This Thursday evening, April 20th, begins the second month of the Hebrew month known as IYAR, which is translated “reflected light.” This month is connected to receiving the increase of God’s timing and strategy to move in sync with His purpose.  Understanding His way will reflect His light as we step forward in the truth He gives us.

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1John 1:7).

The timing of this month matches the Old Testament blueprint of the 50-day period of transition when the children of Israel left Egypt and began journeying to Mount Sinai.  Through their travels, God showed Himself intimately as their Healer, Provider, and Deliverer.  After living in Egypt for such a long time, most of the Israelites had heard about God, but were far from experiencing the God who made Covenant with Father Abraham. 

God first revealed Himself in the wilderness as Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals.  God cleansed the waters at Mara and made the bitter waters pure for drinking.  Next, God came to them as Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides.  He released “manna” or “bread from heaven” supernaturally which the Israelites found in the morning dew.   And finally, through the holding up of the arms of Moses during a battle with the Amalekites, the children of Israel saw Jehovah Nissi, their banner of victory (Ex. 15-17).

The Exodus from Egypt was a significant shift in departing from the oppression of a “worldly system” to one founded in God’s ways.  Cultivating these enslavement systems, Pharaoh’s government had brainwashed the Hebrews to accepting this lifestyle as norm.  This is evident through the complaining and grumbling of the children of Israel who were crying to go back to the oppression they had prayed to get out of. Nevertheless, God reveals Himself in their moment of weakness like a groom courting a “bride to be.”

Similarly, during the same 50-day calendar time period in the New Testament, the disciples were re-introduced to their Savior after Jesus rose from the dead.  Within 40 of those days, Jesus manifested Himself to the disciples to show Himself alive as their Healer, the “Bread of Life,” and Deliverer.  Jesus met the disciples in their weaknesses as well; Thomas the doubter, Peter the rejecter, and all the disciples received healing after seeing a conquering Jesus over death (John 20). The disciples then had to trust in their Savior (Covenant) now revealed, who commanded them to stay in the hostile environment of Jerusalem and wait to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). 

Prophetically speaking, we are about to witness this whole transition scene play out again preceding the Age of Tabernacles, except it will happen with a multitude of nations (instead of 12 disciples), who are being “reintroduced“ to their Covenant Keeping God.  There will come a day when Christian nations whom have been “oppressed” by the “mystery of Babylon” will be delivered out of the hand of the enemy. Then they will be reintroduced to Jehovah Rapha who will heal their land (2 Chron. 7:14). They will encounter Jehovah Jireh, the Word, made manifest on the earth to establish His Kingdom (Rev. 19:13-15). And they will see Jehovah Nissi, the Commander in Chief and His Army who will put the adversary away into the bottomless pit (Rev. 19:19).

The similarity between the children of Israel, the disciples waiting in the Upper Room, and the Overcomers of today waiting for the Millennium reign is that ALL go through the revolution of transition, bringing forth a greater encounter of God’s glory.  And with each age, the glory increases.  At Mt. Sinai, the glory rested upon them  (Ex. 19:18;24:16-18). At Pentecost, a portion of the glory dwelt within the disciples through the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). When the Age of Tabernacles comes, believers will experience the fullness of the manifestation of His glory. (Rev.21:3).

The tribe of Issachar is associated with the month of Iyar. This tribe was gifted to know the timings of the Lord for the nation.  As one of the tribes who came alongside David when he was anointed as King, the Bible says in 1 Chron. 12:22-32 of Issachar, “and the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times to know what Israel must do.”  I believe there is an anointing this month to go deeper in our understanding of the times we are in and our faith in a Covenant Keeping God so we can go out into the world with greater authority and power.  

The Hebrew meaning of Issachar is “bringing reward.”  It comes from the root word “nasa” and means “to lift, to advance, arise, bring forth exalt or raise up.”  What better reward can we get than to humble ourselves and seek the Lord and get the treasures of seeing and experiencing the God of Covenant!

Issachar is nestled in between the tribe of Judah and Zebulun on the east side of the Tabernacle.  These three tribes formed a branch that the Lord chose to march out first when He instructed the tribes to go.  Judah would be given the charge to praise and worship, but Issachar understood the timing with which they were to depart and go.  Zebulun then came alongside the two and had the ability to provide the supply or “business” of what needed to be done.

Issachar’s symbol was a humble donkey.  He gets this symbol through Jacob prophesying over his tribe:  “Issachar is a strong ass couching between two burdens.” (Gen. 49:14). A donkey carries the burden of a load from one place to another.  Issachar represents a strong but humble servant of God who fulfills the law of Christ spoken of in Gal. 6:2, “Bear each other’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”  

Issachar is rewarded from the Lord for serving His people, standing in the gap and carrying their burden whether it be through prayer or practical application.  Issachar is spoken of as carrying two burdens:  one for himself and one for a “brother in need.”  Rewards for intercession as well as carrying other’s burdens that the Holy Spirit is leading us to do is priceless and brings much joy.

God’s desire is to reveal His “mysteries” so that we are armed with His story, stand as His witness, share His truth, and obey His voice. The remnant is coming into their finest hour. The intel received this month will help bridge the gap between what God’s purpose is this year, and how to accomplish His goal.

Beginning with the Feast of Firstfruits, which is always on the first day of the week following Passover, God instructed the children of Israel to count 50 days (or 7 Sabbaths) to the time they were to celebrate the fourth Feast called the “Feast of Weeks;” or most commonly known as Pentecost.

“And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that your brought sheaf of the wave offering, seven Sabbaths shall be completed.   Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord” (Lev. 23:15,16).

These 50 days were a significant reminder of the timespan between leaving Egypt and coming to the base of Mt. Sinai (Ex. 15-19).  

“In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai”(Ex. 19:1).

Years later in the New Testament, this same 50 day Feast blueprint corresponded to the time frame when Jesus visited His disciples after He was raised from the dead:  

“Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight’ (Luke 24:30,31).

On the 50th day in the Old Testament, God revealed Himself by fire after speaking to the people His proposal of marriage to the Israelites:

“And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God and they stood at the foot of the mountain.  Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire. It’s smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly”(Ex. 19:17,18).

On the 50th day in the New Testament, the disciples were gathered together in the “upper room” when the Holy Spirit came upon them like fire:

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each other them” (Acts 2:2-4).

Within the 50 day blueprint, God chose to “court” the Hebrews in the Wilderness by revealing His love through His provision and protection, meeting their needs and kindling their faith in Him, even while they were complaining.

In the New Testament, Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples intimately after His resurrection, showing them His hands and feet; eating, sharing, and encouraging the disciples He loved.  

So how did God reveal Himself to the Hebrews in the 50-day wilderness journey to Mount Sinai that was reflective of Christ Himself, coming in the flesh to restore that bond of love?  

One of the first ways God revealed Himself is when He performed a miracle by turning bitter waters sweet:

“So Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree.  When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet” (Ex. 15:25).

In addition, God released water in the desert:

“Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, so they camped there by the waters” (Ex. 15:27).

Jesus would later reveal Himself in this pattern through the New Covenant.  Those who were thirsty for truth and believed in Him would receive His living water. Christians would then have the ability to use that life flow to reach out to others with God’s love.

“And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely”(Rev. 22:17).

After God provided water in the Wilderness, the Israelites soon complained about being hungry. God revealed Himself again through the supernatural unleavened manna:

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.  And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in MY law or not.”

This bread that fell from the sky, known as “manna,” would be the tool God would use to introduce the Sabbath rest, prophesying of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, whom by His sacrifice, would provide rest for all creation in heaven and earth through reconciliation with the Father.

“Then Moses said, ‘Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field.  Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none” (Ex. 16:25,26).

Jesus would later declare that He was the Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5), and that He was our provision, telling us He was the “bread of life” for those who believed in Him:

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:51).

The third time God revealed Himself intimately in the midst of the 50-day wilderness journey was when He provided protection and strength when the Amalekites were attacking the Israelites.

“Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.  And Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek.  Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand…….So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword” (Ex. 17:8,9,13).

Jesus would conquer Satan through His death and resurrection, taking dominion over the enemy permanently, and giving us the ability to have dominion over the enemy as well:

“And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His might power, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion” (Eph. 1:19-21).

Jesus perfected the pattern “…which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Col 2:17).

As we can see through the whole wilderness experience and the New Testament disciples, the people God chose lost heart and complained, even after experiencing God’s miracles.  And yet, God continued to choose them.   If we know Christ, He chose us as well, not because of our faithfulness, but because He loves us, flaws and all.  As we begin to recognize how Christ IS the substance of these Feast blueprints, our hearts are moved to set aside time to give thanks and to honor our Savior.

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you should go and bear fruits, and that your fruit” (John 15:16).

When 2020 came, and COVID caused us all to be on lockdown, the LORD told me back then this was His “Divine Pause.” As difficult as it was to go through the turmoil of “the plague” and what followed, I knew that if I kept my eyes on why God was allowing these events to occur, I could see His redemption plan through it.

Passover 2020 marked the first time in my lifetime I saw thousands of Christians joined together online to honor Passover, one of God’s appointed days He marked to move His covenant promises forward. I never thought I would see the saints gather in His Holy Days that rapidly as I knew revelation was minimal in the Christian culture as to their significance to God’s redemption story.

God has always desired a people to honor His Holy Days to not only come into the intimacy of the heart of His covenant plan, but also to be a witness to the world of His desire to restore all things back to their original design of glory (Lev. 23). The Holy Days have been significant markers of events that have transpired throughout biblical history to see God’s story revealed and executed for His purpose here on the earth. Such as the case when Jesus became “the Lamb of God” sacrificed for our sins on the day of Passover (John 1:36).

We are approaching a greater “unveiling of Christ in us and through us” that requires a maturity of the “sons of God” to know the heart of the LORD, who will be used to build “HIS TEMPLE” in the earth, the NEW JERUSALEM (Rev. 21:1-4). God’s chosen people are purposed to be joined with the Head, Jesus, as a body united with Him and clothed in His glory to fulfill the job set forth to do: Establish His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. But we cannot do this without God’s increase to do so, and so we cry out like the children of Israel did in bondage to Pharaoh, waiting for His divine intervention.

God answered the cries of the children of Israel back in Exodus, but not how they thought He would do it. I can’t imagine one Israelite who believed God would use Moses as their deliverer, as well as a release of 10 plagues to make it happen, 3 of which they had to suffer through. And yet today, America is experiencing a similar phenomenon. 400 years later after the Pilgrims created the Mayflower Compact, the Christians have been crying out to God to help save them from evil leadership, and “plagues” of all kinds have resulted. God’s intervention to get the Pharaoh’s of the world to “Let His People Go!” is now in process to turn His page toward our freedom in the end.

Throughout the 2000 years of the Church Age, the church at large has not yet experienced a national Jubilee fulfillment (Lev. 25). Rather, the LORD indicates in His word that we would be a “church in the wilderness,” oppressed and enslaved as the nations are ruling under the sway of evil. Christians should be awaiting that appointed national Jubilee, when the tide turns, and God rules in favor of the Saints as described in Daniel 7:21,22. Until then, the church continues to groan for the release. Given the shakings that are upon the nations now, the day of judgment/jubilee is drawing near. America has held the key to world currency, but the Babylonian money magic is running out.

When God decides to “shake the heavens and the earth,” it produces both death and life to what we have known. Our lives have changed ever since 2020, and we are on a trajectory to accomplish the purpose for God’s shaking. The shaking will bring death to those things that oppose God and His truth and way, and resurrection life to those who are following His lead.

This year, as we enter into the fourth Passover since 2020, I believe the story God has put on my heart to best fit the year is the story of Lazarus found in John 11. Lazarus means “resurrection” and has the biblical gematria of the number 144, which is the number associated with the firstfruits remnant overcomers described specifically in Rev. 7. These overcomers are the sons of God who accept the sanctification process to know God’s word, His nature, and His voice to learn obedience unto Him. They are those who respond as “bondservants,” following the will of their Master and obeying His command.

Lazarus was sick, and then died. Sound familiar? Not only for overcomers going through a death process to the flesh, but how about the death of America as we have known her? After being dead for 4 days, Jesus finally arrived on the scene. Back in the days of Jesus, it was said that one was “legally dead” after 3 days, so Lazarus was dead….dead. Yet Jesus followed the instruction of the Father to wait to get to Lazarus at His appointed day to be used by the Father.

“This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4).

It appeared to all involved that Jesus missed it and was late to the party to help Lazarus. No one understood why He kept on with doing the Father’s business as things got worse for Lazarus, delaying His arrival. Even Martha and Mary made their judgments to Jesus. When Martha first saw Jesus, she said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:18). Mary said the exact same thing when she saw Jesus. Both believed Jesus could heal Lazarus, but when Lazarus hit day 4 of his death, they lost all hope to see their brother again.

Like the story of Lazarus, we can see many things dying all around us, but we too must be about the Father’s business, preparing, enacting, and imparting faith this year. Jesus foreknew that Lazarus would be resurrected, and we must believe God’s word that He will cause the saints to arise and shine as God promised in Isaiah 60. Faith must lead and guide us.

The Bible indicates that a day is like a thousand years. Since the Abrahamic covenant was promised and sealed by God Himself back in Genesis 15, it has been 4,000 years, or 4 days like the blueprint of Lazarus. We are at the hour of arrival upon the scene when Jesus came to Lazarus’s house and all were weeping. Even Jesus wept. There is much weeping that will transpire this year because there are systems that will fail, including the banking system that is backed by the US dollar. We will be wondering why God has not answered prayers and saved America from “death.” But we must know, God has a purpose for all things, and He is always on time. He is allowing this death process, so that “the Sons of God may be glorified through it.”

The “Divine Pause” has been given these past three years to awaken God’s church to the mystery of lawlessness that has permeated all systems of life that have governing authority, including the religious organizations. The blinders that have been on the Christian eyes have been a result of years of rebelling against God’s truth and nature (way) of building His kingdom here on the earth. Hopefully, many of us have awaken and separated out from under the lies and spells that have kept us blind to the enslavement systems of the enemy. We have been learning to put our faith and trust back into God first instead of the systems we have relied on, and God has prepared us for the fourth day: one of weeping to those who are mourning for what must die. But joy comes in the morning!

As we head into Passover 2023, we prayerfully remember the power of the blood of Jesus and take refuge in Him. The Death Angel that was released back in the days of Pharaoh is being released today on the systems of America that have not honored the Firstborn Son, Jesus as the LORD and KING. It will be a tumultuous year, but a great year of deliverance as God draws us out into freedom and to see Him face to face. We are called to be still, and know He is God. He will deliver us from the hand of the enemy, and draw us all by His mercy and truth. And His people will rise and this land will be healed. We shall have the freedom once again to step into the call to go nations to release the Great Awakening of the King of glory. Our faith will be tested to hold on to His word, and we shall see the salvation of the LORD.