Author Archives: YRM

Biblical Feasts and the Final Days

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To understand the seven annual feast observances of the Bible is to grasp the plan of salvation. These appointed times offer a wealth of “insider” knowledge that includes keys to when Yahshua will return and who will be saved.

Even more, these days represent a covenant between Yahweh and His people. They teach a coming heavenly Kingdom on earth where the chosen will have positions of authority as priests under Yahshua.

The life of a believer is all about preparation to rule with the Messiah in that Kingdom when He returns. His annual feasts are a time of gathering to rejoice and celebrate the blessings Yahweh has given us. By keeping them we focus on the awesomeness of eternity with the King.

The Feasts more than any other biblical teaching unlock Yahweh’s plans. The seven yearly appointed times reveal seven phases in the salvation design.

 

Passover Marks the Beginning

Yahweh’s holy times start off with Passover in the first month, Abib, when green ears of barley develop and this first of the grains is harvested. In the seventh month are four high Sabbaths, which complete the harvest season and end with the Last Great Day of the Feast – picturing the Great White Throne judgment of humanity, Revelation 20:5, 12-15; Ezekiel 37:13-14.

On a higher level Yahweh’s plan of redemption is all about spiritual harvesting, starting with the all-important firstfruits.

Yahshua is the first of the firstfruits in the resurrection sequence. His death and resurrection opens the way for other firstfruits by removing the penalty of death that all sins have earned: “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures,” James 1:18.

Those in the first resurrection are called firstfruits because they come first, before others who will be resurrected later. They also receive greater rewards. “…and all the assemblies shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works,” Revelation 2:23. The firstborn received the greater inheritance in Scripture.

On the physical level Passover commemorates the deliverance of His people Israel from the bondage of the Egyptians. The Feast of Tabernacles, with a week of temporary living, reminds us that Israel lived in tents or booths before they were brought into the Promised Land. It also reminds us that this life is temporary.

As with Israel’s servitude, we face virtual slavery to this world and much tribulation because of it. Yahshua steps in with His death to deliver His people from this world of bondage.

Pharaoh as a type of haSatan had enslaved the Israelites. They depict Yahweh’s people in every age. Moses, typifying our Savior, was sent to release His people enslaved by a despised ruler. When he told Pharaoh to let His people go so they could serve Yahweh in the wilderness, the metaphor was complete and remarkably transparent.

 

Truth Involves a Coming Out

Satan is in charge of this sinful world. Through His Passover death, Yahshua released His people from the penalty of sin and Satan’s grip to worship Yahweh in spirit and Truth. They could not do so while in Egypt but had to come out to keep Yahweh’s Feast, which was their first step in redemption.

A similar pattern is true today.

We cannot be lukewarm with one foot in the world and the other in Scripture. We must come completely out of error as we cannot serve both Yahweh and the world.

Once Israel was on its way out of Egypt on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Egyptian army marshaled in hot pursuit to bring them back.

Leavening that is removed for a week from homes and diets represents error that leads to sin and must not be brought back in.

This is another metaphor of what the true believer usually faces when he or she makes the decision to leave popular falsities and come to Yahweh’s covenant.

Family and friends typically oppose the move and want them to give up and go back, owing mostly to their lack of knowledge and understanding of truth.

 

Duality of the Harvest

Pentecost or Feast of Firstfruits seven  weeks later points to the harvest of those called out of the world now to help Yahshua rule for a thousand years.

Also known as the Feast of Weeks, this apppointed time commemorates the giving of the law at Sinai, which Israel ratified under the Old Covenant. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit was sent wholesale to help the truth seeker be obedient to the Father and His laws.

In Acts 2: 39 Peter confirms that the chosen are heirs to the Kingdom. The ekklesia (improperly rendered “church”) is being called out of the world now to become a kingdom of priests under the coming rulership of the Messiah.

We are not yet in the Kingdom, but those in the ekklesia are joint heirs of the Kingdom and are training now to help rule in the righteous government of the heavens soon coming to earth. They are learning obedience and righteousness that will dominate in that future government.

Many prophets were given visions of the latter days and the future deliverance of Yahweh’s people, just as 2-3 million Israelites were delivered from Egyptian bondage. Jeremiah says why:

“Wherefore has Yahweh pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our sin that we have committed against Yahweh our Elohim? Then shall you say unto them because your fathers have forsaken me, says Yahweh, and have walked after other deities, and have served them, and have worshiped them, and have forsaken Me, and have not kept my law and have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, you walk everyone after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto Me,’’ Jeremiah 16:10-12.

 

The ‘Easy Way’ Mindset

When many today read Jeremiah’s prophecy, they think it refers in the modern context to someone else. Most self-professing Bible believers do not realize this prophecy is directed against perverting Scriptures today and forsaking Yahweh by walking a different path and serving mighty ones called G-d and L-rd (Baal, Jer. 23:27).

When clear and explicit verses are presented – such as Exodus 23:11-17 commanding Yahweh’s people to keep the Sabbatical years; to keep the seventh-day Sabbath; not to utter names of pagan deities; to keep the annual holy days –almost to a person they will shrug it off and say that it does not matter today.

Seeking shortcuts is a common human trait and following the path of least resistance is typical. Preaching an easy road to salvation is a pastime of many ministries and the people eat it up.

“The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” Jeremiah 5:31.

When it comes to pure worship, Yahweh offers no shortcuts. His is a doctrine of self-discipline, of overcoming our sinful nature. The firstfruits individual views life from His perspective, no matter what the obstacles.

“Therefore thus says Yahweh. Elohim of hosts. O my people that dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite you with a rod. and shall lift up his staff against you, after the manner of Egypt,” Isaiah 10:24.

Hebrews 12:22-24 clearly shows that the true people of Yahweh are referred to as those dwelling in Zion. These saints will undergo future persecution and tribulation but they will be delivered with a mighty hand just as were the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.

It is at this time that the saints will be living in tabernacles just before Yahweh intervenes.

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that Yahweh shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth,” Isaiah 11:11-12.

And now verse 16. “There shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria: like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt,” Isaiah 11:16. Note that it will be but a vestige of His people that will be left as He sets His hand to recover them a second time. He will be known as the One who saved His people from the north country, not as the Elohim who saved His people from Egypt. This series of events will surpass anything that the world has ever seen before.

 

Disobedience Carries a Price

The world is not obediently keeping the feast days as Yahweh commands. One cause is ignorance about the great plan of salvation. The consequence is serious: judgment.

“Howl ye: for the day of Yahweh is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty … Behold the day of Yahweh comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine,” Isaiah 13:6.9-10.

Yahshua Himself spoke of this time in the Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24:29. Notice that He begins in verse 21 stating, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Verse 24 shows that the elect, or chosen people, will still be on the earth, as he speaks of false messiahs, and false prophets who will show great signs and wonders that will be so astounding and real that if it were possible, even the elect would be deceived.

Our Savior goes on to say in Matthew 24:29, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven…”

This prophecy is also seen in Joel 2:31. It is a time of Yahweh’s wrath upon a lawless and defiant world that refuses His ways and teachings.

Many times Isaiah refers to the end of the age when Yahweh’s anger is poured out on a sick, sin-filled world. Isaiah 59:18 shows that Yahweh will repay the sins of His adversaries with fury.

“So shall they fear the name of Yahweh from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of Yahweh shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith Yahweh,” vv. 19-20. Yahweh promises deliverance to His people who overcome now and live for him.

 

Fall Festivals Unfulfilled

At His return, Yahshua will gather His people from around the world. He promises untold glory for those who remain steadfast. In Isaiah 61 we find the verse Yahshua quoted when He began His public ministry.

“The Spirit of Yahweh is upon me. because he has anointed me to preach The Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of Yahweh,” Luke 4:18-19.

Yahshua stopped in the middle of the second verse. But it is obvious that He was speaking of the sabbatical year in this prophecy.

Yahweh always brings events about according to His timetable.

Passover has been fulfilled twice, as has Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks. But the Feasts of the seventh month have never been fulfilled. Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles are awaiting fulfillment and Yahweh undoubtedly will be right on schedule.

His feast days help us remember His plan of redemption, which we are reminded of at three harvest times during the year. The fall moedim begin a time of tribulation and foreshadow the deception of the false prophet and the iron grip of the man of sin.

These festivals go on to remind us of the coming Kingdom of Yahweh where His law and government will rule the world.

 

Looking Toward a Far Greater Future

Temporarily staying in succoth or shelters, as we are commanded by Yahweh at Tabernacles, reminds us that we are but sojourners and travelers in this world. Our real goal is to be in the future Kingdom wherein is righteousness and where the entire world will be keeping His Sabbaths and His laws, Isaiah 66:23.

We are pilgrims merely passing through this fallen world, revealed in the temporary dwellings, as we focus on a far greater world to come.

We have the greatest opportunity ever to worship Yahweh in spirit and in truth. There are more study resources to prove the truth of the Bible than in any generation before us. We are without excuse.

Knowing and loving Yahweh means doing what He asks, just as a child shows love and respect to his or her parents by obeying them – and they love them all the more in return.

By obeying Yahweh’s commands, which include the observance of the seventh-month festivals, we show that we desire His awesome blessings. We truly want the promises of rulership with Him in His Kingdom that come only by proving that we first will obey Him.

John wrote, “But whoso keeps His word, in him verily is the love of Elohim perfected: hereby we know that we are in Him,” 1John 2:5.

The Feasts teach the Kingdom coming to earth. You can have a foretaste of that joyous Kingdom today.

Decide right now to be closer to your Heavenly Father. Discover the deep-down happiness and fulfillment that comes in living for Yahweh by observing His special days.

Want to know more? Check out our article on the prophecy contained in the Passover and Unleavened Bread!

e-News 5/8/2020

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Meeting the Way Yahshua Did
This Sabbath will be a first when we hold services in the sunny outdoors at our open-air amphitheater. We invite the local brethren to join in worship after many Sabbaths of quarantine watching online. The landscape at the back of the meeting hall makes an ideal place for gatherers, as they bring their Bibles and chairs. We will broadcast live as usual for others to join in remotely. This Sabbath’s message will be “Mysteries of the Temple, Ancient and Future.”

Donation Receipt and Letter in Mail
Those who sent in tithes and offerings in the first quarter of the year will soon receive a report of their giving. A donation letter will be included, giving a brief update of the work of YRM.

Major Milestone Is Reached in Outreach
We now have over 100,000 subscribers to our YouTube channel. This outlet has proved to be one of our most successful outreach media in our repertoire. We hear from many who say they first encountered YRM through YouTube videos. Check out our YouTube channel here!

TEST YOUR TUTELAGE
In the millennial kingdom, what kind of tree will line both sides of the banks of the River of Life along its course from the temple to the Dead Sea?

A. The palm tree, which is prominent in Scripture
B. The sycamore tree for its shade
C. The eucalyptus tree for its healing qualities
D. Nonspecific fruit-bearing trees

All trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed; for they shall bear new crops every month. The fruit thereof shall be for meat [that is, food], and the leaf thereof for medicine. The tree of life itself will yield 12 kinds of fruit (Ezek. 47:7, 12; cf. Rev. 22:2) Answer: D

e-News 5/1/2020

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Silver Lining in Online Worship
We all miss gathering to worship on the Sabbath, as we are directed to do in Hebrews 10:25: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Yahweh knows that worshiping together lifts our spirits, encourages, and strengthens our walk while exhorting others, keeps us in tune with the lives of the brethren, and most importantly, is blessed of Him. Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry is full-service, being both a local ministry answering to the needs of the brethren, and also a ministry with a large, diverse, and far-reaching media outreach developed over the past 15 years. Our years on national television helped hone our presentations as well as technical abilities. With this experience we were well-positioned to transition exclusively to online worship when the pandemic necessitated it. Because we are filling an important void among believers, Yahweh has blessed us with a big upsurge in online participation. A case in point: in just two days we had 18,000 views of our Passover service, even with no advertising to promote it. Regular viewership of our live Sabbath worship has increased by more than 33 percent since then. The total watch time of our Youtube videos as of today translates to 65 years, for which we praise Yahweh. At no point during the pandemic did we entertain the idea to shut down altogether and will continue doing Yahweh’s work so long as He gives us breath and the ability. We look forward to the time we can come together again as a body honoring His Name. We are thankful for the many who have supported us through the years and through this pandemic as well.
Workstation Fund More than Halfway to the Goal
The fund to upgrade our workstation computer continues. This machine is used for our videos, publications, online needs, and other office tasks. It has given many years of service but is gradually failing, especially at critical times, causing lost time and frustration. A new system is at minimal $10,000. All help is appreciated. Donate here>>
Backhoe Needing Major Overhaul
YRM’s John Deere backhoe has been at the shop for a week anticipating major repairs. We await a cost estimate to mend the machine. Upkeep of our building and grounds makes this versatile piece of equipment indispensable. You can donate toward the repairs here>> (Simply mention in the note on your donation that it is for the backhoe.)
TEST YOUR TUTELAGE
Why did Yahshua tell Mary not to touch Him in John 20:17?
A. He had not yet ascended to the Father
B. He would fulfill the firstfruits wavesheaf offering
C. He suffered from anthrophobia
D. Both A and B.
Yahshua instructed Mary not to touch Him because He had yet to ascend to His Father as a fulfillment of the Old Testament wavesheaf offering, symbolized through the first fruits of His resurrection to eternal life. We further explain in the Restoration Study Bible, “Yahshua was the firstfruits of the spiritual harvest. Just as the firstfruits wavesheaf of the barley harvest was waved on the day after the weekly Sabbath falling during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:11), Yahshua was presented to His Father on the same day. He had not yet ascended, therefore He told her not to touch Him, meaning to hold Him back, which in the Greek meant, ‘to fasten one’s self to, adhere to, cling to.'” Correct: D
“Time has a way of giving us perspective on what’s really important.”
Corona Virus 2020 Bible

Quarantine Survival Tips

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*Remember who the author and finisher of your life is.

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking to the Princely Leader and Perfecter of our belief, יהושע, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the stake, having despised the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim.”

I came to the belief and understanding recently that, once I have given my life to Yahweh and Yahshua, my life is not my own. My physical days on this earth have been decided and it is up to me if I will continue to surrender my life to Him or try to save my own life.

*Improve your health.

If you are dependent on conventional medicine, then improve your health by weaning your body off prescriptions. Start eating food that supports and strengthens your body to its fullest potential. By eating healthily, your body, in turn, will be able to resist bacteria and infections that can drain your health and cause further problems.

*Use your talents to serve others.

1Peter 4:10, “As each one has received a gift, serve one another, as good trustees of the manifold favor of Elohim.”

I believe that we all have talents and have been created for such a time as this. Pray and seek Yahweh concerning the gifts you have to build up and strengthen those around you. If you have a gift of prayer, encouragement, music, speech, and more, share with those whom the Father puts in your path. We do not know how much of our personality helps those around us.

*Improve your relationship with Yahweh and your family.

While this time of quarantine is unpleasant and difficult, it is the perfect time to reflect and to spend time in Scripture and prayer. If you have been busy running around from appointment to appointment, then this is a great time to rebuild relationships with your loved ones. If we look at this time of being stationary and take the time to study Yah’s Word and work on our relationships in our immediate family, then we will be strengthened for the battle that is ahead.

*Accept change, as Yahweh is in control.

Habbakuk 3:16 “I heard, and my body trembled, My lips quivered at the sound, Rottenness came into my bones. And I trembled within myself, That I might rest for the day of distress, To come upon the people who would attack us.”

More than likely, once this version of “lockdown” is over, life will not go back to what it was before. There will be changes and trials that will test our beliefs.

Remember in all things that Yahweh is in control. His Word states in Jeremiah 29:11, “’For I know the plans I am planning for you,’ declares יהוה, ’plans of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and an expectancy.’”

By: Luann Avalos

e-News 4/24/2020

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RSB Covers Arrive This Week
The three cover options for the 4th edition of the Restoration Study Bible were sent to the office this week for our approval. The Premium edition is rich black cowhide; the Designer is a leather-like cover with the Hebrew Tetragrammaton down the left side as in the 3rd edition Designer; the Outreach paperback has a high-gloss, laminated cover with a photo of a menorah carved in stone, captured by Russ King on a YRM trip to Israel. All Bibles have the same inside content, as before. We have kept the cost at rock bottom, making the RSB with its three books in one volume the best value anywhere. We expect to take delivery of the Bibles in early June. To see more of what’s new in the 4th edition go to: https://yrm.org/rsb4 To see the covers up close check out this video!
Lockdown for Two More Weeks
YRM is adhering to the governor’s pandemic guidelines and will continue Sabbath services online. The local congregation has been patiently worshiping online as well. After two more Sabbaths, however, we plan to hold services outside providing the weather is suitable.
We are also limiting attendance for Pentecost on May 31 to only those who are local to Holts Summit. Yahweh willing, we hope to see everyone at the Feast of Tabernacles in October.
Need Continues in Workstation Upgrade Fund
We thank those who have donated toward the upgrade of our workstation computer. This machine is used for our videos, publications, online needs, and other office tasks. It has given many years of service but is gradually failing at critical times, causing lost time and frustration. Any help you can give is appreciated. A new system is at minimal $10,000. We are currently over halfway there! Donate here>>
Backhoe Needing Major Overhaul
YRM’s John Deere backhoe has given its all for the last 15 years and has proven reliable. But it is now in need of major repairs. This indispensable machine has been used in numerous ways: in the construction of the entire Holts Summit facility; in the upkeep of our roads and parking lot in summer and winter; in moving  pallets of Bibles when delivered to the offices; in handling tons of trash; in clearing trees on the property, and in countless other ways. It was taken to a shop this week and we anticipate a large bill for the repairs.
TEST YOUR TUTELAGE
When does the count to Pentecost begin?
A. On the conjunction of the first month Abib
B. On the day after the first High Sabbath (Abib 16) within the Feast of Unleavened Bread
C. On the day after the weekly Sabbath within the Feast of Unleavened Bread
D. Nobody knows; the determination was lost along with the pronunciation of Yahweh’s Name
Scripture states that the count begins “from the morrow after the Sabbath” (i.e., weekly Sabbath). The Restoration Study Bible in its note on Leviticus 23:15 further explains, “The Feast of Weeks (Heb. Shavuoth) or Pentecost is the third of the seven annual observances. This Feast is 50 days from the wave sheaf (vv. 10-11), which was offered on the day after the weekly Sabbath that fell within the Feast of Unleavened Bread (vv.15-16)
…” Answer: C

Trust in Yahweh, Fear Not

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Here is a list of Inspiring Scriptures to remind us that Yahweh is with us!

Deuteronomy 31:8
And Yahweh, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Joshua 1:9
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for Yahweh thy Elohim is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

2 Samuel 22:31-33
As for El, his way is perfect; the word of Yahweh is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. For who is El, save Yahweh? and who is a rock, save our Elohim? El is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.

1Kings 17:7-16
And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. And the word of Yahweh came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As Yahweh thy Elohim liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith Yahweh Elohim of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Yahweh sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Yahweh, which he spake by Elijah.

Nehemiah 1:5, 9-10
And said, I beseech thee, O Yahweh Elohim of heaven, the great and awe inspiring El, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:, But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

Psalms 1:1-3
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of Yahweh; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalms 4:8
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou Yahweh, only makest me dwell in safety.

Psalms 5:1-8
Give ear to my words, O Yahweh, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my Elohim: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Yahweh; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. For thou art not a El that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: Yahweh will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. Lead me, O Yahweh, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

Psalms 5:11-12
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice…for thou, Yahweh, will bless the righteous, with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psalms 9:10
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou Yahweh, has not forsaken them that seek thee.

Psalms 13:6
I will sing unto Yahweh, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

Psalms 16:11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalms 17:8
Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings.

Psalms 18:2
Yahweh is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my El, my strength in whom I will trust, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Psalms 23
Yahweh is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of  death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of Yahweh for ever.

Psalms 34:4
I sought Yahweh, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Psalms 34:7
The angel of Yahweh encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

Psalms 37:3, 7-11
Trust in Yahweh, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and vrily thou shall be fed., Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon Yahweh, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Psalms 37:25
I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Psalms 37: 39
The salvation of the righteous is of Yahweh: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

Psalms 46:1-2, 10-11
Elohim is our refuge and strength, A help in distress, soon found. Therefore we do not fear, Though the earth reels And mountains topple into the heart of seas, Be still, and know that I am Elohim: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Yahweh of hosts is with us; the Elohim of Jacob is our refuge.

Psalms 55:22
Cast thy burden upon Yahweh, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Psalms 56:3-4
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In Elohim I will praise his word, in Elohim I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

Psalms 69:30
I will praise the name of Elohim with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

Psalms 91
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of Yahweh, He is my refuge and my fortress: my Elohim; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made Yahweh, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Psalms 103:1-6
Bless Yahweh, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless Yahweh, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Yahweh executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

Psalms 118:5-6
I called upon Yah in distress: Yah answered me, and set me in a large place. Yahweh is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

Psalms 121:1-8
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from Yahweh, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Yahweh is thy keeper: Yahweh is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. Yahweh shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. Yahweh shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Psalms 138:8
Yahweh will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Yahweh, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

Psalms 150:6
Let every thing that hath breath praise Yah. Praise ye Yah.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in Yahweh with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 18:10
The name of Yahweh is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in Yahweh shall be safe.

Ecclesiastes 1:9
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith Yahweh: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 12:2
Behold, El is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for Yah YAHWEH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Isaiah 35:4
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your Elohim will come with vengeance, even Elohim with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon Yahweh shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy Elohim: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed is the man that trusteth in Yahweh, and whose hope Yahweh is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Joel 2:32
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Yahweh shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as Yahweh hath said, and in the remnant whom Yahweh shall call.

Amos 5:4, 14
For thus saith Yahweh unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:, Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so Yahweh, the Elohim of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

Matthew 6:25-26
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they?

Matthew 6:34
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.

Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Matthew 19:26
… with Yahweh all things are possible.

Luke 9:12-17
And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.

Luke 11:3
Give us day by day our daily bread.

Luke 12:7
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

2 Corinthians 5:7
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Yahshua the Messiah:

Philippians 4:6-7
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto Elohim. And the peace of Yahweh, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Messiah Yahshua.

2 Timothy 1:7
For Elohim hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Yahshua the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the stake, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim.

Hebrews 13:5-6
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE. So that we may boldly say Yahweh IS MY HELPER, AND I WILL NOT FEAR WHAT MAN SHALL DO UNTO ME.

1Peter 5:6-9
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of Elohim, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

I John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear:

Praise to Yahweh for Inspiration!

Contributors: Michael & Meandy Bishop, Michael & Sandra Daley, Christopher Fouts, Jose Gonzalez, Brenda Hobbs, Jessica Kruse, Jevon Love, Debbie Reed, Judy Stern, and additional brothers and sisters.

e-News 4/17/2020

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RSB 4th Edition Proof Copy Received
This week the printer sent us for review a proof “block” of the Restoration Study Bible, 4th edition. This newest version, which will be our last for a while, has many enhancements, improvements, and additions, as shown in a comparison chart in the March-April Restoration Times magazine, also available on our website. Even though our supply of the 3rd and all other editions is exhausted, we continue to get daily inquiries and orders for the RSB. We pray that the pandemic situation will not hinder the production of the new RSB. The projection for delivery of the Bible to Holts Summit, barring any unforeseen delays, is for early June. New additions can be seen here>>.
Gratifying Participation for Passover and FUB
The extraordinary Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread just observed was unlike any other with its social distancing, but still those who honored these moedim via our online worship report great blessings. More than 400 devices were connected to the Passover service electronically, and thousands more joined afterward through our many media platforms. With an average of two (or more) persons on a device, the involvement from around the world was a blessing. We were one of the few Sacred Name groups memorializing the Passover service this way and have since seen a significant uptick in inquiries to YRM from many who had not made contact with YRM previously. We continue to hold Sabbath services online and invite you to join us at 1:30 p.m. central at http://yrm.org/live/
TEST YOUR TUTELAGE
When Yahweh called Jonah to go and warn Nineveh of their sins, what did Jonah do?
A.     He immediately agreed and left that night
B.     He went to a neighboring town down the Damascus road
C.     He booked passage on a ship sailing the other direction
D.     He joined Hosea prophesying at Cyprus
The following is from the Book of Jonah in the Complete Biblical Library: “Nineveh was approximately 500 miles east of Palestine. Jonah fled in precisely the opposite direction as he attempted to go to Tarshish—thought by many to be Tartessus in Spain. This was about 2,000 miles west of Palestine and one of the most western ports of call on the Phoenician sea trade routes.”
Answer: C
“The law doesn’t save you, I do,” says Yahweh. And who does Yahweh save? Those who obediently keep the law, Matthew 19:17. The law gives us direction in life. Without it life is aimless and bleak.

RSB 4th Edition

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We are excited to announce that the world’s only Holy Name study Bible just got better— and we mean a lot better!

We are happy to report that the new fourth edition Restoration Study Bible (RSB) is a great leap in quality and biblical understanding over any previous version since the inception of the RSB 11 years ago. Release of the latest edition is expected soon.

To say the compilation of this Bible has been a monumental project is an understatement. The evolution of the RSB has been a remarkable

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effort by many believers of Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry. Its scholarship represents over 200 years of combined study in the Word, beginning many decades before what is known as the Hebrew Roots movement came into existence. Some of the experts contributing to the RSB began keeping the annual Feasts, Sabbaths, eating Kosher and preaching the name of Yahweh over a half-century ago. The studies and footnotes in the RSB reflect proven, time-tested scholarship, often employing Hebrew and Greek source languages.

Now you can benefit from the in-depth knowledge of the RSB to help you grow exponentially in biblical understanding. Comments we receive from those who order the Bible are always the same: “There’s so much information I can’t put it down;” “I found so many truths in this Bible that I was never taught;” “Now I have answers to all those passages that had confused me.”

New Features: Easier to use, higher quality, more durable construction, expanded topical guide (120 pages) with full references, many additional footnotes, many more teaching charts, more than double the archaeological charts, genuine cowhide cover, cut-out finger tabs for locating Scripture, extra ribbons for place holding, stitched binding. With three different cover choices, there will be an RSB to fit your needs and budget.

Returning features: Three books in one, including Strong’s Hebrew and Greek dictionaries at the back with words defined and keyed to every significant word in the English text; brief introductions for every book. This is a value unavailable anywhere else.

Note—The third edition is now depleted and this fourth edition is currently being printed. Please check back with us for future announcements of availability.

Sin Goes Viral – The Food Laws and the Coronavirus

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News reports are filled with daily updates on the Chinese coronavirus, which is infecting tens of thousands and causing jitters the world over. It is wreaking havoc on travel worldwide as nations are guarding their borders and travelers are quarantined.

World financial markets are being hammered. The scare is affecting the price of oil and other commodities.

It’s amazing what just the response to a viral outbreak can do.

The coronavirus gets its name from its corona-like appearance, such as seen in a solar eclipse. This virus is a large, hardy, and sprawling family of pathogens.

Birds, cows, pigs, horses, and dogs all get infected with their versions of the virus.

Yahshua prophesied that pestilences such as this would climax in the latter days because of a world sick with sin, Matthew 24:12. He warned in Matthew 24:7: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” Pestilence means any deadly infectious malady, according to the Greek.

This prophecy of Yahshua ties in with His pale horse prophecy of Revelation 6:8: “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and the grave followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”

Pale represents disease, and death from disease and starvation. But note also the tie to beasts. The reference is speaking more than of a direct attack by ferocious animals. Hunger and death are a result of plague.

The prophet Ezekiel echoed the warning about coming diseases with animals also a part of the mix: “So I will send you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave you; and pestilence and blood shall pass through you…” 5:17.

Why are animals included with sickness and death in these prophecies? It is a fact that most flu-like viruses originate in animals from the Orient, mostly China.

When the Scriptures talk about deadly diseases, they need not be brand new pathogens. They can also be mutations of existing viruses. That is why annual flu shots are not always effective as there are viral mutations that render them unfazed by a particular vaccine. Immunologists can only take their best shot at the virus strain that they project to be dominant each flu season.

 

Hijacking Pathogens

There are untold trillions of viruses in our world. Viruses are both hijackers and parasites. They do their dirty work by commandeering cells and inserting their own genetic material into them, deactivating the cell’s natural DNA or RNA and replacing it with their own.

The cell’s machinery, having been taken over by the virus, starts cranking out duplicate viruses.

Coronaviruses are also stealthy. They can swap genes, making them more easily interchangeable. These gene-swapping mutations happen when different viruses infect the same animal simultaneously.

A group called EcoHealth Alliance, which studies the origins of viruses, says that viruses bind to a human cell through a receptor. Humans have cell receptors similar to bats, which are known carriers of the corona virus.

The present coronavirus outbreak was reported to have started in a Chinese seafood market which also sold processed meats. Those  meats included donkeys, pigs, camels, foxes, badgers, rats, hedgehogs, and reptiles.

Scientists suspect that the corona virus was acquired from an animal sold at that market.

A study of the genetic code of  the novel 2019-nCoV coronavirus revealed that the new virus is most closely related to bat SARS-like coronavirus samples from China, initially suggesting that the bat may be the origin of 2019-nCoV and that the bat virus might have mutated before infecting people.

But researchers found that the coronavirus might also have come from snakes. Not only do Chinese eat bats and snakes, rats, dogs, donkeys, oysters and shrimp, but they also sometimes eat such unclean meats raw.

 

Laws Against Eating Some Animals

As our Maker and Designer, Yahweh Almighty gave us His dietary laws for a good reason. To protect our health He commanded only certain meats be eaten.  The clean food laws of Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 are designed to keep us not just undefiled in a religious sense but physically healthy.

We know about the heavy metals concentrated in oysters, clams, shrimp, lobster, and some bottom-feeding fish prohibited in Yahweh’s laws. But what is not so well-known is the viral danger of certain unclean creatures.

In Leviticus 11:43 Yahweh says, “Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. For I am Yahweh your Elohim: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

We face consequences when we sin by breaking the clean food laws. And one result is viral disease that becomes pandemic. The metaphor is now complete.

Evils of sin work like viruses, commandeering hosts and inserting bad thoughts into whoever is receptive.

Then those infected go on to infect others with sinful ways and the cycle continues.

Yahshua said in Mark 7:21 “For from within, out of the heart of men” comes sinful behavior. If you let sin bind to you it will change you from the inside.

The virus of sin has overtaken the world we live in. The prophet Jeremiah in 17:9 wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

 

He Gave Us Defenses

Yahweh doesn’t leave us defenseless when it comes to viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. And neither does He leave us without a way to overcome the sin virus that so easily besets us, as Hebrews 12 tells us.

The ability to keep you healthy required phenomenal design and forethought . Unless it worked well from the beginning of life, a requirement that rules out evolution, viruses, bacteria, and other destructive agents would have won, and we would not be here to marvel at such amazing abilities in our bodies.

White blood cells or leukocytes are on constant patrol and looking for pathogens. When they find them they begin to multiply and send signals out to other such cells to do the same.

These defense cells first must identify either friend or foe. Once a foe is detected, the leukocyte must rapidly locate and overtake the invader. Then it engulfs the germ, destroying it. This search out and destroy mission is repeated by these soldier cells many times in their lifespan.

 

Yahweh the Designer

King David wrote in Psalm 139:14, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Our miraculous bodies have been endowed with many defensive systems that protect us from invading pathogens.

Our skin is the first line of defense. Antibodies in our tears, saliva, mucus in our noses and lungs, and the lymphatic system all work to stop and destroy invaders.

Immunity is strongest in adulthood as by that time we have been exposed to many pathogens and developed more immunity. That is why teens and adults tend to get sick less often than children.

Amazingly, each immune system can recognize invading bacteria, viruses, and toxins. Once an antibody has been produced, a copy remains in the body so that if the same antigen appears again, it can be dealt with more quickly. Therefore each system has an immunological memory and learns from every attack.

The miracle of the immune system could only have happened under a Creator. With no plan, with nothing guiding and perpetuating them, the immune systems in animals, plants, and humans would have been a complete impossibility no matter how many billions of years passed in development.

If the many instructions that direct an animal’s or plant’s immune system had not been preprogrammed in the organism’s genetic code when it first appeared on earth, the first of thousands of potential infections would have killed the organism.

The large amount of genetic information governing the immune system could not have accumulated in a slow, evolutionary sense.

Obviously, for each organism to have survived, all this information must have been there from the beginning. It had to have been created.

 

Nothing Created Everything?

Scientific advancements have shown that evolution is an even more ridiculous theory than it seemed in Darwin’s day. It is a theory without a mechanism. We may see related things but believing one came from the other without knowing how is pure fantasy, and it leaves unanswered the big question,WHY?

Scientists can’t explain even basic issues, and if they settle on one way things “may” have developed it is still purely a guess. Evolution is a mish-mash of guessing games and figure juggling. Not even appeals to long periods of time will allow simple organisms to “jump gaps” and become more complex and viable. In fact, long periods of time not only don’t help evolution’s issues, they make the theory even less likely.

In his book, In the Beginning, Walt Brown observed,

“Research during the last several decades has shown that the requirements for life are incredibly complex. Just the design that we see around us clearly shows a designer. One scientist sees design as an elephant in the room: It takes up an enormous amount of space, loudly trumpets, bumps into us, knocks things over, eats a ton of hay, and smells like an elephant. And we have to swear it isn’t there.”

 

Yahweh Has the Last Word

Yahweh denounces the atheistic scentists who avow the theory of evolution in spite  of its mountainous impossiblities.

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Majesty; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew Elohim, they glorified him not as Elohim, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…” Romans 1:20-22.

The Hatching of Easter

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Young voices squeal with delight as adolescent “private eyes” search caches for chocolaty blue, gold, and green treasures hidden around trees and in clumps of grass. “I found one,” a five-year-old shouts, reaching for the oval booty. “Me too,” his friend chirps, parting the grass to reveal a chocolate rabbit in cellophane dress.
This springtime scene is repeated a million times as communities and churches throughout the nation host Easter egg hunts. It echoes rites as old as the hills, reaching back to the hills of ancient Babylon.

Asked why they keep this annual ritual, parents of indulgent youngsters just shrug and say, “It’s for the kids. We did it when we were young and it is just something we do because it’s Easter!”
As seekers of Truth we continually strive for purity in our lives and devotion. Isn’t Easter supposed to be a highly hallowed observance? Don’t even those who hardly ever warm a pew usually make it a point to show up at least on Easter Sunday? If it is Bible-based, why color eggs, hunt for jelly beans, march in parades, eat hot-cross buns and put chocolate rabbits and marshmallow chicks in baskets filled with green plastic grass?

How does any of this relate to the resurrection of the Savior?
The following statement in a common encyclopedia should jar the conscience of every Bible-professing, church-going person today: “Early Christians celebrated the Jewish feasts. The New Testament contains no reference to distinctively Christian festivals.” (Funk and Wagnall’s Standard Reference Encyclopedia, 1966 ed., vol. 10, p. 3461).

The questions begging for answers are, why did the very early New Testament believers continue to keep the Old Testament holy days, and why aren’t today’s most popular observances like Easter, even in the Bible?

A common human obsession is to fiddle with what is already well and good. In Exodus 12, Leviticus 23, and Deuteronomy 16, Yahweh gave man seven yearly observances, beginning with the Passover. They were to be kept “forever, throughout your generations” as part of a covenant between us and our Creator.

But these observances were apparently not good enough for evolving, early New Testament churchmen. They wanted their own celebrations. They didn’t like or want those old “Jewish” days even if they were commanded in the Old Testament—AND observed in the New.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica reveals, “Unlike the cycle of feasts and fasts of the Jewish Law, the Christian year has never been based upon a divine revelation. It is rather a tradition that is always subject to change by ecclesiastical law” (vol. 4, p. 601).

This source says about the Sabbath, “From the beginning, the church took over from Judaism the seven-day week. Before the end of the apostolic age (1st century C.E.), as the church became predominantly Gentile in membership, the first day of the week, or Sunday, had become the normative time when Christians assembled for their distinctive acts of worship, in commemoration of the [L-rd’s] Resurrection” (ibid).

Easter a Fertile Hybrid
As the early Catholic church opened its doors to more Gentiles, it took up their beliefs and worship habits and gravitated increasingly to Sunday, the day the heathen honored their sun deity. The church gradually switched over its observance of the Passover to Easter Sunday as well.

“The earliest Christians celebrated the L-rd’s Passover at the same time as the Jews, during the night of the first full moon of the first month of spring (Nisan 14-15). By the middle of the 2nd century, most churches had transferred this celebration to the Sunday after the Jewish feast.

But certain churches of Asia Minor clung to the older custom, for which they were denounced as ‘Judaizing.’” (Britannica, vol. 4, p.60)

“Eusebius further says that the churches of Asia Minor derived their custom of observing the pascha [passover] from the Apostles John and Philip. Without a doubt Christian elements were incorporated into the celebration. It was not a question of whether a day corresponding to the Passover should be celebrated, but a question of the time at which it was to be celebrated,” The New Schaff Herzog Religious Encyclopedia, vol. 4, p. 44.

Avoiding the Biblical Calendar
To deliberately break from the Jews, the Roman Church took the first in a long list of liberties. Two calendars were extant in the fourth century—the Biblical lunar calendar and the Egyptian-based solar calendar. Judaism held to the lunar reckoning while Rome adopted calculations based on the sun.

By adopting a solar year, Rome could observe Easter on Sunday and avoid timing it with the “Jewish” Passover. But that didn’t sit well with everyone. “A serious difference as to the day for its [Easter’s] observance soon arose between Christians of Jewish and those of Gentile descent, which led to a long and bitter controversy,” Britannica, 11th edition, “Easter,” p. 828.

“Anxiety over the date of Easter was thus a reason why Constantine the Great in 325 A. D. summoned the famous council of Nicaea. It was decided that Easter must be celebrated everywhere on the same day and this day must be a Sunday. It must be the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox, March 21, with one reservation: In the English prayer book it is stated thus: ‘and if the full moon happens upon a Sunday, Easter day is the Sunday after.’ The reason for this exception reveals the depth of the division between the Church and the Synagogue. For whenever the full moon fell on a Sunday, Easter would be celebrated on the same day as the Hebrew Passover. Hence, the postponement for a week, to avoid the coincidence,” Encyclopedia Americana, vol. 9, p. 507.

The Christian church wanted a Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday, proceeding to Good Friday and ending on Easter Sunday, commemorating the supposed resurrection on Sunday. Never mind that there is no mention of any of these days in either Old or New testaments.

A Strange Mixture
Through the influence of converts from mystery religions, the hybrid celebration called Easter took on abominable customs.

The name Easter itself derives from Eostre or Ostara, a Teutonic deity of love and the goddess of spring to whom sacrifice was offered in April. Her roots go back to the goddess Inanna, daughter of Anu, the supreme mighty one in Sumerian times before the old Babylonian period.

Passover in the Greek is Pascha. The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, shows Easter’s link to the Passover even in the way the name Easter is rendered in other languages: French, Paques; Italian, Pasqua; Spanish, Pascua; Danish, Paaske; Dutch, Paasch; Welch, Pasg.

The worship of Ishtar through old fertility rites is reflected in the egg and rabbit symbolism of the modern Easter celebration. The egg symbol predates the resurrection of the Messiah by more than 2,000 years. Note this candid statement from the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1909 Edition, “A great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring…The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been a symbol of fertility.”

The Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend sheds more light on the Easter egg and rabbit: “Children roll pasch eggs in England. Everywhere they hunt the many-colored Easter eggs, brought by the Easter rabbit. This is not mere child’s play, but the vestige of a fertility rite, the eggs and the rabbit both symbolizing fertility. Furthermore, the rabbit was the escort of the Germanic Goddess Ostara who gave the name to the festival by way of the German Ostern” (1949 ed., vol. 1, p. 335).

Also, the Dictionary of Christian Lore and Legend notes this about the Easter egg: “The Easter egg, pagan symbol of rebirth, was given a Christian meaning when it became the practice to bring eggs, forbidden during Lent, to be blessed in church on Easter Sunday,” p. 89.

Another relic of heathenism is the Easter sunrise service. This rite is rooted in the worship of Eastre or Estera, the dawn deity. Ancient pagans worshiped the sun
because of its life-sustaining power.

It was a simple and easy transition, then, to worship at sunrise on resurrection morning. The problem is, the Savior was not resurrected Sunday morning, but was already gone when the women visited the tomb Sabbath evening at dusk. The word “dawn” in Matthew 28: 1 is epiphosko, meaning “draw on to.” This was the end of the Sabbath at sundown, not Sunday morning.
Ironically, Yahweh strongly denounces indulging in the only worship many today ever attend — Easter sunrise services:
“And He brought me into the inner court of Yahweh’s house, and behold, at the door of the temple of Yahweh, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Yahweh, and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east. Then He said unto me, ‘Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke Me to anger: they put the branch [ashtoreth, phallic symbol used in Ishtar fertility worship] to their nose. Therefore will I deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them,’” Ezekiel 8:16-18.

The hot-cross buns so popular at Easter are also a relic from paganism, condemned in Jeremiah 7 when Judah was at their own Ishtar. “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other deities, that they may provoke me to anger,”verse 18. The word cakes is the Hebrew kawan, literally meaning a bun that is branded (with a cross).

The cross that makes hot-cross buns (see left) is the old symbol for female.

In ancient hieroglyphics the cross sign was the symbol for living or life, as well as the worship of the kind of life and fertility that Easter glorifies anciently and today.

A Choice We Each Must Make
A true follower finds repulsive the mixing of pure worship with ancient rites of mystery religions. Clearly, Almighty Yahweh does as well.

In today’s modern culture when more and more churchgoers know less and less about the Bible that they profess to follow, Almighty Yahweh leaves us a choice. We can continue in darkness or we can leave the abominations of heathenism and come clean as we serve the only true Elohim.

He is seeking a pure bride today who wants to prepare now to join the returning Savior in a coming life of eternity in His Kingdom.

“And what agreement has the Temple of Elohim with idols? For you are the Temple of the living Elohim; as Elohim has said, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.’ Wherefore ‘come out from among them, and be separate,’ says Yahweh, ‘and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,’” 2 Corinthians 6: 16-l.
Pure worship is expressed as a narrow and often difficult road, and Yahshua said few will be walking on it. But those who are will find the eternal rewards indescribable!