Sabbath 12/2/37/120

Dear Friends

We continue with the Omer Count. Today is the  21st Day of the Omer Count the third week when the twelve water springs and the seventy palm trees were found. This was the week of the Elim.
Leviticus 23:15 of the Samaritan Torah states: "And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete."

The seven weeks of the Omer are counted from the Sunday within the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Pentecost is then celebrated on the First Day of the week, namely Sunday, of the eighth week. The names of the weeks as given in the Samaritan writings of their system (KS) are the following.

1. "Week of the crossing of the (Red) Sea" (Exodus 14:26-15:21);
2. "Week of the changing of the water of marah" [bitterness] (Exodus 15:22-26);
3. "Week of elim, where they found twelve water springs and seventy palm trees" (Exodus 15:27-16.3);
4."Week of the manna, which fell down upon them from heaven in the desert" (Exodus 16.4-36);
5. "Week of the welling out of water from the rock" (Exodus 17.1-7);
6. "Week of the battles against 'Amaleq" (Exodus 17.8-17);
7. "Week of standing at Mt. Sinai" (Exodus 19.1 ff.).
(cf. Sylvia Powels, The Samaritans, edited by Alan Crown).

The Omer Count sequence is also examined in the paper Pentecost at Sinai (No. 115).

So the first Sabbath we crossed the Red Sea and we were baptised into the body of Christ (1Cor. 10:4).  The second week we were at the changing of the Waters at Marah. We removed the Bitterness of Marah through the Palm Tree of Christ which served to decorate the walls of the Temple with the new Cherubim on either side.

This week we went on then to the week of the Gods or Elim where the twelve and the seventy were symbolically established. Thus the leadership of the church was symbolically established as was that of the nation. That is the core of the new elohim of the sons of God. This leadership as the 72 per annum in the wilderness constituted the 144,000 of the core of the elect.

Then from the First Day or Sunday we proceed to the feeding of the flock with the manna of understanding.  It is important that in that fourth week we pray that the Body of Christ is fed and given the understanding to establish the faith on firm grounds. The end of the week is the 28th day of the Omer Count. Pray that we are able to deal with the situations that could develop. The Last Day of the Feast of the Second Passover is on 19 May which is the 30th day of the Omer Count with the Sabbath as the 28th Day on May 17 2014. We can expect God to begin to deal with the nations from this time onwards.  Also more importantly the Churches of God will be brought to account and we will see God deal with their ministry and begin to tear the sheep out of the hands of the Shepherds. Pentecost this year is on 8 June, the Eleventh Day of the Third Month. This will hopefully see more enlightenment.

As we stated previously, the core elders of the Twelve and the Seventy are fundamental to the structure and understanding of the body of the Temple and the Nation of Israel.  God will begin to deal with them over these two weeks of the Omer Count.  In the week from the 28th Day to the 35th Day of the Omer Count which is the "Week of the Welling out of water from the Rock" we can see the Holy Spirit being given out to the brethren and our people to strengthen them.  We should pray that this is given in abundance. We should pray that we are able to consolidate our people in the faith.

Wade Cox
Coordinator General