Chanukah – Did You Know?
CHANUKAH . . . DID YOU KNOW –
According to 2 Maccabees, Chanukah (Dedication) is presented as a belated observance of Sukkot (Tabernacles/Booths). The people of Israel had been unable to celebrate the Feast of Booths at its appointed time due to the persecution and desecration of the Temple under Antiochus IV. After the Temple was cleansed and rededicated, the people celebrated for eight days “as the feast of booths,” carrying leafy branches and offering praise, intentionally echoing the rites of Sukkot (2 Maccabees 10:6–8). The text explicitly states that this extended celebration was instituted because they had missed Sukkot while hiding in the mountains and wilderness like beasts, and so Chanukah functioned as a delayed festival of restoration—reclaiming joy, worship, and thanksgiving to God in the renewed sanctuary, much as Sukkot celebrates God’s provision and His Presence dwelling among His people.
As followers of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus the Christ, we recognize and celebrate in every season the cleansing and dedication of this earthly temple of flesh (1 Cor 3:16) by and through the shed Blood and broken Body of Messiah on the cross – The One Who is the Light and Life of Mankind. (John 1:4)
HAPPY CHANUKAH
The Job of Every Believer
AS Believers, what is our job?
Rhonda and I understand we speak to an audience of mixed denominational and religious backgrounds. With that said –
There are misconceptions in the mainstream denominational system concerning the responsibilities of believers.
There are misconceptions in the Hebrew Roots/Messianic camp about who and what they are and are to be about.
And then there are misconceptions in each camp concerning the other.
But the ultimate and primary responsibilities of believers in every camp are the same. So what are those responsibilities ? What’s The Word Say?
(Ecc 12:13) To sum up the whole matter: fear God and keep his commandments, for that is the duty of everyone.
(Mic 6:8) He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
(James 1:27) Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble;to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
(Isa 58:6-10) “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say,`Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
(Matt 25:34-40) – “Then the King will say to those on His right hand,`Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 `for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 `I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying,`Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 `When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 `Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 “And the King will answer and say to them,`Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
James 2:15-16 – If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit
(James 2:17) Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
(James 2:18) But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
(James 2:21) Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
(1John 3:16-19) We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 19 We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him,
(Rom 12:13-16) distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
(Heb 13:2-3) Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.
(Luke 3:10-ff) – What shall we do ?
And The Messiah said –
(Mark 1:14-15) Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
(Matt 28:19-20) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
(Mark 16:15) – And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
(Luke 4:18) “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Matt 23:23 – And don’t neglect the weightier matters of the Law – Justice, Mercy, Faithfulness.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
Basar – Hebrew for ‘Gospel’. Also the Hebrew word for ‘flesh’.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-2, 14)
Yeshua/Jesus is the Gospel
(Luke 24:25-27) Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
(John 14:1) “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
(Rom 10:9-10) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
(Deut 18:18-19)`I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 `And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
(Luke 9:35) And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”
(1John 3:4) Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
(John 16:8-9) “And when (Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 “of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
(Acts 15:1) And certain ones came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.
(Gal 1:7-8) “ . . . but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh– who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands–
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the citizenship of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph 2:8-13)
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
19 “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:16-19)
And Messiah said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15)
THE GOSPEL IS AND MUST ALWAYS BE CENTERED ON MESSIAH YESHUA/JESUS THE CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED . . .
PASSOVER 2025
PASSOVER 2025
April 12th 6:00 pm
Junction City 1st Baptist Church
doors open at 5:30 – seating is limited so RSVP ASAP is necessary . Meat and drinks are provided. The remainder of the meal is potluck.
if you have questions concerning what food items to bring or any other questions, feel free to call or text – 8595825525.
There is no charge to attend.
We do accept donations.
Shabbat March 1st, 2025 Yeshua in The Torah – “Yithro – Mishpatim – Terumah”
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15nHXqfe99
Revelatory Words – take these to prayer
The following is a listing of revelatory downloads given to Rhonda over the past 6 ½ years or so. We are merely students, teachers and watchmen. The following is merely a compilation of that which The Lord has given and instructed to be shared. This is not everything, but it is everything for now. Some of these statements are going to be difficult for folks. They are difficult to share, but necessary and mandated.
As watchmen, we are responsible to deliver what has been given to us by The Father – The One Who has given it. We are not making determinations or conclusions. We are merely delivering the mail for your prayerful ponderance in accordance with the principle of the watchman given through Ezekiel –
(Ezekiel 3:17-21) “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from Me . . .”
(every item listed as Posted on Facebook can be found by date on Prodigal Ministries International Roundtable )
June 19th, 2018 – Posted to our Blog (was posted to Facebook on the 17th )
‘Peace Agreement’ – https://prodigalmin.com/something-to-take-to-prayer/
June 27th, 2019 – journaled
Just as the jews cried out for Barabbas, a thief, once again a cry will go out for a Barabbas which is to come – a thief.
September 29th, 2019 – journaled
While getting ready at our meeting place for Trumpets, I kept hearing ‘change is coming’, change is coming . .
May 9th, 2020 – Posted to Facebook (this is directly related to ‘Release the Kraken’ mentioned later in this post.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/163NosdPNs/?
“Here is the reason for the push we are seeing to get 5G up and running here and in countries across the earth. AI (artificial intelligence). On February 11, 2019, President Trump signed Executive Order 13859 announcing the American AI Initiative — the United States’ national strategy on artificial intelligence. Here is a quote from one of the articles…..’The President’s 2020 budget prioritizes investments for four key industries of the future: artificial intelligence, quantum information sciences, advanced communication networks, (including 5th generation networks and beyond) and advanced manufacturing.’”
November 29th, 2020 – Journaled and shared with friends
“I was sitting, in the morning, talking with Jerry, when I received a ‘knowing’ or download in my spirit – ‘a mortal wound, then it was healed’. I felt in my spirit it was referring to DJT and the 2020 election debacle with Joe Biden being declared the winner. I also kept ‘seeing’ a picture of DJT with his arms raised in triumph and him raising up off the ground in triumph, almost as if he was floating in the air, prideful and pompous . . . one that receives a mortal wound and is healed.”
November 30th, 2020 – Posted to Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/13qtRpVXK8/·
“By the way, we have had a terribly challenging time trying to get this posted. Our phones shut down, social media froze up and locked us out and then the post just went away . . . and now, the post.
I received something from The Lord yesterday morning that I would prayerfully like to share. And I DO mean prayerfully! Please take this to the Lord in prayer as we have done and are doing. No time frame was given so please do not read one into what I am sharing . . .
As we were casually talking yesterday morning, I suddenly received a ‘download’ and a ‘knowing’ in my spirit of ‘one that receives a mortal wound and is healed’. I recognized that as being in Scripture but hadn’t read it in awhile, so we looked it up and this is what it says, along with a more literal meaning of some of the words. And as we understand at times in Scripture, there may be additional or deeper meanings than what we have thought or been taught.” (more)
December 30th, 2020 – Shared with friends and journaled
“I was listening to a news broadcast (FlashPoint) with Sydney Powell and other prophets talking about our taking back of America and putting God back in here where He belongs. In the Spirit I kept seeing a basket with both democrat and republican and the basket was being shaken back and forth. The contents was dumped out and it didn’t matter which one came out. The Father is viewing them all the same. We obviously don’t but at this point He does. They are both corrupt in His eyes.”
January 10th, 2021 – Posted on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProdigalMinRoundtable/permalink/3670319553056230
“I have something to share, but have hesitated because I know it will be upsetting to some people, just as it was to me. So please hear it and then take it to our Father in prayer. I don’t like saying it any more than you like hearing it!
On the morning of January 6th, The Father opened my eyes to see and perceive what was really taking place in the Spirit in Washington DC. Otherwise, I would have continued looking at the situation through my natural eyes. This is what I wrote in my journal on January 6th, 2021.”
“As I was watching the news reports of the people that were gathered and milling about at the Capitol building, I suddenly could ‘see’ and had a knowing in The Spirit as to why all these people were actually there. It was to say goodbye to the America as we have always known her, as if at a funeral viewing. But the people present were unaware of that spiritual purpose for their presence.”
January 10th, 2021 Posted to Facebook
· https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BpbkJjP1d/?
“For those that know what we are referencing here, this is what I received on January 4…..
As I was coming up out of sleep, in that quiet place where the Lord sometimes speaks, I received an impression/download that the wounding would have to go beyond or past January 6 to be considered by many or most to be dead. Please please be in prayer!”
January 11 2021 – Posted on Facebook
· https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18jEAxJCRT/?
‘RELEASE THE ‘KRAKEN’ ?! – (here’s a question. When this cry went out, literally globally across media outlets and from prominent individuals and organizations and talking heads in various arenas, what do you think was being released in the Spirit Realm?)
“This phrase seems to be popping up virtually everywhere you look nowadays, and in case you didn’t know, it’s not a good thing. We remember feeling very uncomfortable (that knot in your gut) the first time we heard that phrase used in the context of the current election controversy. On December 30th, we listened to an interview on FlashPoint with Sydney Powell and a panel of ‘modern-day prophets’. During and after listening to that interview, we wer…
See more”
January 13th, 2021 · Posted to Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/161cEKq5hE/?
This morning I keep hearing ‘two pronged’.
February 2, 2021 – journaled and shared with friends
I kept hearing this phrase numerous times throughout the day – ‘man of peace’ . . .
April 25th, 2021 – Posted on Facebook
“And the whole world is deceived . . .” https://prodigalmin.com/?s=and+the+whole+world
March 29th, 2024 – Posted on Facebook and Journaled
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15EjUeW36a/?
– I heard, in relation to us talking about the eclipse – ‘come and view your demise.’ (did not imply or mean immediate)
November 5th, 2024 – Journaled – “We were talking about the upcoming election and the candidates and how people view them, when I heard ‘faux messiah’.
Eternal Life? What’s The Word Say?
“In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God and The Word was God . . .” (John 1:1)
I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
19 `And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. (Deut 18:18-19)
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matt 17:5)
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. (John 14:10)
Jesus therefore answered them, and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His Who sent Me . . .” (John 7:16)
6 Now behold, one came and said to (Yeshua), “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?“
17 And (Yeshua) said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “`You shall not murder,’`You shall not commit adultery,’`You shall not steal,’`You shall not bear false witness,’
19 `Honor your father and your mother,’ and,`You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”
20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
(Matt 19:16-26)
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
19 “You know the commandments:`Do not commit adultery,’`Do not murder,’`Do not steal,’`Do not bear false witness,’`Do not defraud,’`Honor your father and your mother.'”
20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!
25 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
(Mark 10:17-27)
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
27 So he answered and said, “`You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and`your neighbor as yourself.'”
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
(Luke 10:25-28)
Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
20 “You know the commandments:`Do not commit adultery,’`Do not murder,’`Do not steal,’`Do not bear false witness,’`Honor your father and your mother.'”
21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
25 “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:18-27)
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:14-16)
“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
40 “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
(John 5:39-40)
Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
54 “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 “For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
(John 6:53-56)
Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.
26 “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.
27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28 “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. (John 10:24-29)
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. (1John 3:4)
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
8 “And when (The Helper) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 “of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
(John 16:7-9)
Therefore believing in, trusting in, depending upon, relying upon, entrusting our eternity to Messiah Yeshua/Jesus the Christ is part of the Law – the most important part.
You want to enter eternal life? Believe on The Lord Yeshua Messiah/Jesus the Christ, and you can be saved . . . Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9
PASSOVER OBSERVANCE 2024
JUNCTION CITY FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 3860 US HWY 127 SOUTH DANVILLE, KY 40422
Our Passover Observance will be April 22nd, 7:00pm.
The Fellowship Meal for our Observance will be potluck.
Meat and drinks will be provided.
ALL BREAD ITEMS MUST BE UNLEAVENED.
Seating is limited so an RSVP as soon as possible is needed.
There is no charge or fee. Donations to help cover expenses are appreciated.
“Christ our Passover has been slaughtered, therefore keep the feast.” ! Corinthians 5:7-8)
Barley as ‘First Fruits’?
“Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to minister as priests to Me: take one young bull and two rams without blemish, 2 and unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil; you shall make them of fine wheat flour.
(Exo 29:1-2)
First of all, please understand we are not attempting to persuade or change anyone’s mind. We do attempt to cause folks to examine what each one believes and how each one walks based on a clear understanding of The Word, and not just following tradition or a traditional interpretation of The Scriptures. One of the things Rhonda and I have wrestled for ourselves since Father brought us into the realization that some things we were taught might need to be questioned is the truth that we need to ‘question’ and verify and clarify everything by The Word. Since ‘tradition does not equal Truth’, we not only had to begin to examine our former traditions and practices based on The Word, we also knew that, employing ‘equal weights and measures’, we must also examine the traditions of the HR/Messianic/Restoration camp by The Word as well.
With that said, where does The Word mandate ‘barley’ for any offering except as ‘a memorial/reminder of sin’ in Numbers 5 (Numbers 5:15)? We find it interesting that Yeshua came to destroy sin, to crush the head of the serpent, to redeem and ransom His people, to bring them out of Egypt and drink the cup for His bride. What was destroyed in the days leading up to the Exodus? The barley was destroyed. The wheat was not. The wheat is brought into the barn. It does not mention barley being put into the barn. Leviticus 23:17 speaks of the first fruits (habikkurim) offering being of ‘fine flour’. Fine flour is a reference to wheaten flour (soleth chittim) – Exodus 29:2. And, from a practical standpoint, any baker will explain that you cannot turn a coarse, rough grain such as barley into fine flour.
Tradition says we cannot have Passover if the barley is not ripe/ripening and therefore the celebration must be postponed until the next month. The Word says the lights in the heavens determine the dates/days. Tradition says the first fruits offering (HaBikkurim – Pentecost/Shavuot) must be barley. The Word makes not reference to barley in that regard.
Barley is mentioned only four times in the first five books of The Bible. Only one of those ‘mentions’ is in reference to an offering, the offering that is a reminder of sin, that thing Yeshua came to destroy. What was destroyed when we were redeemed out of ‘Egypt’? Barley.
The Gospels tell us of an incident between Yeshua and a young lad who had five loaves and two fish. John describes the loaves as barley. The number ‘5’ depicts grace and redemption. When we see the number ‘2’ we immediately think of two sticks, two donkeys and the two loaves at Shavuot. If the young man’s loaves were actually barley, then the picture should be clear. Yeshua is feeding (for He is the bread come down from heaven) His people (the two sticks, etc) with His grace and redemption. Why barley? As a reminder of the sin that is being destroyed. Why fish? Yes, Yeshua came to make us ‘fishers of men’, but we, His people, are are also referred to as fish. In Genesis 48:16, when Jacob is blessing the two sons of Joseph, he prophecies that they will grow into a multitude. The word and phrase used there (larob veyidgu) can be translated as ‘to increase as fishes do’. How can we flourish? Sin is destroyed. When did that process begin? Passover. For Christ our Passover has been slaughtered. He is The Door and the only Way by which and through which we enter the Kingdom.
Just something to consider . . . Shalom
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