Psalms 89:48 What man is he who lives, and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his being from the hand of Sheol? Selah.

Sheol is also the fallen angel whom Yehovah has given responsibility over the location!

Psalms 116:3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of Sheol got hold upon me. I found trouble and sorrow.

Psalms 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there.

Yehovah is not absent from Sheol!

Psalms 141:7 Our bones are scattered at Sheol’s mouth as when one cuts and cleaves wood upon the land.

Proverbs 1:12 “We shall swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole as those that go down into the pit!”

Proverbs 5:5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Sheol!

Proverbs 7:27 Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.

Proverbs 9:18 But he doesn’t know that the dead are there, and that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Proverbs 15:11 Sheol and destruction are before Yehovah; how much more then the hearts of the children of men?

Proverbs 15:24 The way of life is above to the wise that he may depart from Sheol beneath.

Proverbs 23:14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.

Proverbs 27:20 Sheol and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

The following text explains that Sheol continues to widen as newly arrived dead come into her:

Isaiah 5:14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged herself and opened her mouth without measure. And their glory and their multitude and their pomp and he who rejoices shall descend into her!

Proverbs 30:15 The horseleach has two daughters, crying, “Give!” “Give!” There are three things that are never satisfied. Indeed, four things don’t say, “It is enough”: ¹⁶Sheol and the barren womb, the land that is not filled with water and the fire that doesn’t say, “It is enough.”

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. For there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol where thou art going!

Sheol is not a place for doing work.

Song of Solomon 8:6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm. For love is strong as death. Jealousy is cruel as Sheol. The coals thereof are coals of fire that has a most vehement flame!

Sheol is a place of torture! This does not describe the Paradise side, however.

Isaiah 14:9 Sheol from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming to stir up the dead for thee—even all the chief ones of the land. She has raised up all the kings of the nations from their thrones.

The feminine-gendered angel Sheol again acts in the above text. This is the only angel of which I am aware to which Yehovah assigned a feminine gender. That does not mean that Sheol is a female. Hebrew assigns genders to all nouns!

Isaiah 14:11 Thy pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the noise of thy viols. The worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

Isaiah 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to Sheol, to the sides of the pit.

Sheol is located on the sits of a huge pit. That pit makes the great gulf that divided the ‘torments’ side from the ‘Paradise’ side.

Isaiah 28:15 For ye have said, “We have made a covenant with Death, and we are at agreement with Sheol! When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us. For we have made lies our refuge, and we hid ourselves under falsehood.

Making a covenant with Death and Sheol is making a covenant with two demons! It isn’t a wise choice.

Isaiah 28:18 And your covenant with Death shall be annulled. And your agreement with Sheol shall not stand. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it!

Isaiah 38:10 I said in the cutting off of my days, “I shall go to the gates of Sheol! I am deprived of the residue of my years.”

Isaiah 38:18 For Sheol cannot confess Thee. Death cannot praise Thee. They that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy Truth.

Isaiah 57:9 And thou went to the king with ointment, and did increase thy perfumes, and did send thy messengers far off, and did debase thyself even unto Sheol!

The following text was considered early in this document. Consider again what it tells about Sheol.

Ezekiel 31:15 Thus says Yehovah Elohim, “In the day when he went down to Sheol, I caused a mourning. I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof. And the great waters were stayed. And I caused Lebanon to mourn for him. And all the trees of the field fainted for him. ¹⁶ I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall when I cast him down to Sheol with them that descend into the pit. And all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon—all that drink water shall be consoled in the lower parts of the land! ¹⁷They also went down into Sheol with him unto them that are slain with the sword, and they who were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the races.”

Ezekiel 32:21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him with them that help him out of the midst of Sheol. They are gone down. They lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.

The above text is not referring to folks in Sheol communicating with folks on the earth’s land, but of communications within Sheol itself.

Ezekiel 32:27 And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised who are gone down to Sheol via their weapons of war. And they gave their swords under their heads. But their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.

Hosea 13:14 “I will ransom them from the power of Sheol! I will redeem them from Death! Death, I will be thy plagues! Sheol, I will be thy destruction! Repentance shall be hidden from my eyes!”

The above text is part of a string of texts from which it cannot be extricated. Unless a reader takes the whole set, it will not make sense. Yehovah seems to be vacillating only because this text has been separated. Yes, He will ransom them from the power of Sheol. Yes, He will redeem them from Death. And He will turn to plague Death and to destroy Sheol. But in the meantime He will not change His mind from destroying and slaughtering Ephraim. I propose that this is describing how the dry bones slaughter took place (again, Ezekiel 37).

Amos 9:2 “Though they dig into Sheol, my hand shall take them thence! Though they climb up to the heavens, I will bring them down thence!”

Why would anyone desire to dig into Sheol? But some folks are that stupid!

Jonah 2:2 And he said, “I shouted unto Yehovah by reason of my tribulation. And He heard me! I shouted from the belly of Sheol, and Thou heard my voice!”

Jonah is prophesying regarding the same thing. Most readers think that Jonah is praying over his own situation. They have not considered that a prophet’s responsibility is to prophesy the Word of Yehovah, not his own situation. Jonah didn’t experience all the events about which he prophesied in chapter 2. He was a type, and spoke for another. The timing is also future; the events Jonah described have not yet occurred. They will, however!

Habakkuk 2:5 …indeed because he also transgresses by wine; he is a proud man and doesn’t keep at home; who enlarges his desire as Sheol, and is as Death, and cannot be satisfied; but gathers all nations unto him, and heaps all people unto him…

Of whom does this speak? Can you figure this out?

Hades

Hades and Sheol are exactly the same, and are just from two different languages.

The following texts refer to Hades:

Matthew 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, that art exalted unto the heavens, shalt be brought down to Hades! For if the mighty works that have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day!

An entire city will be brought down to Hades!

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter [Stone]. And I will build my Church upon this rock. And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her!

That Church is the Congregation the House of Israel, as I mentioned above. Hades’ gates will not be able to prevail against her; she will ‘bust out’ when Yehovah calls her to come.

Have you rightly determined to what this rock refers? (Hint: It isn’t referring to Yeshua Himself, and it isn’t referring to Peter.)

Luke 10:15 And thou, Capernaum, that art exalted to the heavens, shalt be thrust down to Hades!

The following text describes a real event and real persons in every detail. When Yeshua said “there was,” faith in His Word insists that there really was what He describes.

Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. ²⁰And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus who was laid at his gate, full of sores, ²¹and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. And the dogs came and licked his sores. ²²And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³And he lifted up his eyes in Hades, being in torments. And he sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴And he shouted and said, “Father Abraham! Have mercy on me! And send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am tormented in this flame!” ²⁵But Abraham said, “Son, remember that thou received thy good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus bad things. But now he is consoled, and thou art tormented. ²⁶And beside all this, there is a great gulf fixed between us and you so that they who would pass from here to you cannot, and they who would come from there cannot pass to us.” ²⁷Then he said, “I pray thee therefore, father, that thou would send him to my father’s house—²⁸for I have five brethren—that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” ²⁹Abraham says unto him, “They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.” ³⁰And he said, “Nay, father Abraham—but they will repent if one went unto them from the dead.” ³¹And he said unto him, “If they don’t hear Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

This text shows several things:

Angels transported Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom, located in the Paradise-side of Hades.
Non-saints are in torments in Hades (and will continue to be in torments for the many centuries until they are judged and consigned to the Lake of Fire and Sulfur)
Non-saints could see the Saints and vice-versa in the distance.
Saints and non-saints could shout to each other.
There is water on the Paradise-side of Hades; the non-saints can see that there is water.
There is no water on the torments side.
There is a flame on the torments side that tortures the non-saints.
There is consolation only on the Paradise-side of Hades.
A great gulf separates the two sides so that none can pass to the other side.
Non-saints realize and care about their lost loved ones who have not yet come to Hades.
Persuasion of the living will not occur even if one rises from the dead to tell the living.
Saints do not have compassion on non-saints on the other side.

Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my being in Hades. And Thou wilt not suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption.

To whom does ‘my’ refer in the above text? (Hint: It doesn’t refer to Messiah.)

Acts 2:31 He spoke of the resurrection of Messiah, seeing this before—that His soul was not left in Hades, and his flesh did not see corruption.

(Hint: This doesn’t change the question or the hint above!)

1 Corinthians 15:55 Death, where is thy sting? Hades, where is thy victory?

Revelation 1:18 I am He Who lives, and was dead. And behold, I am alive for evermore! Faith! And I have the keys of Hades and of Death!

Revelation 6:8 And I looked. And behold, a pale horse! And his name who sat on him was Death. And Hades followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

These two angels ride (angelic) horses! They will both do a great slaughter of non-Jewish unbelievers during the Tribulation. (How can one tell that the judgments of Revelation are not directed against Israel?)

Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead that were in him. And Death and Hades delivered up the dead that were in them. And they were judged—every man—according to their works. ¹⁴And Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

The Lake of Fire and Sulfur was originally designed only for angels; the majority of humans who will end up there had to determine to go.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels!”

Gehena

Gehena is an abbreviated form of Gay-Hinnom, the Valley of Hinnom. This corresponds to Topheth:

2 Kings 23:10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom.

The following text shows what occurred in this terrible place:

2 Chronicles 28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign. And he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not what was right in the sight of Yehovah, like David his father. ²For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. And he also made molten images for Baalim. ³And he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom. And he burned his children in the fire after the abominations of the races whom Yehovah cast out before the children of Israel.

Thus, burning children alive became a picture of Gehena, akin to the Lake of Fire and Sulfur.

The following texts refer to Gehena, and show that it is what most folks think of hell.

Matthew 5:22 “But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Judgment! And whosoever shall say to his brother, “Raca! [Worthless!]” shall be in danger of the Council. But whosoever shall say, “Thou fool!” shall be in danger of Gehena fire.

Matthew 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast from thee! For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole Body should be cast into Gehena! ³⁰And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast from thee! For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole Body should be cast into Gehena.

Matthew 10:28 And fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehena!

Matthew 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast from thee. It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye rather than to be cast into Gehena fire having two eyes.

Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte. And when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of Gehena than yourselves!

Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of Gehena?

Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off! It is better for thee to enter into life maimed than to go into Gehena, into the fire that shall never be quenched, having two hands!

Mark 9:45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off! It is better for thee to enter into life halt than to be cast into Gehena, into the fire that never shall be quenched, having two feet!

Mark 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck out! It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than to be cast into Gehena fire having two eyes!

Luke 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him Who has power to cast into Gehena after He has killed! Indeed I say unto you, fear Him!

James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity! The tongue is so among our members, so that it defiles the whole Body and sets on fire the course of nature. And it is set on fire from Gehena!

While Paradise has nothing to do with Gehena, both mystify folks in the same discussions.

Tartaros/Tartarus

One text refers to this location:

2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to Tartaros/Tartarus, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment…

This seems to be within that pit that separates the two sides of Sheol. These angels will be released later, and will participate in judgment events.

Absent from the Body

The Spirit of Yehovah through Paul explained,

2 Corinthians 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that we are absent from the Lord while we are at home in the Body. ⁷For we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord!

This text indicates a change, since Saints who die no longer go to Sheol/Hades. The Lord Yehovah’s throne is in the heavens, not in Sheol/Hades. Being present with Him indicates that Saints now go to the place of His throne. The change must have occurred after Yeshua rose from the dead. The Book of the Revelation of Yeshua to John describes Saints in the heavens, not in Hades.

If the Saints are not in Hades, Paradise also is no longer there. Another text confirms this:

2 Corinthians 12:3 And I knew such a man (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell—God knows), ⁴how that he was caught up into Paradise. And he heard unspeakable words that it is not lawful for a man to utter.

The person caught up to Paradise didn’t descend to Paradise.

Paradise will finally come back to earth when Messiah comes with all His angels and with all the Saints who died (thus leaving the heavens devoid of humans and angels). The Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven will be on this earth for one thousand years, and Paradise will be back—but in Israel, this time. Messiah Yeshua, Who is Wisdom, Who is the Tree of the Lives, will be in Mount Zion, so that humans won’t yet see that tree, and will still need to believe in Yeshua for Life. The Tree will be physically visible on the New Earth in Paradise, and its leaves and fruit will be useful and very good.

February 17, 2009September 8, 2016

Two-Podium Reading of Yeshua’s Birth

A Two-Podium Reading of Yeshua’s Birth

Designed for Children and Two Spotlights

1 – Left Podium

Some names and locations will be assigned their literal meanings. Bethlehem, for example, will be called House-of-Bread, and John’s name will be the Hebrew meaning of Yochanan, Yehovah-Favoured. Jesus’ name in Hebrew is Yeshua, and it means Salvation. We will call Him Yeshua or Salvation.

Dr. Lukas had a friend named Theophilus. He wrote his friend about the birth and life of Yeshua. This is the beginning of this narrative. I have sewed the Luke and Matthew texts together.

2 – Right Podium

L1:1 Forasmuch as many took in hand to draw up a narration concerning the matters that have been fully believed among us ²as they delivered to us, they having been eyewitnesses and attendants of the word from the beginning, 3it also seemed good to me to write to thee with method, having been accurately acquainted with all things from the first, most excellent Theophilus, so that thou wilt know concerning the certainty of the things of which thou wast instructed.

3 – Left Podium

Aharon lived many centuries before these events. His lineage was of the Israeli priests who alone had the right and responsibility to care for the Temple of Yehovah and the sacrifices. A course of priestly responsibilities was started before the time of the events that we are describing. Those courses were given names. One name was Avia.

4 – Right Podium

⁵There was a certain priest named Zachariah of the course of Avia in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea. And his wife is of the daughters of Aharon. And her name is Elisheva. ⁶And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of Yehovah, blameless. ⁷And there was not a child to them inasmuch as Elisheva was barren. And both were advanced in their days.

5 – Left Podium

The Temple was no place for the public to enter. It consisted of two small rooms, and only the High Priest and perhaps a worker were allowed to enter one of those rooms. The High Priest and a worker or two were allowed to enter the other room. If anyone tried to enter the Temple for any reason except those very few who had responsibilities, they would be killed. Yehovah commanded it that way. Any gatherings of the Israelis at the Temple were done outside of the main Temple building.

6 – Right Podium

⁸And he was during fulfilling his priestly service in the order of his course before God ⁹according to the custom of the priestly service. His lot was to burn incense, having entered into the Temple of Yehovah. ¹⁰And all the multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹And a messenger of Yehovah appeared to him standing at the right of the altar of incense. ¹²And Zechariah seeing him was troubled. And fear fell upon him. ¹³But the messenger said to him,

“Don’t fear, Zechariah. For thy supplication has been heard. And thy wife Elisheva shall bear thee a son. And thou shalt call his name Yehovah-Favoured. ¹⁴And he shall be joy and exultation to thee! And many shall rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵For he shall be great in the sight of Yehovah. And he shall in no wise drink wine and strong drink. And he shall even be filled with the Spirit of the Holy-[One] from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶And he shall turn many of the children of Israel to Yehovah their God. ¹⁷And he shall go-forth before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers upon children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for Yehovah.”

¹⁸And Zechariah said to the messenger, “By what shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her days.”

¹⁹And the messenger answering said to him, “I am Gabriel who stands in the sight of God. And I was sent to speak to thee and to announce to thee these beneficial-proclamations. ²⁰And behold, thou shalt be silent and unable to speak until the day in which these things shall take place because thou didn’t believe my words that shall be fulfilled in their season.”

²¹And the people were expecting Zechariah. And they wondered at his delaying in the Temple. ²²But having come out, he was not able speak to them. And they recognized that he had seen a vision in the Temple. And he was making signs to them, and continued dumb. ²³And he was, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house.

7 – Left Podium

Almost all women desired to birth children. Some thought that Yehovah didn’t favour a woman who was barren. Some would even speak badly about her and would reproach her, as if it were her fault.

8 – Right Podium

²⁴And after those days Elisheva his wife conceived. And she hid herself five months, saying, ²⁵ “Thus has Yehovah done to me in the days in which He looked to take away my reproach among men.”

9 – Left Podium

Being betrothed is the same as being married. The only difference is that those who are betrothed don’t yet live together, and haven’t had sexual intercourse with each other. They are married; they are not just engaged. Only after sexual intercourse do they know one another.

10 – Right Podium

M1:18Now, the birth of the Anointed Salvation was thus. ²⁶And in the sixth month the messenger Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee whose name is Nazareth ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man of the house of David whose name is Yoseph. And the virgin’s name is Miriam. ²⁸And the messenger coming to her said, “Shalom, favoured-[one]! Yehovah is with thee! Thou art blessed among women!” ²⁹But she, seeing, was troubled at his word. And she was reasoning of what kind this salutation might be. ³⁰And the messenger said to her, “Don’t fear, Miriam. For thou hast found favour with God. ³¹And, behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son. And thou shalt call his name Salvation. ³²He shall be great! And he shall be called the Son of the Highest. And Yehovah Elohim shall give him the throne of David his father. ³³And he shall reign over the House of Jacob to Hider. And there shall be no end of his kingdom.”

11 – Left Podium

The expression, to Hider in Hebrew, means to the period of time beyond what the Bible describes. The Bible describes the period from the creation of the heavens and the land to when this planet will be burned with fire, and a new planet will be created. That period of time is revealed. The rest hides. Yehovah also hides from view so that humans can have faith. Faith isn’t necessary if everything is visible and fulfilled.

12 – Right Podium

³⁴But Miriam said to the messenger, “How shall this be since I don’t know a man?” ³⁵And the messenger answering said to her, “The Spirit of the Holy-[One] shall come upon thee. And the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also the Holy-[One] born shall be called the Son of God. ³⁶And, behold, thy kinswoman Elisheva! She has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month to her who was called barren. ³⁷For not anything shall be impossible with God.” ³⁸And Miriam said, “Behold the slavemaiden of Yehovah. Be it to me according to thy word.” And the messenger departed from her.

13 – Left Podium

When folks would greet each other, they would usually say, “Shalom!” That word means peace, and declares that those greeting each other have no debts to each other that haven’t been paid.

The Spirit of Yehovah is called the Spirit of the Holy-[One], since He is the Spirit of the Holy One of Israel. The word holy always means owned.

14 – Right Podium

³⁹And Miriam arising in those days went into the hill country to a city of Judah with haste. ⁴⁰And she entered into the house of Zechariah. And she ‘shalomed’ Elisheva. ⁴¹And he was: as Elisheva heard the ‘shalom’ of Miriam, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elisheva was filled with the Spirit of the Holy-[One]. ⁴²And she shouted with a loud voice and said, “Thou art blessed among women! And the fruit of thy womb is blessed! ⁴³And from where is this to me—that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴For behold, as the voice of thy salutation came into my ears, the baby leaped in exultation in my womb! ⁴⁵And blessed is she who believed! For there shall be a fulfillment to the things spoken to her from Yehovah!”

⁴⁶And Miriam said, My being magnifies Yehovah, ⁴⁷And my spirit exulted in God my Saviour! ⁴⁸For He has looked upon the humiliation of His slavemaiden! For, behold, all generations will call me blessed from now-on! ⁴⁹For the Mighty-[One] has done great things to me! And His Name is holy! ⁵⁰And His Grace is to generations generations to those fearing Him! ⁵¹He wrought strength with His arm. He scattered haughty-[ones] via thought of their heart. ⁵²He put down rulers from thrones and exalted low-[ranking-ones]. ⁵³He filled hungry-[ones] with good things. And He sent-away the rich empty. ⁵⁴He helped Israel His servant to remember Grace according as He spoke to our fathers, to Avraham and to his seed to Hider!”

⁵⁶And Miriam abode with her about three months. And she returned to her house.

⁵⁷Now the time that she should child-birth was fulfilled to Elisheva. And she bore a son. ⁵⁸And the neighbours and her kinsfolk heard that Yehovah was magnifying His Grace with her. And they rejoiced with her!

⁵⁹And he was on the eighth day. They came to circumcise the little child. And they were calling him after the name of his father Zechariah. ⁶⁰And his mother answering said, “No! But he shall be called Yehovah-Favoured!”

⁶¹And they said to her, “No one is among thy kinsfolk who is called by this name!”

⁶²And they made signs to his father what he might wish him to be called. ⁶³And having asked for a writing tablet, He wrote saying, “Yehovah-Favoured is his name!” And they all wondered. ⁶⁴And his mouth immediately was opened, and his tongue. And he spoke, blessing God. ⁶⁵And fear came upon all those who dwelt around them.

And all these things were being communicated in the whole hill-country of Judaea. ⁶⁶And all who heard laid-up in their heart, saying, “What then will this little child be?”

And the hand of Yehovah was with him.

15 – Left Podium

The purpose of being filled with the Spirit of Yehovah is to be given the power to do some necessary function that would otherwise be impossible. Quoting Yehovah verbatim (that is, word for word) is impossible if the one speaking never previously heard those words. A prophet must be filled with the Spirit of Yehovah, since a true prophet always exactly quotes the testimony of Yeshua when prophesying.

A visit or visitation from Yehovah is when He directly interacts with a group (like Israel), usually to rescue or help in some way. The Hebrew text often speaks of visitations and their importance.

A ram’s horn, or in Hebrew, a Shofar, is blown like a small trumpet. The sound travels far. The sound can be used for an alarm or for gathering purposes.

16 – Right Podium

⁶⁷ And Zechariah his father was filled with the Spirit of the Holy-[One]. And he prophesied saying, ⁶⁸“Blessed is Yehovah the God of Israel! For He visited and did redemption for His people! ⁶⁹And He raised a ram’s-horn of salvation for us in the House of David His servant ⁷⁰just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets since time began! ⁷¹Salvation is from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us ⁷²to fulfill Grace with our fathers and to remember His Holy Covenant, ⁷³to give us the oath that He vowed to Avraham our father, ⁷⁴being saved from the hand of our enemies. We will serve Him without fear ⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives! ⁷⁶And thou, little child, shall be called prophet of the Highest! For thou shalt go before the faces of Yehovah to prepare His ways, ⁷⁷to give knowledge of Salvation to His people in remission of their sins ⁷⁸through bowels of compassion of our God in which the Sunrise from on high has visited us ⁷⁹to shine upon those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet into the way of peace.”

⁸⁰And the little child grew and was strengthened in spirit. And he was in the deserts until the day of his showing to Israel.

17 – Left Podium

Miriam and Yoseph must not have discussed what Gabriel told her. She must not have even told Yoseph that Gabriel came to her. That left Yoseph wondering how his wife had become pregnant, since he knew that he and she had not had sexual intercourse. All he knew was that she was pregnant, and she wasn’t declaring who the father was. He loved her, but he could not continue with a wife who wasn’t candid about what happened. He determined to divorce her.

He didn’t want to harm or shame her. The divorce had to be secret so that her reputation would not be tarnished by him. Others would know that she was pregnant, and would draw whatever conclusions they desired, but not by his actions.

Miriam knew that telling Yoseph would sound like a lie. She also knew that it was up to Yehovah to communicate with Yoseph so that he could again trust her. She was Yoseph’s wife, since betrothal is marriage, so she couldn’t ‘break an engagement’. She was in a terrible position, but she just waited.

18 – Right Podium

M1:18 Yeshua’s mother Miriam, having been betrothed to Yoseph, was found to be pregnant from the Spirit of the Holy-[One] before they came together. ¹⁹But Yoseph her husband secretly purposed to put her away, being righteous and not willing to publicly expose her.

²⁰And when he had pondered these things, behold a messenger of Yehovah appeared to him in a dream saying, “Yoseph son of David! Don’t fear to take to Miriam thy wife! For what is in her is owned—is begotten by the Spirit! ²¹And she shall bring forth a son. And thou shalt call His Name Salvation. For He shall save His people from their sins!” ²²Now this all came to pass that what was spoken by Yehovah through the prophet will be fulfilled, saying, ²³ “Behold the pregnant virgin! And she shall child a son. And they shall call His Name Immanuel,” which being interpreted is ‘God-With-Us.’ ²⁴And having been aroused from sleep, Yoseph did as the messenger of Yehovah had ordered him. And he took his wife. ²⁵And he didn’t know her until she brought forth her son—the firstborn.

19 – Left Podium

The Kaesar in Rome was as a prince. He ruled like a king over the Roman Empire. Registration was for taxation. Anyone among the common folk avoiding registration and taxation faced terrible consequences. The command of Kaesar Augustus included the necessity of men returning to the cities from which they originally came.

20 – Right Podium

L2:1 And he was in those days. A decree went out from Kaesar Augustus that all the inhabited-land shall be registered. ²This first registration took place when Kyrenios was governor of Syria. ³And all went to be registered—each to his own city. ⁴And Yoseph also ascended from Galilee, from the city Nazareth to Judea, to a city of David that is called House-of-Bread (because of his being of the House and family of David) ⁵to register himself with Miriam who was betrothed to him as wife, she being large-in-pregnancy.

⁶And he was in the [time] they were there: The days of her birthing were fulfilled. ⁷And she childed her first-born son. And she wrapped Him in swaddling-rags. And she laid Him in the feed-trough because there was not a place for them in the inn.

⁸And shepherds were lodging in the fields in the same region and keeping guard over their flock by night. ⁹And behold, a messenger of Yehovah stood by them. And the glory of Yehovah shined around them. And they feared a great fear.

¹⁰And the messenger said to them, “Don’t fear. For behold, I bring-a-message of great joy to you that shall be to all the people! ¹¹For a Saviour who is the Anointed-[One] of Yehovah was born to you today in the city of David! ¹²And this is the sign to you: Ye shall find a baby wrapped in swaddling-rags lying in the feed-trough.”

¹³And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly army with the messenger commending God and saying, 14 “Importance is to God in the highest! And peace is in men of good-thinking on earth!” ¹⁵And he was, as the messengers departed from them into the heavens.

And the men shepherds said to one another, “We shall indeed go-through as far as House-of-Bread! And we will see this thing that has come to pass—that Yehovah made known to us!”

¹⁶And they came, having hasted. And they found both Miriam and Yoseph, and the baby lying in the feed-trough! ¹⁷And having seen, they broadcasted concerning the saying that had been told them concerning this little child. ¹⁸And all who heard wondered concerning the things that had been spoken to them by the shepherds.

¹⁹But Miriam kept all these sayings, pondering in her heart.

²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and commending God for all things that they had heard as it was said to them, and they had seen.

²¹And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising the little child, Yoseph called His Name Salvation—that was called by the messenger before He was conceived in the womb.

21 – Left Podium

The Torah of Yehovah is the Teaching of Yehovah, also known as the Teaching of Moshe, referring to Moses. The first six books of the Bible are the Torah, the Teaching.

An Israeli woman who birthed a child would remain unclean for a specified number of days after the birth. Since she was unclean, which has nothing to do with being dirty, but instead means that she could not join in any assembly of the Israelis, and she could not touch anything without making it unclean. In other words, others would need to help and even pamper her during this period so that she wouldn’t cause them to become unclean! It was more like a vacation for her, so that she could concentrate on her newborn.

22 – Right Podium

²²And when the days for their purification according to the Teaching of Moshe were fulfilled, They brought Him to Jerusalem to present to Yehovah 23as it has been written in the Teaching of Yehovah: that every male opening a womb shall be called the property of Yehovah, ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been said in the Teaching of Yehovah: a pair of turtledoves or two young of pigeons.

23 – Left Podium

The word Christ comes from the Greek word Christos meaning anointed one. This is the same as the word Messiah that comes from the Hebrew word Mashiakh, also meaning anointed one. Yehovah already had anointed a number of persons, like David. Anyone anointed was assigned a task that the person would successfully do. Several evil persons were also anointed, assigned to tasks and positions, and they did evil in those positions.

Yeshua is Anointed by Yehovah. His assignment was to be the sacrifice for the sin of the world, as well as being King of all kings and Lord of all lords in the future. Many in Israel desired to know the identity of Yehovah’s Messiah, since He will also save Israel from Israel’s enemies.

The Messiah was also known as the Consolation of Israel, since He would console Israel after many centuries of grief brought by Israel’s sin and the wrath of Yehovah. That consolation will come when Israel turns from sin.

24 – Right Podium

²⁵And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name is Hearkening. And this man is righteous and well-received, waiting for the Consolation of Israel. And the Spirit of the Holy-[One] was upon him. ²⁶And it was divinely communicated to him by the Spirit of the Holy-[One] that he will not see death before he will see Yehovah’s Anointed-[One]. ²⁷And he came in the Spirit into the Temple. And when the parents brought the little child Salvation so that they might do for Him according to what had become customary by the Teaching, ²⁸he also received Him into his arms. And he blessed God. And he said, 29 “Now, Master, Thou art sending Thy slave in peace according to Thy speech! ³⁰For my eyes have seen Thy Salvation ³¹Whom Thou prepared before the faces of all the peoples: ³²the Light for revelation of races, and the Importance of Thy people Israel!”

³³And Yoseph and His mother were wondering at the things that were spoken concerning Him. ³⁴And Hearkening blessed them. And he said to Miriam His mother, “Behold, this is set for the fall and arising of many in Israel, and for a sign spoken against!—³⁵and of thee also: a sword shall pierce thy being!—so that reasonings of many hearts will be revealed!”

³⁶And there was Khannah, a prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in many days, having lived seven years with a husband from her virginity. ³⁷And she is a widow of about 84 years who didn’t depart from the Temple, serving with fastings and supplications night and day. ³⁸And she positioning at the same hour confessed to Yehovah. And she spoke concerning Him to all those waiting for Redemption in Jerusalem. ³⁹And when they had completed all things according to the Teaching of Yehovah, they returned to Galilee to their city, Nazareth.

⁴⁰And the little child grew. And He became strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom. And the favour of God was upon Him.

25 – Left Podium

These astrologers read the constellations as a few read the Bible: literally. Yehovah printed His plan in the constellations, but few have learned to read. Many treat the Bible the same way as modern astrologers treat the constellations: they don’t believe it literally, and they can’t read it properly. These astrologers read and believed, fearing Yehovah the God of Israel.

They came to worship Him: that is, to prostrate (lay down flat) before Him, showing that they were His servants. Worshipping always means to lay down flat, face-down before another or before something.

26 – Right Podium

M2:1 Now Salvation, having been born in House-of-Bread of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, astrologers from the east arrived at Jerusalem ²saying, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star in the sunrise. And we are come to worship Him.” ³But Herod the king was troubled, having heard, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴And having gathered together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah should be born. ⁵And they said to him, “In House-of-Bread of Judaea. For thus it has been written by the prophet: ⁶ ‘And thou House-of-Bread, land of Judah, in no wise art least among the governors of Judah. For a leader shall go forth out of thee’ who shall shepherd my People Israel.”

⁷Then Herod, having secretly called the astrologers, exacted from them the time of the appearing star. ⁸And having sent them to House-of-Bread, he said, “Having gone, exactingly-search for the little child. And when ye shall have found, bring word back to me that I also may worship him, having come.” ⁹And they departed, having heard the king.

And behold, the star that they saw in the east led-before them, until, having come, it stood over where the little child was. ¹⁰And they rejoiced an exceedingly great joy, having seen the star. ¹¹And having come into the house, they found the little child with Miriam His mother. And having fallen down, they worshipped Him. And having opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him—gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And they withdrew by another way into their own country, having been admonished in a dream not to return to Herod.

¹³Now they, having withdrawn, behold an messenger of Yehovah appears in a dream to Yoseph, saying, “Having risen, take and flee into Egypt with the little child and his Mama. And be there until I tell thee. For Herod is about to seek the little child and destroy him.”

¹⁴And he, having risen, took and withdrew into Egypt with the little child and His mother by night. ¹⁵And he was there until the death of Herod so that what was spoken by Yehovah through the prophet will be fulfilled, saying, “I called to my son from Egypt.”

27 – Left Podium

These astrologers arrived about a year and a half after Yeshua’s birth. Note the age of the children that Herod will target.

28 – Right Podium

¹⁶Then Herod was greatly enraged, having seen that he was mocked by the Astrologers. And having sent, he killed all boys from two years old and under who were in House-of-Bread and in all its borders according to the time that he had accurately inquired from the Astrologers. ¹⁷Then that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, ¹⁸ “A voice in Rama was heard: lamentation, weeping of bitternesses. Rachel is weeping concerning her sons. She is refusing to be consoled concerning her sons. For they aren’t!”

¹⁹But Herod having died, behold an messenger of Yehovah appears to Yoseph in Egypt in a dream, ²⁰saying, “Having risen, take and go into the Land of Israel with the little child and His mama. For they who were seeking the life of the little child have died.” ²¹And he, having risen, took and came into the Land of Israel with the little child and His mama. ²²But he was afraid to go there, having heard that Archelaus reigns over Judaea instead of Herod his father. And he withdrew into the parts of the Galilee, having been divinely instructed in a dream.

²³And having come, he dwelt in a city called Nazareth so that what was spoken by the prophets, that he shall be called a Nazarene, shall be fulfilled.

29 – Left Podium

We have read you the words of the events surrounding Yeshua’s birth, including the slaughter of many innocent children when Yeshua was about a year and a half old. If you are a normal hearer, you will see this as a romantic tale of events, then you will celebrate Christmas according to your family customs. You will think of three wise men from the east who arrived at baby Jesus’ manger, when the text never gives the number of astrologers, and they certainly do not arrive at the manger. You will think of Mary riding a donkey with Joseph beside her, when the text never indicates that she rode anything. You will imagine animals in the stable when no animals are mentioned. You won’t ask why Miriam placed the newborn into a feed trough. You won’t consider why gold, frankincense and myrrh, of all things, were given to them as gifts. You won’t ask how long the astrologers traveled to arrive in Israel, and in what country or countries they lived. You won’t consider how important the literal people and land of Israel are in the plan of Yehovah for all humans. If you are a normal hearer, you will only hear what you desired to hear and what you desired to imagine.

If you are a hearer with the capacity to hearken to the Word of God, however, you will ask many questions, and you will seek many answers.

We produced this for you—not so you would be entertained at this time of yearly entertainment, and not so that you would watch us read and sing, but so that you would think and ask.

Yeshua never was called Immanuel. He will be.

O come, O come Immanuel, and ransom captive Israel that lies in lonely exile here…

February 16, 2009August 9, 2016

The Timing of Messiah’s Death and the Sabbaths

The Timing of Messiah’s Death
And the Sabbaths

Re-edited March 21, 2006; corrected March 13, 2010

In order to establish on which day of the week Messiah was crucified, the following texts will used:

a) A text which states on which day Messiah arose from the dead;
b) A text which states how long Messiah was in Sheol;
c) Texts which teach the time of day when He died;
d) Texts which refer to the Sabbaths and the Passover at the time of His death.

When did Messiah Arise?

Matthew 28:1 Now late on sabbath, as it was the dusk of the next day after sabbath, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary came to look at the sepulchre. And behold, there was a great earthquake. For an angel of Yehovah, descending out of heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it! And his look was as lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And the guards trembled and became as dead men for fear of him. And the angel answering said to the women, “Fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus the crucified one. He is not here, for He is risen as he said. Come! See the place where the Lord lay! And go quickly and say to his disciples that he is risen from the dead!”

The above text gives a clue to the timing. It states that the two women came late on sabbath, as it was the dusk of the next day after sabbath. The regular Sabbath (the Friday evening to Saturday evening Sabbath) ends as the sun sets on our Saturday evening. Dusk can be as the sun is setting or it can be as the sun is rising, though we usually think of dusk as the time of the setting of the sun. This text states that it was the dusk of the next day after the Sabbath, but combining this with late on the Sabbath, makes it sundown Saturday. Combine this with the next text. Note that Messiah was already risen.

Mark 16:1 And the sabbath being past, Mary of Magdala and Mary the [mother] of James and Salome bought aromatic spices that they might come and embalm him. And they come to the sepulchre very early on the first of the week, the sun having risen. And they said to one another, “Who shall roll us away the stone out of the door of the sepulchre?” And when they looked, they see that the stone has been rolled—for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right clothed in a white robe. And they were amazed and alarmed. But he says to them, “Be not alarmed. Ye seek Yeshua the Nazarene, the crucified one. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they had put him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, He goes before you into Galilee. There ye shall see Him as He said to you.” And they went out and fled from the sepulchre. And trembling and excessive amazement possessed them. And they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid. Now when He had risen very early the first of the week, He appeared first to Mary of Magdala.

These women came after the sabbath and very early on the first of the week, the sun having risen.

Luke 23:56 And having returned, they prepared aromatic spices and ointments, and remained quiet on the sabbath according to the commandment. [Luke 24:1] But on the morrow of the sabbath, very early indeed in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the aromatic spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And when they had entered, they found not the body of the Lord Yeshua. And it came to pass, as they were in perplexity about it, that behold two men suddenly stood by them in shining raiment. And as they were filled with fear. And they bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, “Why seek ye the Living One among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you, being yet in Galilee, saying ‘The Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinners and be crucified, and rise the third day’”?

They came on the morrow of the sabbath, very early indeed in the morning.

The following text shows who came:

Luke 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary James, and others with them, which told these things unto the apostles.

Two men in shining raiment remind them of Messiah’s promise: The Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinners and be crucified, and rise the third day. Another text will be more specific.

Messiah rose a while before the women came, very early on the first day of the week. Since the Bible does not exaggerate, He arose on Saturday evening or Saturday night. Messiah was gone by Sunday morning.

How Long Was Messiah in Sheol?

One text above stated, The Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinners and be crucified, and rise the third day. This text seems to indicate that Messiah would be physically dead two days, then would rise on the third day. Another text must be considered:

Matthew 12:39 But He answered and said unto them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign. And there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the great fish’s belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Messiah declared the exact amount of time He would be in the heart of the earth (Sheol, also known as Hades in Greek), into which Korah and his rebels descended alive when the earth opened to receive them.

Jonah 1:17 Now Yehovah had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Some think that Jonah was alive during this time. (I was formerly unconvinced, and a certain Angela disagreed with me. I now see that she was right; he was alive, totally encompassed with water, like a baby in the womb.) The next text is thought provoking:

Jonah 2:1 And Jonah prayed unto Yehovah his God out of the fish’s belly. And he said, “I cried by reason of my distress unto Yehovah, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol cried I! Thou heardest my voice. For Thou didst cast me into the depth, into the heart of the seas, and the flood was round about me. All Thy breakers and Thy billows are gone over me. And I said, ‘I am cast out from before thine eyes!’ Yet will I look again toward thy holy temple. The waters encompassed me to the soul. The deep was round about me. The weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The bars of the earth [closed] upon me for ever. And Thou hast brought up my life from the pit, Yehovah my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Yehovah. And my prayer came in unto Thee—Into Thy holy temple!”

One speaking in Jonah’s prophecy, went to Sheol: Out of the belly of Sheol cried I! This is not figurative language as some in unbelief might suppose. The one speaking in Jonah’s prophecy drowned, yet continued to speak, fully awake: The waters encompassed me to the soul. The deep was round about me. The weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The bars of the earth [closed] upon me for ever. This is underscored by, “Thou hast brought up my life from the pit, Yehovah my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Yehovah.” When a soul faints within one, he has died? Yet the speaker prayed to Yehovah from Sheol, and Yehovah heard. There is no place where one can go to be out of Yehovah’s presence, as the Psalmist states,

Psalm 139:7 Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? And whither flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into the heavens, Thou art there. Or if I make my bed in Sheol, behold Thou! I take the wings of the dawn; I dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.

Once we establish approximately when Messiah rose from the dead and how long He was in Sheol, we can figure when he was crucified.

What Time was Messiah Crucified?

Matthew 27:46 But about the ninth hour Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”—that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And some of those who stood there, when they heard, said, “This calls for Elijah.” And immediately one of them running and getting a sponge, having filled with vinegar and fixed on a reed, gave him to drink. But the rest said, “Let be! Let us see if Elijah comes to save him!” And Yeshua, having again cried with a loud voice, gave up the ghost.

Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour, Yeshua cried with a loud voice: “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is, being interpreted, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And some of those who stood by, when they heard, said, “Behold he calls for Elijah.” And one, running and filling a sponge with vinegar, fixed it on a reed and gave him to drink, saying, “Let alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.” And Yeshua, having uttered a loud cry, expired.

Luke 23:44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Yeshua had cried with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” And having said thus, He gave up the ghost.

The zero hour is at approximately 6 a.m. Therefore the sixth hour is at noon. The ninth hour is at 3 p.m. We now should have enough information to establish the day and time of Messiah’s death after crucifixion. Below is a chart to help us establish this:

From the above, the day of Messiah’s crucifixion can be determined.

There are two more timing difficulties to be resolved. The term Sabbath is used, causing some confusion to some readers. The Sabbath is from Friday evening to Saturday evening, but also includes every Holy Day of Israel. Therefore if a Holy Day lands on Tuesday, it is still a sabbath. The Holy Days fall on different days in different years. It is possible for sabbaths to occur consecutively: one beginning Thursday evening and the next beginning on Friday evening. With this in mind, consider the following texts which refer to the Sabbaths pertinent to our topic.

Matthew 27:62 Now the next day that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, ‘He is risen from the dead!’ So the last error shall be worse than the first!” Pilate said unto them, “Ye have a watch. Go your way. Make as sure as ye can.” So they went and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch.

Mark 15:42 And when it was already evening, since it was [the] preparation—that is, [the day] before a sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable councillor who also himself was awaiting the kingdom of God, coming, emboldened himself and went in to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he were already dead. And having called to the centurion, he inquired of him if he had long died. And when he knew from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. And having bought fine linen, having taken him down, he swathed him in the fine linen and laid him in a sepulchre which was cut out of rock. And he rolled a stone to the door of the sepulchre. And Mary of Magdala and Mary the [mother] of Joses saw where he was put. And the sabbath being past, Mary of Magdala and Mary the [mother] of James and Salome bought aromatic spices that they might come and embalm him. And very early on the first of the week, they come to the sepulchre, the sun having risen.

The two texts above refer to a day of preparation. One text states that this was the day before a sabbath. On this preparation day, Joseph of Arimathaea took Yeshua’s body down. Therefore there was a sabbath on the next day.

Luke 23:50 And behold, a man named Joseph, who was a councillor, a good man and a righteous-one (this had not assented to their counsel and deed) of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who also waited for the kingdom of God—he having gone to Pilate begged the body of Jesus, and having taken it down, wrapped it in fine linen and placed him in a tomb hewn in the rock where no one had ever been laid. And it was preparation day, and sabbath twilight was coming on. And women, who had come along with him out of Galilee, having followed, saw the sepulchre and how his body was placed. And having returned, they prepared aromatic spices and ointments and remained quiet on the sabbath according to the commandment. But on the morrow of the sabbath, very early indeed in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the aromatic spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

The women purchased aromatic spices after this sabbath (the one after the day of preparation), and they prepared the spices. But they did not go to apply the spices until after the regular Sabbath day.

John 19:31 The Jews therefore, that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath—for it was [the] preparation (for the day of that sabbath was a great [day])—demanded of Pilate that their legs might be broken and they taken away. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first and of the other that had been crucified with him. But coming to Yeshua, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear. And immediately there came out blood and water. And he who saw it bears witness, and his witness is true, and he knows that he says true that ye also may believe. For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled: “Not a bone of him shall be broken.” And again another scripture says, “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” And after these things, Joseph of Arimathaea (who was a disciple of Yeshua, but secretly through fear of the Jews) demanded of Pilate that he might take the body of Yeshua. And Pilate allowed it. He came therefore and took away the body of Yeshua. And Nicodemus also, who at first came to Yeshua by night, came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. They took therefore the body of Yeshua and bound it up in linen with the spices as it is the custom with the Jews to prepare for burial. But there was a garden in the place where he had been crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. There therefore, on account of the preparation of the Jews, because the tomb was near, they laid Yeshua. And on the first [day] of the week Mary of Magdala comes in early morn to the tomb while it was still dark, and sees the stone taken away from the tomb.

The above text states that the sabbath after this preparation day was a great day—that is, a High Holy Day. Therefore it was not a regular Sabbath, but the Passover Sabbath. Consider the following chart:

This chart shows the timings of the days. If we combine the charts together, this will show what took place and when (see Page 7). A few other things have been also added to clarify the events. There were two Sabbaths in one week with one day between them.

This scheme seems to fit. If this is true, the doctrine of a ‘Good Friday’ is not based on the day of Messiah’s crucifixion.

I was unable to find more accurately when Messiah rose from the dead—whether it was at 3 p.m. (approximately, depending on exactly when the ninth hour of the day is), at sunset or at some other time near to these other times. He was in Sheol for three full days and three full nights.

Was Messiah Crucified on Passover?

The texts all show that Messiah was crucified the day before Passover. He ate the Passover meal one day early. How can this be justified?

2 Chronicles 30:15 And they slaughtered the Skip-Over in the 14th to the second month. And the Priests and the Levites were calamitized. And they sanctified themselves. And they brought ascendings House of Yehovah. ¹⁶And they stood upon their standing as their justice as the Torah of Moshe man of the Elohim. The Priests are sprinkling the blood from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷For many are in the congregation who did not sanctify themselves. And the Levites are over the slaughter of the Skip-Overs for everyone not clean, to sanctify to Yehovah. ¹⁸For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun were not being rendered-clean. For they ate the Skip-Over with not as written. For Hezekiah prayed concerning them, saying, “Yehovah the Good will Cover for the sake of ¹⁹all, his heart established to research the Elohim, Yehovah, Elohim of his fathers, and not as the cleanness of the Holy-One.” ²⁰And Yehovah hearkened unto Hezekiah. And He healed the people. ²¹And the children of Israel who were are found in Jerusalem did the solemnity of the Matzahs seven of days with big happiness and praisings to Yehovah day in day, the Levites and the Priests, with instruments of strength to Yehovah. ²²And Hezekiah spoke upon the heart of all the prudent Levites, good prudence to Yehovah. And they ate the appointment seven of the days, sacrificing sacrifices of peaces and confessions to Yehovah Elohim of their fathers. ²³And they counselled, all the congregation, to do seven of another days. And they did seven of days, happiness.

If they could keep unleavened bread another seven days, Messiah could keep the Passover a day early, knowing that He would be dead before the actual Passover day could occur.

The disciples kept it according to the command on the 14th. (They were not liberal with the commands of Yehovah.) They ate it with Messiah one day early.

What about John 19:14?

John 19:12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, “If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend! Whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar!” ¹³When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Yeshua forth. And he sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour. And he saith unto the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵But they cried out, “Away with him!” “Away with him!” “Crucify him!” Pilate saith unto them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

This text appears to be in direct conflict with the following texts in which Yeshua is already on the cross::

Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

Mark 15:33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

Luke 23:44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

Another text specifies when He was crucified:

Mark 15:25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

Consider the various texts in their order with hour being mentioned:

Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Yeshua cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Mark 15:25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

Mark 15:33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Luke 23:44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

John 19:14 And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

The texts put together indicate the following:

From the 6th to the 9th hour (noon to 3 p.m.) there is darkness.
About the 9th hour (about 3 p.m.) Yeshua died.
They crucified Him the 3rd hour (9 a.m.).
It was the preparation of the Passover and about the 6th hour (noon) when Yeshua was still at the trial.

This can be viewed as a conflict if the reader chooses to do so. I saw this as indicating that the preparation of the Passover was occurring and the time was somewhere between 9 a.m. and noon when Yeshua was crucified. I didn’t see texts referring to the 4th or 5th hour, or to the 8th hour (though I saw the 10th hour in John 1:39 and the 7th hour in John 4:52), and I assumed that their methods of timekeeping were normally in blocks of approximately three hours. If it was between 9 and noon, it could be considered in the third hour or about the 6th hour. Thus, I took it as being around 10:30 a.m.

Church Attendance

What is Disinterestedness?

A Definition

Advantages of Being Disinterested

Self-Esteem

Diplomacy

Relationships

Demonic Assignments

And Why They Are Not Yet Locked Up

The Sheol – Paradise Transfer

Promise and Location of Paradise

Paradise’s Origin

Eden

Eden, Verb

Eden, Edna, Pleasure

Tree of the Lives

Living Water: Waters of Lives

Sheol

Hades

Gehena

Tartaros/Tartarus

Absent from the Body

A Two-Podium Reading of Yeshua’s Birth

Designed for Children and Two Spotlights

1 – Left Podium

2 – Right Podium

3 – Left Podium

4 – Right Podium

5 – Left Podium

6 – Right Podium

7 – Left Podium

8 – Right Podium

9 – Left Podium

10 – Right Podium

11 – Left Podium

12 – Right Podium

13 – Left Podium

14 – Right Podium

15 – Left Podium

16 – Right Podium

17 – Left Podium

18 – Right Podium

19 – Left Podium

20 – Right Podium

21 – Left Podium

22 – Right Podium

23 – Left Podium

24 – Right Podium

25 – Left Podium

26 – Right Podium

27 – Left Podium

28 – Right Podium

29 – Left Podium

The Timing of Messiah’s Death And the Sabbaths

When did Messiah Arise?

How Long Was Messiah in Sheol?

What Time was Messiah Crucified?

Was Messiah Crucified on Passover?

What about John 19:14?

The Timing of Messiah’s Death
And the Sabbaths