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Of all of the Biblical holidays, the new moon is perhaps the most overlooked or forgotten. Compared to the other feast days, the new moon is rarely mentioned in the Bible. In those few references, even less instruction is given. The Bible seems to leave this celebration in obscurity. However, when the new moon does make its appearance in the Scriptures, the context clearly alludes to this festival's great significance. It is almost as if the moon phases in and out of the Biblical text just like it does in our night sky. The moon's cycle of being concealed and then revealed is an indicator of spiritual truth.The moon's constant phases remind us that even in our failings, when our light decreases, there is always hope for renewal. The moon also teaches about the reality of (spiritual) darkness and the need for the (spiritual) light of Messiah. Perhaps this is one reason that Yeshua revealed to Nicodemus the need to be born again at nighttime. The moon would have been visible in the evening sky as the two spoke about heavenly things. While it's possible that Nicodemus may have wanted to question the Master under the cover of darkness, Yeshua allowed their physical surroundings to teach spiritual truth: "You must be born again."The primary purpose of this BEKY Book is to give the reader a better understanding of how to celebrate the new moon. It is NOT a book about proper crescent moon sightings or calendar calculations. Instead, this book conveys the excitement and the profound joy that comes from meeting the Creator at one of His often forgotten festivals. Additionally, this book will help you to prepare and organize a delightful setting to celebrate each new month and dedicate it to the Creator.

Did you ever wonder about the Jewish traditions mentioned in the Gospels and the letters of the apostles? Why did Jesus and the disciples sing a Psalm after their Passover meal? Why did Paul tell the Corinthians and the Thessalonians to "hold firmly" to the traditions he taught them? Jewish interpretations and practical applications of the Scriptures have a rich history, and understanding the dilemmas faced by the Jewish sages over the centuries gives students of the Scriptures an appreciation for how Jewish tradition developed.

Rapture or Resurrection? Many believe in an end-time event called The Rapture. Since most believers also expect a time of worldwide catastrophe called The Tribulation, the timing of The Rapture is often intertwined with that event in both theological books and Christian fiction. Since the rapture can be controversial, this book offers an alternate method of viewing the event called The Rapture. The Rapture is based on some proof texts of New Testament, yet there is an older Scriptural basis for the expectation of a similar event, the resurrection of the dead. The understanding of the resurrection is based in the TANAKH, or the Older Testament. This view has been handed down faithfully to hundreds of generations of Jews, both those who believe in the Messiahship of Yeshua (Jesus), and those who do not. This would have been the common "ingathering" language and expectation of the Jewish populace in the First Century, including the apostles who penned those proof texts. Yeshua and the early apostles were Jewish, so it is logical to examine their expectation of end times. This is the due diligence of any Bible study. The book contains two sections, the first addressing the Older Testament Scriptural clues to death and resurrection, and the second section addresses the more immediate question, "What happens when we die?" By correlating Jewish interpretations of certain passages of Scripture with the Scriptures themselves, any person of faith can find hope and comfort in the Biblical prophecies of resurrection.

The word "Pharisee" in modern use means a hypocrite. Bible students rarely challenge this stereotype, but a closer reading of the gospel texts and First Century history bring new insights into the role of the Pharisees and their relationship to Yeshua (Jesus). A brief overview of the Jewish sects and cultural dynamics opens up the dialogues among Yeshua and his audiences, adding depth perception impossible when the Pharisees are dismissed as the arch-enemies of Yeshua. By comparing the Pharisees' own view of hypocrites and greed, Yeshua's corrections are understood as intra-faith discussion, not a Jesus-versus-the-Jews polemic. The most important legacy of the Pharisee is the formulation of a resurrection doctrine that most Christian readers take for granted. The First Century world, however, was not completely convinced. The timing of a Messiah preaching resurrection was perfectly cued to the Pharisees' short appearance in religious history, especially a zealous Jew named Paul. In explaining the "synagogue of Satan" in its First Century context, John's expressions in the Book of Revelation are understood in the original context, comparing the two schools of Pharisees and their treatment of Gentile converts.

"Peter, do you love me?"This question and Yeshua's response to Peter are a key to unlocking the mystery of the Gentiles and Chanukkah, a holiday that most non-Jews believe is unique to Judaism. The prophesied Messiah was to restore the kingdom to Israel; that is, he was to regather the lost sheep of Israel who disappeared in various deportations by conquering empires. Yeshua, however, had earlier hinted that there were other sheep to gather, sheep that were not of the fold of First Century Judaisms. Although the Jews of the First Century anticipated the return of all Israel, they did not strongly associate Messiah's work with a gathering of sheep from among the nations who were not "native-born," but born strangers to the Covenant. The many conquests of Israel and Judah by idolatrous Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome had not left many Jews concerned with the spiritual plight of the Gentiles. Yeshua, however, declined to deal only with Rome to demonstrate that he was indeed the Messiah and King of the Jews. The prophecy and plan was much bigger.Messiah must also be the King of Kings of all nations, the great Shepherd sent of the Father from Heaven to restore flocks of men to the one fold of Israel as foretold in the Prophets. Had Yeshua acted at that time, the "leaven" of the Holy Spirit could not work among the dough of the nations. Yeshua tells his disciples that they are a vital part of Messiah's extended work, a work intended to result in the "fullness of the Gentiles" who would hear his voice. These sheep would be found in the remotest parts of the Earth, and they would be reconciled to the Holy One of Israel through a shepherd-king.The Bible has been surrounded by witnesses as it traveled through time. Unless we go back to the witnesses, the people that it was written about, the history, and the culture in which it was written, readers come away with a less accurate picture of what the Bible is communicating. The Bible requires readers to appreciate those inside stories, to understand the authors and their audience as though we were there. Without that context, parts of Bible become one of those 'family things' that only those who are part of the family will understand. The Seven Shepherds relates the family stories so that many centuries later, readers can comprehend hidden meanings that were never really hidden. This book opens up nuances that family would have known and connected, but an outsider would have missed, such as the special dates, the family traditions, the stories of uncles and aunts in times past, or the bad neighbors. The Seven Shepherds of Hanukkah invite readers of Scripture into The Family of Israel and its dynamics.The Seven Shepherds takes the reader on a prophetic journey from the beginning pages of Genesis all the way to Revelation and the eventual release of the Adversary at the conclusion of the Seventh Millennium.

Este libro explica él porque es de mucha ayuda el referirse a una sección específica de las Escrituras como Torah, ya que para entender muchos pasajes difíciles en el Nuevo Testamento, o hasta los Profetas, los Salmos del Antiguo Testamento, dependen del entendimiento del lugar que tiene la Torah como "La Ley de Moisés" en su contexto histórico. Por ejemplo, porque Jesús le dice a la mujer en el pozo que "La Salvación es de losJudíos."Los Judíos han mantenido y guardado la Torah pormiles de años y Zacarías profetiza de un tiempo en que gente justa de todas las naciones buscaran a un Judío para dirección en encontrar su camino hacia Jerusalén, la Ciudad Santa.

Coming July 2016!A Messianic Shabbat service can be intimidating to the newcomer. The order of service may be unfamiliar, but it is rooted in the Jewish and First Century traditions of Yeshua and his disciples. This booklet gives a brief history of the Nazarene Jews and describes the present-day return to many First Century beliefs and observances. It also describes the diversity of the worship practices that a newcomer or visitor may encounter in a Messianic Shabbat Service. More importantly, it gives the rationale or Scriptural basis for those practices so that the participant may understand the service and leave it feeling encouraged in his or her faith.

Readers of the Newer Testament can find its treatment of tradition confusing. Many of the customs in its pages are Jewish, and therefore foreign to non-Jewish believers. Yeshua (Jesus) sometimes corrected those observing religious customs, yet at other times he said they should have observed them. Paul does the same in his letters, and twice he instructs non-Jewish believers to keep the Jewish customs he passed on to them. Among believers in Yeshua today, some enjoy incorporating tradition into their worship. Some dismiss all customs as "man-made," and therefore extraneous at best or the sin "adding to" the written Word at worst. There is a way to determine the relationship of the written Word to tradition, for the Word would not leave us without comfort on such an important question. Our Father wants His children to grow in wisdom, maturity, and favor before Him as well as their communities.The methods used by the prophets of the Older Testament (TANAKH) as well as the writers of the Newer Testament (Brit HaChadasha) did leave readers guidelines to divide the Seed of truth from tradition, and then to separate a tradition grown from truth from a "taredition" grown from a different seed. Additionally, it is just as important to the disciple of Yeshua to test the goodness of the soil on which the practice of the Word grows. The most important consideration in the Older Testament's, Yeshua's, and the apostles' instructions is the sincere heart that holds justice, mercy, and faithfulness as the weightier matters of any religious custom. By evaluating the traditions that one chooses to observe or not observe, the individual can avoid the lament: "O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: 'Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit.'" By applying the instructions in the Word, every believer is encouraged in his or her growth. A careful examination of Yeshua's instructions lifts a nuance that is frequently lost in discussions of truth and tradition. The first step is to identify whether that tradition is a tare. By throwing all tradition into a mental trash bin labeled Man's Tradition, it is possible that one could throw good plants and fruit into the bin with the tares. This is a logical fallacy called oversimplification. Yeshua's parables encourage his disciples to learn critical thinking skills so that growth in the Word is abundant life.When a disciple of Yeshua examines his or her walk in the Word, there may be times that he or she feels that there is not enough growth. The very fact that we question our growth is a sign of readiness to grow. The next step is to allow the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) to teach us how to bear good fruit. To do that, every disciple can identify beliefs and practices that either stimulate healthy growth in the Word, or they stunt it.Welcome to the living fields of the Father's Garden!

Torah is a word that many people know, but not everyone understands what it means. The word Torah has more than one meaning, so it is helpful to know the context in which it is being used and by whom. Unfortunately, many English translations of Torah render it as "law," which is a limited translation of the Hebrew word. For those with an interest in the Torah's place in the Bible, the booklet traces its role from Genesis to Revelation and explains why it is helpful to refer to a specific section of Scripture as the Torah, for understanding many difficult passages in the New Testament, or even the Prophets and Psalms of the Old Testament, depends upon understanding the place of the Torah as the "Law of Moses" in its historical context. For instance, why does Jesus tell the woman at the well that "Salvation is of the Jews"? The Jews have guarded and kept the Torah for thousands of years, and Zechariah prophesies of a time when righteous people from the nations will seek out a Jew for direction in finding his way to Jerusalem, the Holy City: '...So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.' Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, ""Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" Looking at the ancient Scriptures from Jesus' Jewish point of view will explain his statement concerning salvation and Zechariah's prophecy of unity in spiritual direction between Jew and Gentile. This is Book 1 in the BEKY Book series: Books Encouraging the Kingdom of Yeshua