Yahveh - Excerpts from Holy to Yahveh

As the Holy Spirit spoke to the compromised King Saul, so too, He is speaking to a "Saul Mentality" today. YAHshua's Spirit desires to reveal the many compromises which a "Saul Generation" has brought into Christianity over the centuries. The Spirit asks, “What is this bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the cattle I hear?"

¨ WHAT HAVE YOU BROUGHT IN FROM THE PAGAN WORLD AND MIXED WITH MY HOLY THINGS?

Why do you justify your compromise by claiming you "spared the best" for Me? Do you not you realize "obedience not sacrifice" is what I require?

YAHveh has redeemed a remnant of Jews and Gentiles to be a "Royal Priesthood" who distinguishes between the holy and the profane, the righteous and the unrighteous. He has called this priesthood out of the pagan world system to be separate from all that is impure and grievous in His sight.

The Almighty YAHveh will not tolerate THE MIXING OF THE HOLY WITH THE COMMON! Soon the "Righteous Judge" will pour out His wrath on all who transgress His righteous decrees. In His infinite mercy He is revealing the many errors that are hidden in the doctrines and traditions of men which will fall under His sovereign judgments. A remnant will desire to see how far their forms of religion have veered from His plumb line of Truth. This remnant will at any cost forsake all and everything to align their lives to His perfect will.

True disciples of YAHshua must be willing to count the cost to follow Him. They must be willing to forsake the love and approval of men. True disciples must choose between their familiar and often sentimental religious traditions and the pure, holy worship of YAHveh.

The Almighty has redeemed His priesthood to be separate from all that is unholy, fleshly, worldly, and pagan tainted; a priesthood divinely labeled, "Holy to YAHveh." May He prepare your heart to take an honest look at the compromises of a "Saul Mentality" which has brought many impure pagan elements into His holy camp. This has caused His Spirit to grieve and even depart as it did during Saul's compromised reign.

Let us take a brief but close look at some of the plunder that the "Saul Generation" pounced on in the enemy's camp, bringing it into the holy camp of "the Redeemed." Just as Saul spared the fattest sheep and cattle, likewise Constantine along with many early church leaders spared the best pagan elements, labeled them as "good" and "sacrificed them to God."

The popular pagan celebration connected with the “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun,” called the "Winter Solstice", was spared. This festival, celebrated annually on DECEMBER 25, was for the worship of their great "INVINCIBLE SUN GOD",

“Zeus the father of gods and men”. Zeus, known as Jupiter, “the light bringer”, by the Romans “was viewed as a supreme, perhaps pantheistic deity, the beginning and end of all things.”[1]

The infamous Antiochus the IV, Epiphanes, the Serpent's great ambassador, was determined to destroy the Jewish religion and the worship of YAHveh Almighty. According to Nelson Beecher Keys,

"In his (Antiochus) opinion, the greatest possible unifying force was Grecian thought and the Grecian way of life. It was particularly necessary that all, no matter what their nationalities or beliefs, adopt a common faith. . . (He gave) explicit orders to stamp out Judaism and in its place establish the worship of the greatest of the deities of the Greeks, the supreme sovereign of the universe, Olympian Zeus.”[2]

Epiphanes instituted strict edicts against honoring the Sabbath (Saturday), the Holy Feasts, circumcision and other sacred Jewish customs.

"The Temple was robbed, and then a statue of Zeus or Jupiter, as he was known to the Romans, was set up in the Holy of Holies. All the sacred books that could be found were burned."[3]

To further desecrate YAHveh's Temple and to appall the Jews, he offered the flesh of a swine upon Zeus's altar which had been erected on the traditional altar of burnt offering. According to some historians, Antiochus Epiphanes commanded that the 25th of every month be honored as a memorial of this desecration of YAHveh's Holy Temple.

“On the twenty-fifth day of each month, sacrifice was offered on the altar erected on top of the altar of burnt offering.[4]

Constantine "spared" this beloved pagan day, December 25. He conveniently whitewashed this unholy festival mixing it with the pure Messianic faith. The pagan festival worshipping the invincible sun deity was so popular and sacred to the Gentile masses converting to Christianity that it was "SPARED AS GOOD" and erroneously labeled as the Savior’s BIRTH DATE.

¨ The unholy festival honoring the Sun God, was expediently substituted with the honoring of the birth of the "Son of God".

“Pagan celebrations on December 25 had included feasting, dancing, lighting bonfires, decorating homes with greens, and giving gifts. So when this became a Christian festival, the customs continued, but with a Christian meaning imparted to them.”[5]*

The popular pagan tradition of Christmas trees is commonly shared by both Christians and non-Christians. YAHveh had warned His holy remnant through the prophet Jeremiah against such customs.

“Hear what YAHveh says to you. . . “Do not learn the ways of the nations. . . For the customs of the peoples are WORTHLESS; they cut a tree out of the forest. . . They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.”

Many Bible scholars interpret these verses to the folly of the making of manmade idols. Nevertheless, in principle, many generally do the same idolizing with the pagan origins of the Christmas tree. Like idolatry, it can lead one down the road to vanity and preoccupation with “worthless” things.

Throughout history there have been moves by a righteous minority to expose the pagan root of Christmas in an attempt to purify Christianity from that which is impure. According to Encyclopedia International,

"Throughout the Middle Ages, Christmas was a richly varied religious holiday. However, during the Commonwealth, the English Puritans, repelled by both the pagan practices and the religious ceremonies, forbade any religious or secular celebration of Christmas. The English celebration returned with the restoration of the Stuarts, but Christmas observances were still outlawed in Puritan New England for many years; and not until the 19th century did Christmas become a legal holiday in America.[6]

In truth, the Messiah's birth as well as His death and resurrection were the appropriate divine fulfillments of the Holy Feasts. Most historians and Biblical scholars concur that the Scriptural details of events surrounding His birth point to the early fall.

¨ YAHshua's birth is likely the fulfillment of the fall Feast called Sukkot (The Feast of Booths or Tabernacles), when YAHshua came TO TABERNACLE (dwell) among men.

Furthermore, according to Luke 3:23, YAHshua began His ministry at age thirty, which agrees with the Torah (see Num 4:3). Most acknowledge that YAHshua died at age thirty-three and one-half. By subtracting six months from the date of His death Nisan 15 (March-April), one would land on the fifteenth day of the seventh Hebrew month, Tishri (September-October). This is the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles.

As the Israelites temporarily left the comforts of their well built homes and dwelt in the fragile exposed sukkah (booth) so, YAHshua left heaven to indwell the body that was prepared for Him. (Heb10:5) He risked exposure to the elements to do the will of the Father. The Feast of Tabernacles speaks of His incarnation,

The celebration of Sukkot is in remembrance of YAHveh's provision of shelter for Israel during her wilderness journeys. It will ultimately be fulfilled by YAHshua, who is the shelter for His redeemed throughout His eternal kingdom. From the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles on earth at His birth, to the eternal fulfillment of Sukkot in His Father's kingdom, YAHshua is the beginning and the end.

With this in mind, it becomes easier to understand the prophecy written by Zechariah in regards to the millennial period,

“. . . any who are left of all the nations (Gentiles) that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, YAHveh of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles). And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, YAHveh of hosts, there will be no rain on them. . . . it will be the plague with which YAHveh smites the nations (Gentiles) who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles).”

Zechariah was foreseeing the final jubilant regathering and restoration of Israel, as well as the ingathering of the Gentile nations to worship YAHveh Almighty. The Feast of Tabernacles was appropriately fulfilled when YAHveh came as YAHshua to dwell among men. YAHveh memorialized the Feast of Tabernacles as a future mandatory observance throughout His millennial reign.

MESSIAH IS THE FULFILLMENT to every "jot and tittle," to the exact day and hour, of all the HOLY FEASTS OF ISRAEL. The Spring Feasts have already been fulfilled to precision through His death, and resurrection and outpouring of His Spirit. YAHshua's death was the fulfillment of the Holy Passover Feast and had no connection with the profane fertility goddess Ishtar.

¨ THE NAME “EASTER” HAS ITS ORIGINS IN ISHTAR, THE BABYLONIAN FERTILITY GODDESS.

Easter, like Christmas, was spared by the "Saul Generation", labeled as a worthy "sacrifice unto God". This by-product of paganism was incorporated into Christianity replacing the Hebrew root and full understanding of the Messiah's death and resurrection.

"Early Christians observed Easter on the same day as Passover (14-15 Nisan, a date governed by a lunar calendar). In the 2nd century, the Christian celebration was transferred to the Sunday following the 14-15 Nisan. . .".[7]

According to YAHveh's infinite mercy and sovereign plan, YAHshua was crucified as the perfect PASSOVER LAMB. In Jerusalem, at the same time the multitudes of Jews were sacrificing their "spotless male lambs" (Ex 12:3-7), YAHshua died as our sacrifice. For those who accept Him as their sacrifice, His blood covers the door posts of their hearts and protects them from the "angel of (eternal) death."

Messiah died after only six hours rather than the usual three days on the stake. He had a limited time in which to be BURIED in order to fulfill the second spring feast, the feast of UNLEAVENED BREAD. (Lev 23:6; 1Co 5:7-8)

YAHshua was RESURRECTED as the fulfillment of the third spring feast, the FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS (Lev 23:9-14). YAHshua is the "sheaf of the first grain of the harvest" presented before YAHveh, the Mighty One of the harvest. He is "the firstfruits" of those to rise from the dead.

Shavuot (Pentecost), the feast of the summer harvest, was fulfilled exactly on divine schedule when YAHshua poured out His Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) bringing in three thousand souls as that summer harvest.

The Fall Feasts of Israel will soon be fulfilled by YAHshua as accurately as the Spring Feasts. There are many books available for in-depth study on the Holy Feasts of Israel. These will enrich our appreciation of the Messiah and offer prophetic insight into His second coming and His agenda for Israel and the Church.

Through the centuries, most Jews have continued to reject their Messiah, just as most Gentile believers continue to cling to their pagan-rooted customs and traditions. As the whitewash is removed and the pagan customs of Christianity are rejected, the true image of the Jewish Messiah will be reflected through His redeemed and holy people. Finally, YAHshua will be recognized and embraced by a remnant of His brethren, the Jews.

[1] Websters New International Dictionary, Second Edition, G & C Merriam Company 1953

[3] Ibid. p. 109

Grolier Inc. See Easter.