Pages

Saturday, February 27, 2010

One Thousand Years: Genesage "Song of Limmud" (Chp1)

*******************
Song of Limmud
******************* 


All I have Seen,
All I have Heard.
All I have Handled
All I have Walked

   
Do you see what I have seen?
Do you hear what I have heard?
  Do you walk where I have walked?
Do you know what I have known?



What have you Seen?
What have you Heard?
What have you Held?
Where have you Walked?

I will see what you have seen.
I will hear what you have heard.
I will walk where you have walked.
I will know what you have known.


Look but See.
Hear but Listen.
Think but Understand.
Walk and Consider.
        May you Know, What I Know.


-Song of Limmud[i]
Circa 2 KA[1]

Genesage

 

I saw the souls of them

beheaded

For the Witness of Jesus.

 

I saw the souls of them

beheaded

For the Word of God.

 

They had Not

Worshipped the Beast.

 

They had Not

Worshipped his Image.

 

His Mark was Not

Upon their Foreheads.

 

His Mark was Not

In their Hands.

 

 

They Live and Reign…,

 

       

 

One Thousand Years

 

 

 

Introduction 

 

 

 

Seventy Years have passed since the ‘End of the World’ and the Beginning of the Kingdom. A lot has changed for the people who lived through the Tribulation Period. Culture Shock, Post Traumatic Tribulation Stress Disorder (PTTSD’s) have come and gone with the Survivors having children and the children growing up. New Relationships for.  Shocking to the Survivors of the Old World is to discover their children think of their world as myths and legends.

 

Eben Abram one of the “Raptured” enjoys his quiet time as the heyday of the early “survival mode” of the people he cares for gives way to a peaceful time. He prepares them to go out into the World. Teaching his community he reflects on his own life and what it is like for him as he lived day to day in this New World in the Kingdom Age.

 

Delilah a Survivor of the Old World discovers love can blossom in this new age but dare she follow her heart or rely on her knowledge of the Old World as she goes forward in living in this Kingdom?

 

The Household of Mormon discovers there may be more to the Chronicles of Narnia than they thought and can religious themes replay themselves over again in the Kingdom? What is the House of Allah doing here?

 

Ex-wife meets ex-husband and discovers that not only is he in the Kingdom, but so is his “other” ex. Will they get along? Who is married to whom? How can imperfect people live in a perfected world?

 

The “Secret” society of the Brethren once formed to preserve “Old World” knowledge, splinters into another group devoted to “acting” upon that knowledge. What directions are they headed?

 

Though death is rare, one of Eben’s closest friends passes away and the entire community is affected.

 

Children of the Kingdom, the first generation born to the Survivors, begin to discover certain abilities they have being born in the Land Of New Yisrael, where Old Israel had been.

 

Another insight is revealed about the mysterious One Hundred and Forty Four Thousand. Some brief descriptions are given of the changes that have come upon the World as a whole and the “Promised Land.”

 

Excitement begins to build as the Survivors know it is only a matter of time till they leave the cities they have lived these seventy years and venture out into the rest of the world. Some prepare to build a new nation, others have personal agendas.  No one knows for certain what is “out there.”

 

Heroes from the Bible, Great Historical Figures, everyday people with conflicted ideas of How God Should have ordered this Kingdom Time all meet together in the epic adventure of a generation that can live a thousand years. Questions thought unanswerable are resolved as generation after generation experiences what it is like to live in the World God intended for man.                

A world where Jesus Reigns:

 

One Thousand Years

Is man ready to live in it?

Posted via web from One Thousand Years

Natszal: "Feasts of the Lord" Week One (Article Files)


Natszal: "Feasts of the Lord" Week One (Article Files)

Posted on Saturday, February 27, 2010 by Michael James Stone

The Rapture Series
Why Do you Believe?          What Do you Believe?             How Do You Believe?              Who Do You Believe? 
“Reason to Believe”

“Feasts of the Lord”
Week One
(Article Files)


 
THE FEASTS OF THE LORD 

The Passover Service 
The Passover Service introduces us to the first of the annual memorials in the sacred calendar. It was first kept in ancient Egypt when after four hundred years of slavery the Almighty rescued His people Israel from the hand of Pharaoh. In that well known episode Yahweh "passed over" the houses of the believers who had obeyed His command to apply the blood of a literal lamb to the lintel and doorposts of their houses. The Almighty spared the lives of Israel's eldest sons, but authorised the Destroyer to kill all the firstborn of the Egyptians who had refused to obey.
Exodus 12:29 "And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the cattle.
30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead."

Surprising as it may sound, that awesome experience in ancient Egypt on the night of the 14th Abib (the first month in the sacred calendar) was merely a "scaled-down preview", a "miniature object lesson", a "dramatised prophecy," a "spiritual blueprint" of a far greater deliverance of Jehovah's people scheduled to occur at the midnight of this age. For the real meaning of the Passover is this:
* JEHOVAH (Yahweh), the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel plans to deliver from eternal death ALL who express their faith in Him and accept His offer of eternal life made possible by the death of His Son Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.
* Yeshua the Messiah's death on Calvary was prefigured by the death of the Passover Lamb. (John 1:29, 1 Cor. 5:7).
* Yeshua sacrificed His life on the Passover, at the divinely appointed time, to rescue mankind from the 'slavery of sin' and its tragic consequences - eternal death!
* And all those who by express faith in the Almighty and His Son, the 'Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world,' will be pardoned, spared and granted eternal life according to His promise.

"And how," you may well ask, "is the blood of the real Passover Lamb, the Son of the Almighty God, applied to a believer in this electronic age?" The answer is: By taking part in a special memorial service called the Passover Service on the evening of the 14th Abib each year, which is the divinely appointed time. The Passover Service is a memorial of the Saviour's death on Calvary and every believer in the Messiah is commanded to keep it. "this do in remembrance of me" said the Messiah, the Lamb of God. Memorial services, incidentally are not observed several times a year; neither should they be observed at any time people fancy. The time to observe the Passovere Service has been divinely appointed; and that time is the evening of the 14th day of the month of Abib. Let all who read, pause and take note.
The new covenant emblems of the Saviour's body and blood are "unleavened bread and wine." (Luke 22:14-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26) These emblems have replaced the need to slay a literal lamb each year, for the Messiah, the real Passover Lamb, has already been slain. But the TIME set apart for this memorial service remains the same. It is the evening of the 14th day of the first month (Abib) in the sacred calendar (Exodus 13:5-11). The date is important and can never be altered, because it is the memorial date of our Saviour's death, when he paid with His life to rescue mankind from extinction at the hands of the Destroyer. When a believer takes part in this service he/she is, figuratively speaking, applying the blood of the Messiah to his/her mind, which is the lintel of the soul. This act of faith is a clear sign to the Almighty that that soul seeks pardon, protection and salvation. That is how the Passover Lamb's blood is applied to the lintel of a believer's mind in this century.
Incredible as it may seem, the fulfilment of the Passover (the day itself , not the Lamb) is still future. According to Scripture that day will be fulfilled in the Kingdom of Heaven. Even the Saviour is awaiting the approaching midnight of this age when the Destroyer will be compelled to spare or passover all those who are displaying the sign of the Lamb's blood.
Luke 22: 15: And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
16: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

Note those words, "until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God." This points to a still future fulfilment of the Passover, an event which will take place just prior to our entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. I repeat, the Passover Lamb (Yeshua the Messiah) has been slain; it now remains for believers to symbollically apply his blood to their hearts and minds before the midnight of this age when the Destroyer will once again circle the earth on his mission of death!
Believers in the Almighty who, therefore, celebrate the Passover Service on the appointed evening each year will be greatly blessed; for as they eat the unleavened bread and drink the wine (the new covenant emblems of the Saviour's body and blood) they are, in truth, applying the Saviour's life-giving blood to the lintels of their souls..
Put differently, we may say that Yahweh's main purpose in staging such a breathtaking Passover display in ancient Egypt was His way of giving the entire universe a 'prophetic preview' of His earth- encompassing plan to 'pass over' and deliver His people in the closing days of this age. Yes, the LORD God of Israel is in the near future going to personally visit all the nations of the world, and as before, 'pass-over' (pity, spare and deliver) all those who faithfully display the Sign of His Son's blood on the lintels of their minds and the door post of their supporting actions. Thus we can see that ancient Israel's exodus from Egypt was a "prophetic drama," a "living blueprint," a "meaningful model" of a far greater deliverance of Yahweh's people which is scheduled to take place on a world scale in our day. In view of this, believers in the Messiah should beware of failing to keep this memorial service at its appointed time. (See How to hold the Passover in your own home.)
The Week of Unleavened Bread 
The week of unleavened bread is often referred to as the Passover Week. The first and last days of this week (15th and 21st Abib) are Sabbath days, on which all believers are commanded to rest from their labours and to assemble to worship the Almighty. (Leviticus 23:5-8)
Leaven (yeast) is a symbol of sin, hypocrisy and false doctrine, a week represents eternity and a house represents the church of God. Thus the week of unleavened bread (when every trace of leaven is cleared from the houses of believers) symbolises the church which is to be purged by God: of sin, hypocrisy and false doctrine - for all time. Only when that work has been done will the church be a fit "Temple of God," a spiritual home the Almighty will inhabit for all eternity. Yes, before Yahweh's Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in 'His house' (the church) He has scheduled Himself to purge His people of every trace of (leaven) sin. (Matt. 16:6-12, 1 Cor. 5:6-8, Luke 12:1).
I repeat, there is coming a time when the Almighty will purge hypocrisy, false doctrine & sin (leaven) from the minds of His people; and only when that time arrives will the Week of Unleavened Bread have found its fulfilment, not before.
Scripture tells us that this Feast of Unleavened Bread is a Sacred Sign on the believer's hand and mind that the Almighty's law is inscribed therein. This Feast is, in fact, the appointed sign of faithful obedience, as opposed to the Mark of the Antichrist, which is the brand mark of disobedience.
Exodus 13:6: Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.
7: Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.
8: And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.
9: And IT (this particular Feast) shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.
10: Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.
Note: that specific reference to this Feast being a sign on the hand and a memorial between the eyes (the mind).

The Feast of Pentecost 
The Feast of Pentecost, also called the Feast of First Fruits, falls on the 50th day after the Passover Sabbath. This feast is a reminder, a guarantee of Yahweh's power to produce spiritual fruit in the field of human salvation. The literal first fruits of the soil are merely the physical types or expressions of the real first fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The first fruits of the Holy Spirit are the true believers won to God by His Son the firstborn. (1 Cor. 15:20&23, James 1:18, Rev. 14:4)
The ancient ceremony of presenting the Almighty with the firstfruits of the earth (Deut. 26:1-11) with two oven-baked loaves, in which the leaven had been de-activated (Lev. 23:15-17), was a figure, a type, a shadow of the spiritual harvest of human souls in whom the yeast of sin will one day cease to exist. There is coming a day when the power of sin will be de-activated in us believers just as the power of leaven is neutralised in an oven baked loaf.
The breathtaking experience recorded in Acts 2 was but the early harvest, a kind of "firstfruits" of an even greater out-pouring of divine power scheduled to fall upon the church in the near future when the main harvest of human beings will be gathered in.
The Feast of Pentecost, in short, prefigures, guarantees and commemorates the early harvest, the first fruits of human souls: and those who celebrate it declare their willingness to be part of that spiritual multitude which will one day be gathered in and presented to the Almighty by His Son - the Firstborn!
The Feast of Trumpets 
The Feast of Trumpets is celebrated on the first day of Ethanim (Tishri) the seventh month in the sacred calendar. (Lev. 23:24)
Trumpets were used by Yahweh's command in ancient Israel:
* To assemble the congregation and to start journeying (Numbers 10:2)
* To call the leaders of Israel together (verse 4)
* To sound the alarm for war and to signal an attack (verse 9, Judges 3:27, Job 39:25)
* To accompany the praises of Israel at the appointed festivals and the days of the new moon (Numbers 10:10)
* To proclaim the accession of kings (2 Sam. 15:10, 1 Kings 1:34, 2 Kings 9:13)
* And to announce the Jubilee year of freedom (Lev. 25:9)

The Feast of Trumpets is a memorial Sabbath, a day of special significance, designed to bring the faithful into remembrance before the Almighty. The two silver trumpets mentioned in Numbers 10 were types of the great originals in the heavens - the Trumpets of Yahweh & His Son. Those divine originals are mentioned several times in the Scriptures and at their sounding events of awesome importance have and still will take place. We read about the trumpets past and future used in:
* The giving of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:14-19)
* The world wide warning still scheduled for the future when Yahweh Himself will blow the trumpet. (Zech. 9:14, Isaiah 18:3, Zeph. 1:14-16)
* Signalling the events scheduled for the close of this age. (Revelation chapters 8 & 9)
* The Second Advent of Jesus Christ; at which the resurrection will take place. (Matt. 24:31, 1 Cor. 15:51-52)

A study of the texts listed above will show how Yahweh Himself has planned to use His heavenly trumpets again. He and His Son will blow them to gather His people as in days gone by; gather them for the climatic events scheduled to take place at the Messiah's return. Did he not say:
Isaiah 18:3 "All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when He lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when He bloweth a trumpet, HEAR YE."
Zechariah 9:14 "And the LORD shall be seen over them, and His arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with the whirlwinds of the south."

The prophecy of the Revelation tells of the sounding of heavenly trumpets - possibly starting at a Feast of Trumpets - which will probably coincide with the gathering of Yahweh's people in the last days and the final war in heaven between the forces of good and evil. (Rev 12) See Understand the Revelation, in which the Seven Trumpets are explained.
No one will doubt but that the Feast to Trumpets has still to find even partial fulfilment; and it is because of this fact and the many texts which tell of the use of the Trumpets of God in the future that believers should beware of ignoring this important feast day.
On some future Feast of Trumpets the mighty Trumpet of the LORD will sound. It will be heard throughout the world! and will reverberate with tones as awesome as the rushing sound which filled Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost some 2000 years ago (Acts 2:2). All of mankind will hear the Trumpet, for the Bible says:
Zechariah 9:14 "And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with the whirlwinds of the south."
Isaiah 18:3 "All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye."

Only when that event happens can we justifiably say that the Feast of Trumpets has found fulfilment. For further information see the Shofar; herald of the coming kingdom.
The Day of Atonement 
The Day of Atonement is observed on the 10th day of the seventh month of Ethanim (tishri) by abstinence from daily labour, by a holy convocation and by fasting. It is the only commanded fast in the year and is, doubtless, the most solemn day in the sacred calendar. (Lev. 16 also Lev. 23:27-32). On this day the high priest laid aside his official ornaments and dressed in a white linen garment entered the Most Holy place to make atonement for himself, the priesthood and the congregation of Israel. The Epistle to the Hebrews (chapter 9) explains that this annual entry by the High Priest in the Holy of Holies foreshadowed the entrance of the Messiah the High Priest of the Melchizedek Order (Heb. 7:15-17) into Yahweh's presence to secure salvation for His people.
Our salvation, in other words, will only by complete when we are actually brought into the very presence of the Almighty.
The word "atonement" means to make amends for, to reconcile, to restore, to repair, to make at-one again. And that is exactly what the Day of Atonement prefigures. It points to a specific time in the future when the great High Priest of the Melchizedek Order (Yeshua the Messiah) will literally bring the redeemed host of mankind right into the very presence of His Father, in order that we may be AT-ONE with YAHWEH.
That indeed will by a reconciliation beyond compare, when the Almighty's estranged human family - alienated from Him by sin - will actually be brought into His presence to be AT ONE with Him. Can you now begin to see the plan of salvation prefigured in the feasts?
Yahweh's family of true believers:
* Ransomed at the Passover and liberated by the blood of His Son - the Passover Lamb.
* Purged of sin, hypocrisy and false doctrine during the Days of Unleavened Bread to become a holy Temple of God.
* Filled with the power of the Holy Ghost in order to bear fruit for all eternity.
* Victoriously gathered and defended at the Feast of Trumpets when the trumpets of Yahweh will sound throughout the earth.
* And finally on the Great Day of Atonement, brought into the very presence of the Almighty by his Son the High Priest to be at-one with Him for all eternity.

Oh what a glorious day of reconciliation that will be! Catch a glimpse of it in these words from that famous parable of the Prodigal Son.
Luke 15:11-32 "Quick, bring the best robe and put it on him. Give him a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet. Bring the fatted calf, kill it and let us eat and be merry. For my son here was dead and he has come to life. He was lost and he is found."

The Feast of Tabernacles 
The Feast of Tabernacles (Booths or Shelters) is celebrated on the 15th day of Ethanim (Tishri) the seventh month in the sacred calendar.
This feast begins a week during which all 'Israelites born' are required to live in temporary dwellings or shelters. (Lev. 23:39-43). It is, at its basic level, a memorial of the time when Yahweh made His people live in tents and temporary shelters in the wilderness when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.
At a higher level it is also a reminder or memorial of the fact that the Almighty came down from heaven to live in a Tabernacle (a tent) amidst His people Israel. (Exodus 33:7-11 & chapters 35 to 40)
The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible has this to say about the Tabernacle in the wilderness. "The movable sanctuary in the form of a tent which God directed Moses at Sinai to make, that God might dwell as king among His people." (Exodus 25:8-9) Hence it was called:
* "the dwelling" (chs 25:9 margin of RV 26:1) and as the place where Jehovah met His people.
* "the tent of meeting" (Exodus 40:34,35 RV), and as the depository of the tables of the Law of testimony,
* "the tabernacle of the testimony" (Exodus 38:21, ch 25:21,22, Numbers 9:15)
* It was also known by the general designation "house of Jehovah" (Exodus 34:26, Josh. 6:24)"

From these and other passages we can see that the literal Tabernacle which Moses built according to the Almighty's design was merely a type, a shadow, a physical expression of:
* Yahweh's real spiritual habitation
* His point of contact with His people
* His law court or seat of justice, which not only housed his commandments but from where He personally dealt out Judgement.

These three functions of the physical Tabernacle find fulfilment in Yeshua the Messiah the only begotten Son of the Most High, who is, in reality, the true Tabernacle of God.
Consequently, we may say that the Feast of Tabernacles is also a memorial of the Almighty's astonishing condescension to come down to earth to tabernacle or pitch His tent with humanity in the person of His Son. For Jesus Christ is Immanuel, GOD WITH US, God incarnate; that is the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel taking up his abode in the tabernacle of a human body, in order to redeem and enable mankind to obey His eternal law.
Romans 8:3 "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Is it any wonder that the profound reality of this fact (that God is going to tabernacle with mankind for eternity) drew from the lips of an angel these amazing words:
Revelation 21:3 "Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men and He will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God."

I repeat, Yeshua the Messiah is the Tabernacle of God!; and on the earth made new he will again dwell in the midst of His people just as surely as He occupied the tabernacle built by Moses in the days of old. That is what the Feast of Tabernacles is a reminder and foretaste of.
The Last Great Day 
The feast, known as the Last Great Day, occurs just after the week of Tabernacles. It is celebrated on the 22nd Ethanim. (Lev. 23:36)
The Last Great Day prefigures the endless cycles of eternity when the life-giving power of the Almighty God will flow to and through His people on the earth made new. At the moment (1999) the reality of the Great Day of the Feast is an event to look forward to; but in the hereafter, when the saints occupy the new universe, the breathtaking bliss of the Great Day will begin to be appreciated as each anniversary - through the endless ages of eternity - brings unspeakable joy to the ransomed host. The Great Day will have begun - never to end!
A special invitation to this great spiritual banquet of an endless life of bliss is given to you by the Master Himself in John 7:37-39.
John 7:37 "In the last day, the Great Day of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"

Here is an invitation that tells of how the true believer will not only live with the Almighty for all time, but will go on with the Creator to become the channel and co-producer of life everlasting to others, just as a young wife is the potential mother of many generations to come. Oh! the astonishing wonder of that declaration in John 7:37-39. Can you afford to ignore it?
These, then, are the appointed, memorial feasts in the Almighty's Programme of Salvation. As you can see each and every one of them commemorates in a special way a unique accomplishment of the Holy One of Israel.
* Passover - when Yahweh, the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel paid the price for the redemption of mankind by sacrificing His Son Yeshua, the Passover Lamb for the sin of the world.
* The Week of Unleavened Bread - when the Almighty puts sin, hypocrisy and false doctrine out of His church, His house, His Temple - for all time!
* Pentecost - when the Almighty begins to produce spiritual fruit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, long-suffering, patience, kindness etc.) in the lives of His true followers.
* Trumpets - when He calls, gathers, protects and battles in their defence.
* Atonement - when the ransomed church is brought by the Almighty's Son into the very presence of His Father to be made 'at-one' with Him.
* Tabernacles - when Yahweh takes up His eternal abode and tabernacles with His people in the person of His Son.
* The Last Great Day - when through the power of the Holy Ghost Yahweh's church will become the channel of blessing to the entire universe - for the great day which we call Eternity!

This is the message of the Bible concerning the Feast Days of Yahweh the Holy One of Israel. And it is concerning these sacred feasts that He says:
Leviticus 23:2 "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are MY FEASTS...
4. These are the FEASTS OF THE LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons."

Who are the Children of Israel?
The true children of Israel, astonishing as this may sound, are those who have put their faith in the LORD God of Israel and His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:29 "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Romans 2:28 "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly: and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."

Gentiles who believe in the Messiah of Israel are, according to the Holy Scriptures, grafted into the Olive of Israel. They become part of the commonwealth of spiritual Israel and thereafter share all the blessings of the chosen race. Paul's letter to the Romans (chapter 11) makes this fact abundantly clear.
Romans 11:17 "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree...
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou also shall be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not in unbelief, shall be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again...
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
27. For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. "

What do these facts mean? They mean exactly what they say: that all true believers in the LORD God of Israel and His Son Yeshua are Israelites and are included in this gracious invitation to become part of the Olive of Israel. As Israelites we rejoice greatly and gladly observe the Feasts of the LORD; the eternal memorials of our salvation!
Leviticus 23:2 " Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them. Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my Feasts!

If you are a believer in the Son of the Most High, then the invitation to keep His appointed feasts is extended to you. Accept it without delay.




(blogger)
Fair Use Notice
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.

‘Your Devotion with Emotion’
This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them. 

Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

Last Days of the Last Generation                                                                                             “Last Generation”




This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

Natsal: "Feasts of the Lord" Week One (Larkin)

The Rapture Series

Why Do you Believe?          What Do you Believe?             How Do You Believe?              Who Do You Believe? 

“Reason to Believe”

 

“Feasts of the Lord”

Week One

(Larkin)

 

Dispensational Truth
XXX
The Feasts of the Lord
 

 

 

The 23d chapter of the Book of Leviticus gives us an account of the "Seven Great Feasts" of the Lord. They were a prophecy and foreshadowing of future events, part of which have been fulfilled, and part are yet to be. They are the "shadow of things to come, " of which Christ is the "body" or substance. Col. 2:16, Col. 2:17. They were "Holy Convocations" of the people. They were instituted by the Lord. The people had no voice in the matter. God promised that if the males went up at the "set time" to Jerusalem to keep these Feasts, He would look after their families. When the people became formal and indifferent, the Lord said,"Your new moons and Your appointed Feasts My soul Hateth; they are a Trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them." Isa. 1:14. Therefore Jesus called them the "Feasts of the Jews, " rather than the "Feasts of the Lord."

The "Feasts of the Lord" are seven in number. If we include the Sabbath there are eight. But the Sabbath stands by itself. It was to be observed "weekly, " the other Feasts "annually." The Sabbath was to be observed at "home, " the other Feasts at "Jerusalem." The "Seven Feasts" may be divided into two sections of "four" and "three." The first section includes the "Passover, " the Feasts of "Unleavened Bread, " of "First-Fruits" and "Pentecost." Then there was an interval of four months, followed by the Feasts of "Trumpets, " "Day of Atonement, " and "Tabernacles." The "Three Great Festivals" were the "Passover, " "Pentecost, " and "Tabernacles." They extended from the 14th day of the First Month to the 22d day of the Seventh Month. 

The First Four Feasts foreshadow truths connected with this present Gospel Dispensation and those who form the "heavenly" people of the Lord, the Church; while the Last Three Feasts foreshadow the blessings in store for God's "earthly" people, the Jews. 

1. The Passover Feast. 

The Passover Feast had its origin in Egypt. It was the memorial of the redemption and deliverance of the Children of Israel from Egypt. It was to them the "beginning of months, " and their birthday as a Nation.Ex. 12:2. It consisted of the taking of a male lamb, without blemish, of the first year, a lamb for a family and killing it on the 14th day of the month in the evening, and sprinkling its blood, with bunch of hyssop, on the two side posts and upper lintel of the door of their houses, so that when the Lord passed through Egypt that night and saw the blood on the doorposts, He would spare the first born sheltered within. The flesh of the lamb was so roasted and eaten with unleavened broad and bitter herbs, and none of it left until the morning. Those who ate of it were to do so with their loins girded, their shoes on their feet, and their staff in their hand, ready to leave Egypt. 

The Passover Feast was to be to them as a "Memorial, " and they were to keep it as a Feast throughout their generations, and as an ordinance Forever. Ex. 12:14. 

The Passover Lamb was intended as a "type" of Jesus, the 

"Lamb of God." 

The shedding of His blood on Calvary, and our applying it to our hearts by faith, has the same effect as to our salvation, as the applying of the Passover Lamb's blood to the doorposts of those Egyptian houses had to the safety of those who were sheltered within. As that night was the "beginning of months" to them, so the moment a soul accepts Jesus Christ as its Saviour, that moment it is "born again, " and a new life begins, for Christ Our Passover was sacrificed for us. 1Cor. 5:7. 

The first time the Children of Israel observed the Passover Feast it was amid the terrors of God's judgment plagues in the land of Egypt, a type of the world. Thereafter its yearly observance was as a joyful Memorial of their deliverance from Egypt. While they still observe the Passover Feast no "lamb" is slain, and no "blood" used, but when they get back to their own land they will again keep the Passover. The Christian Church does not observe the Passover, but they do observe as a Memorial the ordinance of the Lord's Supper that Christ instituted in its place. 

2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread. 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread began on the day after the Passover, and continued for seven days. Lev. 23:6-8. The lamb was slain on the 14th day at sunset, which ended the day. The Feast of Unleavened Bread began immediately after sunset, which was the beginning of the 15th day. Thus there was no interval between them. As the Passover is a type of the death of Christ, so the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a type of the "Walk" of the Believer, and there should be no interval between the salvation of a soul and its entrance on a holy life and walk. The "seven days" point to the whole course of the Believer's life after conversion. 

Leaven in the Scriptures is a type of evil, so the Feast was to be kept with "unleavened" bread. Ex. 13:7. Paul speaks of "malice" and "wickedness" as leaven. "Purge out therefore the 'old leaven' that ye may be a 'new lump, ' as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the Feast, not with 'old leaven, ' neither with the 'leaven of malice and wickedness, ' but with the 'unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."' 1Cor. 5:7, 1Cor. 5:8. 

The-typical teaching then of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is that, having been saved by the shed blood of Christ our Passover, we are to "walk" in newness of life, purging out the leaven of wordliness, and doing no "servile work, " or work that is done to earn salvation. 

3. The Feast of First-Fruits.

The Passover- took place on the 14th day of the month, the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the next day, which was the Sabbath, and the following day, which was the "morrow after the Sabbath, " the Feast of First Fruits was to be celebrated. This however could not be done until after the Children of Israel had entered Canaan, therefore the Feast of First Fruits was not observed during the Wilderness Wanderings. The Offering was a sheaf reaped from the waving fields of the ripened harvest, and carried to the priest to be waved before the Lord for acceptance, and was to be followed by a Burnt, Meat and Drink Offering, but no Sin-Offering. The Burnt-Offering was to be a male lamb without blemish of the first year.

The Feast of First-Fruits was a type and foreshadowing of the

Resurrection of Christ.

He arose on the "morning after the Sabbath, " and His resurrection is spoken of by Paul, as the "First-Fruits" of the resurrection of the dead. As the "Corn of Wheat" (John 12:24) He was buried in Joseph's Tomb, and His resurrection was the "First-Fruits" of the Harvest of those who will be Christ's at His coming. 1Cor. 15:23.

When the Priest on the day of Christ's resurrection waved the sheaf of "First-Fruits" in the Temple, it was before a "rent veil, " and was but an empty form, for the Substance had come and the shadow had passed away, and the empty tomb -of Joseph proclaimed that the "Great First-Fruits' Sheaf" had been reaped and waved in the Heavenly Temple. There will be no Feast of First Fruits in the Millennium, it has been fulfilled in Christ. 4. The Feast of Pentecost.

Fifty days after the Feast of First-Fruits, the Feast of Pentecost was observed. The space between the two Feasts, which included Seven Sabbaths, was called the "Feast of Weeks." It began with the offering of the First-Fruits of the Barley Harvest, and ended with the ingathering of the Wheat Harvest. The First Day was the Feast of the First-Fruits, the Last Day was the Feast of Pentecost. Only the First and Last day were celebrated.

 
The Feasts of the Lord


 
The Tabernacle

At the Feast of Pentecost a New Meat Offering was to be offered before the Lord. It was called "new" because it must be of grain from the "new" harvest. At the Feast of First-Fruits "stalks of grain" were to be offered and waved, but at the Feast of Pentecost the grain was to be ground and made into flour, from which two loaves were to be baked with leaven. The "two loaves" represent the two classes of people that were to form the Church, the Jews and Gentiles, and as believers are not perfect, even though saved, that imperfection is represented by the leaven.

A "Burnt Offering" of seven lambs without blemish of the first year, one young bullock, and two rams, was to be offered with the "Wave Loaves, " as was also "Meat" and "Drink" Offerings for a sweet savor unto the Lord. These were to be followed by a "Sin Offering" of a kid of the goats, and two lambs of the first year for a "Peace Offering." The "Wave Loaves" were to be waved before the Lord. Note that it is now "loaves, " not loose stalks of grain. The "loaves" represent the homogeneousness of the Church.

The Feast of Pentecost had its fulfilment on the Day of Pentecost, when the disciples of the Lord were baptized into one body by the Holy Spirit. 1Cor. 12:13.

The Interval.

Between the Feast of Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets there was an interval of four months during which the Harvest and Vintage were gathered in. There was no convocation of the people during those busy months. This long "Interval" typifies the "Present Dispensation" in which the Holy Spirit is gathering out the elect of the Church, and during which Israel is scattered among the Nations. When the Present Dispensation has run its course, and the "Fulness of the Gentiles" has been gathered in (Rom. 11:25) along with the "remnant according to the election of grace" of Israel (Rom. 11:5), then this "Dispensation of Grace" will end, and the elect of Israel will be gathered back from the four quarters of the earth to keep the Feast of Trumpets at Jerusalem. Matt. 24:31.

5. The Feast of Trumpets.

The Feast of Trumpets, which was observed on the first day of the Seventh month, ushered in the second series of the "set feasts." It fell on a Sabbath day, at the time of the New Moon, and ushered in the Jewish New Year. It was followed by the "Day of Atonement', a on the 10th day of the month, and by the "Feast of Tabernacles" which began on the 15th day of the month, a Sabbath day, and ended on the 22d day of the month, which was also a Sabbath day. It was ushered in with the blowing of Trumpets. During the Wilderness Wandering two silver Trumpets, made of the atonement money of the people, were blown for the "calling of the Assembly, " and for the "journeyings of the Camps." Num. 10:1-3.

The fact that the Feast of Trumpets comes immediately at the close of the "Interval" between the two series of "set feasts" is not without significance. As we have seen the "Interval" represents this "Dispensation of Grace, " and we know that two things are to happen at the close of this Dispensation. First the Church is to be caught out, and secondly Israel is to be gathered back to their own land. When the Church is caught out-"The Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the Trump of God" (1Thes. 4:16), and "We shall not all sleep (die), but we (who are then alive) shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the

Last Trump;

for the Trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed " 1Cor. 15:51, 1Cor. 15:52.

This "last trump" is not the list of the "Seven Trumpets" that sound in the Book of Revelation, for it does not sound until the "Middle of the Week, " while the Church is caught out "before" the beginning of the "Week." We probably are to understand by the "last trump" the last of the Two Trumpets used by Israel, the first, for the "calling of the Assembly, " will call out the dead in Christ from their graves, and the second or "last, " for the "journeying of the camps, " will be the signal for the upward journey of the risen and transformed saints to meet the Lord in the air.

Then we read in Matt. 24:31, that the Son of Man, when He comes in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory at His Revelation of Himself, shall send His angels with a great sound of a Trumpet, and they shall gather together His "elect" (not of the Church but of Israel) from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." From this we see that the "Feast of Trumpets" has a typical relation to the "catching out" of the Church, and the regathering of Israel at the Second Coming of Christ. This has led some to believe that as Jesus was crucified at the time of the Passover, and the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost, that when He comes back the "Rapture" will take place at the Feast of Tabernacles, and the "Revelation" seven years later at the time of the same Feast. Time alone will reveal the correctness of this view.

6. The Day of Atonement.

The "Day of Atonement" was Israel's annual cleansing from sin. For a full account of the day and its services read Lev. 16:1-3. Its typical meaning was fulfilled in Christ. He is our Great High Priest, who instead of offering a "Sin-Offering" for Himself, offered Himself as a "Sin-Offering" for us. Heb. 9:11-13. But the fact that the "Day of Atonement" is placed between the "Feast of Trumpets, " which we have seen will have its typical fulfillment at the Second Coming of Christ, and the "Feast of Tabernacles, " which is a type of Israel's "Millennial Rest, " implies that it has some typical significance between those two events. It must therefore refer to the time when a "Fountain will be opened to the

House of David

and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." Zech. 13:1. That is, there will be a National "Day of Atonement" for Israel after they have been gathered back to their own land unconverted, and shall repent and turn to God. Zech. 12:9-11.

7. The Feast of Tabernacles.

This was the last of the Seven Set Feasts. It was a "Harvest Home" celebration to be observed at the end of the harvest, and was to continue seven days. Deut. 16:13. The people during the Feast were to dwell in booths (arbors) made of the branches of palm trees and willows from the brook, which would remind them of the palm trees of Elim, and the

"Willows" of Babylon. Psa. 137:1-3. The Antitype of this Feast has not as yet appeared though Peter anticipated it, when on the Mt. of Transfiguration, he said-"Lord, it is good for us to be here; if thou wilt, let us make here three Tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias." Matt. 17:4. What Peter desired, the dwelling of heavenly with earthly people on the earth, was not possible then, but will come to pass in Millennial Days, when Heaven and Earth shall be in closer union. The Feast of Tabernacles points forward to Israel's "Millennial Rest."

What the "Seventh Day, " or Sabbath, is to the week, a day of rest; so the "Seventh Month" to the other six months of the "Seven Month Cycle, " typifies a period of rest-the

"Sabbatic Rest"

of the "Millennial Age, " or 1000 years, in relation to the other six thousand years of the world's work day history. Like the Lord's Supper is to us, a "Memorial" pointing back to the "Cross" and forward to the "Coming, " so the "Feast of Tabernacles" will be a "Memorial" to Israel, pointing back to Egypt and forward to Millennial Rest.

While the Feast of Tabernacles began on the Sabbath and continued seven days, it was to be followed by a Sabbath. Lev. 23:39. This Sabbath on the "Eighth Day" points to the New Heaven and Earth that follow the Millennium, and to the "Eighth Dispensation, " the Dispensation of the "Fulness of Times" as shown on the Chart "Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natzsal

 

 

Natzsal

(blogger)

Michael James Stone

Fair Use Notice

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.

 

Last Call

‘Your Devotion with Emotion’

This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them. 

 

Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

 

Last Call Digest

Last Days of the Last Generation                                                                                             “Last Generation”

 

 

 

 

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.

The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

Posted via email from Classic Christian Digest

Posted via web from Last Days Digest