Easter and Its Connection to Passover and FirstfruitsBy
Helena Lehman of the Pillar
of Enoch Ministry The following article is excerpted in its entirety from my book “The Language of God in Humanity,” which has been largely overlooked by both sides of the Two-House True Church of Yahshua, which consists of Messianic Jews, believing Gentiles and Lost Israelites that make up the symbolic Tribes of Judah and Ephraim in Bible Prophecy. This book contains a wealth of information that clears up many problems in Theology and Evangelism. It is my hope that sharing this information will lead more people to embrace the truth and stop listening to all the lies and half-truths being promulgated by the misinformed surrounding the Christian celebration of Easter. Easter is not Pagan, but a celebration of the Firstfruits of the Resurrection! TABLE OF CONTENTS: Signs in the Heavens on
the First Passover The Date of Christ’s Death and Resurrection Heavenly Signs at Christ’s Death and Resurrection Easter Not Pagan, But A Celebration of
Firstfruits! A Slave Forever: What Christ Became So We Could
Be Free! The Cross of Christ: The True Tree of Life Yahshua’s Cross, Our Covenant Pillar What It Means To Be “Blood Brothers” with Christ IMPORTANT NOTE: Though I own a copyright on this written work, I hereby give permission for people to freely and perpetually share this article electronically and via printed publications, provided that references to my books and ministry web site are retained in the article and that the article is presented in its entirety and without charge to any individual or organization. Signs in the Heavens on the First PassoverAs a powerful symbol of God’s Will for mankind, the Star
Gospel not only marked the timing of the first Passover, but also showed its
purpose. Interestingly, Passover always occurs at the time of a Full Moon. In Book One, we learned that a Full Moon could simultaneously serve as a symbol of
both full-blown good, and full-blown evil. In addition to occurring in
conjunction with a Full Moon, the first Passover in Among polytheists, it was dedicated to various gods and goddesses that had some connection to fertility, and the renewal of the land. Unfortunately, this connection led to much debauchery and sexual perversion among most polytheists, who ignored the message of renewal and hope in the spring season in favor of its sexual aspects. As a result, the arrival of spring was often seen as an acceptable time for fornication and drunkenness - all in honor of some false deity like Dionysus or Aphrodite. Among the righteous descendents of Seth and Shem, however, spring was most likely a time to remember their joy in knowing that the Messiah revealed in the Star Gospel would come one day, and fulfill their hope in obtaining everlasting life through a future resurrection. In light of Sacred Astronomy’s connection to the Sethites, and Shemites (i.e. Semites), it is highly significant that the Spring Equinox occurred in the sign of Aries at the time of the Exodus. As shown in Book One, Aries the Ram is a symbol of Christ as the perfect Passover Lamb. He is the Lamb of God who died to save believers from sin, and give them everlasting life in the Resurrection. During patriarchal times, righteous people would have known about the coming Lamb of God through the witness of the Stars, Blood Covenant rituals, and God’s promise to Adam and Eve about the Promised Seed, who is Christ. Before the Passover was commemorated among the Israelites, and
the Law was given to them on As Sethites, Noah and his descendents likely would have known the meanings of these celestial events, and had feasts and rituals on those days to honor the one true God, whom both Noah and Abraham knew was symbolized by the Sun. For example, the knowledge that God’s Glory could be likened to the light of stars, planets, moons, and the rising Sun was poetically memorialized by the Prophet Isaiah: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD (Yahweh) rises upon you. See… thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD (Yahweh) rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” - Isaiah 60:1-3 (NIV) Unfortunately, the Pagans also saw various celestial bodies and events as sacred, and had their own perverted rituals and myths surrounding them that were dedicated to false gods. Sadly, their biggest error was in worshipping various celestial bodies like the Sun, for this is only an inanimate symbol for Yahweh God - who is invisible, and infinite. In fact, since Passover occurs on the Full Moon nearest the Spring Equinox every year, many past polytheistic cultures held concurrent festivals dedicated to various Moon deities. These events, however, usually encouraged raucous debauchery and promiscuity, just as Mardi Gras does today. In sharp contrast to these paganistic celebrations, Passover is a reflective holy day dedicated to honoring God, and remembering His deliverance. The biblical chronological table in the Appendix shows that the Exodus likely occurred in 1466 BC. The Sun rose in conjunction with the planet Mercury in Aries on the Spring Equinox on April 3rd, 1466 BC. This conjunction occurred with Venus, the symbol of the light of the Messiah, in the adjacent sign of Aries. Hence, the great horned Altar to Yahweh in Heaven formed by Taurus and Aries was poised to accept a substitute lamb for the divine sacrifice of the Lamb of God prophesied to come. The first Passover therefore likely occurred on the subsequent night of the Full Moon. This would have been on April 5th, 1466 BC, or the 14th of Nisan on the Israelite’s lunar calendar. On the evening of April 5th, at the very beginning of Nisan 14
at dusk, the Sun had
just set in the west, and the Full Moon had
just risen in Libra, the sign of divine judgment. At that
time, the planet Uranus was
near to the Moon, Saturn was
in Virgo, and a near total Lunar Eclipse was
in progress. Therefore, instead of a full, bright Moon on the horizon, the
Moon was partially in shadow. Due to atmospheric effects that are accentuated
near the horizon, this partly eclipsed Moon would likely have had an ominous
blood red tinge. Could this partial eclipse have been a sign that the Angel
of Death was going to move across As explained in Book One, the principles of Sacred Astronomy support the idea that these celestial events around the time of the first Passover were by no means a coincidence. They instead appear to have been divinely ordained signs that something very spiritually significant was about to happen. For example, whenever Mercury is very near to the Sun, it is a sign that the position of the Sun has a prophetic application. Therefore, the presence of Venus in Aries during this conjunction of the Sun and Mercury between Taurus and Aries suggests that the Morning Star Yahshua (i.e. Venus), and God the Father (i.e. the Sun) called for an atonement sacrifice as a prophetic foreshadowing of a far greater future atonement by the Lamb of God (seen in Taurus and Aries). Adding to this Star Gospel message, Jupiter, the planet signifying the power and glory of the Messiah, was in Pisces on that same night. These two fish represent Judeo-Christianity in general, as well as the Two Houses of Israel - Judah and Israel/Ephraim in history. Illustration of the Lunar Eclipse on the First Passover
This shows that the Passover Lamb was sacrificed to pay for the sins of those repentant and redeemed souls who would accept the sacrifice. Whether they were Israelites or not, they were spared from the Death Angel if they ate the Passover lamb, and marked their doorways with the lamb’s blood. Everyone else not redeemed by the lamb lost all their firstborn animals and sons. Likewise, in its future application, though Yahshua sacrificed Himself to pay for the sins of the whole world, His sacrifice will do nothing for those who reject Him, or disdain His Covenants with Abraham, and the Israelites. The Date of Christ’s Death and ResurrectionMost Christians commemorate the death of Yahshua on Good Friday, and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Though the reasoning behind Good Friday is in doubt, the date most Christians celebrate Yahshua’s Resurrection is not! This is proven by several factors, which will be fully discussed here. First, let’s cut to the heart of the conflict. Some claim that Easter Sunday is a Pagan celebration. They reason that the Pagans worshipped deities that promised fertility on the Spring Equinox every year, so Christians should not do this. However, those Pagan celebrations likely followed old Sethite religious celebrations for Almighty God. In addition, Pagans did not necessarily worship their false deities on Easter Sunday. Rather, they usually did so on the day of the Spring Equinox, or the Full Moon after the Spring Equinox - and both of these could occur on any day at that time of year. Incidentally, this is how Passover is correctly determined - by finding the first Full Moon after the Spring Equinox! These sound celestial guidelines are also used to determine the correct date for Easter every year, whereas most Jews do not always determine the date for Passover Week correctly. Let me explain why this is so. Easter is determined by using the first Full Moon after the
Vernal, or Spring Equinox every year - just like Passover is by some Jews.
However, many other Jews insist that Passover must fall in the first month of
Abib on
the Jewish religious calendar, and the Sunday closest to the Full Moon after
the Spring Equinox may
fall as much as a month before the 1st of Abib. This is because some Jews factor in the
time of the “Aviv” barley harvest in Aviv means “new,” and is used to identify the first ripe
grains of the new barley harvest every spring in Another reason Easter and
the Day of the Firstfruits Offering do
not often coincide is that many Jews see Firstfruits as the day after the
Passover Sabbath, whereas Scripture clearly says it is the day after
the Sabbath, or Saturday (Lev. 23:11, 15). This means that the Firstfruits
Offering should be on the Sunday during Passover Week. Sadly, not everyone recognizes that
counting the Omer, or days to Pentecost from Passover
instead of from the Wave Sheaf Offering is
an unscriptural practice. Thankfully, however, the account of Yahshua’s death
and resurrection in the Gospel of “Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary
Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they
might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first
day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen… And
entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe… and
they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus
(Yahshua) of This Scripture clearly says that the women went to Yahshua’s
tomb on the day after the Sabbath, very early on the first day of the week,
and that Yahshua had already arisen when they arrived. Now, because Yahshua
was giving “the Sign of Jonah” with His death and resurrection (Luke
11:29), Yahshua had to be dead for three full days to give that Sign.
Scripture records that Jonah was
in the belly of the big fish for “three days and three nights” before being
vomited up onto shore, when he was again counted among the living (Jonah
1:17). In Jewish reckoning, each new day begins at dusk, not dawn, and
Yahshua died just before evening, or dusk. He therefore died just before
Passover began. Since Yahshua had to be dead for
three full days after that, the Sabbath being referred to in Counting from the late afternoon when He died, Yahshua had to be dead for three full days and nights before being resurrected. Since Yahshua had already risen from the dead early on Sunday morning, and had to be dead for three full days, Yahshua would have had to die just before Wednesday evening. Yahshua Himself attested to this fact in one of His discourses: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” - Matthew 12:40 (NKJ) Many passages in the Gospels indicate that Yahshua actually
rose from the dead on the third day (see Mat. 16:21; “Jesus (Yahshua) said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him, ‘Rabboni!’ (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus (Yahshua) said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” - John 20:16-17 (NKJ) This Scripture clearly states that Yahshua told Mary that He
was presently planning to go up to Heaven to be with His Father on that first
day of the week! Through Mary Magdalene’s testimony to the apostles on that
same day, isn’t it likely that they knew that Yahshua was
going up to Heaven on that very day to be presented as the Firstfruits of the
Resurrection before His Heavenly Father? Also, because
Sunday was the first full day after Christ rose, and He temporarily ascended
to Heaven on that day, doesn’t it seem logical that we should celebrate
Yahshua’s Resurrection on a Sunday? This certainly had much to do with “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” - 1 Cor. 15:20 (NKJ) This Scripture supports the idea that Yahshua was presented
before His Father as the Firstfruits Offering in the heavenly From these facts, it makes sense for Christians and Messianics to rely on Astronomy to determine the correct days to commemorate Christ’s Passover Eve death, and Sunday Firstfruits resurrection during Passover Week. Nonetheless, because Jews use finding the Aviv barley as a determining factor, the date for Passover may not always be near the Easter Sunday determined by Christians (and a few Messianics). More about the Firstfruits Wave Sheaf Offering, and its use in counting the days to Shavuot, or Pentecost, is found in the next chapter. As He had foreseen, Yahshua was betrayed, arrested, tried, beaten, and then nailed to the Cross in less than a day. He was arrested at night on the Jewish date Nisan 13 (a.k.a. Abib 13). It was therefore on Nisan 13 that Yahshua appeared before the Sanhedrin, Herod Antipas, and Pilate, then was tortured and crucified. Then Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus retrieved Yahshua’s body from the Cross before dusk, and placed it in Joseph’s new rock cut garden tomb (Matthew 27:59-60). There, they embalmed the body by rubbing it with myrrh and other antiseptic spices, and swathing it completely in a linen shroud bound tightly to the body by linen bandages (Linen shroud: Matthew 27:59; Linen strips: John 19:40). As an aid in figuring out how old Yahshua was when He died, Luke’s Gospel tells us that Yahshua was about thirty years old when He began His ministry to the Jews (See Luke 3:23). So, if Yahshua were born in September of 3 BC, He would have been twenty-nine years old in 27 AD, since there is no year zero between 1 BC and 1 AD. The year 27 AD is significant when applying Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy to the coming of the Messiah: “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.” - Daniel 9:25 (NKJ) In 457 BC, the Persian King Artaxerxes issued the decree allowing the Jews to
return to Now, since Luke tells us that Yahshua was about 30 years old
when He was baptized and started His public ministry, some cite this fact to
disprove the 27 AD date for the beginning of Christ’s ministry. However, most
believers in Christ agree that life begins at conception, and Christ was
likely conceived in December of 4 BC. He therefore technically would have
been alive as a human being in the flesh for 33.5 years when He died, after
ministering to the people of In the Gospel of Luke, some historical facts are given surrounding Christ’s First Advent that help to verify my dates for Christ’s birth in 3 BC, and His death and resurrection in 31 AD. The first centers on Luke’s statement that Yahshua was 12 years old when He was found in the Temple discussing Scripture with the Rabbis (Luke 2:46). Here, Yahshua acted quite mature, even though He had not yet celebrated His 13th year - when Jewish boys and girls are recognized as adults with a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. This suggests that Yahshua saw Himself as an adult on the 13th year from His conception, not His birth - even though it was a year too early by ordinary Jewish standards. Luke also revealed that Quirinius was
Governor of Syria when Yahshua was born in As for the time of the Roman Census Luke speaks of, the Paphlagonian Inscription, and the Armenian historian Moses Khorene recorded that Augustus Caesar ordered all people to swear allegiance to Rome, and to be counted in a census in 3 BC. So, the time frame for Christ’s birth that Luke was referring to was very likely 3 BC, as most scholars would agree that 7 AD is not supported by other historical facts surrounding Christ’s birthday. In addition to the preceding clues, the Gospel of Luke states
another historical fact surrounding Christ’s ministry to help us date its
beginning. He states that John the Baptist began his short public ministry before
Christ began His. Luke also records that John’s ministry began in the 15th
year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1). If we use current Roman dating
methods, the 15th year of Tiberius fell in 28 AD, and this suggests that John
the Baptist began His ministry in 28 AD. However, this
is not how the people of Asia Minor and Now, Ernest L. Martin suggests that Luke was dating Tiberius’
reign using the 1st of Tishri in the autumn of 27 AD. Jews most often call
the 1st of Tishri by the name “Rosh Hashanah,” which literally means “Beginning of the
Year” in Hebrew. This is the start of the Jewish Civil year, and many Jews
celebrate their New Year on this day. However, this is not the beginning of
their religious New Year. As some devout Jews point out, the 1st of Nisan -
which is the New Moon closest to the Spring Equinox -
is their real New Year. Nonetheless, Rosh Hashanah holds special
significance as a time of calling the congregation of the faithful to
repentance, and heralding the time of God’s coming judgment on mankind. In
addition, the Feast of Tabernacles follows this time of judgment, and
celebrates the promise of a resurrection to come - when every believer’s
desire to dwell with God forever will be satisfied. Perhaps this is why most
Jews still see Rosh Hashanah as
the beginning of their New Year, though it may originally have been at
the time of the Spring Equinox, as it was (and still is) for most of Asia,
and the It is my firm opinion that Luke pointed to Tiberius’s 15th
year of reign using Jewish dating methods, not Roman. Therefore, Luke saw Tiberius’
15th year as spanning from the 1st of Tishri in the autumn of 27 AD, to 1
Tishri in 28 AD. This means that John the Baptist likely began his ministry around Passover in
27 AD, and baptized Yahshua in
the Sometime after His baptism, Yahshua began His public ministry.
In fact, He may have begun to preach to the common people on the thirtieth
Rosh Hashanah after His conception. This would have been a
great time to do so, as If we count the length of time between the beginning of Christ’s ministry on Rosh Hashanah in 27 AD, and His crucifixion in April of 31 AD, exactly three and one half years passed between the official beginning of Christ’s ministry, and His death and resurrection. In addition, the mention of a one week Covenant with mankind could actually be referring to the Feast of Tabernacles, which is a week long feast! This can be seen as a Covenant celebration because it commemorates God’s desire to tabernacle, or dwell with mankind, and our desire to dwell forever with God, and be governed by our heavenly Father through the laws given to us by His chosen representative. When Christ died on the Cross for our sins, and then rose from the dead, He became our perfect, everlasting advocate before God in Heaven. Now, if we attempt to find the date for the Passover in 31 AD using the correct method, we would look to the first Full Moon after the Spring Equinox in 31 AD. This was on the evening of March 27th, 31 AD using the Julian calendar, which appears to have been on a Tuesday. However, since Yahshua had to have died on a Wednesday for Him to truly give the “Sign of Jonah,” this date does not work. It therefore appears that the Jewish priests of Yahshua’s day did not find the Aviv barley in late March of that year, and so chose to postpone Passover to the following month, as already described. Though doing so was incorrect, Yahweh already knew this would be done in the year Yahshua died, and the signs in the heavens amazingly commemorate this fact, as will be shown! If we jump ahead from March 27th, 31 AD to the next Full Moon on the night of April 25th that year, everything suddenly begins to fall into place. The beginning of Passover on April 25th does indeed appear to have fallen on the required Wednesday in 31 AD. However, this does not appear to be true on the two most often proposed years of Yahshua’s death and Resurrection. These are 30 AD, when Passover likely began on Thursday, April 6th; and 32 AD, when Passover likely started at dusk on Monday, April 14th. Passover began at dusk on the night of the Full Moon,
or the fifteenth day of the Moon’s 28-day cycle. To the Jews, this was the
14th day of Nisan, since the 1st day of the month always fell on the day that
the waxing crescent of a New Moon appeared. Since the Jewish day starts at
dusk, the true start of Passover on the 14th of Nisan is at night. As nearly
as can be determined using the Julian calendar, Passover began in the evening on
Wednesday, April 25th, 31 AD. This means that Yahshua was
likely placed in the garden tomb just before dusk, then rose from the dead
just before dusk three full days and nights later - on the evening of Saturday, April 28th.
Now, that Sunday morning, April 29th was “the first day of the week,” and
several Scriptures state that Yahshua had already risen from the dead before
early morning on that day (See Matthew 28:1; Time Chart of Christ’s Death and Resurrection
By Jewish reckoning, Yahshua would have had to rise from the
dead sometime before the close of the regular
Sabbath day at dusk, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That way He would have perfectly given the Sign of Jonah,
which required Him to be dead for three full days and nights. Then, after
seeing Mary Magdalene in the garden by His tomb, Yahshua temporarily left the Earth to be presented
as the Firstfruits Offering in
Heaven. This was on the 18th of Nisan/Abib, which was a Sunday. Though
not designated as a Sabbath, the first day after the Sabbath that falls
during the weeklong Feast of Unleavened Bread is a special religious day.
This was when the Wave Sheaf Offering of
Firstfruits was offered in the This offering always occurred on the day after the Sabbath
that fell during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. On that Sunday, the High Priest entered the “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land… and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD (Yahweh) so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.’” - Leviticus 23:10-11 (NIV) Just as described in the preceding Scripture, Yahshua rose from the dead just before the close of the Sabbath, or seventh day of the week that fell during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He therefore experienced His first day of life in His resurrected body on Sunday, and was glorified before His Father as the Firstfruits of the Resurrection on that day. On that Sunday in
When God gave Moses instructions on how to make the Menorah, He told Moses to style it after an almond tree, with the bowls of the lamps designed to look like almond flowers (Exodus 25:33-34). Interestingly, almond flowers have six delicate, white petals surrounding a soft pink center bud with white stamens. Could this be the origin of the Star of David, which has six points surrounding one center area? Jews believe that the Star of David represents the number seven, since it has six points, and one center like a Menorah. The Menorah represented a seven-day week, which is a span on the circle of time. Therefore, could it be possible that the Menorah in the Desert Tabernacle was not linear, but circular - with six evenly spaced branches radiating outward and upward from the center bowl, or lamp? If so, the Star of David actually depicts a Menorah as seen from the air! In Book One, it was revealed how the Star of David is also a powerful symbol tied to the Mazzaroth, or Zodiac, and the relationship of the Gospel in the Stars to the Twelve Tribes of Israel. In the final chapter of this book, we will discuss the life of King David as a prefiguration of Christ’s coming Millennial Rule. As shown in the illustration on page 12, the center, or Servant Lamp on a seven-branched Menorah symbolizes Christ in His First Advent role as a Suffering Servant. If we apply the days of the week to a Menorah’s lamps, the first lamp corresponds to Sunday, the first day of the week, while the seventh lamp symbolizes the seventh day Sabbath, or Saturday. Interestingly, the center, or Servant Lamp therefore represents Wednesday, the same day that Yahshua may have died before Passover in 31 AD.
Since the Servant Lamp signified Yahshua’s role as a servant to both God and man, and Yahshua was born at the end of the Fourth Great Day in 3 BC (See Book One, and the 13,000 Year Chart in the Appendix), it is fitting that He would die on Wednesday - the day that is prophetically associated with the Servant Lamp! Interestingly, Yahshua is also called “the First and the Last” (Rev. 1:11, 17), and the first and last lamp on a Menorah may also signify Yahshua. After all, as the Creator God, Yahshua is responsible for the existence of both the First Day of Creation, and the first millennial day after the creation of Adam and Eve. Yahshua was also the first of the firstfruits to be raised from the dead, and was presented to His Father on the first day of the week, on the day of the Firstfruits, or Wave Sheaf Offering, which corresponds to the first lamp on a Menorah! Therefore, the first Menorah lamp corresponds to the fulfillment of Yahshua’s First Advent ministry, while the seventh lamp signifies Yahshua in His Second Advent role as conquering King of kings. It also represents the seventh Millennium - when Christ will righteously rule this current Earth in peace! We will discuss other prophetic aspects of the Menorah throughout this book series, especially in Book Four on prophecy. Heavenly Signs at Christ’s Death and ResurrectionJust as prophetic signs in the heavens were present at the first Passover, they were also seen when Christ died on the Cross - if we assume that this was just before the official start of Passover in 31 AD. Scripture tells us that Yahshua celebrated the Passover on Passover Eve with His disciples. This would place the Last Supper on the 13th of Nisan/Abib, or after dusk on Tuesday, April 24th, 31 AD. Yahshua therefore was dead by the evening of Wednesday April 25th, 31 AD, which was the night of the Full Moon, and the official start of Passover on Nisan 14. Interestingly, as is shown in “The Language of God in Prophecy,” the number 13 symbolizes something good coming out of something evil. It is therefore very significant that Yahshua died on the 13th day of the first lunar month, for His murder was a despicably evil event that brought about great good, and gave the first real hope to a lost, and dying world. At dawn on 13 Nisan (i.e. April 24th), the Sun rose in Taurus in direct alignment with the Pleiades. A star in the Pleiades is called Al Cyone, “The Center,” and suggests that the location of God’s Throne and Judgment Seat, as well as the third Heaven that Paul visited in a vision are near to the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters in the Taurus constellation. In addition, it suggests that Taurus relays the central message of the entire Zodiac, which is that God would send a Redeemer to save mankind from sin and death. As already shown, Taurus represents the bull used as an
atonement sacrifice, and as a prescribed sin offering for all Since all true disciples of
Yahshua are adopted into
Now, as shown
earlier, the four horns of
Taurus and
Aries may
actually be tied to the four horns on the Altar to Yahweh and
the four corners of the Earth. As such, these signs are a symbolic
altar, and their horns represent the four points of the Cross that Yahshua was
sacrificed upon. How fitting then, that on the day of Yahshua’s death, the
Messiah planet Jupiter was directly centered between these two amazing Zodiac
signs - signs that signify the heavenly Altar to Yahweh and represent the
altar that once stood in the inner Temple courtyard in Ancient Jerusalem! On
that day, all these heavenly signs were announcing that something
prophetically significant in Scripture (as suggested by Mercury) was going to affect Yahshua, the Son of
God (the Sun), and the Son of Man (Jupiter) in His role as the Lamb of God (Aries), and atonement sacrifice for sin (Taurus).
Since it was Passover Eve when Yahshua died, His death would have occurred before the twelfth hour, or 6 o’clock p.m. This was just before the end of Nisan 13, which began at dusk on Wednesday, April 25th. Uncannily, a total Lunar Eclipse occurred over Jerusalem on the night of Nisan 14 (April 25th) in 31 AD, echoing back to the partial Lunar Eclipse visible over Egypt and Canaan (Israel) on the night of the first Passover in 1466 BC. At about 9 o’clock p.m. on April 25th, the Full Moon was already half in shadow. Then, by 9:30 p.m., the entire face of the Moon was dark. It remained dark for almost 2 hours, then began to emerge out of the eclipse after 11:15 p.m. that night. This total eclipse occurred when the Full Moon was stationed directly between Scorpio and Libra. In fact, it visually appeared as if the Moon was being grasped in the Scorpion’s huge stellar claws! As shown in my book: “The Language of God in the Universe,” Scorpio represents Satan, while Libra can signify both a scale signifying justice, as well as an altar of sacrifice that is grasped in the scorpion’s claws. Thus, like the combination of Taurus and Aries, Libra can signify the Cross of Christ as an altar where sin is being offered up for destruction. Meanwhile, the eclipsed Moon represents the dark nature of evil obliterating Christ’s righteous light, and the death that temporarily overcame the true Light of the World. Perhaps this is why the decan of Scorpio called Ophiuchus depicts Christ wrestling with the Serpent called Satan! Now, could a series of heavenly signs marking Christ’s crucifixion and death be any clearer than this? Indeed, it seems that the Moon - which represents a dead spirit being enlivened by the light of God - may symbolize Christ’s own Spirit enlivening the spirits of the dead dwelling in Abraham’s Bosom. Yes, even this night of seeming despair had a bright spot, for it allowed Christ to deliver His message of hope and salvation to those who had died longing for His coming. To emphasize the prophetic theme of blood sacrifice and redemption at this time, Saturn, the symbol of Sabbath rest and redemption; Venus, the symbol for Yahshua as the Morning Star proclaiming redemption; and Mars, the symbol of redemption via blood atonement were in the sign of Gemini, the Twins on Nisan 13 and 14. Mythological depictions pictured these twins as two brothers, which represent many brothers in the Bible, especially Moses and Aaron - a fact that escaped me when I wrote Book One on the Star Gospel. However, Gemini can also be seen as a Bride and Groom, with the star Pollux marking the head of the divine Groom who is betrothed to the mortal Bride marked by Castor. As if to emphasis this point on the Passover evening after Christ died, the allegorically feminine planet Venus rested upon the woman marked by Castor, while the masculine planet Saturn rested over the male figure marked by Pollux!
On the morning of April 29th, 31 AD, when Yahshua rose from the dead, the signs in the heavens appeared nearly identical to the way they looked at the time of Christ’s crucifixion. However, one significant thing had changed. The Moon, which represented Christ’s Spirit at this time, was no longer in the clutches of the deadly Scorpion, but riding triumphantly on the back of Sagittarius - the Archer that signifies Christ as a conquering hero, and blood sacrifice for sin united as one! Besides these powerful celestial signs, Matthew’s Gospel records another event that is associated with Yahshua’s crucifixion: “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.” - Matthew 27:45 (NKJ) This darkness hanging over the land could
not have been a total Solar Eclipse, since Solar Eclipses can only occur with
a New Moon, and the Moon was full when Yahshua was
crucified. It was therefore a peculiar, and ominous darkness likely caused
supernaturally - perhaps via a heavy, divinely sent cloud layer that obscured
the afternoon sunlight. This ominous darkness before Passover must have left a lasting
impression. Some of the more receptive people among the populace of ancient To learn more about how our righteous ancestors used the principles of Sacred Astronomy and the Language of God to learn about Yahweh, and His Plan of Salvation, see Books One and Three in “The Language of God” series. Easter Not Pagan, But A Celebration of Firstfruits!The
Pagan spring feast days that once fell on the same day that Christians
celebrate Easter have ritual elements that are said to have originated among
the ancient Pagans in Europe and elsewhere. Like other festivals that fall in
the spring including Passover, the date for Easter is determined using the
first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox. In addition, Easter usually falls on the
day that the Firstfruits offering of the barley harvest would have been
offered in the Since Passover is a Full Moon celebration, and Easter follows the Sabbath day after that Full Moon, Passover and Easter were most likely associated with major holidays for the righteous descendents of Seth prior to the Flood as well since they understood God’s Will through Sacred Astronomy and the Gospel in the Stars. Indeed, long before Passover, the righteous followers of Yahweh probably saw this time of rebirth and renewal on the Earth as sacred unto Yahweh. In addition, they saw the Sun as a symbol for Yahweh and therefore likely chose to celebrate various divine blessings on the equinoxes and solstices - but in a markedly different way than the Pagans who worshipped themselves or demons would have chosen to. Due to their great knowledge of Sacred Astronomy and the Precession of the Equinoxes, the Sethites and Semites knew that the Spring Equinox would move from Taurus at the time of Adam, to Aries later on. Furthermore, because of the Gospel in the Stars, they knew that both signs represented a holy altar to Yahweh covered with acceptable blood sacrifices - sacrifices that symbolized the coming Messiah. As shown in Book One, Aries is a symbol for Christ’s mercy and love for the righteous, and Taurus is a symbol of His New Covenant with mankind, His power over sin and death, His universal kingship, and the meting out of His wrath upon the wicked when He comes again in Glory. Due to their understanding of Sacred Astronomy and the Gospel in the Stars, righteous Sethites and Semites also knew that the Sun is an allegorical symbol for Yahweh God. As a result, though they did not worship the Sun, they honored its place as the divider of the year, and determiner of the seasons. They knew that the Sun symbolizes the fact that Yah determines the times and seasons for all things in each human life, and this is true whether or not people acknowledge His place in their lives. Sadly, however, the Pagans invented false stories around the Zodiac signs and misinterpreted most astronomical events surrounding the Sun, Moon, and planets. Worst of all, they began to worship the stars and planets as deities, and made idols to represent them in human form. They thereby perverted the teachings of Sacred Astronomy, and obscured the truths about the one true God that the stars and our Solar System were intended to teach. Stars, planets, the Sun, and the Moon became idolatrous objects of worship instead of sanctified teaching mechanisms meant to educate mankind about the nature of God and mankind’s place in God’s Plan of Salvation. Symbols in nature that may have once represented the idea of everlasting life also came to be associated with Pagan gods and goddesses, thereby masking their true significance. These include once godly symbols such as flowers, eggs, and evergreen plants. Using the principles behind the Language of God, however, it should be easy to see that eggs, flowers, and evergreens could be symbols of something far greater than human fertility, the fecundity of the soil, and the Pagan view of everlasting life through reincarnation. Rather, they could symbolize spiritual rebirth in the symbolic womb of the Spirit of God, and the promise of everlasting life through the Resurrection. The first Full Moon after the Spring Equinox was probably always meant to symbolize the triumph of life over death through the Resurrection. But because spring is the time of year when animals of all kinds mate and give birth, it became associated with sex and fertility as well. This association, though not unwarranted, led to the abominable practice of viewing promiscuous sex as a kind of virtue when performed to honor some god or goddess. As a result, the Full Moon nearest the Vernal Equinox, and the day of the Vernal Equinox itself, were both eventually viewed as a ready excuse for the rampant fornication openly encouraged at that time of year in many Pagan societies. In addition, the pure symbols associated with these celestial events were eventually connected to erroneous beliefs such as reincarnation, and to acts of ritual murder and infant sacrifice. In contrast to the evil Pagan practices that became falsely associated with the Christian celebration of Easter, the traditional Jewish Passover “Haggadah” or religious service is biblically ordained and embellished with beautiful symbolism. The Jews have performed Passover and the accompanying Feast of Unleavened Bread in a manner that has not changed significantly for thousands of years. It follows, then, that if we truly want to honor Yahshua, we should celebrate Yahshua’s death and resurrection at the same time that some Jews celebrate Passover Week, which is in the seven days beginning with the Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox. Since the Christian date for Easter is the
technically correct date that the Firstfruits Offering would have been made
in the Though Spirit-filled Christians do
not have to keep
the Passover or Easter, there are many reasons why Passover Week is important
for both Jews and Christians to remember and study. The major reason is that,
as mentioned before, Yahshua instated the ritual of Communion on
the Passover before He died. In the following excerpt from “While they were eating, Jesus (Yahshua)
took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying,
‘Take it; this is my body.’ Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it
to them, and they all drank from it. ‘This
is my blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many,’ he said to
them. ‘I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine
until that day when I drink it anew in the In the preceding Scripture, Yahshua vows
that He will not drink from the Passover cup again until He drinks it in the “ To understand why Yahshua wants the world to keep the Passover during His reign, we need to use our imaginations to go back in time and become familiar with the events of the very first Passover. On that day, at twilight, Yahweh ordered each Israelite family to slaughter a year-old male kid or lamb in front of the doorway leading into their home. The blood from the sacrifice was pooled in a small drainage ditch dug below the doorway. After dipping a branch in the blood, they used it to smear the blood onto the lintel (i.e. top beam) of the doorway and then the two side-posts in succession. They thereby literally drew the sign of the Cross in blood over their doorways. This blood-marked doorway was prophetically significant, but initially only promised to temporarily protect the Israelites from physical death: “The blood will be a sign for you on the
houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No
destructive plague will touch you when I strike On that first Passover, the blood of a lamb
marked on the doorways of Israelite homes signified the blood of a Covenant
that Yahweh cut with In the blood-dipped branches and blood-marked doorways that were a part of the first Passover, we see an analogy for the Tree of Life, since the doorframes were most likely constructed of wood. The blood-painted doorways, in fact, represented three things. First, as deadwood obtained from once living trees, the doorposts on that first Passover represented the Tree of Life destroyed. Secondly, they symbolized Christ’s blood-soaked Cross of execution. Third, the doorposts represented life to the inhabitants of each house. Therefore, these blood-marked doorways represented the bloodstained gate or doorway we all must symbolically pass through to find redemption and everlasting life. When Yahshua said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me,” He was declaring that He is the Gate to Heaven - and that everlasting life can only be found through belief in Him. Yahshua is therefore the symbolic gate, door, or portal we must pass through in order to get into Heaven. That is why Yahshua used analogies to doors or gates when He referred to the purpose of His ministry to mankind: “Therefore Jesus (Yahshua) said again, ‘I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved…’ ” - John 10:7-9 (NIV) All the Jews throughout In a similar manner, Yahweh God pronounced the death sentence on all mankind, and allows the Angel of Death to eventually claim everyone. Nevertheless, for anyone who symbolically paints the blood of Yahshua on the door of their hearts and symbolically eats His flesh in Communion, Yahweh will deliver them from eternal death and separation from God. Those who choose to drink the wine that symbolizes Christ’s blood marked Cross and eat the bread made without yeast that symbolizes Christ as our Passover Lamb will live forever. The Bible declares that Yahshua is the Passover Lamb and the Bread of Life for all believers: “Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast-as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” - 1 Corinthians 5:7,8 (NIV) “Then Jesus (Yahshua) declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.’ ” - John 6:35 (NIV) Like the Manna that rained down from heaven
for the Israelites in the desert, Yahshua feeds those who seek Him. He is the
unleavened bread of humility and repentance, not the leavened bread puffed up
with the yeast of pride and arrogance. He accepts only those who eat the
unleavened bread of His truth. Unlike all the other innocent animal blood
sacrifices the Israelites made to Yahweh, which were to be without obvious
physical defects, Yahshua was both physically perfect and pure and sinless in
character and spirit. The Jews unwittingly sacrificed the only truly perfect
sacrificial lamb when they conspired with the Herodians and
Romans to
crucify Yahshua on In all the rituals surrounding the blood sacrifices offered by the Aaronic priests, fine flour mixed with salt and oil were to be offered on the altar - along with the fat and skin of the slaughtered animal. When flour, salt, and oil are mixed together, the dough formed can be used to make unleavened bread, which signifies sinlessness. Therefore, the flour, salt, and oil offered on the altar symbolized the unleavened bread that alludes to Yahshua as the yeast-free (i.e. sinless) Bread of Life. Consequently, offering oil, flour, and salt with blood sacrifices was not a senseless ritual. Instead, it was clearly ordained by Yahweh as a symbol for Yahshua – the Messiah and Redeemer who became the unleavened Bread of Life through the sacrifice of His body and blood for our sins: “On the first of every month, present to the LORD (Yahweh) a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With each bull there is to be a grain offering of… fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, a grain offering of… fine flour mixed with oil…” - Numbers 28:11-12 (NIV) Through the symbolic Language of God hidden in the ritual acts surrounding each blood sacrifice, the Israelites were being shown the true Path to Salvation. Yet, even with these clear allusions to Christ symbolized in the many thousands of sacrifices performed by the Levites on behalf of their people every year, the Jews were still blind to the purpose of their Messiah Yahshua when He came. The Jews, however, had no excuse for not recognizing their Messiah except the ignorance that comes from practicing rituals automatically - without analyzing the reasons why the rituals were instituted in the first place. In analyzing the symbolism behind Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, it is evident that these two feasts are riddled with symbols that are unmistakably a part of God’s allegorical Language. Sadly, however, many Jews practiced the ritual religious acts associated with these feasts without regularly analyzing their purpose. They therefore forgot the spiritual instruction symbolically built into each ritual through the Language of God. One goal of this book is to right their wrong. By analyzing the rituals and symbols connected to these two important Jewish feasts, great spiritual wisdom can be gleaned from them. Though the rich symbolism of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread have only been briefly touched upon here, enough has been explained to show that Christians should remember and observe them in some special way. For more information about the Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread, and suggestions on how Christians can keep these feasts, visit my web site at http://pillar-of-enoch.com and look for the article entitled: “A Christian View of Passover” in the “Free Articles and Downloads” section. A Slave Forever: What Christ Became So We Could Be Free!There is one other major symbolic event connected to Passover that fully relates to Christ. This occurred during the seven-day period before Passover, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This week was set aside for ritual purification. Leaven (i.e. yeast) had to be totally removed from homes at this time, and everything inside the home had to be meticulously cleaned. Tombs were whitewashed on roads to protect travelers from becoming ritually unclean by coming into contact with human remains. It was also considered an auspicious time to make important business deals, take on new apprentices, and arrange marriages. In addition, it was the traditional time of year that slaves were indentured (pierced) on the doorpost of their master’s house. This was done through their ear, as a sign of their desire to stay their master’s slave for the remainder of their life: “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free… he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If… she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him… to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.” - Exodus 21:2-6 (NKJ) The ritual act of claiming the status of a slave for
life in service to a beloved master became extremely significant when Yahshua
entered history. This is because, as a man, Yahshua forfeited His right to the glory and honor
due Him as a legitimate Prince and Priest. Instead, He chose the garments,
and humble lifestyle of a servant, or slave to God. On “Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery… to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from… righteousness. What benefit did you reap… from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is everlasting life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Messiah Yahshua, our Adonai).” - Romans 6:19-23 (NIV) Though we still struggle with sin in our daily lives, we who have accepted Yahshua as our Savior are no longer considered slaves to sin. We are instead slaves to righteousness, and strive to be obedient to Christ in all things. At death, the spirits of those who are saved will be transformed, and prepared to receive a pure and perfect body. Then our spirits and bodies will be perpetually free from sin and death, just like the resurrected body of Yahshua. So, though we believers are willing slaves to Yahweh, we are also His adopted sons and daughters, and we will one day be forever free of sin through Yahshua! “(Yahshua said) ‘And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage… How can you say, ‘You will be made free?’ Jesus (Yahshua) answered… ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.’ ” - John 8:32-36 (NKJ) The freedom we have in Christ is a marvelous gift! It frees us from the yoke-like curse of the Old Testament Law, and instead gives us the Holy Spirit to transform and guide our actions. We therefore begin to live by this Spirit - a Spirit that cries out “Abba! Father!”, and beckons us to willingly strive to live within the Law as a joyful outward expression of our love and adoration of God the Father, and His Son. Through this same Spirit of God, we become “sons” of God like Christ, and earn the right to call Yahweh our Abba, or Father: “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” - Galatians 4:6-7 (NIV) This Scripture teaches that being a slave to Christ
actually sets believers free. Their willing slavery to Yahweh and
Yahshua transforms them into Abraham’s legitimate heirs. As a result,
Yahshua’s disciples no longer need to find their righteousness by observing
the Laws of Moses. Instead, those who choose to be dependant upon Yah are
guided by the Holy Spirit to be righteous. They live the Law intuitively,
and by faith, just the way Abraham did. If born again, people
automatically begin to become righteous. In addition, this intuitive ability
to know the Will of God, and to do it intensifies daily as people grow in the
Spirit, study the Words of Yahshua, and worship Yahweh in truth: “God presented him (Yahshua) as a sacrifice of atonement… He did this to demonstrate his justice… For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law… there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.” - Romans 3:25-31 (NIV) This section of Paul’s letter to the Romans is crucial to understand the concept of Justification by Faith. In affect, Paul was stating that those who are saved by the perfect atonement sacrifice of Yahshua on the Cross will uphold the Law through the power of the Holy Spirit in them, In fact, as Spirit-led Children of God, they will do so gladly. To those who have been reborn and are slowly being transformed to be like their Savior, the Law is no longer the curse of men that convicts them of sin. Instead, it is a source of constant joy for born again believers, who intuitively know how to keep the Law via the Holy Spirit. This then is the paradox: for though we are forever slaves like the Messiah is to His Father, we are willingly indentured in order to be free of sin through Yahshua’s gift of the Holy Spirit. This is because our base sin nature is being transformed to be perfect, just as Yahshua our Redeemer is perfect. Praise Yah that the Holy Spirit will not rest until the transformation of our character is complete! As Paul said: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (The Anointed One Yahshua).” - Phillip. 1:6 (NIV) All the facts uncovered in this chapter point directly to our
need to accept the sacrificial death of Christ (the Anointed One) in order to
preserve our lives into eternity. No biological animal life on Earth can
survive without consuming other biological life forms. Similarly, no
human being can survive into eternity without consuming the symbolic blood
and body of Christ by receiving His Spirit into their hearts, and
giving over their will to His. Through this ritual of Communion, we do much
more than merely enter into an agreement of fidelity and friendship with
Yahshua. Instead, we actually become a part of Yahshua’s heavenly family, and
earn the right to be members of His spiritual Body - the We must consume the Word of God and Spirit of Christ, our Living
Water and our Bread of Life, and He must become an inseparable part of our
spirits, souls (minds), and bodies if we wish to exist forever with Him in
the In this chapter, it was shown that all the past rituals surrounding Blood Covenant ceremonies pointed ahead to Yahshua’s death on the Cross, and subsequent resurrection. This was clearly discerned through the underlying Language of God within ancient rituals. These religious blood rites were all meant to proclaim the coming of the perfect blood sacrifice for sin – Yahshua the Messiah - our spotless Passover Lamb, and Kinsman Redeemer. The Cross of Christ: The True Tree of LifeA mysterious tree mentioned in the Book of Genesis can help shed light on the need for the crucifixion of Yahshua. It is found in the Tree of Life that God placed in the Garden of Eden. Eating from this mystical tree was the only way Adam and Eve could live forever. After their fall into sin, Yahweh God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in order to keep them away from this tree that contained a seemingly magical elixir imparting everlasting life (Genesis 3:22-24). Over the ages, countless voyagers have searched in vain for this mysterious tree and the pristine garden it once grew in. No one, however, has ever reported finding it. The reason, of course, is simple. The original Garden of Eden was totally destroyed in the Great Flood that engulfed the entire globe (Genesis 7:17-23). That holy garden has been recreated, but not on this Earth. It is instead part of the New Jerusalem - where the Tree of Life has been restored for us (Revelation 22:1,2). This holy city is in Heaven awaiting its delivery to the New Earth at the end of time. The original Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden was both a literal, and symbolic tree that represented Christ. As a metaphor for Yahshua in His pre-incarnate form, it stood for something vitally important. This tree that imparted life to those who ate its fruit is analogous to the bloodstained Cross of Christ -where Christ died to make restitution for our sins. Those who believe in Yahshua as Savior and Lord enter through that crude, cruel Cross into everlasting life. What first appeared as a living fruit tree to mankind was later transformed into the dead, blood soaked tree upon which Yahshua was brutally nailed and hung. Likewise, it is Yahshua’s blood and flesh that we must symbolically ingest if we desire to live forever: “Jesus (Yahshua) said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.’” - John 6:53-56 (NIV) Yahshua provided a way for believers to allegorically
accomplish this cannibalistic sounding act. He did so by initiating the
ritual known in Christian circles as Communion. On Passover Eve, Yahshua instated this
ritual as a way to commemorate His sacrificial death, and memorialize its
purpose. Christians celebrate Communion by sharing consecrated bread and
wine. Yahshua blessed and shared the bread and wine symbolizing the New Blood
Covenant during the supper that He ate together with His apostles and their
families on the night before He died. Incorrectly called “The Last Supper,” this evening meal is clearly identified as a
Passover celebration in the Bible (Matthew 16:18-20; Though Yahshua celebrated the Passover with His apostles that
night, John’s Gospel makes it clear that this was the day before the actual date set for Passover in
Jerusalem that year (John 13:1, 18:28). Since Yahshua certainly knew that He
was going to die on the eve of the Passover, He chose to celebrate Passover a
day early. Interestingly, this is an accepted custom found among Jews living
far from When Yahshua made the symbolic gestures of offering the cup of
new wine, and the matzo, or
unleavened bread to His apostles, He was
not adding any new symbols to the Passover ritual. The cup of wine, and
broken matzo were already part of the traditional Jewish Passover service -
at its conclusion. The actual rite of Communion therefore took place after
the Passover meal had been eaten. Since the whole yearling lamb that was
sacrificed for each household at Passover had to be fully consumed that
night, thirty to forty male and female guests probably gathered with Yahshua,
and His twelve apostles to eat the Passover meal. The wives and children of
the apostles, and the other women who followed Yahshua were also likely in
attendance. The Jews of Yahshua’s day reclined on cushions on the floor as
they ate around low tables, just as many people in the Yahshua’s Cross, Our Covenant PillarIt is easy to see the parallels that the ancient Blood Covenant ceremony had with the events in, and symbolism of Yahshua’s earthly ministry. The Covenant sacrifice is an especially powerful symbol that alluded to the future sacrifice of Christ in several ways. There are many unforgettable symbols in this ritual that serve as vivid analogies foretelling the nature of Yahshua our Redeemer. They are found in the exchange of clothing, the sacrificed animal that was cut in half, the rite of becoming "one blood," the exchange of names, and in the blood spattered planted tree or stone pile that served as an altar and memorial. In light of the meaning of a planted Covenant Tree, for example, it is clear that the Cross of
Christ literally
served as such a monument marking His New Covenant with
mankind! Though the Son of God died upon a dead and bloodstained tree, He
subsequently rose from the dead, and into eternal life - thus opening the way
for all people to find eternal life through Him. This is why two planks of
wood cut from a tree, and shaped into a cross are now a fitting symbol for
eternal life. In fact, as was shown in the previous section, Christ’s Cross
is symbolized in the Tree of Life that once
grew in the Garden of Eden, and will grow once again in the New Jerusalem. When Yahshua died on the Cross for our sins, He enacted several other Covenant rites. For example, Yahshua took on our attributes when He died, symbolically taking our "mantle and belt" of sinfulness in exchange for His perfection! Thus, Christ’s association with sin is tied to the ritual act of exchanging clothing in Blood Covenant ceremonies! Christ was clothed with sin so that we would be seen as pure and spotless - just as He was! Before He was hung on that cruel wooden cross, Yahshua was bruised and beaten for our transgressions. These transgressions were against the Old Covenant and its Laws. We have all sinned, and failed to keep our part of the Blood Covenant agreements that Yahweh made with all mankind through Adam, Noah, and Abraham. That is why Yahshua came - to take our punishment for our heinous sins against God, and each other. After Yahshua’s miraculous resurrection, the wounds He received on the Cross remained as scars, and eternal reminders of the pain Christ endured for our sakes. Scripture reveals that Yahshua’s resurrected, glorified body still had scars: “So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.’ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ “ - John 20:25-27 (NIV) Accompanying the scars on Yahshua’s hands and feet from the
large nails driven into them, Yahshua would have had scars on His forehead
from the crown of thorns, on His side from the spear thrust, and on His back
and sides from the whip marks left by the Roman soldiers who scourged Him.
These scars remain to serve as a perpetual witness of Yahshua’s special
Covenant with us - a Covenant that He signed on The Cross of Christ, and the rocky place where the
crucifixion took place called Heaps of stones were often used in ancient times to mark
significant events. These stone heaps of remembrance also served as makeshift
altars for the sealing, and remembrance of Covenants. Allusions to these
ancient stone memorials are found repeatedly in Scripture in reference to
Christ. For example, Yahshua was “the stone which the builders rejected” ( “But Jeshurun (i.e.: Uncannily, the name given to our Savior Yahshua is alluded to directly in the Old Testament passage above, since “Yahshua” sounds like several Hebrew words meaning “salvation.” The Hebrew word pronounced “yeshua” or “yashua” is the very same word for “salvation” used in the above phrase “the Rock of his salvation” which refers to the Messiah! This Rock of Salvation mentioned in the Old Testament is an appellation referring to Yahweh Himself, and by analogy also to Yahshua, the Son of God in His role as the Savior of the World: “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! (Yahweh) Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation (Hebrew: Yasha).” - Psalm 95:1 (NKJ) The Apostle Paul tells us that the Jews “stumbled at the
stumbling stone” (Romans 9:32) when they rejected Yahshua as their
Messiah. Yet Yahshua left such vivid symbols of who and what He was that they
should have recognized Him as their Messiah, or Anointed One immediately. It
was to their great loss that many Jews did not accept His claims. The most
clear symbol of the Messiah that God left for the Jews was found in the way
Christ died, for He was nailed to the wood of a
tree upon a rock ( As mentioned in Book One, and further expounded upon in Book
Four, the Great Pyramid likely served as a sacred Covenant Pillar built by Enoch and Seth’s descendents. It
may also have served as a testimony of their faith in a coming Messiah who
would be the Son of God. In fact, the complex design of this pyramid suggests
that the righteous antediluvians in Seth’s line expected Yahweh to provide a
Savior - one whose character was perfectly mapped out in the Gospel in the
Stars. Furthermore, it appears that they were memorializing the astronomical
and heavenly knowledge of Enoch, who had likely seen the Could the Sethites have made a representation on the Earth of
what Enoch had
seen in Heaven? As will be disclosed in Books Three and Four, this appears to
be clearly evident when the chambers and passages inside the Great Pyramid are
compared to the Desert Tabernacle –
which clearly was a divinely inspired, earthly representation of the
everlasting Tabernacle, or Though God left so many powerful signs for us to contemplate,
many people have forgotten how to interpret these symbols because they do not
have the discernment of the Holy Spirit. As a result, they still fail to see
that the ancient rites of Covenant meals alluded specifically to the events
of the Last Supper, or final Passover meal that Yahshua ate
with His disciples on the night before He died. That night, Yahshua gave the
bread and wine to His apostles and told them to partake of these as if they
were Yahshua’s own body and blood. When He did this, Yahshua was making
an everlasting Blood Covenant with “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’” - Matthew 26:27-28 (NKJ) What a powerful and moving analogy Christ gave to us in the ritual of Communion! No wonder He solemnly asked us to perform this ritual ceremony in memory of Him (Luke 19:22)! The act of Communion is a solemn one, but those who perform it are not often aware that they are agreeing to follow the stipulations of the New Covenant given by Yahshua during His earthly ministry! This is a terrible travesty that needs to be rectified. Christians need to know that the act of Communion is much more than a weekly ritual involving consecrated bread and wine that announces our desire to be Christians. In fact, no bread or wine needs to be involved for us to enter the rite of Communion with Christ. Instead, by loving Yahshua, asking Him to transform and help us, and trusting Him to do so, we genuinely and humbly enter into our first symbolic act of Communion with God. Then several things happen all at once. First, our sins are forgiven. Then we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and finally, we are adopted into the spiritual family of Yah – thereby becoming the allegorical “Body” of Christ. Thereafter, each time we share in Communion, we are asking Yahshua to continually change us from the inside out. Furthermore, we are renewing our commitment to love, honor, and obey our new Father in Heaven and His Son, as well as to love and protect all who are members of Yah’s spiritual family. What It Means To Be “Blood Brothers” with ChristBeing a member of Yah’s family through the Body of Christ is a
tremendous free gift that is available to anyone who chooses to be allied to,
or “Blood Brothers” with, Christ. Just as a Native American
warrior and American pioneer could be considered as members of the same
family through the rite of Blood Brotherhood, so we become members of
Yahshua’s Family through that same rite – a rite we enact each time we
participate in Communion. We will also become an even more intimate part of
Yahshua’s Family through the Covenant of Marriage. As discussed in Chapter Six,
this will happen when Yahshua marries His Bride, the Once we enter this Covenant agreement with Christ, we have an obligation to fulfill our end of the agreement with Him through our faithfulness and love. Yahshua neatly summed up the responsibilities we have in this New Covenant agreement with Yahweh God when He said that we should love the Lord our God (Yahweh our Elohim!) with our whole (triune) being (spirit, soul, and body) and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). As partly quoted in Chapter Two: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself… For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” - 1 Corinthians 11:26-32 (NKJ) This Scripture clearly teaches that - after entering into
Communion with Christ -
we eat and drink judgment on ourselves, and often suffer physically and
emotionally if we do not keep the requirements the New Covenant. In effect,
the Apostle Paul was telling the
disciples in the By believing in Yahshua as our Savior, we are bound in a Covenant relationship with Him that calls us to examine our actions daily, and ask Yahshua to help us live life by His rules. If we don't repent of our actions, and instead continue to sin indiscriminately, we eat and drink judgment upon ourselves - especially if we partake in Communion without repenting. For this sin, we will suffer the consequences of God’s wrath in this life until we admit our wrongdoing to Yahshua, and ask Him to help us change. On the other hand, if believers who enter the New Covenant through belief, repentance, and/or Communion do their best to live by the Laws that Christ set forth during His earthly ministry, they will reap many blessings from it. Depending on where they live, and what their economic situation is, these blessings may include: meaningful fellowship, fulfilling worship, miraculous healing, support and appreciation within a congregation, better health, sincere and believing friends, continual joy, and a more stable financial situation. Of course, we are asked to rejoice not only in the blessings of Christ, but also in our sufferings for Him. Indeed, in many countries of the world, Christians suffer horribly for Christ everyday, yet they do so with a gladness that is almost foreign in some Christian congregations. Where is the joy in our faith that the apostles continually displayed after Pentecost? If you are not experiencing it, then you need to re-examine your walk with Christ, and rededicate yourself to living life by Yahshua’s rules. Certainly, we should strive on a daily basis to dedicate our lives to Christ, and find our joy in Him! The rituals of Blood Covenants examined in this chapter can be seen as powerful analogies of our relationship with Yahweh, and His Son Yahshua. They clearly identify Yahshua, the Anointed One’s character and purpose, and our need for Salvation through Him. When we have faith in Yahshua, we obtain a powerful protection from evil that only He can give us. However, only Yahweh and His Son can be totally faithful in any Covenant relationship. Therefore, unless we ask Yahweh’s Holy Spirit to help us to be faithful to keep our part of the bargain, we will ultimately fail. All the rituals of blood sacrifice performed in the past before Yahshua came symbolized the ultimate sacrifice that He would make for humanity’s sake. The most remarkable thing about this is: when Yahshua died, a person who was both immortal God, and a mortal man forever paid the price of sin for all people with human flesh - the flesh that He will forever share in common with us. Though Yahshua died as a mortal man with a flesh and blood body, He was raised to immortal life in a body that Yahshua Himself described as flesh and bone, with no mention of blood: “Behold My hands and My feet… Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” - Luke 24:39 (NKJ) Could this mean that
Yahshua’s resurrected body no
longer required any blood, and something besides blood sustained it, and gave
it everlasting life? This seems likely, as Yahshua’s battered, and pierced
body lost most of its blood while it hung on the Cross. In addition, blood is
the corrupting factor in every animal, and it is when the blood fails to do
its job carrying nutrients, antibodies, and oxygen that the body gets sick. It
therefore seems that an immortal body should not require blood to survive. As
already explained, the power that likely gave Adam and Eve immortal life in
the Garden of Eden was not blood, but the Shekinah Glory of
God that was a reflection of Yahshua’s own Spirit! When Yahshua rose, His
Shekinah was no longer hidden, and its radiant light now surely sustains
every cell of His body, while His shed blood atoned for, and baptized the Earth , and all that comes forth from the Earth,
on How mind-boggling Yahshua’s resurrection was in its countless implications, and how well it proves that Yahweh is “Salvation!” and “Yah Saves!” Yahweh is an awesome God, and He continually shows both His great Love, and His great power and genius with word pictures - such as the unforgettable moment of the crucifixion of His Son Yahshua, and later, with His bodily resurrection from death. How profound, and deeply meaningful these events in history have become, and how powerful they are in conveying the nature of what Yahweh has done to save us from sin! We who are saved are now called to live in imitation of Christ. To signify our desire to do this, we symbolically take His Holy Name as part of our own. This is what it means to live “In Yahshua’s Name.” We share His Name in the New Blood Covenant He made with us in the ritual of Communion. When we do this, we are covered by His Name, and will someday be seen as a literal part of His Body in the resurrection to everlasting life. Likewise, Yahshua shared an uncorrupted version of our character, and shared our mortality. That is why Yahshua revealed both Hs own Name, and the Name of His Father Yahweh to us. Their Holy Names, when used by us in our devotions and prayers, serve as a symbol that Yahweh has a personal intimate relationship with us, and recognizes us as His own family through Yahshua, our personal Savior and Lord! What a beautiful gift Yahweh has given us! Now that we know what the rituals of blood sacrifice and Blood Covenant truly mean, we can clearly understand their real significance in eternity. End of Excerpt from “The Language of God in Humanity” By Helena Lehman Link
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