Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Seven Prophetic Feasts of God

I will begin by listing the seven feasts that are revealed in Leviticus 23: 1. Passover, 2. Unleavened Bread, 3. First Fruits, 4. Pentecost, 5. Trumpets, 6. Atonement, 7. Tabernacles. The first four of these feasts are known as spring feasts because they are celebrated in the spring of the year. The last three of the feasts are called fall feasts because they occur in the fall of the year. Before I tell you why these feasts are prophetic, allow me to share a quick word with you about what the feasts mean in the Hebrew language. There are two Hebrew words found in Leviticus 23:2 that hold the key to understanding the nature and meaning of the feasts. The scripture says, "Speak unto the children of Israel and say, unto them, concerning the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts." The Hebrew word that tranlates the word "feast" is pronounced in English as "Mo'ed." It means "a set or appointed time." The second Hebrew word "miqra" (mik'raw)is the word for "convocation" or "sacred assembly." It means "a rehersal." Consequently, the seven feasts of God were to be rehersals at set or appointed times. With that understanding, I can now explain to you why the feasts are prophetic.

These feasts, to be kept annually by the chosen nation of Israel, all pointed to the coming of the Messiah. They were, if you will, rehersals at appointed times for the Messiah's coming. The first four of these feasts would be fulfilled at Messiah's frist coming and were redemptive in nature. The last three of the feasts would be fulfilled at Messiah's second coming and have to to with the restoration of all things back to God. They are restorative in nature.

When Yeshua/Jesus came the first time to the earth, He fulfilled the first four of these feasts to the very day, and in some cases to the very hour! He died on PASSOVER (Nissan 14) at three in the afternoon at the exact same time the High Priest killed the Korban Pesach (Passover Lamb) for the nation of Israel; His body was placed in the tomb, without spot or blemish-sinless) thus fulfilling the feast of UNLEAVENED BREAD(bread made without leaven-leaven being a type of sin) that began the next day, Nissan 15(March or April on the Gregorian Calendar); He was raised from the dead on the first day of the week following the Sabbath on the day of the Feast of FIRST FRUITS; after seven full weeks, 50 days latter from the day of First Fruits, He poured out the new law of the Spirit on the Feast of PENTECOST. This day occured on the same day that Moses received the Old Testament law from God on Mt. Sinai. Thus Yeshua/Jesus fulfilled the first four or spring feasts that secured our redemption in His first coming to earth.

The final three feast or fall feasts will also be fulfilled by Yeshua/Jesus to the very day. (I will fully explain to your COMPLETE SATISFACTION the scripture that says "no man can know the day or the hour" in a latter blog). For now, understand that God is a God of consistency. Since Yeshua/Jesus fulfilled the first four feasts to the very day, rest assured that He will fulfill the remaining three feast with the same exact precision. The Feast of TRUMPETS will be the rapture of the Church and second return of Yeshua to the earth. In the Day of ATONEMENT Yeshua will save the remnant of Israel and defeat the antichrist and his armies and will judge the nations; and at the Feast of TABERNACLES Yeshua will reign over the earth as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords for 1,000 years (the millennial reign of the Messiah). You can see how that in each of these three fall feasts Yeshua/Jesus is RESTORING all things fully back to God: the church, Israel and the earth!

I conclude with these thoughts. The seven feasts of God are a revelation of His genius and sovereignty. Prophecy is history written in advance. What that tells us is that God is in control. His prophetic word as revealed in the seven feasts should both comfort our hearts and encourage hope in our hearts. And hopefully, this short article on the seven feast will cause your spirit to be fascinated with God and His Divine Word. Shalom

I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Knowing the Signs of the Times

Thus far, in our two previous blogs, we have given you three signs that let us know that we are in the generation of the Lord's return. They are as follows: the rebirth of Israel in 1948; the retaking of Jerusalem in 1967 by the Jews(the first time since 70AD); and third, the Gospel of the Kingdom being preached to all the world as a witness(this could literally be a reality in the next few years--some say by the year 2015)! Now today I want to give you the final two signs that will definitely occur before the rapture of the Church and the second return of the Lord to the earth.

Both signs are revealed in II Thessalonians 2:3,"Let no one deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin(the antichrist) be revealed, the son of perdition;"
The first sign is that there will be a great falling away from the true faith of Christianity. Widespread hersey will sweep across the Church as many false teachers and false prophets emerge at the end of the age leading to an unprecedented apostasy or mass exodus from the church and from faith in the Biblical Christ. This will be such a mass apostasy that it will actually be "a sign" that the return of the Lord is near. It will not just be that the average attendance of church is declining; rather it will be a major turning from the the true faith. The church that is "watching" will know when this takes place. The second sign is when the man of sin or antichrist is revealed. Although the church will know him as the man who signs a seven year peace treaty with Israel ( See Daniel 9:27), he will be fully revealed three and one half years later when he sets himself up in the rebuilt Jewish Temple and declares himself to be god! This will be the abomination of desolation which Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:15 and Paul spoke of in II Thessalonians 2:4. Therefore, when these two signs are fulfilled, the church that is truly watching and paying attention to the signs of the times, will know that the rapture and second return of the Lord is even at the doors!

When you put these particular five signs together, the rebirth of Israel in 1948; the retaking of Jerusalem by the Jews in 1967; the preaching of the Gospel to all the world as a witness; the great falling away( the endtime apostasy from the true faith) and the revelation of the man of sin or the antichrist, you can know that the Lord is at hand!

So then, what should we do? We should be paying close attention to the signs that let us know that the Lord's return is imminent. And this should lead us to be passionate in knowing the Word of God and in walking in obedience to the Spirit. We should be as the wise virgins in Matthew 25 who are gathering the extra oil now so that we will be ready for the times that are ahead and for the Lord's glorious return. As it has been wisely said, "to be forewarned is to be forearmed."

I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

"knowing the Signs of the Lord's Return"

In our last blog we gave you two prophetic signs that let us know that we are in the generation of the Lord's return. The first was the rebirth of Israel on May 14, 1948, and the second was the retaking of Jerusalem by the Jews in June of 1967. (Please see my last blog for a full explanation of these two prophetic signs) Now today I want to introduce you to a third prophetic sign that is also very close to fulfillment.

In Matthew's Gospel, chapter 24 and v.14 Jesus prophesied, "And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." The Greek word for "nations" in this verse is "ethnos." Now what is interesting is that there are 238 countries in the world, but there are over 6000 ethnic people groups in those nations. Here is the exciting part. It is predicted that by the year 2015, all 6000 ethnicities will have had a gospel witness! That means that this amazing prophetic sign of Jesus will be fulfilled in just three years! And from the lips of the Lord Himself, ". . .then will the end come." What end? The end of this present age as we know it. Once this prophetic sign is fulfilled, and perhaps even before, we could have entered into the final seven year period on the earth known as the tribulation period which will eventually give birth to the golden age on this planet known as the millennial reign of Jesus Christ! But that is another subject for another time. Today I will close with a couple of thoughts about what these three prophetic signs should mean to us as believers.

In 1948, Israel, God's chosen people miraculously become a nation again after 2000 years of not having a homeland. This miracle is an amazing prophetic sign that should wake us up to the fact that God's prophetic clock began ticking! That clock got a little louder in 1967 with the prophetic fulfillment of the Jews retaking Jerusalem again for the first time since 70AD! And by the year 2015, it is a very good possibility that all 6000 ethnicities will have had a gospel witness, which according to Jesus is the prophetic sign that opens the door for the end to come! Friends, I am convinced that we are livng in the generation of the Lord's second return to this earth! The question is this: Are you awake? Are you gathering the extra oil for you lamps? Are you watching for the Lord's return? That is what we all should be doing. God loves us and desires that we are ready for His return. My reason for doing this blog is to help awaken and prepare the church for the second return of the Lord.

I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Jimmy Hammock

Monday, February 6, 2012

"Knowing the Signs of the Times!"

In this message, I will share with you two of at least five signs that let us know that we are in the generation of the Lord's return. These two signs that I will share with you today have already been fulfilled. But first, allow me to make it clear that the Lord wants us to know the generation and the season of His second return to the earth!

In I Thessolonias 5:1-4 the Holy Spirit speaks through the Apostle Paul concerning the second return of the Lord. We read, "Now brothers and sisters, about the times and dates we do not need to write to you, v.2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. v.3 While people are saying, 'peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. v.4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surpise you like a thief." Did you notice in this passage that the Day of tht Lord only comes like a thief in the night on those who are not expecting His return? It will not come like a thief in the night upon the believing and expecting Church! The flood in Noah's day came upon an unbelieving world suddenly, "like a thief in the night." But it did not come upon Noah and his family in this way because they were walking with God and were prepared for the coming judgment! So shall it be at the second return of the Lord! The world will not be ready for His return, but the believing church will be ready! Now onto the signs that let us know that we are in the generation of the Lord's return.

The first sign that lets us know that we are in the generation of the Lord's return is the rebirth of Israel in 1948. Israel had to be a nation again in order for numerous Bible prophcies to be fulfilled (See Genesis 17:19; Romans 11:25-29; Zechariah chapters 12&14 among literally dozens of passages that speak of Israel and end-time prophecy). It is also an established fact that no nation that was without a homeland for more than forty years survived as a nation. But Israel was without a homeland for 2000 years and yet, she not only survived but became a nation again on May 14, 1948! That friend is a miracle! Keep in mind that Israel, the chosen nation of God, is the Lord's prophetic clock. It is my conviction that that clock began to tick again in 1948. Further, I believe that the generation that witnessed this miracle will not pass away until all things are fulfilled. It is important to know that a generation according to the Bible is between 40 and 100 years ( See Numbers 32:13; Psalm 90:10; Genesis 15:13-16). What that means is that the latest date of the Lord's return would be 2048, although I believe it will be much sooner than that. There is much more that could be said but let me give you the second sign that has been fulfilled that lets us know that we are in the generation of the Lord's return.

In June of 1967, five Arab countries attacked Israel hoping to annihilate them. But instead, in just six days Israel defeated them and took control of Jerusalem again for the first time since 70AD. That event was incredibly significant prophetically. First of all it fulfilled the prophecy of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke 21:24 where He said that". . . Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."
Secondly, the Jews had to have control of Jerusalem in order for the prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 23:39 to be fulfilled. Here Jesus prophesied that the Jewish leadership would not see Him again until they would say, "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord." For this prophecy to be fulfilled, there had to be a Jewish nation (1948) and the Jews had to have control of the city of Jerusalem (1967). That has happened!

Friends, these are two signs that tell us that we are in the generation of the Lord's return! It is time to wake up and be watchful! More will be coming in future blogs, but let this word encourage you and exhort you to be fully awake as the return of the Lord is drawing near.

I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!

Jimmy Hammock

Friday, February 3, 2012

An encouraging prophetic word! shalom

Victoria Boyson:

Awakening: God is Coming to Dwell in His Temple!

A mighty awakening is rushing toward us like a great flood. It will be unstoppable and unquenchable, bringing fear to the arrogant and peace to the humble. Shaking all that is shakable, it will uproot and tear down. While, it will project some ministries unexpectedly, it will bring a fire to others.

I see wave after wave of the fear of God crush against the earth spreading panic, only to chase people into the arms of God. "Run, run, run," God says. "Run in to Me and find safety from your fears. I am coming for you."

What a jolt unbelievers will have when they are suddenly awakened to His presence. Little children will tell their Papas, "I told you there was a God."

I see a flood of tears of repentance as crowds run to what they've longed for. A tremendous realization of Hell will flood them making them desperate for God and filling them with gratitude for His Son.

Suddenly, little Christian Grandma's will be the most needed people on Earth. Carrying the secrets of His heart others will cling to them for hope.

Drug dealers will run into churches carrying large wads of cash and literally throw it at the feet of Christians in an attempt to find peace for their sudden awakening to God. Millionaires will hand over land and houses to the destitute.

I see huge waves of a startling awakening build up until they engulf homes and businesses, filling the unsaved with a sudden dread for their future. God will interrupt their lives with the reality of Heaven sending them running to find Him.

I see a temporary lift in the deceitful spirit of humanism, while waves of glory fill the earth and compel the arrogant to crumble and melt in a storm of God's power.

Awakening Power

In our generation, we've seen revival, but we have not yet seen His awakening power. We will soon see this power and none of us will be the same.

When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, he did so because he believed God would come into His temple (2 Chronicles 7:1-2). He made it elaborate and as worthy of God as possible. Not because he wanted to try and draw God in to it, no, he made it glorious because he knew without a doubt that God would soon fill the temple.

Solomon wanted very much to please God and make Him happy. He expected God to come and we must do the same. We must prepare a place for Him in our hearts that is so full of love it is worthy of Him.

When David brought back the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim, he did so because he wanted to bring back the glory of God to His people (1 Chronicles 13:3). We need servants who are dedicated to bringing back ALL of God's glory.

We've seen much of the glory of Pentecost restored to the Church, but we have yet to see it to the degree the early Church experienced it. I believe God is calling hearts right now to dedicate themselves – no matter the cost – to bring back ALL of God's glory into His temple, which is His people, His Bride – YOU!

There is more needed. There is more wanted. There is more to expect than what we've experienced. Yes, we've come a long way, but there's more to look forward to. More is on its way - miracles and glory that we've not been able to comprehend.

God is coming to dwell in His temple!

Victoria Boyson
Speaking Life Ministries