BeHoly

      This week's Sabbath reading portion has a double title: Achariei Mot (see Lev. 16:1), which means "After the death" and K'doshim (see Lev. 19:1-2), meaning "Holy Ones". The LORD spoke to Moses saying: "Speak to all (kol/kalal - everything, all, whosoever, whatsoever, the whole, the totality/to complete, perfect, make perfect, finish, a crown, crowning of the bride, nuptials, to put a crown upon) the congregation of the children of Israel (yisrael = sara + el: have power as a prince. royal, to prevail, to fight + God), and say to them: 'You shall be holy (qados/qadas - sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart, pure, clean, free from defilement/consecrate, sanctify, prepare, be holy, be separate, dedicate, clean, purify, declare holy), for I the LORD your God am holy (qados/qadas - see above)." (Lev. 19:1-2, see also Lev. 11:44-45, Lev. 20:26). Holiness is identified as the quality of the LORD who is called (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-The-Holy-One-of-Israel in the scriptures such as Isa. 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:17, 20; 12:6, 17:7; 29:19, 23; 30:11-12, 15; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14, 45:11; 47:4; 48:17. All of these references to The Holy One of Israel are just those found in the Book of Isaiah. There are many more throughout scripture.

     This is quite a concept: The LORD is stating that His people are to be equal in holiness to God's holiness! From this statement, some may believe that we are to achieve this perfect holiness, for there is no partial holiness or almost holiness, by our own strength and methods. However, to me, this statement is saying something different. To me it is saying that this is not possible in the strength of flesh, using man's religious ideas, interpretations, and efforts. This is a far more powerful concept than any religion's efforts. Jesus said that a man is defiled by what proceeds from his own heart: Mt. 15:16-20, Mk. 7:20-23, see also Jer. 17:9-10. Our own ideas are the very things that defile us in the first place, so we cannot rely upon our own hearts and ideas to purify ourselves to the degree of the holiness of God, but should seek the more powerful way to and of His holiness that has been provided to us by God Himself. What is this way provided to the holiness of God?

     If we look at the two titles that have been joined together for this Sabbath, we see an idea: "After the death...the holy ones." There is a death that leads to holiness. This idea begins to lead us to the Rock who is higher than ourselves, who pours out the water of refreshing and cleansing, even the waters of holiness.

     It is written in the Book of Hebrews that Christ's death fulfills God's will, which includes our holiness as stated above in Leviticus, and perfects the sanctified: "By that we will have been sanctified (see qados/qadas above) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (see Heb. 10:4-10).

     Apostle Paul also wrote: "....that no flesh should glory in His (God's) presence. But of Him (God) you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification (see qados/qadas above) and redemption - that as it is written, 'He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." (1 Cor. 1:30-31).

     Paul also wrote: "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He (Jesus) has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy (hagios/hag - holy, saints, Holy One, sacred, pure, blameless, consecrated, clean [see similarity with Hebrew qados/qadas above]/feast of the LORD, sacrifice), and blameless, and above reproach in His sight - if indeed you continue in the faith...not moved away from the hope of the gospel...which was preached to every creature under heaven." (Col. 1:21-23).

     Paul again wrote: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace..." (Eph. 1:3-7). The blood of Christ which achieved all of these things for us, came to all of mankind through His death. There is nothing here that suggests that these results were achieved through my efforts to be holy, but instead by the will of the Father through the death of Jesus Christ. 

     Paul wrote in Ephesians: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loves the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of the water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." (Eph. 5:25-27).

     Does this mean that nothing is required of us to be holy as the LORD is holy? Well, no. First, we must remain in the faith of the Gospel that declares that Jesus died to make us holy, as Paul wrote above. It is through the eyes of faith that we can see and receive this truth that sanctifies us. (see also Jn. 17:19). Then we remember our hint from above: "After the death...the holy ones." Christ's death established us in holiness, but there is another death involved in the path of holiness. Paul wrote: "For I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Gal. 2:20). This refers to a type of death for each of us by which we give up our own imperfect will, ideas, and desires. Now, instead, the holy Christ lives in us and we in Him.

     Paul gives us more detail of this concept in Romans: "For if we have been united together in the likeness of His (Jesus') death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord...present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." (Rom. 6:5-13).

     "After the death...the holy ones."

     In these words from scripture above, we are not being asked to die physically, but to become united into the death and resurrected life of Christ as He lives. Paul wrote in the above verse from Galatians 2:20, "...it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me...". This is how God makes us holy if we will accept it - by making us one with His holiness, with His life through the death and life of His Son, Jesus.

From the K'doshim, or "Holy ones" Sabbath reading in Lev. 19, the LORD gives us a thought-provoking look into this holiness. The LORD says: "Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father." (v. 3). Why does this reflect holiness? All of us are to come before the Lord like little children, without pride and self-importance, with child-like faith, love, joy, and the reverence that comes as a child naturally depends upon a parent for all things, knowing that the parent will provide for every need. (see Mt. 18:1-5).

     The LORD then commands: "...keep (samar - keep, observe, preserve, watch, save, wait for, retain, guard) (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-sabbaths: I am the LORD your God." (v. 3). Why does the LORD's holiness fill His sabbaths? The sabbath represents and contains the completion and perfection of God's restoration, reconciliation and renewal plan established before the beginning for all of creation, but especially for man. For this reason, it is holy in the eyes of God. The sabbath was made to bring this completion to man, Jesus said. Jesus also said that the sabbath has a Lord to reign over it, to be the Master and Administrator of its fulfilment in the completion of God's will to provide for and renew man, and that Lord of the sabbath is Jesus Messiah/Christ. (see Mk. 2:27-28).

     As we look at the other reflections of holiness in verses 4-18, with which the LORD identifies Himself by repeating, "I am the LORD your God" six additional times, we can see the holy heart of God towards man, which He also wants to see in our thoughts and works, as well as man's reverence towards his holy God. We can see by this that we are only able to love God with all of our hearts, soul and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves, which fulfills all the law and the prophets, if we do so out of a heart filled with the holiness belonging to the LORD our God. (see Mt. 22:36-40). These are holy manifestations that appear out of a holy heart.

     If you would like to learn more about walking in the holiness of God, you can join my prayer: "Heavenly Father, through the death and resurrection of Your Son Jesus for all of the world, You opened the door into Your heart of holiness. You called us to be worshippers, but You also called us, and made the way for us, to be partakers of Your own glorious holiness. This is a love and power towards us that is too great to fully comprehend, but You have entrusted us with Your own holiness. Lord Jesus, I never want to reject what You have accomplished for me by the sacrifice of Yourself, including my being made holy in You with the holiness of God. Help me, Lord, through Your Word and the Holy Spirit whom You have placed within me, to perceive and receive this divine gift of holiness. Let the holiness of God be manifested through my life, rather than my own thoughts and will. Let me not live by my own desires but let me live instead by and with Christ in me. There is no greater honor in my life, nor known to man, than Christ, the Holy One, in me. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. AMEN."

 *NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13. 

ChoosingKings

      Like last Sabbath, this Sabbath's reading portion covers two titles: Acharei Mot, meaning "after the death", and K'doshim, meaning "Holy ones." Although they are two different reading portions, as we will see, they go together well in theme.

     As the first reading portion, Acharei Mot, "after the death," begins in Leviticus 16, two of Aaron's sons have died because they offered the LORD "strange fire." In both of our reading portions for this Sabbath, the LORD will forbid the strange fire offerings of the children of the Israelites' in horrifying worship of the false god, Molech (see Lev. 18:21 and Lev. 20:1-5). The offerings by fire to Molech and the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) sacrifices to demons (sa'ir/sa'ar - devil, demon possessed goat, having goat's form or feet, satyr/be horrible afraid, take away as a storm or whirlwind) (see Lev. 17:7) were the abominations that the nations did, both Egypt and the nations of Canaan, which would cause them to be overthrown from the Promised Land. (see Lev. 18:24-29). The LORD said that His people were not to follow the ways of these foreign nations but to follow His word and ways. (see Lev. 18:1-5).

      The name Molech means "king, to induct into royalty and therefore to consult and take counsel from." We see a form of Molech worship today in the destruction of children, both born and unborn, and also in the counsel and consultation we seek and receive from anything and anyone who is not God. By doing so, we make that counselor ruler over us, as a king would be. Some even receive counsel from occultic practices that seen harmless but move through spirits that are not God. The LORD warns in these Sabbath verses not to consult these things (Lev. 19:26, Lev. 20:6, 27). The LORD has given His people the means to consult Him, but more and more of us are consulting and receiving counsel from man (or devils) instead. We hear the counsels of man all around us every day until they become part of our culture and understanding, accepted as truth, while not knowing of what spirit they are. How can we know? The LORD tells His people in these two Sabbath readings to follow His Word and His ways, and not the ways of the peoples around them. (Lev. 18:4-5).

     Who or what have we "inducted into royalty" (see Molech, above) over our lives and land to rule over us as a king that is not the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? To whom or to what are we giving our money, lives, time, children and service? Offerings made were not to reflect the images of demons but the Aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega who is the Messiah/Christ as found in the written Hebrew noted above (see *note below also). The land and the lives within it are defiled by these things according to the scriptures of these two Sabbath portions. We can easily see the evidence of the defilement that is present, and we, the people of God, are the ones who have chosen these spiritual and natural kings. One choice installs kings that lead to death, and the godly choice installs THE King who is life and leads to life. (Jn. 14:5-6).

      In another part of scripture, Moses told the Israelites: "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them." (Deut. 30:19-20, see also Josh. 24:15). All creation bears witness to the truth that life is found in God only.

     It is odd that man chooses to induct into royalty the spiritual kings like Molech that ultimately seek our death and destruction, when the LORD is the kind of King who calls His people to a kingship like His own for the purpose of life. One kind of king keeps its subjects in slavery, while the Great and True King has always wanted to elevate His servants to freedom and kingship. 

     From one of our Sabbath portions, after the deaths of Aaron's two sons, the LORD commands Moses to institute the Day of Atonement, also called Yom Kippur. "Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering. He shall put the holy (qodes - holy, sanctuary, consecrated, apartness, sacredness) linen (bad/badad - white linen, [woven] flaxen thread or yearn, a thread/withdraw, be separate, be isolated, solitary, disjoin, cutting apart) tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore he shall wash his (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) body in water, and put them on." (Lev. 16:3-4). Unlike his two sons who approached the LORD with strange fire, Aaron and the future high priests could not come before the presence of the LORD whenever or however he chose. They had to be covered in the garments of the LORD's Kingship and holiness. Through Christ, however, we have been given the boldness and permission to enter into His presence. (Heb. 10:19-23, Rom. 5:1-2).

     The LORD repeats in another place: "And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) [himself] to minister as priest in his father's place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) clothes, the holy garments. (Lev. 16:32). The priest wears this clothing to minister the atonement in the Holy Place before the presence of God once a year on the Day of Atonement: "This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. For on that day (the priest) shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD." (Lev. 16:29-30). The words "the priest" in the above verse are not present in the original Hebrew.  To me, this is a hint that the atonement is made, not by man, but by Someone else. We know that Person who would appear generations later to be Jesus Christ. Because the priest's clothing is connected to The Aleph-Tav/Alpha and Omega, the holy linen clothing of atonement is connected with the identity of Jesus Messiah/Christ. (see also Rev. 19:6-9 and11-16).

     We also know from scripture that the high priest wore a golden plate or crown on his turban that said "HOLINESS TO THE LORD", "and it shall always be on his forehead..." (Ex. 28:36-38).

     The LORD's Kingship is established in His holiness. In these two Sabbath reading portions, Acharei Mot, "after the death," and K'doshim, "Holy ones," the LORD called His people into His holiness: "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." (Lev. 19:2). The LORD also says: "Consecrate (qadas - be holy, set apart, keep oneself apart or separate [see also "linen" above], to show oneself sacred or majestic) yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. And you shall keep My (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) statutes, and perform them: I am the LORD who sanctifies you...And you shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine." (Lev. 20:7-8, 26). Jesus also prayed to His heavenly Father about the separateness that defined His disciples (see Jn. 17:14-15), and their sanctification by God's Word of truth (Jn. 17:17). Our separateness defines us as belonging to God. We live in the world, we minister the truth of the Word and the Blood of the Atoning sacrifice, Jesus, in the world, but we are not of the world. We are spiritually separated for consecration.

     The LORD announced His purpose for His people both in the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the New Testament. His purpose for us is as a kingdom of priests, as a holy nation, being both kings and priests in His Kingdom, which He fulfilled in Jesus Christ (see Ex. 19:6, 1 Pet. 2:9-10, Rev. 1:5-6, Rev. 5:9-10).

      As mentioned above, the high priest's holy crown upon his turban connected the priest to the kingship of God. The LORD spoke of His people's connection to His Kingship when He spoke of Zion's righteousness and salvation: "The Gentiles/nations shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. You shall also be a crown (atara/atar - crown, wreath, wedding crown/crown, crowning, crown bestower) of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem (sanip - turban of the high priest, headdress, piece of cloth wrapped around the head) in the hand of your God." (Isa. 62:2-3). Earthly kings shall see the royal glory of God upon His people, Zion, and His city, Jerusalem.

     Psalm 21, written by David, is written by an earthly king who is giving God praise, not for the natural crown placed upon him, but for the spiritual crown that God has given him. It is the crown of God's salvation (yesua - salvation, deliverance, the Hebrew name of Jesus): "For You meet him (the king) with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. He asked life from You, and You gave it to him - length of days forever and ever. His glory is great in Your salvation; Honor and majesty You have placed upon him." (Ps. 21:3-5). Do we perceive the pure golden crown of salvation that the LORD has placed upon our heads as He welcomes us into His Kingship? The New Testament describes several crowns given - not just one! There is the crown of righteousness to all who love His (Christ's) appearing (2 Tim. 4:8), the crown of life for those who love Him faithfully (James 1:12, Rev. 2:10), the crown of glory from our Chief Shepherd for faithful, willing service to His flock (1 Pet. 5:4), the crown of rejoicing (1 Thess. 2:19), and the imperishable crown for those who run with certainty of faith (1 Cor. 9:24-25).

     The LORD shares His holiness and His Kingship with us through Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Why would we choose another king? As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!

     If you would like to learn more about the holiness and Kingship of the LORD in our lives, you can join in my prayer: "Lord of all, You are the King of the universe, and yet You desire to share Your holy Kingship with Your people who will believe Your Word. You have sent Your Son, Jesus, the Son of David, to teach us how to follow Him. Man crowned Jesus with a crown of thorns, but You have crowned Him with glory forever more. He rules and reigns in heaven and on earth, and the nations will come before His throne in worship. Lord, forgive me for choosing any other king over my life. I choose You and Your Kingdom. I choose You and Your holiness. You have clothed me in garments of salvation, pure, white linen. Your Word promises us that we will rule and reign with You, and we are seated with You in the heavenly places. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and lead me in the paths of righteousness. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

Life&Death

     "It's a matter of life and death!" This is a well-known expression meaning that something is of extreme urgency. This expression came to mind as I read the Sabbath reading portion.

     This is the second week of the Sabbath reading portion titled Acharei-Mot, which means "after the death". This reading portion began on the Sabbath following Passover, which we discussed in the previous blog entry "Tabernacles&Passover" and continued through the Feast of First Fruits (Lev. 23:9-12), which occurs on the day after the Sabbath following the Passover, which would be on a Sunday. This is the Feast which was fulfilled by the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:20-23), who was slain on Passover, and three days later rose from the dead on the Feast of First Fruits (Mt. 28:1, Mk. 16:`1-2, Lk. 24:1-3, Jn. 19:42-20:1). 

     As mentioned last week, this Acharei-Mot Sabbath reading starts in Lev. 16 after the deaths of two of Aaron's sons, who had offered strange (zur - a stranger, an enemy, a foreigner, loathsome, profane, commit adultery) fire before the LORD (Lev. 16:1). By offering strange incense, Aaron's sons did not regard the LORD as holy, and did not glorify Him before the people. For this, fire went out from the LORD and devoured them. (Lev. 10:1-3). If we consider the fact that the tabernacle given to Moses by the LORD was patterned after the heavenly things, we know that the incense that is to come before God in His heavenly temple is made up of the powerful, Spirit-filled prayers of the saints, which prayers are cherished by God (Rev. 5:8). To come before God with a tainted version of this would be unacceptable. These deaths may seem harsh to many who read of them. However, by disregarding the holiness and glory of the LORD, and the profound purpose that exists within that holiness and glory and coming before Him in the same manner as strangers or enemies, His people were removing that part of the LORD's character that is powerful to save from death and the grave and to deliver any and all who call upon Him. Why would anyone call on God if His own people treat Him no differently than a useless idol, or a powerless figurehead? It is this holiness of the LORD  that called us to His salvation: "...God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed...who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel..." (2 Tim. 1:8-9). Isaiah wrote of the LORD's declaration over us: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you., For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...Fear not for I am with you...I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the south, 'Do not keep them back!' Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth - Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him." (Isa. 43:2-7). The LORD also said that when He redeemed us, we became His. (Isa. 43:1). We became enfolded into His holiness and glory through His Son, sent as a sacrificial Lamb to atone for us, and to pay the redemption price for us on behalf of His Father in heaven. Not only does the LORD save and deliver through His holiness, but He calls us into His own holiness as He also glorifies us in His own glory (Rom. 8:30, Jn. 17:22-24, 1 Thess. 4:7-8, Eph. 1:3-6). Only the holy and glorious God can do this, and it is His purpose to offer this salvation to all who will call upon Him as the God who saves (Joel 2:32).

     In this week's Sabbath reading portion the LORD calls upon His people through Moses, saying: "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." (Lev. 19:1-2). We read last week that the uncleanness of God's people causes His house, or tabernacle/temple, to become defiled and unclean as it sits in the midst of them (Lev. 16:15-16). We will see more about the house/tabernacle/temple of the LORD later. In Lev. 18, the LORD gave a command to Moses to speak to the children of Israel, saying: "I am the LORD you God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) My judgments, and keep (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) My ordinances, to walk in them [which if a man does, he shall live (hayay - remain alive, have life, continue in life, to revive from sickness or death, preserve alive, restore to life, save life) by them]: I am the LORD your God. (Lev. 18:1-5). The ways of Egypt and Canaan were wrapped up in the worship of terrible gods and idols that glory in the death of men, but the ways of the LORD God are wrapped up in life, even the restoring of life from the dead, and salvation life, as we see in the Hebrew meaning of hayay, life above. The LORD couldn't make it plainer to His people. In another place, Moses tells the people: "See (ra'a - see, perceive, prophetic sight or revelation, have vision, discern, be visible), I have set before you today (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes and His judgments, that you may live (hayay - same as above) and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess." (Deut. 30:15-16, see also Josh. 24:14-15).

     In another reading from this week's Sabbath portion, the prophet Jeremiah received the Word of the LORD for Judah and Jerusalem. The LORD said to Jeremiah: "A conspiracy (qeser/qasar - conspiracy, treason, unlawful alliance/to bind, to tie, to bind together, to bind oneself) has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have...gone after other gods to serve them...have broken (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) My covenant which I made with (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) their fathers. Therefore...I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them...(they) will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense but they will not save them at all in the time of trouble...you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Ba'al (Phoenician/Canaanite god)...What has My beloved to do in My house, having done lewd deeds with many? And the holy flesh has passed from you. When you do evil, then you rejoice." (Jer. 11:9-15). In using the word "conspiracy" above, the LORD is saying that His people have tied themselves to an unlawful alliance with the gods whom they have chosen to serve. These gods of depravity and death become spiritually bound to the individual. The LORD sees the body of death to which His people have tied themselves.

     It is interesting that the LORD gave prohibitions regarding contact with a dead body (Num. 19:11-22). In these prohibitions, if the man who is unclean from touching the dead "does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD."  Again we see that the uncleanness of the people of God also defiles the house of God. As Paul saw the destructive power of sin in our/his flesh, our spiritual temple, he cried out, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom. 7:24-25). The house of the LORD is the house of life which breaks out against death.

     In another reading portion from this Sabbath, the prophet Amos prophesied against the northern kingdom of Israel when the nation was divided into two kingdoms. Amos prophesied of a great calamity that would come upon Israel because of its injustices and corruption, because it did not heed the voice of the LORD and His commandments: "The end has come upon My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore. And the songs of the temple shall be wailing in that day, says the LORD God - Many dead bodies everywhere, they shall be thrown out in silence." (Amos 8:2-3). The LORD showed Amos another vision of the temple: "I saw (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the LORD standing by the altar, and He said, 'Smite (naka - slay, beat, wounded, stripes, give wounds, to be stricken or smitten, scourge, chastise, send judgment upon) the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them..." (Amos 9:1). The LORD promised that wherever the people chose to hide from those shaking doorposts and thresholds of His temple, they would not be able to escape..." All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, who say, 'The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.' (v. 1-4, 10). The very doorposts and lintels or the house/temple that were to shield the Israelites from death by the blood of the Passover Lamb (Ex. 12:3-7), were now to be struck, slain, beaten, wounded, scourged, stricken and smitten, chastised in judgment for the sins of God's people (see Isa. 53). In disregarding the blood of the Lamb which was provided for deliverance, and choosing instead the gods of this world, all things become death. The gods and systems of this world do not serve life. They serve money.

     The apostle John wrote of the revelation given to him. In that revelation, he saw the Lamb, Jesus, in the temple of heaven, opening the seals of the scrolls that would lead to the wrath of God that was to be poured out upon the earth. (Rev. 15:5-8). The temple of life breaks out against the powers of death, and against all of those who "tie" themselves to those things. Elsewhere in scripture, the LORD commands His people: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God. and they shall be My people...Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you...I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:16-18, see also Isa. 52:10-11).

     This prophecy of Amos, above, is certainly a matter of life and death, but then the LORD gives Amos this prophecy: "On that day, I will raise up (qum - rise up, raise, establish, preserve alive) (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the tabernacle (sukah - tabernacle, booth, pavilion, entwined boughs, covering) of David (meaning "beloved"), which has fallen (napal - fall down, lie down, violent death, perish) down, and repair its (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) damages; I will raise up (qum - same as above) its ruins, and rebuild (bana - build, repair, have children, obtain children) it as in the days of old (olam/alam - everlasting, ancient, evermore, perpetual, continuous existence, eternity, a hidden time/to conceal, hide, secret); That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,' says the LORD who does this thing...I will bring back (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the captives of My people Israel..." (v. 11-12, 14). The LORD promised that they would drink the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) wine (yayin - effervescent, banqueting wine, ripened grape cluster, vineyard) and the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) fruits (peri - first fruits, fruit, boughs, reward).

     As the prophecy of Amos tells us, according to the meanings of the Hebrew words used, the LORD is going to raise up from death the tabernacle of David, meaning the Messiah/Christ. This tabernacle did not originate from the time of David but was concealed within eternity. This is the same thing that Paul wrote above about salvation, which is God's purpose and grace through Messiah/Christ, which was from before time began, and what was previously hidden in that eternity is now revealed (see 2 Tim. 1:8-9). The tabernacle of which Amos wrote prophetically is the original tabernacle of life. It is not referred to as an ohel tabernacle, but as a sukkah tabernacle, an intimate chamber or booth made of boughs of living matter, of the type constructed for the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a tabernacle that is meant to welcome many children, even those who were once enemies and heathen, but are now called by the name of the LORD. Those who were taken as spiritual and physical captives are brought home to enter the time of banqueting and fruitfulness with Him. It is the sukkah of eternal life for those who belong to "the Beloved", the Son of David, the Son of God (Mt. 17:1-9, Mt. 3:16-17).

     In this chapter of Amos, we see that the LORD's judgment and salvation, death and eternal life, are offered side by side to His people. It's a matter of life and death - choose life.

     If you would like to learn more about holiness and glory to save life, you can join with me in prayer: "Heavenly Father, I choose life today. I choose the Word and Way of the LORD. I gratefully receive Your salvation, provided to me by the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. By Your Holy Spirit, lead me in the ways of life. Cleanse me of all unrighteousness by Your grace extended to me. Show me how to turn away from the paths of death and walk instead in the path of life. Let me dwell all my days in Your tabernacle, in Your holiness and glory. I ask this in the name of Jesus, My Savior. AMEN."

 *NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

Tabernacles&Passover

      This week's Sabbath reading portion will cover two weeks and is titled Acharei-Mot in Hebrew, which means "After the death". It covers Chapters 16 through 19 in Leviticus. This Sabbath is also the Sabbath after Passover, and it also occurs during the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. This special timing is important to keep in mind as we seek to learn the Word of the LORD for us this week. As I read the Torah and haftorah portions, I thought that much of this reading dealt with the tabernacle and, later in history, the temple of God. The title, "After the death" comes from Lev. 16:1: "Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the LORD and died;" (see also Lev. 10:1-3). The bottom line of that severe lesson involving Aaron's two sons is that we cannot come before the holy God any way that we deem to be good and right. The LORD said that when we do that, we are not acknowledging His holiness, nor glorifying Him before the heathen. 

     In this Sabbath portion, the LORD commanded Moses to tell Aaron following the death of two of his sons not to come into the Holy Place inside the veil just any time, "lest he die". He was to come with his (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) flesh washed, putting on the holy linen tunic and trousers on his body and coming with the blood of sacrifice (Lev. 16:3-4). The LORD then described the practice that must be followed for the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Not only was Aaron to make atonement for himself and his household, and for the people, but for the Holy Place and tabernacle as well because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel. (v. 16). The LORD added: "There shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. (v. 17). Aaron even had to make atonement with the blood sacrifice for the altar to cleanse it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. (v. 18-19). The uncleanness of God's people defiles not only us but the tabernacle of God as well.

     This Sabbath reading portion also follows Passover this year, so we should consider this as we study this Sabbath lesson. Not only were the Egyptians plagued with the death of their first born that first Passover night, but the LORD judged the gods of Egypt as well (Ex. 12:12). What a dire calamity from which His people were separated out and spared by that blood on their doorposts! This is what Passover (pesah) means in Hebrew: "the feast of Passover or the sacrifice; a sparing immunity from penalty and calamity; the paschal lamb as the sacrifice of sparing [passing over]." You cannot separate the meaning of the day from the sacrifice that defines that day. Considering that the Lord Almighty is about to judge the gods and the nations of this world (Ps. 118:10-14), how should we, the spiritual tabernacle/tent/dwelling or temple of God (see 1 Cor. 6:19-20, Eph. 2:19-22), be thinking of that separating/sanctifying/saving Blood of our Passover Lamb, Jesus (see Jn. 1:29-30, 1 Pet. 1:18-21)? We will see another connection to Passover later in this Sabbath's reading portion.

     What is the spiritual meaning of a tabernacle? Tabernacle is the Hebrew word and root ohel/ahal, meaning "tabernacle, tent, dwelling, covering, home, sacred tent of Jehovah (YHWH, LORD), moveable, portable tent/to be clear, shine, to be bright, so called for a shining vibrating appearance". A tabernacle is also a personal dwelling place, where we dwell with God, and God dwells with and in us (see Ps. 23:6, Rev. 21:3). That dwelling place is supposed to be special, shimmering and vibrating with the brightness of God according to its meaning above. Paul wrote that we, the believers in Christ, are the temples of the Holy Spirit, a spiritual house of God (1 Cor. 6:17-20). Just as the blood of the Passover lamb set apart the Israelites' dwellings and identified those dwellings as belonging to the LORD, or "the sacred tents of Jehovah", we also have been covered with the Blood of the Passover Lamb, Jesus, and have become holy dwelling places or tabernacles of God. In being so, Paul warned us not to defile ourselves, the holy tabernacles of God, as we have become one with Him. Applying what we learned above from Leviticus, we do not want to disparage God's holiness nor profane God's name before the heathen. Let's see when, on another occasion, the uncleanness of God's people also caused His house to be unclean. 

     In another reading from this Acharei-Mot Sabbath portion, King Josiah brought Judah back to a covenant relationship with the LORD after hearing the words of the newly found Book of the Law, which had been discovered in the temple. This Book of the Word of God, now thought to have been the Book of Deuteronomy, had been so long neglected, that it had been forgotten until it was found again. When the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) king heard the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) words of the book, he rent his (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) clothes. (2 Kings 22:8-11). The king called all of the people of Jerusalem and Judah, both small and great, to come to him at the house of the LORD, and he read to them all the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) words of the book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. The king made a (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) covenant to follow and perform the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) words of the LORD with all his heart, and all his soul: "And all the people took a stand for the covenant." (2 Kings 23:1-3). This was a blessed day for the king and Judah. However, by order of the king, all of the defiling idolatrous vessels that had been placed in the house of the LORD that were used to worship demon gods and idols had to be removed and burned. These things included articles that had been made to worship Ba'al (male divinity of the Canaanites and Philistines), Asherah (meaning groves of idol worship; a Babylonian/Canaanite goddess of fortune and happiness and supposed consort of Ba'al, associated with the planet Venus), and the articles used for worshipping all the hosts (saba - war, army, battle, wage war, angels) of heaven. He had the idolatrous priests removed that had been ordained to serve in the house of the LORD by previous kings. He tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were set up in the house of the LORD. What kind of booths have we set up in the spiritual house of the LORD?

     In turn, the king had the high places defiled with the burned bones of dead men, so idolatry could no longer be practiced there. He had Topheth (topet/tapap - "place of fire" near Jerusalem, place of human sacrifice, to strike, spit upon, smite, kill) defiled in the same manner. It was the place where the people brought their children to pass them through the fire of the god Molech ("king"; chief deity of Ammonites and Phoenicians that required the sacrifice of infants). How many millions of born and unborn infants have been destroyed on our watch? There were even strange altars and chambers on the roof of the house of God that previous kings had used, which King Josiah now demolished. What kind of spiritual chambers have we set above the house of the LORD? The king also defiled the high places that King Solomon had built "for Ashtoreth ("star"; Phoenician female deity of war and fertility) the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh ("subduer"; deity of Moabites and Ammonites) the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom ("great king"; also known as Molech; god of the Ammonites and Phoenicians; demanded infant sacrifice) the abomination of the people of Ammon, as well as various other pillars and wooden images. What kind of idols have we brought into the spiritual house of the LORD with us? There had also been an idolatrous altar built at Bethel, which means "House of God", which the king had to break down, burn and crush into powder. What an abomination the worship in Israel and the house of God had become! These demonic gods and spiritual rulers of wickedness still desire to inhabit and pollute the holy places of God, the tabernacles of God, which we are also. Not only did the king set fire to Judah, but he took the spiritual battle to the high places of Samaria. These abominations are what had become of the house of the LORD and the people of God.

     After King Josiah had performed all of these things, the king commanded (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) all of the people saying: "Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant. Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the LORD in Jerusalem." (2 Kings 23:21-23). Do we keep the Passover as it is written in the Book of the Covenant?

      What we learn from this is that Passover is a time of battle and warfare, including spiritual warfare, whether against a physical Pharaoh and his house as in the first Passover, or against the false gods that try to hold God's people in spiritual bondage. Scripture says that spring, which is also the time of Passover, is the time when kings go off to battle. That time came for King David, but while he sent his army into battle, he remained in Jerusalem attaining another man's wife for himself instead. It led to the murder of the husband (2 Sam. 11). It cost David the death of his first child from that union, and David would be brought to deep repentance, asking the LORD that he be cleansed of the defiling sin (Ps. 51). We are also called to be kings and priests before God and in service to Him, as Jesus served His Father in heaven faithfully. Have we disregarded the Passover and spring call to spiritual battle in order to follow our own ways? 

     As the first Passover approached, the servants of the LORD, Moses and Aaron, went in to Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler of the greatest kingdom on earth, and threw down the spiritual battle gauntlet before him. They didn't go in their own strength but armed with the Rod and the Word, both of which are associated with the Messiah/Christ, Jesus. They didn't go in with their own words either, but with the Word of the LORD which was: "Let My people go that they may serve Me." The battle is the LORD's but He uses His servants to hear and obey His voice, to run with His vision.

     Most of the church doesn't observe Passover, and we who do, observe it amongst the pleasantness of the family and according to tradition but perhaps not as a day of great spiritual warfare in the present. Perhaps we need to change our thinking regarding this day. It was not a day of pleasantness for Jesus the Messiah/Christ. It was a day when He battled the rulers of this world, a battle that they would not win (1 Cor. 2:7-9). It was a day in which He was betrayed by a disciple. He battled spiritual rulers in the Garden of Gethsemane (meaning "oil press" or "wine press") where that battle almost did Him in. An angel had to come in order to revive and strengthen Him, while His disciples slept (Lk. 22:39-44). He battled through beatings, humiliation, mocking, scourging, and the piercing of the nails of the cross (LORD/YHWH: yod, hey, vav, hey- "behold the hand, behold the nail"). Do we think it was not a battle for Him to descend into hell after His death, leading those who were held captive in death to freedom (Ps. 68:18-20), and wresting away the keys of death, hell and the grave (Rev. 1:17-18)? 

     At the Passover Seder, from which we were given our beloved Communion, Jesus told His disciples that He fulfilled the elements of Passover. They were to take and eat the bread broken as meaning His body broken for them. They were to drink the cup after supper as meaning His blood poured out for them in a new covenant, and we were to remember His death in this way until He comes again (1 Cor. 11:23-26, Mt. 26:26-29, Mk. 14:22-25, Lk. 22:13-20). Paul wrote that we were to examine ourselves when partaking of this powerful Passover bread and cup so to assure that we are not doing it in an unworthy manner but in the discerning of the Lord's body (1 Cor. 11:27-32). Yes, there was a glorious, victorious day of resurrection and rejoicing, but it wasn't on Passover. It came three days later on the day after the Sabbath, which is a Sunday, the first day of the week, on the Feast of First Fruits as it is appointed in the Law of Moses (Lev. 23:9-12) and fulfilled by the Messiah/Christ, Jesus. This appointed date is not the same as "Easter" (what booth have we set up in the house of the LORD?) on which the church has chosen to mark the event. If we are to memorialize the resurrection of Jesus as First Fruits of the Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-26) according to the Words of the Book of the Covenant, then we should be observing it this Sunday, the day following the Sabbath after Passover (more on this next week). The victory of resurrection was achieved for us, but the spiritual battle in the name of Jesus is ongoing as Paul and the other apostles wrote. Look inward and look outward and see if there still are not overcoming battles to fight for the souls of our nations, for those who are still caught and held prisoners in spiritual darkness, and even for ourselves as we work out our salvation. Look and see if we, the spiritual tabernacles of God, are defiled with idolatry. 

     As we come to the Passover battle, we don't come before Pharaoh, or the other gods ruling our lands and people, or even our own flesh with its sin, in our own strength but with the Word of the LORD saying, as Moses said: "Let My people go that they may serve Me." Thank God that we are not called to fight these battles on our own, but in the name above all names, Jesus (Grk. form of the Hebrew word, Yeshua, meaning "God is salvation"), to which all creation, even the demons and false gods, must bow their knees (Phil. 2:5-11). It is the only name under heaven that has been given by which we must be saved (Acts 4:11-12).

      The LORD gave us the pattern of His tabernacle/temple and the fulfilment of that prophetic pattern, which tells the miraculous journey of our salvation and unification with the LORD through the sacrifice of the Son, and the living tabernacle which we are through Christ and the Holy Spirit within us, and the glorious tabernacle which the LORD will bring down from heaven to dwell among His people (Rev. 21:1-4). This is a three-in-one pattern. The LORD also gave us the pattern of the sacrifice of the Passover lamb in Exodus, the pattern of the spiritual warfare connected to it between Pharaoh/gods of Egypt and Moses who delivered the Word God, the judgment and the deliverance, again, a three-in-one pattern. Through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus, the Lamb of God, we see the fulfilment of the Passover with the warfare of His suffering, of His death and descent into hell, and of the judgment against death and the deliverance/ascent. We need to see the pattern and its fulfilment in order to walk in it as His servants for the sake of those who are held in any kind of spiritual or physical bondage, and of those, there are many in this world. 

     Next week we will look at part two of this two-week Sabbath reading portion, Acharei-Mot.

     If you would like to learn more about these things, you can join me in my prayer: "Heavenly Father, the LORD's Passover, and Your holy tabernacle are precious in Your sight. Both of these were accomplished through the sacrifice of Your beloved Son, Jesus, as the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of the world. Help me to understand the depths of Passover, which still affects with power the present and the future, and the glory of Your dwelling place, the tabernacle of the LORD, in and with us, which also still impacts the present and the future. Let me follow You according to Your Word of the Covenant, both the concealed and revealed. Cleanse me and purge me of all ungodliness and fill me with Your Holy Spirit to teach me Your Word and ways so I can walk in Your life-changing truth. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

 *NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.