Study the Bible with Arthur Bailey

Communion, as observed in Churches and in some Messianic Assemblies today, has become a part of service where the congregants participate in a sacrament involving eating a piece of cracker or wafer and sipping a small cup of juice or wine symbolic of the Last Supper of Christ or Messiah.  

Webster’s Dictionary defines communion as a Christian sacrament in which consecrated bread and wine are consumed as memorials of Christ's death, or as symbols for the realization of a spiritual union between Christ and the communicant, or as the body and blood of Christ. The sacrament is that which is believed to have been ordained by Christ and that is held to be a means of divine grace or to be a sign or symbol of a spiritual reality.  

• Is communion, as observed today, what Messiah intended when He shared His last supper with His disciples on the night He was betrayed?  
• Is the observance of communion today how the disciples understood what Yeshua meant then, and therefore to be practiced until He returns?  
• What did Yeshua do and how was it understood and practiced by His disciples in their day?  

These and other pertinent questions will be addressed in this teaching to help us get an understanding of how communion was interpreted then and how we should interpret communion now.  

Join us in this instructional and revelatory teaching on Communion - Then and Now.  

In a Nutshell:  Persecution comes with the Blessings of YeHoVaH.

Because of Isaac’s blessings, the Philistines envied Isaac and asked him to move away from them.  In the meanwhile, they closed his wells and laid claim to the wells Isaac’s herdsmen dug.  Ultimately they wanted to make an alliance with Isaac because it was obvious they could not stop him because YeHoVaH’s favor was on Isaac.

We must endure the persecution in order to enjoy the blessings.

It’s like eating at the table YeHoVaH prepares before us in the presence of our enemies as David wrote in Psalm 23.  YeHoVaH does not add sorrow to His blessings, but people will bring sorrow. 

 | The connection of Yeshua’s coming and teachings to the fulfillment of what was written in the Law, the Prophets, and the writings concerning Him is a vital key to understanding the Kingdom of Heaven. Answering the questions of the rich young ruler about how to inherit eternal life, in the presence of the disciples, left Yeshua’s disciples perplexed because they had left everything to follow Yeshua. Introspectively and verbally, the disciples asked questions concerning the cost they were paying to follow Yeshua, when they would see a return, and their place in this Kingdom Yeshua spoke about.  

In this portion of Matthew, Yeshua continues to expound on the previous Chapter’s question asked by His disciples and the closing comment of Chapter 19 when He said, "But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first". Yeshua shares a parable with His disciples to help them understand and prepare them for the Kingdom of Heaven He had come to bring.  

In a Nutshell, there are blessings associated with obeying the Commandments of God.  There are consequences for disobedience. 

Isaac went into the land of Abimelech, king of the Philistines, during the time of the famine and contemplated going down to Egypt to escape the famine, but YeHoVaH appeared to him and told him not to go. 

When Father tells us to do something or not to do something, that is a Commandment.  When we obey the Commandment Father gives us, we can expect the outcome Father has associated with that Commandment.  When we disobey the Command Father gives us, we will face the consequences that Father was trying to protect us from.

Everything Yeshua did was prophetically inspired to fulfill prophecy. Yeshua’s activity, travel patterns, and teachings were directed by YeHoVaH to mislead the enemy, confuse the leaders of the day, and to maneuver individuals to comply with His Process and Will. This was done in order to bring about the desired end goal for sending Yeshua into the world as the sacrificial lamb for the sins of mankind. 

In this portion of Matthew, after presenting a teaching to His disciples designed to expose their hearts, the mother of two of the disciples enters into a discussion with Yeshua with a specific request to position her sons in positions of authority in the Kingdom that Yeshua came to establish. The mother’s request, seemingly in agreement with the desires of her sons, provoked Yeshua to speak about the requirements of such a request and led to the first discussion of what has evolved into what is now known and practiced as communion.

The first three times the Bible uses the word barren are in reference to the wives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel.  To be barren means to not be able to reproduce.  Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel we’re all barren.  The miraculous thing about all of these barren women was they were the ones chosen by YeHoVaH to produce the children of the covenant.  What is impossible for man is not impossible for YeHoVaH. 

Isaac was sixty years old when his twins, Esau and Jacob, were born.   The birthright is the right of the firstborn. YeHoVaH would establish the Law pertaining to the birthright later, but here it is believed that the firstborn son would inherit the family property and responsibility of the head of the house when the father dies.  Listen to the saga of how Esau came to sell his birthright to Jacob. 

The subject of eternal life was a cause for concern for many Hebrew Israelites in the days of Yeshua the Messiah. All four Gospel narratives cover the subject of eternal life and Yeshua teaches on eternal life extensively in its connection with the Law. 

Contrary to popular teaching, the subject of eternal life did not originate in the New Testament, but was a subject of concern prior to the advent of Yeshua. Most seminary-taught theologians, denominational preachers, and teachers fail to make the connection of Yeshua’s coming and teachings to the fulfillment of what was written in the Law, the Prophets, and the writings concerning Him. 

In this portion of Matthew, after Yeshua spoke on the subject of children coming to Him, a rich ruler asked Yeshua a specific question concerning eternal life. Yeshua’s response to this very specific question on eternal life is one that all of Christendom should take note of!

After Abraham had secured a wife for Isaac from his kinfolk, Abraham got married again at the age of 140 and had six more sons by Keturah.  However, Isaac was the promised son who would inherit all that Abraham owned.   To the six sons of Keturah, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac, eastward, unto the east country.  

Abraham lived 175 Years and he died.  Although Ishmael had also been sent away, he stayed in touch with Isaac and assisted Isaac in burying Abraham in the cave where Sarah was buried.

The Genesis story now turns to the life of Isaac, the promised son of Abraham and Sarah who lived near the well where YeHoVaH spoke to Hagar when she had ran away pregnant with Ishmael.

YeHoVaH’s instructions in the Torah, given to Moses to teach to the Hebrews, covered every aspect of the Hebrew Israelites' lives. The subject of divorce has been a cause of contention since the giving of the Torah and was one of the issues YeHoVaH specifically instructed Moses on. 

In this passage, Yeshua was questioned about the causes or reasons a man could divorce his wife and specifically spoke about Moses' instructions concerning the bill of divorcement. 

Yeshua’s response to the religious leaders has been a subject of debate and a cause for contention amongst many religious leaders for millennia. Join us as Yeshua addresses this serious subject in His teaching on divorce.

Isaac was grief stricken mourning the death of his mother, Sarah.  Abraham knew that he was unable to give Isaac the kind of comfort he needed and what Isaac needed was not another mother, but a comforting wife.   Abraham sent his servant, Eliezer, to the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia to find a wife for his son Isaac.  Abraham’s servant was a man who worshipped YeHoVaH. Through answered prayer, Eliezer was invited to Abraham’s kindred’s home where he formally asked for Rebekah to wed Isaac.  Laban was the spokesperson for the family and Rebekah’s brother.  Eliezer testified about his commission and before he ate their food, he had a confirmation that his mission was successful.  With her family’s permission, Rebekah agreed to go with Eliezer to marry Isaac. Rebekah and her nurse departed with Abraham's servant, and his men.