Communion

Love Feast (Communion)
A pattern was set for us though out the Old Covenant and revealed in the New covenant on the breaking of the bread, which is our soul food. Starting at the court of the Tabernacle where sacrifices were brought to the Brazing Alter. The court yard was full of priest doing their duty. We are all called priest, enlisted in the service of G-d, and liken on to the Outer Court, we all have different functions to complete, united, woven together as the tapestry of the Holy Place.
Passing through the 5 Pillars, (the number of grace, and it also represents the so called five high callings mentioned in the New Covenant). Coming into the Holy Place we find three pieces of furniture:
1. The Golden Lamp stand known as the Menorah which has many symbolic meanings. Basically it foreshadowed the Messiah as our Light in a dark world. The New Covenant states “I have come as a light to a dark world, - Thy Word is a lamp onto my feet.”
2. The table of shewbread, represented prayer praise and worship. The table of presence (Lev. 24:5-8), consisted of 12 loaves or unleavened bread, in two rows, staked six high. Frankincense was placed on top of it to be taken to the Golden Alter to be burn. You could not eat the frankincense for it would make you regurgitate. There was also a cup and a bottle of wine on the table. The priest ate the bread here once a week with partaking of the wine. Not all the priest, just Aaron and his sons eat here. Aaron is a type of the Messiah and his sons as a type of the believers.
3. The Golden Alter which the priest prayed daily for the people, and burnt sweet incense on. In the New Covenant it says “your prays are like sweet incense in My nostrils.” It was also the last thing the High Priest would pass before going into the presents of G-d. Thus the three pieces of furniture represented the church.
During the Shabbat the women are given the honor of kindling the light, passing over the flame three times, (three being the number of the G-d head.) On the table she places two candles; one represents the nation of Israel and the other the Gentiles. For G-d said “I have other sheep you know not of”. A cup and a bottle of wine with two one pound loafs of bread, or one two pound loaf of bread to complete the covenant. Two representing the double portion, two witnesses always needed the Jew and the Gentile. The bread was usually woven together from five strands remembering the five pillars in the Tabernacle with its tapestry woven together symbolizing unity. Poppy seed covered the top of the bread remembering the Manna eaten in the desert, made it crunchy like the sand. Saying a prayer (the modern version) is:
Baruch ata Adonai, Elohainu Melech Ha-olam Asher Kidshanu B’mitzvotav, V’tzevanu L’hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat translated Blessed art thou, L-rd our G-d, king of the universe, who has sanctified us by His word, given us Y’Shua our Messiah and commanded us to be a light to the world.
In partaking together of the love feast, in Luke 22:15 the Messiah said: “With an earnestly desire”, He had great excitement for He was setting a pattern for us until He could partake the feast together in the Heavenlies. This was a Passover Feast which the church turn it into calling it the Last Supper, or communion.
Now let us compare the L-rd’s Temple with a pagan one: Let us learn from the church of Ephesus in Rev. 2 where Paul was writing to the angel of the church, (the leader). Ephesus was a declining church in 30-100 A.D. that was started by Paul. Verses 1-3 states their good points: Works, labor, patience, they were against evil Hippocrates that were made up of Bishops, Cardinals and Popes.
Background on the beautiful city of Ephesus was it was the chief city of the region of Asia. It was first formed around the temple of Diana. The first temple was wooden, built in a low place very near the ocean. The waters lapped at the base and the river itself is as thick as soup because it is carrying so much soil deposit. At the site of the old temple, a foundation of Alexander the Great led in the construction of a new temple for Diana. It was the largest Greek temple ever constructed. It was over 100 external columns about 56 feet in height of wood: columns and walls were of marble, the staircase was carved out of one vine from Cyprus.
The temple served as the bank of Asia and was the depository of vast sums of money. It was an art gallery displaying the masterpieces. Behind a purple curtain was the lewd and crude image of Dianna, the idol of fertility. She had many-breast, and carried a club in one hand and a trident in the other. Diana was the most sacred idol of heathenism. Her temple was four times larger than one at Athens, and it was finally destroyed by the Goths in 256 A.D. Around the temple of Diana was performed the grossest forms of immorality. She was worshipped more than any other idol and the wildest orgies that were excessive and cruel.
Now one of the condemnations in Rev. 2:4-5 was the believers had not quite departed from their past. The first love was the Love Feast, partaking of the bread and wine. The first works, (the Hebrew translation was the First Act), which was at the Passover that had established the L-rd’s table. When G-d said He would remove their light stand, He was saying He was going to remove His light and anointing from them. The lamp stand used oil and oil represented the Holy Spirit or the anointing.
The church of Ephesus represents the church at its best at that time, the Apostolic church but with all its good they did not partake of the Love Feast, (communion) so it would lose all.
The first time a bread and wine covenant was taken was in Gen. 14:18 where Melchisedek took bread and wine to partake with Abram. 1 Cor. 5:7 says to purge out therefore the old leaven that the Messiah was sacrificed for us and became our Passover that we may partake in Him.
The priest took communion once a week and Israel partook of the bread and wine once a year at Passover time. In Acts 2:46 and 20:7 it tells us the believers did it daily. Meat is another word for bread, or meal. They came together to discuss the Apostles Doctrine, which was the Word of G-d since the word had not been written down yet. In another words they came to study, pray, and partake in the love feast.
Look at Joel 1: 9, 13-16 were the priests were given a warning: Remove the meat (bread) and the drink (wine) offerings is removing the presents of G-d and being cut off! 69 times Scripture mentions bread and wine with offerings.
Exodus 29:39-40 states 2 sacrifices were made a day, one at 9 am and the other at 6 pm with bread and wine taken along with the lamb. At Passover time a third sacrifice was made and that was at 3 pm. In 25:30 the shewbread was also called the bread of presents, were the priest face the presents of G-d 2 to 3 times a day.
1 Cor. 1:9 says G-d is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son Y'Shua the Messiah our L-rd. In Greek the words called into fellowship is “Corniness” meaning social intercourse, (having great intimacy with the Father. In a marriage are not the vows where the intimacy is built, the promises made to one another than being consummated. Matt. 7:23 uses the word ‘knew’ which is the same word as Adam knew Eve or Joseph knew Mary. He is talking about an intimate relationship.
Hosea 4:6 states a ‘lack of knowledge has made the L-rd’s table a snare. And 8:11 tells us that there will be a famine in the land, and the famine is the lack of hearing the Words of the L-rd. The advisory has taken the soul food from us and twisted around its meaning.
Let me ask you - Who than is the bread of life? If we do not eat do we have life? John 6:66 says many had fallen away. This could be called the anti-christ verse for the devil has blinded us from the truth.
In Exodus 112:43-45 gives us the requirements to come to the Passover Table:
1. No stranger (a non-believer).
2. None that were not circumcised (in the New Covenant it means the circumcision of the heart.
How do we enter into the presents of G-d? (Hebrews 10:19-21)
1. With boldness.
2. By the blood (which will remove sin).
3. Through the veil (which is His flesh).
4. Having a High Priest (which is the Messiah).
5. A new and living way. (new way is the cup and the living way is the bread). (Lk. 22:20; John 6:35, 37, 48, 51, 53-57.)
Therefore we take the bread first to penetrate the veil going into His presents than receiving the cup that will reveal the sins in our lives that need to be repented of and removed. (Notice it did not say repent first than partake, but in partaking it would reveal your sins to you then you can repent). The L-rd said He would not drink at the last Passover. I believe that at the Marriage Supper Y'Shua will come to each one of us and say “Drink this is the cup of My covenant, now I have fulfilled it and you are in My glory for eternity.”
Do you need bread for spiritual battle? 1 Sam. 21:1-6 tells us David was given the hallowed bread, (the shewbread, which represented G-d’s presents) to build up his strength for the battle. For without food you can not do war, we need to replenish our selves daily.
Moses had been asking to take his people out of the enemies’ camp to have a Passover Feast. After partaking of the lamb, and the bread and wine and departing into the wilderness, were there any sick among them? (Ps. 105:37). No diseases were upon them plus they were healthy enough to carry treasures. Sickness is not G-d’s wish for you.
At the Passover there are 3 crackers, three being the number of the G-d head. The middle one is removed and hidden away until the end of the feast to be eaten. The Hebrew word for the middle one in English means “I came.” Today in the Orthodox some keep a portion of the Middle one to put safely aside – so when they have a need they can come into the presents and commune with the Father.
What did Paul say the proper way to take commune was? Look at his scolding the church of Corinthians (1 Cor. 11:18-36). They were disrespectable, not showing reverence to the purpose of partaking and remembering what the L-rd had done for them. Verses 27-29 the word ‘unworthily’ in Hebrew said without respect. It had nothing to do with your sins, making you unworthy, for the table was set for sinners to come into His present and become clean for His body delivers us, (Matt. 15:11-28) protects us, making us whole, and heals us, were as the blood is for sins.
John 9:5 Y’Shua said ‘I am the bread of life’. I want to reinforce how important the bread is:
Bread symbolized the mystery of life that comes from the G-d of Israel.
Bread was also referred to as the staff of life in Lev. 26:26. It was the main source of food for ancient people and was the all important commodity in the ancient near east.
Bread is gently torn as a sign of respect for G-d’s provision. A knife, in Jewish custom is considered a weapon of destruction and is not used on the bread.
In the Tabernacle and in the Temple, ten loaves of shewbread, also called the bread of presence, were always there and were replenished once a week. They indicated the presence of the L-rd, the bread of life, among the people.
At the time of Y’Shua, the main diet of poor Israelites was barley loaves and olives, with some fish. Bread was literally their staff of life.
In the disciples prayer, asking G-d to ‘give us this day our daily bread,’ is a plea for G-d to grant us our daily provisions (Lk. 15:17).
A kernel of corn, in the ancient world, provided the basic unit for the system of weights, and cereal took the place of money in business. Hosea paid part of the price of his wife in grain. A tiny, little dry kernel can be ground to get dry flour, meal or plant it to grow more corn.
Just the act of ‘breaking the bread together’ and eating a meal was a symbol of reconciliation and fellowship. It was understood that persons who ate and drank together were bound to one another by friendship and mutual obligation. The table is seen as a symbol of the altar and the bread as a symbol of shewbread of the presence where G-d brings peace and reconciliation. This was known as a ‘meal covenant.
Pitza bread resembles the type of simple bread used in Y’Shua’s time. As the bread of life, Y’Shua is our provider and sustainer – both physically and spiritually. Like bread which nourishes our physical body, Y’Shua would also satisfy our spiritual needs.
Each time we take part in the Love Feast, partaking of the elements can restore fellowship with the Father. Just as food and drink sustains physical life, spiritual food, the bread and wine, reminds us of the eternal life given to those who receive Him (Jn. 6:54).
This is Y’Shua’s desire to come in and sup with us and keep us in the eternal presence of the Father.
So how do we sup with Him? (Rev. 3:20)
1. Hear His voice.
2. Inviting Him in.
3. Sup with Him and He with you.
How often should we sup with Him?
Most important when we do sup with Him doing it in remembrance of what He has all done for you, showing reverence not being in a hurry, take your time become intimate with Him allowing Him to reveal to you what you need to take care of by repenting. It is a special time between the Father and you communing together.
Let us join in the Love Feast