Showing posts with label Jewish feasts. Show all posts

Monday, August 24, 2015

Upcoming Jewish Holidays Begins Period of Cataclysmic Events for Israel

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz August 23, 2015 BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord… For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.”(Leviticus 23:26-29)

(Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90 )

You don’t need prophetic vision to know that the world is on the verge of a new period heralding in global changes unlike any ever seen before. The signs are obvious and the pieces are all in place. With the Jewish holiday’s fast approaching, God’s plan for change and redemption is unfolding before our very eyes with grave implications for the nation of Israel.

The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, will begin on the evening of September 13 and end after sunset on September 15. According to Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashana is the day that God begins the process of judging the entire world.

This year’s Rosh Hashana is especially unique in that it will signal the end of the Shemittah year, the Sabbatical year which occurs in a seven year cycle. According to the Talmud, the written text explaining the oral Torah, the Messiah will come in the year following the Shemittah year.

As the second and final day of the holiday of Rosh Hashana ends on September 15, the 70th United Nations General Assembly will commence. The issue of the creation of a Palestinian state is expected to be decided by world representatives during the General Assembly. While not having yet happened, the upcoming session is already fraught with tension as it is unclear whether the US will continue to use its veto to prevent the Palestinians from unilaterally declaring a state.

Conflict over the Holy Land is prophesied to be part of the process of redemption. In Zechariah 12:6, the end times are described: “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a flame that sets a woodpile ablaze or like a burning torch among sheaves of grain. They will burn up all the neighboring nations right and left, while the people living in Jerusalem remain secure.” In Amos 9:15, we are told that once the Jews are re-established in their land, “they will not again be rooted out from their land.”

Rosh Hashana Store on Israel365 - Shop Now!

After the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana is an interim period referred to as the Ten Days of Awe. It is during this period, on September 17, that the US Congress will vote on whether to reject or accept the nuclear deal negotiated by US President Barack Obama with Iran over their nuclear program.

Religious leaders have characterized the Iran deal as a cataclysmic and fiery conflict as part of the apocalyptic war of Gog and Magog. In Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39, this was is described as involving several nations, none of whom border Israel. However Persia (Iran) is specifically mentioned as a main actor of the war.

It should be remembered that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his fateful address to Congress protesting the Iranian deal on March 3, the day before the Jewish holiday of Purim. Purim celebrates the Jewish victory over Haman, an officer in the Persian court, known today as Iran. Jewish holidays indeed play a significant role in the process of heavenly warning to the nations.

Pope Francis praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. (Photo: @MickyRosenfeld/ Twitter)

Concluding the Days of Awe is the holiday of Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement on which God seals his judgments. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year and falls on September 23. Oddly enough, September 23, Yom Kippur, is the day on which Obama has chosen to host Pope Francis at the White House on his first visit to the United States. Pope Francis, in his role as leader of the Catholic world, has chosen to involve himself in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, recently recognizing the “State of Palestine.”

The weeklong Jewish Holiday of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, begins September 28, also the date for the last of the four blood moons in a special tetrad cycle. Previous lunar tetrad cycles have coincided with important historical events that impacted the nation and State of Israel. For example, four blood moons followed the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. In 1967, before the Six Day War in which a divided Jerusalem was liberated and united by Israel, there was one blood moon with three following.

The upcoming blood moon will be clearly visible from Jerusalem and a similar pattern of eclipses happened just before and just after the destruction of the Jewish Temple by the Romans in 70 AD.

Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/47435/upcoming-jewish-world-holidays-ushering-in-period-cataclysmic-events/#WHlpCkO1XJoqX5H8.99

Monday, June 9, 2014

The Blood Moons: Prophetically Discerning Times and Seasons - DOUG STRINGER - CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Much attention has been given in the church, as well as in the media, to the "blood moon" that occurred during the recent Passover/Easter season. (Brian Lauer/Flickr/Creative Commons)

The Blood Moons: Prophetically Discerning Times and Seasons

Much attention has been given in the church, as well as in the media, to the "blood moon" that occurred during the recent Passover/Easter season.

This blood moon, along with the three other lunar eclipses scheduled to occur during Jewish feasts in 2014-2015, has fueled conversation about whether we are entering into a new season of the end times, as referenced in the book of Joel: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (2:31-32).

I won't try to speculate about dates and times of the Lord's return; however, I will say that I agree with many other voices that these blood moons should serve as a signpost for the body of Christ to awaken and understand the season into which we are entering.

As the Bible tells us in Genesis 1:14-15, the sun, moon and stars are not merely to give light to the earth or to mark days and years. They are also to serve as "signs and seasons." If God wants to speak to His people and give warning to the earth about a changing spiritual season, signs in the heavens are one of the means He has designated to do so.

So, just what is the season we have entered? What kinds of days are ahead of us? The passage in Joel quoted above suggests that the blood moon is a sign pointing to the great and awesome day of the Lord. There are countless scriptures we can look to for learning about the day of the Lord, but I will summarize with this statement: the coming of the day of the Lord means that time is short. The Lord is coming soon. Whether it is in five, 15, or 50 years, the Lord is coming soon.

A Dual Season

For those separated from Christ, or living a life of lukewarm or compromised Christianity, the blood moons bring a season of warning. Their message is one of urgency, to prepare and to turn your heart to the Lord while there is time.

For those who are in Christ, His coming is glorious news. Our salvation is drawing near and the great harvest of souls prophesied in scripture is coming. The message of the blood moons is to prepare for harvest, and to beckon all men to call upon the name of the Lord.

Yes, this is a dual season—of warning and of harvest. Of soberness and of celebration. Of preparation and of action.

A Season of Warning

Throughout the nine-day period this last April that included Palm Sunday, Passover, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Holy Spirit was speaking to me about the season ahead.

The message I heard was out of Jeremiah 12:5: "If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?"

The question I heard the Holy Spirit asking was, "If the church can't keep up with the footmen, how will they keep up with the horsemen? If you can't walk in victory in a land of peace and safety, what will you do when the shaking really begins?"

For days, this phrase was burning in my spirit: The horsemen are coming, the horsemen are coming, the horsemen are coming.

How do horsemen differ from footmen? They're faster. The coming of the horsemen speaks to an acceleration. The signs that we see around us— blood moons, weather phenomena, wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes that shake the earth so violently it is literally moved on its axis—these all are part of the same process. Things are accelerating.

Just as labor pangs increase and accelerate as a woman approaches her time to give birth, so are the pains and groaning of the earth accelerating as the time of the Lord's return approaches. And what is the earth groaning for?

The revealing of the sons of God.

A Season of Harvest

Both the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul quoted the passage in Joel chapter 2 that speaks of the blood moon and the coming day of the Lord. In Acts 2, the Apostle Peter quoted from Joel 2:32, ending with these words, "And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." The Apostle Paul referenced this same portion of scripture in the famous "Romans road" salvation scriptures.

Romans 10:9-10,13 says this: "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation...for 'Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.' " So we see that Joel chapter 2 points not only to a season of warning, but also to a season of harvest. The blood moon points to a day of salvation!

Hebrews 11 tells us that it was by divine warning that Noah built an ark. In dark days and in a time of judgment, Noah's ark became an instrument of salvation. This is the calling of the Church. In a season of divine warning, we are to prepare an ark—an ark of redemption and an ark of His presence. An ark that will be an instrument of salvation in a time of judgment!

In dark days, it is the children of light who will point many to Christ. As the sons of God are revealed, the earth's salvation is near (Romans 8:19-22). Our assignment in this season is simple: to warn and to gather souls. Just as animals were gathered and brought into the ark, so the Spirit of God is gathering souls to be brought into an ark of refuge.

Lift Jesus Higher, Lift Jesus Higher!

As the horsemen approach and the storm clouds gather, our message should be this: "Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!" God has given us the privilege of drawing others to Him. As we lift Jesus higher, proclaiming His name, He will draw all men to Himself. The great harvest of souls is coming!

Second Corinthians 5:18-19 tells us we are ministers of reconciliation. So we must remember in the season of divine warning that our calling is not to bring judgment and condemnation, but to prepare an ark that will save from that judgment and condemnation. It's easy to call out warnings about all the evil we see around us. But it's a lot more work to be an ark builder. Might I be so bold to say, if you are not actively preparing for a harvest of salvation, then maybe the warning is for you!

Remember His Covenant, Examine Your Heart

As I write this, it is now the Feast of Pentecost, also known as Shavuot, or the Festival of Weeks. This feast, along with Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (recently passed in April) and the Feast of Tabernacles which occurs in the September/October time frame, are times of remembrance and examination for the people of Israel. They are a time to remember God's covenant and His faithfulness, and to examine where the people stand in relation to God, both as individuals and as a nation.

God has been faithful to us. He is committed to us. His promises are yes and amen in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). As we remember this—as we remember His faithfulness, His covenant and His promises—let us examine our hearts. Are we faithful to Him? Are we committed to Him? Do we honor Him with our lips, while our hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13)? Let us humble ourselves before Him in this season of warning. Let our hearts be quick to heed His call. Let our lives be first to reap a harvest of righteousness.

It is only when our lives are in alignment with Him that we can be positioned as those who will herald His coming. It is only when the warning is no longer for our own hearts that we can be those who effectively labor in the fields of harvest. So, in this dual season of warning and harvest, may we be single-minded in our focus, our purpose and our covenant with Him.

Doug Stringer is an internationally known conference speaker, the founder of Somebody Cares and Turning Point Ministries International, and the author of several books, including Somebody Cares: A Guide to Living Out Your Faith.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

The Festival of Passover - Passover Seder for Christians

Introduction to a Christian Seder

Recovering Passover for Christians

Dennis Bratcher

The Festival of Passover - Christian Passover - Explanation of Terms and Symbols -
Preparation for the Seder - The Traditional Steps of the Seder - A Christian Seder Haggadah -
Additional Ways to Tell the Passover Story - Recipes

The Festival of Passover

Passover is the oldest and most important religious festival in Judaism, commemorating God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and his creation of the Israelite people. Passover is actually composed of two festivals, The Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover (which is sometimes used to refer to the single day and sometimes to the entire span of both festivals).

The festival of Passover, known as Pesach, begins at sunset on the 14th of Nisan (usually in March or April) and marks the beginning of a seven day celebration that includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread. -1- The focal point of Passover is a communal meal, called the Seder (which means "order," because of the fixed order of service), which is a time of rejoicing and celebration at the deliverance for the Hebrews that God accomplished in the exodus.

Sometimes the meals during the entire period of Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread are referred to as Seder meals, called the first Seder, the Second Seder, etc., although usually only the first two nights are considered Seder meals.

Unlike the most Holy days of Christianity that are observed in Church, since the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70 Passover has been celebrated in the home with family and friends as they eat a meal together. It is customary to invite guests to share the Seder meal, especially newcomers to the community.

The actual Seder meal in most Jewish homes is an elaborate feast, with food, games for the children, and plenty of time to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. It is not unusual for a Seder to last three to four hours.

The Seder involves everyone present since they all have a Haggadah (Heb: "telling," the printed order of service, reading, and songs) and are called to share in reading and singing the story. While the father or grandfather is usually the leader of the service, others have roles as well.

The mother of the home lights the festival candles that signal the beginning of Passover, the youngest child asks the four questions, the children help eliminate all Chametz, leaven, from the house, search for the hidden Afikomen (a symbolic piece of Matzah, unleavened bread) and open the door for Elijah, the parents or the grandparents tell the story of the exodus, and various others are designated to read or lead certain portions of the service.

Passover is really more than a festival. It is an elaborate teaching experience, especially for the children, intended to call people to their identity as the People of God. By using all of the senses, the Passover Seder tells the story of God’s grace in history and calls the participants to experience and share in the story as their own story.

Passover becomes more than simply a service or a time; it becomes a way to confess faith in the One who has acted in history, and for Jews expresses the hope that He will continue to act in bringing deliverance to all people everywhere.

For the complete website article, please follow the link below.

Source & a complete Guide: Passover Seder for Christians

Passover Haggadah

for

Believers in the Messiah

Yeshua

Passover Seder Haggadah for Messianic Believers:

Click here: Messianic Haggadah (booklet) for Seder

Friday, March 28, 2014

Blood Moons Prophesy End Times - Pastor Mark Biltz

Mark Blitz - El Shaddai Ministries

Note: Blood moon interview starts at 7:45 in the video.

Published on Mar 18, 2014

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1. The Israeli Navy has captured an Iran transport ship with 150 containers of weapons intended to kill Jews.
2. I interview Pastor Mark Biltz, author of a shocking new book about end-times prophecy, The Blood Moons. Why are there four lunar eclipses in the next two years on the Jewish high holy days?
(c) 2014, Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, PhD.
Airs 3/14 on four networks: NRB Network, The Walk TV Network, IPoint TV (Roku), Glorystar Satellite TV Network on WBN Revival Channel.

Category

Nonprofits & Activism
License

Standard YouTube License

Buy Now: Blood Moons - Mark Blitz

Monday, March 24, 2014

Time to Get Ready for Passover. The Matza Factories Are Hard at Work

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

Time to Get Ready for Passover. The Matza Factories Are Hard at Work

Posted: 23 Mar 2014

With Passover just a few weeks away, Jewish households around the world are purchasing or making their matzot (unleavened bread) for the festival.

One of Judaism's oldest customs, the baking of matza goes back to the Jewish exodus from Egypt. Ever since, Jews often went to great trouble to bake their cracker-like bread. Jewish communities in Europe and the Arab world faced "blood libels" for making their matza. Ancient synagogues in France built matza bakeries under their synagogues. Jews in Nazi concentration camps risked being shot to bake their Passover "bread." In the former Soviet Union, Jews baked their matza in secret, lest they be discovered and sent to the Gulag. During major wars, armies made sure to provide matza to their Jewish soldiers.

A matza factory in Haifa. The signs on the left read "For the purpose of the commandment of matza" -- a reminder to the workers to keep their intentions on the commandment. The signs on the right, in Hebrew and French, read "No smoking" and "No Spitting" (from the "Cigarbox Collection" provided by Othniel Seiden )

No smoking or spitting

Keep in mind the matza commandment

Children baking matza in kindergarten in the Holy Land. The teacher is in the center, and it appears there is a tiny oven in front of her (Harvard/Central Zionist Archives, circa 1920)

A future feature: Matza baking in the "New World" 150 years ago

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Purim - Feast of Lots By Mary Fairchild

Feast of Lots

by Mary Fairchild

Jews read the Book of Esther on Purim.

Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images

Bible Feasts:

Paul said in Colossians 2:16-17 that the Jewish feasts and celebrations were actually a shadow of the things to come through Jesus Christ. And though as Christians we may not commemorate these holidays in the traditional biblical sense, as we discover the significance of each, we will certainly gain a greater knowledge of God's Word, an improved understanding of the Bible, and a deeper relationship with the Lord.
Feast of Lots - Purim:

The Feast of Lots, or Purim, commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people through the heroism of Queen Esther in Persia. The name Purim, or "lots," was most likely given to this festival in a sense of irony, because Haman, the enemy of the Jews, had plotted against them to completely destroy them by casting the lot (Esther 9:24). Today Jews not only celebrate this great deliverance on Purim, but also the continued survival of the Jewish race.

Time of Observance:

Today Purim is celebrated on day 14 of the Hebrew month of Adar (February or March). Originally Purim was established as a two-day observance (Esther 9:27).

• See Bible Feasts Calendar for actual dates.
Scripture Reference: The story of Purim is recorded in the Old Testament book of Esther.

About Purim:

Photo from the movie "One Night With The King"

During his third year of reign over the Persian Empire, King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) was ruling from his royal throne in the city of Susa (southwestern Iran), and he held a banquet for all his nobles and officials. When summoned to appear before him, his beautiful wife, Queen Vashti, refused to come. As a result she was forever banished from the King's presence, and a new Queen was sought from among the most beautiful young virgins of the kingdom.

Mordecai, a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin, had been living as an exile in Susa at the time. He had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had adopted and raised as his own daughter after her parents had died. Hadassah, or Esther, meaning "star" in Persian, was lovely in form and features, and she found favor in the eyes of the King and was chosen among hundreds of women to become Queen in the place of Vashti.

Meanwhile, Mordecai uncovered a plot to have the King assassinated and told his cousin Queen Esther about it. She in turn, reported the news to the King, and gave the credit to Mordecai.

Later on Haman, an evil man, was given the highest seat of honor by the King, but Mordecai refused to kneel down and pay him honor. This greatly angered Haman, and knowing that Mordecai was a Jew, a member of the race he hated, Haman began to plot a way to destroy all of the Jews throughout Persia. Haman convinced King Xerxes to issue a decree for their annihilation.

Up until this time, Queen Esther had kept her Jewish heritage a secret from the King. Now Mordecai encouraged her to go into the King's presence and beg for mercy on behalf of the Jews.

Believing that God had prepared her for this very moment in history—"for such a time as this"—as a vessel of deliverance for her people, Esther urged all of the Jews in the city to fast and pray for her. She was about to risk her own life to request an audience with the King.

Photo: "One Night With The King"

When she appeared before King Xerxes he was pleased to listen to Esther and grant whatever request she might have. When Esther revealed her identity as a Jew and then pleaded for her own life and the lives of her people, the King became enraged with Haman and had him and his sons hanged on the gallows (or impaled on a wooden pole).

King Xerxes reversed his previous order to have the Jewish people destroyed, and gave Jews the right to assemble and protect themselves. Mordecai then received a place of honor in the King's palace as second in rank and encouraged all Jews to participate in an annual celebration of feasting and joy, in remembrance of this great salvation and turn of events. By Queen Esther's official decree, these days were established as a lasting custom called Purim, or the Feast of Lots.

• Learn more about Purim Customs and Celebrations.

Jesus and the Feast of Lots:

Purim is a celebration of God's faithfulness, deliverance and protection. Although the Jews were sentenced to death by King Xerxes' original decree, through Queen Esther's courageous intervention and willingness to face death, the people's lives were spared. Similarly, all of us who have sinned have been issued a decree of death, but through the intervention of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the old decree has been satisfied and a new proclamation of eternal life has been established:

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (NLT)

More Facts About Purim

Purim is still joyously celebrated today among Jews with the reading of entire book of Esther in the synagogue. Using noisemakers, people loudly cheer at the mention of Mordecai's name and sounds of hissing, stamping of feet and booing can be heard when Haman's name is spoken.

Hamantashen is a traditional Jewish treat eaten during Purim. It has three corners and represents Haman's hat.

It is common to see Purim plays reenacting the story of Esther on Purim. Street parades and carnivals have also become popular, and people dress up in costumes symbolizing Esther's concealed identity.
Jews are required on Purim to give gifts to the poor.

More about Purim.

Looking for a Contemporary Rendition of the Story of Esther?

• One Night With the King (2006) - DVD