Those who know me understand the importance I place on quality bread. I started making bread from organic, stone ground flour and from ancient grains seven years ago. However, at the time, I didn’t realize the significance of bread concerning the ancient people of Yahweh, and His instructions regarding bread. Also, there are many instances of bread used as symbolism concerning the Word of God, the body of Jesus, and the comparison of bread being a life giving gift of Yahweh through Jesus, the bread of life. In the very beginning of humanity, bread is shown being part of Adam’s new life outside the garden of Eden after rebelling against Yahweh’s one instruction to not eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Gen 3:17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
Gen 3:18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
Gen 3:19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

The Hebrew word for bread is Strong’s H3898, which implies waging war, and the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon likens the war to that of kneading bread.

H3898
לָחַם
lâcham
law-kham’
A primitive root; to feed on; figuratively to consume; by implication to battle (as destruction): – devour, eat, X ever, fight (-ing), overcome, prevail, (make) war (-ring).

H3899
H3899 = AHLB# 2305 (N)
2305) Flour and water are mixed together and kneaded. Also war in the sense of fighting with the bread when kneading. [from: mh – food]

With food shortages likely in the future, the inordinate weather patterns and the corruption of wholesome food by methods of mass production and greed, I have been wondering how to maintain my supply of raw materials to make bread. In order to make bread a person needs grain and a way to grind it into flour. These thoughts I have are inspired by the following verse in Deuteronomy:

Deu 24:6 “No one shall take a mill or an upper millstone in pledge, for that would be taking a life in pledge.

Written in the instruction given to us to live a successful life on earth by Yahweh, יהוה, is the command that we are not to take someone’s millstone as a payment or pledge. This is the means of a person producing their daily bread from grain, and ability to eat. So, if we are not to take this away from someone, how much more important is it to possess one in the first place?

Yahweh gave two outcomes for his people regarding how they treat the instructions he gave them. The first outcome is blessings for obedience.

Lev 26:1 “You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God.
Lev 26:2 You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
Lev 26:3 “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them,
Lev 26:4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Lev 26:5 Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely.

On a side note, verse two mentions keeping His Sabbaths, which is plural, meaning the days he set apart, not just the weekly Sabbath. Please see What are he Feasts of the Lord, יהוה? for more information on that subject.

The alternate outcome for not obeying Yahweh’s instruction is also given, and clearly the path the majority of people on earth continue to take.

Lev 26:14 “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments,
Lev 26:15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant,
Lev 26:16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

Lev 26:25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute vengeance for the covenant. And if you gather within your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
Lev 26:26 When I break your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven and shall dole out your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.

Since we are focusing on bread, I have only included the verses that are relevant. What describes mass produced, highly processed, bleached, chemical injected bread, better than Leviticus 26:26? “When I break your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven and shall dole out your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.”. As of late bread has been accused of causing heart disease, but pure bread will not do this as we see recorded in scripture. Notice here also, that wine was given by Yahweh “to gladden the heart of man”, where bread was given to “strengthen man’s heart.

Psa 104:14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth
Psa 104:15 and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

I believe this is literally true, but it also has a deeper meaning. The bread and wine are used throughout scripture. The high priest of Yahweh, Melchizedek brings out the bread and wine after Abram’s war of the nine kings.

Gen 14:17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)
Gen 14:19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
Gen 14:20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

In an extra-biblical text named Jasher, there is much more on the life of Abraham. The book gets more archeological and historical support as we keep learning; however, many still discredit the book. Here is the part where Melchizedek arrives in the book of Jasher, and in this account he is named as Shem, the son of Noah.

And Adoniy-Tsedeq king of Yerushalayim, the same was Shem, went out with his men to meet Avram and his people, with bread and wine, and they remained together in the valley of Melek. And Adoniy-Tsedeq blessed Avram, and Avram gave him a tenth from all that he had brought from the spoil of his enemies, for Adoniy-Tsedeq was a priest before ELOHIYM. YASHAR (JASHER) 16:11-12 את CEPHER

Melchizedek is often referred to as a proper name, a mysterious person who has no beginning or end, and some will say that this is actually Jesus meeting with Abram. This is possible, but more likely Melchizedek is a title of priest and King, an established order separate from the Levite priest system, where Jesus is the first and final holder of the title. We can see in scripture more on Melchizedek.

Psa 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
Psa 110:2 The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!
Psa 110:3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.
Psa 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Psa 110:5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
Psa 110:6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.
Psa 110:7 He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.

If we look at the word Melchizedek in Hebrew, it is actually two words: Strong’s H4428, Melek, מלכ, which translates to king, and Strong’s H6664, צדק, which translates to righteousness, justness, and of law just to name a few definitions.

H4442
מלכּי־צדק
malkı̂ẏtsedeq
BDB Definition:
Melchizedek = “my king is Sedek”
1) king of Salem and priest of the Most High God to whom Abram paid tithe after the battle he fought to free Lot; ‘the order of Melchizedek’ the order of the priesthood to which Christ belongs

H4428
מלך
melek
BDB Definition:
1) king

H6664
צדק
tsedeq
BDB Definition:
1) justice, rightness, righteousness
1a) what is right or just or normal, rightness, justness (of weights and measures)
1b) righteousness (in government)
1b1) of judges, rulers, kings
1b2) of law
1b3) of Davidic king, Messiah
1b4) of Jerusalem as seat of just government
1b5) of God’s attribute
1c) righteousness, justice (in case or cause)
1d) rightness (in speech)
1e) righteousness (as ethically right)
1f) righteousness (as vindicated), justification (in controversy), deliverance, victory, prosperity
1f1) of God as covenant-keeping in redemption
1f2) in name of Messianic king
1f3) of people enjoying salvation
1f4) of Cyrus

The writer of Hebrews plainly tells us it is Jesus who now holds position of Melchizedek, and that it is a priestly order.

Heb 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 5:1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
Heb 5:2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.
Heb 5:3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people.
Heb 5:4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
Heb 5:5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”;
Heb 5:6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
Heb 5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
Heb 5:8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
Heb 5:10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

This is where we get the title of king and priest for Melchizedek, moreover, Jacob prophesies over Judah this very thing. Jesus fulfills this prophecy by being the king, law giver and high priest.

Gen 49:8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
Gen 49:9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Gen 49:11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
Gen 49:12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

Jesus, our high priest in heaven, speaks much of bread and uses it to discuss topics of great depth. The day after feeding the five thousand with just a few loaves and fish, many of the people return to hear Jesus.

Joh 6:26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
Joh 6:27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
Joh 6:28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
Joh 6:30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?
Joh 6:31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Joh 6:32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Joh 6:34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Joh 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Joh 6:36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
Joh 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
Joh 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Joh 6:52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Joh 6:53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Joh 6:54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
Joh 6:56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
Joh 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

The people didn’t understand the bread Jesus was speaking of. He would shed his blood and give his body for the sin of the world. Many of them left when they heard him say these things. He explains more before he becomes the sacrificial lamb at Passover.

Luk 22:14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him.
Luk 22:15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
Luk 22:16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
Luk 22:17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves.
Luk 22:18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
Luk 22:19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Luk 22:20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

The bread He gives is his life and the wine is his shed blood. This is the new covenant He established with those who are willing to join Him. Please see my blog Lost Identity and the New Covenant for more on this subject. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”, but how do we believe? James said, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe”. Jesus tells us how, and that he will send His Spirit to help us.

Joh 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
Joh 14:17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
Joh 14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Joh 14:19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
Joh 14:20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
Joh 14:21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Joh 14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
Joh 14:24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

Paul tells us natural man cannot discern the things of Yahweh God without His Spirit. That is why the things of Yahweh or Yah (יה) are foolishness to those without God.

1Co 2:6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.
1Co 2:7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
1Co 2:8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1Co 2:9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
1Co 2:10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
1Co 2:11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
1Co 2:13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
1Co 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.
1Co 2:16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

How do we get this Wisdom from God and partake in the new covenant, and eat the bread of life? We ask for it, just as Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew.

Mat 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Mat 7:8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Mat 7:9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
Mat 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
Mat 7:11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Bread comes from grains and we get a glimpse into the future with more scripture from John the Baptist who was calling for repentance and preparing the way for Jesus.

Mat 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
Mat 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Mat 3:3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
Mat 3:4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
Mat 3:5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him,
Mat 3:6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Mat 3:8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
Mat 3:9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
Mat 3:10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Mat 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Mat 3:12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

What John was speaking of is the coming great day of the LORD or Yahweh, יהוה. The event is spoken of in the book of Revelation and also by many of the Old Testament prophets. It is when the wheat is separated from the chaff, and in Revelation the analogy is switched to the pressing of the grapes in the wine press of God’s wrath. In verse 14 and 15 the son of man, Jesus, is likely gathering his wheat into the barn.

Rev 14:14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Rev 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”
Rev 14:16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Rev 14:17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.”
Rev 14:19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

Who would have thought that bread and wheat would play such an important role in our lives?

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How well do we take care of the people around us? Many I know personally are very generous, but I have run into a person or two who believe the responsibility for taking care of people’s needs belongs to someone else. My favorite dialogue is in the movie A Christmas Carol , and it goes like this:

“At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge, … it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir.”

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“Plenty of prisons…”
Scrooge: “And the Union workhouses, are they still in operation?”
“Both very busy, sir…”
“Those who are badly off must go there.”
“Many can’t go there; and many would rather die.”
Scrooge: “If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”

Looking to the scriptures, we see there is much to say about this situation, and how one is supposed to act. In the Torah, which is simply the instructions Yahweh gave us to live by and prosper on Earth, there are these instructions.

Deu 15:7 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother,
Deu 15:8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.
Deu 15:9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin.
Deu 15:10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.
Deu 15:11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

According to this, there will always exist those in need. There doesn’t appear to be conditions that seem to matter as to how the person became wanting, just the requirement to help as needed. Jesus also reaffirmed there will always be those in need.

Matthew 26:11 “For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.”

Next, we see Jesus talking with a rich person about how he may obtain eternal life. First, he tells him to follow the commandments, and after the man says he has done all of that, Jesus tells him to sell everything and give it to the poor.

Mat 19:16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
Mat 19:17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
Mat 19:18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mat 19:20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”
Mat 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Mat 19:22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

An early church father, Origen, speaks of a Gospel of Hebrews, which he had access to, and it revealed more to this story. After the rich man said he has kept the commandments, according to Origen, in the Gospel of the Hebrews, Jesus answers him, “How can you say, ‘I have done the law and the prophets’, since it is written in the law: love your neighbour as yourself; and behold, your many brothers , who are sons of Abraham, are covered in dung, dying from hunger, while your house is filled with many good things, and not one of the good things goes out to them.”. Unfortunately, the only text available from the Gospel of the Hebrews today is that which Origen sites.

Looking at the early church, an early church father Tertullian, sheds some light on how the early church handled giving. This is from Tertullian’s Apology, chapter 38 written to the Roman Emperor.

The tried men of our elders preside over us, obtaining that honour not by purchase, but by established character. There is no buying and selling of any sort in the things of God. Though we have our treasure-chest, it is not made up of purchase-money, as of a religion that has its price. On the monthly day, if he likes, each puts in a small donation; but only if it be his pleasure, and only if he be able: for there is no compulsion; all is voluntary. These gifts are, as it were, piety’s deposit fund. For they are not taken thence and spent on feasts, and drinking-bouts, and eating-houses, but to support and bury poor people, to supply the wants of boys and girls destitute of means and parents, and of old persons confined now to the house; such, too, as have suffered shipwreck; and if there happen to be any in the mines, or banished to the islands, or shut up in the prisons, for nothing but their fidelity to the cause of God’s Church, they become the nurslings of their confession.

That sounds quite different than what we see today, with often 80% of church budgets going into just sustaining themselves. What would these Christians of the first three centuries, who had to conceal their meetings and faith to survive, think of massive building projects, cathedrals, and all the luxury of modern churches, when there are people going without daily necessities all around them?

Paul also gives us an example of giving, and that the purpose is to feed the hungry. He quotes Psalms 112:9, “He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor”.

2Co 9:6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
2Co 9:7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
2Co 9:9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
2Co 9:10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

Do we give to receive a tax deduction? It is something that the government allows today; however, are we bound by their rules in succumbing to such a system? What does Jesus say about paying the tax? What would giving be like if all of a sudden we had to compromise our beliefs in order to receive a tax receipt? What if this very thing has already happened?

Mat 22:17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
Mat 22:18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?
Mat 22:19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.
Mat 22:20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
Mat 22:21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Mat 22:22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Now, let’s look at what Jesus calls the greatest commandments.

Mat 22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
Mat 22:37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the great and first commandment.
Mat 22:39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus is not stating anything new here. He is quoting from the instructions Yahweh God gave to us.

Lev 19:18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Deu 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Deu 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deu 6:6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

Strong’s H8085, which is translated as the English word hear, has much more depth in meaning than to simply hear as the English word implies. The definition of the word pronounced shema, שמע, means to hear, listen and obey. This is what James is speaking of.

H8085
שׁמע
shâma‛
BDB Definition:
1) to hear, listen to, obey (verb)
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to hear (perceive by ear)
1a2) to hear of or concerning
1a3) to hear (have power to hear)
1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to
1a5) to understand (language)
1a6) to hear (of judicial cases)
1a7) to listen, give heed
1a7a) to consent, agree
1a7b) to grant request
1a8) to listen to, yield to
1a9) to obey, be obedient

Jas 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
Jas 1:24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
Jas 1:25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

In regards to faith and works, James uses this very issue of taking care of people in need, to demonstrate what having faith in Yahweh God looks like. Faith without following Yahweh’s commandments is dead on arrival.

Jas 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
Jas 2:16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
Jas 2:17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Jas 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Jas 2:19  You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 

Where we find ourselves today is likened to the church of Laodicea. We think we are in great shape but the truth is slipping away.

Rev 3:14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
Rev 3:15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!
Rev 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
Rev 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

We are to buy gold refined by fire, so we can be clothed and get ointment for our eyes, so we are no longer blinded to the truth of His word. Is this partly the meaning of the parable of the wedding feast?

Mat 22:1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,
Mat 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,
Mat 22:3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.
Mat 22:4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’
Mat 22:5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,
Mat 22:6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.
Mat 22:7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
Mat 22:8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.
Mat 22:9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’
Mat 22:10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Mat 22:11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.
Mat 22:12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

How can we obtain this gold Jesus is speaking of to the Apostle John? Hear and do the commandments. Clothe the naked and feed the hungry. Also, Peter tells us our trials our more precious than gold refined by fire.

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1Pe 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
1Pe 1:7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1Pe 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
1Pe 1:9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
1Pe 1:11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
1Pe 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
1Pe 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
1Pe 1:15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
1Pe 1:16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Where is Peter quoting scripture from when he says “since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”? It is from Leviticus regarding eating clean. Would Peter cite a verse regarding being holy and talking about obedience, that in context references knowing the difference between what Yahweh declared good to eat (clean), and not good to eat, ( unclean), if the expectation was anything other than to be obedient and holy, like Yahweh, so we would not eat anything He declares unclean?

Lev 11:44 For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.
Lev 11:45 For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
Lev 11:46 This is the law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground,
Lev 11:47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.

So often we hear the verses in Malachi about bringing the tithe to the storehouse and robbing God. If we read the entire chapter we get more than discussion of the tithe. We should also look at what the tithe consists of. We see Abram giving a tithe to the Priest of the most high God after the war of the kings.

Gen 14:17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)
Gen 14:19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
Gen 14:20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

The subject of the tithe is enormous, and my purpose here is to just make some of the scriptures known that discuss it. We get more information in Leviticus about what the tithe was at that time.

Lev 27:30 “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD.
Lev 27:31 If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it.
Lev 27:32 And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the LORD.
Lev 27:33 One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.”
Lev 27:34 These are the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.

As we keep looking, we see that the tithe was to be given to the Levite for their service in the temple, and also because they received no inheritance. This next passage also shows that the Levites were to tithe a portion of what they received.

Num 18:24 For the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel.”
Num 18:25 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Num 18:26 “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the LORD, a tithe of the tithe.
Num 18:27 And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.
Num 18:28 So you shall also present a contribution to the LORD from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the LORD’s contribution to Aaron the priest.

One additional passage sheds more light on the subject. The tithe appears to be given every three years.

Deu 26:12 “When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled,
Deu 26:13 then you shall say before the LORD your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.

Now let’s look at the chapters in Malachi, where we see the verse referencing robbing God. Malachi starts out by Yahweh God upbraiding the priests for bringing unsatisfactory offerings to him.

Mal 1:6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’
Mal 1:7 By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the LORD’s table may be despised.
Mal 1:8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 1:9 And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 1:10 Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.

Yahweh continues talking to the priests about their faulty offerings.

Mal 2:1 “And now, O priests, this command is for you.
Mal 2:2 If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.
Mal 2:3 Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it.
Mal 2:4 So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts.

Mal 2:17 You have wearied the LORD with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

Sometimes we give tithes much like the priests with their lame and blind animals, worshiping with our lips and not in action, giving money, but not our hearts, as a type of indulgence offering.

Mal 3:1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
Mal 3:3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.
Mal 3:4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
Mal 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.
Mal 3:7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
Mal 3:8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.
Mal 3:9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
Mal 3:10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
Mal 3:11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:13 “Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’
Mal 3:14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts?
Mal 3:15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”

Mal 4:1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
Mal 4:2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
Mal 4:3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.
Mal 4:4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.
Mal 4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
Mal 4:6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

After reading chapters three and four, is the take away only about robbing Yahweh God of tithes or are we robbing him of much more? Are we giving him the lame and blind offerings, ignoring His commands and statues , which were given to all of Israel, not just to the tribe of Judah or “the Jews”? He says return to him, keep his statutes and commands, remember the law of Moses and be blessed. Give to those in need, feed the hungry, hear and do the commandments.

Feature picture taken by Emma Vail in Bristol Virginia.

• 
  Who is “God”?
• 
  When God’s Hand Protects His People
• 
  Idolatry: The Love of God is not about Land
• 
  Go Ahead, Destroy the Earth
• 
  Jesus: The Prophet Like Moses

Matthew 12:39: “But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. And there shall be no sign given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Matthew 12:40: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so the Son of Man shall be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

When Jesus said he would be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights, did he mean to say Friday night, Saturday day and Saturday night, or are we just interpreting this with a Roman mindset and calendar? Did the early church celebrate Good Friday or Easter? In order to better understand, we need to define a day and night, Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the type of calendar Jesus was using. We will start by establishing day and night.

Gen 1:5 And God called the light, Day. And He called the darkness, Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

We use the Gregorian calendar, where a day begins and ends at midnight. With the Hebraic calendar, a day begins and ends at sundown. So, Friday would start on Thursday at sundown, and stop Friday at sundown, which would start Saturday. One night, sundown Thursday to sunup on Friday, one day, sunup Friday until sundown on Friday. Next, we have to understand יהוה God’s feast days.

Lev 23:4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover.
Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
Lev 23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
Lev 23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

When you see all capitals, LORD, in Bible translations, it is a substitution for his name, יהוה. Pronunciation is not clear, but Josephus, a first century historian, claims it is four vowel sounds in his War of the Jews book five, chapter five. The preface of modern Bibles usually explains LORD is a substitution for יהוה, that happens over 6000 times. It could be pronounced Ee-ah-ew-ah, ee-oh-wa-ah, like Iowa for example. So when the scripture says, “These are the feasts of the LORD”, it really says “These are the feasts of יהוה”. Please see my blog What’s in a name for more on this.

Lev 23:14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

Lev 23:13 is speaking of the feast of First Fruits. “Forever” here, is the Hebrew word, עלם, Strong’s H5769, olam, which means eternity, always was, is, and will be. This is all important to understand three days and three nights. When we get to the days before Jesus death, we will see we are at the feasts of Passover, Unleavened bread and First Fruits.

Mat 20:17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
Mat 20:18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
Mat 20:19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Mat 26:17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
Mat 26:18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.

Mar 15:6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
Mar 15:7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.

Joh 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Joh 19:32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.

Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover.
Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
Lev 23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

The first day spoke of in Lev 23:7 is the Sabbath spoke of in John 19:31. It was not a regular seventh day Sabbath, but the first day of Unleavened Bread, a high Sabbath. Thankfully, John clarified which Sabbath was being spoke of that Jesus was buried before, the high Sabbath of Unleavened bread. This clears up when they rested, when they bought spices and when they went to the tomb and found that Jesus was not there.

Luk 23:53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.
Luk 23:54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
Luk 23:55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.

Mar 16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.

Luk 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

So to summarize what we know so far, Jesus ate with the disciples the evening of the 14th day (Sunset of the 13th day), prayed in the garden after supper, was arrested, brought before Pilot, and put on the cross on the day of Passover, dying with the sacrificial lambs, then being taken off the cross before sundown, which would start the first day of Unleavened Bread, a high sabbath day, the 15th day of the month. They rested on the 15th day, high sabbath of Unleavened Bread, and taking Mark 16:1 into consideration, the spices were obtained and prepared, likely returning day two to anoint the body. It was not until after day three, the weekly Sabbath, did they go to the tomb to find it empty. Therefore, Jesus rose on the weekly Sabbath before sundown, which completed the three days and three nights.

Mat 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
Mat 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
Mat 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
Mat 28:4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
Mat 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
Mat 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Here, the two Mary’s came to the tomb after the weekly Sabbath, early Sunday morning. If Jesus rose at the end of the Sabbath day, then he would have been put in the tomb on Wednesday at the end of Passover, before Unleavened Bread, stayed Wednesday night, Thursday day, Thursday night, Friday day, Friday night, Saturday day, giving us the three days and three nights that are required. It is difficult to reconcile the traditional Roman Friday evening burial and a Sunday morning resurrection, given the passages of scripture we looked at, taking in account two sabbaths during Unleavened Bread, and maintaining three days and three nights, the only sign Jesus gave. Jesus also defined a “day” for us.

Joh 11:9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
Joh 11:10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

Luk 24:45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
Luk 24:46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
Luk 24:47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

So how did we loose track of the feasts of God that are forever, and not take Jesus at his word that he would be in the grave three days and three nights? Below is a letter from Constantine, the Roman emperor, to all the Bishops who couldn’t make it to the Concil at Nice in 325AD.

On the Keeping of Easter.
From the Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at the Council.
(Found in Eusebius, Vita Const., Lib. iii., 18–20.)
When the question relative to the sacred festival of Easter arose, it was universally thought that it would be convenient that all should keep the feast on one day; for what could be more beautiful and more desirable, than to see this festival, through which we receive the hope of immortality, celebrated by all with one accord, and in the same manner? It was declared to be particularly unworthy for this, the holiest of all festivals, to follow the custom [the calculation] of the Jews, who had soiled their hands with the most fearful of crimes, and whose minds were blinded. In rejecting their custom,113 we may transmit to our descendants the legitimate mode of celebrating Easter, which we have observed from the time of the Saviour’s Passion to the present day [according to the day of the week]. We ought not, therefore, to have anything in common with the Jews, for the Saviour has shown us another way; our worship follows a more legitimate and more convenient course (the order of the days of the week); and consequently, in unanimously adopting this mode, we desire, dearest brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews, for it is truly shameful for us to hear them boast that without their direction we could not keep this feast. How can they be in the right, they who, after the death of the Saviour, have no longer been led by reason but by wild violence, as their delusion may urge them? They do not possess the truth in this Easter question; for, in their blindness and repugnance to all improvements, they frequently celebrate two passovers in the same year. We could not imitate those who are openly in error. How, then, could we follow these Jews, who are most certainly blinded by error? for to celebrate the passover twice in one year is totally inadmissible. But even if this were not so, it would still be your duty not to tarnish your soul by communications with such wicked people [the Jews]. Besides, consider well, that in such an important matter, and on a subject of such great solemnity, there ought not to be any division. Our Saviour has left us only one festal day of our redemption, that is to say, of his holy passion, and he desired [to establish] only one Catholic Church.

In the first Canon of the Fathers assembled at Antioch in 341 AD, they proclaimed everyone must celebrate Easter as the Emperor declared, not as the Jews did, or be excommunicated. It is worth noting that Easter is a made up English word from early translators around the fourteenth century. The word Paschae is the Latin word, which is translated Passover in English. Paschae would have been the word used in these Roman canons that has been translated to Easter. The emperor was not battling “Jews” here so much as he was trying to stamp out earlier followers of Jesus who still kept the feasts and sabbaths as the apostles and Jesus modelled.

The Canons of the Blessed and Holy Fathers Assembled at Antioch in Syria.167 Canon I.
Whosoever shall presume to set aside the decree of the holy and great Synod which was
assembled at Nice in the presence of the pious Emperor Constantine, beloved of God, concerning the holy and salutary feast of Easter; if they shall obstinately persist in opposing what was [then] rightly ordained, let them be excommunicated and cast out of the Church; this is said concerning the laity. But if anyone of those who preside in the Church, whether he be bishop, presbyter, or deacon, shall presume, after this decree, to exercise his own private judgment to the subversion of the people and to the disturbance of the churches, by observing Easter [at the same time] with the Jews, the holy Synod decrees that he shall thenceforth be an alien from the Church, as one who not only heaps sins upon himself, but who is also the cause of destruction and subversion to many; and it deposes not only such persons themselves from their ministry, but those also who after their deposition shall pre- sume to communicate with them. And the deposed shall be deprived even of that external honour, of which the holy Canon and God’s priesthood partake.

After years of debate for the placing of Easter, it finally got placed on the Sunday after the first full moon that occurs after the spring equinox. It will usually fall on the Feast of First Fruits, which occurs the Sunday after the regular sabbath during the week of Unleavened Bread. Therefore, celebrating Jesus as the first fruits of the resurrection, even though those who set the dates, and most of those celebrating Easter today, neither know nor care. Please read my blog, What are the Feasts of the Lord, יהוה?

1Co 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
1Co 5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For also Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast; not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1Co 15:19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
1Co 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1Co 15:21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
1Co 15:24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

In these above passages, Paul is shown keeping feasts by the letter and by the spirit of the law. So we can physically not eat leavened bread during the feast of Unleavened Bread, and spiritually not partake in “old leaven” continually, operating in the Spirit. Next, Paul tells us Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection. For those that would say he keeps the feasts because he is Jewish, Paul says himself there is neither Jew or Greek, we are all Abraham’s seed.

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Some try to use this following verse in Galatians to say that Paul was upbraiding the Galatians for observing God’s feast days.

Gal 4:8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.
Gal 4:9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
Gal 4:10 You observe days and months and seasons and years!
Gal 4:11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

The church father, Socrates in the fifth century wrote the following: (The Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers Series II Volume II)

Book V, Chapter XXII.—The Author’s Views respecting the Celebration of Easter, Baptism, Fasting, Marriage, the Eucharist, and Other Ecclesiastical Rites.
“As we have touched the subject I deem it not unreasonable to say a few words concerning Easter. It appears to me that neither the ancients nor moderns who have affected to follow the Jews, have had any rational foundation for contending so obstinately about it. For they have not taken into consideration the fact that when Judaism was changed into Christianity, the obligation to observe the Mosaic law and the ceremonial types ceased. And the proof of the matter is plain; for no law of Christ permits Christians to imitate the Jews. On the contrary the apostle expressly forbids it; not only rejecting circumcision, but also deprecating conten- tion about festival days. In his epistle to the Galatians768 he writes, ‘Tell me ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?’ And continuing his train of argument, he demonstrates that the Jews were in bondage as servants, but that those who have come to Christ are ‘called into the liberty of sons.’769 Moreover he exhorts them in no way to regard ‘days, and months, and years.”

The problem with this theory is first, both Jesus and Paul kept the feasts, and second, the Galatians were not Jews. As he said, “Formerly, when you did not know God”. The Galatians were of the nations who were serving other gods, “the weak elementary principles of the world”. Does anyone suspect Paul would call God’s law, ordinances and precepts weak and worthless? First, let’s show Paul keeping feasts again:

Act 18:20 When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;
Act 18:21 But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.

Next, let’s discuss the days, months and years the Galatians were going back to. It could not be God’s feast days because they couldn’t return to something they never celebrated in the first place. The word for elementary is Strong’s G4747.

G4747
στοιχεῖον
stoicheion
Thayer Definition:
1) any first thing, from which the others belonging to some series or composite whole take their rise, an element, first principal
1a) the letters of the alphabet as the elements of speech, not however the written characters, but the spoken sounds
1b) the elements from which all things have come, the material causes of the universe
1c) the heavenly bodies, either as parts of the heavens or (as others think) because in them the elements of man, life and destiny were supposed to reside
1d) the elements, rudiments, primary and fundamental principles of any art, science, or discipline

The stoicheion were the heavenly bodies in this case. Also, the elements of water, air, fire etc. A study of the stoicheion and Galatians would include talking about fairies and even leprechauns. The Galatians were Celtic peoples. The antinomians, those who are against God’s commands, precepts and laws, want to use these verses to show Paul is advocating lawlessness, just as Peter warned:

2Pe 3:14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
2Pe 3:15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
2Pe 3:16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
2Pe 3:17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

There were also Jews who were convincing the Galatians that salvation had to be obtained through circumcision. This is equally wrong as salvation is obtained through faith, not by circumcision or any other one of God’s laws. We follow God’s laws because of our faith, salvation, obedience and the Spirit living inside of us. Again, Paul would never refer to God’s laws as weak and worthless. In Romans he calls them righteous and good.

Rom 7:12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Rom 7:13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”. Jesus was the Passover lamb, sacrificed on Passover, and resurrecting three days and three nights later to be the first fruits of the resurrection. Jesus was the only lamb without blemish. The inspection of the Passover lambs was described in Exodus.

Exo 12:3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household.
Exo 12:4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,
Exo 12:6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

If the lambs were picked on the tenth day, that was four days before the death of Jesus on the 14th day which was Passover. What was Jesus doing four days before he would die at the close of the 14th? He was being inspected during the triumphal entry.

Joh 12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

Joh 12:12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
Joh 12:13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
Joh 12:14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
Joh 12:15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

What is this word Hosanna they were shouting? Strong’s G5614; related words of Hebrew origin H3467 and H4994. If you put the two together it is Yahshana in Hebrew, or ישענא.

G5614
ὡσαννά
hōsanna
Thayer Definition:
1) hosanna
2) be propitious
Part of Speech: interjection
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: of Hebrew origin H3467 and H4994

H3467
ישׁע
yâsha‛
BDB Definition:
1) to save, be saved, be delivered
1a) (Niphal)
1a1) to be liberated, be saved, be delivered
1a2) to be saved (in battle), be victorious
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to save, deliver
1b2) to save from moral troubles
1b3) to give victory to

H4994
נא
nâ’
BDB Definition:
1) I (we) pray, now, please
1a) used in entreaty or exhortation

I discuss the name of Jesus and how it is the transliterated name of Joshua in the Greek in my blog, What’s in a name. Jesus’ Hebrew name was Yahshua, יהושוע, which means the salvation of Yahweh, יהוה. The Apostle John describes a scene in Revelation that shows the Lamb was the only one worthy of opening the book because he was slain and was able to redeem.

Rev 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
Rev 5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
Rev 5:3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Rev 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Rev 5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

I realize that by discussing this, I am not only going against the Roman emperor, I am also questioning Roman law and facing 1695 years of the church’s tradition of the Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection. I am suggesting that as those who are followers of Jesus, we are no longer under the bondage of Roman law, and are not required to keep Roman canons. This is what Jesus says about replacing the commandments of Yahweh with the traditions of men and teaching them as doctrine.

Mat 15:1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
Mat 15:2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
Mat 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

Mat 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

The Bible pictured belonged to Laughlin P. Farris, (December 23, 1843 – December 9, 1925) from White’s Cove, New Brunswick, Canada.

Please check out some of my other blog posts.

• Who is “God”?
• When God’s Hand Protects His People
• Idolatry: The Love of God is not about Land
• Go Ahead, Destroy the Earth
• Jesus: The Prophet Like Moses

What is the new covenant and who is it with? If you are a Christian or were raised attending Sunday school, you have likely heard of the new covenant. Many times, terms are mentioned that were taught about years ago, and now, it is just assumed everyone knows what they mean, when in fact, many times they have just became terms no one really understands or cares about. If you go to church now, you may hear the phrase new covenant during communion or thrown about in a sermon. So the intent here is to define the new covenant based on scripture. Once we do that, it will raise some questions many of us in the church have never been asked. If a person does a search in the bible for the phrase new covenant, the first place we find the term is in Jeremiah.

Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Here the LORD Yahweh, tells us the new covenant is with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, and the problem with the old covenant, given at Mount Horeb, was that they broke it. The reference to marriage between Yahweh and his set apart or holy people is consistent through scripture. Yahweh goes on to say he will put his law in the inward parts and write it in the hearts of his people. So based on this scripture, the new covenant is with two people groups: the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Jesus mentions the new covenant at the last supper, which was presumably the Passover meal with his disciples.

Luk 22:14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him.
Luk 22:15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
Luk 22:16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
Luk 22:17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves.
Luk 22:18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
Luk 22:19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Luk 22:20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

The writer of Hebrews, who is thought to be Paul or possibly Barnabas, also speaks of the new covenant. He quotes Jeremiah essentially word for word, also adding commentary.

Heb 8:6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.
Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
Heb 8:8 For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
Heb 8:9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
Heb 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

After reading these verses in Hebrews, we can conclude the following:

• The new covenant is better than the old.
• The new covenant is still with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
• The problem with the old covenant came from the fault of the people it was with.
• The old covenant is obsolete.

In order to understand these points, we have to answer the following questions:

• What is a covenant?
• Who are the two people groups; house of Israel and house of Judah?
• What was the old covenant?
• What was done to cause the old covenant to become obsolete?

The word covenant used in the letter to the Hebrews is Strong’s G1242. The Hebrew word for covenant in Jeremiah is Strong’s H1285. Based on these two words and their definitions, we can conclude a covenant is a constitution, pledge or arrangement between two entities, in this case between Yahweh and a group of people.

G1242
διαθήκη
diathēkē
Thayer Definition:
1) a disposition, arrangement, of any sort, which one wishes to be valid, the last disposition which one makes of his earthly possessions after his death, a testament or will
2) a compact, a covenant, a testament
2a) God’s covenant with Noah, etc.
Part of Speech: noun feminine

H1285
בּרית
berı̂yth
BDB Definition:
1) covenant, alliance, pledge
1a) between men
1a1) treaty, alliance, league (man to man)
1a2) constitution, ordinance (monarch to subjects)
1a3) agreement, pledge (man to man)
1a4) alliance (of friendship)
1a5) alliance (of marriage)
1b) between God and man
1b1) alliance (of friendship)
1b2) covenant (divine ordinance with signs or pledges)

The people groups these covenants are made with are not hard to define. The new covenant is with the house of Judah and the house of Israel as described in Jeremiah and the letter to the Hebrews. In Jeremiah, Yahweh says the following concerning who he made the old covenant with, “Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:”. So the old covenant was with the fathers of the house of Israel and the house of Judah who he brought out of Egypt. It should be clear that this is speaking of the twelve tribes of Israel, the children of Jacob. So what was the covenant or agreement that Yahweh God made with the twelve tribes?

Exo 19:2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.
Exo 19:3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
Exo 19:4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.
Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Exo 19:7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.
Exo 19:8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.

Here we see Yahweh presenting a covenant for the people. If they obey his voice, in return he will make them a treasured people, a kingdom of priests. They all agreed they would do what Yahweh God commanded. That is the old covenant; the children of Israel would become a holy or set apart nation from the rest of the nations of the world in exchange for obeying Yahweh’s voice and following the commands of his covenant. It is interesting to note that Peter uses the same language actually quoting Exodus 19:6:

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Where Peter is using the same language for those in the new covenant, does that mean it could be better called a renewed covenant? The Strong’s word for new is H2319, but look at the word it comes from, H2318. It has the same spelling in Hebrew with a slight difference in pronunciation.

H2319
חדשׁ
châdâsh
BDB Definition:
1) new, new thing, fresh
Part of Speech: adjective
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H2318

H2318
חדשׁ
châdash
BDB Definition:
1) to be new, renew, repair
1a) (Piel)
1a1) to renew, make anew
1a2) to repair
1b) (Hithpael) to renew oneself

It could be argued that the new covenant is a repaired old covenant, completely fresh yet renewed from something old. That is a thought that is not my own, but something I find worth considering.

The old covenant was made with the twelve tribes of Israel at Mount Horeb or Sinai. So who is the house of Israel and the house of Judah that the new covenant is made with, and where do we who have faith in Jesus fit in to this new covenant?

1Ki 11:31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:
1Ki 11:32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)
1Ki 11:33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
1Ki 11:34 Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:
1Ki 11:35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.
1Ki 11:36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.
1Ki 11:37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.
1Ki 11:38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.
1Ki 11:39 And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.

The above passage in the book of 1st Kings, best summarizes where the house of Judah and the house of Israel originate. King Solomon, son of David in the tribe of Judah, sinned beyond what Yahweh could bare. Yahweh took ten of the twelve tribes and gave them to Jeroboam, which became the house of Israel, Ephraim or Joseph, and gave one tribe, Benjamin to Solomon’s son, which became the southern kingdom consisting of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin. So here he was giving Jeroboam a chance to carry on the covenant that was made at Mount Horeb. That didn’t last too long though. Jeroboam went and made up his own feast or holiday, which Yahweh never commanded along with using images and customs of the nations to worship Yahweh.

1Ki 12:25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
1Ki 12:26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
1Ki 12:27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
1Ki 12:28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
1Ki 12:29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
1Ki 12:30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
1Ki 12:31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
1Ki 12:32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
1Ki 12:33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

1Ki 14:15 For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger.
1Ki 14:16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

Yahweh scattered the house of Israel into the nations of the earth for their disobedience, making up their own holy days instead of following his holy days, using the symbols of the nations to worship Yahweh, which he forbid. With this he seeded the nations, as alluded to in Hosea.

Hos 1:2 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
Hos 1:3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.
Hos 1:4 And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
Hos 1:5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
Hos 1:6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
Hos 1:7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
Hos 1:8 Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
Hos 1:9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
Hos 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
Hos 1:11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

Jazreel, the name Yahweh tells Hosea to name his son representing the northern tribes of Israel, or the house of Israel, meaning God sow’s. Strong’s H3157.

H3157
יזרעאל
yizre‛ê’l
BDB Definition:
Jezreel = “God sows”
1) a descendant of the father or founder of Etam of Judah (noun proper masculine)
2) first son of Hosea the prophet (noun proper masculine)
3) a city in the Nekeb of Judah (noun proper locative)
4) a city in Issachar on the northwest spur of Mount Gilboa (noun proper locative

Paul refers to these scriptures in his letter to the Roman’s.

Rom 9:22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
Rom 9:23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—
Rom 9:24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
Rom 9:25 As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
Rom 9:26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
Rom 9:27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved,
Rom 9:28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.”
Rom 9:29 And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”

Gentile, Strong’s G1484, is a made up word from the Latin which makes it sound like it is a special people group. It is just people who are not from the tribe of Judah, (Jews), and includes the house of Israel that was scattered into the nations as God’s seeds, to extend his covenant to all the nations of the world.

G1484
ἔθνος
ethnos
eth’-nos
Probably from G1486; a race (as of the same habit), that is, a tribe; specifically a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually by implication pagan): – Gentile, heathen, nation, people.

To summarize what we know so far; the old covenant was with all twelve tribes of the the Israelite’s, and it consisted of a pact between the twelve tribes and Yahweh that they would do what he said and follow his instructions. The twelve tribes broke into two groups because of Solomon’s idolatry and sorcery. Ten tribes went under the leadership of Jeroboam and one tribe stayed with Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, and the tribe of Judea. These two groups were called the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Jeroboam lead the house of Israel astray, and they were scattered into the nations, seeding the nations as in Jazreel. The house of Judah remained for the sake of David because he followed Yahweh’s commandments. However, they had many trials due to their idolatry and lawlessness.

Now we need to answer why the new covenant is better, and how do we fit into the new covenant as followers of Jesus. Notice there is no mention of the church in the new covenant, only the house of Israel and the house of Judah. This is not because the prophets did not see the church and Yahweh had to change his plans, as some doctrines suggest. Church is simply a word for congregation or a set apart people that I have defined in my other blogs. It is Ekklesia, Strong’s G1577.

G1577
ἐκκλησία
ekklēsia
Thayer Definition:
1) a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly
1a) an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating
1b) the assembly of the Israelites
1c) any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously
1d) in a Christian sense
1d1) an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting
1d2) a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake
1d3) those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body
1d4) the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth
1d5) the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven

Paul does a good job of explaining how we, as twenty first century Christians, are part of the new covenant through grafting into the green olive tree. We will look into that shortly. The old covenant grew old and vanished not because Yahweh changed his laws or commandments, or did away with anything, it is because the people who entered the agreement with Yahweh broke their end of the contract. The language that God uses is pretty clear. They broke the wedlock that they had on Mount Horeb where he was a husband to them. The new covenant is better because it opened up to all the nations through the scattering of the house of Israel and through the work on the cross that Jesus did. By the shed blood, he has made a way for us to keep his commandments by writing them on our hearts and sending his Holy Spirit to be a helper living inside of us. “Heb 8:6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.”

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Based on the above scriptures, Jesus didn’t come to change any of the father Yahweh’s commandments. He intensified them, and gave us a way to be able to keep them through the power of the Holy Spirit. “Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”.

Next we will explore how the modern follower of Jesus is grafted into the new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In Jeremiah, we see more information regarding the old covenant. The old covenant was an agreement where the twelve tribes would follow Yahweh’s commandments, which in turn Yahweh would bring them into the promised land with blessings. If they failed to follow his word, the result would be curses and a broken covenant.

Jer 11:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 11:2 Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
Jer 11:3 And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
Jer 11:4 Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:
Jer 11:5 That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.
Jer 11:6 Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.
Jer 11:7 For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.
Jer 11:8 Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.
Jer 11:9 And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Jer 11:10 They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
Jer 11:11 Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.
Jer 11:12 Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
Jer 11:13 For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.
Jer 11:14 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.
Jer 11:15 What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.
Jer 11:16 The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.
Jer 11:17 For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.

Israel was called a green olive tree that Yahweh planted. Now due to Israel breaking the covenant, branches have broken off of the tree. God also tells Jeremiah that he will bring them back together again.

Jer 16:14 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
Jer 16:15 But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

We pick up the olive tree comparison with Paul in his letter to the Roman’s. I am using the Modern King James Version for their rendering of the Greek word ethnos as nations instead of the Latin word gentile with a capital g, which has grown into something more than it is. It is worth mentioning here that once we are grafted in, or back in to the root, we are no longer of the nations or “gentiles” any longer. Also, I am quoting more than needed just to provide the context.

Rom 11:1 I say then, Did not God put away His people? Let it not be said! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Rom 11:2 God did not thrust out His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture said in Elijah, how he pleaded with God against Israel, saying,
Rom 11:3 “Lord, they killed Your prophets and dug down Your altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life.”
Rom 11:4 But what does the Divine answer say to him? “I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
Rom 11:5 Even so then, also in this present time a remnant according to the election of grace has come into being.
Rom 11:6 But if by grace, then it is no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it is of works, then it is no more of grace; otherwise work is no more work.
Rom 11:7 What then? Israel has not obtained that which it seeks, but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened
Rom 11:8 even as it is written, “God gave to them a spirit of slumber, eyes not seeing, and ears not hearing” until this day.
Rom 11:9 And David said, “Let their table become for a snare and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompense to them.
Rom 11:10 Let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see, and their back always bowing.”
Rom 11:11 I say then, Did they not stumble that they fall? Let it not be! But by their slipping away came salvation to the nations, to provoke them to jealousy.
Rom 11:12 But if their slipping away is the riches of the world, and their default is the riches of the nations, how much more their fullness?
Rom 11:13 For I speak to you, the nations; since I am the apostle of the nations, I glorify my ministry;
Rom 11:14 if by any means I may provoke those who are my flesh to jealousy, and might save some of them.
Rom 11:15 For if their casting away is the reconciling of the world, what is the reception except life from the dead?
Rom 11:16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, also the branches.
Rom 11:17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and became a sharer of the root and the fatness of the olive tree with them,
Rom 11:18 do not boast against the branches. But if you boast, it is not you that bears the root, but the root bears you.
Rom 11:19 You will say then, The branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.
Rom 11:20 Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be high-minded, but fear.
Rom 11:21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, fear lest He also may not spare you either!
Rom 11:22 Behold then the kindness, and the severity of God; on those having fallen, severity; but on you, kindness, if you continue in the kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
Rom 11:23 And those also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in. For God is able to graft them in again.

In order to make this clearer, let’s look at the root of this olive tree. Now would be a good time to read the parable of the prodigal son. It was never talking about what is typically assigned to it in modern sermons. Jesus was referring to the younger brother Ephraim coming home to the Father, and the older brother Judah having a problem with that.

Isa 11:10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Isa 11:11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
Isa 11:12 He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Isa 11:13 The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.

Rom 15:8 And I say, Jesus Christ has become a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers,
Rom 15:9 and that the nations might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written, “For this cause I will confess to You in the nations, and I will praise Your name.”
Rom 15:10 And again He says, “Rejoice, O nations, with His people.”
Rom 15:11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all the nations, and praise Him, all the peoples.”
Rom 15:12 And again Isaiah says, “There shall be a root of Jesse, and He who shall rise to reign over the nations, in Him shall the nations trust.”
Rom 15:13 And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As you can see, from the above passage in Roman’s, this is not my interpretation of Isaiah, but Paul’s. Jesse was King David’s father whose line brought forth the Messiah, Jesus. What does Jesus say about all of this?

Joh 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Joh 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Joh 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Joh 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Joh 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

Mat 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Joh 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Once we are grafted into the vine, we leave the nations and become part of the green olive tree. This is the new covenant. “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

Eph 2:11 Therefore remember that you, the nations, in time past were in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12 and that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who were once afar off are made near by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For He is our peace, He making us both one, and He has broken down the middle wall of partition between us,
Eph 2:15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity (the Law of commandments contained in ordinances) so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, making peace between them;
Eph 2:16 and so that He might reconcile both to God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity in Himself.
Eph 2:17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off, and to those who were near.
Eph 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Eph 2:19 Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,
Eph 2:20 and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
Eph 2:21 in whom every building having been fitly framed together, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord;
Eph 2:22 in whom you also are built together for a dwelling place of God through the Spirit.

Through hundreds of years of replacement theology, dispensationalism theology, apostasy, lawlessness and anomianism, we as believers have lost our identity. We think we are “the church” on a separate journey with Yahweh, distinguished from the tribe of Judah, or we have replaced Judah. We still call ourselves “gentiles”, when if we are grafted back into the vine, we are part of the Commonwealth of Israel, because there are only two groups of people in the new covenant: the house of Israel and the house of Judah. However, we are all one now through Christ Jesus, being Abraham’s seed. There is only the olive tree, no walnuts, hickories or pines.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

What does this mean then? For one, it changes the end time prophecy narrative responsible for millions of dollars of book and movie sales. If the “church” is grafted into the Commonwealth of Israel, then there is no separate path for “Jews” and the “church”. This also makes the bible much easier to understand because we do not need charts and graphs to figure out what dispensation we are in or what group of people are doing what when. As followers of Jesus, we are grafted in to the good olive tree, the vine of which Jesus is, connected to the root, and we are all into the end times together.

Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Rev 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
Rev 14:16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
Rev 14:17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Mat 13:27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Photo by Emma Vail