Nazarene Israelite Two House Congregation of Port Elizabeth

The promise for the First-born.

 

The original Passover lamb was slaughtered specifically to protect the first-born sons of Israel from death during thefinal plague, before Pharaoh let the children of Israel leave Egypt, as Moses recorded and also instructed the children of Israel in Exodus 11: 4 & 5 and 12: 1 – 7 & 13, saying: ‘“Thus says YHVH, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, (5) and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the first-born of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the first-born of the cattle as well.”’(1) ‘Now YHVH said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, (2) “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. (3) Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. (4) Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb.(5) Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. (6) And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. (7) Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. (13)And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.’”’

 

We read about the disastrous effect of the final plague in Exodus 12: 29 & 30, in this way: ‘Now it came about at midnight that YHVH struck all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and the first-born of cattle. (30) And Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead.’  True to His word YHVH caused all the first-born in Egypt to die that night, except for those Israelites and some Egyptians who marked their homes with the blood of the lambs they selected for Passover four days before and killed during twilight the previous evening (14 Aviv).The original Passover had nothing to do with forgiveness of sin, but was to prevent the death of the first-born children of Israel only. In the same way Messiah’s Passover was to prevent the second death of the first-born children of Elohim and to ensure that they are born-again from the dead like Messiah was as witnessed in Colossians 1: 15 – 18, as follows: ‘And He is the image of the invisible Elohim, the first-born of all creation. (16) For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created by Him and for Him. (17) And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (18) He is also head of the body, the congregation; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.’

 

It is vitally important for us to understand that we need to set our minds on the Spirit if we want eternal life,as Rav Shaul explains in Romans 8: 6 – 11 saying: ‘For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, (7) because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward Elohim; for it does not subject itself to the law of Elohim, for it is not even able to do so;  (8) and those who are in the flesh cannot please Elohim. (9) However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of Elohim dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Messiah, he does not belong to Him. (10) And if Messiah is in you though the body is dead, because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. (11)But if the Spirit of Him who raised Yahshua from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Messiah Yahshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. ’Even though Messiah’s death on the impalement stake as the Passover Lamb of Elohim  had to do with the forgiveness of sins for all who will eventually accept Him as their personal Passover Lamb, and are immersed into His saving name, like with the original Passover, it has to do with the salvation of the first-fruits called out of the religions of the world to be born-again as the children of Elohim, at Messiah’s return. This will be similar to His resurrection three days and three nights after His death on the impalement stake. Yahshua was represented by the male lamb without blemish in Leviticus 23: 12, which was symbolic of Messiah’s sinless state. This is why Yochanan the Immerser referred to Him as ‘the Lamb of Elohim who takes away the sin of the world! ’in John 1: 29.

 

Eventually when every knee bows before Yahshua in the second resurrection, they will be forgiven their sins, and at that time YHVH will pass over the punishment they earned by their Torah breaking, in and through the blood of Messiah shed when He died once for all on the impalement stake about two thousand years ago. King David prophesied about Messiah’s death in Psalm 22, but also gave us the ultimate purpose of His death in verses 27 – 29, saying:  ‘All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to YHVH, and all the families of the nations will worship before Thee. (28) For the kingdom is (YHVH)’s and He rules over the nations (We know that this  will only happen during Messiah’s millennial rule and into eternity.)(29) All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, all those who go down to the dust will bow before  Him, even he who cannot keep his soul alive.’  This will occur after the second resurrection when all who ever lived will have their opportunity to accept Yahshua as their personal Passover. Yahshua our Messiah also represented the wave sheaf offering (the first fruit offering transliterated in Hebrew as ‘bikkarim’) of fine flour mixed with oil in Leviticus 23: 13 and was to be waved as a grain offering at the beginning of the 16th Aviv, when we start counting the omer from the day after the first annual Sabbath, namely the First Day of Unleavened Bread as recorded in Leviticus 23: 11 - 15.  Yahshua was both the Lamb of Elohim who takes away the sins of the world, and the first of the first-fruits to be cut off (or die), but also the first to be born-again from the dead.

 

The accompanying hin of wine mentioned in Leviticus 23: 13, was symbolic of Messiah’s blood to pay the death penalty for our sins, as confirmed in 1 John 1: 7, as follows: ‘But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yahshua His Son cleanses us from all sin.’ We read further in this regard from Hebrews 5: 8 & 9, ‘Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered. (9) And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.’  Even though Messiah gave Himself as a sacrificial offering on our behalf, many believers  do not understand the importance of being correctly immersed into Yahshua’s saving name. We need to understand that without the Set-apart Spirit of Elohim indwelling us, we will not be resurrected as the first-fruit bride of Messiah, when He returns one day – no matter what we believe in our hearts. Unless and until we learn to do everything exactly as YHVH prescribes in His word, we are only fooling ourselves. This is where the two trees originally in the Garden of Eden comes to play again in our lives – are we going to follow our own hearts and take of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, or are we going to do what YHVH requires of us, and partake of the tree of life?

After being called, it is important for us to be immersed into the saving name of Yahshua our Messiah, in order to receive the Set-apart Spirit, as Rav Kepha explains to new believers in Acts 2: 38 & 39, saying: “Repent, and let each of you be immersed in the name of Yahshua Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Set-apart Spirit. (39) For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off (indicating that at this time this is only applicable to the house of Israel), as many as YHVH our Elohim shall call to Himself.”  But there are even further requirements – without being immersed into Yahshua’s name and having had the hands of the elders including that of the Torah teacher laid upon us, we cannot receive the Set-apart Spirit, as testified in Acts 8: 12 – 17, in this way:‘But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of Elohim and the name of Yahshua Messiah, they were being immersed, men and women alike. (13) And even Simon himself believed; and after being immersed, he continued on with Philip; and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed. (14) Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of Elohim, they sent them Kepha and Yochanan, (15) who came down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Set-apart Spirit. (16)For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been immersed in the name of the Master Yahshua. (17) Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Set-apart Spirit.’ That is according to Ephesians 4: 30 when we are sealed in Yahshua’s saving name, as follows: ‘And do not grieve the Set-apart Spirit of Elohim, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.’

When we as believers die, the Spirit given us by the Father which combined with the spirit of man in us, returns to the Father in heaven, whilst our dead bodies are buried and our lives (or souls) come to an end. It is from the time of death until Messiah’s return that our Spirits are perfected in heaven as witnessed in Hebrews 12: 23 as follows:  “to the general assembly and  congregation of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to Elohim, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect.” Without proper immersion which is likened unto circumcision of the heart – where the stubbornness of our hearts are cut away, and we humble ourselves before Elohim, as a sign of making Him the ruler in our lives, we will simply not receive the Set-apart Spirit. It is also  only when we have the Set-apart Spirit of Elohim indwelling us that He opens our mind to understand the Spiritual things in His word, as witnessed in first Corinthians 2: 10 – 12 in this way: ‘For to us Elohim revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of Elohim. (11) For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of Elohim no one knows except the Spirit of Elohim. (12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from Elohim, that we might know the things freely given to us by Elohim.’

In addition male believers should also be circumcised in the flesh, to qualify to partake legitimately of Elohim’s Passover as a memorial of Messiah’s death annually. Without being circumcised we cannot inherit the Promised Land (or the kingdom of Elohim) as kings and priests to Elohim, as promised to our fathers in the faith, when Messiah returns – it is simply that serious! We have two sets of Scriptures which testifies of these truths; The first being about partaking of the Passover as Yahshua explained in John 6: 53 - 58, saying:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. (54) He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (55) For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. (56) He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him. (57) As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. (58)This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate, and died, he who eats this bread shall live forever. ’Even though at that time His disciples did not understand what Yahshua was saying, we now in retrospect know that He was talking about the Passover. The second Scripture being the importance of circumcision as witnessed in Ezekiel 44: 7 – 9, which is essentially a prophecy about the Millennial rule of Messiah, in this way: ‘When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, even My house, when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for they made My covenant void – this in addition to all your abominations. (8) And you have not kept charge of My holy things yourselves, but you have set foreigners to keep charge of My sanctuary.” (9) ‘Thus says YHVH Elohim, “No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary.”’

 

YHVH is at this time only calling a remnant of the lost-ten-tribes, the first-fruits among His creatures to learn to become kings and priests under Yahshua during the Millennium, as confirmed in James 1: 18, in this way: ‘In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.’ We read a second witness in this regard from the last part of Revelation 14: 4, in this way: ‘These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to Elohim and to the Lamb.’ The importance of being called at this time is also discussed by Rav Shaul in Romans 8:  28 – 30, where he wrote: ‘And we know Elohim causes all things to work together for good to those who love Elohim, to those who are called according to His purpose. (29) For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; (30) and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified (in immersion); and whom He justified, these He also glorified.’  We will one day be glorified with spiritual bodies when Messiah returns, as witnessed in 1 John 3: 2, in this way: ‘Beloved, now we are children of Elohim, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.’ So we see that exactly with the very first Passover, Yahshua’s last Passover was to protect the congregation of called out believers, who as first-fruits will become first-born children of Elohim, at His return. They will be the first to be resurrected after Yahshua and be protected from the second death, as we read from Revelation 20: 6, as follows: ‘Blessed and holy (set-apart) is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of Elohim and of Messiah and will reign with Him for a thousand years.’

 

Yahshua was sacrificed as the Passover Lamb on the 14thAviv, when He was impaled at about 9o’clock in the morning. From 12 midday until 3 o’clock in the afternoon darkness fell over the whole land, as we read from Luke 23: 44& 45, in this way: ‘And it was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, (45) the sun being obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two.’  This was when Yahshua died and fulfilled (or became) the sacrificial law in respect of sin, as well as the first fruit grain offering cut off in the middle of the week, as prophesied by Daniel in the first part of Daniel 9: 26 as follows: “Then after sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.”Yahshua died as the Passover Lamb, but was also cut off as the wave sheaf offering on the impalement stake before YHVH and as witnessed in verse 46 of Luke 23, crying out in a loud voice saying:‘ “Father, INTO THY HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” And having said this, He breathed His last.’ This was when His Spirit ascended to the Father and three days and three nights later, Yahshua was resurrected at the end of the weekly Sabbath to become the first ‘human’ to be born-again from the dead.

 

Elohim specifically prepared a body of flesh for Yahshua to dwell in, as witnessed in Hebrews 10: 5,in this way: ‘Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING THOU HAST NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY THOU HAST PREPARED FOR ME.” ’This is the body in which the Word of Elohim lived among us, but it is also representative of the body of the congregation of Elohim, as Rav Shaul in Ephesians 1: 22 & 23, saying: ‘And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the congregation(of called-out believers), (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. ’In this we see again how the duality principle that runs throughout the Scriptures comes to play.  Yahshua the visible image of the invisible Elohim died for us and was the first being to be resurrected as a Spirit Being. He made it possible for those whom YHVH calls as first-fruits among His creatures, to go through the same process to be born again. Yes, Yahshua as the Head of the body was first to be brought forth or born again. This is also why Rav Shaul wrote in Hebrews 10: 15 – 22, saying: ‘And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, (16) “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS YHVH: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND UPON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM, He then says, (17) AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.” (18) Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. (19) Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Yahshua, (20) by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, (21) and since we have a great priest over the house of Elohim, (22) let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.’

 

All of humanity have the potential of becoming children of Elohim, as Yahshua the visible image of the invisible Elohim, died for all and was the first ‘human’ to be resurrected as a Spirit Being. But at this time it is only the ones called out as first-fruits who if they are immersed correctly, and are circumcised in the flesh (applicable to men only) will be resurrected as the first-born children of Elohim and will inherit the Promised Land, provided, they are called, chosen (Set-apart by immersion as a sign of their betrothal to Yahshua) and remain faithful to the end. The first-fruits for the Kingdom of Elohim are only a small group of people; they will receive a double portion indicating a bigger responsibility in the Kingdom. They will be changed into spiritual sons and daughters of Elohim and will become kings and priests under Yahshua in the Kingdom of Elohim. They are called from every tribe of the sons of Israel – even those who have lost their identity because they forgot the commandments of Elohim. They are called during this age and are being trained under difficult circumstances to become first-fruits. They are kings and priests in training for a heavenly order, as recorded in 1 Peter 2: 9 & 10, as follows: ‘But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR ELOHIM’s OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (10) for you once were not a people, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF ELOHIM; you had not RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.’ It is also for this very reason that as a royal priesthood, we already wear head coverings prescribed for Elohim’s priesthood.

 

Prior to Messiah’s death and resurrection of Yahshua, only a few individuals were chosen to perform special responsibilities. They were such people as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Moses, Deborah, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Ester and a handful of others. The countless numbers from Adam to Messiah were not yet given an opportunity for salvation. During the time from Messiah’s resurrection, ascension and second coming, Elohim has been calling only a selected few to be part of His elect, or first fruits. These are known as the remnant according to Elohim’s gracious choice as per Romans 11: 5. Yes, our calling is by the will of Elohim, who wants us to follow Him with everything we have. The promise is, if we do, we will like Yahshua become first-born children of Elohim. But the choice remains ours, as we read from James 1: 19 – 22, in this way: ‘This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; (20) for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of Elohim. (21) Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. (22) But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.’

 

Without an intimate spiritual relationship with Elohim, those of us called at this time, will go to the grave and be forgotten, as explained in Ecclesisastes 9: 5, as follows: ‘For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.’ It is therefore important that we do everything in our power to serve and obey Elohim who called us to become His future children. We read accordingly from Ecclesiastes 9: 10, ‘Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or wisdom in Sheol(the grave) where you are going.’ We need to put in every effort to make it into the Kingdom of Elohim, during this life. Yahshua became our example of being a first-fruit living in the world, but not of it. We, who are, as it were first-fruits among His creatures, should follow His perfect example. We read accordingly about Yahshua from Titus 2: 14, ‘who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.’ Yahshua also said in His prayer in John 17: 18, “As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” As a new creation, Yahshua sent us to display a new nature and the likeness of Messiah to the world. When we separate ourselves from worldly ways, YHVH will receive us as promised in 2 Corinthians 6: 16 & 17, as follows: ‘Or what agreement has the temple of Elohim with idols? For we are the temple of the living Elohim, just as Elohim said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR ELOHIM, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. (17) Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says YHVH. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; and I will welcome you.”’ These promises of Elohim remain for those who, even though we live in the world, are separate from the ways of the world. This is how we show the people in the world, the example Messiah showed His disciples, whilst He lived here two thousand years ago.

 

The Passover that we partake of annually ensures that we will be resurrected as first-born children of Elohim, similar to the way our Messiah was resurrected to become the very Son of Elohim. If we continue to grow in grace and knowledge, and overcome Satan, the world and our human natures, we will make it into the Kingdom of Elohim. We read therefore from Hebrews 4: 6 - 11, in this way: ‘Since therefore it remains for some to enter it (the kingdom of Elohim), and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, (7) He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.” (8) For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. (9) There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of Elohim. (10)For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as Elohim did from His. (11)Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience.’ If we are in the first resurrection the second death will have no power over us, as we’ve read previously from Revelation 20: 6, so similar to the original Passover, where the first-born children of Israel were saved from death, so those of us born-again as sons of Elohim will be saved from the second death. Does this sound serious enough to motivate you to do things as specified by Elohim! Think about it!