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A lot to cover in this letter!

On a personal note, we have a new Granddaughter born January 1^st, named ‘Ella Grace’. We have been blessed with her health and beauty. It never ceases to amaze me how incredible new life is. I am reminded every time I see a new Grandchild, that as fresh and beautiful as a new child, that is how we become by bathing in the ‘Waters of Life’, those Waters that pour from the Throne of G_d, from the Seat of Yeshua.

This weeks reading (Terumah) are from Exodus 25:1-27:19 . They discuss G_d’s plans for the Ark and Tabernacle. G_d is very specific on these items, leaving nothing for interpretation. They are to be as G_d says that they are to be.

Many times things in His Holy Word are communicated to us in terms that we might want to ‘adjust’, that we might not think are specific, that are up to us to transform into things and ways that appeal or ‘appease’ us. The more that I learn and study His Word, the more I see that this is not the case. Most things are specific. Most things are laid out for us.

I always marvel at how the Lord guides me in these Newsletters. I had an idea of where I wanted to go with this one and as I read this week’s readings, it just all laid out before me. It shows me that ‘I’ did not have an idea about anything! I truly believe that He guides me and steers me where He wants me to go. May I always yield to Him!

If you have not read this weeks readings, please do so as soon as you can. It fills me with awe to think of the Ark and the Tabernacle being built. The anticipation must have been so great! To think that G_d was asking us to build His Home with us! To think that He was assigning duties that upon proper completion would result in His being NEAR us and WITH us!

Hmmmm……kind of like the theme of the whole Word!

Before I get into other things, one point that really stood out to me was that the Tabernacle had ‘Three’ covers. There were two of fabric, the ‘Curtains of Linen’ the ‘Curtains of Goats Hair’ and then the covering of ‘Animal Skin’. The fact part of the animal skin covering was to be ‘Red Dyed Rams Skin’ definitely pointed me in the direction of the Blood Soaked Skin of Yeshua as he was martyred and sacrificed for us. There is no doubt that this aspect was picked up as a reference to the Ram of Abraham and Isaac, thereby a reference to The Messiah to Come....... as Abraham said……“God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”

So, Three Covers for the Tabernacle, for the instrument of G_d dwelling with us. Three separate things, but intertwined into one. Three parts becoming One. Sound familiar? Interestingly enough, The Stone Edition Chumash has a note about the Tabernacle stating that “This cover unified everything that was inside the Tabernacle, meaning that the Ark, Table, Menorah and Golden Alter were not unrelated vessels, each performing it’s own separate task, but were parts of a unified whole.” Now, speaking on my own, The Ark represents The Father (The Mercy Seat, The Power and The Tablets), The Menorah represents The Holy Spirit (often the Seven Lamped Menorah is spoken of as the Seven Spirits of G_d), The Table of Showbread represents Yeshua (although the greatest Hebrew Scholars never understood the Table, it is easy for us since Yeshua told us that HE WAS The Bread of Life), and, The Golden Alter represents our Prayers. So here we see a picture of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, and even in the words of the Hebrew Sages of old, they are not unrelated, but parts of a unified WHOLE. One of the greatest arguments of Hebrews is that believers in Yeshua are not recognizing the greatest tenant of Hebrew faith……’THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE’. But in reality, they can and do understand, they just choose not to accept Yeshua as the Messiah.

Now, on to what most of us believers choose not to believe in. I wanted to wait a bit after the Holiday season to address this, to let things settle down. People get pretty livid when you start talking about their holidays. First off, I want to state that at ‘this time’ my family celebrates Christmas. But, I don’t know why we do and more importantly, IF WE SHOULD. Don’t quit reading yet!! There are reasons that I say this. There are not many things that G_d calls an abomination. One of these is celebrating pagan holidays in His Name. Much like the directions for building The Tabernacle, G_d is pretty specific on this. There are many, many places where G_d describes pagan holidays as an abomination that “we should not take on”. December 25^th is the birthday of a pagan god named Mithra. How it got adopted as the birthday of Yeshua is a long story intertwined with the church trying to adapt currently celebrated holidays into Christianity. Regardless, it is definitely NOT the birthday of Yeshua. There is not a biblical or historical scholar around that would attest to that. Thereby making the celebration of Christmas, in reality celebrating a pagan ‘holyday’ in the Name of G_d. Something He is HIGHLY not in favor of. Well, you can say, how does it hurt? Well, because G-d tells us not to.

There are a lot of things that have been accepted in Christianity that are going to have to change. As I said before, right now my family still celebrates Christmas. It is hard not to. But there are lots of sins in our society that are easier if we just go along. But we are supposed to Bible Believing Christians. As such, we really need to start believing The Bible and not man. The HolyDays that G_d gave us to celebrate and worship are in The Bible, in HIS WORD. We seem to not celebrate those and celebrate ‘other’ days as holy. I don’t see this as what Bible Believing people, His people, should be doing. I know this is an area that my family will be working on.

This week’s readings also include Mark 10-11. In Mark 11:30 Yeshua asks the Chief Priests and Elders a question….

“Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men?”

The point He was making was, if the John’s baptism came from Heaven then it was G_d’s will, but if it was from ‘men’ then it was invalid. It was a way to force them to admit their belief one way or the other.

Let me leave with this question. You answer for yourself, but I ask that you look to His Word……..

1) The celebration of Christmas

2) The celebration of Easter

3) The Sabbath being on Sunday

Do these things come from The Word of G_d……or the word of man?

Difficult questions, but ones we must answer to move forward.

Do we believe in the word of man, or The Word of G_d?

 

Blessings in the Name of The Lamb,

Tony and Robin