A Quick Note on Sabbath....

I have to admit that only a year or so ago, I would have said that keeping a Sunday sabbath was just as acceptable as keeping the original seventh day Sabbath.  I was under the impression (as many are) that giving one day a week to God was all that was really being commanded, and since Jesus (supposedly) rose on a Sunday, God was honored either way.  After all, I live in the Bible belt, and even though I've cruised through a few different denominations in my day, they all worshiped on Sunday, and no one ever questioned it.

I find this amazing, now.  If you've ever read an old diary or in some way took a good hard look at yourself "back then", you know what I'm talking about.  It's eerie, in a way, to see such glaring error in myself - and error that I clung to so passionately!

In a moment of Bible reading today, I came across these verses:

"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you; every one that defieth it shall surely be put to death:  for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.  Six days may work be done but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD:  whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.  Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.  It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." - Exodus 31:12-17

In these 6 verses alone (not to mention in the rest of scripture) God answers all of our arguments!!! Are we so dense and rebellious as to completely ignore HIS view on the matter????  Here are my notes:

1.  "children of Israel" - This phrase does not mean "the Jews"!!!  Jew is a term derived from Judah (only one son of Israel), and the Jewish people are basically the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (only 2 sons).  ISRAEL HAD 12 SONS!  The other 10 tribes are scattered throughout the nations today!  (For complete information, click here.)  Whether we are genetically part of Israel or not, who knows, but we are grafted in by Yeshua!!! Either way, we are in this family.  We are a part of the children of Israel.  After all, do we not claim the promises that YHVH made to Israel???  YHVH is still speaking to us today! And how many times in these verses does He use this phrase???

2.  "my sabbaths" - Here there are 2 things to notice.  Firstly, He calls them "my" sabbaths.  There could be other sabbaths, which belong to someone else or some other god.  Secondly, this is plural!  Do yourself a favor and research the biblical sabbaths.  

3.  "throughout your generations" - It's pretty obvious that we are still "in" our generations.  I don't know why we ignore this phrase in scripture.  This is a way of saying forever!!!  YHVH knew what Yeshua would do and what the New Covenant would be.  He never operated from a position of ignorance - He is all-knowing!  If He intended for us to drop this after Yeshua, why would He command it forever???  And by the way, Yeshua (Jesus) kept the Sabbath.  That fact is recorded in the gospels.  If we want to be Christ-like, then why wouldn't we?

4.  "the seventh" - Here it is clearly spoken which day is His sabbath (and not someone else's).  The seventh day is Saturday!  Sunday sabbath was instituted by man (Catholic church).  The church clearly documents and acknowledges this fact. (Here.)  Are we commanded to keep a man's sabbath or YHVH's???  Are we obedient if we just go with the norm or with what we are used to???  Further down in these verses, it is explained that the seventh day was YHVH's rest from creation.  We keep this day as a memorial of that day!

5. "perpetual covenant" - The Bible is full of covenants!  This one is forever!  It was not done away with at Calvary.

6. "forever" - Forever means forever.

Please, please, if you are a believer, please search this out in scripture!  We do not honor our God and King either by breaking His commandments or by remaining obstinately in ignorance of them.  He calls us higher, closer to a more intimate and honored position with Him!  We claim spiritual authority and privilege, but those are bestowed upon us by YHVH Himself!  How can we ask for such treasures with hearts that are disinclined to honor and worship and disinterested in truth???

Share this article, this is a serious matter of our faith!  Every believer needs to wrestle with YHVH on such issues and gain an understanding and appreciation of His Truth for themselves!

Be blessed!

Image courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net 

Moed: Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah)!

     In just a couple of days, we will be celebrating Yom Teruah and beginning the Days of Awe!  If you, like me, are new to these observances, you may enjoy this video as much as I have!  This is a great, basic presentation relevant to all - but especially Christ's people!!!  Don't miss this!

"Halloween" giveaway!

   What better way to spend this time of year than growing in our understanding of spiritual things?  Normally, I am leery of books and other materials claiming to teach spiritual warfare.  It's very difficult to know whether or not the teacher actually knows what he/she is talking about or if they are parroting what they've been taught to believe!

    Bill Schnoebelen, however, has my attention!  His testimony is too much for me to go into here, but he has spent years of his life involved in major occult groups and practices.  Now, though, he is a follower of Yeshua, and (if I'm not mistaken) he is Torah observant!  Either way, though, he definitely is educated - both formally and experientially.

    If you're interested, you can easily find many of Mr. Schnoebelen's teachings on YouTube.  I especially recommend his testimony!  This is a long series, but you  may start here:

 Once you pass the introduction to the video, Mr. Schnoebelen spends a few moments giving a quick rundown of his history.  You may want to check that out, even if you can't watch the entire video!

   In the spirit of educating ourselves spiritually, A Bride Bejeweled will be giving away "Blood on the Doorposts (An Advanced Course in Spiritual Warfare) written by Bill Schnoebelen in 1994.  (Click here for Amazon link and preview.)  As with our last book giveaway, the winner is free to choose either a hard copy or e-book version of the book!  (You must be willing to provide either a mailing address or e-mail address (in case of an e-book) for the delivery of your prize.)

    You can enter in multiple ways, and some entries can be repeated daily!  Check out our rafflecopter giveaway widget on the side of the page to enter!

     Be blessed!

Here We Go Again....

    I'm sure you've noticed (as every year), it's only August, but the stores are stocking their shelves with Halloween (and even Christmas!) items.  It seems to me like they start earlier each year!  Even though, in my mind, 2+ months away is too early to start worrying about it, if it's gearing up, then we should discuss it.

    If you were a reader of my blog this time last year, then you already read my first post on Halloween.  If not, please do so.  If you're unfamiliar with the origins and symbolism associated with our traditions, please look into it!  It's vital that, as believers, we should be EDUCATED about our faith and our traditions!  Because Halloween is an annual tradition for many of us, we should know what it means and why.

     Halloween, as you will quickly see, is a pet-peeve of mine.  It hasn't always been, though.  I celebrated as a child and went trick-or-treating like all the others.  As an adult though, after deciding to serve YHVH (God) with my life, I've made a much different choice.  I will share this choice with you here, in hopes that you, too, will perhaps consider your personal choice again in the light of this information.

     It takes absolutely ZERO insight, discernment, or enlightenment of any kind to see Halloween's "true colors".  It amazes me, now, how ugly the whole thing is!  Spider webs, gory skeletons, goblins, witches, etc. - we decorate our businesses and homes with blood, guts, and gore!  It's creepy!  Yet, this time of year (again coming earlier and getting longer), it can hardly be escaped!  Stores proudly showcase macabre merchandise that they would never have under any other circumstances.  Fashions and behaviors that are normally viewed as odd, fringe, even disturbing are now celebrated and accepted by all!  It's easy to understand why many enjoy this holiday and either ignore or enjoy the darkness of it.  What isn't so easy to understand, though, is why most Christians are among them!

     Please, if you call yourself a Christian, look into this!  We are celebrating a high holiday of Satanism/Paganism in which horrible acts are commited, and the whole time we're encouraging and instructing our children to take part!

     If you've read my "Cancelling Christmas" article, then you understand the biblical reasons that many believers are turning away from many of our traditional holidays.  To state it quickly, in Deuteronomy 11-12, YHVH gives instructions to the Israelites (His people) on how to worship.  He explicitly tells them NOT to repackage pagan practices!  Anything that has ever been pagan was and always will be an abomination to God!!!!  We can't "clean it up", "turn it around", or just go "so far."  He requires us to worship Him in Spirit and truth - not ignorance and "bathed" occultism!

    I honestly believe that YHVH is very displeased when His people (especially His churches) participate in the world's ways - either willingly or ignorantly avoiding the truth of those ways.  IGNORANCE IS NOT AN EXCUSE!  We have more than enough intelligence and resources to know the truth, and we must make an effort at it!  The truth that we know, we are also held accountable to!

     If I could declare war on Halloween, I would; but, honestly, what good would that do?  What the rest of the world does is a moot point when God's people aren't doing right themselves!  If you are His, I beg you... be intelligent and informed about your actions!  Do your research, stay in prayer, and decide for yourself how your family can best serve and honor YHVH this year - every day.

     Here is a video to get you started!!!

Video Share: Evolution vs. God (Ray Comfort)

   
Ray Comfort seems to have declared war on evolution!!!  I have thoroughly enjoyed his material in the past, and his new video Evolution vs. God is a great continuation!  It's a little more than 45 minutes; take the time to watch this - you'll be glad you did!