Assemblies of Yahweh Ministries Newsletter

Issue No. 03                                               India                                                           Jan. 2003

Tabernacles 2002 Report

The Festival of Tabernacles was celebrated grandly in Hyderabad at the Medipally Prayer Hall.  Messages were brought by Brothers Mattithyah, M. Prem Raj, Y. Sunith Premand, G.B. Ben Oni, V. Noah, and D.S. Paul.   On Monday Oct. 28th many attendees went into Hyderabad and about 3500 pieces of literature were distributed.  A VCD player was rented and many Bible videos were seen.  Over 100 people attended the feast at various times, with about fifty present on any given day.  There was much good fellowship, discussion and singing praises to Yahweh.  Plans are being made to keep the Festival of Unleaverned Bread in Vizakhapatnam at the Zion School premises on the dates of Apr. 17-24 of 2003.  Yahshua's Memorial Supper will be served at the end of Apr. 16.  There will be places to stay at the school and meals will be served each day.  Everyone should be making plans now to keep this eight day Memorial of the life and death of Yahshua Messiah with peace and joy.  If anyone else is observing an eight day festival of ULB at another place, please write and give all details and the place will be advertised in the next issue.

Telugu Sacred Name Song Tapes and School in Visakhapatnam

The assembly of Yahweh in Visakhapatnam operates a recording studio called, "Zion Recording Inn" and they have produced a song tape entitled, "Yahrushalema".  All songs, except one, are in Telugu, one is in English.  The tape uses the Names of Yahweh and Yahshua in the songs and it can be ordered by sending a 35Rs. MO to the address at the end of this letter or by calling the number below.  They are in the process now of making another song tape that they hope to release soon. 

The Assembly of Yahweh members in Vizak also run a School, called "Zion School" that goes to 10th standard.  This year they have about 175 children enrolled.  Last year all four of the tenth standard students passed, three making second class and one, first class.  They also have hostel capabilities for the School.  Each day the school has songs of praise to Yahweh in the morning and they are not open on Saturday or the times of the seven annual Sabbaths.  Those who are interested in next year's admissions can contact:  G. Sarojini at, 0891-2575569.

Third Fundamental Belief - The Sabbath day

The Scriptural Sabbath day is Saturday, and Yahweh has commanded His created beings to rest on this day.  Yahweh  also promises blessings to those who keep this day holy, as a memorial of the creation of this world, and of the redemption of mankind.  The Sabbath day is a memorial of creation because Yahweh worked six days to make this world, and then He rested on the seventh day, blessed the day, and made it holy.  The Sabbath is a memorial of redemption because after mankind disobeyed Yahweh and fell into sin, mankind could no longer keep the Sabbath day holy, as he was no longer holy and an unholy being cannot keep a day holy.  But through the grace and mercy of Yahweh, shown in the life of Messiah Yahshua, man can be redeemed from a life of sin and made holy.  Thus, through the redemption of Yahweh, man will once again be able to keep the Sabbath day holy.  When Moshe repeated the Ten Commandments to the children of Ysrael, he showed the principle of creation and redemption as it relates to the Sabbath day, Dt. 5:12-15;  Ex. 20:8-11. 

The day of the week that is the literal Sabbath can be proven from the practice of the Jews.  In Ex. 16, during the Ysraelites wilderness sojourn, Yahweh sent a double portion of manna on the sixth day of the week and none fell on the seventh day as they were not to cook on the Sabbath day, Ex. 16:23.  The Jews have been around as a distinct people ever since the time of Moshe and they still keep Saturday as the Sabbath day.

Whenever someone rests from their regular works on the Sabbath day, they are showing that they recognize Yahweh as the Creator and Redeemer of this world, and thus they become an inheritor of the blessing that Yahweh has given to those that honor the Sabbath day, Gen. 2:3;  Isa. 56:2.

Sabbath Keeping Testimonies

In the village of Lingaraagudem lives a man named Punuri Paul, he is a member of the Madepalli Assembly of Yahweh close to the town of Eluru, W.G. Dt. A.P.  Brother Paul owns two acres of land and farms the land himself.  He is a strict observer of Yahweh's Sabbath day and will never do his field labors on Saturday.  In the Eluru area it is common for a person to get 30-35 bags of rice per acre, but bro. Paul harvested 85 bags last season, which would be 42.5 bags per acre.  The agricultural dept. officers came to him with other farmers and experts in agriculture, and were asking what system he followed and what type of fertilizers he uses that he received such a high yield.  Bro. Paul replied, that he did the same as all the other farmers in his area, but that he only stops working on Saturday.  So he gave praise to Yahweh for his abundant yield.

Annual Sabbath days            

The principle of the fourth commandment is to rest when Yahweh says to rest, and to work when Yahweh says to work.  The weekly Sabbath is the specific topic of the fourth commandment but Yahweh also ordained seven yearly Sabbaths that are to be a blessing for man to enjoy and observe, thus the annual Sabbaths are within the principle of the fourth commandment.  Gen. 1:14 tells that Yahweh set the sun and moon in the heavens to be "for signs, religious festivals, days and years", Today's English Version.  The Hebrew word for religious festivals in the verse above is "moed" and it is the same Hebrew word that is used to refer to the annual festivals in Leviticus 23.  From the very beginning of earths history Yahweh has had weekly and annual appointed times to meet with His people.  After the fall of mankind into sin, these appointed times took on a redemptive theme being that salvation from sin was the subject of prime importance to man.  We see that during the life of Yahshua Messiah, he kept the annual festivals, Jn.7:10, 14, 37;  4:45;  5:1.  After Messiah's death, His disciples were keeping the annual festivals, and Yahweh showed His approval by sending the Holy Spirit in fullness of power, Acts 2:1,2.  In a future prophecy in Zech. 14:16-19 it states that those who keep the festival of Tabernacles will receive the blessings of Yahweh, and those that do not, will not.  So we see that the annual festivals were given at creation, they were commanded in the law of Yahweh, they were kept by Yahshua Messiah, they were observed by His disciples after His death and there is a blessing pronounced on those that observe them.

The first two annual Sabbath days are the first and seventh days of the festival of Unleavened Bread, these days focus on becoming spiritually unleavened from sin and false teachings. 

The third annual Sabbath is called the feast of Weeks in the Old Testament or Pentecost in the Greek NT.  This feast focuses on receiving the fullness of Yahweh's power in our lives, by coming into harmony with His law.  The Jews celebrate this day as the day the Ten Commandments were given from Mt. Sinai.

The fourth annual Sabbath is called Trumpets, it came on the new moon day of the seventh Scriptural month.  It is called Trumpets because it was to be a day of announcement of the judgment of Yahweh, it also symbolized the return of Yahshua Messiah to this world, when the last trumpet will sound and the dead in Messiah will be raised from the graves, 1Cor. 15:51-57, 1Thes. 4:16-18.

The fifth annual Sabbath is called the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur in Hebrew, which actually means, "day of covering".  This day is a day that one is to afflict his soul(Lev.23-32), the Apostle Paul called this day, a day of fasting, Acts 27:9.  This day symbolized all sin being removed from Yahweh's sanctuary and people, and placed upon the one who has caused all sin.  This was Yahweh's most holy day in the year.

The sixth annual Sabbath is the first day of the feast of Tabernacles.  It is a festival of rejoicing and it symbolizes redeemed mankind tabernacleing with Yahweh in the New Yahrushalem during the 1000yr. period of Rev. 20.

The last annual Sabbath day was called the Last Great day, Jn. 7:37, it came on the day after the last day of Tabernacles.  This day symbolizes the heaven and earth being made new, and mankind living with their Elohim in eternal peace and happiness.  This day focuses on the reward of the righteous, Heb. 10:35,36; 11:24-26; Rev. 21:1-5.   

The next issue of this newsletter will cover the timing of the annual Sabbaths.  

Learning Hebrew through Telugu Medium

A new booklet that teaches the basics of the Hebrew language through the Medium of Telugu has just been published by brother Joseph Kennedy and is now available.  Anyone who desires to obtain a copy of this special booklet should send a 25Rs. MO to the address below.

Contact Information:

Assembly of Yahweh Ministries

Pas. G.B. Ben Oni

Eluru, Navabpet

W.G. Dt. A.P. 534001

tele- 08812-50404, 35109

email (bro. Mattithyah)-  Yahweh@vsnl.com

Y. Sunith Premanand -  sunithy@rediffmail.com

Questions about any topic presented in this newsletter can be directed to the above address.  If any one receiveing this newsletter would like to have their name dropped or another person added, please mail to the above address and they will be added to the mailing list, this newsletter is sent in Telugu and English by postal and email.