Wednesday 31 December 2008
Wednesday 24 December 2008
Was Jesus Born on Sukkot?
As the world celebrates Christmas, an interpretation of the time of Yeshua’s [Jesus’] birth is gaining credibility in Messianic Jewish circles. A closer look at the Scriptures suggests that Yeshua was born during Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles:
• According to Luke 1:5-9, there was a certain priest named Zechariah who served in the 8th rotation of Abijah. These priestly rotations are also mentioned in 1 Chronicles 24:10.
• Zechariah’s service was set to take place in the second half of the month of the Hebrew month of Tammuz (around the end of June, July). There were 24 priestly rotations during the biblical year, each lasting two weeks. The first set began in Nissan (around the end of March, April), the first month of the Jewish calendar (Exodus 12:2).
• After finishing his two weeks of service in the Temple, Zechariah came home to his wife Elizabeth (Luke 1:23-24) who soon after became pregnant. This took place around the first day of the Hebrew month of Av (around the end of July, August).
• At the beginning of her sixth month of pregnancy (Luke 1:26, 36) her cousin Mary (Miriam in Hebrew) also became pregnant. That takes us to the first half of the month of Tevet (around December, January).
• Mary “went with haste’ to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who had been barren (verse 39). Mary stayed with Elizabeth during the first three months of her own pregnancy until Elizabeth gave birth to John (verses 56 and 57).
• That means John was born in the middle of the month of Nissan during Passover (around April). It is significant that on the Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Sabbath that precedes Passover, this passage is read in synagogues: “Behold, I am going to send you Eliah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5). John, the precursor and herald of the Messiah, was now born. Luke 1:17 says about him, “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children…”
• Therefore, Yeshua was born six months after John in the middle of the month of Tishri (around the second half of September, October) during a full moon, at the beginning of Sukkot. Nine months after Mary’s conception, the middle of the month of Tevet, takes us right to Sukkot, the 15th of Tishri.
If further proof is needed, it can be found in Luke 2:8””In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.”
According to Bible scholars, the usual custom was to send the flocks out around Passover (March-April) and bring them back at the beginning of the rainy season, around mid-October. Prayers for rain traditionally begin immediately after Sukkot.
It is also well known that the observance of Christmas on December 25th has pagan origins. In the Roman Empire, it was the celebration of the rebirth of the sun, observed during winter solstice. When the Roman Empire adopted Christianity, it was convenient to turn this pagan observance into the celebration of the birth of the Messiah to win over the masses.
But regardless of the Yeshua’s birth date, the eternal message remains the same: “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great you which will be for all peoples; for unto us this day is born, in the city of David, a Savior who is Messiah the Lord!” (Luke 2:10-11).
This article is written after Michael Schneider, Israel Today, December 2008.
Some explanations:
Yeshua, the original Hebrew name of Jesus.
Israel has lunar calendar. Dates of our solar calendar every year are different opposite to lunar calendar.
You can read about Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, in Leviticus 23:33-44; Deuterenomy 16:13-17; Numbers 29:12-39.
Sukkot is about dwelling in booths, when God brought Israel out of the land of Egypt.
This feast reminds of waiting of coming Messiah too.
The vast majority of Israel doesn’t believe till now Yeshua is God’s promised Messiah. Israel still waits their Messiah. Christians believe Messiah, Christ Jesus had come as Savior once, but He will come again as King of kings, Lord of lords and Judge. Thus both, Israel and Christians, wait for coming of Messiah.
Sukkot was celebrated on October 14-21, 2008. In 2009 it will be on October 3-10. After lunar calendar Sukkot always take place during 15th-22th of Tishri.
• According to Luke 1:5-9, there was a certain priest named Zechariah who served in the 8th rotation of Abijah. These priestly rotations are also mentioned in 1 Chronicles 24:10.
• Zechariah’s service was set to take place in the second half of the month of the Hebrew month of Tammuz (around the end of June, July). There were 24 priestly rotations during the biblical year, each lasting two weeks. The first set began in Nissan (around the end of March, April), the first month of the Jewish calendar (Exodus 12:2).
• After finishing his two weeks of service in the Temple, Zechariah came home to his wife Elizabeth (Luke 1:23-24) who soon after became pregnant. This took place around the first day of the Hebrew month of Av (around the end of July, August).
• At the beginning of her sixth month of pregnancy (Luke 1:26, 36) her cousin Mary (Miriam in Hebrew) also became pregnant. That takes us to the first half of the month of Tevet (around December, January).
• Mary “went with haste’ to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who had been barren (verse 39). Mary stayed with Elizabeth during the first three months of her own pregnancy until Elizabeth gave birth to John (verses 56 and 57).
• That means John was born in the middle of the month of Nissan during Passover (around April). It is significant that on the Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Sabbath that precedes Passover, this passage is read in synagogues: “Behold, I am going to send you Eliah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5). John, the precursor and herald of the Messiah, was now born. Luke 1:17 says about him, “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children…”
• Therefore, Yeshua was born six months after John in the middle of the month of Tishri (around the second half of September, October) during a full moon, at the beginning of Sukkot. Nine months after Mary’s conception, the middle of the month of Tevet, takes us right to Sukkot, the 15th of Tishri.
If further proof is needed, it can be found in Luke 2:8””In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.”
According to Bible scholars, the usual custom was to send the flocks out around Passover (March-April) and bring them back at the beginning of the rainy season, around mid-October. Prayers for rain traditionally begin immediately after Sukkot.
It is also well known that the observance of Christmas on December 25th has pagan origins. In the Roman Empire, it was the celebration of the rebirth of the sun, observed during winter solstice. When the Roman Empire adopted Christianity, it was convenient to turn this pagan observance into the celebration of the birth of the Messiah to win over the masses.
But regardless of the Yeshua’s birth date, the eternal message remains the same: “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great you which will be for all peoples; for unto us this day is born, in the city of David, a Savior who is Messiah the Lord!” (Luke 2:10-11).
This article is written after Michael Schneider, Israel Today, December 2008.
Some explanations:
Yeshua, the original Hebrew name of Jesus.
Israel has lunar calendar. Dates of our solar calendar every year are different opposite to lunar calendar.
You can read about Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, in Leviticus 23:33-44; Deuterenomy 16:13-17; Numbers 29:12-39.
Sukkot is about dwelling in booths, when God brought Israel out of the land of Egypt.
This feast reminds of waiting of coming Messiah too.
The vast majority of Israel doesn’t believe till now Yeshua is God’s promised Messiah. Israel still waits their Messiah. Christians believe Messiah, Christ Jesus had come as Savior once, but He will come again as King of kings, Lord of lords and Judge. Thus both, Israel and Christians, wait for coming of Messiah.
Sukkot was celebrated on October 14-21, 2008. In 2009 it will be on October 3-10. After lunar calendar Sukkot always take place during 15th-22th of Tishri.
Saturday 13 December 2008
Radical turning points of life
http://www.visualstudio.lv/radikali-en.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KorKxh_Ivbo&feature=channel
Real Radical is an ecumenical Christian youth group. Besides working at Visual studio Ltd., we sing together and play music, that we and the audience could feel even more of God’s mightiness, light, joy, peace and love. We gladly tell about how God has changed our lives through Jesus Christ, about what He wants and is able to do in every single person’s life, and about what to do to experience a radical change in life, getting know God and getting peace with Him. A verse from the Bible describes our vision – Ephesians 4:11-15. The leader and chairman of the board AIVARS GULBIS: “In the beginning of year 1992, when I was 28 years old, I read Billy Grehem book about how to come to God, in solitude I prayed the prayed that was written in that book and I trusted Jesus as my Savior and the King of my life. On the third day after I got salvation, I told it to my book-keeper, and I got a desire to preach. Immediately God set me free from alcohol slavery. After about a month I was also completely free of smoking. I started learning to listen to God and every day to stay quiet in front of Him to get direction from Holy Spirit. Since then God has given me chances to serve as a pastor, evangelist, youth leader, musician, He has taught me to step aside, remain silent, to forgive, and be humble and living quietly to work with my own hands. Today I want that God’s will comes true in my life. I’m longing to see churches, that learns to respect and love each brother and sister, to stand by others side, not to mutually compete, but to cooperate, seeing, that our purpose is to honor Jesus Christ and to show the world their real necessity for forgiveness and peace with God. That this sin tortured and distorted world could see how fabulous order God has established, that it’s available for people and it is the real life, sublimity, freedom and beatitude, what God created us for – life in fellowship with God already here on earth and after dead – together with Him in a different reality for eternity. My prayer for me and you is, that our relationship with God is in a level that we could not fail in His directions, obedience and we don’t do “good works” by ourselves, but only when God wants that from us and that it could happen “with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). If some of our activities have interested you and you would like to cooperate with us, then I invite you to look in our Web page www.visualstudio.lv May God bless you!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KorKxh_Ivbo&feature=channel
Real Radical is an ecumenical Christian youth group. Besides working at Visual studio Ltd., we sing together and play music, that we and the audience could feel even more of God’s mightiness, light, joy, peace and love. We gladly tell about how God has changed our lives through Jesus Christ, about what He wants and is able to do in every single person’s life, and about what to do to experience a radical change in life, getting know God and getting peace with Him. A verse from the Bible describes our vision – Ephesians 4:11-15. The leader and chairman of the board AIVARS GULBIS: “In the beginning of year 1992, when I was 28 years old, I read Billy Grehem book about how to come to God, in solitude I prayed the prayed that was written in that book and I trusted Jesus as my Savior and the King of my life. On the third day after I got salvation, I told it to my book-keeper, and I got a desire to preach. Immediately God set me free from alcohol slavery. After about a month I was also completely free of smoking. I started learning to listen to God and every day to stay quiet in front of Him to get direction from Holy Spirit. Since then God has given me chances to serve as a pastor, evangelist, youth leader, musician, He has taught me to step aside, remain silent, to forgive, and be humble and living quietly to work with my own hands. Today I want that God’s will comes true in my life. I’m longing to see churches, that learns to respect and love each brother and sister, to stand by others side, not to mutually compete, but to cooperate, seeing, that our purpose is to honor Jesus Christ and to show the world their real necessity for forgiveness and peace with God. That this sin tortured and distorted world could see how fabulous order God has established, that it’s available for people and it is the real life, sublimity, freedom and beatitude, what God created us for – life in fellowship with God already here on earth and after dead – together with Him in a different reality for eternity. My prayer for me and you is, that our relationship with God is in a level that we could not fail in His directions, obedience and we don’t do “good works” by ourselves, but only when God wants that from us and that it could happen “with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). If some of our activities have interested you and you would like to cooperate with us, then I invite you to look in our Web page www.visualstudio.lv May God bless you!"
AIVARS GULBIS’S PHOTO EXHIBITIONS
http://www.visualstudio.lv/izstades-en.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDY7KYtZwtE&feature=channel_page
Visual Studio invites you to look at the variety, secrets and the magnificence of nature, and also at the charisma of human made world IN AIVARS GULBIS’S PHOTO EXHIBITIONS. Texts next to the photos make a spectator to want to come and meet his heart and to look beyond visible – higher, farther, deeper... The exhibition „Golden moments in an ordinary day” has been already at: .Ugāle library .Kuldīga region museum and The Main library „Aivars Gulbis’s photos that we saw at Kuldīga region museum, make people wonder that they can see a miracle every moment. On the 8th of March it’s quite gloomy, but arriving at these exhibition rooms, I’ve quickly reached a fairyland. The author invites to observe cloud games, to wander about England, to feel the breeze of an Estonian windmill, to relax in Latvian beaches, to admire every living creature. I think each arrival could find something close to him. Some liked the photos of our old bridge over the river Venta in winter and summer, by day and at night. Some others stopped at the impressive dog portraits. The piece I liked the most is this peculiar photo of a human hand with a baby grass-snake on it. If I get a chance, I’ll go and see his other exhibitions; looking through A. Gulbis’s eyes, the world becomes more interesting.” Dārta Uzulēna Kurzemnieks, Kuldīga region newspaper, 29th March, 2008. .Ozolnieki recreation centre .Nākotne recreation centre .Jelgava town recreation centre In November you can see this exhibition at Dobele town recreation centre. In the year 2009 you will be able to see the exhibition „Colourful discoveries” in Kuldīga – in February, Sigulda recreation centre – in March, Jelgavas town recreation centre – in October. If you also would like to see some of these exhibitions at your place, we invite you to call +371 20010626 or email aivars.3d@inbox.lv.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDY7KYtZwtE&feature=channel_page
Visual Studio invites you to look at the variety, secrets and the magnificence of nature, and also at the charisma of human made world IN AIVARS GULBIS’S PHOTO EXHIBITIONS. Texts next to the photos make a spectator to want to come and meet his heart and to look beyond visible – higher, farther, deeper... The exhibition „Golden moments in an ordinary day” has been already at: .Ugāle library .Kuldīga region museum and The Main library „Aivars Gulbis’s photos that we saw at Kuldīga region museum, make people wonder that they can see a miracle every moment. On the 8th of March it’s quite gloomy, but arriving at these exhibition rooms, I’ve quickly reached a fairyland. The author invites to observe cloud games, to wander about England, to feel the breeze of an Estonian windmill, to relax in Latvian beaches, to admire every living creature. I think each arrival could find something close to him. Some liked the photos of our old bridge over the river Venta in winter and summer, by day and at night. Some others stopped at the impressive dog portraits. The piece I liked the most is this peculiar photo of a human hand with a baby grass-snake on it. If I get a chance, I’ll go and see his other exhibitions; looking through A. Gulbis’s eyes, the world becomes more interesting.” Dārta Uzulēna Kurzemnieks, Kuldīga region newspaper, 29th March, 2008. .Ozolnieki recreation centre .Nākotne recreation centre .Jelgava town recreation centre In November you can see this exhibition at Dobele town recreation centre. In the year 2009 you will be able to see the exhibition „Colourful discoveries” in Kuldīga – in February, Sigulda recreation centre – in March, Jelgavas town recreation centre – in October. If you also would like to see some of these exhibitions at your place, we invite you to call +371 20010626 or email aivars.3d@inbox.lv.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
