Keeping Yahweh’s Holy Days
When You Cannot Meet With Others
Part 1, the Spring Festivals
(By Request)
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pring will soon be
here, and with it, the Festivals of Yahweh that we are instructed to observe.
But since His people are so scattered, many do not have an Assembly or a group
to meet with on His Appointed Times. I have been asked to explain how Believers
who are alone in their areas are to observe these important dates in their
homes, either alone or with family. So I will undertake to give you a workable
format for Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) that you
can do at home or with a small group.
But first, let me
emphasize that these days are NOT just something the Almighty thought up to keep
you occupied during the year. They have a great purpose. Yahweh has chosen to
reveal His plan of salvation through His High Holy Days, and by our rehearsing
them every year, we are kept aware of this great and awesome plan of His. They
are all listed in order in Leviticus 23, beginning with the weekly Sabbath, then
all the High Days. For a complete understanding of these Days, write for the
following free booklets: Yahweh’s Holy Days vs. Man’s Holidays; The
Truth About Judgment; and The Truth
About the Resurrections.
There are nineteen
(19) total Festival days annually. Of these, seven (7) are High Sabbaths upon
which no secular work is to be done. However on six of them, food may be
prepared. This sets them apart from the weekly Sabbath, on which NO work is to
be done. We have the Preparation Day to prepare food, etc, for the weekly
Sabbath. The exception to one of the seven is the Day of Atonement; a Fast Day
upon which no work of any kind is permitted, since we do not eat or drink on
that day.
We will take them in
order, and in this article, explain a program for the Holy Days that come in
Springtime. Then later, in the July-August issue, I will explain the others that
come in Autumn.
The first of these
events is the Passover and seven Days of Unleavened Bread that follow. We should
prayerfully examine ourselves before taking the Passover, to be sure that we
have repented of all known sins.
This year, 2008,
Passover will be April 20. This is the preparation day, corresponding to Abib
14, when the lambs were killed, and leavening was removed from homes in
preparation for the seven days to follow. This day, we must remove all leavened
products and all leavening agents from our homes and discard them – get them off
our property (Exo. 13:7, “quarters” means the boundaries of your
property, so don’t just toss it in the garbage can). This does not include soft
drinks, beer and wine, as some suppose (consider this: If the Israelites had to
discard their wine before the Spring Holy Days, then they would have had none
until after the Fall harvest, 6 months away). But it does include soda crackers,
leavened bread, cookies, etc., as well as bicarbonate of soda, baking powder,
cream of tartar, etc. You will need to read labels on just about everything in
your pantry and freezer.
Then give your home a
good cleaning to remove crumbs, etc., that contain leaven. (I suspect this is
where the tradition of “spring cleaning” comes from – just another indication
that we are likely descended from the “Lost Ten Tribes” of Israel.). About
mid-afternoon begin to prepare a meal for later that evening, including matzoh
or home-made unleavened bread. Assemble the items you will need, such as a
menorah or candles, a small quantity of Kosher Passover wine, bitter herbs (a
few sprigs of parsley); a small dish of salt water. When all is ready, then we
should bathe. Yahshua expected His disciples to do this (John 13:10).
When all is ready, the
leader should have any guests sit down and then he will say, “Welcome! This is
Yahweh’s Passover service that He instituted for His people long ago while they
were slaves in Egypt. We will observe some things from that time when He brought
them out to freedom. These are the things that Yahshua observed. We will also
remember the death of Yahshua the Messiah, who became our Passover Lamb,
and use the elements that He instituted the night before He died.”
At this point, a lady
should cover her head and light the lamps (candles), and say, “Blessed are You,
Yahweh our Mighty One, Sovereign of all things, Who has set us apart with Your
commandments, and have given us Your Son, Yahshua, the Light of the World.” Read
John 8:12, “Then spake Yahshua again unto them, saying, ‘I am the light of
the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life.’” (Note: This is not an absolute necessity, but it does add
to the solemnity of the occasion. If alone, at least do the basics.)
Then someone should
give a short opening prayer, asking Yahweh’s presence with you this night. If
you are alone, this will all have to be done by you. If someone can sing, or if
you have suitable music on tape or CD, select a song and play it at this
juncture.
Read Exodus 12:1-20,
then say “We are here tonight in obedience to this command – and, also because
Yahshua IS our Passover Lamb, and He said to do this in remembrance of Him.
[John 13:15, He said, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as
I have done to you.”] Apostle Paul said (I Cor. 11:26 KJV), “For as often
as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Master’s death till He
come.”
If children are
present, read Exodus 12:26-27, and Deut. 6:20, then explain to them why we do
these things, then explain that we have been slaves to sin, and Yahshua came to
show us the Way to Eternal Life, then gave Himself as our Passover Lamb so that
we don’t have to die for our own sins. The act of putting leaven out of our
homes is symbolic of putting sin out of our lives. Eating unleavened bread is
symbolic of becoming sin-free. We are now slaves to Yahweh, and not to the world
(Pharaoh or Satan).
(Rom 6:22-23 NRSV)
"But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to YHWH, the
advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. {23} For the wages
of sin is death, but the free gift of YHWH is eternal life in the Messiah
Yahshua our Master.”
Instead of killing a
perfect lamb, eating it, and placing its blood on our physical doorposts,
Yahshua gave Himself as THE perfect Lamb, a sacrifice once-for-all. Now we take
the symbols He gave us, the unleavened bread for His body, the sip of wine for
His blood.
“Remember the
unleavened bread this next week as we commemorate this feast, and make a
conscious effort to remove sin from our lives so we can please our Creator who
loves us, and whom we love. Don’t give sin a chance to rise and grow in your
life.”
“Don’t you know
that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven,
so that you may be a new lump as you are unleavened,(1 Cor. 5:6-7).
Bitter herbs reminds
us of the bitterness of slavery to sin, and also of the bitterness of death. “…They
shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one
that is in bitterness for his first-born (Zech.12:10).
The salt water into
which we dip the bitter herbs symbolizes the tears of bondage [do this now – dip
the parsley in the salt water and eat it] . We should also remember the tears of
Miriam of Bethany “…who was a sinner, when she knew that Yahshua was eating
in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at His
feet behind him, weeping; and began to wash His feet with tears, and did wipe
them with the hair of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the
ointment (Luke 7:37-38).
At this point, ask a
blessing on the food, and that you can remember what all it stands for, then
take a short break to eat. While eating, talk about, or if alone, think about
the first Passover, as well as Yahshua’s last supper, just the evening before
the impalement.
Reconvene after
eating, then have another song if available.
The foot-washing: This
is a lesson in humility. Read Luke 22:24 and John 13:4-17. If you are alone,
then skip the actual foot-washing ceremony. Wash hands and re-assemble at the
table.
The Bread: The prophet
says in Isaiah 53:3-7 (read this).
Then read John
6:47-58, 1 Corinthians 11:27-29. Next go to Luke 22:19: And He took bread,
gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is
given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Take the unleavened
bread and break it into enough pieces for every baptized person present.
Offer a prayer of
thanks for the bread that represents our Savior’s broken body for each one of
us.
Pass the bread around
the table; each baptized person take a piece and eat it.
The Cup: Read Matthew
26:27-29.
Pour a small amount of
the Kosher wine (natural, not fortified), into a vial for each baptized person.
Ask a prayer of
blessing and give thanks for the cup, then pass it around for each baptized
person present.
Read John 13:34-45.
Closing: Matthew
26:30, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”
If you can, sing a
final song, then dismiss. Gather up leftover unleavened bread and wine that has
been blessed, and dispose of it (flush down the commode).
Then, if you feel up
to it, read all of John 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 before retiring for the night.
This all takes place
toward the END of the 14th of Abib, on over into the night beginning
the 15th. Remember that at dark, the first High Day of Unleavened
Bread begins. So a service should be planned for the next day. If you are alone,
or there are only two or three, then a Bible study would be in order. You should
continue this for the next five days following the 15th. The last
day, the 21st, is also a High Day, and a special observance should be
planned for this day, too.
The theme for the
entire seven days should be rooting sin out of our lives. Keeping on guard for
physical leavening agents is a good reminder to watch out for sin. Constantly
examine yourselves. Satan is sneaky. He will lead you into false doctrines if
possible, and cause you to be blown about with every wind of doctrine. We are
warned against this (Ephesians 4:14).
This takes care of the
early Spring festivals; the next one is Pentecost, or Feast of Weeks. It comes
in late Spring, fifty days after the “Sabbath” in Unleavened Bread. It is a day
that looks back to the giving of the Law at Sinai (Exodus 20); and to the giving
of the Holy Spirit so the new Believers could keep the Law with a Spiritual
intent (Acts 2 with Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8, and Romans 8:8-11). It also
looks forward to the future when YHWH will make His Spirit available to all
who will repent of their law-breaking.
Why is it not
available to all now? Because at this time only the “firstfruits” are being
called. Yahshua is the first of the Firstfuits ((1
Cor 15:20-23 KJV) "But now is
The Messiah risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
{21} For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
{22} For as in Adam all die, even so in The Messiah shall all be made alive.
{23} But every man in his own order: The Messiah the firstfruits; afterward they
that are The Messiah's at his coming." This is speaking of the resurrection
of the Just, at Yahshua’s triumphant return. See Matt. 24:31, 1 Cor. 15, 1 Thes.
4:13-18.
He also said that not
everyone was being called now.
His disciples asked why He spoke to the people in parables. Notice His
answer in (Mark 4:10-12 KJV):
"And when he was
alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. {11}
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom
of YHWH: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
{12} That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and
not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should
be forgiven them."
Does that mean that
Yahshua disliked certain people and was discriminating against them? No, far
from it! He knew they would learn saving knowledge, but then fall away and not
follow through. If they did that, then there would be no more opportunity for
salvation
(Heb 10:26 KJV) For if we sin willfully after that we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,"
See also these
Scriptures:
(John 12:40 KJV)
"He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should
not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be
converted, and I should heal them."
(Rom 11:7-8 KJV)
"What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the
election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded {8} (According as it
is written, YHWH hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should
not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day."
(2 Cor 3:14-15 KJV)
"But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil
untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away
in the Messiah. {15} But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil
is upon their heart."
So he
blinded them until the final Judgment, which is the subject of the Last Great
Day, the very last of the annual Festivals, and which I will cover in the next
installment, along with the Feast of Trumpets (pictures the return of Yahshua in
power and glory); Day of Atonement (shows the purification of the Bride of the
Messiah, and the wedding); the Feast of Tabernacles, that depicts life in the
1,000-year “day of Yahweh,” when Yahshua will rule all the earth. During His
tenure, the desert will bloom as the rose (Isaiah 35:all), people will be
returned to their native lands, and, at long last, peace will reign over all the
earth. It will be like the garden of Eden was.
Then at
the end of the 1,000 years, the “rest of the dead” will be resurrected and have
an opportunity to learn of the way of Life. They will have an opportunity to
repent and be saved – changed to Spirit from their corruptible flesh, and live
forever. But those who will not repent will be cast into the lake of fire and
burned up – totally consumed. They will become “ashes under the feet of the
righteous,” Malachi 4:1, Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 20:12-15. It is also at
this time that the prophecies of Jeremiah 31:34 and Joel 2:28 will be fulfilled.
Yahweh’s Holy Spirit will be made available to all flesh. We will have no need
of teachers then, for all will know Yahweh.
This is
a hard saying to some who do not yet understand Yahweh’s Plan of Salvation – but
again I say, study the related Scriptures. For additional help, request the
booklets, “The Truth About Judgment,” and “The Truth About the
Resurrections.”
The
Truth from the Scriptures is so different from what the religions of the world
are teaching, as to be totally unrecognizable by the average reader. It comes as
a shock to many, especially Christians, who have been indoctrinated with pagan
ideas about what the Scriptures say all of their lives. Their teachers and
pastors are all too willing to explain away the true Scriptural meanings of
certain “hard sayings,” in order to support what they were taught in their
denominational seminaries. Some call them “cemeteries,” where the Truth is
buried. They truly hate Yahweh’s Law, the Ten Commandments, especially the
Fourth one, and grossly misunderstand the Third one.
But, do
not be deceived. The Law is not ‘done away,’ as they suppose. If it is, then it
would be impossible to sin, because the Bible definition of sin, found in First
John 3:4, is the breaking of the Law.
Back to
the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost. Observe this day as a High Holy Day. Study
Scriptures related to the giving of the Law (the Ten Words) to Moses from Yahweh
in the book of Exodus. Read from Exodus 19:1, through Exodus 24:8. This is the
Covenant requirements and conditions that were given at that time.
However,
the complete Torah is contained in the Pentateuch (first five books of the
Scriptures), and it does contain other instructions and requirements. This is
what Yahshua spoke of in Matthew 5:18 when He said that heaven and earth would
pass away before even one tiny “yod” or tittle would pass from the law. A “yod”
() is the smallest letter in the Hebrew language, and a tittle is a tiny mark
like a punctuation mark. Heaven and earth have not passed away, have they?
Neither has ALL been fulfilled. So why do people declare that the Law is “done
away”?
Then
read why we need and must have Yahweh’s Holy Spirit, in order to keep His
instructions. He said, “O that there were such a heart in them than they would
keep my Law always!”(Deut. 5:29). Then He said later that He would write His Law
in their hearts so that they could keep His Law (Jeremiah 31:31-34). This is
done by giving the repentant person His Holy (Set-apart) Spirit. He writes his
Law in our inward parts through the indwelling of His Spirit.