Married

This is the Sabbath before Shavuot, the Feast 0f Weeks, which has been a topic in recent posts. It is on this feast that the Holy Spirit was poured out in Jerusalem in the Upper Room upon believers in Christ (see Acts 2). In Greek, this feast is called Pentecost, because of the timing of the feast - fifty days from the Feast of Unleavened Bread. To the Jewish people, Shavuot also memorializes the receiving of the Torah from God on Mount Sinai by Moses on behalf of the congregation of Israel. The Torah is the first five books of the Bible. The receiving of the Torah by Israel was also, according to their teaching, the receiving of a marriage covenant between God and His people. Because of this understanding, people of the Jewish faith use these days before Shavuot to prepare themselves for this marriage to God. We also, as Christians, have a marriage relationship with the Word of God, who is Jesus (John 1:1-5): "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (v. 14). Revelation 19:6-9 announces from heaven the marriage of the Lamb saying, "His wife has made herself ready". The New Jerusalem coming down from heaven, is a bridal city adorned for her husband (Rev. 21:2). Paul defined earthly marriage as representing Christ and His church: "'For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church." (Eph. 5:22-33, excerpt). Paul described the relationship of Christ and the Church as a marriage with "the two becoming one flesh". We are not called to know Jesus as Lord and Savior only, but also as "Husband", which is a more intimate and inseparable relationship. Paul said of that relationship: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8:35-39). It is the marriage relationship between Christ and each one of us individually as believers, and with the Church corporately, that overcomes all created things, even death. On one memorable occasion, Jesus kept repeatedly asked Peter if Peter "loved" Him. Peter didn't understand what Jesus was trying to draw from him, perhaps being a little uncomfortable with the question also, and answered that he had a fondness for Jesus, a brotherly affection. Perhaps we can say that because Jesus knew what manner of death lay ahead in the years to come in Peter's life, and what would be ordained for Peter as an apostle, Jesus also knew it would require Peter to have more than the bond of fondness or friendship with Himself to get him through (Jn. 21:15-19). The same is true for the Church of the latter days. We will need to know that we are bone of His bone, and flesh of His flesh to get through. We will need to know Jesus with more than a brotherly affection. Do we understand this, and are we preparing ourselves for the depth of a marriage relationship with Christ, as the Jews are preparing themselves during this time of year for marriage to God? Is it possible for us to understand all that is entailed in a marriage relationship with Christ in an era when marriage is not taken seriously at all, when marriage is profaned and easily disposed of even in the Church? If because of this worldly view, marriage has become less in our eyes than what God intended, our spiritual enemy's relentless, strategic attack on marriage in general has therefore also been effective in negatively impacting our view of a marriage relationship with Christ. Part of the Sabbath reading for this "wedding preparation" time before Shavuot is from the haftarah. It is from the Book of Hosea. Hosea was a prophet who was instructed by God to marry a prostitute. Hosea had to continually go and buy back his wife from the men who had purchased her for illicit use. God used this sad marriage of Hosea's to prophesy about the condition of His own marriage to Israel. The LORD says about His marriage: "Say to your brethren, Ammi ("My people"), and to your sisters, Ruhamah ("Mercy is shown"). 'Bring charges against your mother, bring charges; For she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband! Let her put away her harlotries from her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts...' I will punish her for the days of the Ba'als (bloodthirsty false gods) to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry, and went after her lovers; But Me she forgot, says the LORD." (Hos. 2:1-2, 13). The LORD is angry here with His people, His wife, who has turned her back on Him to chase after others who don't even love her. However, because of His marriage relationship with Israel, the LORD seeks to reconcile with her: "Therefore, behold, I will allure (pata- entice, persuade, be open, seduce) her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor (trouble, calamity, to disturb) as a door of hope...And it shall be in that day, says the LORD, that you will call Me 'My Husband', and no longer call Me 'My Master' (Baali)...I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know (yada- to know by experience, to be able to discriminate or distinguish, to know intimately) the LORD...And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy ("lo-ruhamah"); Then I will say to those who were not My people ("lo-ammi"), 'You are My people ("ammi")!' And they shall say, 'You are my God!'" (Hos. 2:14-23, excerpt). The LORD had to bring His people into the wilderness in order to pull Israel aside from her false gods, and to draw her back to her true Husband. Perhaps that is one reason why the title of this Sabbath's reading portion is B'midbar or "In the wilderness". A marriage relationship with the Lord is different in every way from a service, or even a friendship relationship with Him. In this marriage relationship, the two become one flesh, and it is not possible to separate them. In connecting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the believers in the Upper Room in Jerusalem on Shavuot or Pentecost, to a marriage covenant, Jesus described it this way, "Behold, I send the Promise (epangelia- an announcement (for assent or pledge), to reconcile) of My Father upon you.." (Lk. 24:49). The Promise of the Holy Spirit indwelling us can be seen as part of a marriage promise making us one with Christ, as well as a promise to empower us. As Paul told us above, the victorious power to overcome all created things comes from our inseparable marriage relationship with Christ. May we prepare ourselves and accept Jesus not only as Lord, but also as Husband. Our Father is preparing a Marriage for His Son. If you would like to know Jesus as Savior, Lord, and Husband, you can pray: "Lord Jesus, I believe that You died for my sins, and rose from the dead for me. I believe that the Promise of our Father is one of a marriage with You. Nothing can separate me from You, and I become more than a conqueror joined in You. You sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within me, and to unite me with You. Let the Holy Spirit lead and teach me in the marriage relationship I have with You. In Your name, I pray. AMEN."

Hope

In this week's Sabbath reading portion, which is titled, B'har - B'chukkotai, meaning "On the Mount", and "In My Statutes", there is a guaranteed hope given to God's people. Last week, we read about the 49 + 1 days, or 50 days between the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost, and the meaning of those days, especially the 50th day (see previous post "Counting"). This week, there is a promise given regarding 49 years (seven Sabbaths of years) + 1 year, or 50 years total: "And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee (yobal/yabal- ram's horn, the signal of the silver trumpets, joyful sound, loud noise/bring forth, lead forth, carry away, to flow copiously, to bear or to carry gifts) to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty (deror- liberty, freedom, a flowing, a free run, to move rapidly, spontaneity of outflow) throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession (ahuzza- inheritance property that was seized), and each of you shall return to his family...For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field. In this year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his possession." (Lev. 25:8-13). In Israel, this meant that any property or personal service entered into to pay debt, had to be released or given back in the Jubilee year. It is no coincidence that the coming Jubilee year was announced on the Day of Atonement, which we connect directly to Jesus, who is our atonement (Rom. 5:11). As we learned last week, the number 50 in Hebrew, used again for counting to the year of Jubilee, is the Hebrew letter nun. The meaning of the letter nun relates directly to Messiah, Jesus. Nun means: "seed/sprouting seed, fish, son, heir to the throne, faithfulness". We see another interesting connection between Jesus and the Jubilee: As Jesus began His ministry, He read from Isa. 61 in the synagogue (Lk. 4:18-19). He read of the anointing of the Spirit of the LORD that Isaiah prophesied allowed One to "...proclaim liberty to the captives...to proclaim the acceptable (ratsone/ratsaw- delight, favor, goodwill/satisfy a debt, pardon, to pay off) year of the LORD...". It sounds very much like Isaiah was prophesying a spiritual Jubilee (see meaning above), and Jesus announced that He was fulfilling that prophesy that day. Also, Paul described Jesus as having fulfilled Ps. 68:18 writing, "Therefore He says: When He ascended on high, He led captivity (prisoners) captive (bring away, carry away, lead away), and gave gifts to men." (Eph. 4:8). Again, the language used here relates to the Hebrew word for Jubilee (see above). The promise in the Law of Jubilee allowed Jesus to lead the captives of death out of Sheol. In the next portion of this week's Sabbath reading, the LORD gives hope to His people in the form of the kinsman redeemer: "...if...one of your brethren who dwells by (a rich sojourner or stranger) becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner...after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him...And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee - he and his children with him. For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." (Lev. 25:47-55, excerpt). Imagine being in such desperate straits that one not only sold himself into service, but his children with him, to pay debts. However, the hope found in the principle of the kinsman redeemer provided the only hope for many who found themselves in a pressing situation of debt or poverty. In another example from the Book of Ruth, we see an impoverished Naomi, who has lost both her husband and her two sons, return to her homeland, Israel, from Moab. She has nothing except the hope that lays in the Law of Moses. She, and her daughter-in-law, Ruth, will rely on the fact that the Law of Moses commands that the edges of the fields remain unharvested so the poor and the traveler can glean from them in order to eat. In addition, Naomi, knowing the principle of the kinsman redeemer, will regain her land and a husband for Ruth when Boaz becomes their kinsman redeemer. Boaz and Ruth will have a child who will be the grandfather of David, and part of the line of the Messiah (Ruth 4:21-22). Where there was no hope for Naomi in Moab, she found hope and more in her home nation, Israel, and in the provisions of the Law of Moses. In another instance, the LORD will use the principle of the kinsman redeemer to prophetically give hope to His people that they would return from a prophesied captivity. Jeremiah has already prophesied that Judah will be conquered by the Chaldeans, and go into captivity to them. The Lord confirmed His promise to Jeremiah that He would bring Judah back from captivity by using the hope found in the kinsman redeemer. In Jer. 32, from the haftarah portion of this week's Sabbath reading, Jeremiah's cousin comes to Jeremiah while he is in the king's prison to request that Jeremiah redeem the cousin's property: "Please buy my field that is in Anathoth ("answers to prayers"), which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours; buy it for yourself. Then (Jeremiah) knew that this was the word of the LORD." (Jer. 32:6-8). Jeremiah understood that this deeded land that he redeemed confirmed God's promise to return the people to their own land, otherwise there would be no purpose in it if the people were being taken into captivity forever: "Then I charged Baruch before them saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Take these deeds...and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days." 'For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land."' "... I prayed to the LORD, saying,: 'Ah, LORD God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You...' (Jer. 32:13-17). The LORD used the kinsman redeemer of the Law as a sign of His guarantee of the people's return, which seemed to have been an impossibility, but now hope had come. Job, who had lost everything, knew the power of the kinsman redeemer, and he knew Who his personal Redeemer was: "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh, I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:25-27). The Kinsman Redeemer was a source of hope to a destroyed Job. Although Jewish tradition holds that Job lived before Moses, the rabbis believe that Moses wrote the Book of Job. We do not know for sure, but from the above verses, we can see that Job knew the principle of the kinsman redeemer by revelation even before the Law was received on Sinai. The world's understanding would give no hope to Naomi, Jeremiah and Job, but the Jubilee and the kinsman redeemer are from eternity, not the world, and give hope and promise where there is no hope. May we understand the deliverance blessing and the Deliverer of God guaranteed in His Jubilee and kinsman redeemer. Our Father's Jubilee promises bring His people hope. If you would like to know our Jubilee and our Kinsman Redeemer, you can pray: "Lord Jesus, I know my Redeemer lives. You have become my Kinsman Redeemer, and my Jubilee deliverance. You died for my sins, and You rose again from the dead. You redeemed my soul from Hell, and ascended into heaven, leading me with You. I was in captivity, but You gave me liberty as a gift. You redeemed the inheritance of God's people before the foundations of the world. Nothing is impossible with You! As the Holy Spirit anointed You, anoint me also, so that I may understand and live in Your miraculous redemption. I believe and receive these things in your holy name. AMEN."

Counting

It is always a wonderful gift when I find Jesus hidden in the Sabbath reading portions, as is the case for this week. Sometimes it requires a little digging to reveal Him. It is a blessing to know that Jewish people all over the world are studying these same scriptures assigned for this Sabbath, and may make the same discovery of their Messiah in them, and hopefully some Christians are reading them also. This particular time period of the year is especially revealing of Christ, as we will hopefully see. At this time, we are about half way between Passover/the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the next feast, which we call Pentecost, which is next month. It is on Pentecost that the Holy spirit fell with fire and power upon those believers in Jesus waiting in the Upper Room in Jerusalem (Acts 2). The LORD describes this waiting period between the feasts in a special way: "And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath...seven sabbaths (49 days) shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering (2 loaves of wheat flour with leaven) to the LORD...they are the first fruits to the LORD." (Lev. 23:15-17). This feast that takes place fifty days after Unleavened Bread, which we call Pentecost, the Hebrews called The Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot (Deut. 16:9-12). The timing of this feast is unusual because it is not assigned to a specific date on the calendar, like other feasts. This Feast of Shavuot must be counted down by fifty days. This period of counting the fifty days is called "The Counting (sapar- scribe, tell, speak, count, number, shew forth, commune, rehearse, tally or record, take account of) of the Omer (measurement/sheaf)". This is how the Jewish people who study the Torah consider the counting of those fifty days until Shavuot, or Pentecost, which also means "50". They are to make an effort in mastering 49 levels of Torah called "The 49 Gates of Understanding". They search the scriptures each day for an aspect of God to meditate upon. Each of these 49 levels of Torah or "gates of understanding" become a purifying or perfecting of oneself in preparation for the coming feast, Shavuot. At the conclusion of the 49 days/levels/gates, one is left "ailing" for The 50th Gate of Understanding. This 50th Gate, however, is not achieved by man's effort in study, as is the case for the previous 49 Gates. I think this is why God made us count the days as seven sabbaths plus one day. That one additional day is different from the previous 49. The 50th Gate can only be received as "a gift from Above". The number "50" is represented by the Hebrew letter nun. The meaning of this Hebrew letter, nun, reveals Jesus in this 50th Gate of Understanding: "fish (Mt. 4:18-19, Mt. 14:13-21, Lk. 5:4-9, Jn. 21:3-7), seed/sprouting seed (Gen. 3:15, Mt. 13, Jn. 12:23-24), offspring/son (Jn. 3:16-17), heir to the throne (Rom. 8:16-17, Rev. 3:21), faithfulness (Rev. 19:11)". With God's emphasis on the number 50 in connection to Shavuot/the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost, the meaning of the Hebrew letter, nun, and the understanding that the 50th Gate of Understanding cannot be achieved by man's efforts, connects this with the Messiah. Like the 50th Gate of Understanding, the New Testament repeatedly refers to Jesus/Grace and the Holy Spirit as gifts from God. James wrote something that a Jewish person might immediately link to the 50th Gate of Understanding: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights (make manifest, luminous, the power of understanding spiritual truth), with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures." (James 1:17-18). Jesus said, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink", you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." (Jn. 4:10). Of the Holy Spirit, spoken by Peter on Pentecost: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38). The fact that salvation is a gift, and not by the works of men: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any one should boast." (Eph. 2:8). Here are additional scriptures that emphasize Jesus/Grace and the Holy Spirit as gifts from God: Rom. 5:15-18, Rom. 6:23, Acts 8:20, 10:45, 11:17, Heb. 6:4, 1 Pet. 4:10). Here are New Testament mentions that state, similarly to The 50th Gate of Understanding, the gifts are from "on high", or above: "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure (see "Omer" above) of Christ's gift. Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." (Eph. 4:7-8). In Jn. 3:3, when Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The phrase, "born again", can also be translated as "born from above" or "born from a higher place". When Peter suddenly understood that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon BarJonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." (Mt. 16:17). "Heaven" used here can also mean "the upper regions" or "heights above". Peter's revelation, which would be the revelation for the whole Church as well (v. 18), could not come from men's endeavors, but as a gift of understanding from Above. This week's Sabbath reading that includes Lev. 23 is titled, Emor, which means "Say!". For me, it is also another example of the continuity and confirmation to be found within the Word of God that can be sought out and found by all who are willing to look, both Jews and Gentiles. As we count the days to Pentecost, may we understand in a deeper way the revelation gift from God above, His Son, Who gave us salvation, grace, and the Holy Spirit, and made us joint-heirs with Him. Our Father has revealed the 50th Gate of Understanding to us from Above. If you would like to know the Son and Heir to the Throne of God, you can pray: "Heavenly Father, by Your Son, Jesus, You have given me the free gift of grace and salvation, the gift of eternal life. I believe that Jesus, Your only begotten Son, died for my sins, and was raised from the dead. I believe that He has secured an inheritance for me in earth and in heaven. I believe that Jesus sent the gift of the Holy Spirit in fire and power to fill me and lead me in my walk with Him. I receive this gift, not by my own efforts, but by Your revelation from Above, in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Holy

The word "Holy" brings to mind different things to different people. Some things or activities that others in the world call holy, might seem strange to us. There was a man who was called a holy man in his country. He faithfully traveled a far distance to a shrine every day. However, instead of walking the miles to the shrine from his village, he would roll on the ground all the way to the shrine. This, in his countrymen's eyes, made him "holy". There was an account written of a man who was considered by all to be a devout Christian. One thing that made others consider him to be holy was that he ate and drank only bread and water. Some think being holy requires a certain outward appearance, and certain religious practices that indicate that the person has separated himself from the world, and dedicated himself to God. Many think that to be holy requires that one doesn't sin, or is sincerely repentant of sin. This would seem to reflect what the Word of God requires for holiness. We have the Word of God to teach us, yet there are still many interpretations of what it means to be holy, or to live a holy life. The fact that we are confused is evidenced by the inevitable questions about holiness that continually arise, such as: "But can I still watch TV? What about cable?" or "Can I play video games and still be holy?". "Can I drink alcohol and be holy?" People are unsure about the subject. There is one thing that is certain: God has called His people to be holy to the same measure that He is holy: "For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, as I am holy." (Lev. 11:43-45). Also, "I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples...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. 20:24, 26). In those last verses from Lev. 20, it seems that the LORD has made the people holy because He has taken them specifically as a possession for Himself. Here is another command from God: "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: "You shall be holy (kadosh/kadash- holy, sacred, pure, clean, free from defilement, saint; sanctify, hallow, dedicate, purified, to set apart, to be consecrated, to make or pronounce clean, used of God), for I the LORD your God am holy." (Lev. 19:1-2). This last command from Lev. 19 is also part of the Torah portion for this Sabbath. The title of this Sabbath's portion is K'doshim, meaning "Holy ones". I think this section from Lev. 19 offers some interesting ideas that the LORD adds to the discussion of holiness. Perhaps they are points that some might never have connected to holiness, but God connects them. The first point made after the command of the LORD from Lev. 19 for His people to be holy is the instruction, "Every one of you shall fear/revere (yawray- revere, stand in awe of, reverence, honor, respect, to cause astonishment and awe, to make afraid, to tremble, venerable, august, in a wonderful manner) his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God." (v. 2). Revering parents and keeping Sabbaths seem to be two different instructions, but the LORD has paired them together. The commandment regarding our parents tells us that holiness begins at home, in this intimate family relationship. The LORD regards our parents in a manner that we may not. By using the word fear/revere and its meaning in Hebrew, God regards them as deserving the same reverence as one would give God Himself. Our connection to our parents is a sovereign work of the will of God, and therefore holy, and should be viewed by us as such. This is the beginning of holiness. The LORD makes clear in His Word that it is He who opens and closes the womb. He knows us even before we are formed in the womb. It is no accident or happenstance regarding to whom we are born. In the same verse, the LORD commands that we keep (samar- observe, heed, preserve, beware, watchman, wait, save, guard, retain, treasure up (in memory), protect, celebrate) His Sabbaths. The Sabbaths are not just days of religious observance to some, but the concept of the Sabbath that is so holy, so worthy to be guarded and protected, is that it is a day that proclaims the finish, the conclusion, of all of God's work, past, present and future. It represents and contains the completion of the restoration and reconciliation of all creation back to the One who created it. It is the finished work ordained over each of our individual lives as stated in Jer. 29:11, "For I know the thoughts/plans that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." It is the planned work of the Father, completed by and through His Son, Jesus, for each of us, and for the heavens and the earth, which makes the Sabbath so holy to God, and holy to us. Our own salvation was finished and memorialized in the Sabbath. This is all that is expressed in the Sabbath (Heb. 4:3-4,10-12). Understanding and guarding the holy concept represented by the Sabbath is a place of holiness for us. Our faith exhibited in our God is represented by our understanding of the holiness of the Sabbath, and our faith is something that is very holy and precious to God. The LORD's holiness contained in these two principles makes us holy as well when we receive and understand. As we read on in Lev. 19, the LORD continues His unusual glimpse into His idea of holiness. He discusses our holiness in terms of how we treat others, not only in regards to our brethren, but strangers as well. These instructions include: leaving the corners and gleanings of fields and vineyards for the poor and the stranger. Do not steal nor lie to one another. Do not cheat nor rob your neighbor, nor pay wages late to your workers, thereby doing them harm. Do not mock nor hinder those who have a handicap. Make just judgments, not favoring the wealthy nor disfavoring the poor. Do not be a talebearer (rawkeel- scandal-monger, slanderer, informer, detraction) among your people. Do not hate your brother in your heart. Do not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but "love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." (Lev. 19:9-18). Of the last statement in this week's Sabbath reading portion, "...love your neighbor as yourself", Jesus also taught as being one of the two principles that make up all the law and the prophets. It carries the same weight as "The LORD is one, and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind and strength." (Mt. 22:36-40). Paul also pointed to this statement, "Love thy neighbor as thyself", as summing up all of the commandments of God (Rom. 13:9-10, Gal. 5:14). Paul adds to the thought: "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed." (Rom. 13:11). "Loving your neighbor as yourself", therefore, is not only the fulfillment of all of the (holy) commandments, but is a requirement in preparation for the return of Christ, according to Paul. The Apostle James wrote: "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well." (James 2:8). Jesus made sure that we understood that "our neighbor" is not limited to those close to us, or to those with whom we share an acquaintance. "Our neighbor", in God's expectation of holiness, also includes those who are sometimes avoided by "religious" people in an effort to keep their "holiness" (Lk. 10:25-37). Holiness isn't found only in a list of things to do, or acts to perform. It isn't measured, for example, by how far we can roll on the ground to church. It does not depend upon how we dress, or wear our hair. Holiness, I believe, is found in a Person, God, and discovering our inseparable existence in Him, and in our revering what is in the heart of God towards ourselves and others. If we can understand this, then we are holy, because He is holy. May we be holy for our God is holy, and our Father has called us to be like Him. If you would like to become part of God, and His holiness, you can pray: "Heavenly Father, in Your love, and in Your commandments to be holy, You have provided Your only Son, Jesus, Your Living Word, to call us to Your holiness. I believe that Jesus became sin, so I could be reconciled with You and Your holiness. I believe He died and was raised from the dead, because Your Word says that Your Holy One will not see corruption, and as a result we also are passed from death unto life in Your Son. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, who leads me into the deep things, even the holiness, of God. I thank You that You have separated me unto Yourself as Your holy possession. I receive Your provision of holiness in my body, soul, nd spirit, in Jesus' name, AMEN."

House

"See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say unto you, you shall see Me no more till you say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!" Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say unto you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." (Mt. 23:38-39, 24:1-2). Jesus had just pronounced a scathing judgment against the religious leaders of Jerusalem, the scribes and the Pharisees, in Mt. 23. He called them "Fools and blind!" (v. 17). He spoke of their religious violence, by that I mean the lack of mercy, the religious burdens they placed upon the people, their standing in the spiritual position of Moses (Mt. 23:2), but without the understanding, and the relationship with God of Moses, along with their complete hypocrisy. He brought against them His indictment concerning their rejection of the prophets. He told them that they clean the outside, but the inside (of themselves) is full of lawlessness. They neglect justice, mercy and faith, and "shut up the kingdom of heaven aginst men". It cannot be stated too strongly, the thorough condemnation spoken by Jesus that day against these religious leaders. As we know, the greatest act of religious violence was still to come: the rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah. Jesus connected all of these things and more, with the desolation of the house, including His prophecy of the future total dismantling of the temple. The temple was the most sacred and important part of Jewish worship and atonement, and a crucial part of their national identity. As Jesus described its coming ruin, it lined up exactly with what the law of Moses required regarding a house plagued by leprosy that cannot be remedied. The Sabbath reading this week is titled in part, M'tzora, which means "Infected one". One reading portion is from Lev. 14:33-45. It begins, "And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron saying: "When you have come into the land of Canaan, which I give you as a possession, and I put the leprous (root- tsawrah: to strike down, scourge, one stricken (by God), one smitten) plague (negah/nawgah: stripes, stricken, wound, a spot, lay a hand upon, punish, destroy, violently, be stricken, beaten, smite, to violate, to injure, to touch heavily) in a house in the land of your possession...the priest shall command that they empty the house...that all that is within the house may not be made unclean; and afterward, the priest shall go in to examine the house." (Lev. 14:33-36). The leprosy being dealt with here was not on a person, but on the actual building. "And he shall examine the plague; and indeed if the plague is on the walls of the house with ingrained streaks, greenish or reddish, which appear to be deep in the wall, then the priest shall go out of the house...and shut up the house for seven days." (v.37-38). After seven days, the priest was to come back and see if the plague had spread. If so, the infected stones, including the mortar, would have to be removed, and taken to the unclean place outside the city. All the rest of the stones of the house were to be scraped, and the dust from the scraping taken outside the city as well. Then they replaced the removed infected stones, mortar and plaster with new. If the plague of leprosy came back to the house after these attempts at remediation, then it is declared a "fretting" (ma'ar: painful malignant leprosy, pricking, be in pain, bitter, sour, a thorn which causes pain) leprosy, and the house is unclean (v. 39-44). "And he shall break down the house, its stones, its timber, and all the plaster of the house, and he shall carry them outside the city to an unclean place." (v. 45). There are word meanings here that bring to mind Jesus in His suffering. The religious leaders identified Jesus as a type of leprous plague, according to the meanings of the words used in Leviticus, when He was actually their remediation. They did not see that it was their own house that was the "infected one" instead. We see that same language used to describe the suffering of Jesus in Isa. 53:4: "Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted." But really, the LORD was laying upon Jesus the iniquity, or the leprous infection, of us all (see Isa. 53:6). Jesus was taken outside the city to be crucified, like the leprous stones of the infected house (see Jn. 19:17-19, Heb. 13:12-14). On the cross, He was offered bitter and sour to drink (Mt. 27:34, Ps. 69:21). The religious leaders would not accept the sabbath rest (seven days mentioned in Lev. 14) Jesus represented for their leprous house. They would not allow the leprous stones of their house to be replaced. They would not accept the scraping of the stones of their own house, so their house was dismantled until there was not one stone left upon another. He was their remedy, but they did not want their house remedied. That is the nature of spiritul leprosy. Once it takes hold, without remediation, it will persist and worsen until the whole house is unclean and requires demolition. Yet, Jesus became the remedy for us all, because the Father wished it. Over the centuries, the rabbis have written that they believe that the second temple was destroyed because of the presence of a type of spiritual leprosy among the people of God, which they call "evil speak" (LaShon Hara), and also because of hatred among or between the brethren. In Rev. 2 and 3, Jesus sends His Word to the seven churches, and warns six of them to deal with a kind of spiritual leprosy in their midst also. He warned them to take the remedy, or pay the penalty. May we in the Church today keep these things in mind, and be open and willing to accept the chastising (scraping) of the Lord, our Priest, when applied, in order to heal our spiritual house, the temples of the Holy Spirit, and the remedy of repentance, and the Sabbath rest personified in Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. Our Father is looking to cleanse the house. If you would like to be cleansed by the Son of God you can pray: "Lord Jesus, I believe that You died for my sins and uncleanness, that You became a curse, a plague, to free me from the curse. I believe that You rose again from the dead so I can have eternal life. Cleanse me, renew me, and make me a holy house fit for Your Holy Spirit. I give You thanks for Your sacrifice for me, and help me to live in Your righteousness. Give me ears to hear, and a heart to receive Your corrections and remedial work in me. I ask and receive these blessings, with thanks, in Your holy name, AMEN."

Resurrection

We have entered the season of the resurrection of Jesus! There are several occasions in scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, when the dead were raised. However, the resurrection of Christ is different from these other events, which is why He is called the First Fruits of those who are raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20-23). Something extremely powerful in the spiritual realm was achieved by the singular event of the resurrection of Christ. We assume that the others who were raised from the dead in scripture went on to finish their natural lives on the earth. Christ, however, was a Door to the eternal through His resurrection. He said, "I am the door of the sheep...I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." (Jn. 10:7-9). Notice that Jesus said the sheep shall go both in and out. He is a two-way Door. Jesus showed this to His disciples after His death. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples at different times. On one occasion, although He could be physically touched (solid), and told His disciples that He was not a spirit, Jesus could mysteriously enter a room where doors and windows were shut (Jn. 20:19, 24-29). Jesus became the Door by which eternity and natural space and time existed in the same place. The Greek word anastasis is translated into the word "resurrection" in English. It means what we would expect: raising up, raising from the dead, raised to life again. The root word, anistemi, also includes the meaning: of those who leave a place to go elsewhere, of those who prepare themselves for a journey, to cause to be born, to cause to appear. It also means "to stand, as the foundation of a building". The most basic meaning of the Greek words used for "resurrection" here is "to uphold or sustain the authority or force of anything". Resurrection comes from a place of absolute authority and power. It was by this absolute authority and power, and even by God's glory, that Jesus was raised (Acts 2:22-24, 3:14-15, 4:10, Rom. 6:4, 1 Cor. 6:14). The only faiths that include resurrection as a doctrine are those that have an all-powerful Creator as their center. We associate resurrection with going to heaven, and this is a blessed destination for those in Christ. However, the goal of the authority, power, and glory of God does not end at heaven. The resurrection accomplished through Christ ultimately brings the eternal to the earthly realm. As we will see, I hope, the Resurrection is not just about where we will end up, but what we are to be now. This principle of the intermingling of eternity with the earthly realm is also found in this week's Sabbath reading portion. The title of the Sabbath reading is "Sh'mini", meaning the 8th. The 8th day in this case refers to the ending of Passover and the beginning of the 49 days until the next feast, which is Pentecost. The Jewish concept of the number 8, or 8th day, also means going beyond the measurement of natural time, which is represented by the seven days of creation, and into the eternal. In Lev. 9, Moses called the priests, Aaron and his sons, on the 8th day to begin offering sacrifices to "make atonement for yourself and for the people" because "...today the LORD will appear to you...the glory of the LORD will appear to you." (v. 4, 6-7, 23-24). This also serves as a prophetic picture of the sin offering, the grain offering and the peace offering, which was embodied in Christ, that allowed the presence and glory of the God of eternity to be seen by all men. It is also recorded in scripture that at the same moment of Christ's sacrifice, the separating veil in the temple was also torn, and allowed men to see into the Holy of Holies, containing the Mercy Seat, or the Throne of God (Mt. 27:51). Even after showing Himself before Israel on the 8th day, the LORD had to teach a necessary but sad lesson to the priests regarding His absolute authority. This is the same authority involved in the resurrection of Christ, and the melding of the eternal and the natural creation. Two of Aaron's sons decided to offer to the LORD burned incense from their priestly censers. However, the LORD called this offering a "profane (to be strange or foreign, as opposed to Jehovah) fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them." (Lev. 10:1). Aaron's two sons died that day when the LORD sent out fire and devoured them. The thing that made their offering offensive is that God had not instructed them to do it. Moses explained this shocking event to Aaron by relating what the LORD had told him: "By those who come near Me, I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people, I must be glorified." (v. 3). It was and is vital for the people of God to understand His absolute authority, and have complete confidence in it, because it would be by that same authority that God would bring about the resurrection of His Son and His Kingdom to the earth. His priests undermined that authority that day by doing something that God had not commanded them to do. How many times have we decided what we will do before the LORD, when He has not instructed us to do it? How many words have we spoken in His name that He never gave us to speak? This undermines His (resurrection) authority before the people. In another example, this time from this Sabbath's haftarah reading, David decided that he would build a temple for the LORD, because God should have a house instead of a tabernacle of tents (1 Chron. 17). David tells his idea to Nathan the prophet, who also thinks it is a wonderful and appropriate idea. God, however, has other ideas. Nathan, after having a dream, had to go back to David, and explain the LORD's thoughts: "Go and tell My servant David, Thus says the LORD: "You shall not build Me a house to dwell in. For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another." (v. 4-5). God then, however, began to prophesy to David about the eternal throne and house to be inhabited by one from David's natural line (1 Chron. 17:11-15). Here again, there is promised an intermingling of the eternal with the natural or physical time and space of the earthly realm. This promise made by God to David was concerning the coming Messiah. In another haftarah Sabbath reading, Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes that man has no satisfaction, no fulfillment, no completed purpose without the assurance, the knowledge and the experience of the eternal. Life without eternity is like "grasping for the wind...For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?" (Eccl. 6:9, 12). Solomon knew that there had to be an intermingling of the eternal with the natural for a man's life to be an effective life, a life of meaning. This Sabbath's reading, as well as dealing with the importance of "the 8th", is also dedicated to the re-birth of the nation of Israel in 1948. Because of this anniversary, this Sabbath is also called "Atzma-ut" in recognition of this event. The nation of Israel, as well as should be the case for all of the people of God, is a living testimony to the intermingling by God of the eternal and the natural. God showed this prophetic pattern to Moses, and commanded that it should be told to the priests and the people. On this special Sabbath of Atzma-ut, Isaiah 60 is read. Knowing now what we have discovered regarding the plan of God to intermingle His eternal realm with the earthly realm, as we read Isaiah, this becomes very apparent: "Arise (qum: to rise, be raised up, be established, to make binding), shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD has risen (zarah: arise, rise up, come forth, break out, shine, appear, irradiate-to shoot forth beams of light) upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise (again the use of zarah) over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising (zerah: dawning, shining, a rising of light)...Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy...They (those who come to these "risen" ones) shall ascend with acceptance on My altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory. Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like doves to their roosts?...I will make you an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations...You shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob...you shall call your walls Salvation (Yeshuah: the name Jesus), and your gates, Praise (tehillah: adoration, thanksgiving to God; root meaning: to shine, to flash forth light)...the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory...I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time." As we see in the prophecy of Isaiah, those who understand the full implications of the resurrection of Christ, and the opening of the Door into the eternal for those here on earth, will have tremendous impact even on those who are in thick natural and spiritual darkness, because of our qualities of eternal "light". Daniel also prophesied that those who know God will be "wise": "Those who are wise (sakal: understanding, wisely understand, have insight, to look at or behold (a figure, a likeness), to put his hands across) shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever (olam: perpetual time, time out of mind) and ever (ad: forever (of God's existence), also to put on (as an ornament)." (Dan. 12:3). This also is the plan of God which is fulfilled through the resurrection of His Son, and our understanding of all that the resurrection accomplished. The Living Door of resurrection, Jesus, not only opens the gates of heaven to us, but opens the gates of earth to heaven. Our Father, by His authority, power, and glory, has united eternity and earth by raising His Son, Jesus, from the dead. If you would like to know Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life, you can pray: "Lord Jesus, I believe that You died to cleanse me from my sin. I believe that You rose from the dead. I believe that You have opened the door of heaven for me, and made earth and eternity one, which is the Kingdom of God. Baptize me, Lord, in Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and teach me to be the radiating light of Your resurrection, and the eternity of God, even in the middle of darkness here on earth. I ask this in Your blessed Name, AMEN."

Priesthood

Peter wrote about the profound meaning of the priesthood of the believer in Christ: "...you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot...having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever...Coming to Him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ...you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" (1 Pet. 1, 2, excerpts). We entered into this priesthood by the blood of the Lamb without spot, Jesus. Thousands of years ago, by the blood of a lamb without spot, a people were "born again" out of the darkness of their bondage to the Egyptians, and into the marvelous light of bondservice to the God Who delivered them. This is remembered by command of the LORD as Passover, which is this weekend. Shortly after the Israelites' deliverance out of Egypt, the LORD commanded the assembly of the tabernacle. He then commanded Moses regarding the setting apart and consecration of the priesthood, who would serve Him in the tabernacle. This priesthood would have no earthly inheritance, but would receive an inheritance from a portion of the sacrificial offerings to God (which propheticlly pointed to the sacrifice of Christ). This week's Sabbath Torah reading, titled Tzav, or "Command!", is from Leviticus, a Book also known as Torat Kohanim or "The Teachings of the Priests". In Chapter 8, Moses himself, had to prepare Aaron and his sons for the priesthood according to the command of the LORD. He had to wash Aaron and his sons. Moses had to dress them in their priestly garments, which differentiated them, or set them apart, for their service in the tabernacle. These garments of several pieces included the breastplate containing the Urim and the Thummim, the Lights and Perfection. After Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the animals to be sacrificed for purification, Moses had to kill and burn the offerings that would sanctify the area in which Aaron and his sons would minister, the altar and the laver. Following the same practice again as God commanded, Moses had to sacrifice a second ram, the ram of consecration, and touch Aaron and sons with its blood, and with the anointing oil. At the end of the solemn process, Moses told Aaron and his sons the command of the LORD: "And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For seven days he (Moses) shall consecrate you...to make atonement for you. Therefore you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days and keep the charge of the LORD, so that you may not die...so Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses." (Lev. 8:33-36). All of these preparations had to be completed before Aaron and his sons could perform their ministry which included the handling of the blood sacrifices and offerings. It is interesting that according to some Jewish commentaries, the period of seven days, or a week, as mentioned above, represents natural, physical time. By extension, the eighth day goes beyond physical time into the realm of eternity. So the consecration process that lasts for "seven days", really means for a lifetime. In this Sabbath's haftarah reading portion from the Book of Malachi, the LORD issues a prophetic warning for His priesthood: "...And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire...He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the LORD, as in the days of old, as in the former years." (Mal. 3:1-4). As the priesthood ("sons of Levi") no longer took their consecration seriously, the sacrificial offerings and tithes were also devalued in the eyes of the whole nation, according to Malachi 3. Because of the loss of consecration among the priests, the proud and the wicked seemed to prosper without suffering consequences. Then the priests and the people began to think that there was no benefit for them to serve God or to keep His ordinances. The LORD explained the blessings in every area that follows a people who fear the LORD and meditate upon His name: "They shall be Mine says the LORD of hosts, on the day when I make them My jewels (special treasure). And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. Then you shll again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him." (Mal. 3:17-18). The effect of the priesthood upon the people and the nation was so great, that the Messiah Himself would judge and purge the worldly condition of the priesthood with His coming. Notice that the priesthood in Malachi has an expectancy of the coming of this Messenger, the Lord, the Messiah, "whom you seek...in whom you delight", but they were not in the spiritual condition necessary to receive His looked-for coming, nor, consequently, to prepare the people for His coming. This coming Sabbath is a very special Sabbath. It is Shabbat haGadol, the Sabbath before Passover. It is the Sabbath that focuses on the selection and separation of the lamb without spot, whose blood was applied on the doorposts of the Israelites to protect them from the plague of death in Egypt. As the holy and royal priesthood, sanctified and set apart by the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus, as Peter wrote, we must take our consecration in that precious Blood solemnly and seriously. Our attitude regarding our sanctification as priests of Christ, and our priestly service to God cannot be allowed to be profaned or compromised by the world and its ways and thoughts, as was the case in Malachi. If our handling of the incorruptible Sacrifice that sanctified us, the Blood of the Lamb, becomes devalued in our own eyes and lives, it will become devalued in the eyes of other men, as happened in Malachi. If we fail to realize that the consecration of our royal priesthood is not just for certain days or seasons, but for a lifetime, then we fail to handle the Blood of the Lamb with consecrated hands. If we leave the tabernacle of meeting (with the LORD), leave His presence, and enter into the presence of the profane and corrupt, or perhaps try to keep one foot in the tabernacle, and one foot out, we lose our consecration to handle the precious Blood. The living tabernacle of God, which we are, containing the priesthood of salvation, which we are, is in the world, but not of the world (Jn. 17:14-18). We are to act upon the world, not the world upon us. As part of the work of salvation, Isaiah prophesies of rebuilding and repairing of ruins and desolations. He also prophesies concerning the priesthood of salvation: "But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, they shall call you the servants of our God...For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering; I will direct their work in truth, and will make with them an everlasting covenant." (Isa. 61:6,8). In the same manner of the robes of Aaron's priesthood, the priesthood of salvation is also distinctively arrayed according to Isaiah: "For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." (v. 10). The blessing of this salvation priesthood not only transforms the spiritual wasteplaces, but will affect future generations: "Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed." (v. 9). This is a priesthood of transformation, because they have been born from the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, an incorruptible seed. The priesthood not only served in the tabernacle and the temple of the Old Testament, but, as an earthly shadow of the heavenly priesthood, they also had a prophetic significance. In the events leading up to the first coming of Christ, the priesthood played a foundational role. A certain priest experienced an angelic visitation while he was performing his service in the temple at the altar of incense before the veil in the Holy Place. The angel prophesied to this priest, Zacharias, that he and his wife, who was barren, would miraculously conceive a son who would prepare the way of the Lord. The angel struck this consecrated priest, who was anointed with the spiritual authority of his office, dumb to prevent him from speaking any word of doubt that would prevent the miraculous prophesied birth. His miracle son was indeed born, and as an only son of a priest, this son would also have been a kohan, a priest. This miraculous son, John the Baptist, fulfilled his priestly role in the coming of Jesus by using the Jordan River as a giant laver in which he washed the people in a baptism of repentance to prepare them to receive their Messiah. This same priest, John, would be the first to recognize and announce Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Lk. 1:5-25, 39-45, 57-80, 3:1-22, Jn. 1:19-35). Can we doubt that God will continue to follow the pattern that He established, and use us, the priesthood of salvation, in the events leading up to the second coming of Christ, as He did with the first? In the Book of Revelation, the royal priesthood spoken of by Peter, above, is seen. In the first chapter, it is identified: "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." (Rev. 1:5-6). The salvation priesthood sings a new song as the end time events are unfurled in heaven by the Lamb: "And You have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth." (Rev. 5:9-10, excerpt). Let's read again the verses from 1 Peter that began this entry, and determine that on this Shabbat haGadol before Passover, may we be consecrated once again, re-enter the tabernacle of His presence, and offer the spiritual sacrifices worthy of God, in our holy and royal priesthood service to Him. Our Father "commands!" regarding His priesthood. If you would like to enter the royal priesthood to our Father through His Son, Jesus, you can pray: Heavenly Father, I come to You through Jesus, Your son, who makes the way for me by His Blood, as the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world. This Passover, I pray that this precious sacrifice that delivered me from slavery to sin and death, and cleanses me from all unrighteousness, would consecrate me fresh and new as a priest bringing my spiritual sacrifice to You. I believe Jesus died for me and rose again from the dead. I believe He is returning soon, as Malachi wrote. I believe that He baptizes me with the fire of the Holy Spirit, so that I may serve You in consecration all the days of my life. I pray and receive these things in Jesus' name. Amen."