[Study adapted from the video “Yom Kippur-The Day of Atonement“, from the series Feasts of the Seventh Month.]
This is a very special day. It is the most set-apart day of the Hebrew calendar year because, as we will see in the second half of this presentation, this is the day when Yeshua comes to take His bride home to His Father’s house. If we hope to be that Proverbs 31 bride, let us watch this presentation and see what it takes to please Him in that day.
People often say that we cannot know the correct calendar, but that is incorrect. Everything about the Hebrew calendar is knowable, doable, and important. Because the Hebrew calendar is effectively a series of dates set up between Yahweh the Father and His Son (the Bridegroom) and His prospective bride (Nazarene Israel). So if the feasts are a series of dates, do we not need to be there, do we not need to be at the right place at the right time, doing what we are supposed to be doing? We are going to take a look at all these things in this presentation. Then, in the second half of the presentation, we are going to take a look at the promises to the bride, and all the good, wonderful things He is going to bring His bride. So first, let us take a look at the timing.
As we explained in The Torah Calendar study and also in studies such as Establishing the Head of the Year, we saw that the Hebrew year properly begins (according to Scripture) on Rosh HaShanah, otherwise called the Head of the Year. And that is when the first crescent sliver of the new moon is seen from the land of Israel and when there is going to be the very first sheaf of aviv (medium dough) barley, symbolic of Yeshua, 15 to 21 days later, on the day of Yom Hanafat HaOmer (the Day of the Wave Sheaf Offering). So, we know that the priesthood is going to announce Rosh HaShanah (the Head of the Year) when:
- The first crescent sliver of the new moon is seen from the land of Israel.
- There is a single sheaf of aviv (medium dough) barley within 15 to 21 days after the first crescent sliver of the new moon is seen from the land of Israel.
Now we add six months to that, and we come to Yom Teruah (the Day of Shouting, also called the Day of Shofar Blasts or more commonly, the Day of Trumpets).
In the last chapter, we talked about “The Day of Trumpets”. If you did not read that chapter yet, I encourage you to read that chapter now. Because we lay out the Hebrew Wedding Feast in that study. We are going to continue that, but we are not going to cover all the same material.
Then 10 days after Yom Teruah comes Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). It is the most important, most set-apart day on the Hebrew calendar year. It comes ten days after the new moon of the seventh month is seen.
So let us take a look at the commandments regarding Yom Kippur and let us see what it is that we are supposed to do.
Let us take a look at Leviticus chapter 23.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 23:26-28
26 And Yahweh spoke to Moshe, saying:
27 “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement(s). It shall be a set-apart rehearsal [holy convocation] for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement(s), to make atonement for you before Yahweh your Elohim.
So, it is the Day of Atonements (plural) in Hebrew, it is Yom HaKippurim. But because the concept is one of general, overall atonement, it is usually translated as the Day of Atonement. It is a set apart rehearsal. What are we rehearsing? We are rehearsing that this is the day that the groom is coming to take His bride back home to His Father’s house, It is the most important day of the Hebrew calendar year. Just as a Bride’s wedding day is the most important day of her life, this is the most important day of the Hebrew calendar year.
Now it is funny, it is supposed to be symbolic of the wedding and yet it says, “you shall afflict your souls”. We are going to talk about why the bride should afflict her soul later on in this chapter.
Yahweh also says, “you shall do no manner of work”. Nothing, no work at all!
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 23:31-32
31 “You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.”
It is the most set-apart day of the year! Come on! If it is our wedding feast, is the bride going to be going to work on the day of her wedding? Of course not! So, it says that you shall do no manner of work, meaning, just spend the time with Yahweh. We are waiting for the Bridegroom to take us home.
When He says “It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations and in all your dwellings” that is a very special phrase. Because, as we see in other places, the priesthood has changed inside of Israel over the years. First, we had an external Melchizedekian Priesthood, then we had an internal Priesthood of the Firstborn, then we had an internal Levitical Priesthood, and now we are under an internal Melchizedekian order. And the rules and regulations have changed with regards to each one of those orders, but the precepts generally remain the same. And when Yahweh says “It is a statute forever throughout your generations and in all your dwellings” generally speaking, He is talking about the precepts. Because, although the specifics can change according to the situation, the precepts never change.
So, when He says “It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest and you shall afflict your souls” basically we are showing Yahweh that we value Him and the things of His Kingdom, and not the things of this world. We are showing Him that He is worth more to us than anything in this world. We will talk more about that in the second half of this chapter when we talk about Isaiah 58.
Okay, so we are supposed to afflict our souls but yet we are to celebrate the sabbath. The reason why is, again, we are letting go of the things of this world in order to reach for the things of His Kingdom. That is why we are celebrating even though we are afflicted. We are going to talk more about that in Isaiah 58.
But He also says, “from evening to evening”. What happens a lot is that we get strange queries sometimes. People say, “Well, you know, I think the day begins at noon.” Or “I think the day begins at morning.” Or “I think the day begins at midnight” (as says the Roman-Gregorian-Christian calendar).
But that is not how it is in Yahweh’s calendar. Genesis 1 tells us that the evening and the morning were the first day.
And then sometimes people try to say that the day is only 12 hours long. Well, take a look. Leviticus chapter 23, verse 32 tells us:
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 23:32
32 “It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.”
Okay. Let us zoom in on verse 31. Yahweh says and you shall do no manner of work.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 23:31
31 “You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
The classic question is what do you do about essential services, such as doctors, firefighters, medics, nursing, and these kinds of things? And then the question comes up about what do you do about dairy farming? Because dairy cows have to be milked every single day, if you do not milk a dairy cow, you will actually hurt that cow. You will medically damage the cow. So dairy cows have to be milked every day. The traditional classic response is that we should not do anything more than necessary. Anything that can be done before the day of Yom Kippur or anything that can be done after the day of Yom Kippur, we should set those things completely aside and not do them on this very special day. Because, again, we are the bride, and we are hoping to be taken by the groom. Do we want to be working or do we want to be waiting for Him? Do we want to be pleasing to Him when He comes?
Again, there are certain things that cannot be prevented. If you are a doctor and you work in deliveries, there is going to be someone giving birth on that day, you can almost count on it. You could hypothetically send out an all-points bulletin 40 weeks in advance of that saying, “No one get pregnant right now! Because nine months or 40 weeks from now is Yom Kippur!”, but that does not work in real life. But the point is to only do what is essential, essential services only. If there is any way you can reschedule it, any way you can put it off, that is what we need to be doing. Because we need to be focusing on our Bridegroom on His special day that He comes for us.
So, we take a look at the word Kippur.
H3725 (כִּפֻּר) kippur (kip-poor’); From H3722; expiation (only in plural):- atonement.
It is expiation, meaning, “the act of making amends or reparation for guilt or reparation for wrongdoing”.
In other words, it means atonement. We are making atonement for something that we have done wrong, we are trying to make amends or trying to make something right that we have let go wrong.
And then we look up the root at H3722.
H3722 (כָּפַר) kaphar (kaw-far’); a primitive root; to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively, to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel:
It is a primitive root that sounds a whole lot like cover (kaffar, kuffer) remembering that the ‘v’ and the ‘f’ used to be approximately the same sound. So, kaphar, or to cover, specifically with bitumen. Because Noah’s ark was covered with bitumen, but figuratively it is to expiate, or to condone, to cancel a debt. We are trying to placate Yahweh for all the things that we have done wrong. We are trying to make up for the things we have done wrong in the past, we are trying to cancel our debt with Yahweh.
Okay. Now we need to talk (with respect) about our rabbinic brethren, the Orthodox Jews. They are basically the Pharisees. They changed their name in the middle ages from the Pharisees to the Orthodox Jews, but it is the same spiritual group of people. They have a special prayer called Kol Nidrei. (I want to be respectful about this). But let us see what it says in Wikipedia.
Wikipedia: Kol Nidre
Kol Nidre /ˈk Nidre Kol (also known as Kol Nidrey or Kol Nidrei[1])
(Aramaic: (Aramaic: n as Kol Nidre
Is an Aramaic declaration recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur (“Day of Atonement”). Strictly speaking, it is not a prayer, although commonly spoken of as if it were.
Now there is a lot of controversy about Kol Nidre. I have read the prayer and I have said the prayer in times past. Basically, my understanding of Kol Nidre is that Yeshua is not big on rote prayers. In fact, Yeshua is not big on the rabbinical order, because the rabbinical order replaces Yahweh’s Torah with their own series of rote performances and legalistic observances. And Yeshua was not big on any of those things. Yeshua was always much, much bigger on the things that came from inside the heart.
So, I will let you do your own research on it, and I want to be respectful about this, but I have read a large volume of commentary from Jews complaining about the contents of Kol Nidre. And effectively, the accusation from other Jews toward the prayer (or the rote-saying, the rote declaration of Kol Nidre), is that effectively it sort of serves as a “get-out-of-jail-free card”. Kol Nidre means every vow. In other words, every vow we have made that we have broken. Or everything that we have done wrong, or every way we have sinned, or everything that we have done, etc., etc. As long as we say the Kol Nidre, we are absolved of that. So, it is a declaration rather than a prayer. Effectively, it is telling Yahweh that we did not do anything. We are making this declaration that we are absolved of guilt. Basically, it is a get-out-of-jail-free card. This is the accusation that some Jews make toward the Kol Nidre prayer. The only comment I will make about it is that Yeshua was not big on rote prayers, so we do not say Kol Nidre.
But Yeshua was big on keeping Yahweh’s Torah. He kept His Father’s law perfectly and He is our example. The apostle Shaul says “Imitate me as I imitate Messiah”. Messiah kept the Day of Atonement, the apostle Shaul (Paul) also kept the Feast (Day) of Atonement. We see this in places such as Acts chapter 27.
Ma’asei (Acts) 27:9-10
9 “Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Shaul advised them,
10 saying, “Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.”
The reason it is called the Fast is that rabbinic Judah traditionally observes the Day of Atonement by fasting. Traditionally they abstain from food and water for 24 hours in order to afflict their souls. And then they also say the Kol Nidre prayer. We are going to talk a lot about that. When we get to the second half of this chapter we will talk about Isaiah 58, and we are going to see there is much more to it than that. Just simply abstaining from food and water for 24 hours is not going to get us a pass, at least that is what Isaiah 58 says.
So let us take another look at Numbers chapter 29.
Bemidbar (Numbers) 29:7
7 [Yahweh says] “On the tenth day of the seventh month you shall have a set-apart rehearsal [holy convocation]. You shall afflict your souls; you shall not do any work.”
Again, we are going to talk in the second half about how we are rehearsing Yeshua’s arrival to take His bride back home to His Father’s house. He says, “I go to prepare a place for you, and that will surely come again for you”. But on the day He comes for us we are to afflict our souls. We are trying to show Him that we are serious. We are trying to show Him that we value the things of His Kingdom much more than we value anything here on this earth. And once again, does not the bride want to be there on the day the Groom comes to take her home to his father’s house? And for the consummation and the wedding feast? Yes! So we avoid all manner of work on that day. We will talk about that in the second half.
The writer of Hebrews (which many people including myself believe is the apostle Shaul) tells us something very important. This is very important; a lot of people do not understand this. And again, I want to be respectful to our brothers in Orthodox Judah. But with regard to the Kol Nidre prayer, there is a lot of commentary by certain Jews that Kol Nidre effectively serves as a get-out-of-jail-free card. The writer of Hebrews would disagree. Let us read in Hebrews chapter 9.
Ivrim (Hebrews) 9:7-8
7 But into the second part [holy of holies, or the kodesh hakodashim] the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance;
8 the Set-apart Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Most Set-apart [kodesh kodashim] was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.
Now in that light, let us talk about the sins of Nadav and Avihu (Nadab and Abihu) in Leviticus chapter 10. Because we are going to see how that ties in in Leviticus chapter 16 in just a moment.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 10:1-2
1 Then Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before Yahweh, which He had not commanded them.
2 So fire went out from Yahweh and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh.
Yahweh did not want this particular offering; He did not say to do it. In other words, Nadav and Avihu did something that Yahweh did not say to do.
If you are a pastor, or a rabbi, or a leader, or a teacher, or if you have got some kind of a tv show you or are some kind of a bible teacher, and you are doing something that Scripture does not say to do, pay attention to this. This is for you. It says fire went out from Yahweh and devoured them and they died before Yahweh. In the days of when the Torah was given Yahweh was very clear. He said, “See to it that you do everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain”. And in the great commission of Matthew chapter 28 Yeshua says to “immerse disciples in all nations teaching them to do (to keep or to guard, to shomar) everything that He has commanded”.
But it is the same principle, it is the same precept. We have to do the things that He says to do, and not do the things of our own creating. And not to do the things of our own devising. And, as we see in our other studies, that Yahweh has commanded for all of His ministers, all of His servants, all of His true people, to work together according to the Fivefold-Ministry giftings, on a single foundation of apostles and prophets. To form one single kingdom, one single ministry for Him. And not to launch our own ministries; Saturday-Night-Live Ministries, or this ministry or that ministry. Or ‘oh I have a ministry-ministry!’ He wants all of the Five-Fold Ministry gifts to work together on a single foundation of apostles and prophets. This takes a lot of discipline to do this, but that is what Yeshua has commanded.
We see this show up again in Leviticus chapter 16.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:1
1 Now Yahweh spoke to Moshe after the death of the two sons of Aharon, when they offered profane fire before Yahweh and died;
Because they knew what they were supposed to do, and they did something else. They had been instructed by Yahweh what to do and they chose to do a different thing. Once again, if you are a minister or a rabbi, or a pastor, pay attention to this. This is for you. We are going to talk about the whole chapter of Leviticus 16, because this is the scapegoat, and the scapegoat was a special ritual that took place on the day of Yom Kippur.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:2-3, 6-10
2 and Yahweh said to Moshe: “Tell Aharon your brother not to come at just any time into the Set-apart Place inside the veil [as Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu had done, they offered something that Yahweh had not commanded them to do], before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.
3 “Thus Aharon shall come into the Set-apart Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering.”
6 “Aharon shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house.
7 He shall take the two goats and present them before Yahweh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
8 Then Aharon shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for Yahweh and the other lot for the scapegoat.
9 And Aharon shall bring the goat on which Yahweh’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. [Notice, Yeshua also was offered up as an offering].
10 But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before Yahweh, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness.”
Now there is a lot that we could say here, and we could probably make a whole separate book and video series on the potential roles of the scapegoat. But is it possible that if the goat that was selected by Yahweh was offered up, just as Yeshua was offered up, is it possible that the goat that was the scapegoat (or the escape goat) represents Rome, meaning Edom or Esau? Because we know that Edom and Esau will be destroyed in the wilderness. It is just something to think about. Let us continue reading further in Leviticus. But be careful here, it is easy to get tripped up.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:21-22
21” Aharon shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. [We are going to talk about this with regard to Kol Nidre].
22 The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”
Once again, is it possible that this escaped goat represents Esau or Edom, those who are going to die in the wilderness and not come back to the land of Israel? It is just a thought.
Now we are talking again about precepts. Up until now, we have been talking about what happens under the Levitical order. We have seen that there are different priesthoods throughout Israel’s history. First, you have an External Melchizedekian Order, then you have an Internal Priest of the Firstborn, we just read about what the Torah was for in the Levitical Order, and now we are under an Internal Melchizedekian Order. The specifics of the commandments change, but the precepts always remain the same.
So let us drop down to verse 29, we are going to see another precept. Keep this in mind. When you see Yahweh say, “a statute forever for you”, He is talking about the precept. Although the details can change depending upon the order, here He is talking about the precept. And this is something very important for a lot of Christians because they do not realize their identities as Ephraimites. So they do not realize that these commandments still pertain to them
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:29
29 [Yahweh says] “This shall be a statute forever for you:
In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you.”
What that means is, it does not matter whether you are a native-born Jew, born in the land of Israel to the tenth generation, or no matter what this pertains to you. If you have been grafted into the House of Judah, this pertains to you. Or if you are an Ephraimite. Whether you have known about your identity since the time of your birth or whether you are recently grafted in, this pertains to you because it is a statute forever.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:30
30 “For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before Yahweh.”
Again, when you talk about this, we know that that is not every sin. There are all kinds of sins, but it can be said that there are two different kinds of sin. One is what is called a ruhm yahd, or a high-handed sin. Basically, an act of rebellion against Yahweh, and rebellion carries the death penalty. But then there are also unintentional sins. So by default, because ruhm yahd (high-handed sins) warrant the death penalty, here we are talking about the unintentional sins, the sins that the people did not intend to commit. They did not mean to do it, but still, they have to be atoned for. Because Yahweh is perfect and dwells in unapproachable light.
Now in addition to Kol Nidre, we also need to talk about some other rabbinic traditions and some rabbinic myths. And I say this with respect to our Orthodox (or Pharisee) brethren. But the rabbinic tradition is to wish each other what they call “Chatimah tovah”, or a “Good signing” into the Book of Life. And the reason they do this is because the rabbis believe that they are all supposed to follow the rabbinic version of the commandments. And if they will follow the traditions and teachings of the rabbis and do everything the way the rabbis say to do them, then Yahweh will have favor upon them and will then write their name into the Book of Life based upon their good works. We know that that is not how it goes.
In Nazarene Israel, we understand that we are saved by His favor (grace) and even that is not of our own doing. He called us first and then we merely responded to His call, that is all we did. Then we receive His Spirit, and now He is dwelling in us and us in Him, and Him in the Father and the Father in Him. That is what gives eternal life. Because now that lost and broken connection, that was lost in the Garden of Eden, is restored. So there is a reconnection to the Divine. So we know that we are written in the Book of Life. Because we make the choice, we take the symbolic immersion going under the water (symbolic of going under the earth and dying to our flesh). The old man of sin is washed away and then we are raised in Yeshua’s death unto newness of life. And it is the fact that His Spirit lives in us and that we manifest His spirit. We walk according to His Spirit, and we no longer walk according to the lust of our eyes, the lusts of our flesh, and our own pride. We no longer walk according to our own desires, that is why we are written into the Book of Life.
So you know, you can wish someone “Chatimah tovah” if you want, but make sure they understand what you are wishing them. When they wish me “Chatimah tovah” I will say “Chatimah tovah” to them and then I will seek an opportunity to explain that in my understanding you get a “Chatimah tovah” because you respond to His call because you accept Yeshua. So really, if I wish someone “Chatimah tovah” I am wishing them to accept Yeshua. To die to their flesh and then to walk according to His Spirit, that is what I am wishing them. Just for whatever that is worth. But it is this business of dying to our sins and dying to our flesh, taking the immersion, symbolic of going underneath the ground, (having the water wash away the old man of flesh and the old man of sin, and then being raised again new creations). And it is what Yahweh speaks of in Isaiah chapter 1.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 1:18
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says Yahweh, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as [white] wool.”
What does this mean? Some very interesting things. If you are an Orthodox Jew (I know that there are some Orthodox Jews who listen to our broadcast), or if you are someone who believes that the Talmud is inspired, or if you believe that the Talmud is an accurate historical record, there are some very important things for you in this lesson. We believe that the Talmud is not inspired. Pharisees (Orthodox Jews) do believe that the Talmud is inspired. They do believe that the Talmud is to be obeyed. We see it merely as a very important and very interesting historic reference for what the rabbis believed in the second temple period, the time in which Yeshua lived. And then, of course, it was redacted, or highly edited (or you might say censored by Judah HaNasi, Judah the Prince, and published around the year 220 CE). But some very interesting resources here. If you are a person who believes the Talmud is inspired or if you believe that it is a good accurate historical witness, then watch this here.
R. Nahman b. Isaac said It was the tongue of scarlet, as it has been taught: Originally they used to fasten the thread of scarlet on the door of the [Temple] court on the outside. If it turned white the people used to rejoice, and if it did not turn white they were sad…
Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 31b [Soncino]
Now we just saw in Isaiah chapter 1, verse 18 that Yahweh says, “although your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow”, or “if they are red [like a thread or a cord of crimson] they shall become like white wool”. And so what is happening here is that the people of Judah were seeking after a sign. Yahweh gives us signs all the time, and if we are hearing Yahweh’s voice like we are commanded to in the Torah, we should be noticing these signs all the time. Because Yahweh is always giving signs. We do not need to ask Him for signs if we are paying attention. It is kind of like your dad is talking to you all the time and you are trying to call him on the phone. Your dad is trying to talk with you face to face and you are trying to text him, trying to bring him up on WhatsApp or something. It does not make sense; it does not work out. We do not need to call Him and ask Him for signs, we just need to pay attention to the communications He is already giving us.
So we take a look Babylonian Talmud quote again.
R. Nahman b. Isaac said It was the tongue of scarlet, as it has been taught: Originally they used to fasten the thread of scarlet on the door of the [Temple] court on the outside. If it turned white the people used to rejoice, and if it did not turn white they were sad…
Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 31b [Soncino]
Now, why are they doing that? That is because they are seeking a sign. They are not just doing what Yahweh says to do and trusting in Yahweh that He is going to do what He says if we will listen to His voice, hear His voice, and also keep His commandments and obey. “To the Torah and the Testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because daylight has not dawned on them yet.” Okay. So instead of hearing Yahweh’s voice and trusting Him that He is going to do what He said, instead they are seeking a sign.
Let us continue.
… They therefore made a rule that it should be fastened to the door of the court on the inside. People, however, still peeped in and saw, and if it turned white they rejoiced and if it did not turn white they were sad. They therefore made a rule that half of it should be fastened to the rock and half between the horns of the goat that was sent [to the wilderness].
Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 31b [Soncino]
Now I do not understand about fastening half of it to the rock and half to the goat. If you are knowledgeable in that please write to us at contact@nazareneisrael.org, we would love to hear from you, we would love to know why they fastened half of it to the rock and half of it to the horns of the goat. But that is what the Talmud says that they did, it is certainly not commanded by Yahweh. So, again, why are they doing something that is not commanded by Yahweh? But if you are someone who believes the Talmud or you believe the Talmud is an accurate, historical record, pay attention to this. Because this is for you.
For 40 years before the destruction of the temple [in 70 CE] the thread of scarlet never turned white but it remained red.
Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 31b [Soncino]
We know that the second temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. You back up 40 years from there, that brings us to the year 30 CE, where it is believed that is when Messiah Yeshua was put to death. So let us ask ourselves, what does that mean? If the people are seeking a sign that their sins are separated from them and they shall be white as snow, what does that say?
Now we come for a second witness.
Our rabbis taught during the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot [For the Lord] [sic] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-coloured strap become white; nor did the westernmost light shine; and the doors of the Hekal would open by themselves, until R. Johanan b. Zakkai rebuked them, saying: Hekal, Hekal, why wilt thou be the alarmer thyself?
[Meaning, why are you going to strike fear into us yourself?]
Talmud, Yoma 39b [Sonico]
Note that, according to Scripture, the right hand is the favored hand. And here it is saying that during the last 40 years before the destruction of the temple, starting about the time of 30 CE, the lot for Yahweh (the goat that would be sacrificed for Yahweh) did not come up in the favored right-hand, nor did the crimson-colored strap become white, nor did the westernmost light shine. And the doors of the temple would open by themselves until rabbi Johanan b Zakkai rebuked them, basically saying “Why are you going to strike fear into us yourself?”
Now excuse me, I do not mean any disrespect. But why is rabbi Johanan b Zakkai rebuking the temple? Hi, forgive me, but is it the temple that is giving the sign? Or is it Yahweh who is giving the sign through the temple? And if Balaam’s donkey can attempt to give signs to those who are listening, why are we not wanting to hear the signs that are given? If Yahweh is giving us a sign, why do we not like the signs that we are given? Here we have two witnesses in the Babylonian Talmud that the people did not receive the purification for the last 40 years before the temple was destroyed, starting at the time of the sacrifice of Yeshua. If you are a believer in the Talmud, what does that say to you?
Well, Ephraim (the lost tribes) in general terms the Christians, have plenty of problems of their own. I do not mean to pick on brother Judah. In very many ways brother Judah has been much more faithful than Ephraim. In very many ways brother Judah has a lot more going for him than Ephraim does. But Scripture is Scripture, and Yahweh’s judgment is Yahweh’s judgment, and we need to be true to what Scripture says. And if Scripture says something, we do not turn a blind eye to this verse or that verse and say, “I do not like this passage” or “I do not like that passage”, “I do not care for that passage”. Because we start leaving passages of Scripture out or we start using this verse to explain away that verse, we have just entered Babylon. You can always tell a Babylonian because they place more emphasis on this verse, and they leave that verse or that passage out. What we need, brothers and sisters, is to come to the place where we can understand all of Scripture, because that is how we know we have the mind of Yahweh.
So let us take a look at Isaiah 58. Again, I do not mean to pick on brother Judah. Judah’s got a lot to say, our Messiah and Redeemer comes from the tribe of Judah. All of the original disciples come from the tribe of Judah.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:1-2
1 [Yahweh says] “Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
[be a watchman on the wall]
And the house of Jacob their sins.
[in this case, Judah]
2 Yet they seek Me daily,
And delight to know My ways,
As a nation that did righteousness,
And did not forsake the ordinance of their Elohim.
They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
They take delight in approaching Elohim.”
That is one of the best things about brother Judah. Brother Judah for millennia has sought Yahweh daily and they have delighted to know His ways. They have not gone off into the nations like the lost 10 tribes, they have not gone off to feed the pigs like the Prodigal Son. Judah has been there like the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son, and we will talk about that when we get to the teaching on the Two Houses.
But Judah has delighted to seek Yahweh daily and they have delighted to know His ways. Except, just that they have not done it exactly. Because according to Yahweh, He says it is as if they felt that they were a nation that did righteousness. And it is as if they felt that they were a nation that did not forsake the ordinance of their Elohim and establish rabbinic law in place of it. He says they ask of Him the ordinances of justice, (that is a good thing) and they take delight in approaching Elohim (that is a great, wonderful thing). If we could get Ephraim to do that consistently, we would be a big step ahead. So good job in that Judah! Pray for us, Ephraim needs to catch up with you in that. So Ephraim, we have no place to wag the finger, that is not what I am saying here, that is not what I am doing. From my perspective, these are good things. I am just saying this is what Yahweh’s word says, okay. That is all I am saying, this is what Yahweh’s word says. So, he who has ears, let him hear.
We are talking about the House of Jacob, or the House of Judah.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:3
3 “’Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? [There is a big tribulation coming up ahead for Judah, just like the United States of America, also there is a big tribulation coming ahead. We will talk about that at the end of this chapter.]
Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ [Like the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son, ‘All these years I have served you, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might rejoice with my friends’.]
[Well Yahweh says] In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And exploit all your laborers.”
[Yes, you are abstaining from food and water. Yes, you are declaring Kol Nidre. But in fact, in the day of your fast, you find pleasure and exploit all your laborers.]
Now let me explain for just a moment, all right. There are a lot of very good people in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. There is a specific sect in Judaism called the Sabbatean Frankist, and they are causing a lot of trouble worldwide. You read the news, you talk about the globalists, you talked about the New World Order. We are talking about the Sabbatean Frankist Sect. And although they will deny it in public, their understanding (and what they actually teach) is that they should do as much evil as possible. Because the Messiah will come when the world has degenerated to such a point that there is destruction everywhere. They want to hasten the day of the coming of the Messiah. And you can hear statements by political leaders. I am not going to name names right now; we will get into it some other time. But if you listen to brother Judah’s statements, you can very often hear times about “hastening the day”, “hastening the coming of the Messiah”. What they are really saying is, (that is a dog whistle, that is code for) “We need to bring chaos upon the face of the earth”. And that is only the Sabbatean Frankist Sect. There are a lot of other sects of Judaism that know nothing about the Sabbatean Frankist. If you are Jewish, in respect, please research into the Sabbatean Frankist. They are the ones causing all the trouble.
But it says, “In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your laborers”.
Now it is said that there are six companies that rule the world. Are these six companies mandating or enforcing Yahweh’s calendar? If not, why not? If they are in charge, why are they not teaching people to keep Yahweh’s calendar? Why are they not teaching people to keep Yahweh’s ways? It is a question I ask.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:4
4 “Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high.”
In other words, you are fasting in order to cause problems. You are taking the Kol Nidre statement (the Kol Nidre prayer). And you are saying, “I am absolved, it does not matter what I do, I am absolved. This is my statement; this is my get-out-of-jail-free card. So I do not need to teach my people, I do not need to teach my servants to keep your Sabbath, I do not need to teach my people to keep Your ways.”
And speaking of the globalists, “you strike with the fist of wickedness”.
He is talking about how there is going to be a great tribulation that will come upon the land of Israel. We talk about this in the Revelation and the End Time study. At the time of this study (2021), there is going to be another war to come. And after that things are going to go better, and better, and better, for a half-hour of silence in heaven (20 years and 10 months). And then things are going to take a turn for the worse. There will be seven years of tribulation upon the land and three-and-a-half years-time of Jacob’s Trouble. We are going to talk about that at the end of this chapter.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:5-6
5 “Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to Yahweh?”
Yahweh asks “What? Is this a fast that I have chosen?” Okay, you are going to abstain from food and water for 24 hours. So what? Big deal. Is that an affliction? You are going to call that a day for a man to afflict his soul? You are going to have abstained from food and water for 24 hours. “So what!”
You have bowed down your head like a bulrush (cattail). And you spread out sackcloth and ashes, all things for show. Do you call that a fast? You call this an acceptable day to Yahweh, that is for show?
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:6-7
6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens [of the globalist New World Order],
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke [teach people His ways]”
7 “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?”
Now, depending on whether you are brother Judah, you perhaps believe in the saying that “Every Jew is responsible for every other Jew”. It is true because we are our brother’s keepers. But in Nazarene Israel, we have a different understanding. We believe that we are our brother’s keepers regardless. So there are certain things we can do for those who are of the body of faith. And there are other things that are not possible for those that are outside the body of faith. But nonetheless, we do not want to be causing problems for those in the rest of the world, as the Sabbatean Frankist Sect does. The Sabbatean Frankist Sect is going to have a big reckoning coming ahead.
About Ephraim, this was a big revelation to me, brother Judah knows who we are. Brother Judah knows who Ephraim is, but he refuses to recognize us because we refuse to let go of Yeshua. So they do not want to recognize us as their brothers, even though they know who we are. Because their ultimate goal is to separate us from Yeshua Messiah. Well, if you do not believe in Yeshua Messiah, then why does Yahweh have a Son in Proverbs 30? We have other proofs of Yeshua’s deity, you can find them in the Nazarene Israel study. We will do separate studies on that.
But brother Judah also does not consider Ephraim to be his brother. So Ephraim might do something for Judah, but Judah is not going to do anything for Ephraim.
Let us continue in verse eight, He is addressing this to our brothers in Judah. We are going to talk a lot about Ephraim’s transgressions in other places. We talk about Ephraim’s transgressions; we talk about the Two Houses. There are a lot of them, plenty of material there.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:8
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of Yahweh shall be your rear guard.”
Okay, let us continue. Remember again, we are talking about the tribulation that is coming upon the land, the time of Jacob’s Trouble. Yahweh is talking to Jacob here, considering the time of Jacob’s Trouble.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:9
9 “Then you shall call, and Yahweh will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst,
[possibly He is talking about the yoke of Talmud, as the renewed covenant calls it].
The pointing of the finger
[take some responsibility],
And speaking wickedness,”
Okay, forgive me. But to create your own version of Yahweh’s Torah, that is iniquity and wickedness. The Sabbatean Frankist setting up a Global New World Order to hasten the coming of the Messiah, that is wickedness. I would not expect a good reward for that.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:10-11
10 “If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 In that day Yahweh will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
So Yahweh’s word says, when a man’s ways please Yahweh, He makes even his enemies be at peace with him. But with the New World Order that is being set up in the land of Israel, there is going to be a peace that is no peace, that is going to start to fall apart after a half-hour of silence in heaven.
Let us continue to read what Yahweh says will happen when we do the right things.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:12
12 “Those from among you shall build the old waste places;
[They have got settlers in the land of Israel now, but it is not really what you would call peace.]
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. [If you will do the right things.]
Those are Yahweh’s words to the Southern Kingdom.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:13
13 [He says] “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your own pleasure on My set-apart day [His Sabbath, the way He says to do it],
And if you will call the Sabbath a delight,
[We could talk about the vast majority of brother Judah in the land of Israel that does not call His Sabbath a delight.]
The set-apart day of Yahweh honorable,
And shall honor Him,
Not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words…”
That is we should be hearing the voice of Yahweh and speaking according to it. That is why the apostle Shaul tells us that, mostly, we should seek the gift of prophecy. So that we hear the voice of Yahweh and speak according to it, not speaking our own words not doing our own will. Not finding our own pleasure, but dwelling in Yeshua. And Him in us, Him in the Father, and the Father in Him. So that lost and broken connection that was severed in the Garden of Eden can be restored.
Then, Yahweh promises the following.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:14
14 “Then you shall delight yourself in Yahweh;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, [not through a Global New World Order, not through the Masonic Lodge, not through the Coudenhove-Kalergi Plan and all these other plans for Global Depopulation.]
And feed you with the heritage of Yaakov your father.
The mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”
Because you are doing the right thing. Because you are a light to the Gentiles and not a yoke to the Gentiles.
Well, those are Yahweh’s words for our brothers in Judah. Ephraim has nothing to boast about. We have our own problems; we need to get our own house in order. First, we clean up our own room, we need to clean up our own backyard first. We take the log out of our own eyes before we go to take the speck out of our brother’s eye.
But if we will live according to the way that Yahweh wants us to live, we will learn to be this Proverbs 31 Bride. A bride who only does good, who works hard, extends her hand to the poor, reaches out, does all the good things, who builds her husband’s name in the community. Then He will want to take us to Him when He comes for his bride on the day of Yom Kippur (on the Day of Atonement).
We talked in the Yom Teruah study, and we are going to talk a lot more in the future about how the three pilgrimage feasts are symbolic of the three phases of the Ancient-Hebrew wedding ceremony. We have more information in the “Yom Teruah- The Day of Shouting” study, and we also have a partial book on the website about the Ancient Hebrew Wedding Ceremony. Father willing, someday we will get time to finish that. But until we get the videos done, if you prefer to read the studies, we have the partial book already on the Ancient Hebrew Marriage on the website.
But in the Ancient-Hebrew wedding there were three main phases. You could divide it into two phases, but there are two events close together, like the feasts of the first month. Then you have the events after the harvest season, or the feasts of the seventh month. In the feasts of the first month there are two phases that go together. They are tied to the first month. First, there was the match, which in Hebrew is called shiddukhin, and a match is called the shidduch. A good example of a shidduch is when Avraham sent his servant Eliezer to take a bride for his son Yitzhak (Isaac). So he found Rivka or (Rebecca) then they shared a covenantal meal, or a celebratory meal, together. And so in comparison, we had a Passover sacrifice in Egypt, and then we also had the Last Supper. These were types of shiddukhin, and they both had celebratory meals. You had the Passover meal, and you also had the Last Supper meal. That has to do with the selection of the bride. And just to mention again, Yeshua took His disciples to Himself, not just every believer. If we want to be part of His bride, we need to be one of His disciples. And there are plenty of rules for that, we talk about those in other places.
But then we also consider Pentecost to be an extension of the feast of the first month, because it is basically 50 days after the Wave Sheaf Offering.
So, after the match, then there is a public announcement of the match, a formal announcement of the wedding. That is called erusin. Now in today’s legal terms, a marriage becomes formal either at the consummation or it becomes formal when you go to file the papers with the government, or whatever. That is not how it is in Scripture. In Scripture, when you give your word, your word is supposed to be good. There is a lot of emphasis placed on a man being only as good as his word in Scripture. So when they announced the wedding, when they announced the match, that is when the marriage becomes lawful and binding.
Now, there can be a written document or a public witness. There was not really a public witness in the days of Eliezer because it all happened very quickly. But with both the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai (the law the covenant) and with the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts chapter 2 (or the testimony, the witness), these were both types of erusin. They were both types of formal engagement ceremonies. So the Torah was given effectively as a ketubah, and then the witness of the Spirit falling in Acts chapter 2, that is a manifestation of the Spirit, meaning that the wedding is formal.
But then the consummation is not yet, and as we said in our presentation on Yom Teruah, the bride will work on her wedding dress, and the groom will go back and prepare a room onto the father’s house where he and his bride shall live. This is why Yeshua says “I go to prepare a place for you, where I go, I shall bring you also.” Because that is where He is right now. Preparing a place for His bride. Then when the Father sees that all is done and everything is ready (traditionally at the end of the harvest season, but not necessarily) that is when the Father tells His Son (the Groom) everything is ready, now you can go get your bride.
So then the groom sends a herald ahead of him to announce his arrival with shofar blasts. We do not know but traditionally it might have been seven shofar blasts, seven being the number of perfection. And this was to alert the bride and her bridesmaids that the groom was coming. Traditionally this would take place on Yom Teruah. And then, as we know from the story, the bridesmaids would then trim their lamps and go out to meet the groom when he came, traditionally at Yom Kippur. That is when we are expecting Yeshua to return, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. That is when He takes the bride to Himself and delivers her from this earth. And then they all go back to the groom’s father’s house, where there is the consummation of the wedding.
And then there is a week-long wedding feast. And in that context, from the Jewish side of the house, if you have not read the Renewed Covenant you are really in for a treat. It is often said that when someone Jewish reads the Renewed Covenant, it is as if they are reading a totally different book than when a Christian reads it. Because a Christian reads the Renewed Covenant with basically gentile eyes, and they do not understand the symbolism. They do not understand the significance and the rich symbolism of all these things. But when someone Jewish reads the Renewed Covenant, they are understanding the traditions of all these things. They are understanding how these things fit together.
The Renewed Covenant it was not written in a vacuum. It was written by devout Jews, primarily for other devout Jews. Also to the gentiles, but primarily for devout Jews. So we have to read it effectively with Jewish eyes, or with Jewish lenses, you might say. Let us look at Matthew chapter 25 and the parable of the ten virgins.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 25:1-2
1 [Yeshua says] “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
A lot of people like to speculate that the ten virgins are a reference to the lost ten tribes of Israel, it very well could be. We will talk about that when we talk about the Two Houses.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 25:3-5
3 “Those who were foolish took their lamps but took no oil with them,
[Oil also being symbolic of the Spirit. In other words, they did not have enough of His spirit.]
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. [So the wise ones had plenty of His Spirit, they had as much oil (or as much Spirit) as they could bring.]
5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.”
So again, the bridegroom’s return is traditionally around midnight on Yom Kippur, which is 10 days after Yom Teruah, when the herald (shofar) sounds (possibly seven times).
Mattityahu (Matthew) 25:6-7
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.”
This is why it is a celebration. This is why we are supposed to celebrate the day of Yom Kippur. Even though it is a day of fasting, even though it is a day of affliction, it is a celebration. Because we are showing Him that we value Him much, much, more than the things of this world. That is why we do not work on this day, because we want to be there ready and waiting for Him when He comes.
Now, we will talk about this part more in our next section on “The Feast of Tabernacles”. But then, the bridegroom would come, take his bride back to his father’s house, and they would have the consummation and then the week-long wedding feast.
In ancient times there was a lot of emphasis placed upon the bride being a virgin. And this is where we get the teaching (or the Torah) of Deuteronomy chapter 22, verse 17, where the bride’s parents are told to keep the sheets of the wedding night, as proof of their daughter’s virginity. The sheets would be handed to the virgins who are the bride’s maids, and then the bride’s maids would take the sheets back to the bride’s parents and they would keep them for safekeeping. Back in those days, in the Torah, it was very important to be a virgin at the time of the wedding. And it is no less important today.
But even more important is the spiritual concept of being a virgin. That is why it is so important that we raise our children to understand His ways. We will talk a lot more about that in future studies as well.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 25:8-9
8 “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil [or some of your Spirit], for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
[How am I going to give you of the Spirit? You have to get the Spirit for yourself! I cannot give you the Spirit. I cannot give you my Spirit, you have to go get the Spirit for yourself.]”
Now, this is next part is very important.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 25:10-13
10 “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying ‘Adon! Adon! Open to us!’ [Master! Master! Open Up!]
12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
[Because to those who have, more will be given, and to those who do not have, even what they have will be taken away from them.]
13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
So, you can learn more about the technical details of the Feast of Yom Kippur in The Torah Calendar study. And you can also learn about the prophetic details of Yom Kippur in Revelation and the End Times. There is a second part also that I would love to put on video, Father willing. Please pray for it, I think there is just some amazing information in that study that everyone needs to know. Father willing well get time to put it out on video and also in book format. But right now (in 2021) we believe we are in the time frame of the sixth seal. At this time we are waiting for the sky to recede like a scroll, and after the sky recedes like a scroll then comes the sealing of the hundred-and-forty-four thousand. Then also comes the half-hour of silence in heaven. As we explain in the Revelation study, if you run the numbers and do the math, it is 20 years and 10 months. That is when the New World Order is set up and Solidified. At that time, everything will look like it is going better and better for brother Judah and the New World Order.
But at the end of that 20 years and 10 months, that is when the seven years of tribulation begins. And the second half is the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, which we saw in Isaiah 58. That is when brother Judah is going to pray and fast to make his voice heard on high. Not just abstaining from food and water, not putting on a show. But actual fasting, actual praying, actual affliction of his soul.
Well, as we show in the Revelation study, at the end of that time comes the judgment on Babylon, and the Seven Cups (bowls or vials) of Judgment are poured out. So, we have the seven trumpets that announce the bridegroom’s return, then we have the seven cups of judgment, and then comes Armageddon. As we also see in the Revelation study, Armageddon is the wedding feast. That is Gog 1 of Ezekiel 39, and Gog 2 is actually Ezekiel 38. We explain all that in the Revelation study. They are reversed, so as to seal them up until the time of the end. Well brothers and sisters, guess what. We are coming into the times-of-the-end. Yahweh is revealing things to His people.
If we are going to wait until the trumpet is sounded before we get our oil, it is going to be too late. We have got time right now. It is time for us to be serious, It is time for us to get as much of His Spirit as we can get, It is time to gather that oil. So that in the day the announcement comes, and the shofars are sounded, that we have that oil to take with us to go down and meet the Bridegroom when He comes.
If we are hoping to be His Proverbs 31 Bride, then these are the things we need to do, and the ways that we need to be doing them. It is time to gather that oil, So may we please all take these things to heart, that we will have enough oil in our lamps in that day.
May the Father be with us all, Amein.