Tuesday, May 29, 2012
THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION
LESSON 1
INTRODUCTION
In this lesson, we will look at the purpose and primary themes of the Book of the Revelation. It is the strong, prophetic Word of God, history written in advance, to help every believer to walk victoriously in what will be the darkest hour in human history.
TEACHING
1. THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION
A. The book of the Revelation records in great detail God’s aggressive plan to
take over the kingdoms of the earth through His Son the Lord Jesus. It
reveals the heart and leadership of Jesus at the end of this present age like
no other book in scripture. Consequently, the book of the Revelation gives
us more information on the end times than any other book in the Bible.
B. Many people avoid reading and studying the book of the Revelation either
because they don’t understand it, or because they can’t reconcile the loving
Jesus with the Warrior-King who releases such devastating judgments upon
the earth during the Great Tribulation period. But when rightly understood,
this prophecy is designed to fill us with hope and confidence. The Church
will be victorious, both in the midst of the Great Tribulation and afterwards,
as we rule and reign with Christ during His millennial kingdom.
C. The content of the book of the Revelation was not given to terrify us,
confuse us, or to be something to stir up centuries of academic debate!
It is called the “Revelation of Jesus” (1:1) because it reveals His heart and
brilliant leadership. Secondarily, it is a book about events in the end times,
and it gives us understanding of the great shakings that are going to be
released upon the earth at the very end of the age. The Father gave us this
book to reveal the beauty of His Son, and to help us prepare for all that is to
come, so that we would endure until the end (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
D. The book of the Revelation could be seen as an end time prayer manual to
prepare the Church for the events of the end times. It is the end-time book
of Acts, given to us in advance, so that we may walk in a unified prayer
focus. Revelation is a record of the acts of the Holy Spirit through the end-
time Apostles and prophets.
E. As Moses released the plagues on Egypt through prayer in the book of
Exodus, and as the first apostles released God’s power through prayer in
the Book of Acts, the end-time judgments will be released in agreement
through the praying church.
F. It is my belief that God is now, currently, preparing the end-time
intercessors, prophets, and apostles for the times that are coming.
These ministries and ministers will be crucial in helping to lead the
Church through the difficult and yet glorious days ahead. This season
of preparation that has been so rigorous and hard may be an indicator
that the days of the book of the Revelation are close at hand! “You are
not what you need to be now, but you will be when the time comes!”
We are approaching the time of the greatest darkness and light that the
World has ever witnessed. Therefore, stay the course and allow the Holy
Spirit to complete in you what needs to be completed. He will not rest
until the “wineskins” of the last day Church are ready!
G. The book of the Revelation is focused on four things:
1. The character and personality of Jesus as the heavenly Bridegroom, King,
and Judge.
2. God’s action plan to take over the earth.
3. The role of the Church in partnering with Jesus to release the judgments of
God.
4. The Church’s necessary preparation to endure and overcome in the midst
of great trouble.
H. Studying the book of the Revelation is essential for believers. It provides
important information to prepare us to persevere through the greatest
season of tribulation the Church has ever known.
I. Revelation is unique in being the only book in the Bible in which God
promises a special blessing to those who read, hear, and keep the words of
the prophecy, as well a curse to anyone who adds to or takes from it. The
primary way in which believers will be blessed is by being equipped to over-
come in the darkest hour of human history.
J. The book of the Revelation does not picture the people of God escaping the
Great Tribulation through a secret rapture. Nor does it picture the Church
defeated by the devil or offended with the temporal judgments of Christ. In
contrast, Revelation paints a picture of a glorious Bride who stands
victorious in the midst of great trouble as she worships her heavenly Bride-
groom.
K. In the final years before Jesus returns, the Church will undergo unparalleled
tribulation, which will be cut short by the return of Jesus. The picture is not
of a bride that is simply enduring trouble while she waits to be rescued by
her heavenly Bridegroom. Rather, this time of trouble is the Church’s most
glorious hour, in which she shines in bright righteousness and partners with
the Lord, in releasing His judgments against unrighteousness.
L. The book of the Revelation is a call for the Church to overcome in the midst
of the darkest hour of human history. During this time, the rage of Satan, the
wickedness of man, and the temporal judgments of God will be released on
the earth in fullness.
M. Revelation chapter one spells out many amazing truths about the majesty
of Jesus that are meant to equip our hearts to overcome in times of great
trouble. The letters to the seven churches in Revelation chapter two and
three focus on the issues of overcoming in the midst of persecution and
divine delay. The remainder of the book contains critical information to help
the Church makes sense of circumstances, and stay faithful in the midst of
greatest time of trouble that the world has ever seen.
N. The Lord will use this time of trouble to purify His Bride and cause her to
shine with His glory and righteousness. The book of the Revelation is the
story of the ultimate triumph of the Saints over all of her enemies. At the
end of the story, the Lord does not come to deliver a defeated Bride, but
people who have made themselves ready to meet their King.
O. As we enter into understanding the message of the book of the Revelation,
we will be empowered to overcome in the midst of tribulation, as God
brings us into agreement with His plan and purpose. Those who overcome
will be those who know their Godd and remain faithful to Him, despite the
fierce assault of the enemy.
Monday, April 9, 2012
The Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Tabernacles, like the other six feasts, is found in the Book of Leviticus chapter 23. In verses 39-43 we are told that this Feast, also known as Sukkot--the plural form translated "tabernacles or booths"--was to be celebrated from the 15th day of Tishri(our September/October)to the 22nd day of Tishri. During these days the nation of Israel was to dwell in "booths" to remind them that God had brought them out of the land of Egypt. It was actually a week long celebration of their deliverance from slavery and bondage. This was to be a time of great joy! In Deuteronomy 16:16, the Word of God tells us that the men of Israel were to appear in the place that God would choose three times during the year. This would be 1.Passover/Unleavened (barley harvest) 2. Shavu'ot/Pentecost (wheat harvest) 3. Sukkot/Tabernacles(Fruit harvest--olives, pomegranates, and grapes). Exodus 23:16 says that the Feast of In gathering/Tabernacles was to be celebrated at the end of the year. The point is this: This seventh and final feast at the end of the year will be fulfilled at the end of the age with the gathering of the final harvest. I will say more about this a little later. For now, we need to set the context for the Feast of Tabernacles so that we might truly know what God has always been after--what has always been in His eternal heart!
John 1:1,14 is the revelation of God's Son becoming a man: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . .V.14 And the Word became flesh . . ." Then in Luke 2:22-24 we have Joseph and Mary bringing Yeshua/Jesus to the temple to be dedicated. "When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord, every first born male is to be consecrated to the Lord. V.24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: a pair of doves and two young pigeons." But when you look back to the Old Testament text found in Leviticus 12:6-8 we read, "When the days for her purification were over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting A YEAR OLD LAMB FOR A BURNT OFFERING, and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. BUT IF SHE CANNOT AFFORD A LAMB, she is to bring two doves or young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering. . ." That tells you that Joseph and Mary were not a wealthy family. But here is Mary with this awesome experience with the Holy Spirit and a powerful word from the angel Gabriel about her Son. Don't you just know that she wished that she could have offered a lamb to God on such a special occasion? Actually she did offer a lamb--THE LAMB OF GOD! And that is where I want to begin my message to you on the Feast of Sukkot or Tabernacles.
Back to John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and made His DWELLING among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. The Greek word for "dwelling" is "eskeenoosen," from the root word "skenoo" which means "to tent," or "to tabernacle." In Jesus, God was TABERNACLING AMONG US! The question is this: to what end? Why did God tabernacle among us in Jesus? Why did the Son of God become a man? I believe the answer to that question is found in the seven feasts of God. Although God revealed the seven feasts to the chosen nation of Israel to be rehearsed at set times each year, ONLY GOD HIMSELF COULD FULFILL THE FEASTS. That is why He "pitched His tent" among us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth!
First there was Passover. It was here that God laid the foundation through the blood of the Passover Lamb. On the 10th day of Nisan(our march/April) the Jews took a lamb into their homes to be inspected for four days to make sure it had no blemishes or imperfections. On the 14th day of Nisan, the Passover Lamb was to be killed and its blood applied with hyssop to the top and two sides of the doors to their homes. At midnight when the destroyer came into Egypt to kill the firstborn, the homes that had applied the lamb's blood were "passed over," delivered from God's judgment! It was in this way that God broke the power of Pharaoh and set His people free from slavery and bondage. For hundreds of years the Jews "rehearsed" this Passover celebration at a "set time" each spring in the month of Nisan. But then about 2,000 years ago, on Palm Sunday, THE 10TH DAY OF NISAN, Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the Jewish people CHOSE HIM as their Passover Lamb when they welcomed Him into the city waving palm branches and shouting Hallelujah. On the 14TH DAY OF NISAN, they killed THEIR LAMB when they turned Him over to Pilate and said, "crucify Him." He was crucified at 9AM on Nisan 14th, the same time the High Priest bound the Passover Lamb to the altar at the Temple, the same way it had been done for hundreds of years. Then at 3PM., after all the other passover lambs had been sacrificed for the Jewish pilgrims who were there for the Passover Celebration, the High Priest went to the last lamb to be sacrificed--the lamb that was bound to the altar--and said "it is finished," and then cut the lamb's throat. It was also at 3PM that Jesus said, "It is finished," and gave up His Spirit! Jesus, the last Lamb to be sacrificed, had once and for all taken upon Himself the sins of the world! To what end? To remove the obstacle that stood between a holy God and sinful man. But why? So that God could dwell or tabernacle among us--have a relationship with us! This was the foundational feast in God fulfilling His eternal plan of dwelling with His people. Let me ask you friend, are you trusting in Jesus' blood as the sole basis of your relationship with the Father? Have you chosen Jesus as your Passover Lamb?
Unleavened Bread began after sunset on Nisan 15. That would be Thursday night following the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb at 3PM. The Israelites were to eat unleavened bread as a reminder of their deliverance from Egypt. They left in such haste that the bread did not have time to rise. It was actually baked without leaven--leaven being a type of sin. More importantly this unleavened bread pointed to the "bread that came down from heaven." He, Jesus, was without leaven, without sin--pure and spotless. Consequently death could not corrupt or decay His body as David prophesied in Psalm 16:9-10 and as Peter preached in Acts 2:22-27. Why? because this was all part of God's plan to tabernacle among us BEYOND THIS LIFE. And that leads to the next feast.
On the 17th day of Nisan, sometime before sunrise on Sunday morning, Jesus arose from the dead on the very day of the Feast of Firstfruits!(Firtfruits in the Old Testament was the celebration of the barley harvest. An unleavened loaf of bread made from barley was waved before God with the expectation that the rest of the harvest would also come in). Jesus was the firstfruits to rise from the dead with a new and resurrected body as Paul makes clear in I Corinthians 15:20-23. But why? The only way that God could tabernacle among us beyond this life was for Him to come and defeat death by dying and then rising from the dead! As the firstfruits of those who die, we have the guarantee that the "rest of the harvest--believers in Jesus--" will also rise from the dead with new and resurrected bodies just like His glorious body. But more about that later.
Fifty days from the Feast of Firtfruits was the Feast of Shavu'ot or Pentecost. This feast was a celebration of the giving of the law to Moses at Mt. Sinai and also a celebration of the wheat harvest where the priest waved two loaves of LEAVENED BREAD before the Lord as a thank offering for the rest of the harvest that would come in. On this day, the risen and exalted Son of God, poured out the Holy Spirit on 120 believers in the city of Jerusalem. Whereas God wrote the Torah on two stone tablets in the Old Testament, Jesus wrote the Torah on the hearts of believers in the New Testament. The Spirit was poured out first on the Jews and then later on the Gentiles. Both were sinful or leavened, but both were cleansed by the blood of the Passover Lamb! And it was through this indwelling of the Spirit that God began to "tabernacle" with His people in a more intimate way! I ask you friend, have you been filled with the Holy Spirit? God longs to dwell in you!
With the fulfillment of the Feast of Shavu'ot/Pentecost, all of the spring feasts were fulfilled. That means that there are three feasts yet to be fulfilled: Yom Teruah/Trumpets, Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement, and Sukkot,the Feast of Tabernacles. It is to these feasts that we now turn our attention. Important to know is that the rebirth of Israel in 1948 and the retaking of Jerusalem in 1967 are both significant prophetic signs that let us know that we are close to the fulfillment of the Fall Feasts!
On the Feast of Trumpets Jesus will rapture the church and return to the earth. This will occur in the month of Tishri(our September/October). In I Thessalonians 4:16-19, the Word of God tells us the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ will rise first and we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR; SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD! Notice that we are going TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR AND BE WITH HIM FOREVER! God will be a step closer to His heart's desire: to tabernacle with us in an even greater way through the rapture and His second return to the earth. In I Corinthians 15:51-52 we read, "Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will all be changed." Changed? why? We will have new bodies so that we can live with God forever as part of His New Creation in Christ! One more text before we leave this feast. In Revelation 11:15,19 the Word of God reveals the following truth: V.15 "The seventh angel sounded his trumpet. . ." Please keep in mind that the number seven is the number of completeness. Therefore, the seventh trumpet is the same as "the trump of God" in I Thessalonians 4 and the "last trump" I Corinthians 15. This is the rapture and the second return happening at the same time! V.19 says "Then God's temple in heaven was opened. . ." At the time of the end, God will merge the natural and spiritual together ( See Ephesians 1:9). This again is another step in God's ultimate plan of tabernacling among His people.
Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement will follow the Feast of Trumpets. It will be during this time that Jesus will pour out the seven bowls of wrath on His way to Jerusalem. After He has raptured His Bride and circled the globe where "every eye will see Him," He will then make His ascent from Bozrah (modern day Jordan) killing Israel's enemies as He makes His way to the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem (Please see Isaiah 63:1-3;Revelation 16:1). He will then kill the Antichrist and False Prophet as well as the rest of the armies of the Islamic beast kingdom (Revelation 19:11-21). It is at this point, on Yom kippur, that the "veil" covering Israel's eyes is removed and she will receive Jesus as her Messiah!(The whole nation of Isarel will be saved in one day--on the Day of Atonement). God will have actually used the Antichrist's attempt to annihilate Israel(Revelation 12) to break their stubbornness and cause them to humble their hearts in preparation to receive Jesus as their Messiah. On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement Zechariah 12:10 will become a reality for the Jewish nation. That text says, "And I(God) will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, THE ONE THEY HAVE PIERCED, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." In a word, Israel's willingness to repent and fulfill Matthew 23:39 will literally open the door for the Feast of Tabernacles to begin! That verse says, "For I(Jesus) tell you(Israel), you will not see me again UNTIL you say, Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord." When Israel repents, Jesus will make Himself known to them even as Joseph--a type of Christ--revealed Himself to his brothers when Judah repented(Genesis 44-45). This will be a great and glorious day!
Zechariah 14:16 says, "Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty and celebrate THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES." On the Day of Atonement Israel will be saved and the nations will be judged. And then the 1,000 year reign of Jesus will begin which will be Feast of Tabernacles! Think of it friend: God will literally tabernacle among us for 1,000 years in the person of His Son! These will be golden days on the earth(Please read Isaiah 2:2-4). Then after the 1,000 years are ended, we will enter into the transcendent life of God Himself. This will be the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles--the day of new beginnings! Eight is the number of new beginnings. What is the transcendent life of God? I don't know, but I do like its description found in Revelation 21:1-5, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look! God's DWELLING PLACE IS NOW AMONG PEOPLE, AND HE WILL DWELL WITH THEM. They will be His people and God himself will be WITH THEM AND BE THEIR GOD. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the older order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new. . ." Hence, in these words we see God's ultimate plan fulfilled: Fully tabernacling with His people forever!
I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Shalom
John 1:1,14 is the revelation of God's Son becoming a man: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . .V.14 And the Word became flesh . . ." Then in Luke 2:22-24 we have Joseph and Mary bringing Yeshua/Jesus to the temple to be dedicated. "When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord, every first born male is to be consecrated to the Lord. V.24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: a pair of doves and two young pigeons." But when you look back to the Old Testament text found in Leviticus 12:6-8 we read, "When the days for her purification were over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting A YEAR OLD LAMB FOR A BURNT OFFERING, and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. BUT IF SHE CANNOT AFFORD A LAMB, she is to bring two doves or young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering. . ." That tells you that Joseph and Mary were not a wealthy family. But here is Mary with this awesome experience with the Holy Spirit and a powerful word from the angel Gabriel about her Son. Don't you just know that she wished that she could have offered a lamb to God on such a special occasion? Actually she did offer a lamb--THE LAMB OF GOD! And that is where I want to begin my message to you on the Feast of Sukkot or Tabernacles.
Back to John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and made His DWELLING among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. The Greek word for "dwelling" is "eskeenoosen," from the root word "skenoo" which means "to tent," or "to tabernacle." In Jesus, God was TABERNACLING AMONG US! The question is this: to what end? Why did God tabernacle among us in Jesus? Why did the Son of God become a man? I believe the answer to that question is found in the seven feasts of God. Although God revealed the seven feasts to the chosen nation of Israel to be rehearsed at set times each year, ONLY GOD HIMSELF COULD FULFILL THE FEASTS. That is why He "pitched His tent" among us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth!
First there was Passover. It was here that God laid the foundation through the blood of the Passover Lamb. On the 10th day of Nisan(our march/April) the Jews took a lamb into their homes to be inspected for four days to make sure it had no blemishes or imperfections. On the 14th day of Nisan, the Passover Lamb was to be killed and its blood applied with hyssop to the top and two sides of the doors to their homes. At midnight when the destroyer came into Egypt to kill the firstborn, the homes that had applied the lamb's blood were "passed over," delivered from God's judgment! It was in this way that God broke the power of Pharaoh and set His people free from slavery and bondage. For hundreds of years the Jews "rehearsed" this Passover celebration at a "set time" each spring in the month of Nisan. But then about 2,000 years ago, on Palm Sunday, THE 10TH DAY OF NISAN, Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the Jewish people CHOSE HIM as their Passover Lamb when they welcomed Him into the city waving palm branches and shouting Hallelujah. On the 14TH DAY OF NISAN, they killed THEIR LAMB when they turned Him over to Pilate and said, "crucify Him." He was crucified at 9AM on Nisan 14th, the same time the High Priest bound the Passover Lamb to the altar at the Temple, the same way it had been done for hundreds of years. Then at 3PM., after all the other passover lambs had been sacrificed for the Jewish pilgrims who were there for the Passover Celebration, the High Priest went to the last lamb to be sacrificed--the lamb that was bound to the altar--and said "it is finished," and then cut the lamb's throat. It was also at 3PM that Jesus said, "It is finished," and gave up His Spirit! Jesus, the last Lamb to be sacrificed, had once and for all taken upon Himself the sins of the world! To what end? To remove the obstacle that stood between a holy God and sinful man. But why? So that God could dwell or tabernacle among us--have a relationship with us! This was the foundational feast in God fulfilling His eternal plan of dwelling with His people. Let me ask you friend, are you trusting in Jesus' blood as the sole basis of your relationship with the Father? Have you chosen Jesus as your Passover Lamb?
Unleavened Bread began after sunset on Nisan 15. That would be Thursday night following the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb at 3PM. The Israelites were to eat unleavened bread as a reminder of their deliverance from Egypt. They left in such haste that the bread did not have time to rise. It was actually baked without leaven--leaven being a type of sin. More importantly this unleavened bread pointed to the "bread that came down from heaven." He, Jesus, was without leaven, without sin--pure and spotless. Consequently death could not corrupt or decay His body as David prophesied in Psalm 16:9-10 and as Peter preached in Acts 2:22-27. Why? because this was all part of God's plan to tabernacle among us BEYOND THIS LIFE. And that leads to the next feast.
On the 17th day of Nisan, sometime before sunrise on Sunday morning, Jesus arose from the dead on the very day of the Feast of Firstfruits!(Firtfruits in the Old Testament was the celebration of the barley harvest. An unleavened loaf of bread made from barley was waved before God with the expectation that the rest of the harvest would also come in). Jesus was the firstfruits to rise from the dead with a new and resurrected body as Paul makes clear in I Corinthians 15:20-23. But why? The only way that God could tabernacle among us beyond this life was for Him to come and defeat death by dying and then rising from the dead! As the firstfruits of those who die, we have the guarantee that the "rest of the harvest--believers in Jesus--" will also rise from the dead with new and resurrected bodies just like His glorious body. But more about that later.
Fifty days from the Feast of Firtfruits was the Feast of Shavu'ot or Pentecost. This feast was a celebration of the giving of the law to Moses at Mt. Sinai and also a celebration of the wheat harvest where the priest waved two loaves of LEAVENED BREAD before the Lord as a thank offering for the rest of the harvest that would come in. On this day, the risen and exalted Son of God, poured out the Holy Spirit on 120 believers in the city of Jerusalem. Whereas God wrote the Torah on two stone tablets in the Old Testament, Jesus wrote the Torah on the hearts of believers in the New Testament. The Spirit was poured out first on the Jews and then later on the Gentiles. Both were sinful or leavened, but both were cleansed by the blood of the Passover Lamb! And it was through this indwelling of the Spirit that God began to "tabernacle" with His people in a more intimate way! I ask you friend, have you been filled with the Holy Spirit? God longs to dwell in you!
With the fulfillment of the Feast of Shavu'ot/Pentecost, all of the spring feasts were fulfilled. That means that there are three feasts yet to be fulfilled: Yom Teruah/Trumpets, Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement, and Sukkot,the Feast of Tabernacles. It is to these feasts that we now turn our attention. Important to know is that the rebirth of Israel in 1948 and the retaking of Jerusalem in 1967 are both significant prophetic signs that let us know that we are close to the fulfillment of the Fall Feasts!
On the Feast of Trumpets Jesus will rapture the church and return to the earth. This will occur in the month of Tishri(our September/October). In I Thessalonians 4:16-19, the Word of God tells us the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ will rise first and we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR; SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD! Notice that we are going TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR AND BE WITH HIM FOREVER! God will be a step closer to His heart's desire: to tabernacle with us in an even greater way through the rapture and His second return to the earth. In I Corinthians 15:51-52 we read, "Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will all be changed." Changed? why? We will have new bodies so that we can live with God forever as part of His New Creation in Christ! One more text before we leave this feast. In Revelation 11:15,19 the Word of God reveals the following truth: V.15 "The seventh angel sounded his trumpet. . ." Please keep in mind that the number seven is the number of completeness. Therefore, the seventh trumpet is the same as "the trump of God" in I Thessalonians 4 and the "last trump" I Corinthians 15. This is the rapture and the second return happening at the same time! V.19 says "Then God's temple in heaven was opened. . ." At the time of the end, God will merge the natural and spiritual together ( See Ephesians 1:9). This again is another step in God's ultimate plan of tabernacling among His people.
Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement will follow the Feast of Trumpets. It will be during this time that Jesus will pour out the seven bowls of wrath on His way to Jerusalem. After He has raptured His Bride and circled the globe where "every eye will see Him," He will then make His ascent from Bozrah (modern day Jordan) killing Israel's enemies as He makes His way to the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem (Please see Isaiah 63:1-3;Revelation 16:1). He will then kill the Antichrist and False Prophet as well as the rest of the armies of the Islamic beast kingdom (Revelation 19:11-21). It is at this point, on Yom kippur, that the "veil" covering Israel's eyes is removed and she will receive Jesus as her Messiah!(The whole nation of Isarel will be saved in one day--on the Day of Atonement). God will have actually used the Antichrist's attempt to annihilate Israel(Revelation 12) to break their stubbornness and cause them to humble their hearts in preparation to receive Jesus as their Messiah. On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement Zechariah 12:10 will become a reality for the Jewish nation. That text says, "And I(God) will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, THE ONE THEY HAVE PIERCED, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." In a word, Israel's willingness to repent and fulfill Matthew 23:39 will literally open the door for the Feast of Tabernacles to begin! That verse says, "For I(Jesus) tell you(Israel), you will not see me again UNTIL you say, Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord." When Israel repents, Jesus will make Himself known to them even as Joseph--a type of Christ--revealed Himself to his brothers when Judah repented(Genesis 44-45). This will be a great and glorious day!
Zechariah 14:16 says, "Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty and celebrate THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES." On the Day of Atonement Israel will be saved and the nations will be judged. And then the 1,000 year reign of Jesus will begin which will be Feast of Tabernacles! Think of it friend: God will literally tabernacle among us for 1,000 years in the person of His Son! These will be golden days on the earth(Please read Isaiah 2:2-4). Then after the 1,000 years are ended, we will enter into the transcendent life of God Himself. This will be the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles--the day of new beginnings! Eight is the number of new beginnings. What is the transcendent life of God? I don't know, but I do like its description found in Revelation 21:1-5, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look! God's DWELLING PLACE IS NOW AMONG PEOPLE, AND HE WILL DWELL WITH THEM. They will be His people and God himself will be WITH THEM AND BE THEIR GOD. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the older order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new. . ." Hence, in these words we see God's ultimate plan fulfilled: Fully tabernacling with His people forever!
I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Shalom
Thursday, April 5, 2012
The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
The Day of Atonement is found in Leviticus 23:26-32 and also in Leviticus 16. After the High Priest had made atonement for himself and his family, he would then take two goats and presnet them before the Lord. Lots were then cast for the two goats. The goat whose lot fell to the Lord was sacrificed as a sin offering. The other goat was known as the scapegoat from the Hebrew word "azazal." "Az," means "goat," and "azal" means "to go away." Both hands were laid on the azazal, Israel's sins were confessed, and the goat was led away into the wilderness. Hence the term "scapegoat." The purpose of this sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, known in the Hebrew as "Yom Kippur," had to do with the importance of the shedding of blood to take away the sins of Israel. To what end? that Israel's sins would be atoned for so that they might have the favor of God upon them! Yom Kippur occured on the 10th day of Tishri--the seventh Hebrew month(our late Septemeber or early October). It was the most solemn day in all of Israel and was the one day that Israel was "to afflict their souls" through fasting from the evening of Tishri 9th to sundown on Tishri 10th(24 hours).
The first Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement occured when Moses went back up on Sinai a second time for another 40 days. When he went up on Mt. Sinai the first time to receive the 10 Commandments, the nation of Israel sinned a great sin against God by making the golden calf! The result was that God was very angry. So Moses went up on the Mount again. This time he went up for the purpose of making "atonement" for the nation because of the sin of making the golden calf. According to rabbinc tradition, Moses went up on the first of Elul(our September 1). When he came down it was Tishri 10--40 days later--(our October 10th). So Moses actually came down on the Day of Atonement letting all of Israel know that atonemnet been achieved for them. That is why that the 40 days between Elul 1 and Tishri 10 are known as the 40 days of repentance or the season of Teshuvah. The point is this: the Day of Atonement is God's forgivness for the nation of Israel. Also it should be known that when Moses came down the mountain from his meeting with God, his face was radiant(Exodus 34:29-33). That is why that the expression "face to face" is an idiom for the Day of Atonement. I will say more about this a little later. One further point here. When Moses had made atonement for Israel--their sins as a nation being forgiven--he then began collecting the materials for the construction of the Tabernacle. God was essentially saying, now that atonement has been made for you, I want to come down and tabernacle among you! This is when the Tabernacle was built!
I'm going to get a little ahead of myself here, but please understand that all of this prophetically points to the Day of Atonement in the Tribulation period--when all Israel will repent and be saved. This will result in Yeshua the Messiah living and TABERNACLING among them in the Millennial Reign! Yeshua will return on the Feast of Trumpets(Yom Teru'ah--rapture and second return); He saves Israel on the Day of Atonement from the Antichrist and the Islamic Beast Kingdom by pouring out the seven last bowls of God's judgement(Revelation 16; 19:11-21); and He begins His Millennial Reign on the Feast of Tabernacles! Back now to a little more context for the Day of Atonement.
Some may be asking this question: what is the difference between Passover and the Day of Atonement? Passover speaks of individual redemption whereas the Day of Atonement speaks of the national redemption of Israel. In individual redemption we make the choice to personaly "apply the blood to our lives by faith" and so be saved. But when we get to the ultimate fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, God says "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Yeshua/Jesus is Lord." All governments, whether they like or not, are going to bow to God on that day! So all of the Fall Feasts, beginning with the Feast of Trumpets, speaks of national redemption and restoration of all the nations back to God and His Son(Revelation 11:15-19); the Feast of Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement in particular speaks of the nation of Israel and her redemption and restoration back to God. The Feast of Tabernacles marks the 1000 year reign of this redemption and restoration.
In an attempt to shorten this article somewhat, I am going to make a statement and then give you the scriptures to validify what I am going to tell you. You will have to look up the scriptures and do the comparisons. It is impossible to understand the Book of the Revelation without understanding Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement! Said another way, there is a Yom Kippur service in the Book of the Revelation. Leviticus 16:12-15 which is describing the Day of Atonement is found in the language and imagery of Revelation 8:3-7: the number 7, incense, and the golden altar. Also, Revelation 11:15-19 is replete with Day of Atonement language: the nations angry, God's temple and the Ark of the Covenant. Keep in mind that once a year the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies where God's Presence dwelt over the Ark of the Covenant! Also, when the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies he was wearing a white linen robe. When he offered the sacrifice on the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant, his white robes would be stained with blood! Please take a moment and read Isaiah 63:1-4 and Revelation 19:13. All of this in the Book of Revelation is to let us know that this is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement! Time will not allow me to develope this fully, but Yom Kippur happened at the end of the year in Israel--the final harvest. And what did they harvest in the fall of the year? Fruit, but particularly grapes from which wine was made. Revelation 14:18-20(please read) is language about the final harvest on the earth and it is full of the Day of Atonement imagery. God is telling us that Yom Kippur will happen at the end of the age when Yeshua returns to rapture the church, redeem Israel, and judge the nations that fought against Israel!
I will try and bring this to a close by hopefully making a modern application to the times in which we are living. Please take a moment and read Ezekiel 20:34-35. This speaks of what God will do with Israel in the last days. Especially notice the term "face to face," another term for Day of Atonement. During the last three and one half years of the Tribulation period, God is going to take Israel into the "wilderness," and there He will break their stubborn pride and remove the veil that has blinded their eyes to the truth. Revelation 12:6 says "The woman(Israel) fled into the WILDERNESS, to a place prepared for her by God, where she will be taken care of for 1,260 days(the last three and one half years of the tribulation period)." The whole nation of Israel, that has survived Antichrist's attempt to annihilate them, will at this time on Yom Kippur realize that Yeshua/Jesus is their Messiah! Zechariah 12:10 describes this incredible moment on that day: "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one THEY HAVE PIERCED, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns or an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn Son." This will fulfill the prophecy of Yeshua in Matthew 23:39, " You(Israel) will not see me again until you say,'blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'" Romans 11:25-27 says " I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited:Israel has experienced a hardening in part UNTIL the full number of the Gentils has come in (been saved) , and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob(Israel). And this is my covenant with them WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS." "When I take away their sins," is Yom Kippur! On the Day of Atonement Yeshua will remove their veil and they will recognize Him as their "atoning sacrifice."
In Acts 3:17-21, the Word of God makes it clear that Messiah will not come or return until Israel is ready to receive Him as a nation. This means that the Feast of Trumpets(the rapture of the church and second return of Yeshua); Yom Kippur--the Day of Atonement--the national salvation of Israel; and the Feast of Tabernacles--the millennial reign of Yeshua--are all tied to Israel! This is God's heart and God's plan. If we are wise, we will make God's heart and plan our top priority. By so doing, we will be positioning ourselves for the blessing of God in these last days. Genesis 12:3 was true yesterday, it is true today, and it will true in the days ahead. "I will bless those who bless you(Israel), and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Shalom
The first Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement occured when Moses went back up on Sinai a second time for another 40 days. When he went up on Mt. Sinai the first time to receive the 10 Commandments, the nation of Israel sinned a great sin against God by making the golden calf! The result was that God was very angry. So Moses went up on the Mount again. This time he went up for the purpose of making "atonement" for the nation because of the sin of making the golden calf. According to rabbinc tradition, Moses went up on the first of Elul(our September 1). When he came down it was Tishri 10--40 days later--(our October 10th). So Moses actually came down on the Day of Atonement letting all of Israel know that atonemnet been achieved for them. That is why that the 40 days between Elul 1 and Tishri 10 are known as the 40 days of repentance or the season of Teshuvah. The point is this: the Day of Atonement is God's forgivness for the nation of Israel. Also it should be known that when Moses came down the mountain from his meeting with God, his face was radiant(Exodus 34:29-33). That is why that the expression "face to face" is an idiom for the Day of Atonement. I will say more about this a little later. One further point here. When Moses had made atonement for Israel--their sins as a nation being forgiven--he then began collecting the materials for the construction of the Tabernacle. God was essentially saying, now that atonement has been made for you, I want to come down and tabernacle among you! This is when the Tabernacle was built!
I'm going to get a little ahead of myself here, but please understand that all of this prophetically points to the Day of Atonement in the Tribulation period--when all Israel will repent and be saved. This will result in Yeshua the Messiah living and TABERNACLING among them in the Millennial Reign! Yeshua will return on the Feast of Trumpets(Yom Teru'ah--rapture and second return); He saves Israel on the Day of Atonement from the Antichrist and the Islamic Beast Kingdom by pouring out the seven last bowls of God's judgement(Revelation 16; 19:11-21); and He begins His Millennial Reign on the Feast of Tabernacles! Back now to a little more context for the Day of Atonement.
Some may be asking this question: what is the difference between Passover and the Day of Atonement? Passover speaks of individual redemption whereas the Day of Atonement speaks of the national redemption of Israel. In individual redemption we make the choice to personaly "apply the blood to our lives by faith" and so be saved. But when we get to the ultimate fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, God says "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Yeshua/Jesus is Lord." All governments, whether they like or not, are going to bow to God on that day! So all of the Fall Feasts, beginning with the Feast of Trumpets, speaks of national redemption and restoration of all the nations back to God and His Son(Revelation 11:15-19); the Feast of Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement in particular speaks of the nation of Israel and her redemption and restoration back to God. The Feast of Tabernacles marks the 1000 year reign of this redemption and restoration.
In an attempt to shorten this article somewhat, I am going to make a statement and then give you the scriptures to validify what I am going to tell you. You will have to look up the scriptures and do the comparisons. It is impossible to understand the Book of the Revelation without understanding Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement! Said another way, there is a Yom Kippur service in the Book of the Revelation. Leviticus 16:12-15 which is describing the Day of Atonement is found in the language and imagery of Revelation 8:3-7: the number 7, incense, and the golden altar. Also, Revelation 11:15-19 is replete with Day of Atonement language: the nations angry, God's temple and the Ark of the Covenant. Keep in mind that once a year the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies where God's Presence dwelt over the Ark of the Covenant! Also, when the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies he was wearing a white linen robe. When he offered the sacrifice on the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant, his white robes would be stained with blood! Please take a moment and read Isaiah 63:1-4 and Revelation 19:13. All of this in the Book of Revelation is to let us know that this is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement! Time will not allow me to develope this fully, but Yom Kippur happened at the end of the year in Israel--the final harvest. And what did they harvest in the fall of the year? Fruit, but particularly grapes from which wine was made. Revelation 14:18-20(please read) is language about the final harvest on the earth and it is full of the Day of Atonement imagery. God is telling us that Yom Kippur will happen at the end of the age when Yeshua returns to rapture the church, redeem Israel, and judge the nations that fought against Israel!
I will try and bring this to a close by hopefully making a modern application to the times in which we are living. Please take a moment and read Ezekiel 20:34-35. This speaks of what God will do with Israel in the last days. Especially notice the term "face to face," another term for Day of Atonement. During the last three and one half years of the Tribulation period, God is going to take Israel into the "wilderness," and there He will break their stubborn pride and remove the veil that has blinded their eyes to the truth. Revelation 12:6 says "The woman(Israel) fled into the WILDERNESS, to a place prepared for her by God, where she will be taken care of for 1,260 days(the last three and one half years of the tribulation period)." The whole nation of Israel, that has survived Antichrist's attempt to annihilate them, will at this time on Yom Kippur realize that Yeshua/Jesus is their Messiah! Zechariah 12:10 describes this incredible moment on that day: "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one THEY HAVE PIERCED, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns or an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn Son." This will fulfill the prophecy of Yeshua in Matthew 23:39, " You(Israel) will not see me again until you say,'blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'" Romans 11:25-27 says " I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited:Israel has experienced a hardening in part UNTIL the full number of the Gentils has come in (been saved) , and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob(Israel). And this is my covenant with them WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS." "When I take away their sins," is Yom Kippur! On the Day of Atonement Yeshua will remove their veil and they will recognize Him as their "atoning sacrifice."
In Acts 3:17-21, the Word of God makes it clear that Messiah will not come or return until Israel is ready to receive Him as a nation. This means that the Feast of Trumpets(the rapture of the church and second return of Yeshua); Yom Kippur--the Day of Atonement--the national salvation of Israel; and the Feast of Tabernacles--the millennial reign of Yeshua--are all tied to Israel! This is God's heart and God's plan. If we are wise, we will make God's heart and plan our top priority. By so doing, we will be positioning ourselves for the blessing of God in these last days. Genesis 12:3 was true yesterday, it is true today, and it will true in the days ahead. "I will bless those who bless you(Israel), and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Shalom
Monday, March 26, 2012
The Feast of Trumpets
The Spring Feasts, 1.Passover--Nisan 14; 2.Unleavened Bread--Nisan 15; 3.First Fruits--Nisan 17; and 4.Pentecost--Sivan 6, all recorded in Leviticus 23 and observed/rehersed by Israel for hundreds of years, were amazingly and precisely fulfilled by Yeshua/Jesus to the very day, and in one Feast, Passover, to the very hour! In Yeshua, the Lord has redeemed us--has brought us back to Himself. But the story does not end there! But before we move on to the Fall Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, lets take a brief look at what is known as the "summer gap."
In between the Spring Feasts and the Fall Feasts there is a fairly significant period of time. That period or season is of course summer. In the context of the feasts cycle, the "summer gap" as it is called, symbolizes the span of 2000 years that began at the day of Shavu'ot/Pentecost right up to the present time. This time period also called the "summer harvest" represents the growth of the Lord's Church and the salvation or redemption of those who have accectped the Gospel. The question that needs to be answered is this: What next? What comes after the summer gap or harvest? What is the next big thing on God's calendar and when will it occur?
To answer the above questions, lets start with a couple of events that I believe are signs that "summer" is almost over. First is the rebirth of God's chosen people, Israel, on May 14, 1948. As I have said before, it is a fact that no nation that has been without a homeland for more than 40 years has survived as a nation. But Israel survived for 2000 years without a homeland! That is a miracle of God and a sign that things are changing. Secondly was the retaking of Jerusalem by the Jews for the first time since 70AD. That too was a miracle having been accomplished against all odds! The point here is this: by the rebirth of Israel and the retaking of Jerusalem God has laid the foundation for the next three "Jewish Feasts" to be fulfilled. I believe that they will be fulfilled in this generation! And the very next Feast to be fulfilled is the Feast of Trumpets. Therefore, our subject today will be to take a deeper look into this amazing event to be fulfilled by Yeshua.
The Feast of Trumpets occured in the Hebrew seventh month of Tishri(our September or October). Between this Feast and the Day of Atonment, there are ten days that are called the "High Holy Days," or the "Days of Awe." The Sabbath that falls within this ten day period is called "Shabbat Shuv'ah" or "The Sabbath of Return." It is important to know this because several themes associated with the Messiah's second coming are associated with the fall feasts, beginning with the Feast of Trumpets. In this article I will deal with three of those themes.
The first theme associated with the Feast of Trumpets is "the sounding of the Shofar or trumpet" which also is connected to the rapture of the Church and the second return of Yeshua/Jesus. On this feast day, there were 100 blasts made with the shofar or trumpet. The last blast that was made was known as "the last trump." Consequently, in I Corinthians 15:52 when Paul is speaking of the rapture of the Church and the second return of the Lord, he describes it as happening "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at THE LAST TRUMP; for the TRUMPET/SHOFAR will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." In the Torah, this feast is referred to as "Yom Teruah," or "the day of the sounding of the shofar," which can be translated as "an awakening blast." Also, Teruah can be translated as "shout." Not surprisingly then we read these words from the Apostle Paul in I Thessalonians 4:16-17, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a SHOUT, with the voice of the archangel and the TRUMP of God; and the dead in Christ will rise first; then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so will we ever be with the Lord." The Last Trump, the Awakening Blast, and the Shout are all part of the Feast of Trumpets and consequently speak to us of the rapture and second return of Yeshua on this feast! But lets keep building on this theme.
The second theme of the Feast of Trumpets is the "wedding of the Messiah with His Church." The Jews considered marriage to be the ideal model depicting the relationship between God and Israel. This theme is found throughout the Old Testament(see particularly the book of Hosea). Consequently, the Jewish wedding ceremony was understood by early Christians to be a picture of the joining of Christ with His Church. That is made clear in Ephesians 5:25-27 where Paul compares the marriage relationship with that of Yeshua and His Church. Also in a parable speaking of the Lord's second return, the Jewish wedding is spoken of by Yeshua(Matthew 25:6,10). In the Jewish culture it was customary that after a bride-to-be had accepted the groom's proposal, the bridegroom would depart and return to his father's house to prepare the bridal chamber. It was understood to be the man's duty to go away to be with his father, build a house, and prepare for the eventual wedding. However, before he departed, he would make the following statement to the bride: I go to prepare a place for you, I will return again unto you. If those words sound familiar, they are the words that Yeshua spoke to His disciples in John 14:1-3 just before going back to His Father's house in heaven! The point here is that the rapture and return of the Lord is connected with the Jewish wedding. And here is where things are going to really get theologically interesting!
In Matthew 24:36 Yeshua said of His second return, "But of that day and hour knows no man, not not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." According to Jewish tradition, the timing of the wedding was contingent upon the Father's approval of the groom's preparation of the bridal chamber. So when someone asked when the wedding would be held, the groom would customarily answer, "only my father knows." Why is that important to know? Considering that other scriptures make it clear that the Jewish wedding is symbolically linked to the rapture and resurrection of the righteous, it is also clear that it is linked to the Feast of Trumpets as we have seen above. Therefore, when Yeshua said "no one knows the day or the hour. . . but my father only," He was actually telling us that His second return would definitely be on the Feast of Trumpets! I will enforce this truth with my last point.
The third theme of the Feast of Trumpets is that it was known as "Yom HaKeseh" or "The Hidden Day." The term "Keseh" is derived from the Hebrew root word "Kacah" which means "to conceal, hide or cover." Part of the reason why the Feast of Trumpets is considered mysterious or "hidden," is due to the fact there was a fair amount of uncertainty with regard to observing the feast on the correct calendar day. The Feast of Trumpets fell on "Rosh Chodesh," or the "New Moon." And because this feast hinged on the sighting of a tiny sliver of the new moon, even in Jerusalem it would be difficult to let everyone know when it had begun, not to mention all of Israel. Therefore, to solve this problem, a two day Feast of Trumpets was practiced. In the Rabbinic view, these two days are regarded as "Yoma Arikhta" or "one long day." For this reason when speaking of the Feast of Trumpets, the Jews would typically say, "of that day or hour no one knows." So then what we have here is another clear reference to Yeshua's words in Matthew 24:36 ". . .of that day and hour knows no man. . ." refering to the Lord's return. When you take this reference along with the previous mentioned Jewish wedding reference of "only my father knows, what you have is a stunning revelation and confirmation that Yeshua will, without a doubt, return on the Feast of Trumpets.
For the people who quote Matthew 24:36 as the reason why they are not interested in prophecy, they simply are not rightly dividing the Word of God. Yet for those who are watching, these words of Yeshua could not be more clear: He is telling us that He is coming on the Feast of Trumpets. And He will fulfill this feast to the very day just like He did Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and Pentecost. What a great God we serve!What an incredible Hope we have! Dear Friend, the God who has so precisely and powerfully revealed and fulfilled the feasts, and will fulfill what remains, has a great plan for your life! Put your trust in Him and in His strong Word. (Please take a moment to read and meditate on Jeremiah 29:11).
I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Shalom
In between the Spring Feasts and the Fall Feasts there is a fairly significant period of time. That period or season is of course summer. In the context of the feasts cycle, the "summer gap" as it is called, symbolizes the span of 2000 years that began at the day of Shavu'ot/Pentecost right up to the present time. This time period also called the "summer harvest" represents the growth of the Lord's Church and the salvation or redemption of those who have accectped the Gospel. The question that needs to be answered is this: What next? What comes after the summer gap or harvest? What is the next big thing on God's calendar and when will it occur?
To answer the above questions, lets start with a couple of events that I believe are signs that "summer" is almost over. First is the rebirth of God's chosen people, Israel, on May 14, 1948. As I have said before, it is a fact that no nation that has been without a homeland for more than 40 years has survived as a nation. But Israel survived for 2000 years without a homeland! That is a miracle of God and a sign that things are changing. Secondly was the retaking of Jerusalem by the Jews for the first time since 70AD. That too was a miracle having been accomplished against all odds! The point here is this: by the rebirth of Israel and the retaking of Jerusalem God has laid the foundation for the next three "Jewish Feasts" to be fulfilled. I believe that they will be fulfilled in this generation! And the very next Feast to be fulfilled is the Feast of Trumpets. Therefore, our subject today will be to take a deeper look into this amazing event to be fulfilled by Yeshua.
The Feast of Trumpets occured in the Hebrew seventh month of Tishri(our September or October). Between this Feast and the Day of Atonment, there are ten days that are called the "High Holy Days," or the "Days of Awe." The Sabbath that falls within this ten day period is called "Shabbat Shuv'ah" or "The Sabbath of Return." It is important to know this because several themes associated with the Messiah's second coming are associated with the fall feasts, beginning with the Feast of Trumpets. In this article I will deal with three of those themes.
The first theme associated with the Feast of Trumpets is "the sounding of the Shofar or trumpet" which also is connected to the rapture of the Church and the second return of Yeshua/Jesus. On this feast day, there were 100 blasts made with the shofar or trumpet. The last blast that was made was known as "the last trump." Consequently, in I Corinthians 15:52 when Paul is speaking of the rapture of the Church and the second return of the Lord, he describes it as happening "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at THE LAST TRUMP; for the TRUMPET/SHOFAR will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." In the Torah, this feast is referred to as "Yom Teruah," or "the day of the sounding of the shofar," which can be translated as "an awakening blast." Also, Teruah can be translated as "shout." Not surprisingly then we read these words from the Apostle Paul in I Thessalonians 4:16-17, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a SHOUT, with the voice of the archangel and the TRUMP of God; and the dead in Christ will rise first; then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so will we ever be with the Lord." The Last Trump, the Awakening Blast, and the Shout are all part of the Feast of Trumpets and consequently speak to us of the rapture and second return of Yeshua on this feast! But lets keep building on this theme.
The second theme of the Feast of Trumpets is the "wedding of the Messiah with His Church." The Jews considered marriage to be the ideal model depicting the relationship between God and Israel. This theme is found throughout the Old Testament(see particularly the book of Hosea). Consequently, the Jewish wedding ceremony was understood by early Christians to be a picture of the joining of Christ with His Church. That is made clear in Ephesians 5:25-27 where Paul compares the marriage relationship with that of Yeshua and His Church. Also in a parable speaking of the Lord's second return, the Jewish wedding is spoken of by Yeshua(Matthew 25:6,10). In the Jewish culture it was customary that after a bride-to-be had accepted the groom's proposal, the bridegroom would depart and return to his father's house to prepare the bridal chamber. It was understood to be the man's duty to go away to be with his father, build a house, and prepare for the eventual wedding. However, before he departed, he would make the following statement to the bride: I go to prepare a place for you, I will return again unto you. If those words sound familiar, they are the words that Yeshua spoke to His disciples in John 14:1-3 just before going back to His Father's house in heaven! The point here is that the rapture and return of the Lord is connected with the Jewish wedding. And here is where things are going to really get theologically interesting!
In Matthew 24:36 Yeshua said of His second return, "But of that day and hour knows no man, not not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." According to Jewish tradition, the timing of the wedding was contingent upon the Father's approval of the groom's preparation of the bridal chamber. So when someone asked when the wedding would be held, the groom would customarily answer, "only my father knows." Why is that important to know? Considering that other scriptures make it clear that the Jewish wedding is symbolically linked to the rapture and resurrection of the righteous, it is also clear that it is linked to the Feast of Trumpets as we have seen above. Therefore, when Yeshua said "no one knows the day or the hour. . . but my father only," He was actually telling us that His second return would definitely be on the Feast of Trumpets! I will enforce this truth with my last point.
The third theme of the Feast of Trumpets is that it was known as "Yom HaKeseh" or "The Hidden Day." The term "Keseh" is derived from the Hebrew root word "Kacah" which means "to conceal, hide or cover." Part of the reason why the Feast of Trumpets is considered mysterious or "hidden," is due to the fact there was a fair amount of uncertainty with regard to observing the feast on the correct calendar day. The Feast of Trumpets fell on "Rosh Chodesh," or the "New Moon." And because this feast hinged on the sighting of a tiny sliver of the new moon, even in Jerusalem it would be difficult to let everyone know when it had begun, not to mention all of Israel. Therefore, to solve this problem, a two day Feast of Trumpets was practiced. In the Rabbinic view, these two days are regarded as "Yoma Arikhta" or "one long day." For this reason when speaking of the Feast of Trumpets, the Jews would typically say, "of that day or hour no one knows." So then what we have here is another clear reference to Yeshua's words in Matthew 24:36 ". . .of that day and hour knows no man. . ." refering to the Lord's return. When you take this reference along with the previous mentioned Jewish wedding reference of "only my father knows, what you have is a stunning revelation and confirmation that Yeshua will, without a doubt, return on the Feast of Trumpets.
For the people who quote Matthew 24:36 as the reason why they are not interested in prophecy, they simply are not rightly dividing the Word of God. Yet for those who are watching, these words of Yeshua could not be more clear: He is telling us that He is coming on the Feast of Trumpets. And He will fulfill this feast to the very day just like He did Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and Pentecost. What a great God we serve!What an incredible Hope we have! Dear Friend, the God who has so precisely and powerfully revealed and fulfilled the feasts, and will fulfill what remains, has a great plan for your life! Put your trust in Him and in His strong Word. (Please take a moment to read and meditate on Jeremiah 29:11).
I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Shalom
Friday, March 23, 2012
"The Feast of Shavu'ot or Pentecost"
Let's begin by first of all looking at the different name or names for this feast. The Hebrew name for the feast is "The Feast of Shavu'ot." The Hebrew word "Sheva" means "seven;" "Shavu'ah means "week;" and Shavu'ot means "weeks." Hence this is the "Feast of Shavu'ot" or also known as the "Feast of Weeks." From the day of the "Feast of First Fruits," the Hebrews were to count off seven sabbaths. Then on the next day after the seventh sabbath,(that would be Sunday) they were to celebrate the Feast of Shavu'ot or as it is also known "The feast of Weeks." This then would be a period of fifty days from the "Feast of First Fruits" to the "Feast of Shavu'ot." Consequently, since the New Testament was written in Greek, the translators used the word "Pentecost," which means fifty, to describe this Jewish Feast. Hence that is how we have the different names of this feast. With that established, we can now move on to discover what this feast was all about and how you can personally experience it today! We will begin that process by looking at the two Old Testament backgrounds for this feast.
First, we will look at a momentous event that took place on Shavu'ot. That grand event was the giving of the 10 Commandments through Moses at Mt. Sinai. Rabbinic tradition says tht the Torah(10 Commandments) was given on the sixth of Sivan(third Hebrew month and late May or early June on the Gregorian Calendar). Exactly seven weeks after the Exodus from Egypt the children of Israel gathered at the base of Mt. Sinai where the Lord descended amidst thunder, lightning, billowing smoke, fire and the blast of the Shofar. The result of that Divine visitation was that the finger of God wrote the greatest moral code ever given to man on two stone tablets! So on the day of Shavu'ot, the Lord came down to man and gave him the 10 Commandents. And that is a very important foundation or background for the Feast of Shavu'ot/Pentecost as we will see shortly.
The second Old Testament background for Shavu'ot is agricultural. Just as a sample of the First Fruits barley harvest was waved before the Lord during the "Feast of First Fruits," so on the "Feast of Shavu'ot/Pentecost" a sample of the first of the wheat harvest was to be brought to the priests, baked into two loaves of LEAVENED BREAD and then waved before the altar(See Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy 16:9-11). Notice that the "Feast of Shavu'ot" stands in contrast to the "Feast of Passover," which required UNLEAVENED BREAD(matzah), whereas in this feast two loaves of wheat bread were to be used with leaven (chametz) before being waved before the Lord. I will explain why in just a moment. But now that you know the two Old Testament backgrounds for this feast, lets discover how Yeshua/Jesus fulfilled this feast.
In John's Gospel, chapter 1 and v.33 we read these words about Yeshua, "I (John the Baptist) myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'" This is a prophecy about Yeshua the Messiah and how He would be the One who baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit. Fast forward to the Day of Shavu'ot/Pentecost. On the very day of the "Feast of Shavu'ot/Pentecost," Jews had come to Jerusalem from everywhere to celebrate and affirm their commitment to the covenant made through Moses at Mt. Sinai. And at the very same time that the priest was waving the two wheat loaves of leavened bread at the altar as thanksgiving to the Lord for the harvest, the resurrected and ascended Yeshua/Messiah was baptizing believers in the Holy Spirit at Mt. Zion in Jerusalem! Acts 2:33, "Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear." What was happening? At Mt. Sinai, on the day of Shavu'ot/Pentecost, God wrote the law--the 10 Commandments--on stone, but now at Mt. Zion in Jerusalem, on the day of Shavu'ot/Pentecost, the Messiah was writing the new law of the Spirit on the hearts of believers(Jeremiah 31:33)! And as the priest was waving the two loaves of leavened bread before the Lord(the TWO loaves of LEAVEN being symbolic of Jew and Gentile--both being sinful), Yeshua, the UNLEAVENED BREAD of Heaven (the sinless one) was waving/beginning the harvest of His Church(those cleansed by His Divine and spotless blood as the Passover Lamb) through the outpouring of the Holy Spirt. And this outpouring, this harvest, would soon include the Gentiles (Acts 8,10,19). There is so much more to say, but I will conclude now with how you can experience the Feast of Shavu'ot/Pentecost.
Galatians 3:1-5 "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you (led you astray)? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or BY BELIEVING WHAT YOU HEARD? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal BY HUMAN EFFORT? V.5 Does God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you BECAUSE YOU OBSERVE THE LAW, OR BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU HEARD?" There it is friends in plain language. The only way that you can receive and continually be filled with the Holy Spirit is by trusting completely and totally in Yeshua--Who He is and what He has done for you! No one ever gets "good enough to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." God dosn't give the Holy Spirit to those who are trying to earn it by "keeping the law." The Person of the Holy Spirit is a gift--given to those who humble themselves and realize that it is by God's grace through faith and not works or human effort. This is the truth about Shavu'ot/Pentecost. And the power of Shavu'ot/Pentecost is that as you continue to trust and depend totally on the Person of Yeshua, He will continually supply or fill you with the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is the One who empowers you to live a life that is full and fully pleasing to the Lord. And it is this kind of life empowered by the Holy Spirit that makes us His witnesses. It is how we see others come to Yeshua and so become a part of His harvest!
So then what do you do to experience Shavu'ot/Pentecost for yourself? Trust in Yeshua as your Passover Lamb; as your Unleavened Bread from Heaven; as your First Fruits who rose from the dead; and as the One who baptizes you continually in and with the Holy Spirit.
I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Shalom
First, we will look at a momentous event that took place on Shavu'ot. That grand event was the giving of the 10 Commandments through Moses at Mt. Sinai. Rabbinic tradition says tht the Torah(10 Commandments) was given on the sixth of Sivan(third Hebrew month and late May or early June on the Gregorian Calendar). Exactly seven weeks after the Exodus from Egypt the children of Israel gathered at the base of Mt. Sinai where the Lord descended amidst thunder, lightning, billowing smoke, fire and the blast of the Shofar. The result of that Divine visitation was that the finger of God wrote the greatest moral code ever given to man on two stone tablets! So on the day of Shavu'ot, the Lord came down to man and gave him the 10 Commandents. And that is a very important foundation or background for the Feast of Shavu'ot/Pentecost as we will see shortly.
The second Old Testament background for Shavu'ot is agricultural. Just as a sample of the First Fruits barley harvest was waved before the Lord during the "Feast of First Fruits," so on the "Feast of Shavu'ot/Pentecost" a sample of the first of the wheat harvest was to be brought to the priests, baked into two loaves of LEAVENED BREAD and then waved before the altar(See Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy 16:9-11). Notice that the "Feast of Shavu'ot" stands in contrast to the "Feast of Passover," which required UNLEAVENED BREAD(matzah), whereas in this feast two loaves of wheat bread were to be used with leaven (chametz) before being waved before the Lord. I will explain why in just a moment. But now that you know the two Old Testament backgrounds for this feast, lets discover how Yeshua/Jesus fulfilled this feast.
In John's Gospel, chapter 1 and v.33 we read these words about Yeshua, "I (John the Baptist) myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'" This is a prophecy about Yeshua the Messiah and how He would be the One who baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit. Fast forward to the Day of Shavu'ot/Pentecost. On the very day of the "Feast of Shavu'ot/Pentecost," Jews had come to Jerusalem from everywhere to celebrate and affirm their commitment to the covenant made through Moses at Mt. Sinai. And at the very same time that the priest was waving the two wheat loaves of leavened bread at the altar as thanksgiving to the Lord for the harvest, the resurrected and ascended Yeshua/Messiah was baptizing believers in the Holy Spirit at Mt. Zion in Jerusalem! Acts 2:33, "Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear." What was happening? At Mt. Sinai, on the day of Shavu'ot/Pentecost, God wrote the law--the 10 Commandments--on stone, but now at Mt. Zion in Jerusalem, on the day of Shavu'ot/Pentecost, the Messiah was writing the new law of the Spirit on the hearts of believers(Jeremiah 31:33)! And as the priest was waving the two loaves of leavened bread before the Lord(the TWO loaves of LEAVEN being symbolic of Jew and Gentile--both being sinful), Yeshua, the UNLEAVENED BREAD of Heaven (the sinless one) was waving/beginning the harvest of His Church(those cleansed by His Divine and spotless blood as the Passover Lamb) through the outpouring of the Holy Spirt. And this outpouring, this harvest, would soon include the Gentiles (Acts 8,10,19). There is so much more to say, but I will conclude now with how you can experience the Feast of Shavu'ot/Pentecost.
Galatians 3:1-5 "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you (led you astray)? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or BY BELIEVING WHAT YOU HEARD? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal BY HUMAN EFFORT? V.5 Does God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you BECAUSE YOU OBSERVE THE LAW, OR BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU HEARD?" There it is friends in plain language. The only way that you can receive and continually be filled with the Holy Spirit is by trusting completely and totally in Yeshua--Who He is and what He has done for you! No one ever gets "good enough to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." God dosn't give the Holy Spirit to those who are trying to earn it by "keeping the law." The Person of the Holy Spirit is a gift--given to those who humble themselves and realize that it is by God's grace through faith and not works or human effort. This is the truth about Shavu'ot/Pentecost. And the power of Shavu'ot/Pentecost is that as you continue to trust and depend totally on the Person of Yeshua, He will continually supply or fill you with the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is the One who empowers you to live a life that is full and fully pleasing to the Lord. And it is this kind of life empowered by the Holy Spirit that makes us His witnesses. It is how we see others come to Yeshua and so become a part of His harvest!
So then what do you do to experience Shavu'ot/Pentecost for yourself? Trust in Yeshua as your Passover Lamb; as your Unleavened Bread from Heaven; as your First Fruits who rose from the dead; and as the One who baptizes you continually in and with the Holy Spirit.
I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Shalom
Monday, March 19, 2012
"The Feast of First Fruits"
Let's begin by looking at the Feast of First Fruits in it's original setting. Leviticus 23:9-12, "The Lord said to Moses, Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf(omer) of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the sabbath. On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect." In Israel the first grain to ripen would be barley. At the time of planting, the Jewish people would mark off certain barley in the field. Later when the harvest season arrived, they would carry a sickle and a basket and reap this specially designated grain. They would then go to the Tabernacle bringing a sheaf of the "First Fruits" of the harvest to the priest. The Priest would then wave the sheaf before the Lord accompanied by burnt offerings and meal offerings. The First Fruit's offering was a way of giving thanks to God for the rest of the harvest that lay in the field. And so, you have the Old Testament foundation for the celebration of the Feast of First Fruits.
Let's begin to see how Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah fulfilled this feast. Take notice of two things here: First, a male lamb was to be offered to the Lord along with unleavened bread mixed with oil and wine. Remembering that Yeshua was the Passover Lamb and the Unleavened Bread that came down from Heaven, it is telling that the BREAD and WINE in this ceremony were the very symbols that Yeshua used to recall and remember His sacrifice at the Last Supper(the bread symbolizes His broken body and the wine His shed blood). Secondly, Leviticus 23:14 says, "You may not eat any bread or roasted or new grain UNTIL the very day that you bring THIS OFFERING to your God. This tells us that Yeshua/Jesus must be the First Fruits who had to come first before the rest of the harvest would be accepted.
We will now look a little more closely at how Yeshua/Jesus is the fulfillment of this Old Testament feast. Yeshua was crucified and buried on Nisan 14, a Thursday afternoon (1/2 day); He was in the tomb on Nisan 15 from sundown to sundown (1 day); He was also in the tomb on Nisan 16 (1 day); Again on Nisan 17 after sundown(our Saturday night, the Jewish Sunday, 1/2 day); But He arose from the dead later that day on Nisan 17 before sunrise on Sunday morning. If you add these days up, you will get 1/2+1+1+1/2= 3 days and nights thus fulfilling what Yeshua said in Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Said another way, Yeshua/Jesus was crucified on Thursday Nisan 14 before sundown and was resurrected on Sunday Nisan 17 before sunrise. He was raised on the very day of the Feast of First Fruits, the first day after the sabbath! The disciples then encoutered the Risen Lord on Nisan 17, on that Sunday morning (Matthew 28:1-10).
I will conclude my thoughts by explaining what this means to you and I! The Wave Offering of First Fruits and the Resurrection of Yeshua are linked together by the very Jewish Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15:20-23 "But in fact Christ(Yeshua/Jesus/Messiah) has been raised from the dead, the FIRST FRUITS of those who have fallen asleep(died in the Lord). For as by man came death, by man also has come the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also IN CHRIST shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the FIRST FRUITS, then at His coming those who belong to Christ." Yeshua's resurrection was like a "wave offering" presented before the Father as the first fruits of the harvest to come! Actually, Yeshua is also revealed in the Word of God as "the first begotten of the Father" (Hebrews 1:6); the first born of creation (Colossians 1:15-16); the first begotten of the dead (Revelation 1:5); and as the first fruits of those who have been resurrected (ICorinthians 15:20-23). And as the fist fruits of those who are resurrected, having been accepted by the Father, He is our guarantee that we too will be accepted by the Father! Our confidence of being resurrected from the dead and living forever with God in an exalted state of existence is not based on who we are or on what we can or cannot do. Rather, it is based on who Yeshua is and what He has done for us, AND IN OUR FAITH IN HIM ALONE! For when the Father raised Yeshua from the dead, He was declaring His acceptance of Yeshua as the First Fruits of the rest of the harvest(all those who put their complete confidence in Yeshua) that will also one day be raised from the dead!
Dear friend, can you see it? When Yeshua fulfilled the Feast of First Fruits by being raised from the dead, He answered forever the deepest longing and most searching question of our heart: What happens when I die? For those who are trusting not in a religion nor in their own good works, but are trusting completely and entirely in the person of Yeshua, they can have confidence that just as sure as Yeshua was raised from the dead as the frist fruits, they too will be raised from the dead as part of the harvest of the New Creation of God! (See ICorinthians 5:17)
The old song simply but powerfully says, "Because He lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone, because I know He holds my future, life is worth the living just because He lives!" Hallelujah!!!
I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Shalom
Let's begin to see how Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah fulfilled this feast. Take notice of two things here: First, a male lamb was to be offered to the Lord along with unleavened bread mixed with oil and wine. Remembering that Yeshua was the Passover Lamb and the Unleavened Bread that came down from Heaven, it is telling that the BREAD and WINE in this ceremony were the very symbols that Yeshua used to recall and remember His sacrifice at the Last Supper(the bread symbolizes His broken body and the wine His shed blood). Secondly, Leviticus 23:14 says, "You may not eat any bread or roasted or new grain UNTIL the very day that you bring THIS OFFERING to your God. This tells us that Yeshua/Jesus must be the First Fruits who had to come first before the rest of the harvest would be accepted.
We will now look a little more closely at how Yeshua/Jesus is the fulfillment of this Old Testament feast. Yeshua was crucified and buried on Nisan 14, a Thursday afternoon (1/2 day); He was in the tomb on Nisan 15 from sundown to sundown (1 day); He was also in the tomb on Nisan 16 (1 day); Again on Nisan 17 after sundown(our Saturday night, the Jewish Sunday, 1/2 day); But He arose from the dead later that day on Nisan 17 before sunrise on Sunday morning. If you add these days up, you will get 1/2+1+1+1/2= 3 days and nights thus fulfilling what Yeshua said in Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Said another way, Yeshua/Jesus was crucified on Thursday Nisan 14 before sundown and was resurrected on Sunday Nisan 17 before sunrise. He was raised on the very day of the Feast of First Fruits, the first day after the sabbath! The disciples then encoutered the Risen Lord on Nisan 17, on that Sunday morning (Matthew 28:1-10).
I will conclude my thoughts by explaining what this means to you and I! The Wave Offering of First Fruits and the Resurrection of Yeshua are linked together by the very Jewish Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15:20-23 "But in fact Christ(Yeshua/Jesus/Messiah) has been raised from the dead, the FIRST FRUITS of those who have fallen asleep(died in the Lord). For as by man came death, by man also has come the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also IN CHRIST shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the FIRST FRUITS, then at His coming those who belong to Christ." Yeshua's resurrection was like a "wave offering" presented before the Father as the first fruits of the harvest to come! Actually, Yeshua is also revealed in the Word of God as "the first begotten of the Father" (Hebrews 1:6); the first born of creation (Colossians 1:15-16); the first begotten of the dead (Revelation 1:5); and as the first fruits of those who have been resurrected (ICorinthians 15:20-23). And as the fist fruits of those who are resurrected, having been accepted by the Father, He is our guarantee that we too will be accepted by the Father! Our confidence of being resurrected from the dead and living forever with God in an exalted state of existence is not based on who we are or on what we can or cannot do. Rather, it is based on who Yeshua is and what He has done for us, AND IN OUR FAITH IN HIM ALONE! For when the Father raised Yeshua from the dead, He was declaring His acceptance of Yeshua as the First Fruits of the rest of the harvest(all those who put their complete confidence in Yeshua) that will also one day be raised from the dead!
Dear friend, can you see it? When Yeshua fulfilled the Feast of First Fruits by being raised from the dead, He answered forever the deepest longing and most searching question of our heart: What happens when I die? For those who are trusting not in a religion nor in their own good works, but are trusting completely and entirely in the person of Yeshua, they can have confidence that just as sure as Yeshua was raised from the dead as the frist fruits, they too will be raised from the dead as part of the harvest of the New Creation of God! (See ICorinthians 5:17)
The old song simply but powerfully says, "Because He lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone, because I know He holds my future, life is worth the living just because He lives!" Hallelujah!!!
I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Shalom
Monday, March 12, 2012
"The Feast of Unleavened Bread"
Leviticus 23:5-6 "The Lord's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth (14) day of the month. V.6 On the fifteenth (15) day of that month the Lord's festival of Unleavened Bread beigns; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast." This feast is to be "rehersed' at the "appointed time" each spring in the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of the religious year and the month of March or April on the Gregorian Calendar.In Jewish tradition, the eating of unleavened bread commemorates the original exodus from Egypt. Since there was not enough time for the dough to rise in the bread when the Jews fled from Egypt, the Lord memoralized the event with the commandment to eat only unleavened bread (matzah) for seven days. Deuteronomy 16:7 "Seven days you shall eat unleavened (matzah) bread, the bread of affliction, (to remember the affliction of Egypt and to remember deliverance from that affliction)for you came out of Egypt in haste, that all the days of your life you may remember the day you came out of the land of Egypt.
To fulfill this commandment the Jewish people, to this day, prepare themselves by removing all traces of "chametz" or leaven from their homes. Leaven(yeast) produces fermentation, especially in bread dough, and it is the result of the natural process of decay. So then, the removal of the leaven is in obedience to God's command to remove it from their dwellings (Exodus 12:15; 13:7; Deuteronomy 16:4).
But what is the connection with Yeshua the Messiah? First, unleavened bread is a picture of Yeshua's holiness, purity and sinlessness. Consequently, His life and sacrifice were "unleavened," without the taint or curse of death! As the second man from heaven, Adam being the first man God made of the earth, Yeshua/Jesus was without fault; no imperfections were found in Him. Again, Yeshua was and is the God-man. Therefore it is absolutely blasphemous to compare Him to Muhammed or Buddah or any other earthly person! There simply is no comparison. Yeshua is and remains eternally unique!
As we have seen, Yeshua laid His life down as the Passover Lamb on Nisan 14. His body was wrapped in linen and placed in the tomb on that same day before sundown. Therefore, His body was in the grave on Nisan 15, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. However, because Yeshua was sinless, His "unleavened body" did not suffer the natural processes of corruption or decomposition! Something was going on inside that tomb that had not happened before! Yeshua's body did not and could not return to the dust. God was at work writing another and exhilirating part of the incomparable redemptive narrative! One of the mysteries of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was unfolding inside the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea! The Messiah's body was not decaying. But why, how could it be?
It was simply the fulfillment of the Messianic Psalm that was prophesied through King David a thousand years earlier. In Psalm 16:9-10 we read these amazing, prophetic words, "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your holy one see decay!" The Apostle Peter applied this prophetic Word to Yeshua in Acts 2:25-28,31, "David said about Him (the Messiah):'I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.'"v.31 "Seeing what was to come, he (David) spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah,(Yeshua) that He was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did His body see decay." Yeshua's body could not decay because there was no leaven of sin in it! He was the Unleavened Bread from heaven! Therefore the natural processes of death (leaven/yeast) were not present in the tomb of the Messiah!
So what are we to take from this Feast of Unleavened Bread which was fulfilled perfectly by Yeshua the Messiah? First, we should allow WHO HE IS to fascinate our hearts--the perfect, sinless, incorruptable Son of the Living God! Secondly, we should allow what happened, or should I say what didn't happen in that tomb, to fill us with hope about our future in Him! And third, we should simply put all of our trust in Him as THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE! Everything you could ever want or need is found in Yeshua the Unleavened Bread from Heaven! Shalom friends!
I am a voice of one crying in the wildernes, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!
PS. How brilliant is our God? He reveals His eternal plan through His seven feasts in the Old Covenant through His chosen nation Israel. He then perfectly fulfills those feasts through the revelation of His Son in the New Covenant! Next week we will look at the Feast of First Fruits.
To fulfill this commandment the Jewish people, to this day, prepare themselves by removing all traces of "chametz" or leaven from their homes. Leaven(yeast) produces fermentation, especially in bread dough, and it is the result of the natural process of decay. So then, the removal of the leaven is in obedience to God's command to remove it from their dwellings (Exodus 12:15; 13:7; Deuteronomy 16:4).
But what is the connection with Yeshua the Messiah? First, unleavened bread is a picture of Yeshua's holiness, purity and sinlessness. Consequently, His life and sacrifice were "unleavened," without the taint or curse of death! As the second man from heaven, Adam being the first man God made of the earth, Yeshua/Jesus was without fault; no imperfections were found in Him. Again, Yeshua was and is the God-man. Therefore it is absolutely blasphemous to compare Him to Muhammed or Buddah or any other earthly person! There simply is no comparison. Yeshua is and remains eternally unique!
As we have seen, Yeshua laid His life down as the Passover Lamb on Nisan 14. His body was wrapped in linen and placed in the tomb on that same day before sundown. Therefore, His body was in the grave on Nisan 15, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. However, because Yeshua was sinless, His "unleavened body" did not suffer the natural processes of corruption or decomposition! Something was going on inside that tomb that had not happened before! Yeshua's body did not and could not return to the dust. God was at work writing another and exhilirating part of the incomparable redemptive narrative! One of the mysteries of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was unfolding inside the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea! The Messiah's body was not decaying. But why, how could it be?
It was simply the fulfillment of the Messianic Psalm that was prophesied through King David a thousand years earlier. In Psalm 16:9-10 we read these amazing, prophetic words, "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your holy one see decay!" The Apostle Peter applied this prophetic Word to Yeshua in Acts 2:25-28,31, "David said about Him (the Messiah):'I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.'"v.31 "Seeing what was to come, he (David) spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah,(Yeshua) that He was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did His body see decay." Yeshua's body could not decay because there was no leaven of sin in it! He was the Unleavened Bread from heaven! Therefore the natural processes of death (leaven/yeast) were not present in the tomb of the Messiah!
So what are we to take from this Feast of Unleavened Bread which was fulfilled perfectly by Yeshua the Messiah? First, we should allow WHO HE IS to fascinate our hearts--the perfect, sinless, incorruptable Son of the Living God! Secondly, we should allow what happened, or should I say what didn't happen in that tomb, to fill us with hope about our future in Him! And third, we should simply put all of our trust in Him as THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE! Everything you could ever want or need is found in Yeshua the Unleavened Bread from Heaven! Shalom friends!
I am a voice of one crying in the wildernes, prepare the way of the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!
PS. How brilliant is our God? He reveals His eternal plan through His seven feasts in the Old Covenant through His chosen nation Israel. He then perfectly fulfills those feasts through the revelation of His Son in the New Covenant! Next week we will look at the Feast of First Fruits.
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