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What If

9/20/2011

blog originally posted: 9/27/2010

Earlier this week I was moved to pray for a friend who was straying from Christian ideals. Later that day, she told me to check out a song she liked called "What If" by Nichole Nordeman. I wasn't familiar with the song or artist, but when I checked them out, I found the theme jolted something from my past life.

The song started, suggesting, "What if you're right. Jesus was just another nice guy who taught us love. What if it's true? They say the cross will only make a fool of you..." But then Nichole continues singing with a forceful vibrance, "BUT WHAT IF YOU'RE WRONG? WHAT IF THERE'S MORE? WHAT IF THERE'S HOPE YOU'VE NEVER DREAMED OF HOPING FOR?..."

In that moment I remembered an instant in time five or six years ago when a "born again" Christian reached out to me. She was talking about Jesus and salvation and I remember starting to feel uncomfortable and thinking, "Oh great, she's trying to hook me into religion." I was polite and listened to her, but inside I couldn't wait for the conversation to end.

I said, "I don't believe in that stuff. I don't think it's real." And I especially remember her reply, "What if you're wrong?"

You know how I responded? With pride in my own viewpoint and a devil may care attitude, I blurted back, "Then I'll be wrong, and I'll deal with it," and ended the conversation there.

Little did I know how "unenlightened" my position was or that God would move me towards Him a few years later in ways I couldn't even imagine. I was one of those "I need proof to believe" people and remember rejecting evangelists on many occasions. Now I feel sorry for rejecting God so many times and wonder, "What if I understood those many years ago? Where would I be now having given God those extra years to move me on the path He wanted me to be on? How much more could I have done by now?"

What if?...

A word to Israel on Passover 2024

4/22/2024

Today I read a Times of Israel article talking about the forlorn Passover this year because of the continued strife in the region and Israelis being held hostage by Hamas. This was my comment to them in the articles "With empty chairs and forlorn homes, Israelis prepare for solemn Passover":

<https://www.timesofisrael.com/with-empty-chairs-and-forlorn-homes-israelis-prepare-for-solemn-passover>

Minister Ty Alexander: Oh Israel, isn’t it for reason God has made this Pesach a lament? In your arguments about justice and war conducted with exceptional morality, God has shown you and the world that you have come short of the standards that must be held of a people of God. So remember in the first Passover and through the Exodus, though the people were often faithless towards God, rebelling against His anointed and threatened to turn back to Egypt because they had a better life there, they still obeyed His voice and followed, though reluctantly and with grumbling.

So think, my people, why your holidays are often stained black and with blood even in this day. Your hearts remain hard as diamond against the voice of God and against what He has tried to have you follow. It is the path of spiritual freedom and greater healing for His people than you have mustered for yourselves, but how many of you have followed?

Worship Songs

4/23/2024

For those who would like worship songs to do for Passover, here is the playlist for today's selected songs...

[Brave, Desert Song, and Hosanna]

Note: While worshipping, if you see or hear the name Jesus in lyrics, you should sing Yeshua instead.
Jesus should not be used to address God anymore. See The Actual Names of God for more...

For the song Hosanna, recall that it was 5 days before the first feast of Passover that Christ made His Triumphal Entry in to Jerusalem.

2nd Day of Passover - Christ's Death

4/24/2024

Today is the 2nd day of Pesach. If you celebrated the first feast of Passover yesterday, you would have participated in the same kind of dinner that Christ had with His disciples – The Last Supper. So today, the day after our Messiah was captured on the Mount of Olives after their Passover feast (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26; Luke 22:39), was when Christ was crucified, and so corresponds with the church’s Good Friday.

Yeshua was scourged, very likely with a flail whip (a multi-stranded whip), before being made to march out with the cross He’d be nailed to (Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1). Some people think Yeshua was whipped with a scorpion-type of flail, which has hard and/or sharp pieces of metal or other spikes tied to the ends of the many whip strands.

If I remember the movie, Passion of the Christ, correctly. They showed Yeshua being scourged with a scorpion, but this is not likely because the Roman governor, Pontus Pilate, who ordered Him to be flogged, also did not believe He deserved any serious punishment, saying, “I find no grounds for charges in this man” (Luke 23:4, 23:14-15), and wanted to only flog Him and release Him (Luke 23:16-22).

A scorpion would have been used for more serious offenders, and is an ancient weapon that came from a threshing tool to cut grain for harvest^[1.1]. It was mentioned in ancient Egyptian texts, as well as the Bible in 1 Kings/Melachim I 12:11, where Rehoboam/Rechav‘am, a son of King Solomon took bad counsel by the curse and will of God, and said to the people, “My father loaded you with a heavy yoke, yet I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions!” And so most of ancient Israel turned away from King Rehobaom and followed Jeroboam/Yarov‘am to split the kingdom in two.

Because the scorpion is able to break bone with hard objects at the end of it, and because Yeshua was innocent and not deserving of lengthy, intense punishment as He went to death, I doubt a scorpion was used to scourge Him, at least not the kind that can break bone. For God said, “Not a bone of Him shall be broken,” according to Old Testament scripture stating that the Passover lamb must not have its bones broken (John 19:36; Exodus/Shemot 12:46; Numbers/Bamidbar 9:12; also Psalm 34:20/Tehillim 34:21), corresponding with God’s plan to make Christ our Passover Lamb whom was sacrificed for all mankind (1 Corinthians 5:7).

So Christ died before any of His bones could be broken (John 19:31-36) in the 9th hour (Matthew 27:45-50; Mark 15:33-37; Luke 23:44-46). That translates to after 3 pm in modern time keeping and the Lord has guided me that it was more accurately at 3:06 pm that He died (see 306 in The Meaning of Numbers for more).

As you have dinner on this second day of Passover, may you remember the last day Yeshua Mashiach was alive and how His sacrifice as the Passover Lamb renews and keeps you. Amen.

References
[1.1] "Scourge". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2024 Apr. 24.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scourge>

4th Day of Passover - The Resurrection

4/26/2024

Today is the 4th Day of Passover, which corresponds with the day Christ was resurrected. That day was a Sunday as noted in the New Testament (Matthew 28:1-9; Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1-12), and in that Passover of 32 AD, that Sunday was also the offering of first fruits (Leviticus 23:9-14) of which the holiday of Shavuot, Weeks, or best known as Pentecost in the church, 50 days later (pentecost comes from the Greek, pentēkostē, which means fiftieth day^[2.1]).

And so, when Christ was resurrected on this 4th day of Passover, it also went with that offering of the very first fruits of the grain harvest; its first growth. This is also why the Messiah's resurrection is called the first fruits of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20). Not only was He the very first resurrected according to the promises of the New Covenant so that His believers would have their faith affirmed in Him and the New Covenant, but God worked His resurrection to also coincide with the offering of first fruits according to the Law of Moses.

And ever more, His resurrection was on the 4th Day of Passover and the number 4 means Hope - The resurrection not only gave Christ's disciples the proof they needed in their days of despair after losing Yeshua, but it also gave them and all of us the hope we need in God's promises as our own days of darkness continue.

Remember these things today and honor God's ancient holidays and divine plans with the ways He gave to the ancient Hebrews. They were never meant to be forgotten.

Reference

[2.1] "Pentecost". Merriam Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2024 Apr. 26.
<https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pentecost>

End of Passover and Worship Songs

4/28/2024

Today is the 6th day of Passover, which if you watched the Exodus journey I shared on the first day, today would correspond to the time of the Jews wandering the desert just after they crossed the Red Sea. Jewish tradition says that they crossed on the seventh day, but there is no proof of that and after examining time, speed, distances, and the situation (which I shared in the Exodus journey), it is a much better estimate to say the Red Sea crossing was only about 5 days after they left the capitol of Egypt.

And if you kept up with Passover teaching, you also know that there isn't anything more to note for the 5th and 6th days of Passover. The only thing I recommend is to continue eating unleavened bread at the dinner meals.

Tomorrow, though, is the 7th and last day of Passover, which is also important because a second feast and gathering for worship are commanded. This second feast is usually the largest meal for Passover, but anything in line with what you did for the first feast is fine. Continue to eat unleavened bread through this last feast as well. Also remember the number seven is God's number meaning fullness and completeness.

You may have noticed some Jewish calendars have an 8th day of Pesach/Passover, however, I do not observe that (as I don't observe other extra days of Jewish holidays), as it was instated during the exile in Babylon and Persia to give extra time for the Jews who were spread out over days of travel. That is not necessary anymore.

For tomorrow's worship, these are the songs selected (use the YouTube playlist below):

[Amazing Grace Requiem, Blessed Be Your Name, Famous One, and How Great Thou Art]

And Note As Before: While worshipping, if you see or hear the name Jesus in lyrics, you should sing Yeshua instead.
Jesus should not be used to address God anymore. See The Actual Names of God for more...

Your final days for this year's Passover be blessed in the name of Mashiach Yeshua. Amen.

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