I woke up this am wanting to write about the two sticks in Ezekiel’s hands; Judah and Israel’s seed (perversely know as “the children of Israel”) that are being joined by Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions. Israel’s seed are the dead bones who are being raised up and then have life breathed in them in a single day each year all, over the earth; that day is called Passover, the Time of Life.
And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O my Master, Yehovah, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of Yehovah!’ Thus says my Master, Yehovah to these bones: ‘Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am Yehovah.’ ” (Eze 37:3-6)
Again the word of Yehovah came to me, saying, “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for Israel’s seed, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ (Eze 37:15-16)
“Thus says my master, Yehovah: ‘Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.'” (Eze 37:19)
Israel’s seed are the “man-child” and “the nation that is born in a day” in Isaiah 7 and Isaiah 66.
“Before she was in labor, she gave birth; before her pain came, she delivered a male child. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her sons ( of a spiritual people)”. (Isa 66:7-8)
The day that these dead bones have the life breathed into them is Passover; but before Passover was called Passover it was called the “Time of Life.” I capitalize this because it is a “moed,” an appointed time.
A true Passover, the “Time of Life,” is more than a mere rehearsal of the deliverance of Israel’s seed from Egypt; it is the redemption of the repentant faithful from the kingdoms of darkness into the kingdom of Yehovah, which is True Israel (Abraham’s seed). I make a distinction between the STATE OF ISRAEL, those who follow the laws of that man-made government with ITS statutes, judgments and ordinances which are created by those who trust in its Military Intelligence, tanks, ground to air missiles, planes, etc, etc, etc and True Israel, those who have repented and are diligently learning, doing and teaching Only Yehovah’s statutes, judgments and ordinances. True Israel trusts in Yehovah, their God (their Elohim – lawmaker and judge) exclusively for all their provisions and safety.
A true Passover is a not about a corporate redemption, like Yom Kippurim (the Day of Coverings) is for all who are Israel, but rather an individual and deeply personal one. That fact may seem obvious to some but I believe we, in ignorance or pride or both, have set aside Yehovah’s instructions concerning Passover which he said should be kept throughout all our generations (see Exodus 12:14,17, 24 and 42). Ezekiel 45 indicates that Passover will still be kept in the Millennium Kingdom; and since Yehovah does not change this only makes perfect sense to me.
The Hebrew word “Ezrach” (Strong’s H249) is the man who is born twice. Once by water into some kingdom of the earth and once by the spirit (through his participation in the true Passover) into the land of Israel, Yehovah’s heavenly kingdom ; he is the man who is native-born or “born again.”
In order for a man to take part in the true Passover, he must first be one who has repented, left the kingdom of his birth and committed himself to keeping all Yehovah’s ways from the heart. This man is called by the Hebrew a “Ger” (H1616), often called the “stranger” in the scriptures and can come from any nation; he becomes a Ger and citizen of True Israel through repentance.
Once the Ger is circumcised in the heart, he must be circumcised in the flesh before he may partake of the Passover lamb and become an Ezrach, “native-born” or as one Born in the Land (as one “born again” into the kingdom of Yehovah).
The Ger becomes a new creature once he partakes of the Passover lamb.
All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a “Ger” [stranger] dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to Yehovah, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall become an “Ezrach” [as one who is native-born]. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. One law shall be for the Ezrach [native-born] and for the Ger [stranger] who dwells among you. (Exodus 12:47-49)
Genesis chapter 18 follows 17! That may sound obvious to some, but these chapters are very closely linked. The casual reader will miss what is there. I did not see it until I read the same account in the book of Yasher. Here is what it said.
Yasher 18:1-4 (1) And Abraham rose and did all that Elohim had ordered him, and he took the men of his household and those bought with his money, and he circumcised them as Yehovah had commanded him. (2) And there was not one left whom he did not circumcise, and Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin. Thirteen years old was Ishmael when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. (3) And in the third day Abraham went out of his tent and sat at the door to enjoy the heat of the sun, during the pain of his flesh. (4) And Yehovah appeared to him in the plain of Mamre, and sent three of his ministering angels [messengers] to visit him, and he was sitting at the door of the tent, and he lifted his eyes and saw, and lo three men were coming from a distance, and he rose up and ran to meet them, and he bowed down to them and brought them into his house.
Genesis says,
Then Yehovah appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. (Gen 18:1)
Passover is the ‘Time of Life’
Genesis chapter 18 recounts the visit of Yehovah’s three messengers (all men) sent to Abraham while he was sitting at the door of his tent on a very warm day, who tell Abraham that Sarah, his woman, will have a son when Yehovah returns to them at the “moed,” the “Time of Life,” in the following year.
Did you see that? Yehovah is visiting Abraham now, at the moed, the Time of Life; and He will return at the same time next year when Isaac is born. The spiritual seed will be born on the moed.
And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the Time of Life, and behold, Sarah, your woman, shall have a son.” (Gen 18:10)
Is anything too hard for Yehovah? At the appointed time [מועד, moed] I will return to you, according to the Time of Life, and Sarah shall have a son.” (Gen 18:14)
Think about it; this is amazing! Isaac was not only born in the flesh at the Time of Life but he was also born in the spirit on “that very same day also”. This was also the day that Yehovah gave Abraham a ram in place of Isaac on Mount Moriah.
And Abraham said, “My son, Elohim will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. (Gen 22:8)
When studying this phrase, “the Time of Life,” I was tempted to write it off as the time of spring; but I could not, as it also mentioned the moed and followed so closely to the circumcision of Abraham.
This is My covenant which thou shall keep, between Me and thee, and thy seed after thee: Every male child among thee shall be circumcised; and thou shall be circumcised in the flesh of thy foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and thee. He who is eight days old among thee shall be circumcised, every male child in thy generations, he who is born in thy house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not thy seed. (Gen 17:10-12)
Now compare this, with the Passover instructions in Exodus 12.
And when a Ger dwells with thee [the Ezrach] and wants to keep the Passover to Yehovah, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall become an Ezrach [a native of the land]. For no uncircumcised man shall eat it. (Exo 12:48)
I have long felt that this chapter and the next (chapter 19) which talks about the visit of the two messengers to Lot, and the subsequent destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah where closely connected to the Passover for two reasons. The first is that Lot would not let these men stay in the town square for the night. No one stays outside on Passover night.
And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two door posts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. (Exo 12:22)
And he [Lot] said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.” But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. [Why? The righteous are indoor on the night of the Passover!] Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. (Gen 19:2-3)
And secondly, Lot served the messengers “unleavened bread” the very night that the mob in Sodom came for the messengers. Who serves their guests unleavened bread? “Hey, come on over, I just finished making unleavened bread.” NOT!
In Genesis chapters 17 Abram was circumcised. Then 18 talks about the “Time of Life“.
Notice too that this is the same time that Abram became Abraham and Sarai became Sarah.
It appears to me that Judah and Israel’s seed (the Ezrach, the man-child and the nation born in a day) can only be distinguished from Ephraim and all the house of Israel (Ger – those who dwell with the Ezrach) by only one factor; what they do during the Time of Life. These ideas are greatly expanded in my “Born Again” series. Here is a link to that series.
Finally, here is my teaching on this wonderful chapter.
Passover is the ‘Time of Life’
2G22 Genesis 18 / Yasher 17:1-15
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