A. I don’t believe the sacrifice of an animal next passover is at all certain.  But in any case, the nation of Israel has not officially returned to it’s covenant with God and won’t do so until after the Battle of Ezekiel 38. (Ezek. 39:22). It’s possible that the rapture could occur on or before April 6, 2010, but if it does it won’t be due to the sacrifice of a passover lamb on a mobile altar in Jerusalem.  It will be because the Church will have reached its full number.

A. The problem with using the jubilee year to date prophetic events is that Hebrew scholars disagree on how the date of jubilee years should be determined. At issue is whether or not the 50th or Jubilee year of one cycle is also the first year of the succeeding cycle. Even if you accept the 27 AD figure as accurate, the different methods of calculation make pinpointing the actual date nearly impossible.  (Some believe the correct dating of Jubilee years has been lost to modern Judaism.) Since the Jubilee is only celebrated when all 12 tribes are demonstrably present in the Promised Land, we may not know its correct date until after the 2nd Coming.

A. Some experts say there’s historical proof of the Exodus, while others disagree.  Remnants of the Egyptian army have apparently been found beneath the Red Sea at a place where the crossing would have been likely, and there’s the 4000 year history of the Jewish people which includes the Exodus.  In the Bible, God has always considered it one of His greatest displays of power.  He repeatedly called Himself, “The Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.”

Personally, I don’t see any reason to question the Biblical record.  Aside from God’s word being at stake, it would have taken a conspiracy of monumental proportions to fabricate a story like that and have it survive.  Passover, which memorializes the Exodus, is the world’s oldest continuously celebrated religious event, beginning in the lifetimes of those who experienced it

A. The symbolism of the two goats sacrificed on Yom Kippur is revealed in the Lord’s death, not in the death of Judas.  As you know, two goats were brought before the High Priest.  One was chosen by lot to bear the sins of the people into the wilderness, and the other was presented to the Lord as a sin offering.   The Lord was our scapegoat in that although innocent, the sins of mankind were transferred to Him  (2 Cor. 5:21).  And He was also our sin offering because His death reconciled us to God (Colossians 1:19-20).

A. My view that Jesus was born in the fall is based on things we know about the birth of John the Baptist. John was born 6 months before Jesus (Luke 1:26 refers to Mary’s conception in the 6th month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy). There’s a calculation you can go through based on John’s father Zechariah’s position in the 24 divisions of the priesthood that will lead you to Passover as the likely time of Johns birth. Since Passover comes in March-April on our calendar, six months later is obviously September-October.  Read this  article to get all the background and detail that I used to support my conclusion.

Also, can you please tell me whether having a Christmas tree is committing a pagan ritual? Further, is wearing a cross or having one in your home also a sin … some say that it is worshiping an idol. I don’t understand this, as in my heart it is reminding me of what Christ has done for us.

It seems that the closer I come to the Lord, the more I want to learn His word, and the more I learn His word, the closer I come to the Lord. However, there are some that can take the Bible and make many things into pagan beliefs and thus sins. I believe that the Lord knows what is in our hearts. Thanks for your input. God Bless

A. Christmas began as a pagan holiday that was “papered over” with Christian meaning when Rome converted to Christianity in the 4th century. For a long time Christians refused to recognize it because 1) they knew Jesus wasn’t born on December 25 and 2) nearly all the signs and symbols had recognizable pagan origins. It took about 200 more years for it to gain acceptance and be viewed by Christians as a celebration of the Lord’s birth. But in recent times it seems like the celebration has reverted back to its pagan origins and Christians are beginning to opt out again.

According to Hebrews 4:12-13 the Lord judges us by the motives of our heart, because that’s where sin begins. He knows whether we’re focused on expressing our gratitude for the gift of His Son or indulging in pagan revelry. So as long as our hearts are right we’re not sinning by celebrating Christmas.

The idea that a Christmas tree is wrong comes from Jeremiah 10:1-5 where the Lord is poking fun at the pagans who worshiped the evergreen tree as a symbol of eternal life. He ended by saying that they can neither do you harm nor good. An idol becomes such when you bow down to worship it instead of the creator who gave you the ability to make it. The same goes for crosses and other religious paraphernalia. The commandment that prohibits the making of images pertains to everything in Heaven or on Earth, but it’s given in the context of worshiping false gods. (Exodus 20:4-5) Otherwise every single drawing, painting, statue, video or photograph ever made would be a violation.

A. Pentecost has always been seen as the birth of the Church because of the events of Acts 2.  True, the disciples did receive the Holy Spirit  on the evening of the Resurrection (John 20:22) but later were told to wait until the Holy Spirit came upon them in power (Acts 1:4-5).  He came on Pentecost, and the Church was born.

I have read much about Pentecost on your site and am wondering if it is possible for His return on this Pentecost, May 31, or does that not give enough time if something still needs to be fulfilled.   I find myself completely absorbed in thinking and longing for His return, and almost feel like I wont be able to bear it on June 1st.   How does one balance longing for him and keeping on in this lifetime.

I feel like I am  holding my breath waiting for the moment when with one blink I close my eyes here, and open them in heaven.   Will it happen that fast??  Sorry, I am just truly longing to go home.

A. There are no prophecies that must be fulfilled before the Rapture can happen.  All that remains is for the Church to achieve its predetermined number, and no one on Earth knows what that number is or how close we to achieving it.

A Rapture on Pentecost is possible but no more so than any other day. What I’ve said was if the Rapture has to occur on a Jewish Feast day then Pentecost is the one we should be looking at.  Personally, I don’t believe any Jewish Feast days will be fulfilled by the Rapture of the Church, but mentioned Pentecost with its connection to the birth of the Church as being a more likely candidate than the Fall Feasts that are the focus of so much speculation each year.

Finding a red heifer is required to ritually purify Jews so they can work on construction of the coming Temple without defiling it, but that has nothing to do with the Church.

The Lord wants us to  be watching and waiting for Him to come for us.  He doesn’t keep the date secret to tease us, but to keep the enemy off guard.  The fact that we’re getting so excited is a sign that the time is near.  When we get to the Bema Seat judgment we’ll find that there’s a crown waiting for all those who have longed for His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8)

A. Pentecost comes 7 weeks (49 days) after First Fruits (Lev. 23:15-16) The confusion comes because the first day after the Sabbath that follows Passover is First Fruits, and the 50th day after the same Sabbath is Pentecost. That makes the two feasts 49 days apart, both being on Sunday.  First fruits was fulfilled in the Resurrection and Pentecost was fulfilled in the birth of the Church.  Each Levitical feast is fulfilled on the day of its occurrence.

One thing I am wondering is… Why is there 10 days between the ascension of Yeshua and His giving of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost?   Numbers are always significant and so I am wondering what this means or is symbolic of?   Why didn’t he send the Holy Spirit right away?  Thanks!!

A. I think the Lord wanted to send the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Pentecost was a memorial to the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, and on its anniversary the dispensation of Grace officially began.

Resurrection Morning occurred on the Feast of First Fruits. Pentecost was seven weeks later. That’s why it’s sometimes called the Feast of Weeks. The actual dates of both were established by counting from the first Sabbath after Passover. First Fruits was the first day after the Sabbath and Pentecost was the 50th day, so there were only 49 days between First Fruits and Pentecost.

Acts 1:3 says that Jesus ascended into Heaven 40 days after His resurrection. That means Pentecost was 9 days later, not 10. In Scripture, the number 9 often marks the end, or conclusion of a matter. The arrival of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost marked the end of the Lord’s personal ministry on Earth.

In John 16:7 the Lord had told His Disciples, “I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”