Chag HaShavout(Feast of Weeks)/Pentecost

Written by: Damien Powell

Chag HaShavout (Feast of Weeks)/Pentecost

Jeremiah 5:24 Given us the Law of Shavout

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is the last holy day celebrated as we were commanded not to eat anything with leaven in it for seven days to commemorate our Exodus out of Egypt and how YHWH brought our divisions out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Scripture tells us that the Sunday during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzoat) is when we start the counting of the omer (sheaf).

Leviticus 23:15-16 says:

 “And you shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall you number fifty days; and you shall offer a new meat offering unto YHWH.”

The counting of the omer in Christianity is commonly known as resurrection Sunday; however it is when the priest would wave a barley sheaf before YHWH for the blessing of the future crops for the year and also the start of counting 50 days to Shavout (Shav-oo-oat) which means ”weeks” in Hebrew. Pentecost means 50 in Greek and this holy day falls Sunday May 20th of this year.

There are many traditions and celebrations that surround Shavout/Pentecost in modern day Judaism and Christianity, such as the giving of the Torah to Moses, reading the 10 commandments, and the eating of dairy products. What does scripture tell us about how we are to celebrate this day as followers of our Master Yeshua? And what is the importance of this day?

The importance of this day can be explained like this. Elohim was telling Moses “I am taking My people of Israel to a fertile land that I have given them and I would like them to acknowledge this gift. “Each spring, when the harvest of the year is available the people should bring their initial crops of the temple so the high priest can acknowledge them before Me.”

YHWH wants us to acknowledge that He has provided for us by bringing our best offering to Him. It also shows our trust in Him by offering our best and that He will continue to provide even more and continue to bless us. Shavout/Pentecost is also a NO work day. Leviticus 23:21 says:

“And you shall proclaim on that same day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: you shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statue forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.”

Deuteronomy 16:10-11 says:

“And you shall keep the Feast of Weeks (Shavout/Pentecost) unto YHWH your Elohim with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which you shall give unto YHWH your Elohim, according as YHWH your Elohim has blessed you: And you shall rejoice before YHWH your Elohim, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite that is within your gates, and the stranger; and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which YHWH your Elohim has chosen to place His name there.”

Elohim tells us to bring a free will offering according to the blessing He has given us as a way to say thank you and He also commands EVERYONE to rejoice before Him on this day. We are not to be sorrowful or in a bad mood because YHWH clearly commands us to be joyous on this day.

Deuteronomny 16:12 says:

“And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt: and you shall observe and do these statues”

Shavout/Pentecost is the last Moedim/appointed time of the spring and as you can see it ties in with Passover because He brought us up out of Egypt because were slaves and on Shavout we are to remember that we were slaves in Egypt. He wants us to remember this fact so that we do not backslide and forget His blessings. By having us remember that we were slaves keeps our focus on Him and His commandments so we do not become disobedient.

Another important fact for this day is the promise that Yeshua gave us before He ascended into heaven. Yeshua tells us in John 16:7

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is advantageous for you that I go away: for if I don’t go away, the Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit (Roo-ach Ha-Ko-daysh) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.”

It was important for Yeshua to ascend into heaven because He sent the Ruach HaKodesh to dwell within us and verse 13 He tells us what the Holy Spirit will do:

“Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive what is Mine, and shall show it to you.”

The Ruach HaKodesh will guide us and show us truth and lead us to righteousness and how to obey the commandments. It is important to mention Yeshua’s promise of the Holy Spirit during Shavout because The Holy Spirit was poured out on His disciples on this very day. Acts 2:1-4 says:

“And when the day of Shavout/Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one purpose in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Although scripture doesn’t tell us exactly how to celebrate Shavout we can explore ideas of growing and maturing, so we can reap a harvest in our walk with Yeshua, we can also reap a harvest of souls by proclaiming Yeshua to the world.

Acts 2:38-41 is a great example as it reads:

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be immersed (baptized) every one of you in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach (Ha-ma-she-ach) for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are far off, even as many as YHWH our Elohim shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying “Save yourselves from this crooked generation. Then they that gladly received his word were immersed: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”

The Book of Ruth is worth reading because it ties into Shavout. Ruth 1:22 says:

“So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country, of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of the barley harvest (Shavout).”

Another interesting connection with the Book of Ruth and Shavout is the command that YHWH gave concerning the land, He says in Leviticus 23:22

“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not make clean riddance of the corners of your field when you reap, neither shall you gather any gleaning of the harvest: you shall leave them for the poor, and to the stranger: I am YHWH your Elohim.”

YHWH made a specific command to not be greedy and clean the fields out when you reap the harvest because you are supposed to leave what is left for the poor. The connection was made in Ruth because Boaz did exactly as He commanded. Ruth 2:2-3 says:

“And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn AFTER him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her; Go, my daughter. And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field AFTER the reapers; and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the Kindred of Elimelech.”

As you can see Boaz was obedient to YHWH’s command from Leviticus and Ruth benefited by being able to glean over his fields and also find favor in the sight of Boaz. And a side note is that Boaz and Ruth were blessed to be in the lineage of Yeshua.

Shavout is about giving thanks for the blessing of YHWH, the pouring out of the Ruach HaKodesh, repentance, renewal, restoration, salvation, boldly proclaiming the good news of Yeshua and rejoicing in the harvest literally and spiritually. Let us stand up and fight for The Elohim of Israel and be obedient to His commands.

Are we REHEARSING on earth for the FINALE in heaven?

Written by: Damien Powell

Our Father YHWH has given us 7 Feasts/Fasts/Appointed times that He commands us to celebrate to Him as believers. He also says that we are to celebrate these Moedim, which means (Appointed times) as a lasting ordinance forever because it is His time to meet with us. Think of it as setting up an “appointment” to see the doctor and how important it is for you to meet him for your health.  The same goes for YHWH! He sets appointed times to meet and interact with and to set us apart from all the nations around us. YHWH’s Moedim are important for our spiritual health.

These feasts also remind us of the wonderful things that He has done and what He plans to do, and they also point to the first and second coming of our Messiah Yeshua. The Spring Feasts, for example, are associated with the first coming of Yeshua because He died on Passover, was in the tomb on Feast of Unleavened Bread, then resurrected on First Fruits, and The Ruach HaKodesh (Roo-ach Ha-ko-daysh) The Holy Spirit was poured out on His disciples on Shavout also known as Pentecost.

The Fall Feasts point to the second coming of Yeshua, which are Yom Teruah (Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Atonement), Sukkot (Tabernacles), and The Last Great Day. These Holy Days will be fulfilled when Yeshua comes back to reign on earth. So the question is, should we celebrate these days that YHWH commanded us to?

 The answer is Yes! The word Miqroa (Mik-raw) means something “called out” which is what the word “church” means. It means a public meeting, an assembly, a holy convocation, a reading, or rehearsal. So not only does He want to meet with us, He wants us to gather together as an assembly and REHEARSE these feasts days forever because they do not end on earth. YHWH has commanded His people to observe and practice these Feasts because they are “dress rehearsals” for the coming of our King Yeshua and we must be ready. We know that a rehearsal is the practice of something in order to perfect it before the “real event” or finale and that is what He expects from us. In the Book of Judges 5:11 YHWH tells us we are to:

 “Rehearse the righteous acts”

The Scriptures always give us the answers that we seek because it is the truth and 2 Timothy 3:16 says:

“All Scripture is Elohim-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

So now that we know that ALL Scripture is Elohim-breathed, let us take a look at some examples of why we should be “rehearsing” these feasts while we are on earth now:

1. In Leviticus 23:2 YHWH tells us:

   “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of YHWH, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are MY feasts.”

   Notice how YHWH says these are HIS appointed times and feasts we are to proclaim. In other words, these are personal feasts that belong to our Creator and He expects us ALL to celebrate as believers. Nowhere does He say these are the Jewish feasts as we have been led to believe and nowhere does He say replace them with man-made traditions and celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc. Those days are counterfeits to the true days we are to proclaim.

1. Zechariah 14:16-19 says:

“Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, YHWH Almighty, and to celebrate the FEAST OF TABERNACLES (Sukkot). If ANY OF THE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the king, YHWH Almighty, they will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. YHWH will bring on them the plague He inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate The FEAST OF TABERNACLES. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the FEAST OF TABERNACLES (Sukkot).”

The scripture from Zechariah is a prophecy of what will occur when YHWH sends Yeshua back to earth to reign in Israel and when He does come to reign ALL NATIONS AND PEOPLE of the earth will celebrate The Feast of Tabernacles or be inflicted with plagues and have no rain. Sounds serious doesn’t it? As we can see YHWH has made it clear that this isn’t just a Jewish celebration as we have been taught to believe. This feast is for all believers and even for those who don’t believe, so wouldn’t it make sense to start this practice of celebrating The Feast of Tabernacles before Yeshua returns, since we all will have to participate or have no rain? The Feast of Tabernacles is the celebration of the harvest that YHWH has provided for us throughout the year and when we gather in all of the produce. The TRUE THANKSGIVING or Feast of in-gathering. It also reminds us of how YHWH protected the Israelites when they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and how He had them to dwell in Sukkahs/booths/tabernacles. We today are commanded to dwell in temporary booths for 7 days as a reminder of our ancestors.

1. Mark 9:4-5 correlates with the Zechariah 14 prophecy by showing the importance of The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) which says:

   “And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Yeshua. Peter said to Yeshua, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three Sukkahs/booths/tabernacles----one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

Sukkah/booth/tabernacle all mean a temporary dwelling or movable habitation. The disciples that walked with Yeshua got to witness a great sight of Yeshua, talking with Moses and Elijah who were already dead, but were righteous men of YHWH, which is why they were seen with Yeshua. They knew the importance of this sight and wanted to build a Sukkah/tabernacle/ booth for the three of them, which shows that we will be dwelling in booths and celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles because what the disciples witnessed was a glimpse of heaven.

How do we know this? Yeshua tells His disciples in Mark 9:1 before speaking to Moses and Elijah saying:

“I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the King of Elohim come with power.”

1. In the blog last month I stated the importance of Passover and explained the pagan origins of Easter, but also quoted a scripture from the words of Yeshua that fits in perfectly with the rehearsal topic. Mathew 26:27-28 which says:

“Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Yeshua just confirmed the words of Father YHWH in Exodus 12:14 that the Passover is to be kept forever; and Yeshua tells us that we will celebrate the Passover with Him when He drinks the fruit of the vine with us in Heaven. So, as believers we need to begin rehearsing the true feast of Passover since Yeshua says we will be celebrating it in YHWH’s kingdom. Yeshua Himself ate the Passover meal, when we read Luke 22:15 He says:

“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”

1. Paul tells us in Colossians 2:16-17

   “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of any holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Messiah.”

   Most Pastors and scholars use this scripture as a means to break the law of YHWH, His feast days, and weekly Sabbaths and it’s a huge misconception. Paul was saying the opposite in this scripture. Paul is saying the Sabbath and all the Holy Days commanded in Leviticus 23 were not only celebrated by the Colossians, but are also a foreshadow of future events, things that are yet to come.

   Paul was telling the Colossians to keep celebrating and rehearsing these days and to not stop celebrating  because others were judging them. Paul was telling them that they knew the truth; therefore to keep living in the truth because of what will occur in the future. The feast days signify the fulfillment of YHWH’s master plan to offer salvation to all mankind through Yeshua.

2. Hebrews 8:5 says:

   “They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

   Moses in Exodus 35:21 took offerings from the children of Israel to begin building a tabernacle to YHWH, but as we see from Hebrews 8:5, Moses was instructed to build it based off what he saw on the mount by the command of YHWH because it was to be a shadow or copy of the one that is in heaven.  Now we know why the specifications of the tabernacle were so precise because the earthly one was to look like in heaven.

As we can see from the scriptures above, we are learning how to serve YHWH through Yeshua by rehearsing all of His feast days/fasts/Sabbath days while we are on earth because they will continue even when Yeshua returns. Take a look at YHWH’s prayer (The LORD’s prayer) that Yeshua taught while He was on earth and tell me if it now has a deeper meaning after learning about us rehearsing now for the kingdom of heaven.

Our Father who art in heaven

Hallowed be thy Name

Thy kingdom come

They will be done

On earth as it is in heaven

I figured I would stop right there to show how we recite the words to the prayer but they hold a deeper meaning than we once thought. Let us stand up and fight for the Elohim of Israel and show Him that we are His people by rehearing the feast days while anticipating His future kingdom.

Satanic sabbat alert: Easter

Written by: Damien Powell

One of Satan’s biggest deceptions is to trick believers of the Messiah and of YHWH, The Elohim of Israel, in to forcing us to observe days that are not commanded in scripture. Satan tricks us in to celebrating his counterfeit holidays called sabbats (a pagan gathering of witches) that mock the true Holy Days/SHABBAT or Moedim (Appointed times) set by YHWH. This great deception is confirmed when we read Daniel 7: 25:

“He (Satan) will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.”

What is Easter?

Satan has already changed YHWH’s commanded Holy Days for the church which isn’t Biblical, which brings us to the upcoming Feast, which is greatly overlooked by many believers in the Messiah and that day is Passover. Most of us have been deceived in to thinking that Yeshua died and rose on Easter Sunday. However, Easter cannot be found anywhere in scripture, nor the Easter bunny or the Easter egg, which are all pagan. Easter sometimes coincides with Passover and the death and ressurection of Yeshua, so it was easy for Christianity to merge this pagan celebration of the Spring Equinox and sexual reproduction to this date. Easter eggs and bunnies all represent symbols of reproduction and have nothing to do with our Messiah.

The names of Easter are Easter (English), Eastre (Anglo-Saxon), Astarte (Greek), ,Ashtaroth (Canaanite), and Ishtar (Babylonian). What does YHWH think of Easter? Judges 2:13

“So they forsook YHWH and served Baal and the Ashoreths.”

Technically, if we are choosing Easter over Yeshua and the true Biblical day, we are putting a false deity over our Elohim which violates the first Commandment. “Have no other elohim before ME.”

What does it represent?

In my book titled “The Ultimate Spiritual Detoxification Guide: Cleansing Your Spirit of The Impurities of Learned Traditions and Behavior”, I explain from research the origin of Easter. Easter or Ishtar, also known by her biblical name of Semiramis and later called the “Queen of heaven” was the widow of Nimrod and mother of Tammuz. Easter is the bare breasted pagan fertility goddess of the east. Legend has it that she came out of heaven in a giant egg, landing in the Euphrates River at sunrise on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox, busted out, and turned a bird into an egg laying rabbit.”

“To honor this event, pagan sun-worshippers would go out early in the morning and face to the east to watch their sun-god arise over the horizon before having mass (sacrifice) in which the priest of Easter would sacrifice three month old human infants and take the eggs of Easter and dip them in the blood of the sacrificed infants. The blood-red colored Easter eggs would later hatch on December 25th, the same day her son Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14) would be born.” You now possess the knowledge of the origin of Easter eggs and where dying them in pastel colors have come from.

Choose Passover

The biblical day that Yeshua was crucified on was Passover and then He rose three days later (End of Shabbat), the true Biblical feast. Mathew 26:2 says:

“As you know, the Passover is two days away and the Son of Man (Yeshua) will be handed over to be crucified.”

What is Passover? Passover is when YHWH brought the final plague upon the Egyptians of Pharoah who would not let His people go. YHWH commanded the Israelites to put the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the doorposts of their homes so that YHWH would “Pass Over” their homes and execute judgment on the Egyptians. This event was a foreshadow of the true sacrificial lamb in Yeshua, whose blood was poured out for us so that we would be freed from death. The same way the lamb saved Israel from death is the same way Messiah would save us from death.

Exodus 12:12-14 says:

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am YHWH. And the blood shall be to you for a sign upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial: and you shall keep it a feast to YHWH throughout your generations; you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.”

If you notice, YHWH tells us to keep the Passover Feast throughout our generations forever. This holds true because our Messiah celebrated Passover with His disciples just as His Father commanded. Mathew 26:18-19 says:

“And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand: I will keep the Passover at thy house with my disciples.” And the disciples did as Yeshua had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover.”

Verse 29 is absolutely beautiful! Yeshua reveals something that a lot of people may miss after reading the passage. He says the following:

“But I say unto you, I will not drink the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Yeshua just confirmed the words of Father YHWH in Exodus 12:14 that the Passover is to be kept forever; and Yeshua tells us that we will celebrate the Passover with Him when He drinks the fruit of the vine with us in Heaven. So, as believers we need to begin celebrating the true feast of Passover and not the counterfeit holiday of Easter.

So we see that our Messiah Yeshua the one we are to follow, The One who kept the Torah perfectly celebrated Passover and NOT Easter. And Even Josiah in the Book of Kings when he and the priest discovered The Book of The Law they celebrated it because IT IS WRITTEN! 2 Kings 23:21-23 says:

And the sovereign (Josiah) commanded all the people, saying, “Prepare the Pesach (Passover) to YHWH your Elohim, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” For such a Passover had not been prepared since the days of the rulers who ruled Israel, nor in all the days of the sovereigns of Israel and the sovereigns of Judah.”

Is this matter and the words commanded in Torah that serious?

Yes! When Josiah rediscovered the Torah in The House of YHWH he said in 2 Kings 22:13

“Go inquire of YHWH for me, for the people and for all of Judah, concerning the words of this Book that has been found. For great is the wrath of YHWH that is kindled against us, because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this Book, to do accordig to all that is written concerning us.”

When is Passover this year?

Passover this year is on March 30th at the beginning of the sunset (twilight) and must be eaten in haste because the Israelites fled Egypt in haste. We are to eat it with roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and Matzah (unleavened bread).

Right after Passover is The Feast of Unleavened Bread!

As stated above, Passover begins on March 30th (14th Day of the 1st month of Abib on Hebrew calendar) and immediately after Passover is Chag HaMatzot/Feast of Unleavened Bread the next day on March 31st (15th Day of the 1st month of Abib on Hebrew calendar).

YHWH tells us this in Exodus 12:14-20 saying:

“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to YHWH---a LASTING ORDINANCE. For seven days you are to eat bread made without leaven. On the first day remove the leaven from your houses, for whoever eats anything with leaven in it from the first day through the seventh day must be cut off from Israel. On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat---that is all you may do.”

“Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. In the first month you are to eat bread made without leaven, from the evening of the fourteenth day (Passover) until the evening of the twenty-first day. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your homes. And whoever eats anything with leaven in it must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an ALIEN OR NATIVE-BORN. Eat nothing made with leaven. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.”

To clarify this, YHWH has just told us that whether you are a native-born Jew or a Gentile that we are not supposed to eat anything with leaven in it for seven days. Also, we are commanded to not to do any work on the 1st day and the 7th day of the feast. According to the American/Gregorian calendar we are not supposed to work on March 31st and April 6th because they are holy days. And from the period of March 31st-April 6th we are not allowed to eat anything with leaven in it which is for a period of seven days.

What is leaven? Leaven or (Se’or in Hebrew) are leavening agents that cause dough to rise such as yeast, baking powder, baking soda etc. When leavening agents are combined with dough it becomes Chametz which is baked bread. We are to dispose of any baked breads, cakes, cake mixes containing leavening agents and store bought breads along with the leavening agents as well. None of these items are supposed to even be seen anywhere on our property. We are to eat Matzah, which is called unleavened bread, for seven days.

We are commanded not to possess Chametz or leavening agents because leaven is a representation of sin. So, when we walk like Messiah Yeshua we are supposed to cleanse sin from our lives as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8:

“Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old leaven that you may be a new batch without leaven—as you really are. For Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the malice and wickedness, but with the bread without leaven, the bread of sincerity and truth.”

Once you allow a little sin to enter your life it will grow, causing you to sin even more. So, don’t let the sin/leaven enter your life because it will spread through the entire batch of dough/body.

Why are we as Jew and Gentile supposed to observe this? YHWH tells us in Exodus 13:7-9:

“Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with leaven in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen anywhere within your borders. On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what YHWH did for me when I came out of Egypt.” This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of YHWH brought you out of Egypt with His mighty hand. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.”

As always let us stand up and fight for the Elohim of Israel through His Son, the Messiah Yeshua in truth. I know this is a lot of information to take in all at once, but my door is always open for any questions that you may have.  Feel free to email or call me regarding any concerns that you may have about Passover.

Blessings in Yeshua HaMashiach’s name

Damien Powell

Falling away from the faith!

Written by: Damien Powell

It’s hard for us to determine if we are living in the last days or not, but we can always determine what lies ahead based on prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Book of Enoch speaks about an “apostate” generation that would rise up in the last days. The definition of apostate is a person who abandons a religious or political belief. The same thing was again prophesied in 1 Timothy 4:1 which says:

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

Once again the word of YHWH is perfect and true and His words are coming to pass even in our generation. Below is an article written last year which is further proof of people abandoning the faith and following deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Merry Christmas! Why millennials are ditching religion for witchcraft and astrology

By Kari Paul

Published: Dec 19, 2017 1:12 p.m. ET

In tumultuous political times, the 18-30 demographic is reaching for the stars

Co?Star

Co-founders of astrology app Co—Star.

When Coco Layne, a Brooklyn-based producer, meets someone new these days, the first question that comes up in conversation isn’t “Where do you live?” or “What do you do?” but “What’s your sign?”

“So many millennials read their horoscopes every day and believe them,” Layne, who is involved in a number of nonreligious spiritual practices, said. “It is a good reference point to identify and place people in the world.”

Interest in spirituality has been booming in recent years while interest in religion plummets, especially among millennials. The majority of Americans now believe it is not necessary to believe in God to have good morals, a study from Pew Research Center found. The percentage of people between the ages of 18 and 29 who “never doubt existence of God” fell from 81% in 2007 to 67% in 2012.

Meanwhile, more than half of young adults in the U.S. believe astrology is a science. compared to less than 8% of the Chinese public. The psychic services industry — which includes astrology, aura reading, mediumship, tarot-card reading and palmistry, among other metaphysical services — grew 2% between 2011 and 2016. It is now worth $2 billion annually, according to industry analysis firm IBIS World.

An image from a market hosted by Catland, where customers can buy occult accessories.

Melissa Jayne, owner of Brooklyn-based “metaphysical boutique” Catland, said she has seen a major uptick in interest in the occult in the past five years, especially among New Yorkers in their 20s. The store offers workshops like “Witchcraft 101,” “Astrology 101,” and a “Spirit Seance.”

“Whether it be spell-casting, tarot, astrology, meditation and trance, or herbalism, these traditions offer tangible ways for people to enact change in their lives,” she said. “For a generation that grew up in a world of big industry, environmental destruction, large and oppressive governments, and toxic social structures, all of which seem too big to change, this can be incredibly attractive.”

Co—Star, a new app for millennials

Like the existence of God, however, there’s no actual scientific proof. Astrology has been debunked by numerous academic studies, but Banu Guler, co-founder of artificial intelligence powered astrology app Co—Star said the lack of structure in the field is exactly what drives young, educated professionals to invest their time and money in the practice.

“It’s very different from the way we usually work and live and date, where everything is hyper-mediated and rational,” she said. “There is a belief vacuum: we go from work to a bar to dinner and a date, with no semblance of meaning. Astrology is a way out of it, a way of putting yourself in the context of thousands of years of history and the universe.”

Case in point: Co—Star’s servers were so overwhelmed by demand after it launched in October that the app crashed three times in its first week.

Astrology isn’t the only spiritual field overwhelmed by demand: Danielle Ayoka, the founder of spiritual subscription service Mystic Lipstick, said her customer base is growing exponentially. The self-described astrologer sells a “mystic box” subscription, which includes crystals, “reiki-infused bath salts,” and incense customized to the unique energy of the current moon cycle for $14.99 a month. She says she’s seen 75% increase in her audience in the past year.

“When I started my journey in 2010, I was the weirdo,” she said. “Now it is becoming more and more normalized, and I believe it is because more people are looking to heal. Millennials are much more open-minded.”

One Mystic Lipstick box, which is $14.99 a month.

With this overwhelming demand comes a rise of products claiming metaphysical benefits, not all of which take the cultural context of the occult into account, notes Layne. Urban Outfitters sells sage, a product that has its roots in indigenous cleansing ceremonies, for $18 a pop and a crystal mobile for $32.

Actress turned CEO Gwyneth Paltrow sells a variety of spiritual wares on her website, many of which are borrowed or “inspired” by other cultures. A jade egg that costs $66 has its roots in ancient Taoist practice. Her $85 “Goop Medicine Bag” is “inspired by the Shaman’s medicine bag from various indigenous traditions,” and a $59 Tarot card deck features “mystical artwork” that mirrors Native American patterns.

But Layne, whose interest in Eastern medicine is rooted in her Taiwanese heritage, said white women are often able to profit from ancient practices that are not theirs to sell.

“It is really important to give credit to who is doing the work,” Layne said. “There is a whole culture of white women who capitalize off of spirituality, but it all comes from people of color. People need to do their homework: being in touch with your spiritual side is a natural, human thing to do. To be able to connect yourself is essential to healing not only your own wounds, but healing together.”

Throughout my walk with Yeshua I have met many who have renounced religion because they don’t want to conform to any commandments, rules, or instructions on how they should live their lives and it ultimately leads to starting practices that YHWH calls an abomination. Based on the article alone we see that from 2007 to 2012 those who fell away from the faith dropped 14% and more than half believe in astrology and science, plus a whopping $2 billion is being spent on this demonic activity. So now that we have determined that Bible prophecy is unfolding before our eyes, let’s see what YHWH has to say about this. In Deuteronomy 18:10-12 He says:

“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto YHWH: and because of these abominations YHWH thy Elohim doth drive them out from before thee.”

Let’s take a moment to see what each of these mean:

1. Divination-Telling the future by supernatural means, the practice of discovering hidden knowledge through psychics, oujiboards, crystal balls, taro cards

2. Passing son or daughter through the fire- Abortion and human sacrifices

3. Observer of times-Same as astrology or stargazing (another form of divination). A person who looks to the stars for guidance (horoscopes, numerology, palm readers.

4. Enchanter-A magician or sorcerer. One who casts spells and bewitches, just like Jannes and Jambres in the days of Moses who practiced black arts to duplicate the first two plagues of YHWH. No magician is that good to be able to do supernatural things and that is because they are being assisted by demons.

5. Charmer-to put a spell on someone; to change things by the use of magic; the chanting of a magical verse or formula. Or an object or piece of jewelry used for magical purposes.

6. Necromancer-The art of raising the spirits of the dead, either for their predictions about the future, or their ghostly help in making something happen. A person who claims they have spoken with those who have already died. These are demonic spirits pretending to be deceased friends or family also known as channeling and mediums.

7. Consulter with familiar spirits-To ask, demand, or desire of an evil or demonic spirit like séances, oujji boards, and ascended masters.

8. Wizard- A person who knows many things about the occult and is in touch with demonic spirits. A male witch, magician, conjurer, and one who uses magic to have control over another person.

9. Witch-A person who practices black magic and deals with demonic spirits, powered from Satan.

Yeshua said the gospel must be preached to the four corners of the earth and it is up to us as disciples to show people, out of love that what they are doing is an abomination to our Heavenly Father. Ephesians 6:11-12 says:

“Put on the whole armor of Elohim, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

The spiritual realm is very real and YHWH told us to stay away because He knows what lies ahead for those who dabble with the demons. As evidenced in the article a lot of people have begun to play with demons and as a result have fallen away from the faith. Let us stand up and be sold out disciples of Messiah Yeshua and fight for the Elohim of Israel.

Yeshua knows my heart and that is all that matters, right?!

Written by: Damien Powell

We have come to the end of all the popular secular holidays that are celebrated all over the world and we have discussed in previous teachings about their evil origins and how none of them are based on scripture. As sold out disciples of Yeshua we are to walk the path of truth no matter the cost or whatever people think.

However, the common answer given from fellow believers when it comes to celebrating days that are not commanded by YHWH is “But Yeshua knows my heart, so I worship Him on any day I choose and I can participate in pagan days as long as I’m doing it for Him.” But is this an acceptable answer and is that what YHWH says in scripture? Let us examine further.

YHWH says in Leviticus 18:30:

“Therefore shall you keep my ordinance and do not follow any of these abominable customs, which were committed before you came and defile yourselves with them. I am YHWH your Elohim.”

YHWH tells us not to commit the abominable/detestable customs that were practiced because we will defile ourselves; therefore, there is no way a believer should take a pagan custom, ritual, or holiday and “Christianize”. That is where the phrase “marrying paganism with Christianity” stems from. For example, a day like December 25th is the birth of Tammuz the son of the sun god Nimrod (Ba’al), so is it acceptable to say that this day is the birth of Yeshua and “Yeshua is the reason for the season” when He wasn’t born on that day. All we have done is what YHWH told us not to do in Leviticus 18:30. We in our own hearts have tried to bless a day and custom that our Father told us to stay away from, when in actuality on He can bless and sanctify any day.

Furthermore, Paul tells us in 1 Corinithians 12:1-2:

“Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you WERE PAGANS, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.”

The first point that I want to make is that Paul used the past tense saying “were pagans” meaning that true followers of Yeshua have let paganism and idolatry go for the truth and we should no longer have any part in those detestable practices. Secondly, he mentions being led astray by mute idols, which most people automatically think of as carved images of wood and stone. However, we know that idolatry is also things that aren’t of worshipping YHWH through His Son Yeshua. Christmas trees, Easter bunnies, dressing up on Halloween etc are all examples of being “led astray” by false idols/gods as Paul put it.

YHWH is serious about this matter and tell us again about these practices, except this time in Deuteronomy 20:17-18 saying:

“Completely destroy them ---- the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites as YHWH your Elohim has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshipping their gods, and you will sin against YHWH your Elohim.”

Deuteronomy 12:29-31 says:

“YHWH your Elohim will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods?” We will do the same.” You must not worship YHWH your Elohim in their way, because in worshipping their gods, they do all kind of detestable things YHWH hates.”

Whether we realize it or not paganism crept into the true path of worship hundreds of years after the death of the Messiah and we have been deceived in to worshipping gods the way they did which YHWH says is detestable and He even goes on to say that He hates it.

So again, we see that this matter goes deeper than how we feel about doing what we think is right in our hearts, when The Elohim of Israel says bluntly that you will sin against Him.  We are either being stubborn when we know the truth and continue down that path or unknowingly worshipping other gods.

We can all be free by giving our lives to Yeshua but we must do it in truth and follow His commandments, laws, and decrees. We are acting out similar to the Tower of Babel under Nimrod’s lead, we choose to construct a building reaching to the heavens to make war with our Creator because we are rebellious in our hearts and we think that YHWH’s commandments are burdensome.  We choose to do things and practice pagan customs according to how “we feel” versus what “YHWH’s word” says and there is a huge difference. And is Nimrod still leading that charge today? He absolutely is! As we discussed in previous teachings he and his mother are pawns of satan and responsible for pagan holiday and customs that still occur.

Finally, I will say if the heart was all that mattered in our worship of the King then why would Yeshua scold the Pharisees for this very reason? Yeshua says in Mathew 15:8-9

“These people honor me with their lips, but their HEARTS are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.”

Yes, Yeshua knows our hearts and He also knows that His Father warned our ancestors about pagan customs and traditions of men. We are to steadily seek the truth and do the best we can to walk the narrow path Yeshua speaks of in Mathew 7:13. Let us not become so wise where we put our thoughts about the written word of YHWH and Yeshua. Let us stand up and fight for the Elohim of Israel in truth!

Satanic alert: Santa or Satan? The true meaning of Christmas!

Written by: Damien Powell

All over the world adults and kids are getting into the Christmas spirit, they are putting up Christmas trees, decorating their homes, buying presents, singing Christmas carols, etc. All this is being done for one purpose and that is the birth of our Savior and Messiah Yeshua. But, is December 25th the birth of Yeshua? Or is it something far more sinister than what we have been taught from generation to generation? Let’s examine the truth behind this holiday season and stand up and follow Yeshua in truth.

Firstly, I would like to examine what a Christmas tree has to do with Yeshua at all. YHWH tells us exactly what a Christmas tree is in Jeremiah 10:2-5 saying:

“Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”

YHWH tells us plainly as His people to not learn the way of the nations around us and that the Christmas tree is an idol and an abomination in His sight. They DECK IT with silver and gold, so we know where the Christmas carol “Deck the halls” comes from now. Also, the silver and gold is the garland that is wrapped around the tree is a representation of Satan wrapping around the tree in the Garden of Eden deceiving us as he did Adam and Eve. As I have stated before YHWH’s Holy Days are SHABBATS and Satan’s counterfeit days are called Sabbats which means a pagan festival and a gathering of witches.

Another name for the Christmas tree found in scripture is an Asherah pole, which pagans and stiff-necked Israelites sacrificed to in their high places. YHWH is not pleased with these idols and He wants them destroyed. Examples in scripture is Exodus 34:13:

“Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.”

 Deuteronomy 7:5 YHWH says:

“This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire.”

Why does YHWH hate Asherah poles so much? Because they are a representation of Nimrod (Genesis 10:8), his mom/wife known as Semiramis aka Asherah/The queen of Heaven (Jeremiah 7:18), and their son Tammuz, who are pagan gods.  When Nimrod was killed and cut down like a tree, Semiramis claimed that a stump grew into a full grown evergreen overnight and that Nimrod would come and leave gifts under the tree. Now we see where giving gifts under the Christmas tree comes from. And food for thought, when you are going to grab a present from under the tree what do you have to do to get it? Kneel down! Yes, you are bowing down before Nimrod/Baal the sun god.

 Another example of YHWH’s anger with these abominations can be found in Judges 3:7 which says:

“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of YHWH, they forgot YHWH their Elohim and served the Baal’s (Nimrod) and the Asherahs (Semiramis).”

The definition of “Grove” in Hebrew is called Asherah (of which the plural is Asherim or Ashteroth) a living tree or tree-like pole, set up as an object of worship. The word is ofted translated as green trees or groves. The “nature worship” became associated with gross immortality, so the practice of setting up such groves was forbidden by the YHWH and the prophets. Deuteronomy 16:21, Numbers 25:3, Judges 2:11-13, 1 Samuel 7:3-4, 1 Kings 11:5, Isaiah 17:8, and Micah 5:12.

Now armed with a little background information about what a Christmas tree is and how our Elohim feels about them, I will list some facts about Christmas and how we have been deceived:

• Yeshua was not born during the winter season, Luke gives us an indicator around the time He was born. Luke 2:8 says “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” If the shepherds were living out in the field keeping watch over their flock at night we can determine it was not cold outside as it is in December; therefore, we can estimate His birth to be in the late summer or early fall. More likely it was near the Fall Appointed Time on YHWH’s calendar The Feast of Tabernacles.

• The scriptures never give an exact date of when Yeshua was born so how are people picking December 25th as His birth? I’m sure that this information was left out of the scriptures for a reason. Furthermore, if anyone was going to have a great birthday celebration wouldn’t it have been Yeshua the Savior of the world? Yet, the scriptures are silent on the details about His birth.

• So if Yeshua was not born on December 25th then who was? Ezekiel 8:14 tells us whose birth we are celebrating on this day. Ezekiel 8:14 says “Then He (YHWH) brought me (Ezekiel) to the entrance to the north gate of the house of YHWH and I saw women sitting there, mourning for Tammuz. He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this.” The women were weeping for the pagan god Tammuz who died when he was 40 years old. When Nimrod died his mom/wife needed to secure her reign as the Queen of Babylon (Queen of Heaven). So after deifying Nimrod as Baal the sun god she had to find a way to make Nimrod live again and bring him back to the people. So Semiramis consulted with her astrologers and they told her the sun dies on December 21st (the shortest day of the year) but comes back to life on the eve of December 24th. She decided to say that the sun god Nimrod impregnated her with the rays of the sun on March 25th and 9 months later on December 25th she gave birth to Tammuz which is Nimrod reincarnated. She then ordered the pagans to go into the groves (forest) and place a gift on a tree to honor Nimrod.

• The name Christmas is pagan in itself! Christ meant “Christ”, while “Mas” meant “Mass.” Since all the pagan Masses are commemorating death, the name Christmas means “death of Christ.” The pagans celebrate Christmas as a celebration of their Anti-Messiah who they believe will deal a blow to Yeshua the true Elohim. So not only is that day not the birth of Yeshua, pagans are saying death to The Messiah.

• 12 Days of Christmas comes from a 12 days feast of Saturnalia. Chaledeans call December 25th Yule day which means “day of the infant” and that infant is Tammuz found in Ezekial 8:14.

• The druids believed in Hartha a pagan elohim who could come down from the chimney and bless the home. So druids would leave milk and pastries to appease their elohim. That is where the tradition of leaving milk and cookies for Santa comes from.

• Wiccans or witches enjoy the tradition of wreaths or decking the halls with holly. Deuteronomy 18 YHWH says you must not suffer a witch to live, so why continue in a tradition of a witch? Or Satans Sabbats which is a gathering of witches?

• Christmas tree is also known as a Saturnalia tree that they decorated for the feast of Saturnalia why correlates with the 12 day feast of Saturnalia. 12 Days of Christmas

• Santa comes from a pagan deity named Odin, who traveled around the world on a white horse with 8 legs. (That is where the idea for the 8 reindeer came from and Rudolph was added later). He would go around with dark helpers known as black jacks or Krampus which looked like demons. If you were good Odin would give gifts but if you were bad the Krampus would beat the kids. They later changed these demonic helpers into cute looking elves. This deceives the world and the origin of it all, we willfully accept what is put before us without looking for the truth and the end result is deception. This tradition is still being carried out today where people will dress up as these demonic Krampus and scare children.

• The Origin of the

  Krampus Legend from krampusfest.com

  Everyone is familiar with Santa Claus, that jolly old elf who makes his way from house to house on Christmas Eve to deliver toys to the goodly children of the world. Here in the USA, some may know of St. Nick's European heritage, but few are familiar with his dark companion, Krampus. In many Alpine European towns, the celebration of St. Nicholas Day would not be the same without a celebration on its Eve, December 5th, honoring this dark servant.

  Originating in Germanic folklore as early as the 1600s, Krampus is believed to be a beastial creature who accompanies St. Nicholas on his earthly journey. While St. Nicholas rewards the good children with gifts and sweets, Krampus dispenses punishment to the wicked children who have strayed from the path of good. It is said he takes care of St. Nick's "naughty list." Why, the mere sight of Krampus alone is enough to turn any wrong-doer toward more peaceful pursuits.

  The name Krampus is derived from the Old High German word for "claw." This towering, seven foot tall, hairy creature is depicted as having bulging eyes, a whip-like tongue, pointed ears and horns atop his head. He carries a pitchfork or, more traditionally, a bundle of birch switches, to menace children as he travels through town on a pair of mismatched feet: one cloven hoof, the other a bear-like claw. Wayward children caught by Krampus are spanked, whipped and even shackled to be spirited away in either a basket or barrel to Krampus' lair. Once there they receive further punishment until they are repentant.

  Krampus festivals throughout Alpine communities kick off the holiday season with townspeople dressing in Krampus costumes, running rampant through the streets and putting a scare in the youngsters. After the children have been given a proper fright to ensure they stay on the straight and narrow, the rowdy Krampus are rewarded with holiday spirits, traditionally beer and schnapps. In fact, Krampus celebrations have become so popular that they can last for days before the arrival of Saint Nicholas on December 6th.

  For those who revel in the spirited fun of Halloween, Krampusfest is the perfect addition to your traditional Christmas and holiday festivities!

  Vintage postcard images depicting Krampus are from the book The Devil in Design: The Krampus Postcards by Monte Beauchamp (Ed).

• Santa’s name in Holland is Sinterklaus “Sin” terklaus. Also known as St. Nick.

• Lastly, what does Santa have to do with the birth of Yeshua anyway? Take a closer look at the name “Santa” don’t you see “Satan”. When people think of Christmas their focus goes to this made up character who Satan tried to make resemble Yeshua in some ways such as these:

1. Both have white hair like wool (Revelation 1:14)

2. Both have beards (Isaiah 50:6)

3. Hour of coming a mystery (Luke 12:40 and Mark 13:33)

4. Comes as a thief in the night (Mathew 24:43-44) Santa drops off gifts like a thief in the night coming down the chimney

5. Omniscient know all (Psalms 139:1-4) Santa knows if you are bad or good

6. Both are eternal (Revelation 1:8, 21:6)

7. Both are giver of gifts (Ephesians 4:8)

8. Says “Ho, ho” (Zechariah 2:6)

9. Commands children to obey parents (Ephesians 6:1)

Satan has deceived the world again by mocking Elohim’s powers with a made up character and giving the glory to Santa Claus. Doesn’t Satan want to be like YHWH? And have the world worship him instead of the creator? Well, he has made a good attempt with Santa who he made to resemble Yeshua. Satan comes close enough to deceive but ultimately falls short.

 Let us get the Christmas trees (Asherah poles) aka the memorial of Nimrod out of our homes. It is up to us to stand up and fight for the Elohim of Israel in truth.

Blessings to you in Yeshua,

Damien Powell

Satans sabbat: Did we get TRICKED for the TREATS on Halloween?

Did we get TRICKED for the TREATS on Halloween?

Written by : Damien Powell

Satan is the master counterfeiter and scripture states that Satan wants to be like YHWH. Isaiah 14:14 says:

“I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

With that said YHWH has His (Holy Days) for His people and Satan has his (holidays) for his people or those who are lost or have been deceived. Another example is YHWH has His Shabbat as Satan has his sabbat. And sabbat is defined as a seasonal festival, observed by pagans and a gathering of witches.

October 31st is a very popular holiday known as Halloween a (sabbat) where adults and kids dress up in costumes and go door to door asking for candy. Others go to costume parties to celebrate and bob for apples. But, is that holiday harmless? Is it acceptable for a believer or even the church to celebrate this day? Or to celebrate it under a disguised name of a Harvest or Fall Festival?

Yeshua tells us in Mark 12:26-27:

“Now about the dead rising have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how Elohim said to him, I am the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob? He is not the Elohim of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

Yeshua has just told us that our Father YHWH Elohim is Elohim of the living and not the dead, so we need to ask ourselves if He would approve of us dressing up as the dead and glorifying and celebrating death. Halloween is more sinister than people think just looking at the surface of the holiday, which solely equates to just having a good time and letting the kids enjoy themselves. What we don’t realize as followers of the Messiah Yeshua is that when we participate in this day we are recreating pagan rituals on a day human sacrifices occurred and the highest amount of demonic activity happened and continues to happen. Also, when put on these masks and costumes we take on the spirit of whatever that being is or was. Below is some background information on this pagan day:

• Halloween literally means the evening before Hallows Day or All Saints Day, which is one of the witches Sabbats. Notice how Satan has tried to mock Elohim using the word “Sabbat” instead of “SHABBAT”!

• “Hallowed” means holy or greatly revered and respected, so, Satan has made this is an evil holy day for himself known as “HALLOWeen.”

• All Saints Day was instituted by the Roman Catholic Church on November 1st the day after Halloween to celebrate the dead, dressing up as saints, angels, and devils and having a huge parade and bon fires.

• Halloween was originally a Druidic feast of Samhain until the Roman Catholic Church changed the name. The Druid priests believed that the veil that separated the living from the dead was at its thinnest on October 31st. They believed all laws of space and time were suspended on this night allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living. On October 31st the disembodied spirits of all those who had died during the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be the only chance for afterlife for the spirits. The Celtics would offer many sacrifices to their gods of death with both animals and humans in fire pits as offerings.

• The Druids would knock on people’s doors and say “trick or treat” and the person inside the house knew that they wanted a human sacrifice for the night. If the owner of the house gave them a human sacrifice, the druids would leave a jack-o-lantern on their doorsteps (filled with human fat) to scare off all the spirits they would be conjuring up during the night. If they did not cooperate they would take them to a cauldron that had been boiling all day full of apple cider and tell them if they could grab an apple out of the cauldron with their teeth then they would let them go, but if they could not then they would be beheaded on the spot. This is where “bobbing for apples comes from.”

• Because the Druids believed that demons, witches, and evil spirits roamed the earth on this night and that demons played pranks and tricks on human beings, the only way they could protect themselves was to dress up as a demon or a creature to escape persecution. By disguising themselves the demon or witch would not recognize them or think they were joining in with them that night. This is where the dressing up of costumes originates from.

1 Corinthians 10:20-21 says:

“No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to Elohim, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of YHWH and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both YHWH’s table and the tables of demons.”

To put it simply we have a choice to make and we cannot justify our actions just because we want to have a “good time” or saying “it’s for the kids.”  We as believers cannot say that we are serving Elohim when we participate and join at the table with His enemy, which is anything demonic. All we are doing is justifying our actions and recreating pagan rituals filled with evil and death. Let us not be lost or deceived, but let us gain understanding of what these holidays truly mean because everything has a history and a meaning. We are either for Elohim or against Him. Let us stand up and fight for the Elohim of Israel in truth! Ah-main!

It was supposed to be the end of the world right?

Written by: Damien Powell

According to David Meade, a Christian numerologist, September 23rd, 2017 was supposed to be without a doubt the end of the world. His prediction sent people panicking, making plans to live out the rest of their days having fun or getting right with The Elohim of Israel. His prediction was on the news and people were posting it on Facebook and also sending chain text messages about the subject. Well, as we all know, September 23rd came and went and guess what? We are all still here and the impending doom did not occur. So how could this be? It is reasons like this that I encourage all believers to read the scriptures for themselves so you will be able to spot a lie or false prophet when they are among you. Yeshua tells us in Mathew 7:15:

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."

Let us look to scripture and examine a few reasons why David Meade never had a shot at predicting end times.

1.     Yeshua says in Mathew 24:36 "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, NOR THE SON, but only the Father." Did you catch that important quote? Yeshua Himself, the Son of The Almighty YHWH Elohim said that He does not know when the end will be, so how does a human being like David Meade know?

2.     Then in Mathew 24:42-44 Yeshua says "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him". Yeshua drops more hints saying He will come at an hour when no one expects Him; therefore, have your life in order and strive to be as holy and obedient as possible because you are not going to be able to cheat and guess how much time you have to start living for Him. It would be like when you are speeding down the highway until you look ahead and see the state trooper parked on the side, what happens then? We all slow down, in other words be obedient and do the speed limit all the time.

3.     Yeshua also tells us in Mathew 24:15-24 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be a great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now –and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is The Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!” do not believe it. For false Messiahs and falseprophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.” Then in verse 27 He says “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

A few things from the passage is ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ is no one other than the “Anti-Messiah” the devil who will be standing in the ‘holy place’ which is the 3rd temple that has to be rebuilt in Israel. That currently is not possible, because the location which the temple stands is occupied by the Muslims Mosque. Also, Yeshua says false prophets and Messiahs will come and perform signs and miracles that will deceive even the elect, which we also know has not happened yet. Lastly, Yeshua tells us then we will ALL see Him when He returns for the second time and we all know that has not happened yet either.

4.     Then Zechariah 14:3-4 says “Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. ” Just as mentioned from Mathew 24:27 all eyes will see when He comes and His feet will literally stand on the Mount of Olives splitting the mountain into, then He will fight against ALL the nations that rise up to fight against Jerusalem. We all know that all nations have not turned on Israel yet and we have not physically seen Yeshua come down and fight against them.

Therefore, it is safe to say that if the angels don’t know the end times, Yeshua doesn’t know the end times and the few examples listed of prophecies that have not occurred yet in scripture haven’t been fulfilled yet, then how does on determine the end times as David Meade attempted to? Again, let us stand up and fight for the Elohim of Israel in truth.

Is there a difference between Jew and Gentile?

Written by: Damien Powell

“Is Elohim (God) the Elohim of Jews only? Is he not the Elohim of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one Elohim, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.” Romans 3:29-30

This is a very important topic because throughout my walk with Yeshua I have heard many believers say “I don’t have to do any of the Commandments because that was for the Jews!” Or “I don’t have to eat clean foods because that was for the Jews!” And “I don’t have to keep the Sabbath Day Holy because that was only given to the Jews!” Well, let us examine who Paul says a Jew is in Romans 2:28-29:

“A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from Elohim.”

So now we see Paul’s definition of a Jew means that you do not have to be a native born Jew to make you Jewish, or walk around with yarmulkes on your head and the Star of David branded on your clothing, but rather a Jew is ANYONE who has circumcised their hearts and follow Elohim inwardly through the Spirit and keeps His Commandments. By being obedient and doing Elohim’s will the way He commanded us means that we too can become Jews. We all have one Elohim, one faith, and one path to salvation. Paul goes on to clarify this statement in Romans 10:12 by saying:

“For there is NO DIFFERENCE between Jew and Gentile: for the same LORD (YHWH) over all is rich unto all that call up Him.”

Then Galatians 3:28-29 says:

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all ONE in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ). And if you be Yeshua’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Paul points out to us that we all worship the same Elohim and He views us (Jew and Gentile) as one in the same. We can clearly see that a Gentile is grafted into Israel by accepting Yeshua as their Lord and Savior and does the Commandments of Elohim. Once grafted into Israel and becoming Abraham’s seed the Gentiles will then have the same promises to salvation as a native born Jew. Therefore, Elohim expects us all to serve Him in the same way as ONE in the Body of Messiah.

So now recognizing that Jews and Gentiles are the same in Elohim’s eyes and He expects us to worship Him the same way, where do the different theologies come in to the picture? Native born Jews say there is dual covenant theology where they believe that they have a separate path to salvation then the Gentiles without believing in Yeshua and the Gentiles believe in Replacement Theology where they believe in Yeshua but they feel the church has replaced the Jews as the chosen people and are freed from the laws of Elohim. See the flaw and separation here?

The Gentiles were not called to make up their own religion but to follow the Jewish faith because the Gentiles are to provoke the Jews to jealousy. Elohim prophesied this back in Deuteronomy 32:21 when He said:

They (Jews) have made Me jealous with what is not Elohim; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people (Gentiles); I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.”

What Elohim said in Deuteronomy was understood by the Jews in Acts 28:28 which states:

“Therefore I want you to know that Elohim’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen.”

This is further proof that Elohim sent salvation to the Gentiles because the Gentiles would keep His Commandments, be obedient to His laws, and spread the gospel the way He intended for it to be, the way the native-born Jew was supposed to do it. This means the Gentiles need to follow their Jewish roots and graft themselves in to the faith of our forefathers.

 How are the Gentiles supposed to provoke the Jews to jealousy if we don’t obey the Commandments of the Torah? And preaching lawlessness by saying we are saved through grace and all laws were abolished with Yeshua’s blood? The key is to keep the Commandments as the obedient Jews are already doing, but provoking them to jealousy by showing them the abundant life, joy, and freedom that you have with Yeshua in your life. Then we will accomplish the goal of “One New Man” Jew and Gentile worshipping together as ONE.

As we see in Ezekiel 47:21-23 it was always Elohim’s plan to include the Gentiles to be one with the Jews:

“You (Jews) are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the strangers (Gentiles) that sojourn among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the stranger (Gentiles) settles, there you are to give him his inheritance,” declares YHWH (The LORD).

So who is a Jew? A Jew is any believer who is grafted into Israel by accepting Yeshua, keeping the Commandments, the Holy Days, and being obedient to YHWH Elohim.

In conclusion I would like to make this final point that leaps out to me during the end times in Zechariah 14:16-19

“Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, The LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of ALL the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.”

The point is that the Feast of Tabernacles is a Jewish Holy Day appointed by Elohim for us (Jew and Gentile) to celebrate every year as an everlasting covenant. During the end of days ALL nations and people will be forced to celebrate the Holy Day or have no rain, so why not start now? Yeshua was born a Jew and died a Jew and kept the Sabbath and all of the Jewish Holy Days and will be celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles when He returns and He wants us to join in the celebration, so let us all stand together as ONE and worship in truth!

What is Yeshua really saying in John 14:21-24? (Click on title to leave comment and scroll down)

Written by: Damien Powell

There is only ONE way to love Yeshua (Jesus) and He tells you directly in John 14:21-24 how you do that, but too often this passage gets overlooked because it goes against the beliefs of many Christians today. Through my journey in walking with the Lord I often hear believers quote "Yeshua said that the two greatest commandments are to love Elohim (God) with all your heart and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself." And guess what? They are absolutely right, but they are missing an important piece to what our Lord and Savior was saying there.

Firstly, when Yeshua said love Elohim with all your heart and soul, He wasn't saying merely profess those words with your mouth and don't back it up with your actions. He expects you to show Him your love and when you look at the first four of the Ten Commandments you will see how to love YHWH Elohim our Father and Yeshua with all your heart and soul. The other six show you how to love your neighbor as yourself. All Yeshua did was sum up the Ten Commandments when He was asked what the two greatest commandments were. The example I like to use is if you are married and you say to your spouse "I love you with all my heart and soul!' Then five minutes later go to your neighbors house and cheat on them, did you profess your love through your actions? Or did you merely profess it with your mouth? The same thing applies to our Elohim, we are cheating Him when we don't obey His word through His commandments, laws, and decrees.

So now that you have viewed the Ten Commandments differently and know that we must respond with action and not words, let's examine what Yeshua adds about how to love Him in John 14:21-24. Yeshua says "Whoever has my commandments and obeys them he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who DOES NOT love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to my Father who sent me."

Our Master has told us plainly that if we LOVE Him we will obey His commandments and those who DON'T love Him won't keep His commandments. The beautiful part in Yeshua's direct quote  that gets overlooked is when He says He will reveal Himself to you and that He and the Father will make Their home with you! What true believer would not want this awesome experience that He promises us? Let us take a stand today and do what our Master tells us. 1 John 5:2-5 confirms this by stating "This is love for God: to obey His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Yeshua is the Son of God (YHWH).