We want to look at the Feast of Pentecost in a different way today. I am sure that everyone knows about what happened on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:1-4 tells us, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” Tongues of fire that did not burn; fire that was dividing and distributing itself upon the heads of those who were in this place on this Pentecost day: today we want to look at what I am calling “Holy Fire.”

When we think of fire we usually think of the destruction fire causes, and yet we see that there is a fire that does not bring about destruction. Let’s look at a few scriptures.

Exodus 3:2 tells us about Moses who, when tending his father-in-law’s sheep, came across a certain bush. “The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a fire blazing from the middle of a bush. He looked and saw that although the bush was flaming with fire, yet the bush was not being burned up.” Moses was witnessing Holy Fire. In fact, God tells him this in verse 5: “Don’t come any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Holy Fire is the very presence of God.

Exodus 13:21 tells us this about how God separated his people from the Egyptians that first night: “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.” Just a pillar of fire that never spread: this can only be Holy Fire.

Let’s look at the first Pentecost day, which was 50 days after the first Passover when the Israelites left Egypt.

Exodus 19:16-18 tells us this: “On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.”

When God descended, that mountain became holy, and the people had been warned not to touch the mountain. Once again we see that the fire did not destroy the mountain. The fire was Holy Fire.

We can not forget Elijah who was taken up in a chariot of fire. 1 Kings 2:11-12 says, “As they were walking along and talking, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. As Elisha was watching, he was crying out, ‘Avi! Avi! The chariot of Israel and its horsemen!’ Then he saw him no more. So he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.” How can you have a chariot and horses of fire? It can only be the Holy Fire of God.

Let’s look at one more scripture, Daniel 3:13-27. “Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; then these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?’ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. For this reason, because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, ‘Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?’ They replied to the king, ‘Certainly, O king.’ He said, ‘Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!’ Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!’ Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.”

So why were those Hebrew children not consumed by the fire? Because when God entered into that furnace with them, that fire now became holy fire. We see one interesting detail in this account. According to the King James Version, it speaks of the appearance of the fourth man as having the appearance of one like the Son of God. We are going to take a closer look at this.

Ezekiel 1:22-28 tells us, “Now over the heads of the living beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads. Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. I also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings. And there came a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings. Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.”

Ezekiel gives us here a description of God having a figure and an appearance of a man. Yet we know that God is spirit as we are told in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” So how can all of this be? How can God have a figure of a man and be total fire and yet be a spirit? There is so much that we do not know about the spiritual realm, and yet there is so much that we do know from the Scriptures.

Hebrews 8:5 tells us this regarding the Tabernacle: “They (the priests) serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the Tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'” We see here that there is an identical, eternal Tabernacle in heaven.

Isaiah tells us what he saw. “I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke” (Isaiah 6:1-4). This sounds like it could be on earth, doorposts and thresholds and smoke, and yet this is in the spiritual realm.

Let’s explain all of this. God is fire: a spiritual fire, a holy fire. When man connects with God, his eyes can see into the spiritual realm so that he can see God. So God gave us spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear so that we can look into the spiritual realm because we, too, have a spirit; but when God comes down to man, then God has to have a physical element, such as fire and smoke and peals of lightning and thunder, so we can see Him with our physical eyes, and yet we do not actually see Him.

This is what happened on Mount Sinai. The people heard the sound of God, but they only saw the smoke. Deuteronomy 4:12-13 tells us, “You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.” Later, when the Ten Commandments were given to Moses, Moses asked God to allow Him to see His face as recorded in Exodus 33:18-23. “Then Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory.’ And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,’ He said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’ Then the Lord said, ‘There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.'”

Hebrews 12:26-29 says this: “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.'”

As we have seen, God is fire, but His Holy Fire does not consume His people. But God has a side of Him that will consume the wicked as He did when He consumed Sodom and Gomorrah. But we, God’s people, must desire God’s Holy Fire. That is what the people received on the day of Pentecost at Mt Sinai. You may ask, “How”? They received God’s Holy Fire when they received God’s Torah (His teachings). The Hasidic Jews believe that when God spoke the Ten Commandments, He spoke it in all 70 known languages, and that His words created sparks of fire; and when we speak God’s words, they also create spiritual sparks of fire.

God’s Word is light. The Menorah was the only light in the temple, and it was a seven-branched candelabra. The Menorah represented the Messiah. Isaiah 11:1-2 says this about Messiah, who is the Light of Life: “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” So these seven flames or sparks from the Menorah (which was called the Light of the World) also tell us about that day in Jerusalem when those tongues of fire appeared upon the 120 people that had been praying for the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, in the upper room for those ten days. When they received the Holy Spirit with those tongues of fire upon them, they spoke in those 70 languages so all could understand. Acts 2:5-12 tells us, “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!’ Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?'”

Peter’s words on the day of Pentecost created those sparks of fire that resulted in 3,000 people accepting Messiah that day, as it tells us in Acts 2:14-41.

How about you? Are you praying that God uses you to create those sparks of fire? Today on Pentecost, ask God for His Holy Fire and go out to all the world and set the world on fire speaking God’s truth, His Word.

Happy Pentecost!

Sundown on Thursday will mark, according to the Biblical calendar, the beginning of Shavuot, also known as Pentecost. The majority of the Christian church will instead celebrate this holiday on Sunday, May 31. I talked a little bit about this holiday in my previous post on Counting the Omer, “Counting the Days”. Additionally, we have lots of other information about Shavuot/Pentecost on our website here. Shavuot is traditionally associated with the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, so in this article I want to focus on two ways that the Israelites responded to the message on Shavuot: with obedience, and with fear.

Obedience

When the Israelites arrived at Mt. Sinai, God told Moses to relate the following message to them: “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:4-6). This statement shows God’s intent in saving His people: He calls them out so that they will belong to Him in a very special way. This process, culminating in the giving of the Torah on Shavuot, has been compared to a wedding ceremony: God, the groom, chooses Israel as His bride.

Moses does as he is commanded, and the people immediately respond in the affirmative. “All the people answered together and said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do!’ And Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD” (Exodus 19:8). Even before they had heard the terms of the covenant, they declared their eagerness and willingness to obey. Without taking any time to think it over or deliberate, weighing the pros and the cons, they immediately said “yes” to God’s offer. They reaffirm their choice once again after Moses reads the book of the covenant, the terms of the agreement, to them: “Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!’” (Exodus 24:7).

This immediate, positive response could be compared to that of Isaiah the prophet later in Israel’s history. In Isaiah 6:6 we read, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Before even hearing what the message is that he will be required to convey, Isaiah passionately calls out to volunteer.

We see this again in the response of the disciples when Yeshua called them: “As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Yeshua said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him” (Mark 1:16-20).

In each of these three cases, the response is immediate to God’s calling. At Mt. Sinai, the Israelites verbally affirm that they agree to the terms of the covenant. Likewise, Isaiah immediately responds to God’s request for a volunteer. In the case of Yeshua’s disciples, no words are recorded, but each shows their willingness to obey by immediately leaving behind their previous life and following after Yeshua.

If we read further in the narrative of the revelation at Sinai (Exodus 32), we see that the words of the people ring hollow: while Moses is delayed for some time on the mountain, they grow restless and fear the worst has happened to him. They make an idol and worship it. Although Aaron tries to justify the idolatrous activity as “a feast to the LORD”, it is a clear violation of the first commandment. The worship of the golden calf is in tragic contrast to the excitement which the people of Israel showed when they agreed to obey. Their response seems similar to one of the groups in Yeshua’s parable of the sower: “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away” (Matthew 13:20).

We know that everything Scripture records is to teach us. So, what can we learn from the foregoing? One thing that sticks out is that responding immediately in the affirmative to God’s call is only valuable if we live up to our calling. This is itself reminiscent of another one of Yeshua’s parables: “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go” (Matthew 21:28-29). Obviously, in this parable the first son is the one who did the will of his father despite his initial rebellion, and this one will be commended. But there is a better way, the way that Isaiah and the disciples took. They responded “I will”, and then they lived up to their word. They agreed to do and obey all that the Lord told them, and they were able to do so by the grace of God.

Fear

After their initial agreement to do and obey, we see a second response once God reveals Himself in power: “So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 19:16-17). The people of Israel had seen God’s mighty ability to act before this. They had seen the plagues, the splitting of the Red Sea, and God’s miraculous provision in the wilderness prior to their arrival at Sinai. But this revelation far surpassed any of those events. Israel was now up close and personal with God. Naturally, the people are terrified, as recounted by Moses in more detail later in Deuteronomy: “And when you heard the voice out of the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me, and you said, ‘Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer. For who of all flesh has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and survived? Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.’” (Deuteronomy 5:23-27).

Some Christians have condemned or ridiculed this fear of the Israelites. They insist that Israel was too preoccupied by the physical phenomena to notice the real purpose of it all, that they were being given the opportunity to experience God in a special way and they rejected it. But the text in Deuteronomy contradicts this interpretation. The fearful response of the Israelites is just the way God wanted them to react: “And the LORD heard the words you spoke to me, and He said to me, ‘I have heard the words that these people have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever’” (Deuteronomy 5:28-29). God was intentionally “turning up the heat”, as it were, so that Israel would understand His character more fully. He is a God who protects and heals, He is a God who defends us against our enemies; but He is also a God who is holy and requires obedience: He is “a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24). The way he revealed Himself at Sinai is only the smallest fraction of what He is actually capable of. And while God wants us to be close to Him, in a personal, loving relationship with Him, He also wants us to remember the incomprehensible hierarchical distance between an omnipotent God and a frail human being.

The author of Hebrews emphasizes the necessity of the fear of God. In chapter 12, he talks about the revelation at Sinai and the great fear and trembling that accompanied this revelation. He then argues that this is the response of fear and awe which we as Christians are to have even as we offer thanksgiving to Yeshua for our salvation. If we continue on the path of life, then we can look forward to the blessed inheritance of the saints, but on the contrary if we fall away then we only inherit God’s wrath: “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.’ This expression, ‘Yet once more,’ denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:18-29).

Correctly understanding the fear of God helps us to successfully obey Him. This is what God says in Deuteronomy 5, as we saw above. His desire is that His people will have a heart that fears Him so that we will keep His commandments. This Penteocst, let’s respond to God’s call by reaffirming our commitment to obey Him: not just with our lips, but with our hearts and our actions. Let’s ask God to pour out His Holy Spirit on us afresh so that we can be empowered to serve Him better. Let’s not neglect the fear of the Lord, but rather may we be like the early body of believers who had been empowered by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost some 2,000 years ago: “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase” (Acts 9:31).

It is traditional to read the book of Esther on Purim. Today we want to tell the story with a new twist. We want to look at this story with an Apostolic flair.

Purim is the story of Queen Esther. They do not know if the book was written to explain the celebration of Purim or if because of the story we now celebrate this holiday. Esther lived sometime between 486-465 BC. She lived during the time of the Persian Empire.

But the story does not start with Esther: it starts with a banquet that King Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes I, was having. All of those who were anyone were at this banquet. During this banquet the king had all of the glory of his empire on display. On the seventh day of the king’s festival, he called for the queen (whose name was Vashti), for she was beautiful, but the queen refused. And so she was banished from his presence forever.

We may say that for the rest of the story, the king represents our Lord, and Vashti represents those who are called but who do not answer the call. Isaiah 50:2 says, “Why, when I came, was there no man; why, when I called, was there no one to answer?” Matthew 22:8-14 says this: “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

And that is exactly what the king did. He had his servants go out to find a new queen. They searched throughout the whole region to find the perfect girl. Esther was chosen.

Esther represents the faithful, the called-out ones, the chosen. Before she could appear before the king, she had to go through a time of beautification. This represents the called-out ones who make themselves ready for the day of the King’s appearing. 1 John 3:3 tells us, “And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure.”

Titus 2:11-14 tells us: “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”

Revelation 22:14 says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.”

And so Esther prepared herself to become the queen. Now, there was a man named Mordecai and he was Esther’s overseer. He looked after her and advised her. We will call him the Holy Spirit. John 16:13 says this: “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

There was also a man named Haman, and he plotted evil against Mordecai and his people. He hated Mordecai because he would not bow down to him. We will call Haman the Devil. One day, Mordecai overheard about a plot to kill the king. Mordecai saved the king from this plot to kill him, and the king was very grateful.

Now, Mordecai also warned Esther about Haman’s plot to annihilate all of the Jews. Esther did not want to get involved. She did not want anything to disrupt her life. But Mordecai told her that even though the king did not know that she too was Jewish, that that would not save her. He told her, “Who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

We are all children of the King, and we have all been called for such a time as this. And what time is it? Well, we will answer that question at the end of the story.

The first thing Esther did was tell Mordecai to assemble all of the Jews and pray and fast for three days, and she and her maidens would do the same. Her plan was to seek God and then go into the king’s presence, and if she would perish, she would perish. It was not permitted to enter the king’s presence unannounced, or else you could die.

Today, we too must prepare to come before our King. He is holy, and we too must be holy. We must examine ourselves, as Psalm 139:23-24 tells us: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” And again, Matthew 5:23-24 tells us, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

So, Esther planned a banquet and entered into the king’s presence unannounced, but the king welcomed her. How he loved Esther, just like our King loves us. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The king asked her what was troubling her, and he told her that he would give her up to half of the kingdom. What does our King tell us in Matthew 7:7-8? “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks, finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.” And again we read in Luke 12:32, “Don’t fear, little flock. Your Father wants to share His kingdom with you.”

The king graciously accepts Esther’s offer to dine with her, and he and Haman that evening ate with the Queen.

Later that night, the king could not sleep, and so he had his attendant read from the Book of Records. Revelation 20:12 tells us that God is keeping His own books: “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.”

Again in Malachi 3:16-18 it says this: “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name. ‘On the day when I act,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.'”

It was at this reading of the Records that the king heard of Mordecai and how he saved the king’s life. The king realized that he never showed his appreciation to Mordecai. So the king told Haman to get out the king’s royal robe and his horse that he would ride and lead Mordecai throughout the streets, crying out, “This is the man that the king wishes to honor.”

Isn’t that like our Lord, to give His people honor in the midst of their enemies? Psalm 23:5 tells us, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” 1 Peter 1:7 says, “So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua.”

The next day, Esther had the king once again for another banquet, but this time the king said to her, “What is your petition? It will be granted to you even up to half my kingdom.” And so Esther boldly answered him and told the king of Haman’s plot to destroy her people. The king arose in anger and had Haman, along with all of his sons, hanged. He also allowed every Jewish person to arm themself against those who would do them harm. This is a picture of the final judgment when our King Yeshua will judge His enemies. The Devil and all of his demons and the wicked will be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity.

We too are not left defenseless against our enemies, for God has given us weapons of warfare, as it speaks of in 2 Corinthians 10:4: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” And again in 1 Thessalonians 5:8, “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”

And of course Ephesians 6:11-19: “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.”

The Challenge

Today, we want to challenge everyone here to be an Esther. We believe that everyone here has been called by God for such a time as this and that we too must be like Esther, for the days are days of darkness, and darkness is overtaking the light.

Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-9, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

Matthew 24:5-14 tells us, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Today, we see these things clearly. Our families and communities and this country as a whole are being torn apart. We have broken down from family to community to country. The Devil has set his sights on those who believe, and that has resulted in an increase of persecution and martyrdom all around the world, including here in our country. There is a decrease in attendance in our churches and congregations. The youth have fallen away. The average churchgoer no longer lives by godliness and holiness in its pure meaning. Drugs, alcohol, and every kind of uncleanness have become hidden sins in our congregations and out to our communities, from so many of our pastors to our city leaders. Today more than ever God is calling a people who will rise up and do what is right before God.

Like Esther, we must fast and pray. Fasting and prayer are lost virtues. There is great power in fasting. Yeshua tells us in Matthew 16:24-26 to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him. We must stand in the gap and pray, but as Ezekiel 22:30 tells us so sadly, “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.”

Today, you see in so many churches that people do not come out for prayer. They do not take the time to intercede and pray it through until they have the victory. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” There is a spiritual battle going on like never before, and God is calling on people who are listening to His voice and who are looking for the signs of His coming.

As we come and stand before our King Yeshua, interceding with longsuffering for our families and for the lost, we must fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12). We must contend for the faith (Jude 3). Esther was a prayer warrior. She was an overcomer. She was more than a conqueror. Why? Because she knew that God would be faithful to fight alongside her. She spoke out against the evil. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:11 to expose the deeds of darkness. She did just that with a boldness and a confidence.

We must be strong and courageous in the face of evil. To quote Esther, “If I perish, I perish.” We must put on the armor of God with prayers and supplications and petitions, and we must fight the battle on our knees and with our words.

Are you up to the challenge? Are you willing to face evil and speak out like Esther who boldly told the king all about Haman? We must get out the same message that Yeshua Himself told His disciples to speak in Mark 1:15, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” If we have the faith of Esther, Mark 11:23 tells us this: “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” We can speak to the walls and they will fall. We can speak to the waters and they will part.

Today, let us make that commitment to make our congregations and our communities and this country a better place—a place where God’s name will be exalted and His kingdom will advance—because, like Esther, we will not escape the evil of this world by sitting back and thinking that, just because we are God’s children, no harm will come to us. We know that this is not true, because God’s people all over this world are being persecuted and facing evil every moment of every day.

Rise up, all of you who are Esthers, and take upon yourselves the yoke of the kingdom, for 1 Peter 2:9 tells us, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

Let us be like all those brave women of the Bible that made a difference in this world and for the kingdom because they fought for the truth of God in prayer and in deed, like Rahab, Deborah, Ruth, and Esther and so many more who in their own little ways stood up and said, “If I perish, I perish.” The time is now, the time is today. Let us commit to prayer and fasting and spreading the Word of faith with boldness and courage.

Welcome

The saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” It reminds me that  Yeshua is compared to a rose and a lily and also as an apple tree and other fruits. The song here is speaking about one who is in love with one who will be his bride one day. So too, Yeshua, the Bridegroom will one day marry His Bride.

Song of Solomon 2:1-4 says this,  “I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens. Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. He has brought me to the banquet house  and his banner over me is love.” Song of Solomon 4:13-15 also tells us this, “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruit, henna with nard—nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon—with all the trees of frankincense,  myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices—a garden spring, a well of living water and flowing streams from Lebanon.”

The rose is in Sharon. Sharon is a plain and it is one of the largest valley-plains in all of Palestine. Back at the time of Solomon, it was considered a wild, fertile plain that had many beautiful flowers in it. Sharon was supposed to have been known for its beauty and majesty back in those days. The rose being a flower of perfect beauty, can only describe our Bridegroom. Yeshua gives Himself totally to His Bride. But He is also referred to as an apple tree, and other choice fruits. 

Psalm 17:8, “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Thy wings.” Remember the fruit of the Spirit as in Galatians 5:22-25,  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control.” We too are to bear fruit in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain.”

Exodus 25: 31, “Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.” Exodus 25:34 continues, “and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers.”

Yeshua is also the Light to the world, flowers and fruit, Yeshua and His Bride.

Yeshua our example of  a Life in the Spirit, Part 5

Galatians 5:22-23 says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”  So far we have looked at all but one, and that is faithfulness.  

Psalm 36:5, “Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

So was Yeshua faithful in all things? Let’s look at the definition of faithfulness. Of course, we know what it means to be faithful, but there is so much more to it. To be faithful implies unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted. So the question is, what oath or promise needed to be fulfilled? I don’t think that Yeshua was running for any office during His time. He certainly was not married so He did not have to  keep any marriage vows. But Yeshua was certainly faithful to God the Father. Yeshua was faithful and steadfast and even resolute to His love for the Father and to His people. Since Yeshua was a small boy, He showed His faithfulness to the Father. Luke 2:49 tells us this, “And He said to them, ‘How is it that you were searching for Me? Did you not know that I must go about My Father’s business?”’

Yeshua did not even speak His own words, but only what the Father told Him as John 12:48-49 says, “The one who rejects Me and does not accept My teachings has one who judges him: the word which I spoke. That will judge him on the last day.  For I did not speak on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.” John 5:19-20, “Yeshua gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. Yes, and He will show Him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.”’

Yeshua was very faithful to His Father. But what is this oath or promise that held Yeshua so closely to His Father? You have to go back to the Garden of Eden when God cursed the serpent after the fruit was eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3:14-15 says this, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all the livestock, and more than any animal of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life; and I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her descendants; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” 

Let’s start with Abraham.  Genesis 22:1-8 says. “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’  Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.’ So Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place of which God had told him.  On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.  Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.’  And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.  Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ And he said, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’  Abraham said, ‘God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together.”’

Now you may say, what does this have to do with Yeshua fulfilling God’s promise?

This story is very revealing on many levels. First God says to Abraham, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”

Does this all sound familiar? God tested Abraham to see if he would be obedient to Him, in fact, faithful. When God saw what He needed to see in Abraham, He stopped Abraham and provided for him a ram in the thicket. Now if a man could offer up his only son, then God had to do the same also, for God never asks us to do anything that He has not done Himself. Scholars believe that Yeshua may have been crucified near Moriah or at its summit. Mount Moriah was also the site where David bought a threshing floor and we know that it was here that Solomon built the temple. It is strongly believed that the site of Abraham’s obedience, the temple, and the place of Yeshua sacrifice to redeem the world all have something in common. Jewish tradition says that Mount Moriah now known as the Temple Mount  is the site of Creation itself. According to “Hebrew for Christians,” the Jewish sages believe that God created the world at Moriah, and that the “foundation stone,” the Even-ha-Shetiyah, is there. In fact, the ground itself at Moriah is where God created Adam, the sages say. This means that at the very site where the Second Adam would die for all of the sons and daughters of Adam is also the site where Adam was born. Everything comes full circle. God does offer up His only begotten Son whom He loves to fulfill the promise that He made to the serpent.  The wood that Isaac carried, now Yeshua carried but this time  Yeshua was the sacrifice. He was faithful to the Father in Gethsemane. He said “Not My will be done but Your will be done,” knowing that the serpent was going to bruise His heel. Isaiah 53: 7-12 says this, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off from the land of the living for the wrongdoing of My people, to whom the blow was due? And His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the Lord  desired to crush Him, causing Him grief; if He renders Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, for He will bear their wrongdoings. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the plunder with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was counted with wrongdoers; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the wrongdoers.”

  Yeshua did bruise the head of the serpent when He took back the crown that was rightfully Yeshua’s and the serpent’s crushing blow gave us the victory over sin and death as Colossians 3:13-15 tells us this,  “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Messiah. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” 

Because of the faithfulness of Yeshua the seed of the woman now can have those who will be called the redeemed of the Lord. Hebrews 2:14-18 says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels He helps, but Abraham’s descendants.  For this reason He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Hebrews 3:1-6 says this, “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession: Yeshua; He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all his house.  For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house.  For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.  Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but the Messiah was faithful as a Son over His house, whose house we are, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the boast of our hope.”

Safetyzoneforteens.com   Are You Sure It’s Love?

 John Lennon wrote a song called, “All You Need is Love.”

But the question is, what is love? What you think is love may not be love at all.

Love is more than just a feeling. In fact what we think is love toward someone could very easily be nothing more than lust. You see, in a relationship love has boundaries and it has respect and when you cross over those boundaries, you no longer have respect nor do you have love, but lust. Lust is nothing more than selfishness, which is the opposite of love. There is no freedom in love. Love is a very delicate thing and can easily be broken and shattered and non repairable.

You have to handle love with care. You see it does not matter if you give gifts or spend money or even time, what matters is a relationship that respects one another. We think giving to the poor or being on the streets protesting or saying the right words is another form of love, but again our actions may not equal true love for our fellow beings. We may think that if we have justice we have love, this is true if it is real justice, but when we think something is right for someone, it may not be right. If we give people everything they want, this is not love. We can not take away from a person the dignity that comes from working and the result of seeing the fruit of one’s labor. Humans, from the beginning of time, worked and created, and were productive beings, taking part in this world to do good and not evil. Giving someone a helping hand is one thing, but taking away his incentive to be a productive human being is another. Allowing lawlessness is not love, it is stealing. Stealing, which we now say is right, no it is not right at all, because one person has worked hard to get where they are in life, while the other person takes it away. This is not love, and this is not right. Love does not take from one and give to another, because the one that is being taken from, is also a person who you must love. It is up to that person to give out of love, and that is not your decision. Here are a few things that God considers true love.  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.  Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. In fact, there is no greater love than one who lays down his life for another. Love is not simple. It is not a matter of fact. Love must be something you consider when you encounter any person, what you say or how you act must all be done in love or else you are a hypocrite, a fake, and nothing more than a self-centered, selfish person. Love is the true test for everyone to use to measure who they really are. Today take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Do I love or is it just lust? Do I give or do I simply take?”  

Hebrew Corner:     The Third Persecution, Under Trajan

The persecution of believers went on for decades. The third persecution under Trajan takes us to the year 108 Common Era. The Roman Empire expanded under Trajan. Trajan did many great things for the Empire. Pliny the Younger, who governed in the province of Bithynia, which is Turkey, wrote Trajan this letter which concerns an episode which marks the first time the Roman government recognized Christianity as a religion separate from Judaism, and sets a precedent for the massive persecution of Christians that took place in the Second and Third Centuries.  A number of Christians were brought into his court. It is unclear what the initial charges were, but he ultimately decided, despite the fact that the Christians seemed generally harmless to him, that he should execute them because they refused to recant their faith. So he is unsure as to whether he should  execute them legally for no other crime than their faith, so he writes to his friend the Emperor for advice. The Emperor replies that he did the right thing in executing them, but advises him not to seek out Christians for prosecution. This did not shut the door, but this only opened a door to believers being not only persecuted but martyred. Unfortunately thousands of believers were put to death daily. Their crime was they gathered together for prayer, one of these was Ignatius who was the bishop of  Antioch.  What is known of Ignatius’ life apart from his letters and later traditions is, Ignatius converted to Christianity at a young age. Tradition identifies him and his friend Polycarp as disciples of John the Apostle. Later, Ignatius was chosen to serve as Bishop of Antioch; the 4th Century church historian Eusebius writes that Ignatius succeeded Evodius. Theodoret of Cyrrhus claimed that Peter himself left directions that Ignatius be appointed to this position. Ignatius was called Theophorus (God Bearer). A tradition arose that he was one of the children whom the Messiah took in His arms and blessed. He was taken from Antioch to Rome by ten soldiers, where he writes, “From Syria even unto Rome, I fight with beasts, both by land and sea, both by day and night, being bound by ten leopards, I mean a band of soldiers. I shall willingly die for God, allow me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Messiah. Rather entice the wild beasts, that they may become my tomb, and may leave nothing of my body; so that when I have fallen asleep [in death], I may be no trouble to any one. Then shall I truly be a disciple of Messiah when the world shall not see so much as my body. Entreat Messiah for me, that by these instruments I may be found a sacrifice [to God]. I am but a condemned man while I am, even until now, a servant. But when I suffer, I shall be the freed-man of Yeshua, and shall rise again emancipated in Him. And now, being a prisoner, I learn not to desire anything worldly or vain.”

John 1:1-5 tells us this, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.  In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.”

If Yeshua is the Word made flesh, then everything unto life must be found in God’s Word. 2 Peter 1:2-4 says this, “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Yeshua our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” God’s Word gives us the saving knowledge we need to live holy lives. Yeshua, God’s Word, means God’s Salvation and this Salvation, Yeshua, shows us the way to salvation.  Peter tells the people of the Sanhedrin this in 

Acts 4:8-12, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit said to them, ‘Rulers and elders of the people!  If we are on trial today for the good done for a sick man, as to how this fellow was healed,  let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of  Messiah Yeshua of Nazareth, whom you had crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this one stands before you whole.  This Yeshua is ‘the stone—rejected by you, the builders, that has become the chief cornerstone.’  There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved!”’

Only Yeshua’s Hebrew name means God’s Salvation. So when we speak about salvation shouldn’t we be using His proper name? His Greek name Jesus or His Latin name Iesus is like calling a person whose name is John, Jack or Robert, Bob and even William, Bill. It’s not quite the same.  When we say Yeshua we are saying, “God sent His Salvation,” because He so loved us! That is important. Today so many people feel unloved, but God so loved each one of us that He sent Yeshua, His Salvation, so that through His shed blood, when we repent, we may have His forgiveness. It’s through the shed blood that covers us that we can have peace between us and God. 

Colossians 1: 19-20 says, “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

Exodus 12 tells us, when Israel covered their doorposts with the blood of the lamb, the death angel passed over them, this was their salvation. This is true today with the blood of the precious Lamb, Yeshua, it covers us, and we now have salvation from the angel of death. But only Yeshua, who is the Word of God in the flesh, does the knowledge of salvation come. God’s Salvation also washes us through His shed blood. 

Hebrews 10:19-22 tells us that we are not only covered by the blood but we have been washed clean by the blood. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Yeshua  by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts washed clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” 

Also Hebrew 9: 13-14 says, “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Salvation only comes through Yeshua, and the knowledge of salvation only comes through God’s Word, Yeshua. So let God’s Word direct your path as Proverbs 3:1-6 tells us, “My son, do not forget My teaching, but let your heart keep My commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” When you read your Bible, pray about what you are reading and let God direct your path. He will direct you to the truth, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth as John 16:13-15 says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.”

Remember the sword of the Holy Spirit is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17b).Today, don’t you think that we should be the True Light to the world and speak Yeshua, name correctly?  Galatians 5:25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step (walk) with the Spirit.”

Life is based on time and time is always moving. Second by second, minute by minute, we go from hour to hour to day to day and the years keep coming and going. The planets keep orbiting around the sun to give us our seasons, and our days and nights. Yet, it seems as though time can drag and yet time can go by so fast.  Isaiah 40:6-8 says this about life.  “A voice says,  ‘ Cry!’ And I said, ^‘What shall I cry?’ All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.  The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever.”

Yes, as they say, “Here today and gone tomorrow.”  Genesis 1:1 says this, “God created the sky and the earth. At first, the earth was completely empty. There was nothing on the earth. Darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit moved over the water.”(ERV)

In the beginning even the Spirit of God was moving over the water and to this day, bodies of water keep moving because of gravity and the winds.  The Holy Spirit is spoken of this way in John 3:8, “The wind blows wherever it wants to. You hear it, but you don’t know where it is coming from or where it is going. It is the same with everyone who is born from the Spirit.”

The water is spoken of this way in 1 John 5:6-8, “This is the One who came by water and blood, Messiah Yeshua; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.”

60% of an adult’s body is water and 1.2-1.5 gallons is blood, all of which keeps moving.  Genesis 1:3-4 goes on to say, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”’

God’s Word is still speaking today, and because of that, we still have light. In fact God’s Word will continue to be heard throughout eternity, because God’s Word is eternal. Light always keeps moving unless it  bumps into something which will absorb it, otherwise it keeps moving at the speed of light. Light travels at a constant, finite speed of 186,000 mi/sec. Alpha Centauri which they claim is our closest star is about 4 light years from Earth. So we see light can travel indefinitely. 1 John 1: 5 says this, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” 

 John 1:1-5 also says this, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and that life was the Light of mankind.  And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.”

Genesis 1:16-18 says,“God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.  God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,  and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.” Let’s look at the sun. The sun is 150.4 billion meters away from Earth. The Earth orbits the sun once every 365.3 days.  It would take more than a lifetime to reach it. But according to Einstein, the closer to the speed of light you travel, the more the time dilates ( i.e. the slower your clock ticks) and the more the lengths contract. A photon, the smallest particle of light, can travel at the speed of light, which is the fastest speed there is, and where there is no time and or distance. In other words, photons have no age and they do not experience time. So we have seen God in His creation in many ways, for God is eternal and He does not live in time. At the time of creation there was no time as we see, not until God created the sun and moon and stars, and from these the light will continue forever or until God rolls up His creation like a garment, (Hebrews 1:12). When God spoke light into existence, even the sound of His voice continued through time, even though sound waves travel slower than light, they both continue.  Did Einstein find the infinite God in His creation? One day we too will live in a world without time in God’s new creation of heaven and earth, (Revelation 21).  Today God’s Word continues to be heard and because of it, His creation continues as when He first spoke it. God does not sit idly by, nor does His creation, nor should we. Creation is God’s witness to who He is and we who are His people ought to also be a witness to who He is. We can not be stagnant. We must always be growing in the knowledge of God. And we must always be speaking God’s Word, His True Word. Our light must not only be by word but in deed. That means we must live out God’s Word. God’s Word is alive and we must be alive in God. We must live by the Spirit and walk by the Spirit and we must be the true light and truth, being led by the Holy Spirit. This is how God’s Word gets written on our hearts and this is what keeps us moving forward toward God. We must be people of the Bible, not people led by a religious institution. Yes, as believers we should always gather together, but we should gather with like minded believers, those who live by God’s Word and not by man made traditions. God created six days, then He rested and sanctified the seventh day. How can we not rest on the seventh day and say that we believe in the God of creation? God keeps moving, time keeps moving and life keeps moving on. Nothing stands still. As Acts 17: 28  tells us, “For in Him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, “We are His offspring.’’’

We first learn about the Sabbath in Genesis 2:1-3, “ So the earth, the sky, and everything in them were finished. God finished the work He was doing, so on the seventh day He rested from His work.  God blessed the seventh day and made it a holy day. He made it special because on that day He rested from all the work He did while creating the world.”

God not only made it special but He sanctified it which means He set it apart as holy. Allow me to lay the groundwork. Let’s look at what God tells His people Israel and what God tells us today. God tells us this  in Leviticus 19:2, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, ^‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”’

And again in Leviticus 20:26, “You shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.”

1 Peter 1: 14-16 says, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.”’

Exodus 19:5-6, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is Mine;  and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

1 Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

People have been taught to think that we have replaced Israel, as if a covenant keeping God could or would break His covenant. That’s how little we know about God. No, God keeps His promise and He keeps His Word because He is holy. God is One and His people are one and His Word is one for all of His people.

John 10: 14-16 tells us this,  “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me,  just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

This other flock is us, the Gentiles, who came into the fold after Pentecost. It is us who were grafted into Israel as Romans 11:11-24 tells us. “So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.  Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry  in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them.  For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,  do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.  Then you will say, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’  That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.  For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you.  Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.  And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.  For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.”’

Ephesians 2:11-22 says, “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands, remember that you were at that time separated from Messiah, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah.

 For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances,( referring to the ceremonial laws to become a Jew) that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.  For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Messiah Yeshua Himself being the cornerstone,  in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

So we see clearly that we have not replaced God’s covenant people, but that we were grafted into them and all the covenants. So if we were grafted into Israel and we are to also be holy and priests then how are we made holy? Let’s look at the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark sat within the veil of the Holy of Holies. We must remember that God told Moses that He must be sure to make all things like he was shown on the mountain. What Moses saw was actually the temple in heaven, God’s throne. This is represented in the ark. This is where the presence of God dwells. This is where the angels continually cry “Holy, Holy, Holy.” 

Revelation 11:19 says the prophet saw God’s temple in heaven opened, “and the ark of His covenant was seen within His temple.”

This is why only once a year the High Priest could enter, and only with the blood of  the Yom Kippur sacrifice to ask forgiveness for himself and for all the people of Israel. On top of the Ark sat the Mercy Seat with its winged cherubs, it represented the judgment seat of God. So what was inside this holy box, which was in this most holy place? Hebrews 9:1-5 tells us this, “Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.  For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.”

The manna and the budded rod were a testimony, but the tablets were the covenant, the eternal covenant between God and His people. We say that we now have a new covenant. Jeremiah 31:31-34 writes this about this new covenant.“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,  not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant that they broke, though I was their Husband, declares the Lord.  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord : I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord . For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

As you see this covenant was once again given to the Jewish people. Yeshua during His Passover Meal with his disciples, says this in Matthew 26: 27-28. “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”

Galatians 3:17 says, “This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.”

We say that we only need to keep Abraham’s covenant, and only by faith, but let’s be serious, it says no one can annul a covenant previously ratified by God. That means only God can make changes to His covenants and not to diminish but to add, which the New Covenant does. The new Mediator is now Yeshua, the new promise added is that now it will be written on our hearts instead of the original stone tablets. This means when we live out God’s Word then it becomes written on our hearts. It also means that we must be born again and we must be new creations, which also means that we no longer live according to this world but according to God’s Word. We now walk in the Spirit and live in the Spirit for we have died to ourselves so that we can become born again. Yeshua shed His blood because He was the sacrifice of this New Covenant, which was given to the Jewish people and to those who have been grafted in because of Yeshua. Yes, we are not taught all of this because we want to be seeker friendly. The Word of God keeps changing every time there is a new version of the Bible. So I say all of this to address the Sabbath. Yeshua says this about the Sabbath in Matthew 12:1-8, “At that time Yeshua went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.  Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, ‘Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!’  But He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions—  how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?  Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent?  But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.  But if you had known what this means: I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”’

Yeshua and His disciples kept the seventh day Sabbath according to creation and nowhere in God’s Word did He ever change that. Yeshua went on saying that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was created like everything else at creation. Everything  about creation God said  was good, very good, but about the Sabbath God sanctified it which means He set it apart and made it holy. He also made  His covenants holy.

The Ten Commandments are part of His Covenant.  “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  For six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your resident who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

The Sabbath is about Creation and those who keep the seventh day Sabbath are a witness to the fact that God is the Creator of all things. No where in God’s Word did He say that you can choose whatever day you wish to keep as the Sabbath. We can not be part of the New Covenant if we are not living out the old, because old and new are only man’s words, God’s Word is one and they are for His people who are one with Him.  If you obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you will be a kingdom of  priests, a holy nation, the people of God. This is what separates us from all other people and that is what sanctification and holiness are all about.  Are you a true witness to Creation? Are you a true witness to the Creator? Remember this, the Emperor Constantine is the one who changed the Sabbath because he was a sun worshiper. Maybe we are following the wrong shepherd. 1st Commandment…You shall not have no other gods before Me. Try to keep the seventh day Sabbath by reading Scripture, spending time with God your Creator. Praise His name with songs and try to find like minded people to gather with.  Do good on the Sabbath and let God lead you as you grow. Hebrews 4:9-13, “Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.  For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.  Therefore let’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience.  For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.” Yes, the Sabbath also represents our dwelling with God for eternity. 

You can find the reading schedule on our website.

Welcome

There is the saying,  “Is the cup half full or half empty?” It makes a difference on how you look at things.  When trouble comes it is better to have a positive attitude and trust in God.  

Isaiah 41:10 says, “ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand.”

Psalm 46:1 tells us, “God is our protection and source of strength.

    He is always ready to help us in times of trouble. So we are not afraid when the earth quakes and the mountains fall into the sea. We are not afraid when the seas become rough and dark and the mountains tremble.” 

Good advice from Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Messiah Yeshua.”

And how can we forget Romans 8:37-39,“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.”

Let’s conclude with this in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Today as we begin a new month, let’s keep our eyes on Yeshua for He is our refuge and the God in whom we trust.

Yeshua Our Example of a Life in the Spirit Part 6

For the last several months we have been looking at the fruit of the Spirit in 

When God gave the commandments at Mt. Sinai, even the mountain became holy because of God’s presence. Exodus 19: 10-13 tells us this, “The Lord also said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their garments;  and have them ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.  But you shall set boundaries for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall certainly be put to death.  No hand shall touch him, but he shall certainly be stoned or shot through; whether animal or person, the violator shall not live.’”

God takes holiness very seriously because God is not common, and because God is not common, He is set apart (holy) and so He can not be near anything that is unclean or sinful or common. God is holy and His Word is also holy. God warns us in two places not to add or subtract from His Word. Deuteronomy 4:2 says,  “You shall not add to the Word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord  your God which I am commanding you.”

And again in Revelation 22:18-19, “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.”

Because God gave us His Ten Commandments, (Exodus 20), these commandments cover a wide range of life and they cover the next three chapters of Exodus and  they are mentioned even in the next four books of the Torah. They are vast and they have to be, because life is complex and so our lives cover a wide range of situations in which God has told us the right thing to do in these situations. They have been reduced  down to love God and love your neighbor. We see that love is the first fruit of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 13 says this, “ If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.  

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 

So we see why love would be first in any commandment. When Yeshua was asked,He said this in Mark 12: 28b-31, “What commandment is the foremost of all?’  Yeshua answered, ‘The foremost is, ‘Hear  Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”’

So too, love sums up the fruit of the Spirit, but just like the Commandments which cover chapters of the Bible, there are more than just one fruit of the Spirit.

Yeshua sent us the Holy Spirit. John 15:26-27 records this, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you are testifying as well, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

Luke 11:13 tells us that the Holy Spirit is a gift. “So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Luke 12:12 tells us He is our teacher, “ Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the officials and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say;  for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Acts 1:1-2 says that the Holy Spirit was directing Yeshua.  “The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Yeshua began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. 

Acts 1:16 even says that the Holy Spirit spoke through David. “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Yeshua.”

And they all spoke by the Holy Spirit in Act 2:4, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.” 

We see that the Holy Spirit gives us utterance and teaches us and even leads us, but He also gives us gifts as Hebrews 2:1-4 says, “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every violation and act of disobedience received a just punishment,  how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” 

 Those gifts can be found in 1 Corinthians 12. But as we close we see in 

John 15:5 this,  “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

This fruit is the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-26 says,“ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.  Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior,  idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions,  envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Now those who belong to Messiah Yeshua crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.  Let’s not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”

John 15:8-11 continues, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.  Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love.  If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.  These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

How can there be a law against what is lawful? How is your fruit these days?

Safetyzoneforteen.com Does Pornography Affect the Mind ?

Pornography is booming in today’s society. It is estimated that 40 million adults here alone in America visited porn sites in 2022 and we know that this number increased in 2023. But is spending time on porn sites good for us? There is an area in the brain which we call the “Reward Center.” In this area of the brain is where we form our habits. It also is the area in which many chemicals are released, for one, dopamine. It is called the “Pleasure Chemical.” So when anything  gives you pleasure, dopamine is released into your body, but for most of our daily behavior the brain knows when to shut off the dopamine. But with pornography the brain responds differently than if you are, let’s say, eating your favorite foods. The brain has an on off switch when dealing with most pleasures but pornography impacts the brain much like an addictive drug by triggering ever-increasing amounts of dopamine. Over time, the brain builds up a tolerance to the excess dopamine and requires either more access or more extreme content (or sometimes both) to achieve that same level of perceived pleasure. According to Canopy, “Research from a Neuroscience of Internet Pornography Addiction report indicates that extended exposure to pornography correlates with less activity in the brain’s reward circuit. Furthermore, once the reward center is altered by “free” dopamine triggers like porn, it can lead to a person compulsively seeking out the activity that triggered the dopamine discharge.  In short, when viewing pornography, your brain gets less pleasure while wanting more, often causing desensitization and an escalation in behavior. When your brain’s reward center triggers the release of dopamine and related chemicals, it also releases a protein (DeltaFosB) that serves as a “reinforcer. In effect, it creates neural pathways to connect what someone is doing to how they feel—in this case, strongly connecting pleasure to the act of watching pornography. This connection in turn results in greater demand for the activity, making it more and more likely that one returns to porn, according to the Neuroscience of Internet Pornography Addiction report. If enough of this reinforcing protein builds up, it can cause lasting changes to your brain that leaves you even more vulnerable to addiction.” So where does this leave you? Well, for married men you know longer remain faithful to your wife, but you go after the lust that you have created, because like an alcoholic, you just can’t get enough and like a drug addict you have to have stronger pills and more often. The craving never stops. You are never satisfied, so it leaves  you with a hatred for women. Sexual aggressiveness is a major message presented in modern pornography, and one review of popular porn videos found that in 9 out of 10, a woman was being beaten, yelled at, or otherwise harmed. Today teens are becoming a big percentage of those who regularly view porn. The risk of becoming addicted to pornography is higher for teenagers as the reward centers in their brains respond 2-4 times more strongly than those of adult brains.  According to Psychology Today, “Teenagers who are exposed to sexual content are more likely to have sex at a younger age, and early exposure to pornography is a risk factor for sex addictions and other intimacy disorders.”

Today if you find yourself going on porn sites, seek help, for they say , “It only takes one drink to make you an alcoholic, a one time drug user can end up dead and viewing porn even once, will never leave your brain.  Visit the “First Aid Kit” on this website.

Hebrew Corner:  The Fourth Persecution Under Marcus

The relative peace enjoyed by the Christians under the rule of the Emperor Antoninus Pius was followed during the next regime by an era of extraordinarily violent and massive anti-Christian movements that probably surpassed in intensity all the persecutions that the Christians endured during the First and Second Centuries. It is not uncommon to hear the name Marcus Aurelius who persecuted the Christians. He was ruthless with his anti-Christian edicts. Everywhere, in all the cities, writes P. J. Twisck, the imperial edicts and decrees against the Christians were posted up; by reason of which the magistrates and officers proceeded very cruelly against them, persecuting them even unto death, with great atrocity and fury. For, no mode of torture, punishment, or death, however great, severe, and unmerciful, could be devised, produced, or planned, by these wicked men, these tyrants, and instruments of the devil, but what it was thought, that the Christians, as accursed, as enemies of the Kingdom, and as the cause of all misfortune, deserved a thousand times more. To be publicly mocked, eternally imprisoned, exiled, scourged, stoned, strangled, hanged, beheaded, and burned, was deemed far too little. They began, at this time, to ply the poor people with red hot plates until they were dead; to tear the flesh from their bones with red hot tongs; to place them upon iron stools over a slow fire. The fourth persecution has its beginning of the reign of Marcus Aurelius, in the year 162, but the persecution reached its climax in the year 168.  During Marcus Aurelius’s reign and with his full sanction, Felicitas, Justin Martyr, Polycarp, and many thousands of less renowned Christians were cruelly tortured to death. Polycarp the 86 year old bishop of Smyrna was allowed to pray for an hour before being taken. During that time of prayer his guards hearing his prayer repented that they had taken him prisoner, but nonetheless, he was condemned for not renouncing the Messiah, and was burnt in the marketplace for all to see. Many women were also martyred, one was Felicitatis, who was a devout Christian and had seven sons.  The eldest was scourged and pressed to death with weights. The next two were beaten till their heads were crushed. The fourth was thrown off a precipice and the last three were beheaded along with their mother.  We could go on and on, but let’s make the point of all of this.  As believers in Messiah we must be prepared to die for what we believe and in whom we believe. If we are not ready to die for the Messiah, then how can we say that we are believers? If we were, then we would be not only ready, but willing to die for the One who gave up His life for us. Yeshua is our example and all those who went before us. We can not only speak our faith but we must also live it out, and that may mean we might have to die for it. Thousands of believers have died for the sake of their beliefs, not begrudgingly but in love. Love never fails and God never leaves us.

Welcome

Here we are already in Summer. Summer is a great time with all the flowers that have bloomed and blue skies and the warmth of the sun. God is so good. He is like looking into a body of water and seeing the reflection of the mountains or the trees or the hillside reflecting in the water. So too with us, when people see us, are they seeing God in us?  When we are with people, are they feeling the warmth of God through us? When we speak, are we speaking God’s Words? We are supposed to be the reflection of God. We also are supposed to represent God our Father and our Creator, especially to a world who does not know Him. We should have a sweet aroma just like those flowers of Summer, a bouquet that all will want to grab hold of in their hands. We are God’s children and we ought to truly be a child of God representing our Father to a lost world. 

Creator of All

Father, Creator of all the universe,
I love You.
Thank You
for calling me by name.
Thank You
for sending Your Son Jesus to redeem me.
Thank You
for all the beauty of the earth,
for who but You could give us
a beautiful sunrise and sunset?
Who but You could create
a tree or beautiful flower?
Father, let Jesus, my brother,
one day bring me before Your throne,
for I long to see You face to face.

Sandigram copyright 2010 /Thank You, Lord

All Rise For The Judge Part 1

When a judge enters the courtroom the bailiff says , “All rise. This court is now in session.”  We want to look at the most powerful Judge ever, God. One day God will judge everyone. We will all stand and give an account. Romans 14: 10-12 tells us this, “But as for you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you as well, why do you regard your brother or sister with contempt? For we will all appear before the judgment seat of God. For it is written: ‘As I live says the Lord, to Me every knee will bow and every tongue will give praise to God.’ So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” John 12:44-48 says, “Now Yeshua cried out and said, ‘The one who believes in Me, does not believe only in Me, but also in Him who sent Me. And the one who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that no one who believes in Me will remain in darkness.  If anyone hears My teachings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects Me and does not accept My teachings has one who judges him: the word which I spoke. That will judge him on the last day.”’ While the people were in the wilderness, Moses was their judge. Exodus 18:13 says, “And it came about the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning until the evening.” Moses spoke the Words of God to the people. God gave His Ten Commandments as we read in Exodus 20,“Then God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord  your God, am a jealous God, inflicting the punishment of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,  but showing favor to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord  your God in vain, for the Lord  will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. For six days you shall labor and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your resident who stays with you.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged on the land which the Lord your God gives you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” This was the foundation of all of Israel’s laws.When the people entered into the land and after Joshua died God appointed judges.  Judges 4: 4-5 tells us about one famous judge. “Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went up to her for judgment.” After the days of the Judges the people asked for a king and the king judged the people. We know this famous story in 1 Kings 3:16-28, the two women who came before King Solomon. One baby had died and they argued over the live baby. “Then the king said, ‘The one says, this is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ And the king said, ‘Get me a sword.’ So they brought a sword before the king.  And the king said, ‘Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.’  But the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son, and she said, ‘Pardon me, my lord! Give her the living child, and by no means kill him!’ But the other woman was saying, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; cut him!”’  Then the king replied, ‘Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.’ When all Israel heard about the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.” But after the days of the kings, then Israel began the Sanhedrin, the Great Council, headed by the High Priest and 70 others.  So now let’s look at a few things that Yeshua made judgments on. John 8:1-11 says, “But Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. And early in the morning He came again into the temple area, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began teaching them. Now the Scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery, and after placing her in the center of the courtyard,  they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?’ Now they were saying this to test Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Yeshua stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.  When they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Now when they heard this, they began leaving, one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman where she was, in the center of the courtyard.  And straightening up, Yeshua said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’  She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Yeshua said, ‘I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on do not sin any longer.”’ We know that adultery is a sin and yet, Yeshua did not condemn her.

Why? Well, first of all, He said that He did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There will be a time and a place when all things will be judged. Yeshua was more interested in the larger scope of things. Many people think that Yeshua was writing out the law on adultery. This may be so, but maybe He was writing the words, I forgive you. Yes, because according to the law, the one who witnessed the crime would be the one to cast the first stone. Yeshua said he who is without sin. What sin? The sin of adultery, cast the first stone. How did these men know how to catch this woman in adultery unless they too had an affair with her? So they were all guilty. When Yeshua told the woman to go and sin no more, that was as good as repenting of her sin and so Yeshua did not condemn her, but forgave her. Matthew 12:1-8 speaks of a time when the Pharisees wanted to know how Yeshua would judge on the Sabbath. “At that time Yeshua went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, ‘Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!’  But He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent?  But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means: I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”’ Back in Yeshua’s day there was much debate around the oral law, which was different from the written law, because the oral law concerned itself with how to keep the law, rather than what was the actual law. Things like it is right to do good on the Sabbath. One must do what is right in cases of health and well being. Luke 14:1-6 says, “It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. And there in front of Him was a man suffering from edema. And Yeshua responded and said to the lawyers and Pharisees, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?’ But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. And He said to them, ‘Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?’ And they could offer no reply to this.” It is permissible to render help when you see help is needed. Yeshua healed many people on the Sabbath. He did good on the Sabbath and yet, He kept the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. Yeshua is the Lord of the Sabbath.  Mark 2:27 says, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Judgment is for the Judge. Matthew 7:1 says, “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.” 

safetyzoneforteens.com    Summertime Fun

There is nothing like summertime fun in the sun. Everyone likes to spend summer in a different way.  Maybe you have to work during summer or maybe you are as free as a bird to enjoy those summer rays. It’s summer and we all need to chill out. Let’s take time to enjoy the moment and  put everything aside. I always have liked this song by Martha and the Vandells called “Dancing In The Streets.”

It goes like this: “Callin’ out around the world are you ready for a brand new beat? Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the street. It’s just an invitation across the nation, a chance for folks to meet. There’ll be laughing, singing and music swinging, dancing in the street. They’re dancing in Chicago, Down in New Orleans, in New York City. All we need is music, sweet music, there’ll be music everywhere.” 

It reminds me of the block parties. Everyone has fun. Of course, you can’t forget the Fourth of July picnics and fireworks and backyard games.  The group Chicago had a great tune called Saturday in the Park. It goes like this:                   

“Saturday in the park  I think it was the Fourth of July. Saturday in the park I think it was the Fourth of July.  People dancing, people laughing, a man selling ice cream singing Italian songs. Another day in the park I think it was the Fourth of July. Another day in the park I think it was the Fourth of July. People talking, really smiling, a man playing guitar and singing for us all.”  We have to have a pause for the cause or else we will regret it if we don’t take a time out. Let’s enjoy each other’s company and let’s put our differences aside. Come on, it’s summertime. Here’s a great song by the Jamies called Summertime, Summertime. 

  It goes like this: “Well shut them books and throw ’em away and say goodbye to dull school days. Look alive and change your ways. It’s summertime… It’s time to head straight for them hills. It’s time to live and have some thrills. Come along and have a ball. A regular free-for-all. Well we’ll go swimmin’ every day, no time to work just time to play. If your folks complain just say “It’s summertime”

I hope you have a great summer everyone and enjoy life. Life goes by so fast and the years come and go, so I say enjoy, enjoy and once again enjoy because summertime is a great time of the year.

Stay safe everyone as you enjoy your summer break.

Hebrew Corner:                       God’s Name

Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey is God’s personal name (YHWH) and it is holy. It is called the tetragrammaton, or the tetragram and also known as Ha Shem or Shem Hameforash (The Special Name).

The Third commandment tells us this, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”  In Exodus 3: 14 God tells Moses this, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” I Am Who I Am is the meaning of God’s personal name.

Exodus 4:15-16 continues to say, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is the name for all generations to use to call upon Me.”

It seems as though the meaning of God’s personal name also includes the names of the patriarchs. In fact God’s personal name is endless, without bounds, because this is who God is. He is who He needs to be at all times.  God goes by many names like (Adonai) which means Master, (El Olam) the Everlasting God, 

(El Shaddai) the Lord God Almighty, (El Elyon) the Most High God, for just a few. But none of these is as holy as God’s personal name (YHWH). 

In the Jewish Midrash (Exodus Rabbah 3:6) it is said, “The holy One, blessed be He, said to those, ‘You want to know My name? I am called according to My actions. When I judge My creation I am Elohim (God), and when I have mercy with My world, I am named YHWH.” Elohim is the name given for God as the Creator of the universe and implies strength, power, and justice. YHWH is more associated with the closeness of God toward mankind. 

Genesis 2:7  tells us this, “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person.” 

God is a life giving God. Rabbis and Scholars believe that when you pronounce God’s holy name (YHWH) that it sounds like one taking a breath. The YH is when you inhale and the WH is when you exhale. If this is so, then every time we breathe we are speaking God’s name. From the first time we are born to when we take our last breath we are recognizing the fact the God is our Creator. His name is always on our lips and in our mouths. Psalm 51:15 says, “Lord, open my lips, so that my mouth may declare Your praise.”

Psalm 34:1 says this, “I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with His praise” (The Message Translation).

So what exactly is wisdom, and do we really need it?  Wisdom is the ability to contemplate and act productively using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight. 

Proverbs 3:19-20 says this about Creation, “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;    by understanding He established the heavens; by His knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.” Well, we may not be creating something so big as the universe, but we, in our own way create everyday as we go through life. Every day we need wisdom in making our decisions, because the decisions that we make have lasting consequences. So, we too must have wisdom as Proverbs 3:13-15 tells us this. “Blessed is a person who finds wisdom, and one who obtains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver,  and her produce is better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire compares with her.”

Can you imagine going to the grocery store and telling the person at the checkout that you are paying with your wisdom? I’m sure that is not what the writer of proverbs was thinking. But I am sure that what he was thinking is that people spend their whole lives trying to get ahead in life, that they do it at any cost. We spend more time in our lives at making money and not necessarily money to pay our bills, but money for all sorts of worldly things. Even though we say it is for our family, it is in fact for our own satisfaction. Money gives us a sense of power and dignity, it builds up our egos and it gives us status in this world. The Bible tells us that money is the source of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10), but instead we should be content (Philippians 4:11-13). 

Proverbs 4:7 says this, “The beginning of wisdom is: acquire wisdom; and with all your possessions, acquire understanding.”

 Proverbs 24:3-4 says this, “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”

Are we building our house on wisdom? Are we training our children in wisdom? Yeshua tells us this in Matthew 7:24-27,  “Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” We should be wise builders who build our houses on the Rock and by Wisdom. So who is the Rock and Wisdom?  Yeshua who is the Rock and the Word of God!

Proverbs 3:16-18 says this about the wisdom of the Word of God,  “Long life is in her right hand;  in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;  those who hold her fast are called blessed.”

Wisdom is referred to as “she”.  In the Greek the word for wisdom is Sofia, and words like sophisticated and philosophy literally means the art of using wisdom. James 3: 13-18 tells us this, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

God’s ways bring peace. If your ways are not bringing peace then it is an unwise decision. If your decisions are for your own selfish purpose then your decision is not a wise decision. 1 Corinthians 3: 18-20 tells us this, “Take care that no one deceives himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: ‘He is the one who catches the wise by their craftiness,’ and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,that they are useless.”’

Job writes in Job 28: 12-23,28  “But where can wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Mankind does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. The ocean depth says, ‘It is not in me’; and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can silver be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx, or sapphire. Gold or glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for articles of pure gold. Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; and the acquisition of wisdom is more valuable than pearls. The topaz of Cush cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. Where then does wisdom come from? And where is this place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of every living creature, and concealed from the birds of the sky. Abaddon and Death say, ‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’ God understands its way, and He knows its place. And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Need wisdom? James 1:5 says this,  “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

Welcome

August is a time when we begin to think about school starting and summer ending and yet, we still have time to get in those summertime events. It’s kind of like when you begin growing old. You can’t retire yet, and still you begin slowing down. The autumn years of our lives are there to remind us that even though we still have the best years of our lives ahead, we begin remembering those days when we had our youth. The hair may begin to gray and even thin out a little but that only makes us look distinguished and full of wisdom. We are reminded in God’s Word that life is short no matter if you are in your autumn years or even in the time of winter, because there are so many people who do not even make it that far. We must appreciate life no matter where we find ourselves, for even the young have no guarantees. We have to take time and think about life. Here are a few Scriptures to remind us. “For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow.” Job 8:9

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before You. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!” Psalm 39:4-5

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” James 4:13-15

“How precious to me are Your thoughts, God!  How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with You. Psalm 139:17-18

And one thing we do know is this about God for He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” which appears in the Bible in both Deuteronomy 31:8 and Hebrews 13:5.

All Rise For The Judge

We have been looking at Yeshua as the Judge and we want to continue looking at more of these times when Yeshua gave His verdict. Yeshua was asked to arbitrate between two brothers in a matter of the family’s inheritance. Yeshua was reluctant to do so, but He did give them a warning followed by a parable.

 Luke 12:13-15 tells us all about it.  “Now someone in the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’  But He said to him, ‘You there—who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?’  But He said to them, ‘Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.”’  It is interesting that Yeshua equates the dividing of an inheritance with greed. Luke 12:16-21 continues, “And He told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man was very productive.  And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there.  And I will say to myself, ‘You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’  Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.” 

Luke 12:22-34 goes on to say, “And He said to His disciples, ‘For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear.  For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!  And which of you by worrying can add a day to his life’s span? Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things?  Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith!  And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.  For all these things are what the nations of the world eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom. ‘Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor does a moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”’

Maybe when He said all of this it was because He had just been saying this in Luke 9:23-25, “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it.  For what good does it do a person if he gains the whole world, but loses or forfeits himself?’” 

Yeshua also says this in Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”’

Paul says this in Hebrews 13:5a “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” So what does all of this have to do with an inheritance? Yeshua did not come as judge, for now, but to save lives, and He knew that the root of all evil was money. Yeshua was showing them a better way and that way was contentment, and we find contentment only in Yeshua. 

Deuteronomy 15:11 tells us “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.”

Yes, we will always have the poor, and because of this we should be generous to others. The reason why we do have the poor is because those who have money build bigger barns, and heap their wealth upon themselves. 

Matthew 25: 31-46 tells us how God will judge. “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.  And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;  and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.  ‘Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;  naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’  Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?  And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’  ‘Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;  I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 

Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’  These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”  

Yeshua says this in Luke 16:19-31, “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, enjoying himself in splendor every day.  And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,  and longing to be fed from the scraps which fell from the rich man’s table; not only that, the dogs also were coming and licking his sores.  Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s arms; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his arms. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’  But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set, so that those who want to go over from here to you will not be able, nor will any people cross over from there to us.’  And he said, ‘Then I request of you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—  for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not come to this place of torment as well.’  But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’  But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’  But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

When we deny ourselves so others may have, then God  looks upon that with favor, but if you only give your excess then that is no sacrifice. 

Mark 12:41-44 says this,  “And Yeshua sat down opposite the treasury, and began watching how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large amounts. And a poor widow came and put in two lepta coins, which amount to a quadrans. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”’

Matthew 19:23,  “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

It truly is better to give than receive, Acts 20:35.

Safetyzoneforteens.com      The Sound of Silence

In 1964 Simon and Garfunkel released a song called “The Sound of Silence” Here are a few verses. “Hello darkness, my old friend  I’ve come to talk with you again, because a vision softly creeping left its seeds while I was sleeping, and the vision that was planted in my brain still remains within the sound of silence.” “And in the naked light I saw ten thousand people, maybe more. And in the naked light I saw ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening, people writing songs that voices never share. No one dared disturb the sound of silence.”

So many activist songs were written in the 60’s and 70’s. There were so many things to protest, like war and inequality, and the rights for women and animals and well, almost everything. The young crowd spent most of their time gathered together to bring attention to one thing or another. I’m not sure that anyone heard them. You see in this country we have freedom to speak out, but when the sounds get drowned out by the noise of everyday life, there becomes a true sound of silence, no one hears and so no one cares. Today we still have people protesting and shouting and no one hears. Why?  Because, once again the noise of everyday life drowns it out. Everyone has their problems. Everyone is trying to live their lives and that alone can become overwhelming. Life is what it is and life is hard enough. But the needs of people go  unheard, and those who do sit in silence become more alone and helpless. Needs are not met. Friendships are not made. The poor and needy and lonely are still forgotten.  So don’t you think that there is a better way than just protesting? How about actually doing something to change or help or to make the situation better. Many people need help. Many people would love to talk to someone because their life is nothing but the sound of silence, those who do sit in darkness. There are many homeless people who could use a friend. Get your friends together and go cut an elderly person’s grass or shovel their snow. There are so many things you could do. You could be the next greatest generation if you turned your words into action and loved one another with your deeds.  Yes, it is easier to carry a picket sign or walk the streets with others, but this never does any good for those who really need help. Put your money together and buy a person lunch or a child a toy during the holidays. 

Think about it and let your words become actions and then you will see that your voices are not falling on deaf years. Then you can look back one day and say I did this for society, for a person, for a family and you will see that the sound of silence can really be heard. The Bible says, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” We all have our faults, but we also all have talents and abilities that we can put to use to make this a better world. No sign or picket line or talk can do that, only true love put into action. Let’s break the silence with love for one another in giving a helping hand to those who may even be standing right alongside of you, as you  carry your sign. Let’s break the silence and begin to listen with love.

Hebrew Corner:  When Seven Became One, Part 1

The Biblical calendar, which is a lunar calendar, is the calendar in which God created at the time of Creation.  

Genesis 1:3-5 mentions the first day. “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.  God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness He called ‘night.’ And there was evening and there was morning, one day.”

If you notice the day began with night and on day one began the year. It was called Rosh HaShanah, which means the beginning of the year, or the head. It is the birthday of Creation. This year may be 2025, but on God’s calendar the true year is 5785. 

Ezekiel 40:1a speaks of it this way. In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, Rosh Hashanah.  This is the beginning day and the start of the first month.  All of Creation was created during this time. It was the first month till God changed it. You see only God can change what He created. 

We read in Exodus 12:1-2, “Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,  “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year for you.”

So, the seventh month now became the first, and the first month became the seventh month.  The seventh month still changes the civil year, but the first month begins the first month of the Biblical year. The first month is the month in which we celebrate the Passover. The Passover Season does not end till Shavuot or what we call Pentecost.  They are the Spring Feasts of God’s Appointed Times. His calendar, His Appointed Times, not man’s, they are all part of His Creation. His history that He wrote before the foundation of the world. His story, not ours. The first month starts with Passover, when all the first born died in Egypt, also when Yeshua died. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, is when Israel fled Egypt. Yeshua’s blood gave us victory over our sinful nature. The Feast of First Fruits, is when Israel crossed the Red Sea, and the Resurrection of Messiah and Shavuot was the giving of God’s Word on Mount Sinai and Pentecost was the giving of His Spirit, which makes up the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

 Rosh HaShanah, is the Beginning, or as it is also called the Head.  Rosh HaShanah is also known as the Feast of Trumpets.  Leviticus 23: 24 tells us, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.” 

Next month we will look at the reason why it is called the Feast of Trumpets.

We live in a world today that seems to be anything but safe. So many cities have either defunded their police or many police personnel have quit their departments. We may have gun rights in this country, but there is never a right to shoot a person outside of self-defense and even at that today, it can be hard to prove. So what are we to do? We have to learn to trust God in all things, even when it comes to our safety. Yes, people become victims, and yes, why does God allow it? No one knows, but nonetheless, we still have to trust God in all things. Psalm 91 says this, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers ,and under His wings you will find refuge;  His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,  but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you,  no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. Because he loves Me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,  I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.” Most Bible readers know this Psalm, but how many people trust God enough that they actually live by it? The plague that destroys, remember Covid? Many people had such fear that they would be next. Let’s look at Psalm 34 which says this, “I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord  with me; let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord  encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord  is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, you His holy people, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry,  but those who seek the Lord  lack no good thing. Come, My children, listen to Me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord  hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted  and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord  delivers him from them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked;  the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord will rescue His servants;  no one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned.”

We see here that God requires us to live righteous and godly. I have put words in bold to show that God wants us to not only trust Him, but live by His ways. He wants us to be humble and He wants us to seek Him and call on Him. Psalm 9:9-10 says, “All who are oppressed may come to Him. He is a refuge for them in their times of trouble.  All those who know Your mercy, Lord, will count on You for help. For You have never yet forsaken those who trust in You.” But remember, we all go through our trials and tribulations and when we do, it may cause us to doubt God or even be angry with Him and many fall away. When bad things happen to us, only God knows why. He may allow it so that we will grow in our faith or even to show us that our faith is weak. 2 Peter 1:2-11 tells us this,  “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Yeshua our Lord,  for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Messiah Yeshua. For the one who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.  Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;  for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Messiah Yeshua will be abundantly supplied to you.”  John 17:12“While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name, which You have given Me; and I guarded them, and not one of them perished except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.”

Click to access The-Ten-Commandments-1-1.pdf

Welcome

September is one of those  transitional months, in this case, where you go from Summer to Fall. Everyone has transitional times in their lives, like when you go from a child to an adult. In fact, many things in life are transitional.  One famous line is when Yeshua tells Nicodemus that he has to be “born again” in John 3:7. Titus 3: 5 tells us how we can be reborn, “by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” Well, we have had the Summer rain and even storms, and now we are entering into a time when the leaves and flowers begin to die. Oh, but death can have its beauty also. The leaves change their colors just like people need to change their lives. We must go through the same process. Romans 12:1-2 says this about that process. “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” To be born again we must die to ourselves first. The Holy Spirit helps us in this process but we must work alongside the Holy Spirit allowing Him to do His work in us. But when we let go of this world and all that is in it and we pick up our cross and follow Yeshua, then the dying process isn’t as hard as you may think. But the rewards outway the cost of dying. John 12:24 tells us this, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”  We must die to bear fruit as John 15:5-8 says,  “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  If you remain in Me, and My Words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

Let your leaves change their colors and begin the process of letting go of this world and dying to yourself and you will see how beautiful you will look to God.

All Rise For The Judge

We have been looking at different topics to see how Yeshua judged such matters. The Commandment says thou shalt not lie. So does this mean if you tell a little white lie you have sinned. Well, the commandment says what it says.

Revelation 21:8 says this, “But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

We must understand that lying includes deceit, false witness, and even slander.

Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.”

 In Matthew 15:10, Yeshua called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand!  It is not what enters the mouth that defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles the person.”

Later the disciples were puzzled about His statement so Peter said to Him in Matthew 15:15-20 this, ‘Explain the parable to us.’ Yeshua said, ‘Are you also still lacking in understanding? Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?  But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and slanderous statements.  These are the things that defile the person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the person.”’

Lying is equated with hatred as Proverbs 10: 18 says, “One who conceals hatred has lying lips, and one who spreads slander is a fool.”

Yeshua even called those liars children of the devil in John 8:42-46.  “Yeshua said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came forth from God and am here; for I have not even come on My own, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot listen to My Word.  You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I say the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which one of you convicts Me of sin?”’

Proverbs 10: 19, “When there are many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable,but one who restrains his lips is wise.”

Yeshua also tells us in Matthew 5:37 this,  “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

The Bible also talks about false witnesses, those who lie, and in their lies, slander a person’s credibility, reputation and even ruin their lives because of it. 

The Commandments say in Ex 20:16, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

Yeshua knew that people were going to lie about Him and they would lie about those who follow Him. 

Matthew 5: 11  says this  “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Luke 23: 1-5 says this about the false accusations brought against Yeshua, “Then the entire assembly of them set out and brought Him before Pilate.  And they began to bring charges against Him, saying, ‘We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is the Messiah, a King.’  Now Pilate asked Him, saying, ‘So You are the King of the Jews?’ And He answered him and said, ‘It is as you say.’  But Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no grounds for charges in the case of this man.’  But they kept on insisting, saying, ‘He is stirring up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee, as far as this place!’”

Proverbs 14:5, “A trustworthy witness will not lie, but a false witness declares lies.”

Proverbs 14:25  goes on to say, “A truthful witness saves lives, but one who declares lies is deceitful.”

Proverbs 19:5, 9, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.”

Acts 5: 1-6 tells us a story about a couple who lied and testified to it. “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself ?  While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’ Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.  And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.”

Unfortunately, not only Ananias but his wife plotted the deception and told the lie.  Acts 5:7-10 continues,  “Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.  And Peter answered her, ‘Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?’ She said, ‘Yes, for so much.’ Then Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’  Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband.”

Colossians  3:9-10 says, “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.”

1 Peter 3:10-12 says, “He who would love life and see good days let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of theLord  is against those who do evil.”

1 Timothy 1:10,  “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately;  this means understanding that the law is laid down not for the righteous but for the lawless and disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their father or mother, for murderers,  the sexually immoral, men who engage in illicit sex, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I was entrusted.”

1 Timothy 4:1-3 also says this about false teachers, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,  by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.”

Psalm 101:7 says, “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in My house; no one who utters lies shall continue before My eyes.”

2 Peter 2:1-3 says, “But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.  Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;  and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

Revelation 22:14-15, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates.  Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

safetyzoneforteens.com:      Life and Our Part In It

Life is like a play. We have all been given a part to play  and so we are all playing out our part. The play can not be complete unless each of us does our part. Wm. Shakespeare wrote these famous words from the Seven Ages Of Man: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances.” This certainly sums up life. We are born and we die, but it is what we do in the in between. You see, if a theatrical company put on a play and one person decides that he would recite his words other than how they were written, well, that would throw off the person who may have had to respond to his original lines, or if that person suddenly felt like he did not want to go out and act out his part. Well, that would stop the play and if they skip over his part the play would not make any sense. You see, we have a responsibility in life to do our part. Each one of us depends on the other to do their part so that life goes smoothly. You see this in a family. You see this at the workplace. Can you imagine playing any kind of sport and your team mate does not want to do his part in playing as a team? You would lose the game. We all need each other because we all have a part to play, no matter if it is a big part or only a little part. In many movies it is the supporting actor or actress that carries the movie. Consider our bodies. The Bible says this about how our body functions as a whole. “For the body does not consist of one member but of many.  If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?  But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’  On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,  and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,  which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” Don’t let us down, we need you to do your part because your part in this world is very valuable. So as the song goes, “Pick yourself up and dust yourself off, and start all over again,” because you have a part to play and you’re on stage right now!

Hebrew Corner:        When Seven Became One.

Last month we said that the seventh month became the first month and the first month became the seventh month. So why did God change the months? Well because the first month was about God freeing His people and because Passover would find its fulfillment in the crucifixion of the Messiah. He now is our Passover Lamb that was slain. It was His blood now that is smeared upon our hearts like the doorposts in Egypt. The death angel now passes over us, like it did that first night. Also the Spring Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and Pentecost (Shavuot) all took place first on God’s Agenda and the Fall Feasts which are all now in the seventh month are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot which still have to be fulfilled. They represent Messiah’s second coming. Rosh Hashanah is also called the Feast of Trumpets because the blowing of the ram’s horn represents the King is coming for it was customary to blow the shofar so all the people knew that their king was about to arrive. Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement has a lot to do with Passover. On the tenth of the first Month. Exodus 12:3 tells us this about the Passover, “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are, each one, to take a lamb for themselves, according to the fathers’ households, a lamb for each household.” Leviticus 23: 26-27a says this about the tenth of the seventh month and Yom Kippur.  “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  ‘On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; it shall be a holy convocation.”’ Leviticus 16: 7-10 says this about Yom Kippur, “He shall then take the two goats and present them before the Lord  at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat.  Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the Lord  fell, and make it a sin offering.  But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.” Yeshua, was the Passover Lamb and He was also the goat for the sacrifice of  Yom Kippur and He was also the scapegoat because He took our sins upon Himself, making Him the scapegoat who took the sins of Israel upon Himself. Both were chosen on the tenth of the month. The animals had to be chosen and then inspected to see if they were without blemish, so was Yeshua on the day we call Palm Sunday when He rode upon the donkey and came before the people and they casted their vote by crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the King of Israel!”  From the beginning of Rosh Hashanah to the day of Yom Kippur are ten days and they are called the High Holy days because Yom Kippur is the holiest day of God’s Appointed Times. It was only on Yom Kippur that the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies, behind that same veil that was torn on Passover of  the Messiah’s death. 

Next month we will look at Sukkot, or the Feast of Booths and the second coming.

We know that God is high and lifted up and He dwelt among His people in the wilderness. He is holy and He dwelt in the Ark of the Covenant under the Mercy Seat between the wings of the Cherubim  in the Holy of Holies. Psalm 26:6 says, “Lord, I love the dwelling of Your house, and the place where Your glory remains.” And Psalm 22: 3-4, “Yet You are holy, You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You rescued them.”

And again in Psalm 135:1-4, “Praise the name of the Lord; praise Him, you servants of the Lord, you who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courtyards of the house of our God! Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely. For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel as His own possession.” God dwells among our praises and so we must bring Him the sacrifice of our praise as Hebrews 13:15-16 tells us, “Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name.  And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” But God does not only dwell amongst stone and mortar but He dwells within man, but not in every man. 

Romans 8: 5-11 says, “For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are in accord with the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,  because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law (commandments) of God, for it is not even able to do so,  and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Messiah, he does not belong to Him.  If  Messiah is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Yeshua from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Messiah Yeshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” God dwells within us, if the Holy Spirit dwells in us. God dwelt in His Holy Temple and now He dwells within us and as we will see we must be a proper dwelling for God. 

1 Corinthians 3:10-17 tells us this, “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Messiah Yeshua.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,  each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work.  If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” We are the temple of the Lord offering up the sacrifices of praise and God dwells within those praises.  2 Timothy 1:13-14 says this, “Hold on to the example of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Messiah Yeshua.  Protect, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.” We have been entrusted with the Word of God as the Jewish people were entrusted with those same oracles, (Romans 3:2). Colossians 3:16 says,  “Let the Word of Messiah dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Our praises, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God must dwell in our hearts, and it must be manifested in our lives. 

Galatians 5:13-25 tells us this, “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.  For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law (those ceremonial laws concerning proselytes).  Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior,  idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (for they fulfill the commandments).  Now those who belong to Messiah Yeshua crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.”

Are you a dwelling for God? If so, then you must be holy for He is holy.  

I think we all know that God created for six days and rested on the seventh day because He had completed all of His work. The number seven is the number of completion. So let’s look at some of these sevens. Revelation 1: 4a speaks of the seven congregations (churches). “John to the seven congregations that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come.” 

These were Gentile congregations and many who still had their pagan influence upon the people. The salutation was from God Himself, who is and was and is to come. It was like when Moses went to the people and said, God said , “Tell them that ‘I Am’ sent you.” The line continues in 1:4b, “and from the seven spirits who are before His throne.” So who are these seven spirits before God? Well, it’s hard to say, but I know that it has to do with the Holy Spirit. God is One! There are not three persons for God is not a person.  Yeshua said that He and His Father are One, (John 10:30)

The Bible tells us that Yeshua and the Holy Spirit are one, (Romans 8:9-10). There is only one God! But God is unending, He is forever, He has no bounds. The many facets of God are surely a mystery, but the Bible speaks of some of these facets that make up God. It is like us in many ways, because there are many facets that make up each one of us, and we are made in God’s image. So let’s look at some possibilities. Because there are seven spirits before God, again this is the number of completion or perfection and the fact that they are mentioned in the same line as the seven congregations, they must have to do with our walk with God. For sure, one must be wisdom as Exodus 28:3 says, “You shall speak to all the skillful people whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may serve as priest to Me.”

Wisdom is also one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:8 says,  “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit.” Wisdom does not stand alone, for wisdom is also made up of knowledge and understanding, and so usually, where there is the one, there are the other two.

Proverbs 2:2-6 says “Make your ear attentive to wisdom; incline your heart to understanding. For if you cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord  gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

 Ephesians 1:17a tells us, “For I always pray to the God of our Lord Messiah Yeshua, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him.”

Revelation is also prophecy. The book of Revelation is just that, a prophecy given to John about what is to come. But prophecy can also be insight or instruction.  Revelation 19:10 says this, “Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Yeshua; worship God! For the testimony of Yeshua is the spirit of prophecy.”

One of the gifts of the Spirit is discerning spirits, what is true and what is false. Like wisdom works with knowledge and understanding so does truth work with discernment. God is truth and we too, must walk in truth. John writes 3 times about the Spirit of Truth. John 14: 16-17a, “ I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of Truth.”

John 15:26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, He will testify about Me.”

John 16:13, “But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.”

1 John 4:1 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Philippians 1:9 says, “And this I pray, that your love may overflow still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.” 

So there is one more thing that a believer needs and that is faith. Romans 12:3 tells us that God has given us all a measure of faith.

Hebrews 11:6 says,  “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

2 Corinthians 4:13-14 tells us, “But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written: ‘I believed, therefore I spoke,’ we also believe, therefore we also speak,  knowing that He who raised the Lord Yeshua will also raise us with Yeshua, and will present us with you.” 

Revelation 1:16 says, “In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.”

Revelation 3:1 says, “He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and yet you are dead.”

Zechariah 4:2 says, “What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it.” 

Revelation 4:5a tells us this, “Out from the throne came flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.”

Revelation 2:1-3 says this, “The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 

 ‘I know your deeds and your labor and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have put those who call themselves apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false;  and you have perseverance and have endured on account of My name, and have not become weary.”

God is light and wisdom and knowledge and understanding and discernment and revelation and truth and faith which are all part of God and His light. The first thing God spoke was “Let there be light.” And all of God’s wisdom and knowledge and understanding, His revelation and truth and faith were all discerned and power went out from Him and created all things.   Revelation 1:20 gives us the answer to the stars and lampstands. “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

Revelation 5:6 tells us , “And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”

Zechariah 3: 8-10,says,  “Now listen, Joshua, you high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a sign: for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch.  For behold, the stone that I have put before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I am going to engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the Lord of armies, ‘and I will remove the guilt of that land in one day.  On that day,’ declares the Lord  of armies, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’”

Zechariah 4: 8-10 also says, “Also the word of the Lord  came to me, saying,  ‘The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord  of armies has sent me to you.  For who has shown contempt for the day of small things? But these seven will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel—they are the eyes of the Lord  roaming throughout the earth.”

Seven horns, seven eyes are the seven spirits. The horn was a symbol of power, so of course seven horns would be complete power and eyes are for seeing and God sees all things. There is nothing hidden from Him. He has complete sight of history from beginning to end. Seven lamps, seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. The lamps are God’s Word that is a lamp unto our feet. God leads us in the path that we should walk and He lights our path so we do not stumble.God has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness. The angels of the seven churches are there to protect as Psalm 91 tells us, “I shall give My angels charge over you.” There is a spiritual battle that has to be fought and we must join in the battle with our armor on: 1. the sword of the Spirit, 2. the helmet of salvation, 3. the breastplate of righteousness, 4. the belt of truth, 5. the shield of faith and 6.our feet ready to spread God’s Word. This with, 7. The shed blood of Messiah upon us as our covering, the mantle, His robe of Righteousness, makes us complete. Don’t forget to put your wisdom, knowledge, understanding, discernment, revelation, truth and faith into action today!

People think that the Armor of God is for a Sunday School lesson taught to children, or something that you put on with your imagination. The Armor of God is real, and it is for your protection. It is a lifestyle, and it is for fighting a real war, a war against the evil forces in the heavenlies.

This series on the armor is to show believers that along with the Armor of God, the Biblical Appointed Times of God, and the Articles of the Temple are all part of that spiritual fight.

 Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 6 :3-10, “Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”— giving no reason for taking offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in difficulties, in beatings, in imprisonments, in mob attacks, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, and in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown and yet well known, as dying and yet behold, we are alive; as punished and yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.” 

Paul knew all about the attacks of the devil. He knew how the devil used people to discourage him and to try to stop him and even discredit his words, but he also knew that God gave him weapons of righteousness to fight the battle. We are going to be looking at these weapons as we go through the Armor of God and His Appointed Times and the Articles of the Temple.

   Ephesians6:10 begins by telling us to be strong in the Lord. You cannot fight a battle unless you are prepared, and being prepared means being strong. But it also means that you know your enemy. 

 Ephesians 6: 11-13 does just that, it tells us who the enemy is. “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full Armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand, stand firm.” 

 Because people do not see the spiritual battle, they do not think about the spiritual battle. And the fact is, that it never ceases. Our fight is a daily fight. Like the air around us, so is the spiritual battle. 

We must put on the Armor of God and we must never take it off.

1 Peter 5: 8 tells us this,  “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

The devil hates God’s people and he never stops looking for us.

James 4:7 says “ Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

1 Corinthians 10: 6-12 gives us good advice, “Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they indeed craved them. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” Nor are we to commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor are we to put the Lord to the test, as some of them did, and were killed by the snakes. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let the one who thinks he stands watch out that he does not fall.”

The evil forces in the heavenlies are throwing their fiery darts at us constantly. Temptation is all around us, like a minefield, and when we think that we are safe, that is when we fall. We can not take our eyes off the enemy of our soul.

So let’s begin to see just how we fight the spiritual battle that is all around us, for now is the time to begin living the lifestyle of a  mighty warrior dressed for battle.

There are three elements to fight the battle, and we want to closely look at all three. As I said at the start, we will be looking at God’s Appointed Times, and the Articles of the Temple, along with the Armor of God for all three will give us insight into how we should fight this constant battle. We hope that you will follow along with us in this series on the spiritual battle and gain insight into our “Weapons of Righteousness.”

We are going to begin our series where Paul started in Ephesians 6:14a, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” 

Did you ever wonder why Paul starts with the Belt of Truth, instead of starting at the top with the Helmet of Salvation? In Matthew 7:24-27  Yeshua gives us some solid advice. “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”

No matter what you do in life, you have to have a firm foundation. How else can you stand firm? The only foundation that will not be moved is upon the Rock, Yeshua. Let’s go back to 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, from the beginning, it tell us this, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and they all passed through the sea; and they all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and they all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was the Lord. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased; for their dead bodies were spread out in the wilderness.”  Even though they all drank from the Rock, Yeshua, and they all ate from the same spiritual food, Yeshua, they still fell. Why? Because they gave way to the temptations of the evil forces that attacked them, even though they had God all around them. The first thing we are to put on is the 

BELT OF TRUTH.

Today believers believe things that just are not true. There are so many teachings out there and many of them do not have a solid foundation in God’s Word. God’s Word is one as He is one, and everything in God’s Word is in agreement. Yeshua said, “ I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

Today many people teach that there are many ways to get to heaven. Yeshua tells us that there is only one way,  and that is through Him. But it is not enough to just say, I believe in Yeshua and so now I am saved. How about being born again? (John 3:5-6) To be born again means that you must die and how do you die?  By crucifying your flesh as Galatians 5:24 tells us, “And those who belong to Messiah Yeshua have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Yeshua tells His disciples this in Matthew 16:24, “Then Yeshua told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” If you have not let go of the world, and all of it’s lust and passions, and picked up your cross, the yoke of the kingdom, to follow Messiah in His footsteps, then you are not born again because to be born again you must die first. Yeshua tells us in John 14:15, “ If you love Me then keep My commandments.” The commandments are to be looked upon as the “Laws of the Kingdom.” 

There are 613 commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures and 1,050 in the Apostolic Scriptures, both do’s and don’ts. These laws are so that we can fight the evil forces. They are what separates us from the world. To be set apart is the meaning of holiness. By keeping them, we know that we will win against the evil forces, but it all  must start with truth. As believers we have authority over the devil. Yeshua tells us in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions, and authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.” To begin you must understand that you can win. You have the authority over the devil and not the other way around. You can resist him and he will flee. The armor of God is for the believer to fight and to win, but you must have truth and how you use that truth will determine if you will win. A belt is worn around the middle of a person, their center of gravity. The belt of truth must be worn to keep you in balance, so you do not wander off to the right or to the left. Remember, the road to life is narrow and few only find it. (Matthew 17:13-14)

Now let’s see how the Appointed Times of God work into this spiritual battle. Do not fool yourselves into thinking that just because God gives these Appointed Times to the Israelites in the wilderness, that these times are not for believers. You have to consider the fact that at that time they were the only people who believed in the One True God. Romans 3:1-2  tells us, “What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.” 

It makes sense if they were the only people to believe in God, the Creator of heaven  and earth, but since they were entrusted with the Word of God then we should be thankful that when the day came for you and I to believe, that the words were kept and made available to us. But no, we call them obsolete. Nothing about God is obsolete. We have been trying for centuries to make our foundation obsolete. You can not stand firm on shifting sand, as the parable by Yeshua told us in Matthew 7:24-27.

Again these times which God designated are His holy days, and these times are all part of the kingdom, even when God rested on the seventh day. It was for all of mankind to follow suit in the manner of our King Yeshua, who is the Lord of the Sabbath. (Matthew 12:8) So let’s start with  looking at the high priest in Leviticus, and then we will look at Yeshua, our High Priest.

Yom Kippur and the Holy of Holies

 Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the year. It is a solemn day of prayer and fasting, a day to humble oneself.  It was on this day, the only day of the year, that the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies is the place where the presence of God resided. After the Tent of Meetings was set up Exodus 40:34-38 says this, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.”

Leviticus 16:6-10 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house.  Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting.  And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering,  but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.”

We see two goats, one will be a sacrifice to the Lord, and the other will be sent away to Azazel.  So who was Azazel? It is believed that Azazel was a fallen angel, a demon from the time of Noah, who taught men the art of warfare and taught women the art of deception, a lying, murderous spirit.

Let’s continue. Leviticus 16:11-14 says,

“Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.”

Leviticus 16:29 goes on to say, “This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble yourselves and not do any work, whether the native, or the stranger who resides among you; for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” 

Let’s analyze this. Once a year the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies with the blood of the goat chosen as the sin offering, and he brought coals from the sacrifice of the goat and mixed it with incense, so that a cloud of smoke covered the mercy seat or else he would die. This shows just how holy this place was. The high priest could only enter once a year on Yom Kippur with the blood of the sin offering, and at that, he had to have a covering between him and the presence of God, which we will explain as we go on.

Hebrews 9:11-12 says this , “But when the Messiah came as High Priest of the good things that are now already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”

So what this tells us is that Yeshua, our High Priest is our sin offering, as Romans 8:3-4 tells us, “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

We see here that Messiah Yeshua was the goat that was selected as the sin offering in the Yom Kippur service. He entered into the inner sanctuary, but it was with His blood, because He was the sin offering. What about the other goat that was sent away?  Levitcus 16:20-22 tells us, “When he finishes atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat.Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the wrongdoings of the sons of Israel and all their unlawful acts regarding all their sins; and he shall place them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands ready. Then the goat shall carry on itself all their wrongdoings to an isolated territory; he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”

Yeshua was also the goat sent away for He too, carried all of our sins upon Himself as 1 Peter 2:21-24 tells us, “ For you have been called for this purpose, because Messiah also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps, He who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed.”

Remember Azazel, he was the evil spirit who taught man war. Yeshua took the fight to Azazel as Ephesians 4:9 tells us, “(When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?” And as we see in Colossians 2:15, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”  And again in 1Peter 4:6, “For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as people, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.”

If the spiritual fight was important for Yeshua to fight, then we should see that it is important for us.  We started by looking at the Belt of Truth and now we are looking at the Yom Kippur service. As believers when we keep God’s Appointed Times we walk in truth. You have to walk in truth if you are fighting the spiritual battle. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. (Revelation 12:10) To fight him one needs to speak and live in truth. As we saw in the Yom Kippur service it takes place in the Most Holiest Place on the Most Holiest day. You have to take that into consideration along with the fact that God is truth. Paul started here when telling us about the spiritual battle because it is the most important place to start when fighting the evil forces that want to take us down. In the Holy of Holies sits the ark of the covenant that contained the Ten Commandments, which is and should be our moral compass. The mercy seat sits above the ark. It is here that God dwells as Exodus 25:20-22, “And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the atoning cover. Then you shall put the atoning cover on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. There I will meet with you; and from above the atoning cover, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about every commandment that I will give you for the sons of Israel.”

After Adam and Eve were told to leave the Garden of Eden, angels stood with drawn swords to protect the Tree of Life. But because of Yeshua’s death, we can now approach God for the wings of the cherubim are held open to receive all who come and we now can once again approach God and eat from the Tree of Life. Yeshua tore down the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place and now, not only can we come into the presence of God, but remember what sits in the Ark of the Covenant?   The Tree of Life. Proverbs 3:13-18 says this,  “ Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver  and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.” 

Also, remember the smoke that was between the high priest and the ark? Now instead of smoke, we are covered with the blood of Yeshua which stands between us and the Presence of God. When God sees us, He sees the blood of the Lamb of God who took away our sins. But we must live by God’s commands, it is the Tree of Life, it is our wisdom, understanding and knowledge.  If we love our Savior, then  we do not want to be separated from Him because sin separates us from God. It is not good enough that Yeshua died for our sins if we are going to keep walking in sin. 

Hebrews 10:26-29 tells us, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” 

Truth is the beginning of our fight with Satan, who accuses us day and night before the Lord. Consider Job who refused to curse God during his time of testing and Zechariah 3:1-4,  “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebukes you! Is this not a log snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed in filthy garments and was standing before the angel. And he responded and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your guilt away from you and will clothe you with festive robes.” 

We must be clean to come before the Lord. Yes, Yeshua died for our sins, and He is our atonement, (1 John 2:2), but we cannot come to Him any old way, we must be clean, and we must walk in truth. When we enter into a holy place and come into the presence of God, we too, must be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). This is how we begin fighting the spiritual battle, with the Belt of Truth around us to stabilize us and keep us steady, walking in Truth as our foundation, knowing that Yeshua is our Atonement, walking in His ways, keeping His Commands, standing on Holy Ground in the presence of God, then we can say to our accuser, “I rebuke you Satan in the name of Yeshua my Messiah.”

In this series on spiritual warfare, we are looking at each item in the Armor of God and how it relates to God’s Appointed Times and the Articles in the Temple. After putting on the Belt of Truth which we spoke of in the last episode, we see that Paul tells us next to put on the Breastplate of Righteousness (Ephesians 6 :14).  The breastplate protected the soldier’s heart and vital organs from a fatal wound. So too, the Breastplate of Righteousness guards our heart. Let’s first look at what God’s Word tells us about our heart. Proverbs 4:23 tells us this, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life.” In our physical body the heart pumps our life giving blood. So too, with our spiritual heart, springs of life flow. If our physical heart stops it brings death and so too, if our spiritual heart stops, we die spiritually.

Paul tells us what guards our heart, peace. Phillipians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Messiah Yeshua.” We know what guards our hearts but how do we go about doing it? Philippians 4:8-9 tells us “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”                        We see that the heart and mind go together. 

We also see this in Matthew 15:18-19   “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and slanderous statements.”   Our hearts cause us to sin with our mouths and with our thoughts.

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us this about the heart,“ The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? ”Our mouths will speak what’s in our hearts, good or evil and our hearts are the center for all things in our lives. 

Proverbs 10:11  says this,  “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”

 Psalm 119:11 also tells us how we can guard our hearts and our mouths . “I have treasured Your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against You.”

Now that we have seen that our spiritual hearts play a key role in our spiritual lives, we want to take a look at righteousness and our hearts. Psalm 11:7 says this about God. “For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; the upright will see His face.” God is righteous and He wants us also to be righteous. So righteousness is simply put, being right with God. Sin separates us from God and when we sin we need a way to come back to God.

Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked abandon his way, and the unrighteous person his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”

Romans 6:12-14 says this, “Therefore sin is not to reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the parts of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your body’s parts as instruments of righteousness for God.”

Also Romans 6:17-19 says, “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and after being freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented the parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your body’s parts as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.” If the Breastplate of Righteousness is worn to protect our hearts then we must be able to walk in righteousness in our hearts. Romans 10:10 tells us, “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Genesis  15:6 tells us this about Abraham, “Then he believed in the LORD; and He credited it to him as righteousness.” We have seen that the heart is the central place for good or bad, righteousness and wickedness.  But what brings about righteousness is when we believe in our hearts. It’s our convictions. It’s what we would die for. 

Psalm15:2 gives us some insight into righteousness, “One who walks with integrity, practices righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart” Righteousness takes believing in the truth. But we just cannot say it with words, but we must believe it and walk in it and that is integrity. We are who we say we are, and we believe in what we say we believe, no matter if we are alone or with other people. The Belt of Truth was the first item we put on in the Armor of God and we know that God is truth and His Word and Him are one. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31  “For consider your calling, brothers and sisters, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no human may boast before God. But it is due to Him that you are in Messiah Yeshua, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that just as it is written, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

The breastplate worn by a soldier usually had a crest on it which was of the  country he fought for. On our breastplate we wear the crest of whom we fight for, and that would be the kingdom of our Messiah Yeshua. We know that that would be the cross, which is the yoke of the kingdom. But there are times when we fall out of righteousness. We sin in our hearts and we become separated from God.  

Rosh Hashanah

The message of Rosh Hashanah, the Appointed Time of God, is  just that.  Rosh Hashanah is ten days before Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year.  Rosh Hashanah actually is a time to reflect on one’s heart. It is a time to search our soul, to consider our deeds and to repent. You actually begin thirty days before the appointed time of Rosh Hashanah. It is the time to prepare ourselves as we see here in Revelation 19:7-8, “Let’s rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”

So what are the righteous acts of the saints? Yeshua tells this story in Matthew 25:31-40,“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.“ Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’“ Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ This is the message of Rosh Hashanah.

So to prepare ourselves, we must examine ourselves as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Messiah Yeshua is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” 2 Peter 1:10-11 says “Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior  Messiah Yeshua will be abundantly supplied to you.” When we are righteous before God then we have Weapons of Righteousness. This was Yeshua’s message from Matthew 3:2, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This is the message of Rosh Hashanah.  The message to the church in Ephesus was quite clear in Revelation 2:4-5   “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” This is the message of Rosh Hashanah.

1 Samuel 4:1-11 tells us about a battle that Israel fought with their enemy, and because of their sins they were defeated. “Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.” So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.”

The moral of the story is this: You may think that because you call yourself a believer that God is with you, but if you have sin in your life it separates you from Him. Their enemy at first was afraid, but they kept up the fight and won. This is how it is with the devil. He may see you doing good. He may see you reading your Bible. He may see you going to church, but he also knows that you have unrepented sin. Remember, he is the accuser of the brethren. To fight the spiritual battle we must come humbly before God and repent.

This is the message of Rosh Hashanah.

The prophet Hosea speaks in his time to the people in Hosea 14:1-3, “O Israel, return to the Lord, your God, for you have been crushed by your sins. Bring your petition. Come to the Lord and say, “O Lord, take away our sins; be gracious to us and receive us, and we will offer you the sacrifice of praise. Assyria cannot save us, nor can our strength in battle; never again will we call the idols we have made ‘our gods’; for in you alone, O Lord, the fatherless find mercy.” This is the message of Rosh Hashanah.

Rosh Hashanah or the Day of Trumpets is that time to draw close to God by humbling yourself and repenting of your sins. Of course this is something that should be done daily, but the season of repentance draws our attention by the sounding of the shofar or trumpet that the day of the Lord draws near. The Fall Feasts are a picture of the second coming of Yeshua. The sounding of the trumpet alerted the people that the king was coming. It also was sounded when the enemy was coming.

 Revelation 12:12 tells us,  “For this reason, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” With our spiritual adversary,  he is always looking to whom he may devour, (1Peter 5:8). 

The devil today is winning the hearts of many people. The spiritual battle has become intense. Deception, lies and every temptation under the sun has increased.  People have fallen away from the one true God, and secular humanism has become the religion of the day.   If we are separated from God because of sin, we are left open for the enemy of our soul to devour us.  Peter tells us that we must be vigilant when it comes to our spiritual enemy.  The battle never ceases between us and him and we must be prepared to fight for the faith. Jude writes, “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints.”

  In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul tells Timothy this,  “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Yeshua is a mighty warrior as Psalm 4:3-4 tells us, “Strap Your sword on Your thigh, Mighty One, In Your splendor and majesty! And in Your majesty ride on victoriously, For the cause of truth, humility, and righteousness; let Your right hand teach You awesome things.” And Revelation 19:11-16 tells us, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”” This is the message of Rosh Hashanah.

The Altar of Incense

In the Yom Kippur service we saw the high priest would take incense from the Altar of Incense and add it to the coals of the sin offering to create a cloud that stood between Him and the Altar of Presence.  The Altar of Incense represents the prayers of the saints.  Revelation 5:8 -10 gives us insight into this important article of the Temple. “When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” This Scripture opens up a window into the Throne room of God and we see the praises that went up for Yeshua for His victory over death and the grave. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57,  “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Messiah Yeshua.” Revelation 5 shows us that before they fell down before the Lamb they had a bowl of incense, for the Lamb would be sitting on His throne in the same place as the Ark of Presence in the Temple. Remember, Moses was to construct the Tabernacle from what he saw in heaven, (Hebrews 8:5).  We see here the importance of this altar standing right before the Ark. But also the incense was the prayers of the saint. Our prayers come before the Lord night and day. The incense was burned on the altar not only once a year at Yom Kippur, but twice a day at the morning and evening sacrifices, which today relates to the morning and evening times of prayer.

The Altar of Incense  was most holy for it sat in front of the Holy of Holies, the Ark of Presence. It shows us how important our prayers are to God. Now as Revelation 5 tells us we are a kingdom of priests and we enter into the most holiest place when we come before God with our prayers. 1Peter 2:9 tells us “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:18  that the battle must be fought with prayer, not just with our Weapons of Righteousness, which is the Armor of God,  but also with prayer. “With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints.”

We are told to pray without ceasing, (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Prayer is another one of our weapons in the fight against the enemy of our soul. Philippians 4:6.says this, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” The spiritual battle is fought on our knees as we come before the cross of Yeshua. The cross was the place that Yeshua won the victory, and that is the place that we too, will win the victory. Repentance, prayer and righteousness are all the messages of Rosh Hashanah. James 5:16 says, “ Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.” Blow the trumpet and sound the alarm on My holy Mountain. (Joel 2:1)

Today if you have fallen from righteousness, repent, and be restored, and put on righteousness as your armor. Guard your heart and pray; and re enter  the spiritual battle Psalm 60:12 tells us of our victory,   “Through our God we will do valiantly, and it is He who will trample down our enemies.”

We have looked at the Belt of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness and now Paul goes on to tell us this in Ephesians 6:15, “and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace.”  Feet, how interesting that Paul makes feet part of the armor. He goes on to say that we must strap the preparation of the gospel of peace on our feet. The definition of preparation is, the action or process of making ready, or being made ready. The definition tells us that it is all about being ready, but it is a process. So let’s look at the process. The process started by putting on the Belt of Truth. We must walk in truth as John writes in 3 John 1:3-4, “I was overjoyed when some of the friends arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, namely how you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” And we know that Yeshua is the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6) So to be ready we must walk in the way that leads to life and that life is in Messiah Yeshua who is also the truth. Next we saw that we need to put on the Breastplate of Righteousness. Yeshua is our righteousness, He makes us righteous in Him when we repent of our sins and guard our hearts with truth. (1 John 1:9)

The next step of gospel readiness is given to us in  1 Peter 3:14-17, “ But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Messiah as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Messiah may be put to shame. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” You must be ready to be persecuted for your beliefs.

Yeshua said this in John 15:18-21, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.  Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.” 

Matthew 10: 16-18 says, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves. But be on guard against people, for they will hand you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings on My account, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.”

We will have to endure hardships and persecutions for the sake of the Gospel.

Ephesians 6:13, begins by saying:  “Therefore put on the full Armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”                                                                             This is what Paul was saying when he told us to prepare our feet. When we do, then we can stand on our own two feet, and there is no better place to stand than on the Rock Yeshua. (Psalm 18:46) Our feet can take us to many places, some good and some bad.

Isaiah 59:7 says this, “Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of wrongdoing, devastation and destruction are in their paths.”

Romans 10:14-15 says this, “How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” Where are your feet taking you?

Matthew 9:35-38 says this, “Yeshua went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Titus 2:11-14 tells us, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Yeshua went about doing good. He always put the kingdom first in His life. He is our example and we need to walk in His footsteps.

Romans 1:16-17 says this, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” Paul knew the power of the gospel and he was not ashamed of it. We can not fight the good fight of faith without the gospel message. 

Let’s look at the Appointed Time called First Fruits and see how it coincides with the gospel. It begins in Genesis and it began with fruit. After Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Good and Evil, God said this to the serpent, in Genesis 3:14-15, “ Then the Lord God said to the serpent,“ Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all the livestock, and more than any animal of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life; and I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.”

We see here that the battle began between the devil and God’s people. But we also see that one day one would come and that there would be a great battle, where He (Yeshua) would bruise the head of Satan, which He did when He took back the crown that Adam lost, and Satan would bruise his heel. Is this not interesting that God said that Satan would bruise the heel of the Messiah? God is referring to His foot.  Remember, Yeshua went about doing good and preaching the kingdom. Now Satan was going to strike His foot, so that He no longer went about doing good or preaching the kingdom. He had Yeshua killed. He thought that he had won the battle, he was the king, until Yeshua descended into hell and took the crown off of his head and rose from the dead. Yeshua had the victory not only over Satan but also over death and the grave. He was the first fruit.

Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 about Yeshua’s victory , “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Messiah Yeshua.”

Feast of First Fruits

So what is the Feast of First Fruits? Leviticus 23:9 speaks of the first fruits, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” 

This took place two days after the Passover and it was the waving of the Omer or the first fruit of the harvest, and it was also the beginning  countdown to Pentecost.

Paul tells us this in 1 Corinthians 15:20,  “But the fact is, the Messiah has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” Why did Paul say this? Because it was on the Feast of First Fruits that Yeshua rose from the dead, and just like the priest, who brought the first of the harvest into the temple, so too, Yeshua was the first offering of all who would follow Him, for they too, would have the victory over the grave.For now we are at the feet of Yeshua bringing the good news to all. We are the harvesters harvesting the fruit. Yeshua won the battle and now we continue the fight till the end, but Yeshua will come back for the final victory and His feet will move mountains as we see in Zachariah 14:3-4, “Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west forming a very large valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half toward the south.” And guess who will be with Him as Zacariah 14:5b tells us, “Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!  Now how does all of this fit in with the Articles of the Temple? In the Holy Place we see that the Menorah and the Table of Showbread are across from each other.

These are the two feet of the Temple and these two feet have a lot to do with the spiritual battle, as you will see.

The Table of Showbread

In the Holy Place sits a table and it represents the table of the Lord. God wants us to come and feast at his table as  Isaiah 55:1-3 tells us 

“You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to Me.

Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David”.

On the Table of Showbread sat 12 loaves of bread that were baked every week and placed on the table and  it sat there all week. On the Sabbath the priests would eat the bread, which was then replaced for the coming week. The miracle of the bread was that it remained fresh and warm the whole week. Bread is called the staff of life. Yeshua was called the Bread of  Life, (John 6:35). In the prayer we call “Our Father,” Yeshua prays , “Give us our bread, our daily bread,” (Matthew 6:11) Yeshua, at the last supper , took bread and said, “This is My body.” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Yeshua was the true manna from heaven.(John 6:58).

What was our daily bread? Our daily bread is the Word of God. Yeshua is our bread. John 6 records  a powerful dialogue between Yeshua and the crowd.  When speaking about the Bread of Life, they asked Him, “Sir,” they said, “Always give us this bread.” Then Yeshua declared, “I am the Bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day,” (John 6:34-40).

We are to come to the table of the Lord and eat His body and drink His blood. 

Yeshua said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever,” (John 5;53-58).

When we come to the table of the Lord and eat His body and drink His blood , we are actually partaking in the Word of God. Yeshua, the Bread of Life and the Well of Salvation. 

Isaiah 12:2-4 says this, “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.” Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation. And on that day you will say, “Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted.” Yes, Isaiah was recording a time of victory.   

Psalm 16:5 tells us, “The Lord Himself is my inheritance, my prize. He is my food and drink, my highest joy! He guards all that is mine.”

Luke 14:15-24 records this story. “When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Yesua, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Yeshua replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

How about you ? Still not sure if you want to come? This is the spiritual battle  that you have to fight  and win. When beginning his message on the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:10, Paul starts out by saying, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” We must have our daily bread to give us the strength for the battle. Yeshua is the True Manna that sustained Israel for 40 years. He was also the Rock that gave them the water to drink as 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 tells us, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and they all passed through the sea; and they all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and they all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Messiah.”

Yeshua, our food and our drink is able to keep us strong and keep us in the fight.  This is the first leg we must stand on to go out and preach the Gospel.

Now let’s look at the second leg that we stand on in bringing the gospel.

The Menorah 

The Menorah was the seven branched  lampstand in the Temple. It was its only source of light. The Menorah was called the “Light to the Nations.” Yeshua said in John 8:12,  “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 

In John 6:68,  Simon Peter answered Yeshua, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have words of eternal life.”

The Gospel is life. Yeshua said I am the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6) Everything about the gospel is life, because everything about the gospel is about Yeshua, who is life.  Just like everything about the Temple points to Yeshua and everything about God’s Appointed Times points to Yeshua. 

Yeshua goes on to say in John 8:12, that the one who follows Him will not walk in darkness. Now Yeshua was  not talking about physical darkness, but spiritual darkness. The gospel is all about light and life. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 tells us, “ But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then, let’s not sleep as others do, but let’s be alert and sober.”

 Matthew 5:14-16 shows us that we have a  responsibility as children of light, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

The Menorah was always to be lit,  the light could never go out. Same with us, we must shine our light day and night, not only by doing good, but by bringing the good news to all we meet. That is why our feet are beautiful as Paul tells us in Romans 10. Colossians 4:5 tells us, “ Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”

So to be light we must have the oil to keep our light burning. The oil for the Menorah  was from olives and was to be pure, and from the first press of the olive. The crushing of the olives was a picture of Yeshua. Isaiah 53: 5 tells us, “But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”

Olive oil was used to anoint kings, prophets, and the high priest, all of which Yeshua is. The word Messiah means, “The Anointed One.” In Matthew 25: 1-13, Yeshua tells a parable about ten  virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom.  Five had enough oil to wait out his coming , while five did not have enough to wait out his coming. When they heard that the bridegroom was coming. 

“All the girls jumped up and trimmed their lamps. Then the five who hadn’t any oil begged the others to share with them, for their lamps were going out. “But the others replied, ‘We haven’t enough. Go instead to the shops and buy some for yourselves.’“ But while they were gone, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.“ Later, when the other five returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Sir, open the door for us!’ “But he called back, ‘Go away! It is too late!’“ So stay awake and be prepared, for you do not know the date or moment of my return.”

  Our feet take us to bring the Good News, and we must always be prepared. Five of those virgins thought they were prepared and found out the hard way that they were not.  They had faith, but it was not in the Truth.

The devil lies and deceives us and that is why we must have every piece of the armour on. Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness and our feet shod with the gospel. A lifestyle that has to be lived out daily. There is a spiritual battle that has to be fought and so you must keep an abundant supply of oil to keep your lamp from going out. 

Ephesians  5:1-21, gives us good advice on how we can continue to walk in the Light and not have our oil run out. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Messiah also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Messiah and God. See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), as you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Messiah will shine on you.” So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Messiah Yeshua to our God and Father; ]and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of  Messiah.”

We see that when we prepare our feet for the battle, the Gospel of Light gives us the food that we need to go about bringing the Good News to all we meet. And that spiritual food and drink strengthens us so that even the gates of hell will not hinder us, (Matthew 16:18). As disciples of Yeshua we have been called to go out and advance the kingdom as Matthew 28:18-20 tells us,  “Then Yeshua came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

1 Thessalonians 1:2-5 says, “We always give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly keeping in mind your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Messiah Yeshua in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brothers and sisters, beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sakes.”

 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 tells us. “The Holy Spirit is given to each of us in a special way. That is for the good of all. To some people the Spirit gives a message of wisdom. To others the same Spirit gives a message of knowledge. To others the same Spirit gives faith. To others that one Spirit gives gifts of healing. To others he gives the power to do miracles. To others he gives the ability to prophesy. To others he gives the ability to tell the spirits apart. To others he gives the ability to speak in different kinds of languages they had not known before. And to still others he gives the ability to explain what was said in those languages. All the gifts are produced by one and the same Spirit. He gives gifts to each person, just as he decides.”

We must use the gifts that God has given us and we must advance the kingdom by preaching the Good News, even if it takes us to the gates of hell.

Let’s close by looking at Jude 20-23, “But you, dear friends, must build up your lives ever more strongly upon the foundation of our holy faith, learning to pray in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit.Stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and bless you. Wait patiently for the eternal life that our Lord Messiah Yeshua in His mercy is going to give you. Try to help those who argue against you. Be merciful to those who doubt. Save some by snatching them as from the very flames of hell itself. And as for others, help them to find the Lord by being kind to them, but be careful that you yourselves aren’t pulled along into their sins. Hate every trace of their sin while being merciful to them as sinners.”

The next part of the armor that we are going to look at is faith. Paul had his reasons  why he listed the parts of the armor in the order that he did and we will see why.

Ephesian 6:16 tells us,  “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

We  left the last episode fighting at the gates of Hell. Spiritually snatching them from the fire. But now Paul tells us that we too, must protect ourselves from the fire.

As we are doing the work of the kingdom, we will find ourselves fighting the fire that comes from the dragon’s own mouth. All of the Armor of God is for our protection in fighting the spiritual  battle, but the Shield of Faith helps keep us in the battle. Let’s look at faith.

Hebrews 11:1 says this, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

We see that many things make up faith, like hope and conviction. Not seeing, but believing. Let’s look at hope.

Romans 8:24-25 says, “For this is the hope of our salvation. But hope means that we must trust and wait for what is still unseen. For why would we need to hope for something we already have? So because our hope is set on what is yet to be seen, we patiently keep on waiting for its fulfillment.”

Psalm 39:7 tells us who and only who, we should put our hope in, “But now, Lord, what do I look for?  My hope is in You.”

Again in Psalm 130: 5, “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his Word I put my hope.”

Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:10, “ That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.”

Hebrews 6:19 also speaks of this hope, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which enters within the veil, where Yeshua has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 6:11-12 tells us, “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things regarding you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, by having served and by still serving the saints. And we desire that each one of you demonstrates the same diligence, so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and endurance inherit the promises.”

We begin to see that faith has a lot to do with our “Weapons of Righteousness.’

As if they all hang on by faith. The Belt of Truth is only effective if we have faith in that Truth and our Righteousness, only if we believe in the work of Yeshua on the cross, will we repent of our sins, and by faith are we saved. (Ephesians 2:8-9), Romans 10:10 tells us,  “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified (made righteous), and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Faith is important in the spiritual battle. By our faith we can move mountains. Many of those mountains are part of the spiritual battle, as we see in 

Matthew 17:18-20, “Afterwards the disciples asked Yeshua privately, “Why couldn’t we cast that demon out?”“Because of your little faith,” Yeshua told them. “For if you had faith even as small as a tiny mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would go far away. Nothing would be impossible.”

Everyone has some faith in them or else they could not live in this world. Paul says this in Romans 12:3,“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

One key opponent to faith is resting in that faith as Psalm 62:1-2 tells us, “I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for him to rescue me. For salvation comes from him alone. Yes, he alone is my Rock, my rescuer, defense and fortress. Why then should I be tense with fear when troubles come?” Our faith leads us to trust God, and it is in that trust that we rest upon Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says this, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

We are to trust God like little children as Psalm 131:1-4, “Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes arrogant; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. I have certainly soothed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child resting against his mother, my soul within me is like a weaned child. Israel, wait for the Lord from this time on and forever.”

Faith is important when fighting the spiritual battle. We know that We have the authority over the powers of hell as Mark 6:7 tells us, “And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.”

But faith without works is dead as James 2:14-17 tells us, “What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

The Shield of Faith protects us from the arrows of the evil one. The devil wants us to live in fear and doubt, not trusting in the power of God, not trusting in the work of the Holy Spirit. But he wants us to live in fear, fear that says God is not with us, God does not know me. God is not able.

We have seen that when the Tent of Meetings was set up before the people in the wilderness, that a cloud of smoke rose upward above the Ark of the Covenant during the day and at night there was a pillar of fire, (Exodus 40:38). Also this same pillar of smoke and fire went before them as they traveled, (Exodus 13:21).

This was so that the people knew that God was always with them. Philippians 4: 6-7 says,  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Messiah Yeshua.” We also say that the Altar of Incense sat before the Ark of the Covenant and this represented the prayers of the saints, (Revelations 5:8). Again showing that our prayers are always before the Lord.

Luke 12:22-32 tells us, “And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear. For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a day to his life’s span? Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things are what the nations of the world eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.”

Did not God provide for the people in the wilderness for forty years as they ate the manna? But let us consider Deuteronomy 29:5, “And I have led you in the wilderness for forty years; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot.” 

 Psalm 139:1-18 is what you can use  as your Shield of Faith, it is nothing less than the love of God.  “Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I get up; You understand my thought from far away. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, Lord, You know it all. You have encircled me behind and in front, And placed Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot comprehend it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take up the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will take hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You, For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You When I was made in secret, And skillfully formed in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my formless substance; And in Your book were written All the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts for me, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.”

The Veil

The veil is what separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. We briefly looked at the veil when we discussed Yom Kippur. What does the veil have to do with faith?  Let’s take a closer look.

First, we have to ask, “Why was there a veil between the two sections of the Tabernacle?” Remember Moses when He asked to see God’s glory?

Exodus 33: 18-23 says this, “Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” He said, “you cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near Me where you may stand on a rock. When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”

The Holy of Holies was so holy that only the high priest could enter once a year. And at that only with the blood of the sin offering and coals from that offering  to add to the incense from the Altar of Incense to create a cloud of smoke between the Ark of the Covenant and the high priest. Much like God placing Moses in the cleft of the rock. We know that the rock represented Yeshua that covered Moses and Yeshua was the sin offering whose blood was sprinkled on the Ark. But how interesting it is that the coals from that offering was mixed with the incense which represented the prayers of the saint, (Revelation 5:8-10). And the Altar of Incense sat before the very presence of God, but God is so holy that the Ark of His Presence sat behind the veil. But we know that Yeshua when He died, the veil was torn in two,(Matthew 27:51).

Hebrews 10: 19-22 tells us, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence (assurance)  to enter the holy place by the blood of Yeshua by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Also Hebrews 4:16 says this, “So let us come boldly (conviction) to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.”

So let’s look at the definition of faith as Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” So we can look at Hebrews 10 and Hebrews 4 and replace confidence with assurance and boldness with conviction. This is how we are to enter into God’s presence, with faith. The high Priest entered beyond the veil, by faith. He rested in the assurance that the blood of the sin sacrifice would protect Him. His faith in God gave him His conviction to believe and so it became a shield in protecting him.

When it comes to the spiritual battle our faith is crucial. When we know that we know that God is for us, then we know that no one can separate us from Him. Romans 8:31-39 tells us, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Messiah Yeshua who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long;     we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.”

Again Ephesians 3:8-12 says,  “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Messiah, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Yeshua the Messiah, to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Messiah Yeshua our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.”

There is a veil, for no man may see God, but one day as 1 John 3: 2 tells us, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

So let us have faith, and let us use that faith to fight the spiritual battle, trusting God and resting in His faithfulness as Romans 8: 28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 

One thing God does not keep behind the veil and that is His love and His faithfulness to His people. Faith tells us to rest in God’s love for us and His ability to care for us.  This is the message of the sabbath rest.

The Sabbath

The Sabbath is one of God’s Appointed Times. It was created at the time of creation as Genesis 2:1-3 tells us,  “And so the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their heavenly lights. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

Hebrews 11:3 tells us, “By faith we understand that the world has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible.” Even God had faith and when He rested on the seventh day He was exercising that faith, for He trusted in His own ability when He saw that all was good.

Believers today say that the Sabbath was for the Jews only and yet Yeshua tells us that He is the Lord of the Sabbath, (Matthew 12:8). Believers kept the seventh day Sabbath and they have found that they kept it all the way to the 5th Century. Over the last 50 years, people are returning to the seventh day sabbath because if we are to be the true light then we must follow in Yeshua’s footsteps for He is the Lord of the Sabbath, and we give witness that our Heavenly Father is the Creator of all things. For this the devil would love for us to give a false witness.

When we keep the sabbath and we rest from our works, we show not only God but man that we trust in God’s ability to care for us. Hebrews 4:1-11says this , “ Therefore, we must fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but the word they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united with those who listened with faith. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, “As I swore in My anger, they certainly shall not enter My rest,” although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this passage, “They certainly shall not enter My rest.” Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who previously had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again sets a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience.”

How important it is for us to rest in the Lord. The devil will do everything in his power to get us to not trust in God, not to put our trust in Him, but in the things of this world. When we lift up our Shield of Faith we block those lies of the devil, those fiery darts, and we are protected in God’s love . He is our Father, and He is our Creator and He is the lover of our souls. No man, no object of this world, can love us more than the one who created us. Today, if you are a child of the One True God, the Creator of all things, then we must testify to that fact by resting also in Him, not only in our everyday lives, not only in all of our trials, but we must give witness to the God whom we serve. He rested on the seventh day. Did He have to?  Was He so tired that he had to rest? No! He rested because one, He is our example, and two, he has faith in all he did. So, we too, must rest, not on the first day, or the sixth day, as many other religions do, but on the seventh day. For the number seven is the number of completion and we are complete when we rest on the seventh day. This is a spiritual battle that the believers have lost for many years, and we need to return, for even the commandment tells us to keep the Sabbath.

We have seen that the spiritual battle consists of the Armor of God, the Appointed Times of God and the Articles in the Temple. In this recording we have seen The Shield of Faith, the Veil and now the Sabbath. All three speak to us about the spiritual battle and what we need to win the war.

After the Shield of Faith, Paul goes on to tell us in Ephesians 6:17, to take the Helmet of Salvation. Before Paul wrote about the armor, Isaiah tells us this in  Isaiah 59:15-17 which speaks about our Messiah, dressed for the battle. “Truth is lacking, and one who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the Lord saw, and it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. And He saw that there was no one, and was amazed that there was not one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a cloak.” We see here that truth was lacking and this caused the Lord to fight the battle.  Maybe this is why Paul started with the Belt of Truth. 

1 Thessalonians 5:8 tells us, “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” So salvation is not only our hope, but it is our goal.  This is why Paul tells us to put on the armor, starting with truth and then righteousness, having our feet prepared to give the good news and then having faith to do all of this, as we fight the enemy of our souls.

Romans 8:24-25 says, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Salvation, what is it really?  Well. it’s definition  says, “ It is preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin or loss.” 

Psalm 25:5 tells us, “ Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.”

We know that God is our salvation. We know because Scripture tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life,” (John 3:16). We also know because Yeshua’s name means God’s Salvation. (note: only the Hebrew name of Yeshua means salvation, not Jesus) This is what Psalm 62:1-2,5-7 tells us about Yeshua, our salvation. Take note how the Psalmist waits and rests in God. This is the Shield of Faith. This is the spiritual battle being fought. “My soul waits in silence for God alone; from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be greatly shaken. My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my hope is from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my refuge; I will not be shaken. My salvation and my glory rest on God; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.” As believers we know that Yeshua delivered us from sin and we also know that the consequence of that sin was death.

 Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.” But we also know that we sin, and at times we do not repent of that sin and at times it even causes us to fall.

Hebrews 10:26-27, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”

 Many people think that the Helmet of Salvation has to do with our thoughts, but James 1:13-16 tells us this, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

In Matthew 3:8 we see John the Baptist addressing the Pharisees and Sadducees, with this statement, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” We must have evidence of the repenting of our sins, or else, we ourselves can not be sure that we have truly repented. So we see that the Helmet of Salvation has to do with  hope, and the devil wants us to lose that battle. We must put on the helmet to remind us of the goal. To do that we need to examine ourselves as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Messiah Yeshua is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” And Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:10-11,  “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.  For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Messiah Yeshua.” Salvation is like that helmet, and that helmet is like a tent that we wear over our heads, as if to say that it is our shelter, to protect us from our enemy.

Psalm 17:8 says, “Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.” Again Psalm 27:5 says, “For on the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; He will hide me in the secret place of His tent; He will lift me up on a rock.” 

 Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 

Paul fought the spiritual battle, he contended for the faith, he finished the race and now he was confident in his hope of salvation.

Revelation 2:10 tells us, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation reminds us that we can have the victory in the mists of our trials, because we wear the helmet of Salvation. 

We have the hope of salvation, when we have God as our source, when we have God at the center of our lives. 

The Tent of Meeting

So the Helmet of Salvation is the Tabernacle, and more precisely, the tent that held the Tabernacle, also called the Tent of Meeting. In Hebrew it is called the  Mishkan. Because the people traveled in the wilderness for forty years, the Tabernacle had to be portable. It also had to be separated from the people, for it was holy. To do that, they had to make it like a tent. They divide the tent in sections, the outer court, the holy place and the most holy place called the holy of holies. It was here that God met with Moses and Aaron. The tent had one entrance or door. The Tent of Meeting  gave the people a place to come to seek  and worship the Lord, and Moses would gather the people at the entrance or door of the Tent of Meeting to speak with them about the will of God. (Exodus 33)

Yeshua is the door as John 10:9-10 tells us, “ I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

The Tent of Meeting, or often called the Tabernacle  is a picture of God’s protection against the enemy.

Psalm 118:5-15 tells us, “From my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and put me in an open space. The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in noblemen. All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I will certainly fend them off. They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I will certainly fend them off. They surrounded me like bees; they were extinguished like a fire of thorn bushes; in the name of the Lord I will certainly fend them off. You pushed me violently so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; the right hand of the Lord performs valiantly.”

The spiritual battle comes out in the physical realm, because the devil uses people to attack us. But we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but with the rulers and evil forces in the heavenlies. Either way, God is still our protector and He gives us our victory. This is the Helmet of Salvation, this was the Tabernacle. It sat as a sign of God’s presence with the people. The pillar of smoke by day and the pillar of fire by night, God was there to protect his people, for He was their salvation. He was there to keep them from suffering harm, ruin, or loss. Yes, He was their preservation, their salvation, but all throughout the generations God has done this for His people. We have our trials and tribulations, we have our battles and even though at times it may seem that we have lost the battle, with God we will still win the war. And our victory is our salvation. Our God, the King, who wears the crown of glory, tells us now, to put on the Helmet of Salvation, as Isaiah said, He Himself  put on the Helmet of Salvation, and we shall wear it  like a crown.

This is how Job answered his accusers. Job 31:35-37, “If only I had someone to hear my case! Here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me. Let my opponent compose his indictment. I would surely carry it on my shoulder and wear it like a crown. I would give him an account of all my steps; I would approach him like a prince.”

Numbers 2:1-2 says this, “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banners of their family.” This picture of Israel camped around the Tent of Meeting tells us that God must be the center of our lives and He must be our source. It also shows us a picture of the Helmet of Salvation, which is worn around the head. God is our head, and we must wrap ourselves around Him. When Balak wanted Baalam to curse Israel, this is what Numbers 24:2-5 records. “When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him and he spoke his message: “The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,  the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly, the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,  who sees a vision from the Almighty,    who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,    your dwelling places, Israel!” Balaam could not curse but only bless Israel, for the sight he saw was that of a people mighty before their God. This is what the devil sees when we wear the Helmet of Salvation as a crown.

Sukkot/The Feast of Tabernacles

All of this only points to the appointed time of Sukkot. Sukkot which means booths or tents. Leviticus 23:41 tells us, “So you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a permanent statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.”

Sukkot is a beautiful celebration of God’s faithfulness to His people. But Sukkot is a picture of those righteous who will live for eternity with the Lord,  Sukkot is not like the other two feasts, which are solemn. No, Sukkot is a celebration. It is called the “Season of Rejoicing.” We have just come out of forty days of repentance, with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur  and now is the time to celebrate our future with our Lord for eternity. The people would make pilgrimage to Jerusalem singing the “Songs of Ascents’, which were Psalms 120-134. 

The last day of Sukkot is called the Hoshana Rabbah, “The Great Salvation.” The priests would circle the altar seven times reciting prayers and singing from the Psalms, all the while swaying  palm branches. They would carry these huge palm branches and lay them to form a tent or a sukkah. We also see this story recorded in  Mark 11:4-10, “They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they untied it. And some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them just as Yeshua had said, and they gave them permission. They brought the colt to Yeshua  and put their cloaks on it; and He sat on it. And many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. And those who went in front and those who followed were shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!””

Now this was not during the feast of Sukkot, but the people knew the Scriptures, and the images of Sukkot, for it says in Zechariah 9:9, “ Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  Even though they were expecting their Messiah to come during the feast of Sukkot, all they knew to do was wave palm branches and and shout out 

Psalm 118:25, “Save us, we pray, O Lord!    O Lord, we pray, give us success!” There was another beautiful ceremony called the “Water Drawing Ceremony.” John 7:37-38 tells us this about Yeshua, “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Yeshua stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” Yeshua was referring to the coming of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Sukkot also reminds us, as we too, are living  in our  Sukkah, or tent, that once there was a people who lived in tents, who surrounded themselves around  another tent, a tent that housed the presence of God. He provided food and water for forty years and He kept their shoes and clothes from wearing out as 

Psalm 121 says, “I will raise my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who watches over you will not slumber. Behold, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your protector; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not beat down on you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time and forever.”

This is Sukkot! How could these people live in the wilderness and not be burnt from the sun or at night when the sun went down and the temperature dropped and they did not freeze. Day or night God was in their midst. God was their source. The center of their lives and this is what Sukkot reminds us of, and this is why it is a celebration. One day we will live with our Salvation, Yeshua, for eternity.

Let’s take a closer look at the Fall Feasts. We looked at Rosh Hashanah, which we spoke of when we looked at the Breastplate of Righteousness and repentance, also the Altar of Incense, which represented the prayers of the saints. Rosh Hashanah is a picture of the gates of heaven being opened for the righteous to enter. We saw that it was a time of fasting and prayer and humbling of oneself  in repentance.

We looked at the Belt of Truth and saw just how important it was to walk in truth. Yom Kippur is a picture of the day that the books are opened and the names are read from the Book of Life and the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat, or  could be called the seat of judgement sat upon it. At the end of Yom Kippur there is a service called the closing of the gates, for only the righteous souls whose names are written in the Book of Life may remain. This is certainly an illustration of Noah who enters the ark and God then closes the door.(Genesis 7:13-16) And so many of Yeshua’s parables where the door is shut and no longer can anyone enter, (Matthew 25:1-13). 

Yeshua in Sukkot

The theme of Sukkot is “God with us.” John 1:14 says this about Yeshua our salvation, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Because the theme of Sukkot is the same as what Scripture tells us about the birth of the Messiah, it is widely believed that Yeshua was born on the first day of Sukkot. Remember the Tabernacle that dwelt with the people, so too, Yeshua dwells with us. It only makes sense that our salvation should come at a time like this. The people of His day believed their Messiah was coming during  the feast of Sukkot and we today know that Yeshua laid  in a Sukkah, because we see that imagery every year, as the world celebrates His birthday every December 25th,  which was chosen by the Emperor Constantine to coincide with the birth of the sun god.  It is also believed that Yeshua was circumcised on the eighth day of Sukkot, which is a celebration of the Word. The Fall Feasts are a great reminder that Yeshua is coming again and we need to be prepared by having the armor as our lifestyle. 

Today when you take on the enemy of your soul, remember Yeshua, and the hope of a Great Salvation. Put that helmet on and let it wrap around your head like the tent, to remind you of God’s ever presence, and celebrate before the Lord for He is our eternal home. This will give you confidence and this will give you the strength to continue the spiritual battle.

Soon we’ll be looking at the Spring Feasts, but one more piece of the armor to go.

Ephesians 6:17b, gives us our last piece of the Armor of God , “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” While we have seen that the armor has been for protection, the sword seems to be the only combat weapon. It is designed to give the enemy a fatal blow. We see that there are two parts to the sword, the Spirit and the Word,  just like there are two feet to the gospel, the Light of Life and the Bread of Life.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  A two edged sword brings a double blow, one going in and one coming out. Why so severe?  And if we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, why does it seem that this is for man and not the devil? Let’s take a closer look to answer the questions.

First let us look at the first edge of this sword. It is called the Sword of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit

So we see here that this has to do with the work of the Holy Spirit.  Yeshua told His disciples before He rose to heaven to wait for the Holy Spirit and they would receive power. (Acts 1:8).

John 14:16-17 says, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.”

John 14:26 continues to say, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” We see that the Holy Spirit is one who walks with us and helps us on life’s journey. He also is a teacher to us and as we so often do, forget those things that we need to do to fight the spiritual battle, He is there to remind us.

John 16:8-11 also tells us, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me ; and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” Again we see that the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, so that we can walk in righteousness. We can not fight the accuser of the brethren if we have  unrepented sin.

1 Peter 1: 10-12, “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Messiah within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Messiah and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.”

We can see that the Holy Spirit helps us in our lives regarding every part of the Armor of God.

2 Timothy 1: 13-14  also tells us,  “Hold on to the example of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Messiah Yeshua. Protect, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”

The Holy Spirit is our Helper and Counselor and Teacher. He is there to help us grow and mature. He also is there to draw us closer to God and He has called those to help us along the way as Ephesians 4:11-16 tells us, “And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers,  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Messiah;  until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Messiah. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;  but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is,Messiah,  from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Romans 8: 26-27 says, “Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Friendship with the world makes us an enemy to God, (James 4:4).

Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Galatians 5:16-21 says, “ What I am saying is this: run your lives by the Spirit. Then you will not do what your old nature wants. For the old nature wants what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is contrary to the old nature. These oppose each other, so that you find yourselves unable to carry out your good intentions. But if you are led by the Spirit, then you are not in subjection to the system that results from perverting the Torah into legalism. And it is perfectly evident what the old nature does. It expresses itself in sexual immorality, impurity and indecency; involvement with the occult and with drugs; in feuding, fighting, becoming jealous and getting angry; in selfish ambition, factionalism, intrigue and envy; in drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you now as I have warned you before: those who do such things will have no share in the Kingdom of God!”

Titus 3:1-7 tells us how that is done. “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Messiah Yeshua our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

The Holy Spirit not only  helps us in our weakness, but to live a godly life. If we are going to win the battle against the enemy of our soul, then we must be godly.

2 Peter 1:1-11 says, “To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua :Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Yeshua our Lord, for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Messiah Yeshua. For the one who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Messiah Yeshua will be abundantly supplied to you.” We can now see what the Sword of the Spirit has to do with us. We need to walk in truth and righteousness before we can fight the spiritual battle. Maybe this is why Paul started where he spoke about the armor and started with the Belt of Truth.

The Holy Spirit also causes us to bear fruit in our lives as Galatians 5:22-25 “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Now those who belong to Messiah Yeshua crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.”  

Now that we have looked at the Holy Spirit, let’s look at the second edge of the sword, The Word of God.

The Word of God

The Word of God or Sophia in Greek, is the wisdom of God. It is by God’s wisdom that He created the heavens and the earth. Here is an awesome insight into God’s Word, as it  speaks about His wisdom in Proverbs 8:22-31,  shows the relationship between God and His Word.  “The Lord possessed me (wisdom) in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: while as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there: when He set a compass upon the face of the depth: when He established the clouds above: when He strengthened the fountains of the deep: when He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass His commandment: when He appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him; rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth; and My delights were with the sons of men.” Wisdom, God’s Word was with God from before the foundation of the earth. God’s wisdom, His Word, is Yeshua, for He is the Word made flesh, (John 1:14). God is One and yet, we see at creation that God spoke  in  the plural,  

Genesis 1:26 says, “ Let us make man.” It is a mystery and yet it is not, for God is a Spirit, and His Word is who He is. There are many parts to the body and yet it is one, so too, with God.”

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 says, “ For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Messiah . For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” There is power in the spoken Word of God, as we know, that God spoke His creation into being. So we  know that we too, when we fight the spiritual battle that we can follow in our Messiah’s footsteps. Yeshua, when fighting the battle with Satan in the wilderness for forty days, used the spoken Word to fight the devil.

 Matthew 4:1-10 tells us this, “Then Yeshua was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took Him along into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and he said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written: ‘He will give His angels orders concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will lift You up, So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.’” Yeshua said to him, “On the other hand, it is written: ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took Him along to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Yeshua said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

When the devil tempts us we must fight back with the Word of God. Yeshua tells us in Mark 11:23, “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him.” Nothing can stand in our way. The devil can place any road block or hindrance in front of us, but we can have the victory if we believe, and we stand on the Word of God.  But we can hinder ourselves because we do not work out our salvation with fear and trembling, (Philippians 2:12). Yeshua gives us the parable of the sower of the seed. In Matthew 13:20-21 we read this, “The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away.”

We can receive the Word with joy, but if we do not live the Word, and practice the Word, and follow in the footsteps of our Messiah, when the trials and tribulations of life  come, we will walk away. This is why we need to have a lifestyle of the armor. We must put it on, and live it out, and fight the spiritual battle. We must teach our children, and we must teach our new babes in Messiah, because the wolves will come and  destroy the sheep, (Mathew 7:15).

The Ten Commandments

When we look at the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the Ark of the Covenant contained none other than God’s covenant. And you ask what was His covenant? It was His Torah. In the Ark was placed the Ten Commandments, which is also called the Ten Words. From these Ten Words, the whole of the Torah exists. We want to look at this closer, because as we saw, the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.

Hebrews 9:4 tells us, “Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Most Holy Place, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s staff which budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the atoning cover; but about these things we cannot now speak in detail.”

Exodus 4;13-14 says, “So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. The Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, so that you would perform them in the land where you are going over to take possession of it.”

Many people think that God’s commandments are obsolete. They think that if they keep them then they are keeping the “Law” and if they break just one of them then  they have broken them all, (James 2:10). But I ask you, should we have other gods before the One True God?  Should we take the name of the Lord in cursing or use His name lightly? Should we steal or kill? Should we take what is not ours? If we were not to keep God’s commands then why did Yeshua expound on them?

Matthew 5:21-30 tells us, “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last quadrans.“ You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Now if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”

Yeshua also tells us that He did not come to do away with the Torah, but to teach it correctly, (Matthew 5:17). That is what the Hebrew word means, but we translate it “complete”. It is a Hebrew idiom that is not translated correctly. Yeshua said in Matthew 5:18-20, “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.“ For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Yeshua warned us against false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, people who subtract from the Word, so that you do not have a leg to stand on, so you do not have your sword to defend you. Yeshua is the Word and He is the same yesterday,  today and forever, ( Hebrews 13:8). He was before the foundation of the world and He will be for eternity. Do not let the devil deceive you. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us clearly,  “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

If the most Holiest Place, the place where the presence of God was, that no one could enter but once a year, and at that, only with the blood of the sin offering, and the smoke from the incense, this place, which housed the Ark of the Covenant, and the Mercy Seat, could only have the most holiest items to God.

Yeshua said, “ If you love me then keep My commands”, (John 14:15).  This is why the Commandments are part of the Sword of the Spirit. The devil does not want you holy, righteous, or godly. He does not want you to be obedient to God. He does not want you to be a God fearer.  He does not want you close to God at all, because he wants to deceive you, corrupt you, and bring you down. He is the accuser of the brethren, (Revelations 12:10). Fight the good fight, put on the lifestyle of the armor. Be a true witness of the One True God, speak the Word of God in season and out of season, (2 Timothy 4:2) and take your God given authority over the devil. Use your sword and every other “Weapon of Righteousness” and contend for the faith, stand firm and keep standing, praying with your most holy faith, and take God’s word and hide it in your heart and fight the spiritual battle unto victory. So this brings us to our last point.

The Sword of the Spirit is in the Feast of Pentecost.

Pentecost

We see the old and new covenant come together at Pentecost. The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God unites the two, along with this Appointed Time of God.  Let’s look at the old first. Fifty days after the Israelites fled Egypt, they were at Mt Sinai. It was here that God spoke to Moses the Torah as Exodus 19:16-23 records.“ On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.” Moses said to the Lord,  “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because You Yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”

The next several chapters record the Ten Commandments and all the commands that make up those  10 Commandments. Leviticus 23 gives the instructions about God’s Appointed Times. This is what it says about Pentecost, Shavuot in Hebrew. “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord. Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest.On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.’”

So at Pentecost the Word of God was given to His people. This is the same Word, the Torah that dwelt with God before the foundation of the world.  Paul says this in  Romans 9:4b-5, “Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and daughters, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the temple service, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Messiah according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” There were no other people who believed in the One True God, except the Jewish people, and so naturally they became the keepers of everything that pertained to God. But when God sent forth His Word at Mt. Sinai, He sent it out to accomplish what He intended to accomplish as Isaiah 55:10-11 says,“ As the rain and the snow    come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My Word that goes out from my mouth:  it will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

On that first Pentecost Day God gave His Word to the world. It is said that God spoke His Torah, His Commandments, in the seventy known languages. Forty days after Yeshua rose from the dead, He ascended back to heaven, ( Acts 1:1-11). 

Ten days after the  Ascension, what  would have been the fiftieth day after the Resurrection, this is what took place. Acts 2:1-12 says, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing themselves, and a tongue rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out. Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in their own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty deeds of God.” And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?””

We see the similarities between the first Pentecost in Exodus, and the Pentecost in Acts. The fire, the noise, the wind and God’s presence. We see here also all the languages spoken, but this time it was because they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, the Sword, the Commandments, all of this and more. Peter addresses the crowd in  Acts 2: 17-18 and he tells them that this is the fulfilment of the prophet Joel (2:28-29).“In the last days, God says,    I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,    your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women,   I will pour out My Spirit in those days,   and they will prophesy.”

When you wield the Sword of the Spirit you are standing on truth, righteousness, salvation and faith and all the Articles of the Tabernacle and all of God’s Appointed Times. God’s Word will accomplish what it needs to accomplish. Victory!

We find in the Outer Court the Altar of Slaughter and the Laver, where the sacrifices were offered to the Lord daily. There was the sin offering (Leviticus 4), the burnt offering (Leviticus 1), the meal offering (Leviticus 2), the peace offering (Leviticus 3), and the trespass offering (Leviticus 5). We are only interested in the peace offering at this time…more information about offerings are on our website, (www.judeochristianclarion.com).

We know that Yeshua was our sin offering (Romans 8:3), but most people do not know that He is our peace offering. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8,  “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Messiah our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let’s celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

So we have seen that Yeshua is our Passover Lamb, which is one of the peace offerings.  The peace offering was a voluntary offering. Yeshua said that He gave up His life; no one took it from Him (John 10:11, 15, 17-18). The peace offering also was a shared meal.  

The Seder Meal

Luke 21:19-20 tells us this, Yeshua, when celebrating the Passover Seder, which is a meal commemorating the redemption of Israel out of Egypt, said to His disciples, “When you partake of this Seder Meal,  Remember Me.”  Why must we remember Him? Because it was on this day, the Passover, that Yeshua died for us. The matzah eaten at the Seder is a reminder of Yeshua, because it is striped and it is pierced. This is what Isaiah 53: 3-7 says about our Savior, “He was despised and abandoned by men, a man of great pain and familiar with sickness; and like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him. However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, and our pains that He carried; yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, struck down by God, and humiliated. But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.”

During the Seder the middle piece of matzah is pulled out from a stack of three. It is called the Afikoman and it is hidden for a time and then brought back.  This represents Yeshua who was buried and then rose from the dead. The third cup that is drunk at the Seder is called the cup of Redemption. When the Afikoman is retrieved then the Cup of Redemption is drunk, it was at this point that Yeshua says, “This is My body and this is My blood, do this in remembrance of Me.” Yeshua knew that all the previous years the Jewish people only recognized the departure from Egypt, but going forward that those who believed in Him would remember that this referenced His crucifixion and resurrection.

 He was the Passover Lamb, the peace offering, and we are to eat of Him and drink of His blood, symbolically representing the shared meal at the table of the Lord, the Passover Seder, (John 6:48-58). The peace offering is also a thanksgiving offering in response to God’s favor.  So then what did that have to do with the Passover Lamb and Yeshua, who is our Passover lamb? During the first Passover, the people were to place the blood of the Passover Lamb on the lintels of the door frame for protection, so that the death angel would pass over them during the last plague of Egypt, the plague of the death of the first born, thus reconciling them to God, redeeming them from Pharaoh. This is what Colossians 1:19-20 tells us about Yeshua, “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

Colossians  1:13 says this, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

This is what Ephesians 2: 11-18 tells us how Yeshua brought peace from His death on the cross. “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Messiah, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”

In the Temple there was a divide between the court of the Gentiles and the court for the Jewish people. Remember only a few Gentiles (the God fearers) had come to the knowledge of the One True God, most were pagans. But when Yeshua died for us, and rose, but especially at the time of Pentecost, then Gentiles began to believe. Yeshua made the way for all those who believed to now enter beyond the divided wall, thus making one new man. Now the Gentiles were grafted into Israel.

 Romans 11:17-18 tells us this, “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.” Today this is not taught, we disregard this passage of Scripture, but it is true. We have been grafted into Israel and they support us. This is why we say that we are Judeo-Christians. We share the same beliefs and the same Scriptures. Yes, many Jewish people still do not have the Messiah, but they will for Romans 11:25-26 tells us,  “ Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion,     He will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; and this will be My covenant with them when I take away their sins.” As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.”

So Yeshua is our peace and He is our Passover Lamb, who has taken us from darkness into the light. Paul tells us that we too should keep the Feast of Passover, and why not? This is the day that Yeshua died for our sins. You see, how can you fight the spiritual battle if you are not remembering the crucifixion on the right day? You are standing on shifting sand unless you remember Yeshua at Passover, eating the Seder Meal. How can you give the proper salvation message unless you tell people the Lamb of God died at Passover at the same time the lambs were slaughtered for the Passover Seder. We have to stop listening to Satan’s lies and put on the Belt of Truth and take the Sword of the Spirit and combat him with the Word of God.

What would we have done if God did not love us, and did not send us our Deliverer? Yeshua’s death is very much a picture of  the Passover, and for that, we too must give the Father a Thanksgiving offering.  As 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 says,  “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Messiah Yeshua.”

The Lacerna

Up to now we have been looking at the Armor of God and the Appointed Times of God and the Tabernacle. We have looked at the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place and we have looked at the Fall  Feasts.  Now we want to look at two Spring Feasts and the outer court. There are no more parts of the armor to look at except one that belongs only to Yeshua. We are going to look at the Lacerna, which is Latin for what we call the cloak or the mantle. The lacerna was fastened on the right shoulder with a brooch, and then wrapped around and held with the left arm. They were generally red or purple. The larcerna or mantle was worn by high ranking officers or officials, and even kings. It was a sign of power and position and authority and respect. Yeshua has all of this. There are many references to this. Revelation 19:11-13 speaks of Yeshua the Mighty Warrior, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”

Isaiah 59:16-17 tells us  about our mighty warrior Yeshua, and how He dressed for the battle. “And He saw that there was no one, and was amazed that there was not one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a cloak.” 

Even though the Roman soldiers mocked Yeshua’s royalty, it was a prelude to things to come as  Mark 15:17-18 tells us, “They dressed Him up in a ranking Roman officer’s robe of purple, and after twisting together a crown of thorns, they placed it on Him; and they began saluting and mocking Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”” Little did they know that soon Yeshua was going to descend into the depths, and take the crown from Satan and conquer death. The cross was the altar of slaughter and it was here that Yeshua won the victory and was given the honor to wear the mantle, the cloak, the lacerna as a sign of the victor.

1 Corinthians 1:18 says this, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” And again in Romans 1:16,  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Revelation 17:14 tells us that Yeshua, the Mighty Lamb of God will win over the enemy and be the victor forever. “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”

And we too, will win and will wear the robe of the victory as Isaiah 61:10 tells us,  “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a groom puts on a turban, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

The Laver

In the Outer Court is also the Laver. The laver was a large basin. Exodus 38:8 says this  “They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” These women let go of their vanity, when they donated their mirrors for the construction of the laver. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 1:14, “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” This may be true in many circumstances, but the people took making the Tabernacle very seriously, and yet they all died in the wilderness because of  their lack of faith (Hebrews 3:7-19).

James 1:23-24 says, “For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”

The purpose of the laver was so that the priest could wash. When they were first ordained they bathed their entire body, (Exodus 29:4). Once the priest was ordained then all he did was wash his hands and feet in the laver. We see this with Yeshua and His disciples.

John 13:1-10, “Yeshua knew on the evening of Passover Day that it would be His last night on earth before returning to His Father. During supper the devil had already suggested to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that this was the night to carry out his plan to betray Yeshua. Yeshua  knew that the Father had given Him everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. And how He loved His disciples! So He got up from the supper table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around His loins, poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel He had around Him. When He came to Simon Peter, Peter said to Him, “Master, you shouldn’t be washing our feet like this!”Yeshua replied, “You don’t understand now why I am doing it; some day you will.” “No,” Peter protested, “You shall never wash my feet!”“ But if I don’t, you can’t be My disciple,” Yeshua replied. Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well—not just my feet!” Yeshua replied, “One who has bathed all over needs only to have his feet washed to be entirely clean. Now you are clean—but that isn’t true of everyone here.” Yeshua told His disciples that they were clean because of the Word, (John 15:3).

So we, too, must be washed clean before we come into God’s presence. When Yeshua wanted to wash the disciples’ feet to show them that they too, must go out and do the same, Yeshua was not talking about literally washing peoples feet, but washing them clean with the Word of God.  Psalm 24:3-4 says, “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,  who does not trust in an idol  or swear by a false god.”

We sin all the time and we need to repent of our sins. This is why you see the Laver with the Altar of Sacrifice. They are the only two things in the Outer Court. Today we must be clean also before we come before God, because you  can not  enter into the Holy Place unless you have been washed. Yes we are washed in the blood, but remember, we still have to clean our hands and feet. And it is those hands and feet that commit the sins.

Isaiah 59:6-7 tells us, “Their webs will not become clothing, nor will they cover themselves with their works; their works are works of wrongdoing, and an act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of wrongdoing, devastation and destruction are in their paths.”

The purpose of God’s Word is to show us how we are to live in right standing with God, because sin alienates us from Him. This is what Psalm 19:7-14 says, “The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much pure gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, Your servant is warned by them; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep Your servant back from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then I will be innocent, and I will be blameless of great wrongdoing. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”

1 John 1:5-10 tells us this, “ This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us.”

Water is a sign of sanctification. We see this with the mikvah. Mikvah is the Hebrew word for a body of water.  The mikvah was used for ceremonial purification. It indicated a separation from a former way to a new way.   Baptism is a form of submerging  in a mikvah. You give witness that you now are a child of God. Immersing in the mikvah is considered a spiritual rebirth.  John 3:3-8 tells us this, “Yeshua replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Yeshua answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”” We even see Yeshua entering into the water under John the Baptist before starting His ministry, (John 3:13-17).

In Genesis 1:1-2 it says,  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

We see that the Holy Spirit and water seem to go together. Titus 3:3-7 says ,  “For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,“ He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Messiah Yeshua our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

We know that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost. Passover is only one day. 

Feast of Unleavened Bread

We are  not only to remember Yeshua at the Passover  but also in the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Unleavened Bread is a feast that goes for seven days. When the people left Egypt they fled before their bread could rise, so they had to eat unleavened bread, but this was all part of God’s plan. Egypt, full of it’s paganism  and sin, had an influence on the Jewish peoples’ lives. It was something that the first generation in the wilderness had a problem letting go of. Today we must let go of the world’s ways. James 4:4 tells us, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” 

The world is full of pagan ideas, Humanism which says that we are all gods and that there are no rights or wrongs. So God led the people to Sinai to give them His Word, so that they would live by His ways. He gave them the Tabernacle so that He would be in their presence and dwell amongst them. Unleavened is that reminder that we must rid ourselves of sin, for sin alienates us from God. It does not take much sin so make us sinful as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 5:6-7, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened.”  God is so holy that the Tabernacle was all about holiness, and we too, are now the Temple of the Lord.  

1 Corinthians 3:16 says,  “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.”

Again 1 Corinthians 6:17-20 says, “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

1 Peter 2:1-5 tells us, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Messiah Yeshua.”

We are told to put on the armor of God to fight the spiritual battle, but there is more to put on than the armor.

Getting Dressed for the Battle.

Let us look at all that we need to put on.

Romans 13:13-14 says this, “ Let’s behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and debauchery, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Yeshua Messiah, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

We must start by putting on Messiah.

1 Corinthians 2:15-16, “But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is discerned by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind o f Messiah.”

Next we must put on the mind of the Messiah.

Ephesians 4:17-24,  “So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that you are to no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves up to indecent behavior for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Messiah in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Yeshua , that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to rid yourselves of the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

We must take off the old and put on the new.

Colossians 3:12-17, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Messiah rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Messiah dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Above all we need to put on love.

Do all these things and you will be ready for the battle and you will win the war.

As we have looked at the Armor of God and how it relates to God’s Appointed Times and the Articles of the Tabernacle, we have seen that all are important to fighting the spiritual battle. We started where Paul started and that was to put on the Belt of Truth, and to humble ourselves on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, and the Ark of the Covenant, which sat in the Holiest Place in the Tabernacle, and we ended with the Altar of Slaughter, and the Laver, Passover and Unleavened Bread and the Lacerna and putting on the Messiah. 

Now we want to look at it as one would go through the Tabernacle with prayer, for this is how one should pray. We would start at the Outer Court, coming in the name of Yeshua. This is where a person would start as a believer, and draw near with the shed blood of Messiah, the precious Lamb of God. We would repent of our sins and be washed clean by His blood, and once clean then we would enter into the Holy Place, with the Table of Show Bread, also called the Table of Presence, to feast at the Table of the Lord, in the Light of His Word, the Menorah. We would offer up our prayers, and supplications, and meditations before God, with psalm and hymns and thanksgiving. Then we would enter into the Most Holy Place with silence, for we too, are now priests.

Habakkuk 2:20 tells us, “The LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.” This is when you allow God to speak to you. God is holy and we must be holy too. The high priest entered into the Most Holy Place with caution, and yes, we can now enter also, but we must remember that God is still holy. Even with the sacrifice of Messiah we still must respect God for who He is. There still is a proper protocol that one must follow.

1 Peter 2:9, says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

Rev 1:5-6. “To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— and He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Now let’s look at the Appointed Times of God. At the time of Creation the seventh month was the first month, and the feasts would have begun with Rosh Hashanah which to this day is celebrated as the Birthday of Creation and the change of  the civil year. But at the time of the Passover in Egypt, God told Moses this,

Exodus 12:2,  “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year for you.” So, the seventh month became the first month and the first month became the seventh, and Passover became the first feast day and then  Unleavened Bread, the First- Fruits and then Pentecost, all became the Spring Feasts and all have been fulfilled. This is what we also  see as we walk forward through the Tabernacle. The Fall Feasts of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot are still to happen with the second coming of  Messiah. But let’s look at this, Passover and Yom Kippur are about atonement. Unleavened Bread and Rosh Hashanah are about repentance. Sukkot and the Sabbath are about God dwelling with man, and man’s eternal dwelling with God.

We had the Tabernacle in the wilderness, and now we are the Tabernacle of God. We see that all of God’s Word is as one, as He is One. It is important to understand that we must fight the spiritual battle in truth, for God is Truth. The devil is the father of lies and he can defeat us right from the start with his lies, but God is Truth and He has given us “Weapons of Righteousness.”  He has given us everything we need to fight the enemy of our soul as 2 Peter 1:2-3 tells us. “ Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Yeshua our Lord, for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

He has given us not only the weaponry, but He has given us authority over the devil, (Luke 10:19).

He has not only given us the weaponry and the authority, but He has given us His Holy Spirit. Now we are able to stand firm and fight the good fight. We hope that you have the insight to take what belongs to you and use it to win the battle as you walk in the true light of God’s Word.

Welcome

Welcome to October! The farmers are finishing their harvesting and preparing their field for the Winter. Homeowners are also preparing their homes for Winter, making sure the furnaces are ready to run. The windows are all caulked and air tight. It’s a time of preparation because Winter can be long and hard. Even the ants and chipmunks and others prepare all Summer, storing their food and making their homes ready  for the Winter.  Yeshua tells us that He is preparing a home for us. In John 14:2-3 Yeshua says this, “There are many rooms in My Father’s house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you with Me, so that you can be where I am.”  A man says to Yeshua in Luke 14:15b, “It will be a great blessing for anyone to eat a meal in God’s Kingdom!”  Yes, a great banquet is being prepared for all those who will come to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:7-8 says this, “Let’s rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”  

Matthew 22:2-6 tells us this which may very well be referring to the Marriage Supper. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a king who held a wedding feast for his son. And he sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, ‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened cattle are all butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!’  But they paid no attention and went their separate ways, one to his own farm, another to his business,  and the rest seized his slaves and treated them abusively, and then killed them.” Matthew 22:11-12 continues “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The king threw him out into the darkness and said, ‘For many are called, but few are chosen.”’ Are you preparing yourself?

All Rise For The Judge

We have been looking at how Yeshua judged things when He walked the earth, because it gives us a clue how He will judge in the hereafter.

In Luke 20: 9-18 Yeshua tells His followers this parable. “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time.  At the harvest time he sent a servant to the vine-growers, so that they would give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he proceeded to send another slave; but they beat him also and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And he proceeded to send a third; but this one too they wounded and threw out.  Now the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What am I to do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the vine-growers saw him, they discussed with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’  And so they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and put these vine-growers to death, and will give the vineyard to others.” However, when they heard this, they said, ‘May it never happen!’  Yeshua looked at them and said, ‘Then what is this statement that has been written: ‘A stone which the builder rejected, this has become the chief cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”

Yeshua knew that His followers were going to have their trials and persecutions. He also knew that He was going to die and they would not have Him much longer. Yeshua is the Chief Cornerstone and Peter has this to say about that.

1 Peter 2: 4-8 says this, “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Messiah Yeshua. For this is contained in Scripture: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for unbelievers, ‘a stone which the builders rejected, this stone became the chief cornerstone,’ and, ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense;’ for they stumble because they are disobedient to the Word, and to this they were also appointed.” 1 Peter 1: 13-16 says, “So if we are being built up as a spiritual house then we must be worthy of the house. Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua.  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,  but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;  because it is written: ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

God’s house must be holy.  The spiritual house that He is building must also be holy. So what do we need to do to be holy?  There are a number of things as we will see. After Yeshua left the wilderness where Satan tried to tempt Him, Yeshua began  preaching, saying as Matthew 4:17 tells us, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It all starts with repentance. Today there is a false teaching that says we Christians do not need to repent. Sin separates us from God and yes, even though Yeshua died for our sins only means that now we can be washed clean, but that is only after we repent. Repentance does not mean, saying I am sorry. Repentance is a 180 degree change. We can not say I’m sorry and then continue in our sin. Next 1 John 2: 15-17 tells us this, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.” James 4:4-5 says, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose, ‘He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us’?”

So we must let go of the world and how do you do that? We must be Born Again. John 3:1-8 tells us this story, “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Yeshua at night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Yeshua responded and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?’ Yeshua answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”’  Titus 3:3-7 says,  “For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,  whom He richly poured out upon us through Messiah Yeshua our Savior,  so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Holiness is a way of life, a life lived only for God. If we are being built up into a spiritual temple then we must be holy. 1 Corinthians 3:10-17 says this, “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it.  For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Messiah Yeshua.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,  each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.”

How do you destroy your temple? By living in rebellion, and  living by this world’s ways, all of this is sin to God. Deuteronomy 4:5-9 says this, “See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you are to do these things in the land where you are entering to take possession of it. So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord  our God whenever we call on Him?  Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole Law which I am setting before you today? Only be careful for yourself and watch over your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.”

God’s Commandments are so holy that they were put in the Ark of the Covenant, which was the most holiest place, under the mercy seat, which represents the Seat of Judgement. We call it the Law of God, because like any earthly judge, He judges according to the law. We too, will be judged by these same laws, for all will stand before God and give an account. Matthew 16:24-26 says, “Then Yeshua said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every person according to His deeds.”’

To be born again one must die. This is how the Judge will judge.

Hebrew corner: When Seven Became One

Last month we looked at the tenth day of the month of Passover and Yom Kippur.

Now we want to look at Shavuot (Pentecost) and Yom Kippur and the number 49.

Leviticus 23: 15-16 tells us this,  “You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths.  You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord.” The day after the Sabbath was the Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the day after was the Feast of the First Fruits or as we now call it the Resurrection Day of Yeshua who was the First Fruits. 1 Corinthians 15:20 says, “But the fact is, Messiah has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” We call this the counting of the Omer.  A sheaf was a bundle of  grain but at that time it was barley that was waved before the Lord. This was called the Omer.  So we count every day for 49 days to Shavuot( Pentecost) and then at the end a new grain offering was made and this new grain was wheat. The 50th day was and is Shavuot (Pentecost). It is like a Jubilee Anniversary that one has after being married fifty years. It’s a special time, a special celebration, so too with God. God showed up at Mt. Sinai with thunder and lightning, with great wonder.  On the day of Pentecost God also came with a great noise of rushing wind and flames of fire. But we once again see that the Fall Feasts follow the Spring Feasts. Leviticus 25:8-12 says,  “You are also to count off seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven Sabbaths of years, that is, forty-nine years.  You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land.  So you shall consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.  You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor harvest its aftergrowth, nor gather grapes from its untrimmed vines.  For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its produce from the field.”

49 days are now 49 years but again it speaks of a Jubilee Year. Like the feast of Rosh HaShanah, the ram’s horn is blown and so too, on this special Yom Kippur. You begin to count the Omer after Passover 49 days and here for the jubilee you count 49 years which takes you to Yom Kippur, both having to do with atonement, both having to do with 50, a Jubilee in the Spring and in the Fall, both at the time of Atonement. We see here that at this time property returns to its original owner and no sowing seed in the 50th year, which is all about holiness, it is being set apart from the world. Next month we will continue looking at when seven became one.

Many people do not believe that there is a spiritual battle going on in the heavenlies. Many people are frightened by the thought. Others do not believe that we must fight this spiritual battle, they think that God only fights this battle. We want to take a closer look into this subject because we know that the devil attacks each one of us. Daniel 10: 2-9 tells us about Daniel’s encounter with an angel. “In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris,  I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man dressed in linen, whose waist had a belt of pure gold of Uphaz.  His body also was like topaz, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great fear fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my complexion turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength.  But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. Then behold, a hand touched me and shook me on my hands and knees. And he said to me, “Daniel, you who are treasured, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand at your place, for I have now been sent to you.’ And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.  But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing in my way for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.  Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the latter days, because the vision pertains to the days still in the future.”’ Did we not see this in Joshua? Joshua 5:13-15, “Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, he raised his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’  He said, ‘No; rather I have come now as captain of the army of the Lord.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down, and said to him, ‘What has my lord to say to his servant?’  And the captain of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, ‘Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so.”

When there is a battle to be fought God’s angels are there fighting on our behalf, but as we saw with Daniel, he had been praying and fasting for 21 days. Same with Yeshua, He was in the wilderness for 40 days, fasting and praying and the devil came to test Him and He quoted the Word of God. Why the Word?  Because it is part of our armor that we must put on to fight the spiritual battle. Ephesians  6:10-18 says,  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

When Israel walked around Jericho for seven days blowing the shofar, they did it in faith. Yes, the shield of faith is what protected them from the army of Jericho. You have to realize that they were in close proximity to the weapons of their enemy, and they could have been attacked at any time. It was a spiritual battle and God sent His Commander of His army to give them the plan for victory. In Hosea 4:6, God said that His people perish because of lack of knowledge. God gave us His armor for a real battle, a battle that everyone must fight, like Daniel, Joshua and even Yeshua. James 4:7-10 gives us some good advice. “Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable (fast), and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” Yes, God will give us the victory, but we must never put down our weapons of warfare, because the devil never stops his fight against us. He wants us to fall, but God wants us to win and He will fight alongside us if we stand with Him. As we go through life living for God according to His Word, we must remember what Yeshua told His disciples, if the world hated Me, it will hate you. Yet, we are not to fight against flesh and blood, but the devil will use others to attack us. Put on your armor, believers, and when you are sure that you are in right standing with God, then stand and see the victory of the Lord.

Welcome

I am thankful for another month, how about you?  November is the month that we celebrate being thankful. But being thankful is supposed to be a part of our daily prayers. Psalm 136:1-3 tells us this, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His faithfulness is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of gods, for His faithfulness is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His faithfulness is everlasting.” Isn’t this what Thanksgiving is all about? It is a day to be thankful to God for His faithfulness. The pilgrims were thankful to God that they made it through a hard Winter and that their crops grew and they survived in a new land.  Here is a sandigram from the “Thank You, Lord” brochure. Copyright 2010

Thanksgiving Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your love and for teaching me how to love.
Thank You for giving me Your grace even though I did nothing to earn it.
Thank You for opening my eyes and ears so that I can see Jesus in the people
around me and that I can hear and understand Your Word.
Thank You for blessing me and for calling me out of darkness into the Light.
Thank You for abiding in me and for letting me abide in You.
Thank You for caring about me and for not leaving my side despite the trials I go through.
Thank you for being a good Father and for admonishing me when I need it.
Lord, this is a world where there is an evil force all around me.
But You send Your angels to form a hedge around me and protect me.
Thank You.
Thank You for putting the love of nature in my heart and for letting me see You
in all this beauty.

All Rise For The Judge

Yeshua tells us this parable in Matthew 25:1-13, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.  For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take extra oil with them;  but the prudent ones took oil in flasks with their lamps. Now while the groom was delaying, they all became drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there finally was a shout: ‘Behold, the groom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish virgins said to the prudent ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’  However, the prudent ones answered, ‘No, there most certainly would not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’  But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the groom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Yet later, the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’  But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’  Be on the alert then, because you do not know the day nor the hour.” 

There have been so many sermons given on this parable, but I have never heard one preached on the verse that says, “I do not know you!” Yes, one day when we all stand before God we certainly want to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant.”  Taken from the next parable in Matthew 25: 14-29. We see in the parable of the ten virgins that they were all waiting for the Bridegroom, so they all must have had a belief in the coming Messiah. So what does this parable really mean to believers?  The oil is the oil of the Holy Spirit. It is the oil that lights our lamps so that we can be a light in the darkness.  Matthew 5:14-16 says,  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;  nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

So Yeshua goes on to tell this parable in Matthew 25:14-29,  “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.  To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.  The one who had received the five talents immediately went and did business with them, and earned five more talents.  In the same way the one who had received the two talents earned two more.  But he who received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have earned five more talents.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have earned two more talents.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’ Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed.  And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’ But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed?  Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore: take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.  And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

We read last month about being born again, born of the Spirit. Galatians 5:16, tells us that we must walk in the Spirit and we must be led by the Holy Spirit, if we want the oil of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-24 speaks about the fruit or the evidence of a Spirit led life. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Now those who belong to Messiah Yeshua crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.”

God has given us gifts and talents and He has told us to go out into the world and use these gifts and talents and if we don’t then we are not using our talents and gifts for the glory of God, nor are we advancing the Kingdom of Heaven.

 2 Peter 1:2-11 says this, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Yeshua our Lord, for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust.  Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,  and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,  and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Messiah Yeshua.  For the one who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.  Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;  for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Messiah Yeshua  will be abundantly supplied to you.”

No oil, not using your talents and abilities for the kingdom, not adding to your faith and no fruit, this is why Yeshua said, “I don’t know you.” Yeshua tells the people one more parable about the judgment in  Matthew 25: 31-46, “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.  And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;  and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. ‘Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;  naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’  Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?  And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?  And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;  for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;  I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’  Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’  Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’  These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Just because we may say the name of Yeshua does not make us a faithful servant, nor does it make us one who lives in the Spirit. Even if we quote Scripture and yet  we don’t live by the Scriptures, we are burying our gifts. We must crucify the flesh and begin living for the kingdom and walking in the Spirit. Then we will be born again, then we will have enough oil, then we will be the light and then we will be ready for the Bridegroom when He comes. Let’s all live to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

Sandiegram/Thank You Lord/Thank You Lord/copyright 2010

Thank You, Lord

I opened my eyes this morning
to another day—
Thank You, Lord.
You watched over me while I slept—
thank You, Lord
Thank You for my eyes
so that I can see the beauty of the day.
Thank You for my ears
so I can hear all the sounds around me.
Thank You for my nose
so I can have the sense of smell.
Thank You for my mouth
so that I can receive the bread of life.
Thank You for my hands and arms
so that I can work
and be able to embrace all I meet
along the way this day.
Thank You for my legs and feet
so that I am able to kneel
humbly before You.
Lord, although the world is not perfect,
thank You for letting me
be able to be a part of it.
For all these blessings, Lord,
I thank You.

Hebrew Corner: When Seven became One

We have been looking at the Fall Feasts and now we are going to look at the last feast, Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths.

Sukkot is ten days after Yom Kippur which brings you to the fifteenth day of the month. Ten days after the first ten days which are the High Holy Days, a time of repenting, a time of afflicting ones soul, a time when symbolically the gates of heaven are open till sundown the evening of Yom Kippur when symbolically the gates are closed,  we now have this seven day feast like the seven day feast of Passover. So why booths?  We see in Scripture that when Israel left Egypt in their first month they camped at a place called Sukkot and there they made sukkahs or booths for their cattle. Exodus 13: 18-20 says, “Therefore God led the people around by way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in battle formation from the land of Egypt.  And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, ‘God will certainly take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.’ Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.” In Leviticus 23: 40-43 God tells Israel this,  “Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and branches of trees with thick branches and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.  So you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord  for seven days in the year. It shall be a permanent statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths,  so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” The Sukkah represents our eternal home with God. We have gone through a time of reflection and repentance when the books of heaven were opened and our names were written in the Book of Life and now we celebrate God with us. Remember those palm branches that the people waved when Yeshua came riding on a donkey? The people thought it was strange indeed for it was the time of the Passover and yet, the Scripture says that the King would come riding on a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 says, “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” What do you do when you think that the King would be coming at Sukkot and He is here at Passover?” Well, you get those palm branches and begin to wave them, and ask questions later. God’s Appointed Times are for believers today because the Spring Feasts are about Yeshua’s first coming  and  the Fall Feasts represent His second coming. Let’s be like those people who did what they knew to do and asked questions later. Either way it’s all about the King!

Today we want to take a closer look at James 2:1-13 for it says this,  “My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Messiah Yeshua with an attitude of personal favoritism.  For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes, and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?  Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?  But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called?  If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ you are doing well.  But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators.  For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but do murder, you have become a violator of the Law.  So speak, and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.  For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”     Is our faith in the Messiah based on an attitude of personal favoritism? James is speaking about our churches. It goes on to speak about the rich and the poor and how they are treated in our churches. James is reprimanding us and warning us, not to have clicks or favorites in our places of worship and not to be quick to judge. There have been churches that we have attended as first time visitors and never received a welcome from the established members or even the pastor. If we show partiality when and where we congregate, then we will also show the same partiality in our workplace and in our neighborhoods. And we will not stop with the dividing between the rich and the poor, but the color of our skin and our political preference and our gender preference and we will divide between religions and every matter of life. Is this loving our neighbor as ourselves? We will be so righteous in our own opinion that we will only think that those we  associate with are the only ones worthy of our attention and consideration. To exalt oneself is the highest form of arrogance. God wants us to be humble and lowly and contrite. Remember Yeshua washed the feet of all of His disciples, even Judas who was going to betray Him, (Matthew 26:47-50) and Peter who would deny Him( Luke 22:54-62), and the rest who would run from Him. We see Yeshua  forgave the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11)because she was no worse than the ones who wanted to stone her. Matthew  7:1-5 says, “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.  For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, the log is in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye!” Our churches are generally represented by the one who leads them. 1 Peter 5:1-5 says this, “Therefore, I urge elders among you, as your fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Messiah, and one who is also a fellow partaker of the glory that is to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not with greed but with eagerness; nor yet as domineering over those assigned to your care, but by proving to be examples to the flock.  And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.”                                                                   

 God hates the sin but loves the sinner and we must not get the two confused. God is the judge of all things and we must only do what God commands and that is to love one another, to love our enemy, to love those who are unloveable. Today we must repent of any kind of attitude that we may have toward anyone. We must repent if we consider anyone to be beneath us. If we judge people for any reason we must repent for God’s commandment is to love. Yes, we do not overlook sin, but we can not treat people differently because of their sin. To be poor is not a sin, to be dressed not like the crowd is not a sin, to be someone who does not fit into your mold does not mean that you can snub them. Luke 10:31-37 says, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’  Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him. Yeshua told him, ‘Go and do likewise.”’

Because we believe in the same God as the Jewish people, the God who created heaven and earth, the covenant God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God who gave us our moral law in the Ten Commandments, because of all of this we are Judeo Christians. 

This symbol of Judeo Christians goes back to the First Century.  This  ancient symbol gives us an understanding, visually, of how the early church viewed itself. They knew the teaching of Paul in Romans 11:16-18, when he said  that the Gentiles were grafted into Israel. 11:16-18, when he said  that the Gentiles were grafted into Israel.

“If the first fruit is holy, so is the whole batch of dough;  and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches  were broken off and you—being a wild olive—were grafted in among them  and became a partaker of the root of the olive tree with its richness,   do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, it is not you who  support the root but the root supports you.”                                        

 Paul tells us this in Ephesians 2:11-22, “You who are not Jews by birth, here is what I want you to remember. You are called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “circumcised.” But they have only been circumcised in their bodies by human hands.  Before you believed in the Messiah, you were separated from Him. You were not considered to be citizens of Israel. You were not included in what the covenants promised. You were without hope and without God in the world. At one time you were far away from God. But now you belong to (Messiah Yeshua) Christ Jesus. He spilled His blood for you. This has brought you near to God. Messiah Himself is our peace. He has made Jews and Gentiles into one group of people. He has destroyed the hatred that was like a wall between us.  Through His body on the cross, Messiah set aside the law with all its commands and rules (for conversion). He planned to create one new people out of Jews and Gentiles. He wanted to make peace between them. He planned to bring both Jews and Gentiles back to God as one body. He planned to do this through the cross. On that cross, Messiah put to death their hatred toward one another. He came and preached peace to you who were far away. He also preached peace to those who were near. Through the Messiah we both come to the Father by the power of one Holy Spirit. So you are no longer outsiders and strangers. You are citizens together with God’s people. You are also members of God’s family. You are a building that is built on the apostles and prophets. They are the foundation. Messiah Himself is the most important stone in the building.  The whole building is held together by Him. It rises to become a holy temple because it belongs to the Lord. And because you belong to Him, you too are being built together. You are being made into a house where God lives through His Spirit.”

Today we are still Judeo Christians, still grafted in, and still being built as a holy temple together unto the Lord.

Welcome

December is certainly the darkest time of year, when the days are the shortest and the nights are the longest, so there is no better time than to have the Season of Light. John 1:4-5 tells us this about Yeshua. “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.” Today, for sure, this Scripture seems to be true. Darkness, deep darkness has fallen upon us. So many people have fallen away from the truth. Our children no longer want to go to church or to even believe in truth. Crime has grown by leaps and bounds, but the light still shines in those who have the hope of salvation. Israel is the light to the nations. This was their calling from the beginning as Isaiah 60 tells us. Here are a few verses, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord  will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”  Yes, Israel may see her darkest days but the Light will shine when King Yeshua sits on the throne of King David as Luke 1:30-33 says “And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Yeshua. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”’ And what did the angels say to the shepherds? Luke 2:10-14 says,“And so the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is the Messiah the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying,‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.”’ John 8:12 says,“Again Yeshua spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”’ Shalom..Here is to light and life!

All Rise For The Judge

God’s Word has shown us how the Judge will judge all things on Judgment Day. We need to believe God and His Word for it is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path, Psalm 119:105. God says a lot about believing. Hebrews 3:12-19 tells us this about those who died in the wilderness. “ Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Messiah if we keep the beginning of our commitment firm until the end, while it is said, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.’ For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.”

Romans 11:17-23 again speaking of unbelief says, “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. See then the kindness and severity of God: to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; for otherwise you too will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again.”

Unbelief  was not only in the days of Moses but also in the days of the Messiah. The Scriptures tell us that Yeshua was hindered in doing any miracles because of unbelief as Matthew 13:58 tells us, “And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.”

Mark 9:14-23 tells us this story. “And when they came back to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. And He asked them, ‘What are you disputing with them?’ And one person from the crowd answered Him’, Teacher, I brought You my son, because he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes stiff. And I told Your disciples so that they would cast it out, but they could not do it. 

And He answered them and said, ‘O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!’ And they brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, the spirit immediately threw him into convulsions, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to kill him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!  ‘But Yeshua said to him, ‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes. Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, ‘I believe but help my unbelief.”’

Yeshua says this to His disciples in Mark 16:14,  “Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.”

Yes, we can struggle with our faith and believing in the power of God, or even in His faithfulness toward us, but we must learn to trust and believe in God. Romans 10:5-13 tells us this, “For Moses writes of the righteousness that is based on the Law, that the person who performs them will live by them. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: ‘Do not say in your heart, who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Messiah down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Messiah up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.’  That is, the Word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”’

Yeshua spoke a lot about man’s heart because it is the center of all things with man. Mark 7:14-23 says this, “After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, ‘Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the person which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which come out of the person are what defile the person. ’And when He later entered a house, away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, ‘Are you so lacking in understanding as well? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the person from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?’ And He was saying, ‘That which comes out of the person, that is what defiles the person. For from within, out of the hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the person.”’

We must have the seeds of faith to grow in our hearts so that we can have a believing heart in all that God’s Word has to say to us. Yeshua tells this parable in Matthew 13:3-9, “And He told them many things in parables, saying, ‘Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and they sprang up immediately, because they had no depth of soil. But after the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much. The one who has ears, let him hear.”

Yeshua explains the Parable this way in Matthew 13:18-23, “Listen then to the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road. The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the Word, immediately he falls away. And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the Word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful. But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”

In John 14:36-40  Yeshua says this about love. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Unless we have great love for God we will not have true faith and trust in Him. We will not follow Him by crucifying the flesh or letting go of the world or even being born again. There will be no oil for our lamps to shine. We will not endure persecution for the sake of the kingdom. We will not store up our treasure in heaven because we will want our riches here and now. I repeat the warning of  Hebrews 3:36-40, “Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Messiah if we keep the beginning of our commitment firm until the end, while it is said, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”’

Sandiegram:  Christmas/ Christmas/  Copyright 2010

Christmas

Christmas is a gift from God to all of us.
The Word became flesh and God sent us
His Son to be born of a woman on a
quiet, silent, holy night.
Emmanuel is His name.
Christmas is not the glitter of the world
but the love and joy of Jesus.
Christmas is sharing that love and joy
of Jesus with others.
Just as Jesus was born humbly in a manger,
so should we keep our lives humble.
The worldly hustle and bustle of Christmas
takes our eyes off of
the true meaning of Christmas.
Christmas is rejoicing over the birth of Jesus
who came to save us by dying on the cross
and redeeming us.
Let Christmas be a time of joy,
praising, and singing.
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Praise the Lord, our King!

sandiegram/Christmas/A Savior is born/ Copyright 2010

A Savior is Born

The angels are all around.
The shepherds are in the field.
This night a Savior is born.
Emmanuel is His name.
Glory, glory in excelsis Deo,
for this night the world has a King!

Hebrew Corner:  When Seven became One

We have looked at the Spring Feasts and the Fall Feasts and we saw how intertwined they were. We looked at the Feast of Sukkot or Booths. Sukkot is a time to rejoice. It’s a time to reflect that one day we will live with God forever. Yom Kippur was a time to reflect on eternity and now it is time to rejoice in eternity. The very thought of being with God forever and to see Him face to face is such a special time of year,  but did you know that at this time we also celebrate the birth of Yeshua, the Word made flesh and dwelt among us? The 7th day is called Shemot Torah which is rejoicing in the Word. It is strongly believed that  Yeshua was born on the first day of Sukkot and was circumcised on the special feast called the eighth day or Shemini Atzeret. Yeshua was born in a sukkah, a booth for animals. He is also called Immanuel, “God is with us” and that is the whole meaning of Sukkot.December 25th was the day that the Emperor Constantine came up with to coincide with the birth of the sun god, which he worshiped. Sukkot is also called the Feast of Tabernacles because Revelation 21:22-23 says this, “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (tabernacle). And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” God is our eternal tabernacle. On the 7th day, the “Great Day” of the feast (the last day), as it is called, Hoshana Rabbah, in the morning service, the congregation marches around the bimah (Torah reading table) 7 times instead of just once. Why seven? In Jewish texts, we can find several explanations. Some say that the 7 times correspond to the 7 Hebrew words in the verse, “I wash my hands in purity and circle around Your altar, O Lord.”  These 7 times correspond to the seven encirclements of Jericho by Joshua and his army;  Some commentaries say that the purpose of these seven times is to tear down the wall that separates us from our Heavenly Father, as the wall of Jericho fell down.  Yeshua is the living water. During the Water Ceremony, a large procession carrying water would go through Jerusalem and circle the Temple, and then the water would be poured onto the altar. The joy accompanying it was so great that it became a proverb: “He that has not seen the joy of the drawing (and the pouring) of the water has not seen joy in his life.” It is in the context of this celebration, while the procession with water was walking through Jerusalem, that Yeshua speaks His famous words about “rivers of living water.” John 7:37-38 says, “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Yeshua stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me! Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”  Sukkot also is the Feast of the Ingathering. It’s time to harvest! Let’s be a witness to our Creator by keeping the first month and the seventh, and all of His holy times ( Leviticus 23), for they all have a purpose, as we too, are witnesses to their meaning.

Hebrews 12:4-13 says this,  “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are punished by Him; for whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He punishes every son whom He accepts.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.” Proverbs 22:6 tells us this, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he grows older he will not abandon it.” Very little is said about Yeshua when He was young except for the time when Yeshua stayed behind in Jerusalem and His parents searched for Him.  Luke 2: 51-52 goes on to tell us this ,  “And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Yeshua kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people.”                                                                                      

Like so many children Yeshua wandered off and, of course, His interest was in the House of God. Coming from a Jewish family, you can be sure that Joseph was a good father and he taught young Yeshua about life. Yeshua was still human and even though He had great insight and was filled with the Holy Spirit, He still, like any child, needed a father. Joseph would have trained up his child in the way to go and I’m sure that at times he too, had to discipline young Yeshua. This does not mean that Yeshua sinned in any way, but He too as a child needed to learn. Joseph would have even taught young Yeshua according to his knowledge of the Torah. Joseph, being a carpenter, would have taught Yeshua the trade. Luke tells us that Yeshua was obedient to His parents. There is no doubt that Joseph would have even taught young Yeshua this from Proverbs 3: 1-6, “My son, do not forget My teaching, but have your heart comply with My commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and a good reputation in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord  with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” And again in Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His rebuke, for whom the Lord  loves He disciplines, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.” I’m sure Joseph loved Yeshua, and would have taught Him everything that was needed of Him to be a prosperous adult, and an obedient observer of Judaism. I’m sure that Joseph trained up his child so that he could live the life that God was calling Him to. Yes, the Holy Spirit was leading Him and filling Him with all things pertaining to life and godliness.              

Isaiah 53:1-3 says this, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we would look at Him, nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him. He was despised and abandoned by men, a man of great pain and familiar with sickness; and like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him.”  

 Yeshua had a lonely life, even His own family did not understand Him as Mark 3:31-35 says, “Then His mother and His brothers came, and while standing outside they sent word to Him, calling for Him.And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.’ Answering them, He said, ‘Who are My mother and My brothers?’ And looking around at those who were sitting around Him, He said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, this is My brother, sister, and mother.’’’

Mary treasured everything in her heart, but it went no further, until Yeshua rose from the dead. But because of the love of a father who raised Yeshua for life’s hardships, and the love of His heavenly Father, Yeshua never left what He was taught, and His hardships were endured because of the discipline of a faithful father here on earth and in heaven.  We too should train up our children and grandchildren in the way of the Lord, so they too, will grow up in the wisdom of the Lord and not depart from it. Those who love their children will discipline them, for it is by discipline that we are all taught. Proverbs 13:24 says, “He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”

Could this be our problem today?

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be in God’s presence, and to actually be face to face with God? There is a great song called “I Can Only Imagine,” written by  Bart Millard that addresses that very thought. “I can only imagine what it will be like when I walk by Your side. I can only imagine what my eyes would see when Your face is before me. I can only imagine surrounded by Your glory. What will my heart feel? Will I dance for You Jesus or in awe of  You be still? Will I stand in Your presence or to my knees, will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine.” Have you ever taken time to imagine such things? If not, you should! There were many people who God allowed to have a glimpse into eternity. Moses first encountered God at the burning bush. 

Exodus 3:1-5 says this, “Now Moses was pasturing the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed. So Moses said,  ‘I must turn aside and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burning up!’ When the Lord  saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”’

Wherever God is, it is holy. No matter if we come before God in our churches, or prayer meetings, or even in our homes, the place where we meet God becomes holy, and we must be holy and all around us becomes holy. To be holy is to be set-apart. God told Moses to remove his sandals because the place where he was standing became holy ground. If the ground that he stood on became holy then we must consider the place where we stand to also be holy. Today, we do not consider the holiness of God. Our worship services do not always reflect God’s holiness. We must come with a reverence, we must come with a pure heart, and when we come we must first examine ourselves to see if there is any impurity of sin in our hearts. We are not taught this. Nothing has changed from the beginning of days in the wilderness except we do not need to continually sacrifice an animal. But the purpose for that sacrifice was for their atonement. Yeshua is not our sacrifice, He is our atonement, but we can not prevail upon the shed blood of Yeshua, without being repentant of our sins. We are always to examine ourselves, because sin still separates us from God.  Moses had another encounter with God and that was at Mt. Sinai.  

Exodus 33:17-23 records this, when Moses asked to see God’s face. “The Lord  said to Moses, ‘I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.’ Then Moses said, ‘Please, show me Your glory!’ And He said, ‘I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord  before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.’ He further said, ‘You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!’ Then the Lord said, ‘Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”’

When Moses came off the mountain his face had such a glow to it that he had to cover his face. There is another song called “O the Glory of His Presence” written by Steven L. Fry, “Oh the glory of Your Presence, we Your temple give You reverence. So arise to Your rest and be blessed by our praise and as we glory in Your embrace and as Your presence now fills this place.”

This is a reference to God filling His temple in the wilderness when the temple was erected and dedicated. The Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant sat and the presence of God dwelt, is where God rested in their midst.

Every time the people moved, the tent moved. They would take it down and then put it back up and when they did, according to Psalm 132:8, the priests would say, “Let us go to His dwelling place, let us worship at His footstool, saying, ‘Arise, Lord, and come to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might. May Your priests be clothed with Your righteousness; may Your faithful people sing for joy.’”

Exodus 40: 34-38 says, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up. For throughout their journeys, the cloud of the Lord  was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.” Does God no longer do house calls? Was this only during the time of the wilderness? Does God no longer reveal Himself with clouds of smoke and fire? Can you and I have such an encounter with God as the prophets of old?

Isaiah 6: 1-7 tells us this, “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim were standing above Him, each having six wings: with two each covered his face, and with two each covered his feet, and with two each flew. And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies. The whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, ‘Woe to me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and your guilt is taken away and atonement is made for your sin.”’

 Daniel 7:9-10 says, “I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took His seat; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were serving Him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; the court convened, and the books were opened.”

And even John in Revelation 1:10-20 says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, ‘Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.’ Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a Son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”’

You can’t forget Steven in Acts 7:55-56, when they began stoning him after he gave such a great testimony, said this, “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Yeshua standing at the right hand of God; and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”’ And let’s look at Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:3-4,  “And I know how such a man whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.”

We could go on and on about people who say such great revelations of God and His heavenly kingdom. So again, what about today? Were the Apostles the last to see such things? God has not changed, but have we? Have we become so laxed that we do not seek God in holiness?  Have we been taught that we can just go boldly into His throne room without even examining ourselves?  Do we go into our prayer closet without any expectation of God meeting us face to face?

When we come to God with reverence and holiness and repentance expecting to not only hear from God, but also seeing him, then we do not come in faith. God is a rewarder of faith, but God does choose in which manner He will reveal Himself to someone. However, even if God does not choose to reveal Himself in a vision or an actual encounter, God will meet with us and allow us to enter into His presence. This is what David wrote in Psalm 51:15-17, “Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare Your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart You, God, will not despise.”

We must be humble and contrite. If we do not examine ourselves and repent from the heart, then God, in all His holiness, can not meet with us. Yes, God hears our prayers, but if we want to come into His presence then we must be living sacrifices. Romans 12: 1-2 tells us, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We must walk in the footsteps of our Messiah. He was our sacrifice and now we too must be a sacrifice pleasing to God. We can come before God, Yes, but humble and contrite and we must always realize that God is holy and set-apart and we too, must be holy and set-apart. We must not even have the slightest look of the world, for friendship with the world makes us an enemy to God. James 4:4-8 says, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.Or do you think Scripture says without reason that He jealously longs for the Spirit He has caused to dwell in us? But He gives us more grace. John 14:21, “The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”

You want to meet with God? Then you must come on His terms.

Welcome aboard The Clarion Express, because we are going to talk about love. The Hebrew word for love in general is “Ahava” but the word “Hesed is a broader term to mean lovingkindness or steadfast love and even loyalty. Scripture says God is love (1 John 4:8) If God is love then love looks like God.
John 3:16 tells us this, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”
Romans 5: 7-8 says this, “For one will hardly die for a righteous person; though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Messiah died for us.”
It was love that caused God to create. It was love that caused God to send His only begotten Son to die for us. It was love that created you and me. So how should we love God?

John 14:15 tells us, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
Mark 22: 37 says this, “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Mark 22:39 also says, “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Luke 6:32 goes on to tell us, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.”

Luke 6:35 says, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”

Love is the main fruit in which all the other fruit of the Spirit comes out of.

Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

The fruit of the Spirit is summed up in one word…Love! It is the evidence of having the Holy Spirit and the evidence of being a disciple of the Messiah. John 13:35 tells us, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
And John 15:9-10 tells us how we remain in God’s love, “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
Love is more important than all things for it is the foundation of all things. Everything we do as God’s temple in the Holy Spirit must be from love.1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, “If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.”

And this is what our love should look like as 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a tells us, “Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
It’s time now to love as God loves as 1 Corinthians 13 8b-13 says. “But if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. For we know in part and prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

We too can show our general love, Ahava, for God, by our Hesed, our loyalty, and steadfast love as 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Welcome aboard The Clarion Express, because we are going to talk about the
Prodigal Son.
Was Yeshua using this parable to teach us about the Father or was it to teach us about wealth? Let’s take a look at Luke 15. We see here that the younger son asks his father for his share of the estate. So the father consents and divides his wealth between his two sons. It was not long when the younger son packed up his things and left home and went to another country. I guess it is natural for children to leave home and go out on their own. But the difference is that this son now had great riches. It is so important that we teach our children about finances and how to be responsible with money, and of course, the Bible tells us that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). This is what the son did with
his money, he squandered it on wild living. Now that he was broke he had to go out and get a job.
Luke 15: 15-17 tells us, “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!”’
This son finally realized that his father’s servants lived better than he did. Why is it that we do not appreciate where we are in life? Many times we make our choices and then we can’t understand that we put ourselves in the position that we are in. The parable continues in Luke 15:18-20a, “I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.’ And he arose and came to his father.”’ Back in the day that Yeshua was telling this parable it would have been shameful for a son to ask for his inheritance while the father was still alive. This is why the son knew that he could no longer be considered a son and yet, he knew that his father was a very generous man for him to want to go and work for him.

Yeshua continues His story in Luke 15:20b, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” Now it was as if the father knew that his son would one day come back to him, at least this is what he hoped. Now this is where we are going to stop with this story for the story has many meanings up to this point. Let’s go back to
1 Timothy 6:6-10 and look at this story through Timothy’s eyes. “Devotion to God is, in fact, a way for people to be very rich, but only if it makes them satisfied with what they have. When we came into the world, we brought nothing. And when we die, we can take nothing out. So, if we have food and clothes, we will be satisfied with that. People who want to be rich bring temptations to themselves. They are
caught in a trap. They begin to want many foolish things that will hurt them. These things ruin and destroy people. The love of money causes all kinds of evil. Some people have turned away from what we believe because they want to get more and more money. But they have caused themselves a lot of pain and sorrow.” Now let’s look at the father. The father here represents God, our Father.
1 John 3:1a says, “See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be
called children of God; and in fact we are.”
The son confessed to the father his sin.1 John 1:9 tells us this, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Yeshua tells us through this parable that the father actually ran towards the son and so too, when we return home to Him. As the father showed mercy and compassion on his son and so too God as Psalm 103:1-5 tells us, “Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget any of His benefits; who pardons all your guilt, who heals all your
diseases; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with favor and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
Maybe you are like the Prodigal Son who needs to once again run into your loving Father’s arms confessing your sins. If you do, you will find Him waiting with open arms to love you only as a loving Father can.
1 John 4: 19 says, “So you see, our love for Him comes as a result of His loving us first.”
It’s time to come home!

Welcome aboard The Clarion Express, because we are going to talk about the Suffering Servant.

The Bible tells us that God so loved you and me that He sent His only begotten Son. But this Son did not come as a Son of a King for Isaiah 53 speaks about Him as the suffering servant. This is from the Message Bible: “Who believes what we’ve heard and seen? Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this? The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about Him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at Him and people turned away. We looked down on Him, thought He was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains He carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought He brought it on Himself, that God was punishing Him for His own failures. But it was our sins that did that to Him, that ripped and tore and crushed Him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through His bruises we get healed. We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost. We’ve all done our own thing, gone
our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on Him, on Him. He was beaten, He was tortured, but He didn’t say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, He took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and He was led off— and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for His own welfare, beaten bloody for the
sins of My people. They buried Him with the wicked, threw Him in the grave of a rich man, even though He’d never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn’t true. Still, it’s what God had in mind all along, to crush Him with pain. The plan was that He gave Himself as an offering for sin so that He’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life. And God’s plan will deeply prosper through Him. Out of that terrible travail of soul, He’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad He did it. Through what He experienced, My righteous one, My servant, will make many “righteous ones,” as He Himself carries the burden of their sins. Therefore I’ll reward Him extravagantly— the best of everything, the highest honors— Because He looked death in the face and didn’t flinch, because He embraced the company of the lowest. He took on His own shoulders the sin of the many, He took up the cause of all the black sheep.”

It was the Father’s great love to send Yeshua(God’s Salvation) for the purpose of just that, salvation. But what a price to pay. What a great cost. But the cost meant nothing, nothing, compared to the salvation that God wanted for His people. God created man because He loved him. Yes, even before man was created, God loved him! Nothing was too good for His people, not even His own Son. Can we, should

we, take the death of Yeshua (God’s salvation) so lightly? Do we come and mourn, do we come and repent, do we come and lay our own lives down as He did, a life that puts God first, a life of sacrifice, a life of denial?

Luke 9: 23 tells us this, Yeshua says, “Then He said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me'”.

Matthew 16:24-26 says, “Then said Yeshua unto His disciples,’ If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it”.
The cross symbolizes the pain, hardship, and persecution that may come with following Yeshua. If God showed us His great love, shouldn’t we show Him our love? We must follow in the footsteps of our Messiah, because it is only in walking in His footsteps that we will find Him.

2 Timothy 3: 12 says this, “Indeed, all who want to live in a godly way in Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted.”

Revelation 2:10, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

We must remember and contemplate and meditate on the death of Yeshua. How else can He be our example? How else can we walk in His footsteps? Let’s put down the Easter Bunny and Easter baskets, and let us mature into the people of God who truly represent the Suffering Servant through our own lives. Great love must be returned with great love.

Welcome aboard The Clarion Express, because we are going to talk about the Good Samaritan.

The last several months we have been looking at love. Luke 10: 25-29 tells us this, “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Yeshua. ‘Teacher’, he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘What is written in the Law?’ He replied. ‘How do you read it?’ He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your
neighbor as yourself.’ ‘You have answered correctly,’ Yeshua replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Yeshua, ‘And who is my neighbor?”

This seems to be a question for the centuries. Who really is my neighbor? The one who lives next door to me or on my block or is it the person I work with or go to school with or someone else? I mean, how can I love someone who lives clearly on the other side of the planet? Yeshua tells this story as Luke 10 continues.

“In reply Yeshua said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.”’

This story sounds like the world we live in today. With all the crime that goes on, so many people not only want to walk on the other side of the street, but they do not even want to travel on so many different streets today. But the story continues.

“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense
you may have.” I guess there has to be a hero in every story. This good Samaritan had compassion and he showed mercy and kindness to this man. He gave not only of his time but of his resources. Time and money seems so cold and distant even though it was a kind act, but this man went beyond, he told the innkeeper to give the man whatever he needed and he would pay on his way back. Look after him and take care of him, no matter the cost, no matter what time you have to take. Now he was getting the innkeeper involved by making him show mercy and kindness and compassion.

The story continues with Yeshua having a little teaching lesson here and asks the question. “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Yeshua told him, ‘Go and do likewise.”’ Our neighbor is not just our neighborhood, not just the people at work or school but our neighbor is our fellow human being, no matter if they are here or there or anywhere. We need to love everyone, everyone, who has breath and life, because we all belong to each other in the Messiah. Like the body is all one so is all of humankind. We all live on this planet and so we are all responsible for each other.

Jackie DeShannon sang this song years ago called “Put a little Love in Your Heart.” Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand, put a little love in your heart. You see it’s getting late. Oh, please don’t hesitate. Put a little love in your heart. And the world will be a better place. And the world will be a better
place for you and me. You just wait and see.

Love is an action word and action must be taken if you are going to love. God is love and we are His children so we must love as God loves and God gave and so we too, must give as God gave…the life of His Son and so too, we must give our life, as He died, we must die to ourselves in loving one another, whoever thanother is.

Welcome aboard The Clarion Express, because we are going to talk about the Holy Spirit.

We have been looking at love, the love God has for us, and the love we have not only for God but for one another. We know that God so loved us that He sent Yeshua for our salvation. But is that it? Yeshua died and rose and then ascended back to the Father. Now, are we on our own? Well, God says that He will never leave us.   Hebrews 13:5 tells us, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

No God did not leave us on our own. Instead He sent the Holy Spirit to walk with us and to be with us and to council us throughout our lives. John 14:15-21 says, “If you love Me, you will do the things I command. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper. He will give you this Helper to be with you forever. The Helper is the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him because it does not see Him or know Him. But you know Him. He lives with you and He will be in you. I will not leave you all alone like orphans. I will come back to you.  In a little while the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live, too.  On that day you will know that I am in My Father. You will know that you are in Me and I am in you.  He who knows My commands and obeys them is the one who loves Me. And My Father will love him who loves Me. I will love him and will show Myself to him.”

God’s love for us is a great love. He created the world out of love, and He gave it to us as a place to show our love for Him and for others. You see we can not just love in word or deed, but by our actions. 
1 John 3: 16-18 says,  “This is how we know what real love is: Yeshua gave His life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers.  Suppose a believer is rich enough to have all that he needs. He sees his brother in Messiah who is poor and does not have what he needs. What if the believer does not help the poor brother? Then the believer does not have God’s love in his heart. My children, our love should not be only words and talk. Our love must be true love. And we should show that love by what we do.”

You see, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to live a godly life.

John 16:7-11 tells us this,  “But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.  And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment:  regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”

 As Titus 3:3-6 says,  “For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,  He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,  whom He richly poured out upon us through Messiah Yeshua  our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” John 3: 4-8 says this,  “Yeshua responded and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’  Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?’ Yeshua answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”’                                                                                                                           
The Holy Spirit will lead us in all truth when we live by God’s Commandments and when we let go of this world. He will transform us and make us new creations, born again leaving the world behind us and now living  in the power of the Holy Spirit. We become new creations and the old is gone, living in the flesh is dead, the passions and lust and pride of life, and now we become alive in the Spirit. This is the power of God’s love for us. Now we have been made whole, one with God with a new way of living  and the hope of eternity in our hearts.  Are you walking and living in the Spirit of God? Have you become the light to the world, speaking truth about God’s love? If not, you can begin today. As you asked Yeshua to come live inside you, now ask Him to fill you with His Spirit.

Welcome aboard The Clarion Express, because we are going to talk about the
Bride of Messiah.
We do not hear too much about the Bride of Messiah. Did you know that the Bride of Messiah is much like any other bride? June is a big month for weddings, but the wedding day does not come without preparations. The bride has many things to do and so does the groom. We want to look at what we need to do to prepare for our Bridegroom who is coming soon.  Well, first of all everyone knows that the bride puts on a beautiful white dress and adorns herself with jewels.
Revelation 7: 13-14 tells us this, “Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, ‘Those who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘My lord, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”’
Isaiah 61: 10 says, “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a groom puts on a turban, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
Yeshua tells this story in Matthew 25:1-10, “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.  The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.  The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’  ‘Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’  “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’  “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.”

The oil is the oil of the Holy Spirit. The oil was used to anoint the kings and priests and prophets. Psalm 45:7- 14 says, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your companions. All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia; from ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You joyful. Kings’ daughters are among Your noble women; at Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. Listen, daughter, look and incline your ear: forget your people and your father’s house (the world); then the King will crave your beauty. Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him. The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; the wealthy among the people will seek your favor. The King’s daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is interwoven with gold. She will be brought to the King in colorful garments; the virgins, her companions who follow her, will be brought to You.

The Bride of the Messiah must lose her life to gain life. She must not be part of this world for her home is in heaven as John 14: 1-3 tells us about the bridegroom. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me so that you also may be where I am.” Revelation 21:23-27 says, “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.  The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.  In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;  and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;  and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”  Checklist: Clean white garments, adorn with the precious jewels of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:15-21), the oil of the Holy Spirit for light, a home to live in. Sounds like we’re ready, Revelation 19: 7-9 says it’s time. “Let’s rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself.  It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.”’    Are you ready? Have you prepared? Any day now the Groom may come and sweep His Bride away. Is your lamp lit, your clothes washed and your heart is devoted only to the Bridegroom?  Revelation 22:14, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates.”

Welcome aboard The Clarion Express, because we are going to talk about Freedom.
This year we celebrate our 250th year of freedom here in this country. Was it worth all those who fought and died?  If we do not stop to remember the cost or appreciate what others did for us, then why have freedom?  All people are really free because our freedom, no matter where we live, comes from God. But there is more to this. Galatians 5:13 says, “ My brothers, God called you to be free. But do not use your freedom as an excuse to do the things that please your sinful self. Serve each other with love.”
God, our Creator, created us to be free, but because of sin we lost our freedom which resulted in us being in bondage. You see, sin separates us from God. But thanks be to God who sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins so that now, when we repent of our sins, we can once again be in good standing with God through the shed blood of Yeshua (which is His righteousness), in which we can now stand.  It was because of love that God set us free.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
It was God’s love that caused Him to send His Son to shed His blood for us. As Hebrews 9:22b says,  “Unless there is the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin.” Galatians 5:1 tells us this,  “We have freedom now, because the Messiah made us free. So stand strong in that freedom. Don’t go back into slavery again.” Romans 6:15-23 says, “So, since we’re out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new Master, One whose commands set you free to live openly in His freedom! I’m using this freedom language because it’s easy to picture. You can readily recall, can’t you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God’s freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?  As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn’t have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you’re proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end. But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Yeshua, our Master.”
So God equates freedom with love. God loves us, we love God, so we must love one another. God gave Himself for us, so we must give ourselves to others. We want to have freedom, then live for God. Don’t be a slave to sin, but be a slave to God’s righteousness. Galatians 5:14 says,  “The whole law is made complete in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.”
If we live in freedom, free from the slavery of sin, then God’s love for us will never end as Romans 8:35-39 tells us, “Who will separate us from the love of Messiah? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  Just as it is written: “For your sake we are killed all day long; we were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”  But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.”
True freedom is love for God or for our fellow man, no matter what may come our way. Is this not what they did 250 years ago when they fought and gave their lives so that we today may be free? Is this not what our Savior Yeshua did when He gave His life so that we may be free from sin? As John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.”
Now that is a freeing thought that only can be had if we let go of those things that keep us in bondage and separate us from God, but when we do, the  love of God fills us so that we too, can do great acts of love.
Let freedom ring in our hearts today!

Welcome aboard The Clarion Express, because we are going to talk about Those Who Have Been Given.

What does that mean, those who were given? Well, first of all, God is the giver and second of all, God has given us many things. Today we are going to look at those who were given to build up the Body of Messiah.
Ephesians 4:11-16 says this, “And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Messiah; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Messiah. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Messiah, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
There is a lot here for this short teaching, so let’s look at this by first saying that we have been looking at love this year which is a result of a lifestyle (or the fruit of one’s life) in the Holy Spirit. So all things must be done in love. Second, it was God’s love for us that He gave us these people to lead us and teach us in all truth.
So what is an Apostle? The Hebrew word as it relates to its function in the New Testament, is “Shaliach” which means one who is sent, like an Emissary, or Ambassador. One who represents a person or country or even a kingdom. When people say that there are no longer apostles, this is not true. God, today is sending out people to represent Him and to speak on His behalf. We see this take place after the day of Pentecost and to this day God’s people who have been given continue to go out and represent God and his kingdom. So what is a Prophet? The Hebrew word is “Navi,” a navi is one who speaks for another. In God’s case it is one who speaks forth the declarations of God. Navi is derived from a verb signifying “to bubble forth” like a fountain, suggesting a speaker who delivers divine messages. Proverbs 18:4 says, “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.” This verse connects the concept of wisdom with a bubbling fountain, highlighting its refreshing and life-giving nature. The prophet would speak out God’s Words, conveying God’s message. Every prophecy has a message and the prophet would not only speak out the prophetic Word, but also give the interpretation of God’s will, explaining God’s ways and guide the people in that will. So what is an Evangelist? The Hebrew word is “Basar” or “ Besorah’ which is one who brings the Good News. In Greek (euangelion and euangelizo), it refers to the act of announcing significant news of salvation and the promise of redemption. So what is a Pastor? The Hebrew word “Ro’eh” means a shepherd or to tend a flock, one who guides, protects, and nurtures, like a shepherd. Pastor comes from the word pasture. The Greek word “poimen” also means shepherd and is used to refer to a church leader. The Pastor with love for his sheep must take on the role of a shepherd. He must feed them and care for them and lead them in the ways of the Lord. He must protect his sheep from the enemy who wants to devour them. Today we have a different view of the Pastor, one in which he is over the congregation, who gives a sermon on Sundays and runs the church according to his ideas. But in the true meaning of the word in which it was intended, the Pastor is a caregiver for his sheep, a protector of his sheep and the one who leads them to green pastures and beside quiet water. So who is the teacher? The Hebrew word is “Moreh” taken from the root word of “Yarah” which means to provide instruction and guidance. The Rav or Rabbi was such a person. The teacher who is given has to be able to teach the people God’s Word in depth and height and length, the deep truth and mysteries of His Word. He must be able to talk about any line of Scripture, teaching this is what it is, this is what it looks like, and this is how you walk it out, and this is how it all connects. When you put all of this together you get a congregation that can go out and speak on God’s behalf, one that knows God’s will and direction for them and their church, one that has heard the Good News, and a church that is protected from their enemy and is well taught on what it means to have salvation. Does this look like your church? Is the love of God in your church? Are you no longer children tossed about, are you all equipped for ministry, all built up in the Body of Messiah, all united in the faith, rooted and grounded? This is God’s will. He has given us those to see to it that we all grow up in our faith, in love, able to go forward in the work of the kingdom.