Nazarene Israelite Two House Congregation of Port Elizabeth

Why do we count the Omer?

As most of you are aware, there are some Nazarene Israelites and like-minded believers who count the Omer from the day after the Sabbath (Sunday), falling between the First and the Last Days of Unleavened Bread.Some of those who count the Omer from the first Sunday between the First and the Last Days of Unleavened bread, hold that YHVH would not have command us to count the Omer, if Pentecost  always falls on the 6th of Sivan, the date on which the Rabbinical Jews keep Shavuot (or Pentecost).But the reason why we count the Omer, even knowing that Pentecost is always on the 6th of Sivan, is that we are commanded to do so by YHVH our Elohim in Leviticus 23: 15 & 16 (Jewish Bible {JPS 1917}), as follows: ‘And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the day of rest, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks shall there be complete; (16) even unto the morrow after the seventh week shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto HaShem.’ In addition, there is also a deeper meaning to counting the Omer. We are instructed to count until the day after the seventh week - fifty days. These weeks should be complete – there can be no short weeks and no longer weeks; i.e. seven weeks of seven days.

 

Elohim’s Feast Days are commanded assemblies and are listed in Leviticus 23. The weekly Sabbath which occurs on the ‘seventh day’ of the week as most believers in the Scriptures came to realize,refers to as Friday from sunset to Saturday sunset, since  all Scriptural Set-apart Days are determined from sunset to sunset. The Sabbath Day is also part of the Ten Commandments that YHVH gave ancient Israel at Mount Sinai on Shavuot and despite what many preachers have to say about it, Elohim’s people are even now required to keep it, as confirmed in Hebrews 4: 9, as follows: ‘There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of Elohim.’  How much clearer do we want this stated – If we claim to be Elohim’s people, then we are still required to keep the original Sabbath, which Elohim hallowed after He created the first man in Genesis 2. Even though all Elohim’s Feast Days are already given in Exodus 23 as part of the covenant which YHVH entered into with ancient Israel,His annual Feast Days or Sabbaths besides the weekly Sabbath,are given in more detail in Leviticus 23 & Deuteronomy 16,andexplained briefly here below:

1. Passover: The original Passover was specifically introduced to save the first-born children of Israel from deathin the evening of the 14th of Aviv (or Nissan). In the same way did Messiah’s Passover during which He became the Lamb of Elohim who takes away the sins of the world, ensure that the first fruits that YHVH calls out of the world at this time be resurrected as first born spiritual children of Elohim, and be protected from the second death after the thousand year rule of Messiah.  Furthermore did Messiah’s death pay for the sins of everyone who ever lived and who will accept Him as their personal savior and Passover.

2. Feast of Unleavened Bread isa seven day Festival following immediately after Passover, from 15th to the 21st of Nissan during which all leavened products such as cake and bread are to be put out of our dwelling places and should not be eaten. It pictures the putting away of sin out of our lives, which is likened to leaven.

3. Feast of Weeks or Pentecost – This is the day upon which YHVH declared His covenant to the nation of Israel which He commanded them to perform, that is the Ten Commandments, the statutes and judgments given in Exodus 20 - 23. It was also the day upon which He gave the Set-apart Spirit to those who gathered together on the first Pentecost after Yahshua’s ascension to heaven in Acts 2: 1.  But it is also the Day celebrating the ingathering of the smaller first fruits of the annual harvests, which occurs exactly 50 days after the first annual Sabbath namely the First Day of Unleavened Bread (on the 15th of Aviv), and according to the command in Leviticus 23: 17, the day upon which two leavened loaves of leavened bread are waved before YHVH; picturing the two houses of Israel waved as first fruits before YHVH for acceptance, to be resurrected at His return one day.

4. Feast of Trumpets – a day of rejoicing called Rosh Hashanah by the Jews, marked by the blowing of trumpets on which we also believe Messiah will return one day. This day occurs on the first day of the seventh month, as determined by the Rabbinical Jews and it will also be the day upon which YHVH will save the tents of Judah (the remnant of those who remain Torah observant until Messiah’s return) first, when they will see His hands and accept Him as their Passover (as per Zechariah 12: 7 – 14); and once they have accepted Him, the dead in Messiah will be resurrected (as per Romans 11: 15 and 1 Corinthians 15: 51 – 52).

5. Day of Atonement – a solemn day of fasting and repentance, which occurs on the tenth day of the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar, known to our Jewish Brothers as Yom Kippur. This is the day after Yahshua’s return during which Satan will be bound for a thousand years. This will also be the day upon which those of us who qualify as the first fruit bride of Messiah will become at-one with Elohim.

6. Feast of Tabernacles – a seven day celebration picturing the thousand year rule of Messiah, but it also pictures the wedding celebration of Yahshua and His bride (of called out believers) which according to the ancient Hebrew wedding was celebrated for seven days during which the bride and groom consummated the marriage. We are required to keep this feast away from our homes living in temporary dwellings – picturing how temporary our lives as human beings are upon this earth and reminding us of eternal life in the kingdom of Elohim. During the seven days we truly get to learn more about Elohim’s way of salvation for all mankind, but also to fear Him always.

7. The Last Great Day – the eighth day following the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a separate feast day which pictures the Final Great Harvest of Human beings into the kingdom or family of Elohim. This is the time during which Elohim will open His Word, the Scriptures to the minds of those who died without ever knowing the true gospel and way of Elohim as per Revelation 20: 12 and Isaiah 25: 7 - 9. They will be resurrected and given a period of one hundred years during which they will be required to prove that they want to live according to Elohim’s way or not (as per Isaiah 65: 17 – 20), after which, if they remain faithful till the end, they will be changed into the Spiritual children of Elohim, as much as the first-born children of Elohim, will be born-again from the dead (or changed) to become His Spiritual Children, during the first resurrection.

 

That adds up to 19 annual Feast days (1+7+1+1+1+7+1). Seven of these 19 Feast days are annual Sabbaths (rest days). These seven annual Sabbaths are: (1) First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (2) Last Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (3) Feast of First fruits – or Pentecost (4) Feast of Trumpets (5) Day of Atonement (6) First Day of the Feast of Tabernacles (7) Eighth Day – or Last Great Day.

 

The date of Shavuot is not mentionedexplicitly in Torah, but we are able to compute it by reading from Exodus 19 in this way: The Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai in the 3rd Month on that very day – meaning the 3rd Day (as per Exodus 19: 1). They were instructed to consecrate themselves for 2 days (verses 10 & 11) washing themselves and their garments and be ready on the 3rd day, for on the 3rd day, the 6th of Sivan (the 3rd month) YHVH will come down on Mount Sinai. When counting 50 days from the day after the 1st Day of Unleavened Bread (the evening of 16th Aviv), Shavuot alwaysfall on the 6th of Sivan.  The Sabbath spoken about in Leviticus 23: 11 is the first annual Sabbath of the year namely the First Day of Unleavened Bread. The King James Version confirms that these Set-apart days are also referred to as Sabbaths in Leviticus 23: 24, 32 & 39[1]. We read from Leviticus 23: 8 (paraphrased), on the seventh day of Unleavened Bread we shall have a Set-apart convocation and not do any laborious work, as it is also a day of rest. In fact, the Sabbath that we count the Omer from, is the same Sabbath spoken about in John 19: 31, and which Christians misunderstand to be the weekly Sabbath, because they do not keep Elohim’s annual Feast Days, as follows: ‘The Jews therefore, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.’But, the same annual Sabbath that Christians misconstrue has become the source of confusion to many Nazarene/Messianic Israelite and like-minded groups today, since they insists in keeping a different Day of Pentecost to what our Jewish Brothers are doing. However, since this is the day upon which we as the remnant of the lost ten tribes are waved as two loaves of leavened bread together with our Jewish Brothers, to be accepted by YHVH as first fruits to be resurrected at Messiah’s return, they are once again mistaken.

 

Yahshua our Messiah was true to the prophecy by Daniel cut-off as the grain offering (or wave-sheaf) in the middle of the week on the 14th of Aviv (see Daniel 9: 26 & 27), to be waved on the day after the First Day of Unleavened Bread on the evening of the (or erev) 16th of Aviv. He was raised three days and three nights after His burial at the end of the 14th of Aviv, immediately prior to sunset on the weekly Sabbath Day (17th Aviv). We accordingly count the Omer from the day after the First Annual Sabbath, being the First Day of Unleavened Bread, counting fifty days to always arrive at the 6th of Sivan, the day on which the Torah was given on Mount Sinai. The Nazarene understanding of an eight day system for the Passover and Unleavened Bread is confirmed by Josephus a Jewish historian (37CE – 100CE) in a statement that he made as recorded in Jos. Antiq. 2:15:1, “…we keep a feast for eight days which is called unleavened bread.”Further details are given in a statement by Him in Jos. Antiq.3:10:5, “In the month of Xanthicus, which is by us called Nisan (also known as Aviv), and is the beginning of our year. On the fourteenth day of the lunar month, when the sun is in Aries, (for in this month it was that we were delivered from bondage under the Egyptians) the law ordained that we should every year slay that sacrifice which I before told you we slew when we came out of Egypt, and which was called the Passover, and so we do celebrate this Passover in companies, leaving nothing of what we sacrifice till the day following. The feast of unleavened bread succeeds that of the Passover, and falls on the fifteenth day of the month, and continues seven days, wherein they feed on unleavened bread; on every one of which days two bulls are killed, and one ram, and seven lambs.  Now these lambs are entirely burnt, besides the kid of the goats which is added to all the rest, for sins; for it is intended as a feast for the priest on every one of those days.  But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do not touch them.” This also confirms our counting of the Omer from erev 16 Aviv, when the produce of the land may be eaten, as may be verified from Joshua 5: 10 - 12.

Every day,‘from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving’ to the night before Shavuot, we recite a blessing and state the count of the Omer in days and weeks.  In counting we remember the steps our ancient forefathers tookwhen they left the oppression of the land of Egypt behind, until they received the Torah on Shavuot. But the counting also reminds us of each day the disciples waited in Jerusalem, until they received the gift of the Set-apart Spirit on the first Shavuot or Pentecost after Yahshua’s death, resurrection and ascension to heaven.  Each step that we take transforms us from called out people who at Passover become physically free, into people who at Pentecost are spiritually free.  Egypt in the Scriptures is likened unto sin; when YHVH called us out of the world of sin, each one of us like our ancient forefathers, came out of our own personal Egypt (or world of sin). Like our ancient forefathers, when we leave our personal Egypt, we reject the world’s way of life. However, like with the ancient Israelites, it is only after we embraced Torah that we find real meaning in life. It is by applying Torah in our lives that we learn to temper our animal instinct with Torah and are able to resist the challenges that we encounter in our daily lives.

Our ancient forefathers could not receive Torah immediately upon exiting Egypt, but had to wait for fifty days before they were spiritually equipped to receive it.  Even Yahshua’s disciples had to wait for fifty days for the Set-apart Spirit to come, in order to prepare them spiritually for it. After Yahshua’s impalement the disciples were all scared and went into hiding. We see that Kepha even denied Yahshua three times, because of fear of persecution, exactly as Yahshua told him before His death. But as witnessed on the first Pentecost after Yahshua’s death in Acts 2: 1 (KJV), ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place’, the disciples and all other believers were in one accord (agreement) about the date of Pentecost and their faith in Yahshua.Their presence in Jerusalem on Pentecost was in obedience to Torah, as commanded in Deuteronomy 16: 16, in this way: “Three times in a year all your males shall appear before YHVH your Elohim in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and at the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), and they shall not appear empty-handed.” They also remembered Yahshua telling them that the Set-apart Spirit will only come after His death in John 16: 7 & 13[2], and was eager to receive it.

Yahshua’s disciples took 49 steps to become spiritually awake and to be empowered by the Set-apart Spirit as promised by Yahshua. From the time we are immersed, it takes alifetime to become conformed to the image of Elohim.We were originally made in the image of Elohim (Genesis 1: 26 & 27) and looked like Yahshua (Colossians 1: 15) covered in light (Psalm 104: 2).  However, after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, YHVH took away the light (אור) with which Adam and Eve was clothed, and covered them in skin (עור), which also means blindness. We have lost the glory or Shekinah that we had before due to the disobedience to YHVH.  As a result the image of Elohim in which we were made was marredleaving us ashamed or uncovered.  We therefore need the helmet of salvation to cover our sins, as we read from Isaiah 59:17, as follows: “And He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing,and wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.”  Yahshua essentially represents our helmet of salvation as He covered our sins by His shed blood.

 

When YHVH calls us out of the world, we are some of the poorer examples of mankind, as is confirmed in 1 Corinthians 1: 26 – 29, in this way: ‘For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; (27) but Elohim has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and Elohim has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, (28) and the base things of the world and the despised, Elohim has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, (29)that no man should boast before Elohim.’ However, from that time on, until our dying day, we are to grow in grace and knowledge as Rav Kepha warned in 2 Peter 3: 17 & 18, as follows: ‘You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on guard lest, being carried away by error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, (18) but grow in grace and knowledge of our Master and Savior Yahshua Messiah. To him be the glory (or esteem),both now and to the day of eternity. Amein. We need to clean up our lives by holding the Torah up as a mirror to see where we are still missing the mark, and clean up our lives accordingly.Those of us called by Elohim at this time are according to Ephesians 1:4 & 5 very special to Him, in this way: ‘Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be set-apart and blameless before Him in love. (5) He predestined us to adoption as sons through Yahshua Messiah to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.’  We also read from Romans 8: 28 & 29, ‘And we know that 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.’But, what does the image of Elohim look like? We turn to the Scriptures for the answer. Starting in Deuteronomy 6: 4, we read: "Hear, O Israel! YHVH is our Elohim – YHVH is one!"  How does YHVH who is the Almighty, define the word one. In Deuteronomy 32: 39, YHVH gives us the answer, saying: "See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me." However, we see according to Genesis 1: 5 that ‘one’ may be composed of more than a single part, i.e. “And Elohim called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one (echad) day.

 

According to Deuteronomy 4: 12, YHVH has no form, “Then YHVH spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form – only a voice.”This is in total agreement with 1Timothy 1: 17, as follows: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only Elohim, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amein.”A third witness to this is found in 1Timothy 6: 16, in this way:“who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amein.” We read further from 1 Kings 8: 27, thatElohim is infinite, as follows:  “But will Elohim dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee, how much less this house which I have built!”The Torah confirms this in Deuteronomy 33: 27, where we read: “The eternal Elohim is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms (the right hand and set-apart arm being Yahshua as per Isaiah 52: 10[3] and confirmed in John 12: 37 – 40[4], talking specifically about the Jews and others blinded to Yahshua the salvation of YHVH and the true Messiah); and He drove out the enemy from before you, and said, ‘Destroy!’’ Judaism use the term ‘Eyn Sof’ to describe Elohim as being eternal, infinite and boundless. Eyn Sof is the very essence of Elohim, and in Hebrew Eyn means 'there is nothing' and Sof means 'end', 'termination', 'border' or 'definition'. Together, Eyn Sof implies without definition or borders.

All physical things are substance which cannot be defined unless they are bordered. They are molecules which cannot be seen or defined, unless they are bound together. An example being when a believer dies; at which time his/her life or soul comes to an end, his/her bodyis buried and returns to the dust from which it was made. But, the believer’s spirit imbued with Elohim’s Set-apart Spirit, which cannot be seen returns to the Father who gave it to the believer at immersion. Even though the believer’s borders have been removed, yet he/she exists, be it in another dimension.In support of this, Yahshua said to Martha in John 11: 25 & 26, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, (26) and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this”? This is talking about the spirits of true believers, that go back to YHVH when we die, and are perfected in heaven according to Hebrews 12: 23, as follows: ‘to the general assembly and ecclesia 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.’When Yahshua returns one day He will bring back the perfected spirits and resurrect the believer’s body to life again. The believer will at that time be a spiritual being, composed of body, soul (life) and spirit, as confirmed in 1 Thessalonians 5: 23, in this way: ‘Now may the Elohim of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Master Yahshua Messiah.’

Anything visible and anything that can be grasped is finite or corporeal. Conversely, the boundless being Eyn Sof is infiniteor incorporeal. There is no way to define Eyn Sof, therefore Elohim cannot be understood by mankind, because we cannot see or define Him.  Yet, the Scriptures do assign attributes to Elohim. In Judaism these divine attributes are seen as being part of Elohim in the form of emanations known as sefirot.  These attributes can clearly be seen in the following passages: Isaiah 11: 2, “And the Spirit of YHVH (Keter) will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom(Chochmah) and understanding (Binah), the spirit of counsel (Atzah) and strength (Gevurah), the spirit of knowledge (Da'at) and of the fear of YHVH.”; First Chronicles 29:11, “Thine, O YHVH, is the greatness (Chesed) and the power (Gevurah) and the glory (Tiferet), and the victory (Netzach) and the majesty (Hod), indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Thine is the dominion (Malkut), O YHVH, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all.”;Isaiah 28: 16, ‘Therefore thus says YHVH Elohim, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation (Yesod),firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.”’;Second Chronicles 20: 21, “Give thanks to YHVH, for His Loving-kindness(mercy - Chesed) is everlasting.”

 

These attributes are listed in this way:

1. The Spirit of YHVH (called Crown [Keter]).

2. Wisdom (Chockmah).

3. Understanding (Binah).

4. Loving-kindness orMercy (Chesed) (also Gedulah and Atzah).

5. Severity, discipline or strength (Gevurah).

6. Harmony, unity, peace or Beauty (Tiferet).

7. Victory or endurance (Netzach).

8. Splendor or humility (Hod).

9. Foundation or bonding (Yesod).

10. Kingdom/Kingship or nobility (Malchut).

The counting of seven complete weeks is from the evening (erev) of the Second Day of Unleavened Bread until Pentecost (Shavuot). Whereas Passover represents the love affair between the united nation of Israel (both houses), Shavuot represents the marriage covenant between Israel and YHVH. Mount Sinai being the chupa and the Ten Commandments being the Katubah or marriage contract.  The count takes place after nightfall of the following day; is preceded by the blessing only if done in the evening and no days have been missed in the count.When we count the Omer, our purpose is to work on developing the seven lower attributes of Elohim, focusing on one of these divine attributes each week of the Omer count. Each of these attributes contains all the other attributes within it; consequently we also work on each of the seven aspects of each of the seven lower attributes of Elohim day by day. Throughout the period of 49 days we work on each of the seven lower attributes of Elohim, until we get to Pentecost. This period symbolize the time during which we are required to overcome our sins and develop Elohim’s righteous set-apart character; allowing Messiah to be formed in us (as per Galatians 4: 19), being transformed in mind (as per Romans 12: 2), putting on Messiah Yahshua and making no provision for the lust of the flesh (as per Romans 13: 14).

• During the first day of week one of counting, we would develop the 1st Attribute, namely: Loving-kindness, as well as Loving-kindness or mercy, i.e. Loving-kindness squared. Love is an essential attribute of being merciful. We read fittingly from 1 John 4: 8 & 16, ‘The one who does not love does not know Elohim, for Elohim is love. (16) And we have come to know and have believed the love which Elohim has for us. Elohim is love, and the one who abides in love abides in Elohim, and Elohim abides in him.’

• On the second day of week one of counting, we would develop the second aspect of Loving-kindness, namely Severity or discipline. Healthy love always includes an element of discipline -if a parent of a young child truly loves the child, he/she will discipline the child when necessary, but will not do so without first teaching the child what behavior is permissible and what behavior is not permissible. Loving-kindness without such discipline will lead to a spoiled child, who is suffocated with love.

• On the third day of week one of counting, we would developHarmony or unity of Loving-kindness. Harmonized love includes both empathy and compassion. Love is often given with the expectation of receiving love in return. Compassionate love is given freely, expecting nothing in return.

• On the fourth day of week one, we would developNetzach or endurance of Loving-kindness. How enduring is our love; does it withstand setbacks. We should be willing to work on our relationships with our neighbor. Ask yourself: Do you put excitement into your giving, or do you give half-heartedly?

• On the fifth day of week one, we would develop Humility in Loving-kindness. At times we feel that we are unable to forgive someone, as it appears to compromise our position. Even so, we need to remember that arrogant affection is not love.  We should love in the way the recipient wants it, and not in the way we want to give it.

• On the sixth day of week one, we would develop Bonding in Loving-kindness. Ask yourself: Does your love bind you to the one you intend to benefit, or distance you? Bonding builds connections between the one who gives and the one who receives and benefits both.

• On the seventh day of week one, we would develop Nobility in Loving-kindness.  Mature love brings personal dignity.  Do we victimize one another or do we give one another personal dignity and self-esteem. Parents should specifically be mindful of this and allow their children to experience true self-esteem. Self-esteem is rooted in nobility of the spirit and in gratitude to the giver.

• The second week would focus on Severity, where we would develop the Loving-kindness aspect of Severity during the first day of the week, and so on, until we have developed all seven aspects of the seven lower attributes of Elohim.

 

The reason why Elohim uses the word ‘Shabbat’ in relation to the counting of the Omer in Leviticus 23: 15, (in most English translations), whereas he uses the word ‘Shavuot’ or weeks in Deuteronomy 16: 9 is now clear. He is simply informing us that during the period of seven weeks of seven days, we are required to perfect ourselves. As Yahshua said in Matthew 5: 48, in this way: “Therefore you are to become perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”Amein!

 

[1] We read from Leviticus 23: 24(KJV), ‘Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.’; we read further fromverse 32, ‘It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.’; and finallywe read from verse 39, ‘Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days:on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the  eighth day shall be a sabbath.’

[2] John 16: 7& 13, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

[3]Isaiah 52: 10, ‘YHVH has bared His set-apart arm in the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our Elohim.’

[4]John 12: 37 – 40, ‘But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him; that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, “YHVH, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF YHVH BEEN REVEALED?” For this cause they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HARDENED THEIR HEART; LEST THEY SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED, AND I HEAL THEM.”