Passover Letter To The Brethren 07.04.09

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THE WORK OF GOD-21ST CENTURY Proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of god Ministering to its members scattered abroad email: [email protected]

ear saints, Warm Greetings!

rethren in the Faith once delivered to the

7-8 April 2007, in Hong Kong (Reprinted

7 April 2009)

WHAT IS PASSOVER AND FEAST OF THE DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD FOR 21ST CENTURY MAN? -

Why did God decree that the Passover and The Feast of the Days on Unleavened Bread are to be kept for all generations?, (Lev. 23:31).

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- Beyond the numerical, textual, literal words expressed regarding the keeping, observance, and celebration of the Feast, did GOD embed a growing, profound spiritual meaning we must yet understand? - Did GOD mean for us to grow in deeper, more spiritual comprehension of the meaning of the Feast?

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Part I AND SO THE JEWS KEEP THE PASSOVER IN 2007

N the 3 April 2007 issue of USA Today, on page 3, it is featured: PASSOVER PREPARATION “In Budapest, Hungary, orthodox Jews make matzo, an unleavened bread, for Passover. Leavened food is forbidden during the week-long Jewish holiday that commemorates the Israelite’s departure from Egypt.” You can gather from the above brief news item, generally syndicated in all mass media, widely circulated, read by millions, that it is considered, or assumed, that: -

Passover is kept by the Jews. That it is a Jewish holiday. That the Jews are Israelites. Further: That it is assumed and taken for granted that ONLY THE JEWS constitute ISRAEL, especially after the Jews that returned to Palestine from their Diaspora (exile) established a nation/country/state they called ISRAEL, by mandate and agreement of the world powers after World War II, particularly Great Britain and the United States of America. In today’s modern-day Israel, about 6 million Jews, or Israelis, dwell in today’s state of Israel. They regained their freedom to practice their national religion: JUDAISM. There are 15 million plus known believers of Judaism

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among the Jews on a planet teeming with 6.5 billion peoples. Therein, they claim they abide by the Law of Moses, called the Pentateuch, the Five Great Books of the Hebrew Scriptures, and live by the Torah. They are literal keepers of the code of the LAW. They are monotheists, professed believers in the one true God. They live by the set statutes, judgments, ordinances, set forth in the Pentateuch. And so they are keepers and observers of the Passover and the Feast of the Days of Unleavened Bread. In that keeping, they are enjoined to eat unleavened bread in the 7 days of the holy day, as the above news item state. In the world of myriad religious faiths, Christian denominations, and cults, their religious practices are called “JEWISH”. And that these are only applicable to the Jews. Ergo, the Jews are Israelites. And these practices and traditions bound in the Law is applicable and binding ONLY on them. The non-Jewish Christians are freed from it, and have no obligation to keep them, because “these are nailed to the cross”. They are not under the Law. They are relieved from the “works of the law”. Delivered from the “curse of the law”.

“What advantage hath the Jew?” the New Testament Scripture asks. “Much every way, chiefly because that unto them were committed the *oracles (gk: logion – utterances of God (#3051, Strong’s Concordance) of The patriarch Jacob, son of Isaac, God..” son of Abraham, father of many nations, proclaimed and prophesied upon his son Judah, one of the 12 tribes of Israel: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet,

until Shiloh (returning Lord Jesus Christ); and unto him shall the gathering of the The Jews are of the people be,” (Gen 49:10). house of Judah. Jesus, the Christ, was born from a woman, the virgin Mary, a Jew, and his stepfather Joseph, a Jew. The archangel Gabriel announced that the child conceived in the virgin Mary’s womb was thru the Holy Spirit, the power of the Highest (Lk 1:26-35). The king line will always be from Judah till the King of kings, and Lord of lords, Christ Jesus.

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He will take over the throne of his father David (his progenitor), king of Judah, and of all Israel.

NOW READ AGAIN THE GREATEST TRUE STORY EVER TOLD: 30 “And the angel said unto her unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. son,, and shalt 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb , and bring forth a son

call his name JESUS. on of the 32 And he shall be great, and shall be called the sson Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. 33 And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel. ‘How shall this be seeing I know not not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, ‘The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be

called the Son of God.”

(Lk 1:30-25).

HOW DID THE JEWS, OF THE TRIBE AND HOUSE OF JUDAH, ONE OF THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL, GET TO BE SO BLESSED WITH SUCH A DISTINCT ROLE BY GOD? The Book of Deuteronomy, one of the Five Books of the Pentateuch, reveals the original answer in chapter 4:

1 “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. commandd you, neither shall ye diminish 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I comman aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of BaalBaal-peor: for all the men that followed BaalBaal-peor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed destroyed them from you. 4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.

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5 Behold I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. it. 6 Keep therefore and do them: for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD God is in all things that we call upon Him for?

8 For what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine have seen and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; 10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me: Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. 11 And ye came near and stood stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds and thick darkness. 12 And LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude: only ye heard a voice. 13 And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even TEN COMMA COMMANDMENTS: and He wrote them upon two tables of stone. 14 And the LORD commanded me all that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. THE ORIGINAL BLESSING ON JUDAH BY HIS FATHER, JACOB:

8 “Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck thee.e. of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before the 9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until unto *Shiloh come; and un to him shall the gathering of the people be,” (Gen 49:8-10). (*The Messiah)

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DID THE 12-TRIBES NATION OF ISRAEL REMAIN FAITHFUL TO THEIR COVENANT WITH GOD? The ancient prophet Jeremiah reveals what the houses of Israel, and Judah, did after: 3:6 “The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the King, ‘Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? She is gone up upon

every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. these 7 And I said after she had done all the se things, ‘Turn thou me.’ But she returned not. And he treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I udah feared had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce, yet her treacherous sister JJudah not, but went and played the harlot also. 9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and stocks. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feigned ly, saith the LORD. 11 And the LORD said unto me, ‘The backsliding Israel hath justified

herself more than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, ‘Return, thou backsliding bac ksliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful,’ saith the LORD, ‘and I will not keep anger forever.’ 13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God. And hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice,’ saith the LORD. 3:20 3: 20 Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel: 21 A voice was heard heard upon high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God. 4:11 ‘For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealth very treacherously against me,’ saith the LORD. 4:12 They have belied the LORD, and said, ‘It is not He: neither shall evil come upon: neither shall we see sword nor famine.’

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FOR ALL THESE DEFIANCE AND DARING AGAINST THEIR CREATOR GOD, THEY WERE PUNISHED WITH INVASION AND CAPTIVITY:

5:15 5:15 “ Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from afar, O house of Israel,’ saith the LORD: ‘It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understand what they say. they 16 Their quiver is an open sepulcher, th ey are all mighty men. 17 And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat; they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds; they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig fig trees; they shall impoverish thy fenced cities wherein thou trustest, with the sword. 18 ‘Nevertheless in those days,’ saith the LORD, ‘I will not make a full end with you.’ 19 And it shall come to pass, when you shall say, ‘Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us?’ then shalt thou answer them, Like as you have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours. 20 Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying, WITHOUT 21 ‘HEAR THIS NOW O FOOLISH PEOPLE, AND WI THOUT UNDERSTANDING, which have eyes and see not, which have ears and hear not. 25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and you sins have witholden good things from you,” (Jer 5:15-25) 14 ‘Turn, O backsliding children,’ saith the LORD; ‘for I am married to you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and undersrtanding,” (Jer 3:6-15).

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Part II

WHAT HAS COME UPON THE CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS? These terms cause fiery, divisive, arguments and debates among the Christian - professing community: •

works of the law, law (Gal. 2:16; 3:2, 5, 10).

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under the law, (Rom 3:9;

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curse curse of the law, (Gal 3:10, 13).

6:15; 9.20).

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These words and phrases are, indeed, in the New Testament Scriptures. When taken out of their context, they certainly brought the wrong type of spiritual liberation to those who innocently, wittingly, or unwittingly, believed themselves to be so. A very large segment of the Bible-believing world embrace the no-law tenets of the faith. They abide by the “saved by grace and faith only,” determination. That they would have nothing to do with any of them. For are they not the Lord’s freemen? As for the law, He “nailed them on His cross” at Calvary. That “they were done away.” after Golgotha. This, they point to others who would ask. And comfort themselves with the assured confidence that it is so. For are they not saved already? Did they not “give their heart Lord””? Did they not “give their decision for Christ Christ””? Did they not to the Lord come as they were when they went, tearfully and sorrowfully, respond to the altar call in one of those mass crusades for Christ? Is not the kingdom of heaven in their hearts already? And “once saved, always saved” saved”! That the Law is a burden? A manacle? A ball of chain? A heavy cluster of no’s and don’ts? A heavy yoke of do’s and must’s? A hindrance? A rope in the neck? Commanded and so ordered by a strict and merciless Creator God? Who so so directed weak flesh and blood humans, made from the dust of the earth, to obey them knowing they can not do it?

“NO ONE, NOBODY, COULD KEEP THE LAW”, became the mantra. ‘THE LAW DOES NOT, COULD NOT SAVE YOU!” became the motto. It is today the banner excuse of those who would believe, or who became and would-be “believers”. The religious scholars and teachers, the religious leaders of Christianity said so. They set it to be so. And they taught it scrupulously to be so.

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Theyi nstitutionalized it to be so. And hundreds of millions are deep in it. And over their dead body, they would not be extricated from it. And so it was accepted as so. Till today in the entire Christian world. There are about more than two billion souls, all told. THE ARGUMENTS AND DEBATES FLY BACK AND FORTH. As it has carried on for centuries. IS THE CREATOR GOD PLEASED WITH ALL OF THESE? 2 Corinthians 3:6 is widely quoted:

“The letter of the law killeth. But the spirit giveth life.” Their interpretation: “Separate themselves from the letter. Live by and in the spirit.” Some went as far as saying: We can physically work on the Sabbath. But our spirits and hearts are at rest. Our physical body work. But our inner us/you is at rest keeping the Sabbath, It is almost saying: They are there, but not really there. Are you aware that a certain group of believers ferociously and zealously believe it is so. IS THIS TRUE? IS ALL THESE THE WAY THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF THE TRUE FAITH MEANT IT TO BE?

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Part III

WHO CAN UNDERSTAND? WHO CAN GIVE UNDERSTANDING? THE LORD JESUS CHRIST DOES! “THEN OPENED HE THEIR UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY MIGHT UNDERSTAND THE

SCRIPTURES,” (Lk 24:45). So He speaks forth from hereon: 1. THE FEASTS, THE HOLYDAYS, WHOSE ARE THEY? 1 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

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2 Speak unto Moses, and say unto them, concerning THE FEASTS OF THE LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations. Even these ARE MY FEASTS,” (Lev 23:1,2). 2. THE 7TH DAY SABBATH, WHOSE IS IT?

13 “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on MY HOLY DAY; and call the Sabbath a DELIGHT, THE HOLY OF THE LORD, HONOURABLE; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking speaking thine own words: 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD: and I WILL CAUSE THEE TO RIDE UPON THE HIGH PLACES OF THE EARTH, AND FEED THEE WITH THE HERITAGE OF MOUTH JACOB THY FATHER; FOR THE MO UTH OF THE LORD HATH SPOKEN IT”,(Isa 59:1314).

AND WHO IS THE LORD GOD WHO SPOKE THE ABOVE?

“And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual ROCK that followed them: and THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST,” (I Cor 10:4). HE IS THE LORD OF THE SABBATH:

Sabbath 27 And He said unto them. “The Sabb ath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is LORD OF THE SABBATH,” (MK 2:27,28; Lk 6:5).

THE SAME LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT WHO CREATED THE SABBATH BY RESTING ON THE 7TH DAY AFTER SIX DAYS OF CREATION WORK: 1 “Then the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2 And on the seventh day, God ended his work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. seventh enth day and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested 3 And God blessed the sev from all His work which God created and made,” (Gen 2:1-2). LAWFUL TO DO GOOD ON THE SABBATH

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1. Lawful to heal, as Christ the Healer did, (Mt 12:10, 12; Mk 3:4; Lk 6:9; 14:3-4; 16:3). 2. Lawful to save the ox that fell into the pit on the Sabbath day, ( Lk 14:5). IS THE LAW A BURDENSOME SET OF STRICTURES AND RESTRICTIONS? 21 “ The LORD is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; HE WILL MAGNIFY THE LAW, AND MAKE IT HONOURABLE, “ Isa 42:21 ALL THESE MUST BE DONE WITH DECENCY AND ORDER (I Cor 14:40). FOR GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION BUT OF PEACE. (I Cor 14:33). IS THE LAW SOMETHING TO BE SCARED OF? TO RUN AWAY FROM? TO BE SHUNNED? AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS?

1 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly… 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper,” (Ps 1:1-3).

A LIGHT

23 “For the commandment is a lamp, and the LAW IS LIGHT: And reproofs of instruction are the way of life,” (Pr 6:23). 20 “To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not aaccording ccording to this word, it is because there is no light in them,” (Isa 8:20). 20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin,” (Rom 3:20).

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7 “The law of the LORD is perfect,” (Ps 19.7; 119;142). SOURCE OF TRUE PEACE

165 “Great peace have they who love thy law and nothing shall offend them,” (Ps 119:165).

THE TRUTH

142 “Thy law is the truth,” (Ps 119:142). FOUNTAIN OF WONDROUS THINGS

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wondrous wondrous things out of thy law,” (Ps

119:18).

CAUSE OF DELIGHTSOME LIFE AND KEY TO BEING TRULY ALIVE NOW IN THIS LIFE. NOW IN THIS TIME.

The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver, (Ps 119:72).

delights, ights, I should then have perished in my affliction, (Ps Unless the law had been my del 119:92).

I have longed for thy salvation O LORD; and thy law is my delight, (Ps 119:174). DOERS OF THE LAW JUSTIFIED

13 “For NOT the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified,” (Rom 2:13). HOLY

12 “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, just and good,” (Rom 7:12).

PERFECT LIBERTY

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25 “For whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed,” (Jas 1:25). KEY TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF GOD’S GOVERNMENT IN THE NEW WORLD TO COME

3 “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go to the mountain of the LORD, to the God of the house of Jacob, and He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths, for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem,” (Isa 2:3). IN ALL THE ABOVE, THE LAW, THE ROYAL LAW OF LOVE AND PERFECT LIBERTY, WAS SET IN MOTION IN THE UNIVERSE BY THE ETERNAL CREATOR GOD FOR THE PERFECT GOOD OF MAN, ALL MANKIND, THE ENTIRE FAMILY OF MAN, THAT HE CREATED. THE DIVINE POWER OF GOD, THRU THE HOLY SPIRIT, IS THE UNDERPINNING OF THE PERFECT LAW OF LOVE. THIS – THE CARNAL HATERS OF THE SPIRITUAL LAW CAN NEVER ACKNOWLEDGE, NETIHER EVER SEE. For truly THE LAW is the perfect expression of perfect love by imperfect man towards and for the perfect GOD, who, because of this will be truly pleased to give man the ability thru the power of the Holy Spirit to express perfect love to his imperfect neighbor as he must love his imperfect self. None shows that it was merely for Israel, neither for the Jews, as what millions of believers and students of the Holy Scriptures, were misled to think, or believe to be so. See? The SABBATH WAS MADE FOR MAN!

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Part IV SATAN, THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION, INVADED THE CHURCHES What about legalism? Why, this is an invented word by today’s so called ministers and believers who have made themselves to despise and reject the law, without truly understanding it. And infected millions of others with this scorning, condescending view and bias towards and against the perfect law of love. What about the “yoke of the law”? The “curse of the law”? The “works of the law”? These came about as a result of religious teachers, and abetted and supported by scholars, who mishandled and twisted the perfect Law originally intended by God for the perfect good of believers and practitioners of THE WAY. THEY SAY WITH DERISION: “Imagine the set of negatives and do nots? That is a hindrance. A pull down. A heavy block against personal freedom, human right, and personal progress.” “Not in this day and age,” is the “dare-to move on” people of our time. Furthermore, these are the same type of semi-religiously inclined people spoken about by the Apostle Peter, who deemed themselves Paulicians, or followers of Paul, and yet:

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15 “And account that the longlong-suffering of our Lord is salvation; EVEN AS OUR BELOVED BROTHER PAUL PAUL ALSO ACCORDING TO HIS WISDOM GIVEN UNTO HIM HATH WRITTEN UNTO YOU; 16 AS ALSO IN ALL HIS EPISTLES, SPEAKING IN THEM ALL THESE THINGS; IN WHICH ARE SOME THINGS HARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD, WHICH THEY THAT ARE UNLEARNED AND UNSTABLE WREST, AS THEY ALSO THE OTHER OTHER SCRIPTURES UNTO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION,” (II Pt 3:15-16). The unintended consequences of the “ curse of the law”, and the “works of the law”, including the “yoke of the law,” came about by the juggling of the numbers, phrases and words in the law by those who worked behind the scenes as the real directors and script writers of the religious dramas and scenarios they wanted to come out contrary, or in opposition to, the law of love and holy commandments of God. To mesmerize the believing worshippers. They used rites, rituals, mystic gestures, incense, smokes, symbols, sculptured engravings. circles, geometric diagrams, whispers, chants, soulful music, trembling organ sounds that stir one to awe, tears, even weeping. They use clappings , and holding hands in circles. They used their charisma and presence with long beards, hoary white grey hairs, coupled with measured steps, as get up for pretended depth, experience, wisdom and connection with the divine, and in ecclesiastical vestments that looked awesome and grand, far above the laity, yea, the ordinary layman. It is all theatre. It is all entertainment, sad to say. They were performed and recited in the stirring echoing halls, in acoustically designed chambers, and inside halls of church buildings and cathedrals, mosques, and temples. In the time of Christ, they were exposed by Jesus Christ. He bluntly told the Pharisees who sat on Moses’ seat, and the scribes (like today’s modern day Bible scholars) what He sees them to be. He called them, without mincing words, for what they were: Blind guides. Hypocrites. These blistering, point-blank rebukes made the Pharisees and scribes go ballistic.

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They twisted the Scriptures of the Old Testament. (There were not the New Testament scriptures at that time). They added to the 10 Commandments. They placed prefixes and suffixes before and after. They loaded the simple, plain 10 commandments with their added sub-commandments, Even sub, sub-commandments. They loaded the plain, simple, clear statutes, and judgments with their own. Until it became layers upon layers, even hundreds, of rules and regulations too heavy to be borne, ( Mt 23:4; Lk 11:46). They used the plain numbers, texts, set of words and phrases, taken out of their right context. They subverted the Scriptures to gain religious authority and power over the people. They incorporated, even riveted, as it were, the traditions of men with and into the Commandments of God, which are holy, just, and good, (Rom 7:12). They made simple believers to think that mystifying words, words, words, circumlocutory and tongue-twisting, are Godordained. They used mystic and mystifying rituals to deceive the naïve and the gullible. All for authority. Power. With secret ulterior motive for wicked gain, for unrighteous mammon. They move, they compass land and sea to gain one proselyte to convert. And later made it impossible for that poor little one to make it, all confused and all the more worse, ( Mat 23:15 ). IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, THEY ARE CONDEMNED BY GOD 1 “Woe unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! Saith the LORD, (Jer 23:1-4). 1 “ And the word of the LORD came unto me saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say unto them, THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD UNTO THE SHEPHERDS; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherd feed the flocks?,” (Ezek 34:1-16).

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THE SAME LORD GOD WHO CAME AS JESUS CHRIST FOR 33 AND ONE HALF YEARS NEAR 2000 YEARS AGO REBUKED THE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES AND CALLED THEM FOR WHAT THEY WERE:

“WOE, UNTO YOU SCRIBES AND PHARISEES….. 13…Hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14…Hypocrites! For ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. proselyte; 15…Hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one prose lyte; and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. 16… Woe unto you, blind guides, which say, Whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. 17… Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18…And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing: but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19…Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20…Whosoever therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21…And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22…And he shall shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by Him that sitteth thereon. 23…WOE UNTO YOU, SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES! For ye pay tithe and mint and anise and cummin, and HAVE OMITTED THE WEIGHTIER MATTERS OF THE LAW, JUDGMENT, MERCY AND FAITH: FAITH: THESE OUGHT YE TO HAVE DONE AND NOT TO LEAVE THE OTHER UNDONE… (LK 11:42). 24…Ye BLIND GUIDES, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25….WOE unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26…Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also. whitedd 27…Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto white sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

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28…Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29…Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous. 30…And say, ‘If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31…Wherefore ye be be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32…Fill ye up the measure of your fathers. 33.. YE SERPENTS, YE GENERATION OF VIPERS, how can you escape the damnation of hell? 34…Wherefore, behold, I send unto you pprophets, rophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city; 35…That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36…Verily, I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37…O JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM, THOU THAT KILLEST THE PROPHETS, AND STONEST STONEST THEM WHICH ARE SENT UNTO THEE, HOW OFTEN WOULD I HAVE GATHERED THY CHILDREN TOGETHER, EVEN AS A HEN GATHERETH HER CHICKENS UNDER HER WINGS, AND YOU WOULD NOT! 38…BEHOLD, YOUR HOUSE IS LEFT UNTO YOU DESOLATE. 39…FOR I SAY UNTO YOU, YE SHALL NOT SEE ME HENCEFORTH, TILL YE SHALL SAY, BLESSED IS HE THAT COMETH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. GOSPEL OF LUKE: 11:43… WOE UNTO YOU, PHARISEES, FOR YOU LOVE THE

SEATS IN THE

SYNAGOGUES, AND GREETINGS IN THE MARKETS 11:46…WOE unto you also, ye lawyers, for ye lade with burdens grievous to be borne, and you yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. lawyers, 11:52…Woe unto you, lawy ers, for ye have TAKEN AWAY THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE: ye entered not 13--52). not in yourselves, And them that were entering in, ye hindered, (Mt 23: 13

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“BEWARE OF THE PHARISEES,” CHRIST WARNED. BEWARE OF THE 21ST CENTURY PHARISEES AND SCRIBES IS WHAT HE WARNS US TODAY. 1 “ In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode upon one another, He began to say to the disciples first of all, ‘BEWARE YE OF THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES, WHICH IS HYPOCRISY,’ (LK 12:1). TAUGHT DOCTRINES AND TRADITIONS OF MEN CUNNINGLY ENTWINED OR SET VIS-À-VIS THE LAW AND THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD 6 “Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups; and many enter such like things you do. 9 And He said unto them, ‘Full well ye reject the commandment of Go God, d, that ye may keep your own tradition,’ tradition, (Mk 7:7-9; Mt 15:9).

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Part V THE SACRED EMBLEMS AND MANNER OF WORSHIP ORDAINED AND APPROVED BY GOD WHERE IS THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, THE PILLAR AND BULWARK OF THE TRUTH, (I Tim 3:15), IN ALL THESE? Why, it remains the same constant, unchanging, everlasting CHURCH, named after GOD (Jn 17:11), and 12 times in the New Testament) built by JESUS CHRIST, THE ROCK, (Gk. petra, I Cor 10:4) AND THE GATES OF HELL WILL NEVER PREVAIL AGAINST IT, (Mt 16:18). The members thereof, are called by the Lord, His LITTLE FLOCK (Lk 12:32). He feeds His sheep, He uses converted men, and women, to serve and feed them.

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These be the few spirit-led men and women (Mt 20:16, Mk 8.7) WHO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, (Rev 12:17). And yes, they observe the PASSOVER, and keep the Feast of the Days of Unleavened Bread. Do they keep it, like today’s modern Jews do? Are the contemporary, present-day Jews their model for remembering to keep and celebrate the holy day of God, Feast Day? WE MUST NOT. OUGHT NOT. DO NOT! THE APOSTLE PETER, ALTHOUGH A PHYSICAL JEW BY DESCENT, TAUGHT US TO FOLLOW THE LORD JESUS CHRIST’S EXAMPLE

uffered for us, LEAVING US AN 21 “For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also ssuffered EXAMPLE. THAT YE SHOULD FOLLOW HIS STEPS, (I Pt 2:21). FOLLOW THE PRINCIPLE OF OBEDIENCE AND ALIGNING TO THE ORDER OF THE THINGS OF GOD DEMONSTRATED BY CHRIST IN THE CEREMONY OF BAPTISM 13 “ Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad Him, saying ‘I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou

to me? ‘ 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, ‘ SUFFER IT BE SO NOW,

FOR THUS IT BECOMETH US TO FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS,” (Mt 3:14-15).

HOW TO KEEP THE PASSOVER SERVICE 14 “And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostle with Him. 15 And He said unto them, ‘With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you

before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not anymore eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And He took the cup and gave thanks, and said, ‘TAKE THIS AND DIVIDE IT AMONG YOURSELVES.

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18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall shall come. 19 And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying. ‘THIS IS MY BODY WHICH IS GIVEN FOR YOU:

THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME 20 Also the cup after supper, saying, ‘THIS CUP IS THE NEW TESTAMENT IN

MY BLOOD, WHICH IS SHED SHED FOR YOU,’ (Lk. 22:14-22). (IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND: WHEN THE LORD SAID IN ABOVE VERSE 15: “ THIS PASSOVER” – HE MEANT THE COMING PASSOVER NEXT DAY. THE SUPPER THAT HE AND HIS TWELVE DISCIPLES WERE PARTAKING WAS “BEFORE THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER”, (JOHN 13:1). THIS SCRIPTURE MAKES CLEAR AND CLARIFIES MATTHEW 26:17-19. THIS HAD BECOME A DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND AND RECONCILE TO MANY. NEXT DAY OF TH PASSOVER, ON THE 14 DAY OF NISAN. HE WILL BECOME THE SACRIFICE, ‘OUR PASSOVER LAMB”. THAT NIGHT, HE WILL BE BETRAYED BY JUDAS, ONE OF THE TWELVE. ‘WITH DESIRE I HAVE DESIRED TO EAT THIS PASSOVER WITH YOU (THE TRADITIONAL PASSOVER WHICH WOULD BE NEXT DAY ON THE 14TH OF NISAN, BUT IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. YES, THE LORD TRULY LONGED TO KEEP THE PASSOVER WITH HIS 12 DISCIPLES (LK 22:15). IN THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS 23:1, IT IS WRITTEN: IN THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH [NISAN] AT EVEN SHALL BE THE LORD’S PASSOVER. SO THE PASSOVER IN THE TIMEFRAME OF THE NEW TESTAMENT REMAINS AT THE 14TH DAY OF NISAN AND WILL ALWAYS BE. EVEN AS CHRIST HIMSELF WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP THE ACTUAL PASSOVER SERVICE OR CEREMONY NEXT DAY, THE 14TH DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH, HE WAS BETRAYED BY JUDAS, WAS ARRESTED, AND POSTHASTE, WAS TRIED IN A KANGAROO COURT, BROUGHT BEFORE PONTIUS PILATE, AND SENTENCED TO DIE BY CRUCIFIXION. IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS, HE WAS TORTURED, BEATEN, FLOGGED WITH THORNS, CRUCIFIED. AND DIED AT THE NINTH HOUR (3 P.M.). AS HE WOULD BE BURIED IN THE GRAVE BY

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THEN, AFTER DYING ON THE CROSS, (MT. 27:57-60). THE LAST SUPPER HE HAD WITH HIS 12 DISCIPLES WAS TO DEMONSTRATE AND ILLUSTRATE THE WAY TO KEEP THE PASSOVER SERVICE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. AT THAT EXACT TIME OF THE DINNER, OR SUPPER, HE INTRODUCED: 1. THE SACRED EMBLEMS AND THE SYMBOLISMS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT PASSOVER: FIRST: THE BREAD, BROKEN INTO PIECES TO BE SHARED BY THE TWELVE, REPRESENTED HIS BROKEN BODY (MT 26:26) TORTURED BY HIS PERSECUTORS ON THE WAY TO HIS CRUCIFIXION AT CALVARY. HE TOLD THEM TO EAT THE BROKEN PIECES OF BREAD. SECOND: THE WINE, REPRESENTING HIS SHED BLOOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT (MT 26:27-28) IN THAT SAME PERIOD OF BEING BEATEN, HIS FLESH AND FACE MARRED LIKE NO OTHER MEN HAS EVER BEEN. HE TOLD THEM TO DRINK THE WINE. THIRD: FOOTWASHING. A CEREMONY SHOWING HOW HE HIMSELF WASHED THE DISCIPLES’S FEET, AND WOULD ENJOIN THEM TO DO SO WITH ONE ANOTHER (VERSE 15) WHEN THEY WOULD PERFORM THIS CEREMONY IN ALL FUTURE KEEPING OF THE PASSOVER SERVICE, IN THE NEW TESTAMENT DISPENSATION, TO SYMBOLIZE HUMILITY AND CLEANSING THEMSELVES OF PRIDE AND VANITY, AND WILLINGNESS TO SERVE, HONOR AND RESPECT, AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER, (JN 13:12-17). IN FOOTWASHING AT PASSOVER SERVICE 3 “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself, 5 After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel where with He was girded.

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6 “….Then cometh He to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto Him,

‘Lord, dost thou wash my feet?’ 7 Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘What I do knowest not now; but thou

shalt know hereafter. 8 Peter saith unto him, ‘Thou shalt never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I wash

thee not, thou thou hast no part with me.’ 9 Simon Peter saith unto him, ‘Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and

my head,’ (Jn 13:6-9).

WHAT WAS ABOLISHED? The sacrifices or sacrificial offerings, and ceremonial washings were prescribed and commanded in the ordinances instituted in the church-civil government of ancient Israel, a theocracy, (Heb 12:1-11; 11:26). This was designated the law (of sacrificial offerings, Gal. 3:19, 21, 23, 24), that was like the schoolmaster to the ancient Israelites. For the “church of God in the wilderness” was the called-out-ones by God from Egypt. They did not have the Holy Spirit with them. There was no promise of spiritual salvation at that time. The Holy Spirit descended upon the beginning Church of God on the Day of Pentecost, 31 A.D., (Acts 2:1—42). The law so indicated in Gal. 3:19-24 is not the Royal Law of Love. Millions were, and continue to be, mystified over whether this is the same law. The term “schoolmaster” referring to that law means it is a pedadogic principle of repetition. It is the law of commandments which contained ordinances, (Eph 2:15). Every time an Israelite in the wilderness commits a transgression, he has to make amends by offering an animal sacrifice, or make a sacrificial offering for, or as, an atonement. This placed the sacrifice offeror as ‘under the law’, to fulfill the requirements of said law before being liberated from the penalty due, then and there at that time, for the transgression committed onsite, in the camp. This was the 40-year legal system in the wilderness.

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This was an off-and-on legal system in the history of Israel in the land of promise, evident in the cyclical degeneration and spiritual reforms and revivals, in Canaan. Today’s Palestine. This was retained by the Jews of the house of Judah in their long exile in other countries. This was carried over into the religious system of the Jews in the time of the Pharisees, scribes, Saducees. The Sanhedrin. Of the family of Joseph, Mary, the boy Jesus till 33 ½ years after. In the time of Simon Peter and the 11 other disciples/apostles. Into the time of the apostle Paul. They were replaced by the one-time sacrifice made by the Lamb of God, (Heb 10:12). Even as the Church of God was established , founded, and built by the Lord Jesus Christ, (Mt 16:18). He also became our Passover Lamb, (I Cor 5:7; Rev 5:6, 12, 13; 12:11; 13:8; 19:7, 9).

To the ancient Israelites in the wilderness for forty years, they performed a function. As temporary schoolmasters. And so they were under that schoolmaster (Gal.3:23.25), the law (of sacrificial offerings), as it is designated in the book of the law, (Gal 3:10). ALL THESE DEMONSTRATE TO US, WITH CRYSTAL CLARITY, THAT IF WE MUST BE TRUE DISCIPLES AND FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST, WE MUST OBSERVE AND KEEP THE PASSOVER AND THE FEAST OF THE DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. THE SABBATH DAY AS A HOLY DAY, WHICH IS ALSO A FEAST DAY OF GOD. AND LOGICALLY ALL THE FEAST DAYS AND HOLY DAYS OF GOD. IN ALL THEIR APPOINTED TIME AND SEASON. ALL THE DOCTRINES AND TRADITIONS OF MEN, WE PURGE OURSELVES FROM THEM. WE CLEANSE OURSELVES FROM THESE. WE DISSOCIATE OURSELVES FROM ANY OF THE PRACTICES AND CELEBRATIONS OF THEM. THE PHARISEES, THE HYPOCRITES IN THE DAYS OF CHRIST IN HIS FLESH, WERE REBUKED, EVEN CONDEMNED, FOR ALL THESE PRACTICES.

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Part VI TO THOSE WHO KEPT THESE HOLYDAYS FOR ALL THESE YEARS The LORD JESUS CHRIST is our peace. Earlier, God has revealed into our minds the significance of these Feasts and Holy Days as we continued faithfully to remember to observe and keep them. Earlier, we learned that they were the framework of God’s Master Plan of Salvation. Now, we are brought by God’s Spirit to the portal of a higher, broader ground. Sequentially, over time, we understood that the seven annual holy day festivals were like bright guideposts on the way that repeats, annually, in our lifelong spiritual journey into God. All these sequence of growing understanding over the years, and decades, helped us to be encouraged in keeping them inspite of the opposition of those who did not share our beliefs. Our living faith. Our unremitting commitment and unyielding practice of the Way. In our focused walk with our Father and our God. We carried on thru all the years.

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We did not mind all the disbelief around us. Our faith reposed in the Unseen GOD whom we worship and serve with all our heart. With all our body, with our whole being. With all our mind and might. With all our understanding. We believed we were blest and continue to be with all the spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, as we already are, and will always be, (Eph 1:3). As Gentiles in the flesh in times past, we were without hope. We were bereft of true hope in the world. We were the living walking dead. We were without Christ. We were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. We were without God. We were strangers from the covenants of promise. And then, we, who were afar off, were made near by the blood of Christ. For now, in Christ, this has turned to be a wonderful reality. For He had torn down and removed, even cleared, the wall of separation that used to block us, forever it seemed, from the presence of God our Father, (Eph 2:1-22). We saw thru the glass, darkly, but now, we see more clearly, thru the Holy Spirit in us. He has revealed, and continues to reveal more clearly each time, the deep things of God, (Eph 1:17-19; 3:16-18). Now we have access by the only one Holy Spirit to God our Father. WE LOOK AT THE SIGNS AND TIMES. We can see clearly that our salvation is nearer than when we first believed, (Rom 13:11). THIS LETTER, BELOVED BRETHREN, sets out to clarify this whole issue. To clear the grey areas. And to answer the perplexing things bothering so many. TO REVIEW THE MATTER OF THE LAW. To bring to light much of the profound significance of the holy day, particularly addressed to the 21ST CENTURY BELIEVER AND PRACTITIONER OF THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED (Acts 1:3; Jude 3, the end-of-days disciples of

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the Captain of our Salvation,(Heb 2:10), the Author and Finisher of the Faith, (Heb 12:2). SO THE MARVELLOUS TRUTH MUST BE REVEALED! THRU FAITH, MOSES KEPT THE PASSOVER, (Heb 11:28). THE TWELVE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST KEPT THE PASSOVER AND THE FEAST OF THE DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD, (Mt 26:17-30; Mk 14:5365; Lk 22:54-55, 63-71; Jn 18:12-14, 19-24).

TO RECAPITULATE: (NOTE: THE LAST SUPPER AS IT HAS BEEN CALLED, WAS INDICATED IN MT 26:17-30; MK 14:12-15; LK 22:8-13. JN 13:1 INDICATES THAT THAT DINNER WAS “BEFORE THE FEAST OF PASSOVER, NOT THE PASSOVER ITSELF. VERSES 2 AND 4 INDICATES THAT MEAL AS “SUPPER”, NOT THE PASSOVER ITSELF. JESUS WAS BURIED AT THE TIME OF THE PASSOVER, WHEN HE BECAME OUR PASSOVER LAMB. DURING THAT SUPPER, THERE WAS NO LAMB EATEN. THAT WAS GOING TO BE REMEMBERED, AS CHRIST HIMSELF SAID: “THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.” IT WAS THE BREAD AND WINE CEREMONY THAT WILL HAVE TO BE PERFORMED BY BELIEVERS AND PRACTITIONERS AFTER THAT TIME, AS OFTEN AS THEY WOULD ( WEEKLY, MONTHLY, AS CONGREGATIONS WILL DETERMINE BY THEMSELVES). IN MARK 14:22-26: ‘AND AS THEY DID EAT. JESUS TOOK BREAD, AND BLESSED, AND BRAKE IT, AND GAVE TO THEM, AND SAID, ‘TAKE,

EAT; THIS IS MY BODY,’ 23 AND HE TOOK THE CUP, AND WHEN HE HAD GIVEN THANKS, HE GAVE IT TO THEM, AND THEY ALL DRANK OF IT. 24 AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, ‘THIS IS MY BBLOOD LOOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, WHICH

IS SHED FOR MANY. 25 ‘VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU, I WILL DRINK NO MORE OF THE FRUIT OF THE VINE, UNTIL THAT DAY THAT I DRINK IT NEW IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.’ 26 AND WHEN THEY HAD SUNG A HYMN, THEY WENT OUT INTO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.

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NOTE: AFTER THAT SUPPER, CHRIST INSTITUTED THE FOOTWASHING CEREMONY. IT WAS NOT DONE BEFORE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. (JN 13:4-17). SO IN THAT SUPPER, AND AFTER, THE LORD INTRODUCED THOSE TWIN CEREMONIES AS A SYMBOLISM, AND THEY WILL BE CEREMONIES THAT WILL BE OBSERVED, KEPT, AND PERFORMED BY BELIEVERS AND PRACTITIONERS IN THE FUTURE WHEN THEY OBSERVE THE PASSOVER CEREMONY. NOW, WE HAVE A MONTHLY BREAD AND WINE CEREMONY ON THE FIRST SABBATH AND SERVICE EACH MONTH. (I COR 11:23-26). THE PASSOVER SERVICE IS ONLY ONCE A YEAR. ON THE 14TH DAY, AT TWILIGHT, (BECAUSE THE LORD WAS BURIED IN THE GRAVE. ), OF THE MONTH OF NISAN.

PAUL, CHRIST’S CHOSEN APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES, (Rom 1:1’ 11:13), KEPT THE PASSOVER AND THE FEAST OF THE DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TAUGHT HIM DIRECTLY ( I COR 11:23; 15:3, 10; GAL 1:11, 12, 17) HOW TO CARRY OUT THE OBSERVANCE AND KEEPING OF THE PASSOVER AND THE FEAST OF THE DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD) IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WAY ( AFTER ALL, HE WAS A PHARISEE, FOR RIGHTEOUSNSS IN THE LAW BLAMELESS {ACTS 23:6; PHIL 3.5-6}). 7 “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even CHRIST OUR PASSOVER is sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore LET US KEEP THE FEAST, not with old leaven, Neither with leaven of malice and wickedness; but with The unleavened bread of sincerity and truth,” (I Cor 5:7-8).

CAN YOU PARTAKE OF THE PASSOVER UNWORTHILY?

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A serious caution and warning from the LORD thru the apostle Paul in I Cor 11-30:

27 “Wherefore whosoever shall EAT this bread. and DRINK this cup of the Lord UNWORTHILY, shall BE GUILTY of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man EXAMINE HIMSELF, and bread, so let him eat of that br ead, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh UNWORTHILY EATETH AND DRINKETH DAMNATION TO HIMSELF, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause, many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” WHAT IS THE TRUE MEANING OF THE WORD “UNWORTHILY”? The word came from the Greek word: anaxios , meaning irreverently. Reflecting an attitude, from within the heart and mind, lacking respect and lack of faith. It is derived from the similar Greek word, meaning ‘unworthy’. Lacking worth literally means lacking value. In those days, coins used as currency or money, or medium of exchange, are determined for their value by their weight, e.g. in gold. It is determined by weight: 24 karats, 23, 22, 21, 19,18, etc. So if one partakes of the Passover emblems, lacking in the true spiritual value of FAITH which has true spiritual weight and worth, of deep belief, and partakes without believing faith, then that one partakes of the Passover unworthily. “EXAMINE (Gk.

Petrazo, meaning: scrutinize, assay, go about,

prove) YOURSELVES. WHETHER YE BE IN THE FAITH (Gk. pistis, meaning: believe, assurance, profession (of faith, {I Tim 6:12; Heb 3:1; 4:14; 10:23}), system of religious truth (faith once delivered to the saints, {Jude 3}), reliance upon Christ for salvation ; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates?

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Part VII THE BIG PICTURE FROM THE MIND AND THRU THE EYE OF GOD eard, nor perceived by the ear, neither 4 “For since the beginning of the world men have not hheard, hath the eye seen, O God, besides thee, what He hath prepared for Him that waiteth for Him,” (Isa 64:4).

So what is the ultimate will and mind of God in all these revelations? What is the converging point of all human history from the day man was created to the very moment when man reaches his ultimate and final wonderful destiny? Your destiny and mine, brethren! Our glorious moment of fulfillment together in the Kingdom of God. THE SECRET OF THE AGES REVEALS IT ALL. The Lord Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of God our Father by His Throne in Heaven (Col 3:1), was sent from Heaven to manifest in human flesh and form near 2000 years ago. He came to know the dissonance and the contradictions of so many sinners, inwardly and outwardly, representing the entire created human race, made from the lowly dust and to which they will return, (Heb 12:3). Face to face, upfront, up close and personal, He encountered in mortal flesh, the very same mortals who became the product of the deceptions of Satan, the devil, and the manipulations of wicked demons, thru 4,000 years, before and after the Great Flood of Noah’s day. He saw how the invisible spirit adversary of

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mankind had twisted, warped, and degraded to zero, the glorious human potential in all these that He beheld in that time. And that made it more urgent that He must proceed to do what He came to earth for to do. 34 “And Jesus said unto them: ‘MY

SENT ME, AND TO FINISH HIS WORK,’

MEAT IS TO DO THE WILL OF HIM THAT

(Jn 4:34).

To DO the WILL, and to FINISH THE WORK OF His Father, GOD THE FATHER, absolutely, totally, without any micro-iota of doubt, was His everlasting obsession. It was the raison d ’etre. The rationale, the locus and focus of His Mind. It was the fixed reference point. It was the very lever, the innermost motivation and deep-seated drive, of His presence on earth. The driving force of His manifestation on this planet. The back-of-His-Mind, mental force on terrestrial ground. The heavenly correspondence and connection of His mortal being. In the flesh for 33 ½ years. He was totally committed, completely absorbed, to finish His Father’s Work. To His last seconds of His dying breath, His consciousness was on God’s Work. He had a job to do. And that, HE DID! When that phase of God’s Work for which purpose He was sent on earth to do, and manifest in mortal, human, flesh and blood was over, He cried out on the upright stake. At the very exact moment before He literally died, he said on that wooden stake, ”IT IS FINISHED’, (Jn 19:30). Has anybody ever really understood the immensity, the unfathomable depth of that moment of total sacrifice of the Son of God for the total forgiveness of all the sins of mankind? Of the total collective SIN of everyone who was ever born, lived, died, and those presently alive, which He took upon Himself to carry and to bear on that crucifixion? Has anyone ever shared the unbearable agony and most excruciating pain when He was pierced by a Roman soldier’s spear, and given bitter vinegar to wet His parched thirsting lips?

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When He looked up into Heaven, and exclaimed, as it were, as He had prayed with great agony, earlier with His disciples: “Father, if

WILL,, BUT THINE BE DONE,” thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, NOT MY WILL (Lk 22:42).

When He willingly shed His precious Blood, THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB OF GOD, for the redemption from the penalty of death for sin hanging over ALL mankind? Has anybody thought of God the Father’s unscalable sorrow as He witnessed from Heaven the unspeakable tortures inflicted by good-for-nothing, picky, petty, power-crazed , puny mortals, clumps of clay, those “whitened sepulchres”? Then ultimately the actual, literal death of the incarnated-into-human flesh other Member of the GODHEAD? In grief, God the Father could just have pulled out the Holy Spirit of power holding the entire created universe together. It would have been like a blink on the screen, that the visible, physical, material universe could have disappeared! Faster than the twinkling of an eye, all the physical, material creation, visible and invisible, could just have evaporated. The LORD was absolutely certain He had done that appointed job! THIS IS THE GREATEST SUCCESS STORY FOR ALL TIME! He succeeded by His total willingness to obey God the Father. His total yieldedness to suffer for the sake of the human race that the MOST HIGH GOD created by Him, thru the Holy Spirit. His total submission to go through the unbearable pain that tore into His deepest Being. He willingly yielded in the agony of that one moment in time WHEN ALL THE SINS OF ALL CREATED MANKIND CAME UPON HIM! HE BECAME SIN TOTALLY PERSONIFIED! THAT WAS THE EXACT, AND ONLY MOMENT, IN ALL THE HISTORY OF THE CREATED UNIVERSE, YEA, OF ALL ETERNITY, WHEN GOD THE FATHER TURNED AWAY FROM HIM!

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WHEN HIS FATHER TURNED AWAY FROM THE DYING PERFECT, SINLESS SON OF GOD, JESUS KNEW. FOR HE CRIED OUT: “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”, (Ps 22:1; Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34)

His total surrender to the divine requirements of BRINGING SALVATION FOR YOU AND ME, YEA, FOR ALL OF US. FROM THE FIRST MAN, TO THE LAST ONE STANDING. EVEN TO THE LAST ONE WHO WILL HAVE DIED BEFORE HIS RETURN. That He must shed His precious Blood as the Lamb of God to PURCHASE OUR REDEMPTION FROM THE PENALTY OF DEATH HANGING OVER EACH OF THEM. TO ULTIMATELY DIE ON THAT STAKE OF HIS CRUCIFIXION THAT WE MAY ALL BE JUSTIFIED. AND SO HE DIED. ‘He yielded up the ghost’, (Mt 27:30). For three days and three nights, He was in the grave, buried with transgressors! For 3 sunsets and 3 sunrises, the other member of the Godhead was literally dead! AND THEN HE WAS RISEN!, (Mt 27:28; Mk 16:6; Lk 24:34; Jn 2:22; I Cor 15:4, 20).

YES, HE WAS RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD. TO BECOME THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THEM THAT SLEPT, (I Cor 15:20). “Firstborn among

many brethren”, (Rom 8:29). “Firstborn from the dead.” (Col 1:1:15). YES, HE LIVES, THAT WE, TOO, CAN HAVE, MAY HAVE, AND WILL HAVE THE ULTIMATE BLESSING TO BE RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD.

24 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,” (Heb 9:27). 16 “And without controversy, great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, PREACHED UNTO THE believedd in the world, received up unto glory,” (I Tim 3:16). GENTILES, believe

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“I have glorified thee on the earth; I HAVE FINISHED THE WORK WHICH THOU GAVEST ME TO DO. And now, O Father. Glorify thou Me with the glory that I had with Thee before world was,” (Jn 17:4-5).

THIS IS THE GREATEST SUCCESS STORY THAT ALL MANKIND AND THOSE THAT WILL COME AFTER US WILL CELEBRATE IN JOY FOR ALL ETERNITY!

9 “Having made known unto us the mystery of His Will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself. 10 That in the dispensation of the FULLNESS OF TIMES, HE MIGHT GATHER TOGETHER IN ONE ALL THINGS IN CHRIST, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him,” (Eph 1:9,10).

Then, that will be the exact moment of the consolidation by THE ETERNAL CREATOR GOD, who created the whole vast universe (Isa 42:5), “made the earth, and created man upon it” (Isa 45:120, of the total sum of our living faith with good works (Jas 2:14-26). No longer will they be separate acts and parts, but ONE seamless whole in the perfected spiritual character God desired and will have built in everyone of us:

18 “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 19 Behold I will do a NEW THING; now it shall spring forth… because I give waters in the wilderness, and and rivers in the desert, to give drink to MY PEOPLE, MY CHOSEN. 21 THE PEOPLE HAVE I FORMED FOR MYSELF; they shall show forth my praise,” (Isa 43:18, 19, 21).

11 “And He gave some, apostles; and some. prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 FOR THE PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS, the work of the ministry, for the EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST: 13 TILL WE ALL COME IN THE UNITY OF THE FAITH, and in the knowledge of the Son of GOD, UNTO A PERFECT MAN, UNTO THE MEASURE OF THE FULNESS OF CHRIST: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 BUT SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE, MAY GROW UP INTO HIM IN ALL THINGS, WHICH IS THE HEAD, EVEN CHRIST,” (Eph 4:11-15).

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THIS, then, beloved brethren, is THE TRUE MEANING of our obedience, of our remembrance, of our observance, of our keeping, of our celebration of the Passover and the Feast of the Days of Unleavened Bread. And all the Feast Days, Holy Days, and the Perfect Law of Love and Liberty, according to His Word, Will, Way, and Work. Yours faithfully, IN THE LOVE AND SERVICE OF GOD JESUS MARTINEZ CARDONA Senior Serving Brother CHURCH OF GOD