In the days of Moses

And God spoke all these words, saying,

1. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before1 me.
2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
5. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
6. “You shall not murder.
7. “You shall not commit adultery.
8. “You shall not steal.
9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
    Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were 1afraid and trembled, and they stood far off…

Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?

And then Jesus rose from the dead

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have…”

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you…

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

He is Risen!

or Pesach, will begin this Friday, April 19, as Jewish communities worldwide commemorate the liberation of the Israelites from slavery, in one of the important festivities in the Jewish calendar.

According to the Book of Exodus in the Torah, Moses called for the Pharaoh to free the Israelites, warning that if he failed to do so, Egypt would be struck by terrible plagues – the last one of which would be the death of every Egyptian first-born male.

The Pharaoh refused to do so, despite the onslaught of plagues of frogs, flies, the death of livestock and total darkness. To avoid the killing of all Egyptian first-born males, Moses urged Jews to mark their doors with lamb’s blood to spare the men – after which the Pharaoh relented, allowing the Israelites to flee Egypt. The word “pesach” comes from the Hebrew root Pei-Samekh-Cheit, meaning to pass over or to spare.

When is Passover Celebrated?

Passover begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which typically falls in March or April of the Gregorian calendar. This year, Passover will start at the sunset of Friday April 22 and end on the evening of Saturday April 30.

What is the Seder?

It is traditional for Jewish families to gather on the first night of Passover – the first two nights in communities outside of Israel – for a dinner called a seder, derived from the word for “order” in Hebrew.

During the meal, the story of the exodus from Egypt is retold using a special text called the Haggadah and four cups of wine are drunk at various stages during the narrative. An extra cup is left for the prophet Elijah, who is believed to reappear and announce the coming of the Messiah.

On the table, there are three unleavened breads on top of each other. At the start of the Seder, the middle matzah is broken and the largest piece is hidden for the children to find – whoever finds it receives a small prize.

Did Jesus Celebrate the Seder?

As an observant Hebrew man raised in the full teaching and traditions of his faith, it is recorded that Jesus celebrated all of the Biblical feasts with his family of origin and disciples and lived according to the Word of God as delivered through Moses and the Prophets.

Reading the New Testament scriptures carefully with this in mind it becomes clear that what is referred to now as The Last Supper was, in actuality, a full observance of the traditional Passover Seder, complete with cups of wine, matzah, hand washings, shared meal, etc. In it, Jesus took one of the cups and the middle matzah and put these forward as representations of his body and blood.

Jesus was arrested later that evening, crucified the next day, and placed quickly in a tomb before sunset heralded the start of the Sabbath. That Sabbath was not the usual Friday dusk to Saturday dusk weekly Sabbath, however, but “a special Sabbath” (the first day of Passover). Was Jesus’ celebration coincidental or divinely timed? Click here to go deeper into the mystery.

will begin this Wednesday, March 20, as Jewish communities worldwide commemorate the historic rescue of the Hebrew people in Persia from destruction during the time of Esther. Although it is not a major holiday, it is one of the most entertaining festivities in the Jewish calendar.

According to the Old Testament account written in the book carrying her name, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia named Esther was taken to the harem of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, where she became his queen. While there she discovered a plot being developed by the king’s chief advisor, Haman, to destroy the entire Hebrew population in Persia. Through a series of providential events Esther was able to expose the plot to the king, which resulted in Haman’s execution and the rescue of the Jews.

These historical events are recalled every year by reading the Book of Esther and celebrating with feasting and drinking, charitable gift-giving, games, costume parties, and eating special triagular fruit-filled cookies called hamentaschen (lit. Haman’s pockets) that are supposed to represent Haman’s three-cornered hat. Click here to read more about this enlightening Biblical holiday.

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day — a day adopted in 2005 by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/7. Among other things, it established January 27th as a day for nations to:

Reaffirm that the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people, along with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism, and prejudice.

We pause today to remember and vow to continue working vigilantly on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide.

or “Days of Awe” and Rosh Hashanah have just concluded this past week with the solemn fast and deep contemplations of Yom Kippur, and we are about to embark this week (click here for a calendar and brief explanation of this fall’s events) on one of our faith’s most lasting celebrations, Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles.

Every biblical holiday given to the Jewish people has these three aspects: Israel was commanded to observe the holiday in the present in order to remember something God had done in the past, and because of some future prophetic purpose hidden within each festival.

Thus Jewish people begin Shabbat each week by lighting of two candles, which stand for “Keep” and “Remember”. In so doing, they remember how God rested on the seventh day of Creation while also looking forward to the Millennial rest promised for the whole earth.

Likewise, Passover and Pentecost look back on the great Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the law at Sinai, while Christians believe that their hidden prophetic purposes were fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus and the birth of the Church fifty days later.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is the third great annual pilgrimage festival when the Jewish people gather together in Jerusalem not only to remember God’s provision in the Wilderness but also to look ahead to that promised Messianic age when all nations will flow to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.

Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Zechariah 14:16-19

Click here for information about the ICEJ Feast of Tabernacles celebrations in Jerusalem.

The Jewish New Year, anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, a day of judgment and coronation, and sounding of the shofar . . .

What: It is the birthday of the universe, the day YHWH created Adam and Eve, and it’s celebrated as the head of the Jewish year.

When: The first two days of the Jewish new year, Tishrei 1 and 2, beginning at sundown on the eve of Tishrei 1. Rosh Hashanah 2018 begins at sundown on September 9 and continues through nightfall on September 11.

How: Candle lighting in the evenings, festive meals with sweet delicacies during the night and day, prayer services that include the sounding of the ram’s horn (shofar) on both mornings, and desisting from creative work.

Click here for more about  Rosh Hashanah.

By: Malcolm Hedding, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, 27 Aug 2018

The yearly celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles [also known as Succot] is one of the three great annual and biblically-required festivals; the other two being Passover and Pentecost. These biblical Feasts have great significance in that they all speak of the glorious redemptive plan of God.

Passover teaches us about the Door to the Kingdom of God – the salvation from our sins by the spilled blood of a lamb. This serves as a glorious picture of the death of Christ. Pentecost reminds us of the Power of the Kingdom of God. That is, the giving of the Word of God and the coming of the Holy Spirit upon blood-washed believers on the Day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:1-4)

The Feast of Tabernacles is a picture of the Triumph of the Kingdom of God since it reminds us that all of life is to be lived under the protection and sovereignty of God. The Israelites coming out of Egypt were required to build leafy booths and to live in them for eight days. These were very fragile and could not protect one from the harsh desert conditions. The lesson was clear; God would protect and care for them. We have to learn this lesson so often since, as Jesus pointed out, we are consumed with anxiety and worry about so many of life’s issues. Our Father in Heaven cares for us and watches over us every day because we are part of His Kingdom! How easily we forget this. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Jesus underlined this when on the Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, as He watched the water libation service in the temple, He cried out that if we believe in and follow Him a river of God’s love, empowered by the Holy Spirit, will flow out of our lives bringing joy and blessing to our lives. This is the triumph of the Kingdom of God in our personal lives and we should be living in it! (John 7:37-39)

The Feast of Tabernacles also points us to the future when, by the second coming of Jesus, the world will finally be subjected to the Kingdom of God. That is, Jesus will reign over the nations from Jerusalem and peace will for the first time envelop the world. War will be a thing of the past and for a thousand years the nations will live in the very light of the glory of God. What a day that will be and to celebrate it the nations will ascend every year to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16-19)

We await then a glorious fulfillment of this great Feast and our annual celebration of it is a prophetic picture pointing to the coming Triumph of the Kingdom of God.

The Feast of Tabernacles is a joyful celebration and those living in the Kingdom of God are actually commanded to be joyful. All this remind us that serving Jesus bring much joy to our lives and this Joy is supernatural and powerful. Paul noted this when he wrote:

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17

Those celebrating the Kingdom of God at the Feast of Tabernacles carry a Lulav, which amounts to four species of plants. These tell us that we are all at different spiritual growth levels in that some are weak, others are strong, some are complacent and yet others are discouraged. God loves us all and desires that we should all celebrate His love with much joy at the Feast of Tabernacles!

This year’s celebration is from September 23-30 and is celebrated by the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem September 23-28.

Israel was miraculously reborn as a modern nation 70 years ago on May 14, 1948, one of the most pivotal days in history…

Christians around the world are joining with the people of Israel to celebrate the landmark anniversary of this historic moment in time.

After twenty centuries of exile and persecution, Abraham’s descendants have reestablished national sovereignty on the land that almost 4,000 years earlier God had promised would be their “everlasting possession.” (Genesis 48)

“…I will bring them back to this land.
I will build them up and not tear them down;
I will plant them and not uproot them.”
JEREMIAH 24:6

As a believer, you understand that Israel was chosen by God to be His “light to the Gentiles.” (Isaiah 49:6) Our relationship with the Jewish people is clear — they are the cultivated olive tree, and we are the wild branches God has grafted into that tree. (Romans 11:17-24)

Today, Israel needs our support and love more than ever. It is important that we, as Christians, stand with Israel. It is our duty to care for the Jewish people.

“For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.”
ROMANS 15:27

Join us in sending your Congratulations Today!

Your name and message will be added to a special Jerusalem Jubilee 50th Congratulations book and presented to the Mayor of Jerusalem by our representatives at the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem (ICEJ).

Just follow the directions listed below:

1. Scroll down to watch the video, then
2. Go to www.jerusalemjubilee.com
3. Fill out form, write your congratulations, & click send.
4. Check your email & open email confirmation from ICEJ.
5. Click “Yes, subscribe me to this list” in your email.
6. Your congratulations was successfully sent!

Jewish communities worldwide will begin celebrating the festival of Passover, or Pesach, which commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in one of the important festivities in the Jewish calendar.

According to the Book of Exodus in the Torah, Moses called for the Pharaoh to free the Israelites, warning that if he failed to do so, Egypt would be struck by terrible plagues – the last one of which would be the death of every Egyptian first-born male.

The Pharaoh refused to do so, despite the onslaught of plagues of frogs, flies, the death of livestock and total darkness. To avoid the killing of all Egyptian first-born males, Moses urged Jews to mark their doors with lamb’s blood to spare the men – after which the Pharaoh relented, allowing the Israelites to flee Egypt. The word “pesach” comes from the Hebrew root Pei-Samekh-Cheit, meaning to pass over or to spare.

When is Passover Celebrated?

Passover begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which typically falls in March or April of the Gregorian calendar. This year, Passover will start at the sunset of Friday April 22 and end on the evening of Saturday April 30.

What is the Seder?

It is traditional for Jewish families to gather on the first night of Passover – the first two nights in communities outside of Israel – for a dinner called a seder, derived from the word for “order” in Hebrew.

During the meal, the story of the exodus from Egypt is retold using a special text called the Haggadah and four cups of wine are drunk at various stages during the narrative. An extra cup is left for the prophet Elijah, who is believed to reappear and announce the coming of the Messiah.

On the table, there are three unleavened breads on top of each other. At the start of the Seder, the middle matzah is broken and the largest piece is hidden for the children to find – whoever finds it receives a small prize.

Did Jesus Celebrate the Seder?

As an observant Hebrew man raised in the full teaching and traditions of his faith, it is recorded that Jesus celebrated all of the Biblical feasts with his family of origin and disciples and lived according to the Word of God as delivered through Moses and the Prophets.

Reading the New Testament scriptures carefully with this in mind it becomes clear that what is referred to now as The Last Supper was, in actuality, a full observance of the traditional Passover Seder, complete with cups of wine, matzah, hand washings, shared meal, etc. In it, Jesus took one of the cups and the middle matzah and put these forward as representations of his body and blood.

Jesus was arrested later that evening, crucified the next day, and placed quickly in a tomb before sunset heralded the start of the Sabbath. That Sabbath was not the usual Friday dusk to Saturday dusk weekly Sabbath, however, but “a special Sabbath” (the first day of Passover). Was Jesus’ celebration coincidental or divinely timed? Click here to go deeper into the mystery.