PASSOVER Passover is the first of the Lord's seven appointed feasts. This first celebration has three parts: Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits. The Passover recounts God's freeing of His people from bondage. The Exodus story can be found in chapters 1-15, and the fullness of God's purpose in Exodus is given in Exodus through Joshua.... Continue Reading →
Audio Teaching Passover Playlist (YouTube) Notes Passover: Deliverance from bondage, the blood of the lamb, plagues against the false gods of Egypt - one thing is central to the Passover story, even the entire story of the Bible: Worship. When Abraham was tested, it was a test of worship - Gen 22:2 "...and offer him... Continue Reading →
"the Jews established and made a custom for themselves and for their descendants and for all those who allied themselves with them, so that they would not fail to celebrate these two days according to their regulation and according to their appointed time annually." - Esther 9:27 NASB95 As I prepare to celebrate Purim tonight,... Continue Reading →
Rosh Hashana, the New Year, has already begun in Israel. In the United States, it will officially start at sunset tonight and end Friday at sunset. While a new year is typically a joyous occasion, yesterday, Israel went through the largest ballistic missile attack in history, and there are still 101 hostages being held by... Continue Reading →
As we are in the last three days of Elul, preparing to enter the new year and the Days of Awe that bring us to Yom Kippur and Tabernacles, I think of a springboard as I read today. A springboard is a thing that lends impetus or assistance to a particular action, enterprise, or development1.... Continue Reading →
We are two weeks away from the Jewish New Year and two weeks into a forty-day period of self-examination, prayer, giving, and communion with God. One of my favorite descriptions of this time of year is "The King is in the Field." While we know we can come to God at any time, it's easy... Continue Reading →
Zecheriah 8:1-9 CSB "The word of the LORD of Armies came: 2 The LORD of Armies says this: "I am extremely jealous for Zion; I am jealous for her with great wrath." 3 The LORD says this: "I will return to Zion and live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of... Continue Reading →
Audio Teaching Notes Redeemed from the Curse of Sin Biblical leprosy = Lashan hara - evil speaking Redeemed from the curse (see. Deut. 28; Gal. 3; Isa. 53) It is Finished What is finished? Abraham's Covenant is not finished; it is eternal (Gen. 12;1-3, 7; 13:15; 15:18-23;17:18; 26:2-5; 28:12-14; 35:10-12). The Law is not finished;... Continue Reading →
Men need to know God and His plan. We are living in the end times, and we must know God, be led by the Spirit of God, and know God's plan concerning Israel and the end of the age. As we continue going through the Torah this year, we have reached the middle Book of... Continue Reading →
As I read the Book of Esther this morning, I couldn't help but think of the events of October seventh. As we continue to pray for the rescue and release of hostages, for the families who lost loved ones, and for Jews around the world facing unprecedented levels of antisemitism, I prayed a prayer I... Continue Reading →
The last of the Fall Feasts is Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths. The Feast is a remembrance of the dwelling in temporary shelters in the wilderness after the exodus. During this time, Moses was given the commandments, the pattern of the Tabernacle, and when God dwelt with Israel in the... Continue Reading →
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is Jonah and the Whale; technically, I should say Jonah and the Big Fish. Jonah was told to go to a significant Gentile power and preach repentance, something Jonah didn't want to do. The story of Jonah, or Yonah, in Hebrew, shows us God's great compassion and... Continue Reading →
The Ninth of Av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar; it marks the day of the ten spies' negative report, the destruction of the First and Second Temples in 586 BCE and 70 CE, and many other adverse events in Jewish history. Do you remember when Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492?... Continue Reading →
When we hear the word prosperity in the American church, we automatically think of money. But should that be our first thought? Webster's 1828 dictionary defines prosperity as "Advance or gain in any thing good or desirable; successful progress in any business or enterprise; success; attainment of the object desired; as the prosperity of arts; agricultural or... Continue Reading →
The Passover story is the greatest drama in all of the Bible. The story begins with a Pharoh who forgot Joseph and decided to put God's people into slavery. This was no average bad guy; he had the spirit of anti-Christ on him and decided to kill all the Hebrew boys two years old and... Continue Reading →
Casey D. Bell 