Showing posts with label passover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label passover. Show all posts

Tuesday 7 April 2020

Observance of the Lord’s Evening Meal

Before Jesus went to the Olive Garden where he would be taken prisoner by the Roman soldiers, Jesus had come together with his disciples in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem, the city of David.

The son of man, born in Bethlehem and brought up in Nazareth, had come to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his disciples. 14 Nisan, Thursday evening, March 31, 33 C.E., and a full moon very likely adorned the skies above Jerusalem. Jesus Christ and his apostles had just concluded the Passover celebration when he took some other bread and a cup of wine.

Gospel writer Matthew wrote
 “Jesus took a loaf and, after saying a blessing, he broke it and, giving it to the disciples, he said:
‘Take, eat. This means my body.’
Also, he took a cup and, having given thanks, he gave it to them, saying:
‘Drink out of it, all of you; for this means my “blood of the covenant,” which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:26-28

For the master teacher this was not going to be "a one-time event". He requested his pupils to remember that night and to come to break bread in the future as a memory of what Jesus has done, having given himself as a lamb of God, shedding his blood for the forgiveness of sins.

The step that Jesus Christ took on the night of Nisan 14, 33 C.E., was much more than a passing incident in his life. The apostle Paul discussed it when writing to anointed Christians in Corinth, where the pattern was still being followed over 20 years later. Although Paul was not with Jesus and the 11 apostles in 33 C.E., he surely learned from some of the apostles what happened on that occasion. Furthermore, Paul evidently got confirmation of aspects of that event by inspired revelation. Said Paul:
 “I received from the Lord that which I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was going to be handed over took a loaf and, after giving thanks, he broke it and said: ‘This means my body which is in your behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me.’ He did likewise respecting the cup also, after he had the evening meal, saying: ‘This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood. Keep doing this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’”​—1 Corinthians 11:23-25.
In this day and age we too have to remember this act of Jesus. Like he had an evening meal with his close friends we should have too. Though this year we shall be limited in such act, because we have to keep us to the restrictions of travelling and gathering as well as social distancing.

The present lockdown does not have to mean we can not have a memorial meal, nor should it have to mean we can not express our unity with other brothers and sisters in Christ.

We may not allow this unseen enemy get us away from our obligation to come together, even when it might be virtual, or to take our memorial meal.

The Gospel writer Luke confirms that Jesus commanded:
 “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)
 These words have also been rendered:
 “Do this in memory of me” (Today’s English Version) and “Do this as a memorial of me.” (The Jerusalem Bible)
 In fact, this observance is often referred to as the Memorial of Christ’s death. Paul also calls it the Lord’s Evening Meal​ — an appropriate designation, since this was instituted at night. (1 Corinthians 11:20)
 Christians are commanded to observe the Lord’s Evening Meal.

that meal should us remember how Jesus put his own will aside to do the will of God and being prepared to give his flesh and blood he died as an upholder of his heavenly Father’s sovereignty and brought salvation unto mankind.

Jesus ‘gave his soul a ransom in exchange for many.’ (Matthew 20:28)   By having once a year a special evening to remember this we show our thankfulness. that is the least we can do. Observance of the Lord’s Evening Meal reminds us of the great love shown by both Jehovah and his Son in connection with Jesus’ sacrificial death. How we should appreciate that love!

Regarding the Lord’s Evening Meal, Paul said:
 “As often as you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives.” (1 Corinthians 11:26)
 Individual anointed Christians would partake of the Memorial emblems (breaking the bread and drinking the wine) until their death. Thus, before Jehovah God and the world, they would repeatedly proclaim their faith in God’s provision of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice.

The Passover was held only once a year, on the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan. (Exodus 12:1-6; Leviticus 23:5)Wednesday the 8th of April 2020 is the day all lovers of God all over the world shall remember that exodus from Egypt, the liberation from human slavery of the People of God. Christians also shall remember how all mankind can come under the grace of salvation by the sacrificial offer of Jesus and therefore shall also remember that night when Jesus took that bread and wine as a symbol for a New Covenant.

Let us be blessed and be happy that we can remember those memorable nights when salvation came over mankind.

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Find to read

  1. The unseen enemy
  2. Using fears of the deadly coronavirus
  3. Not able to see Jesus working wonders
  4. Thinking about fear for the Loving God and an Invitation for 14 Nisan
  5. Death and Resurrection of Christ
  6. When Belonging to the escaped ones gathering in Jesus name
  7. Worthy partakers of the body of Christ
  8. 14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception
  9. 14 Nisan a day to remember #2 Time of Jesus
  10. 14 Nisan a day to remember #3 Before the Passover-feast
  11. 14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain
  12. A Holy week in remembrance of the Blood of life
  13. High Holidays not only for Israel
  14. Deliverance and establishement of a theocracy
  15. Yom Hey, Eve of Passover and liberation of many people
  16. Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
  17. Observance of a day to Remember
  18. A night different from all other nights and days to remember
  19. Jesus memorial
  20. Only a few days left before 14 Nisan
  21. Even in Corona time You are called on to have the seder
  22. One Passover tradition asking to provide the less fortunate with foods and help
  23. In a time when we must remain in our place

 

 







Sunday 5 April 2020

Catholics facing a totally different Holy Week

For Pope Francis at the Vatican, and for Catholics worldwide from churches large and small, this will be an Easter like none other, like for real Christians this week shall be one of isolation whilst otherwise so busy with meeting and sharing the Good News.

The joyous message of Christ’s resurrection will be delivered to empty pews in the Christian world.
Bible students all over the world, who normally gather on 14 Nisan to have their Memorial Meal shall not be able to gather in this time of lockdown.
Also the Jews shall not be able to invite friends and poor people to their seder and shall have to celebrate the Passover meal on their own.

For the Catholics and many protestants, the world seems to come to a stand still, having no mass or worship services in public any more. Some protestant churches already spoke of a devil (Satan) making sure there would come an end to people serving and worshipping God.

Worries about the coronavirus outbreak have triggered widespread cancellations of Holy Week processions and in-person services. Many priests and pastors will preach on TV or online, tailoring sermons to account for the pandemic.
Many extended families will reunite via Face Time and Zoom rather than around a communal table laden with a Pesach Memorial Meal on Wednesday the 8th of April or an Easter feast on April 12.

Pope Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, will be celebrating Mass for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Easter in a near-empty St. Peter’s Basilica, instead of in the huge square outside filled with Catholic faithful.

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Find also to read:
  1. Making deeper cuts than some terrorist attacks of the near past
  2.  The unseen enemy
  3. Coronavirus on March 11 declared a global pandemic on March 31 affecting more than 177 countries
  4. Europe in Chaos for a Pandemic
  5. No idea yet for 14 Nisan or April the 8th in 2020 Corona crisis time
  6. Only a few days left before 14 Nisan
  7. Even in Corona time You are called on to have the seder
  8. A meal as a mitzvah so that every generation would remember
  9. A night different from all other nights and days to remember
  10. First time since Nazi time no public gathering
  11. Hosting a Virtual Seder During a Pandemic
  12. Love in the Time of Corona
  13. Christian Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Wednesday 28 February 2018

Celebrations pointing to events of ultimate meaning

Although other holidays sometimes get more attention, Passover and Easter/Pascha are truly the most important times of remembrance and reflection in the corresponding Jewish and Christian faiths. These celebrations point to events of ultimate meaning and call for observers not only to reflect but to prepare.

The name “Easter” is not biblical, so we better let us get that out of the way first, because the Divine Creator wants us to worship Him properly and has given us orders and a set of feasts we should celebrate. We do not to use other day and certainly not days which are connected with false gods.

Easter bunnies and Easter-eggs have nothing to do with Jesus and most of all also nothing to do with God. Easter/Estra “ostara” or “eostre“ comes from the goddess of fertility Eostra, Estra or Esdra and Ishtar the pagan Babylonian and Assyrian deity of fertility and sexuality, later adopted by the Romans, and formally introduced into Christianity by Emperor Constantine. The goddess of fertility was celebrated with elements that showed the fertility and that’s why there are “Easter eggs”, to represent new life.  Instead of the eggs, let’s focus on the real new life.

Little lambs may also present new life, but here the lambs have come in the picture by the event of warning for the Peple of Israel, who had to stroke the blood of the lambs on their doorposts to make sure the wrath of god would not come in their house.

Those who loved the only one God where asked to select lambs and to bring them in the house on the 10th of Nisan for inspection and to slaughter it the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan to roast it, and have it for dinner. When the animal would be stricken in the neck to kill it and to let the blood run out of it, it had to be collected and applied to the wooden doorposts of their houses, using a hyssop branch to apply the blood.  That evening all lovers of God had to stay indoors until God had finished smiting all the firstborn males of any household where there was no lamb’s blood applied, causing the Destroyer to Pass Over those houses.  This is the reason for the name of “Passover”.  That blood was absolutely necessary for the protection of the household.

According to the famous historian, Josephus, the day that Jeshua (Jesus Christ) was put on the stake, there were 250,000 lambs brought into the temple to be sacrificed.  At the conclusion of all the sacrifices, the high priest yelled out “It is finished.”  According to the historical record, it was 3:00 pm.  At that precise moment, Jeshua also yelled out “It is finished”, and died.

After the Egyptian shedding of blood the Pharaoh at last gave in to let the Israelites leave Egypt. Three days the Israelites travelled to the Sea of Reeds, being led to their escape on the third day. And when we look at Christ he was laid in a tomb for three days, and on the third day, he arose from the dead.  In fact, he was seen alive by thousands of eyewitnesses over the next forty days.

When the Exodus happened, God told Moses that the Israelites were to commemorate this Passover event every year, for all generations, and that includes our generation.  We are supposed to commemorate this event — that we are protected from the Destroyer by the blood of the sacrificed Lamb!
Scripture also says that anyone who is not an Israelite, but is a follower of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, must gather together on this day to commemorate the event of Passover.  In fact, this is so important to the heart of God that He commanded that anyone who misses Passover on Nisan 14 must have their commemorative gathering one month later, on the 14th of the next month!

Jesus and his disciples also came together in the upper-room to celebrate Passover. It was there that Jesus took the bread and broke it as a sign of the new covenant and asked his friends to remember that moment. Each follower of Jesus therefore should also remember that special moment and have such memorial meal.

Not all of us may have their own Christian community which celebrate on the by god given days. But today there are more Biblestudents around  and more groups can be found who know about the days of God.

Image result for pesachI strongly encourage any one of you who is reading this article to attend a Passover gathering near you, to enjoy the blessings of God that come from participating in this holy celebration.
If you are unable to attend someone else’s hosted gathering, then be sure to gather together as a family, with friends, in your own home, and read the Passover story that begins with Exodus 12.

The Bible does not call Passover a “feast of the Jews” — it is called a “feast of the LORD.” GOD is the host of the party. Be sure to attend HIS party!

This year, Nisan 14 falls on Friday evening, March 30.  If you don’t have a group to celebrate with, consider joining the co-meeting of the Belgian Christadelphians, Belgian Biblestudents and International Biblestudents, their gathering in Mons showing their unity as members of the Body of Christ.
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Find to read:
  1. 9 Adar and bickering or loving followers of the Torah preparing for Pesach
  2. Preparing for 14 Nisan
  3. Days of Nisan, Pesach, Pasach, Pascha and Easter
  4. Most important weekend of the year 2016
  5. 14-15 Nisan and Easter
  6. Peter Cottontail and a Bunny laying Eastereggs
  7. Making sure we express kedusha for 14-16 Nisan
  8. The flood, floods and mythic flood stories 2 Mythic theme 1 God or gods warning
  9. After darkness a moment of life renewal
  10. Objects around the birth and death of Jesus
  11. After the Sabbath after Passover, the resurrection of Jesus Christ
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In Dutch 

  1. Neem afstand van heidense vastenperiodes
  2. 13 Adar opening naar 14 Nisan
  3. Vrijdag 3 april 2015 een dag voor verenigde samenkomst ter herinnering
  4. Belangrijkste weekend van het jaar 2016
  5. Zeven Feesten van God de belangrijkste feesten van de hele Bijbel
  6. Fragiliteit en actie #14 Plagen van God
  7. Verwaarloosde geboortedag en sterfplaats 1 Rabbijn Jeshua en Romeinse weerstand
  8. 2017 Nisan 10, uitkijkend naar 14 Nisan
  9. Messiaans Pesach 2017 en verharde harten
  10. Na de sabbat na Pesach, de verrijzenis van Jezus Christus

Thursday 6 April 2017

Kosher Coca Cola for Passover

Français : Une cannette de Coca-Cola italienne...
Français : Une cannette de Coca-Cola italienne d'une contenance de 50cl. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Did you know there existed a Kosher Coca Cola?

The amount of Jews living in our country may be slowly diminishing. They seem to feel much pressure from right wing people and organisations which target immigrants, Muslims and Jews. Throughout the year and when they go on holiday their food requirements must make it not easy to find kosher restaurants and hotels.

Among observant Jews, it is common practice to avoid most processed food that is not explicitly labelled kosher for Passover. This is true even for products like cheese or juice that do not contain any hametz (Hebrew, bread or any food that has been leavened or contains a leavening agent. Hametz is prohibited on Passover), but may have been processed in a plant alongside products containing hametz.

Some products that are kosher year-round are modified slightly to be kosher for Passover — most famously Coca-Cola, which substitutes cane sugar for corn syrup in some regions over the holiday and is marked by a distinctive yellow cap.

A guide to kosher for Passover foods is published each year by the Orthodox Union, which also maintains a searchable database of Passover foods on its website. The OU also has information on food products that can be used without explicit Passover certification.

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Monday 27 March 2017

Most important day in Christian year

The Resurrection of Christ
The Resurrection of Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
What is the most important day in the Christian year
Ask the average person in the United States and chances are you will hear
Christmas.
But in the early centuries of the church, first they remembered the Last Supper and the gathering for the remembrance of the exodus out of Egypt. In later years several Christians started to put the accent on the day of the resurrection, finding that more important than the Egyptian exodus.

Some may think that
From its earliest days, the church annually celebrated the anniversary of Jesus' resurrection, often calling the holiday the Christian Passover. (The Greek name for Passover was Pasch, so Easter is sometimes called Paschal; Easter is an English word... Read More
but that was not at all the case. Eostre feast or Easter was the pagan Spring festival, very popular in the West of Israel, and the Roman Empire.

The real followers of rabbi Jeshua, very well knew that God had ordered to yearly remember the exodus of God's people out of Egypt. They kept to the same Jewish remembrance day as the Jews, for years, until there came division by those who agreed to go with the Roman requirement to integrate the Roman pagan gods in their religion, starting the trinitarian Catholic Church.

Though not all members of "the Way", like the Jewish sect was often called, agreed to accept that human doctrine of a three-headed god and to let their holy days to coincide with the Greek-Roman pagan festivals. The true Christians kept celebrating the by God given holidays, which where the Jewish religious holidays and festivals.

Today nothing should be different. We too should celebrate those special or set apart (holy) days which where ordered by God for man to remember or to keep special in their heart.
as such the 14th to 22th Nisan should be a special time, where on the 14th of Nisan we take more time to remember what Christ Jesus has done for mankind.

Coming April the 10th it shall be that special remembrance day when real Christians come together to think about the Gift which is given to mankind., the Grace of Salvation, which is given for free, but which each individual has to accept and take the responsibility for himself or herself concerning the faith in Jesus, the Way to God.

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Please read also
  1. 1691 years ago on June the 20th in 325
  2. Altered to fit a Trinity
  3. Who Celebrates Easter as Religious Holiday
  4. High Holidays not only for Israel
  5. Eostre, Easter, White god, chocolate eggs, Easter bunnies and metaphorical resurrection
  6. 14-15 Nisan and Easter
  7. Seven days of Passover
  8. Peter Cottontail and a Bunny laying Eastereggs
  9. Fraternal week-end at Easter in Paris
  10. Risen With Him
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Additional reading

  1. Spring playing hide and seek
  2. Family happiness and little things we do
  3. Christian values, traditions, real or false stories, pure and upright belief
  4. Looking for answers on the question Is there a God #2 Pantheon of gods and celebrations
  5. Who Gets to Say What the Bible Says?
  6. Being Religious and Spiritual 8 Spiritual, Mystic and not or well religious
  7. Necessity of a revelation of creation 2 Organisation of a system of things
  8. Holidays, holy days and traditions
  9. Seven Bible Feasts of JHWH
  10. Easter holiday, fun and rejoicing
  11. Entrance of a king to question our position #1 Coming in the Name of the Lord
  12. Entrance of a king to question our position #2 Who do we want to see and to be
  13. A Messiah to die
  14. Not bounded by labels but liberated in Christ
  15. The Weekend that changed the world
  16. Pesach and a lot of brokenness in the world
  17. 14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain
  18. Welcome to Easter 2014
  19. Easter: Origins in a pagan Christ
  20. Exodus 9: Liar Liar
  21. Hanukkahgiving or Thanksgivvukah
  22. Irminsul, dies natalis solis invicti, birthday of light, Christmas and Saturnalia
  23. Christmas in Ancient Rome (AKA Saturnalia)
  24. Different approach in organisation of services #1
  25. Why we do not keep to a Sabbath or a Sunday or Lord’s Day #3 Days to be kept holy or set apart
  26. For ever changed by spiritual experience
  27. White Privilege Conference (WPC) wanting to keep the press out for obvious reasons
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Saturday 18 April 2015

A Passover for unity in God's community

V11p133001 Torah
V11p133001 Torah (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In the Torah we do have laws which are case-based. These holy days remembering the passover in many societies the Shir HaShirim — The Song of Songs are read, where we get a magnificent expression of affection between lovers.

This period is an important want concerning the intimate relationship and unity between people and between God. the Nazarene master teacher rabbi Jeshua asked his followers to become one. They had to become one with him, Jesus Christ, but also with their fellow man and with God.

when Jesus came together with his disciples in preparation of the Passover it was to remember how God rescued us from slavery and how god had chosen Himself a People. With the instalment of the New Covenant the followers of Jesus, even when they not originally belonged to the Jewish race, became acceptable to become part of that unity which formed God's community.

For the goim or gentiles Jesus became the passover, the crossing of the sea of death, giving liberation to all people who are willing to accept Jesus as their Messiah.

Passover celebrates our redemption from slavery to freedom. That is binary. One is either a slave or one is a not a slave. There are no degrees of slavery. so how much do you still want to be slave of this world or slave of sin?

Being presented the end of slavery it is up to us to follow God's directions and to accept this given freedom or to refuse God's offering. When freedom was given to Israel in Egypt it was a new beginning and so it is also for us. It is the beginning of everything else.

Like the followers of Moses as slaves had no autonomy, no time, or even emotional energy to engage in the challenges of love, they now faced a new generation were strangely enough the people had again to be re-educated, because soon they seem to have had forgotten the wonders God did to bring them out of slavery. The Jewish slaves might have merely transferred their allegiances from Pharaoh to their God. Their relationship with God would have been the same as their relationship with Pharaoh. Different master, still slaves.

Though God does not want to see slaves.  He wants us to come freely to Him. He does not want to bind us. for Him the commandments are not the chains for the people, but the way to protect ourselves. For God those rules are also a sign of His love for His creation, giving them guidelines to make the best out of life.

God does not want to be the Dictator of the universe. Straight from the beginning He made man partner of His creation, giving them tasks to name all things and to take care of the earth. God has chosen man to be His partner.

Shir HaShirim is a magnificent expression of affection between lovers. Allegorically, the song is interpreted as a love song between God and the Jewish people.

After the laws of the altar God empowers the heroes of the Oral law to bring the Torah to life by interpreting it and applying it in the way appropriate for their particular generation. We get a story of full of drama, intrigue and adventure and God's Words is an open book showing us how God wanted to create a good relationship with man.

Shir HaShirim reminds us we are now free to love, and we are free to feel God’s love. From slavery, to freedom, to love. 

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Please do find to read:
Maintaining unity of Spirit in the bond of peace becoming one with God

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Wednesday 25 March 2015

Vayikra after its opening word וַיִּקְרָא, which means and He called

For the Jews this Shabbat is the last of the Four Parashiot that have special Torah readings in preparation for Pesach (Passover), which is only two short weeks away!

For Jews and Christians it should be the most important day of the year. It is the most important Day of Remembrance installed by the Most High Divine Creator.

For the Jews this Sabbat marking the first of the month (Rosh Chodesh) head of the month of Nisan, is called Shabbat HaChodesh (החודש שבת Sabbath [of the] month), and a special reading is added from Exodus 12:1–20, which details the laws of Pesach (Passover).

Nissan was made the first month of the year because it is the month in which the Jewish people were 
freed from slavery in Egypt, the house of bondage. Having such  a month of beginning the Jews once again could say to each other "Happy New Year". In addition to wishing one another a Happy New Year in the seventh month of Tishrei for Jewish people (or January 1st for those who follow the Gregorian calendar), we can wish people Happy New Year again today!
“God said to Moshe and Aharon in the Land of Egypt, ‘This month shall be for you the beginning of the months; it shall be for you the first of the months of the year.’”  (Exodus 12:1–2)
For Jews it is a new beginning but also for us Christians it should be.  We have the liberation of God's People and can find them marching to the promised land. The land which is also promised to those who are willing to be a child of God honouring only One God.
The One True God completely forbade His people from pagan worship customs and especially the practice of human sacrifice:
“You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates.  They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.”  (Deuteronomy 12:31)
Knowing that God detests human sacrifice, especially of a son or daughter at the hand of a parent, the Jewish people naturally assume that our God would never allow someone to die a substitutionary death the way animals do.
This is a significant stumbling block to receiving salvation through Jeshua the Messiah for the Jewish People.  However, the ancient prophet Isaiah revealed that long ago Elohim planned to lay all of our sins and iniquities upon the Messiah:
“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.  All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”  (Isaiah 53:5–6)
Jeshua’s sacrifice was meant to restore fellowship with our Father upon a person seeking to draw near to Him, sincerely repenting of their sins, and accepting the sacrifice as a free gift on their behalf.
The blood of the Lamb of God (Jeshua) takes away the sins of those who believe in who he is, what he did, turn from their sin, and follow him.

Today there are still lots of Christians who do not want to accept who Jeshua really is and who made him into a god for who they bow down and of whom they make graven images to pray in front and to burn candles in front of it.

Lots of Christians do forget that God can not die and that God Himself declared that man nor death could do him a thing. But Jesus as a man of flesh and blood knew very well the danger of him exposing himself in the city of God, Jerusalem. Though Jesus knew that time had come and God wanted a turnover in history. For God it was time again to start a new beginning and to come to present the world with a New World with a New Covenant.

Jeshua, Jesus Christ, was this Kristos or Messiah long before Abraham promised to the world. Already in the garden of Eden, the Elohim promised to provide a solution for the sin of man. With Jeshua the world was given a new Adam. And this Adam had to present himself now as a spotless lamb to his heavenly Father.

It is Jeshua, who has set us free from the evil master of sin through his death and resurrection, we now have hope and have good prospects.