It is awesome to see how many Christians are now identifying with the Hebrew calendar and learning how it can speak to us today as to what God is doing in the earth right now.  This Hebrew Covenant calendar begins a new decade, so this indicates a huge shift taking place.

The number 57 in Hebrew is associated with the 16th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which is the letter ayin.  Ayin means to see, know, and experience.  God has taken us through a century of experiencing His power and presence through the manifestations of the Holy Spirit that we have seen and experienced:

“The Azusa Street Revival was a historic revival meeting that took place in Los Angeles, California.^[1] It was led by William J. Seymour, an African American preacher. It began with a meeting on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915. The revival was characterized by spiritual experiences accompanied by testimonies of physical healing miracles,^[2] worship services and speaking in tongues. Today, the revival is considered by historians to be the primary catalyst for the spread of Pentecostalism in the 20th century” (Wikipedia).

The Holy Spirit is about to pour out an upgrade this decade.  Wow!  Can you imagine God’s glory coming in great power in the earth?  It will happen because God promised us so.  We are heading toward the promise of receiving our “glorified bodies” when Christ returns, so this upgrade is a part of getting closer to that set time.  And the “sound” of God’s people will break it forth!

“But we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Rom. 8:23).

The number 80 in Hebrew correlates with the 17th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which is the letter pey. Pey has the numeric value of 80 and it symbolically means “mouth or to speak; an opening; or to breathe.”

When we put these together, the translation of the 5780 overall is: “God’s eye is upon the Word, the expression, the breath, and the speech or sound of His people.”  

“There is an amazing mystery hidden within this letter pey, as it is believed that this one letter is also made up of two other letters, kaf and yod. Without going too deep, it paints the picture of the divine spark (yod) of God, within the soul, or the place in the body where potential is actualized (kaf)” The pictorial letter itself looks like a spark inside an open mouth. This year holds a divine invitation for you to open your mouth with the spark, or decree, of God that will set into flame the fires of revival”(Charisma News; Christy Johnson).

As God spoke, “Let there be light,” and creation came into existence, we will see the creative power of our voices shape the decade ahead.  Last decade, what we saw was what shaped us.  This decade, what we SAY will shape us because the power of God’s glory will be exponentially greater.  We are already seeing this on the earth right now:  Those who are speaking God’s word, decreeing His promises, and allowing the sounds of the Holy Spirit to usher in God’s presence are seeing quicker manifestations of their prayers.

The “sound” that God anoints us to sing, speak, and join as His instruments of praise and worship will be the key that unlocks the glory of God in this decade.  The glory of God is actually here, yet veiled as God has commanded.  We were not ready for what God has in store for us, nor have we had the capacity to contain the glory He wants to reveal in our own bodies.  This is why He is calling a people to be “set apart,” and synced into God’s voice and heart for it is His time to release the sound that our cells will respond to for His transformation. Our bodies will be able to contain and release more of God’s glory.

This decade comes with it a greater responsibility to guard our lips and to speak only those things that come by His Spirit.  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who speak life will see the fruits of their lips.  The restoration of the psalmists singing His Word will come with a breaker anointing.

Because we are in the year 2020, many have said this is the year for 20/20 vision.  While I agree we must see what God sees, our vision will become clear as we hear His voice and declare His promise.

We are also in a season of acceleration both spiritually and physically.  Healing and medical breakthroughs will be astounding, and so will be God’s healing power.

“But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves” (Mal. 4:2).

The Hebrew letter pey is also associated with great power.  The “Joseph’s” of this hour will be empowered to step into their authority and influence.  It is the decade of the orchestration of team Jesus uniting for His cause in one rhythm and heart that produces great power as their voice unites and creates His sound….resulting in the Spirit of God moving the unified body out into the cities. So for all the Joseph’s out there….you have been trained in humility and wisdom to wait upon the Lord.  And it’s your time to arise!

The elevation of ministry leaders will be leveled to ground zero, at the cross, where all the other leaders are waiting in assembly to “deploy” in the great army of the Lord, waiting for their Commander in Chief to lead the way.  Great authority comes with it a greater surrender to the Lord.

It’s a decade that will be known for many FIRSTS!  Even the “firstfruits’ remnant will arise in this season. NO longer will they be alone and hidden, but they will be found and linked together with those who understand the sacrifice of surrender and a hunger to follow God’s ways.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come!   And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.  For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.  The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.  Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you.  the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you” (Is. 60:1-5).

 

 

Since 2012, God has been trumpeting this time we are experiencing at this hour through many prophets He has raised up.  But the Word prophesied of this day many years ago:

“The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel” (Joel 3:16).

When God spoke a shaking was coming, He was speaking to the Church first to be ready.  So God gave the body of Christ  7 years to prepare, speaking this same message so we had ample time to respond:

“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God” (1 Peter 4:17)?

He warned the body of Christ to get rid of their idols and to prepare their hearts for the shift that would transpire.  God highlighted these same scriptures He spoke through Joshua at the end of his leadership for us today:

“Now, therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt.  Serve the Lord!  And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:14.15).

The Church at large will change through this shaking, and we will see a church without walls emerge.  Religious structures will not be able to withstand this shaking, nor idols in ministry.  Fear and faith are at war.  God will use this shaking to also get the flock back to leaning on the true Shepherd and hearing His voice first.

“And the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (John 10:3,4).

So many people right now are searching to and fro to hear the voice of God through social media, and God is wanting all to stop and be still before Him.  He has much to say to each of us first because we all have a role to play in this hour. Once we get our intel from Him, then we can join the other voices.  But first things first, and that is resting in His presence so we can receive His peace.

“Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

What is God teaching the Church at this hour?  We are called to be His light, to walk in His ways, and to abide in His love……..We need to cry out to God as David did, pleading to help us stay in the center of His peace as we pray:

“Search me O’ God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties, and see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way of everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24).

As we continue to accept this sanctification process and allow God to heal and lead us, a great reservoir of God’s peace and rest fills our spirit, soul, and bodies.  This training through “trial by fire” leads us into maturity in the ways of the Lord.  Great reverence and a fear of the Lord are produced for those who are seeking His face.  And we will be prepared for what He is bringing us into because we can hear His strategy.

God will shift His people into positions of influence to establish His righteous authority through this shaking.  But the method with which it happens will look different than expected.  Our maturity to lean into the Lord will be necessary to gain the intel and walk in His ways that may seem strange and new.  How we see and do things will forever change.  Guaranteed.  All these things are coming not to punish and destroy, but because He loves and is forwarding the promise of Christ returning and reigning in the earth.

For years, the saints who have been oppressed by the religious, political and governmental evil have cried out to the Lord.  The saints have waited patiently for God to move, much like the children of Israel who were crying out to God while they were under the hand of Pharoah’s slavery.  But at God’s “set time,” He heard their prayers:

“So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them” (Ex. 2:24).

God raised up Moses as His deliver, and gave him instructions as to how to get the Israelites through the process of the shaking so they would be protected:

“On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover” (Lev. 23:5).

God instructed the children of Israel to kill an unblemished lamb and take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses were they eat it.  In their response to His command, the death plague would pass over their dwelling:

“So this day shall be to you a memorial, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations.  You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance” (Ex. 12:14).

Moses told the Israelites that they would do this as a remembrance every generation so that the history of God’s deliverance and faithfulness to keep His promises He gave to Abraham would be handed down to the sons and daughters:

“And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’  So the people bowed their heads and worshipped” (Ex. 12:26,27).

The children of Israel did not expect Moses, who grew up in Pharoah’s palace, to be their deliverer.  A similar situation happened with the Jews later in history who didn’t see their Messiah right before their eyes.  We all should be shouting and praising God that He is in the midst of this chaos we are experiencing today, although we cannot recognize some of it in the midst of the panic that is prevailing.

Christians today inherit this great legacy of promises that God spoke through Abraham, confirmed through the nation of Israel, and later fulfilled through Christ:  

“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29).

Our job is to rest knowing He is on the throne, and these events will give us a new landscape that will be free of some of the strongholds that kept Christians in slavery to sin and those who the enemy was using to destroy His people and plan to establish His righteousness in the earth:

“For thus says the Lord of hosts:  Once more (it is a little while) I will shake the heaven and earth, the sea and dry land, and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill the temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts.  The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts.  The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, ‘ says the Lord of hosts, And in this place, I will give peace, says the Lord of hosts” (Hagg.2:6-8).

We are about to start the New Hebrew Covenant Calendar this March 24th, sounding the trumpet and beginning the year with a shout of praise that God is on the throne.  God is working all things out for His good.  Our response to the coronavirus and all the chaos ensuring with praise is the greatest weapon of warfare.  It signifies to the enemy we are not moved by his work. It is a gesture of faith that responds to the fear that is running rampant.  It is with hands held up and palms wide open to accept we are not in control but praise the one who is that the enemy flees and bows to the boldness of faith.

Let’s praise…and then let’s honor the Holy Day of Passover fourteen days later, which is on April 8th at twilight. We must remember what God did for our forefathers of faith, and then what Christ did to set us all free from sin and death:

“With fervent desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled int eh kingdom of God………And He took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”…….Likewise, He also took the cup after supper saying, ‘ This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’……….that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on the thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’ (Luke 22:17-30)”

Let us then rejoice knowing He protected His people back then, and now, the blood of Jesus protects us even greater, even against the coronavirus.  Let us remember that Christ became the sacrificial lamb that saves us from sin and death.  We must rejoice that God is working out a miracle in our midst that the history book will later reveal was His finest hour of the breakthrough.  Praise Him!  Praise His Holy Name!  We will Passover!

On March 24th, we will begin the Hebrew Covenant Calendar! God proclaimed to Moses in Ex. 12:2 that His Hebrew calendar year was to begin with the month of Nisan. Nisan means “to take flight,” so it was appropriately named since this was the month the children of Israel took flight from the captivity of Egypt and journeyed through the Red Sea to Mt. Sinai.

Nissan is associated with the tribe of Judah. Judah means “praise.” God called for “PRAISE” to go first into their “flight” from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land (Numbers 10). When the trumpet was blown twice, signifying it was time for all the tribes camped around the Ark of the Covenant to journey on, Judah was given the leadership position of moving out first.  Judah was also the first tribe to cross the Jordan, and first to be allotted land in the Promised Land (Numbers 14.) This month is known for FIRSTS!

In Genesis 49:10, we read the prophetic destiny that Jacob spoke concerning the tribe of Judah in the latter days.  “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.”

Judah was destined to carry the Messianic rulership (scepter), which we can see documented in Matthew 1 that traces the lineage of Judah.  Jesus was born out of this tribe when he came to earth to be our Savior, and He will return as our King of Kings. This month is significant to His “kingship” and stepping forward under His command to take “dominion.”

Judah was also responsible for making sure the “tablets of covenant/testimony” were safely passed down from generation to generation until Jesus came.  The “Torah (first 5 books of the bible) was canonized during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah during the 7th year of King Artaxerxes.  Ezra and Nehemiah were both a part of the House of Judah. When Jesus died and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, the law was then written on all of our hearts.  This is when the obedience of the people then became unto HIM (Jesus the King).

Judah had a notable flaw in his character that was difficult to overcome; the love of money.  In Genesis 37, we read the story of how Judah and his brothers decided to kill Joseph because they were jealous of their Father’s love and favoritism toward him.  After conferring, they decided to throw him in a pit to die.  But Judah later assessed the situation and said, “What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?” (Gen. 37:26).

Judah’s first interest was in making a profit!  He suggested selling Joseph and made a bargain with the Midianite traders who agreed to purchase him for twenty silver coins.  As time went by, the guilt weighed on Judah over the years, and his repentant heart made him respond differently to his brother in need. This time, instead of bargaining for profit, Judah pleas with Joseph for his brother Benjamin, offering to sacrifice his own life (Gen. 44:14-34).

Judas (Greek for Judah) Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, also had this same weakness in his character that caused him to break God’s Commandments.  The Bible reveals his greedy heart in John 12:5 when Judas cannot understand why Mary poured costly fragrant oil on Jesus instead of selling the oil and giving it to the poor.  The scriptures go on to say in verse 6, “This he (Judas) said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money box, and he used to take what was put in it.”

It wasn’t too long until we read about Judas betraying Jesus by making a bargain with the religious leaders for 30 silver coins (Mark 14:10,11). In both cases, the stronghold of the need for wealth was more powerful than family ties or intimate relationships. Judas, however, ends up taking his own life because of the guilt he bore in betraying Jesus.

Jesus tells us how difficult the struggle is for those who have a gift to profit once they have accumulated wealth for self-gain. “Assuredly I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matt. 19:23,24).

Looking around the financial world today, many Jews are the world’s top financiers and control many of the banks, including the Federal Reserve. This is because they have been left a legacy of profiting so that God’s people could and would be blessed.  However, left to selfish gain, it can do more harm than good in the world. When Judah submits to God’s headship, their gift can benefit the advancement of the Kingdom of God, especially in helping visions “take flight.”

There were three tribes, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, who were positioned around the Tabernacle on the east side to form a branch.  Judah’s banner of the lion represented this branch, and it was these tribes who worked together to move the whole army out when the Lord’s cloud by day and pillar of fire moved.  Judah was chosen to “sound the alarm!”

Starting with Nisan, we enter into the “spring season” with the Lord. This season has a pattern for new beginnings; new seeds to plant, new alliances, and new battles arise during this season.  Kings go to war, praise leads the way, and the authority of Judah sets the foundation. Coming out of the “winter” rest and revelation season guides and directs the movement of the Hebrew year beginnings.  Also, coming full circle in the “winter” season lends itself to the new doors opening up.

This month also honors God’s redemption plan as we celebrate and remember the Spring Feasts of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits (Lev.23).  All of these Feasts were a blueprint of how Jesus would fulfill God’s Covenant promises of redemption and reconciliation.  As we read the New Testament, Jesus fulfilled these Feasts completely through His death and resurrection (Luke 23,24).  Fifty days later, He fulfilled the final Spring Feast, Pentecost, when He sent the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).

When Jesus rose from the dead, He presented Himself as the “FIRSTFRUITS” offering unto the Father in heaven.  Judah goes FIRST as Son of Man, and Son of God!  In doing so, Jesus made a way for heaven to come to earth in Holiness, and for a people (harvest) to be presented to the Father after He returns.  Thankfully, He sent the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of His return (2 Cor. 1:22).

God gave us a key this month to an individual intimate relationship with the Lord: REPENTANCE. Humbling ourselves under the Lord of Hosts (the one who rules over the armies of heaven and earth) connects and keeps us under HIS COVERING!  Jesus will come back as judge, conqueror, and king to fulfill the Fall Feasts through His second coming.

Through some of the Israelite Kings, such as Jehoshaphat, we can see the power of repentance and humility. Jehoshaphat understood complete dependence on seeking the Lord for His leadership. The minute he turned to the Lord, God gave him strategy, strength, and victory.

In 2 Chronicles 20, we read about Jehoshaphat’s humility as he seeks the Lord when the odds were up against his army. “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (2 Chron. 20:3).

God gave Jehoshaphat a strategy of winning the war through praise.  Jehoshaphat asked the worshippers to go before His army, and this opened heaven to help him overcome in times of need. “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated (2 Chron. 20:22).

The landscape of seeing the kingdom of heaven here on the earth will shift ahead through the praises of God’s people.

This month, above all else, God wants us to praise Him.  PRAISE HIM as you take flight! PRAISE HIM as you go into battle! PRAISE HIM because you have been CHOSEN to rule and reign in Him! PRAISE HIM for “FIRSTS!”  Your praise will spring you forward into the Hebrew Covenant Calendar New Year!

 

 

 

This Sunday evening begins the twelfth and last month of the Hebrew calendar known as ADAR. In Hebrew, the word Adar means “strength.” God desires that His people finish each year strong IN HIM, so they receive a new dimension of blessing, mantle, and identity to enter the New Year. This may require us all to put our “JOY ON” as we wrestle God for these “new clothes.”

This month is linked with the tribe of Naphtali. The name Naphtali in Hebrew means “to struggle and wrestle forward.” Naphtali’s wrestle is to conquer and win the victory with the partnership of the Lord. His mother, Rachel, named him Naphtali because of her struggles to give birth. “ With great wrestling’s, I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” (Gen. 30:8).

Naphtali’s father, Jacob, wrestled with the Lord as well. When Jacob was finally willing to let go of His IDOLS and grab hold of the Lord only, his wrestling changed history forever for himself, his family, and countless multitudes that have now inherited God’s covenant promise. However, amid Jacob’s struggle, the Lord touched the socket of his hip, making it difficult for Jacob to finish in his strength. Jacob had to exercise faith to cling to the Lord alone (something that his muscles had not been accustomed to doing), and in the final hour, Jacob says, “I will not let You go unless You bless me” (Gen. 33:26)!

There comes the point in all of our lives that our most significant efforts, gifts, and talents can only get us by so far. If we want to cross the finish line of our God-given destiny, we all need to go through the wrestling of submission to let go of control while we cling to God alone.  This wrestling chooses to die to a life independent of God.

Athena Koester’s picture below captures the pressure God allows so He can mold and transform our hearts to mirror His.   Out of that process, God cleanses us from the things that separate us from His love, as well as crowns us with His authority because we have learned to abide in Him.

Before Jacob died, he prophesied over the tribe of Naphtali these words: “Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.” The word “loose” comes from the Hebrew word shalach meaning, “to send away, cast away, to cast out, conduct, forsake, leave, let depart, push away.”

I believe this prophetic word speaks to us today as God wants us to “loose” idolatry, cast out the old, forsake the things that hold us back, push away the stumbling blocks, and spring forward into a new freedom that God wants us to possess. This comes out of humility that always produces a blessing! “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor, and life.” Prov. 22:4

The expression “let loose” has the implication of one who has escaped from the hunter.  Deer are beautiful animals created to be free. If you have a gift of Naphtali, you never want to be in bondage. Freedom is the lifeline, and trying to tie down anyone with this gift is difficult because they are not meant to have any chains around their necks.

In Judges 4:6, we can read about one hero of Naphtali named Barak, who worked with Deborah, the judge, to set God’s people free. This tribe was not known among the tribes as warriors. They were a part of the brigade with Dan and Asher in the rear guard, so they were not called to the front lines of battle. This is evident when Deborah confronted Barak why he wasn’t listening to the Lord, who had commanded him to deploy troops against the enemy. Barak requested that Deborah assist him with this task because he didn’t feel he could do it alone. Barak wasn’t concerned with rank or women in the game plan. He just needed to find a way to obey the Lord only.

The symbol of the tribe of Naphtali is a deer. There is one interesting thing about deer that we need to consider for this month. A deer has no gall bladder. The gall bladder is a  part of the anatomy. The gall bladder is a membranous sac attached to the liver, in which excess bile is stored and concentrated. Bile is the bitter, yellow-brown, or greenish fluid secreted by the liver. It is discharged into the duodenum and aids in digesting, especially fats. Bile produced and stored is like bitterness that is produced from an angry and jealous heart.

The beauty of Naphtali is that this tribe has the characteristic of one who carries NO BITTERNESS! And because of that, “beautiful words come out of Naphtali’s mouth. “ God’s word says, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matt.12:34). This is an excellent month to examine what kind of communication is coming out of our mouth, so we see what is in our hearts. It is also a good month to communicate God’s heart and strategy for the New Year.

God says in Hebrews 12:14,15 “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without no one, will see the Lord; looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness, springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” This month, I believe this is a time to reflect on the issues that lie deep within the heart and to “cast off” any bitterness, even bitterness toward ourselves so that we can enter into the joy of the Lord.

Moses also prophesies over this tribe before he dies in Deut. 33:23. “O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord, possess the west and the south.” Because Naphtali represents a pure heart, the favor of God is with this tribe to bless them. Faithful intercessors, a characteristic of this tribe, are ones with a pure heart, willing to lay their life down and stand in the gap for all, even the wicked.

Moses says to Naphtali to “possess the west and the south.” The west speaks of the land that lay to the west of Naphtali, which was the Mediterranean Sea. It was the gateway to new areas and new adventures. This is symbolic of “entering into the New Year through the gateway God opens to a new year of adventure with Him.”

The south speaks of the pleasant things, which lie at the foot of Naphtali. It was the southern coast of Naphtali that Jesus preached most of His life. That was the sea coast of Galilee and the town of Capernaum. The Sermon on the Mount was taught in the land blessed for Naphtali, in which Jesus said, “Blessed are those….”

Adar is the twelfth month, and twelve is the number for “government.”  Jacob had twelve sons, and Jesus had twelve disciples. The first recorded words of Jesus in the New Testament were when He was 12 (Luke 2:42).

Twelve symbolizes God’s power and authority as well as serving as a perfect governmental foundation.  New Jerusalem has 12 gates, and Christ’s bride in Revelation 12 wears a crown of 12 stars.  The Lord has a remnant of 12×12, totaling 144,000 that are marked as His.  Jesus is coming back with “government on His shoulders” to rule and reign (Is. 9:7).  We are being prepared to understand God’s government in heaven and on earth.

Finally, I believe that this month of ADAR is key to the body of Christ. God has been calling on His people these past few years to get rid of their idols and to purify their hearts. The line in the sand has been revealed. God has been preparing His army to go into a GLOBAL season with Him. It is a season of preparing for His return, and it will require separation unto Him and a willingness in the heart to say, “Not my will but yours.”

God is taking the masquerades off. We have been hidden for a time. Our identity has been hidden. Our gifting has been hidden. Our regional and national calling has been hidden. Our blessings are coming. God is taking off the masquerade, and we will be seen as people identified as His.

When it was God’s time, Esther’s true identity was revealed to the king. But that famous quote given to Esther when she was wrestling with stepping into that identity was, “For such a time as this.” It is for “such a time as this” we have all been called to understand His Covenant, His story, and His truth, and to walk accordingly in His plan!

The 11th month of the Hebrew Covenant Calendar, known as Shevat, is coming up this January 24th.  This month is associated with the tribe of Asher, whose name means, “happy,” and is indicative of the heart of this month.

January is the eleventh month of the Hebrew calendar associated with the tribe of Asher, the eighth son of Jacob. 

Asher means “happy” coming from the root word “ashar” which is translated: to be straight, level, right, to go forward, be honest, prosper, bless, guide, lead, and relieve.  Asher was known as a blessed tribe with the land that produced many natural resources providing food and delicacies fit for a king.

Asher was known amongst the tribes to share their resources. In the Promised Land, Asher was located between Tyre and Carmel, which was some of the most fertile lands in Canaan because it had low temperatures and much rainfall. Resources were a blessing, but Asher’s true happiness came from giving to others. “It is more blessed to give than receive.” (Acts. 20:35) With such an abundance of goods, Asher exported goods to supply to the other tribes and became known for its olive oil.

Jacob prophesied over Asher these words, “Bread from Asher shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties.” (Gen. 49:20) The Hebrew word for bread in this scripture is “lechem” and means “food you eat to obtain nourishment.”  In the natural, Asher was blessed with rich food fit for kings, but in the spirit, God is saying prophetically that the gift of Asher brings rich, strong meat (revelation) of God’s word.  Asher has a gift to pull out the treasures hidden in God’s Word.

 “Rich” can also be translated as “fat.”  The Hebrew word for fat is “shamen” and means “greasy, plenteous, oily and rich.”  Oil is typically symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The bread or “word” of Asher will not only be meaty but richly anointed by the Holy Spirit! (The fruitful olive tree is actually the symbol for this tribe).

Moses further prophesies over Asher in Deut. 33:24 “Asher is most blessed of sons; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil.  Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be.”

Asher “dips” or “plunges” his feet in oil is not a small prophetic word.  In order for Asher to fulfill his call, his foundation needs to be the “Word” and to spend time in the presence of “The Word” to share God’s revelation with His people. Psalm 1:1-3 describes Asher: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night.  He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

Asher’s sandals being of iron and bronze describes the nature of his gifting.  Shoes of iron are God’s judgments, and the word God gives them to share can shake the world. Signs and wonders will follow!

The first miracle recorded in the gospels takes place in Cana of Galilee, where Jesus turned the water into wine. This land was the inheritance of Asher and the beginning of miraculous signs of provision. (John 2:1-11)  This land is also where Jesus revealed himself as the “bread of Life” which is symbolic of the gift Asher would share.

Matt 4:4 “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Bread is symbolic of the word of God.

 Anna, the prophetess from the New Testament, came from the tribe of Asher and was one of the first to recognize Jesus as the Savior when He was born.  Her faithfulness and dedication to serving the Lord for 84 years made her “fat” with God’s revelation about the Savior. (Luke 2:36-38) “Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was of great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, and this woman was a widow of about 84 years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.  And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to ALL those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”

In the Bible, Asher is spoken of by Moses as the most blessed of the sons and favored by his brothers.  This tribe was blessed with numerous children and lived in peace with all the other tribes.

Asher is set around the tabernacle on the north side between Dan and Naphtali.  These three tribes had the assignment of being the  “rear” guard and were generally not ones to be warriors in battle.  Avoiding battle when needed can be Asher’s weakness and downfall. Asher chose not to help during Israel’s national crisis when called to battle by Barak and Deborah. However, they did come when Gideon called as well as King Hezekiah.

God wants to reveal His Covenant in a “meaty” way so we can move in His heart ahead as the bride of Christ. Seek God’s presence and expect to receive His revelation.  He wants to bless you in this season of “rest” in knowing Him and why He created you!  God wants to revive and awaken your “roots” to be vibrant and alive in Him.  Rivers of living water shall flow through your roots system and spring forth life in areas that have appeared dead.  Expect to hear and see His oil! March will be a month God is preparing us to sow the seeds of revelation He gives us.  Whatever the circumstances bring up ahead, His revelation will carry us through.

So the key this month is to REST and receive His anointed Word! And if you have the gift of Asher, God’s people need that “meaty” word!

We are now entering the “rest” season in the Hebrew Covenant Calendar as we celebrate the month of Tevet beginning December 26th.  Tevet means “good circumcision” and is a time God wants to “cut to the heart” and judge matters that are important to Him.

In the Old Testament, the sign that set apart an individual as one who was sealed with in the Abrahamic Covenant was circumcision:

“And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.  This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you:  Every male child among you shall be circumcised, and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you” (Gen. 17:9-11).

God also declared that those who did not circumcise as He commanded were “cut off” from the Abrahamic Covenant:

“And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be CUT OFF from his people; he has broken My covenant” (Gen. 17:14).

Being “cut off” meant much like being “disowned,” and cut off from the family inheritance and identity.  God took this seriously, and so did the Israelites.

This sign was kept all throughout the Israelites history.  Even the Apostle Paul himself shares he and his family had followed this law:

“…circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee” (Phil. 3:5).

Circumcision would prove to be a SIGN in the New Testament too, however, it would be an internal (spiritual) sign rather than an external (flesh) sign:

“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Col. 2:11-15).

When Abraham was chosen to be the one God would use to set up the Abrahamic Covenant, it was by faith alone that opened up his relationship with God, and God chose him….he did not choose God.

After God chose Abraham, circumcision was then established as a sign.  This would be a foreshadowing of when Christ came, and we who believe in Christ by faith, accept Him in our hearts as our Savior.  We are then “set apart” as His; “sons of God.”

It is the transformation of our hearts from being lord of our own lives to submitting our life to the Lord of lords that transpires, which is the process of “circumcision.”

When we accept Christ, we are then set apart as His, and with that covenant comes the inheritance of eternal life with Him and the identity as a “Son of God.”

While we remain on earth, the Lord brings us through a sanctification process that requires a heart examination, a “circumcision;” a cutting of the heart through His Word and His truth.  For those who are willing, we must allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the issues of our hearts so He can judge our motives, decisions, and intentions.  We must allow the Holy Spirit to be the “fruit inspector,” and follow His instruction as to what needs to be pruned or lacking nutrition for our heart to mimic His love and light.

This month of Tevet reminds us of how important it is to not bi-pass this process of resting in God’s presence so He can speak to our hearts.  Allow the Lord to judge your heart and all that your heart is set upon.  Give God permission to “cut” out those things that could inhibit your relationship with Him.  Give God the time to speak to your heart so He can direct your steps in the months ahead.

Below is a picture from the Firstfruits Calendar Journal depicting the month of Tevet, and the tribe of Dan, whose name means, “to judge.”  Christian did a great job capturing this month.  You can read more in the  “Firstfruits” book.

Get ready to celebrate the next Firstfruits as we begin the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar on November 26th.  This coming month is known as “Kislev” and is usually the darkness month of the year because the days are shortest toward the end of the month during the Winter Solstice.  However, this is the month that usually celebrates the “Festival of Lights,” most commonly known today as Hanukkah, which reminds us of God’s light, love, and faithfulness.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”(John 8:12).

It is not a coincidence that this month is associated with the tribe of Benjamin, who’s name means, “son of light,” and the only son of Jacob born in the Promised Land.  Benjamin’s birth reveals both sorrow and joy:  Sorrow that his mother died while giving birth;  Joy because this tribes prophetic destiny was to become “light-bearers” for the King of kings.

I asked several people to pick a Hebrew month and draw or paint a picture representing its meaning for this year’s Hebrew Covenant Calendar Journal.  Our youngest participant was a 6 year old named Zachariah, who drew the following picture after his mother told him what the month was all about.

Through this picture, Zach captured the character trait of Benjamin as a wolf, but notice the rays of light radiating out from this wolf, surrounded by a rainbow and the “right hand” shown in the picture on the bottom right.  These symbols all represent God’s heart for this month:  “MY PROMISE FOREVER:  I SHALL BEAR FORTH SONS OF LIGHT!”

Moses prophesied over the tribe of Benjamin these words:

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder” (Gen. 49:27)

The prophetic words Jacob spoke over Benjamin show two sides of him:  A ravenous wolf  and one who distributes provision.  Both of these are diametrically opposed which show us that in Benjamin’s youth (character not developed), he only thinks about what can satisfy his own cravings and desires and will stop nothing to obtain them.  But as Benjamin matures, this selfish side dies through trials and tests, and a servant emerges to be “God’s right hand.”

Saul of Tarsish, later known as Paul the disciple of Christ, exemplifies this dual identity.  Saul was a Benjamite, who was killing Christians and feeling pretty proud of his achievements until He encountered Christ.

“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I (Saul/Paul) also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin” (Rom. 11:1).

Saul’s conversion begins suddenly when a light from heaven shone all around him:

“Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ² and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem

³ As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. ⁴ Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 9:1-5).

Saul was blind for 3 days, until the Lord’s light of truth caused the scales to come off his eyes and his sight was then returned.  Saul’s name means “Inquired of God.”  But through this conversion, his name was changed to Paul, meaning “little.”  I believe this change reflected the “mature” side prophesied of Benjamin as we see Paul humbled (little) before the Lord after his conversion.

Being recognized as a “son of light” comes through a process of learning to trust God completely, which produces security, peace, and restfulness in our soul.  

“TRUST in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path” (Prov. 3:5,6).

This month, get excited like a child, anticipating that there is something good God is orchestrating that will be a gift to those who put their trust in the Lord.

During Kislev, I am reminded of the younger generation who take the torch for Jesus today. How can we come alongside of them and help them fulfill their destiny to establish the kingdom of heaven here on earth?  Are WE revealing the light of Jesus to this younger generation, to the world in darkness?

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

Be on the lookout this month for the voices of the younger generation making an impact in this nation.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt. 5:14).

And take a moment and consider:  Am I a reflection of His light with my words, my heart, and my service?

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them” (John 12:36).

 

We will be heading into our next Firstfruits on Monday, October 28th, which signifies the beginning of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan.  Cheshvan is the eighth month of the Hebrew Covenant Calendar, and is a month that signifies “new beginnings.”

Cheshvan immediately follows the “fall feasts” and is known as “bitter Cheshvan” because it marks the cold and rainy season in Israel.  

Cheshvan’s name stems from the word “flood.” Looking back through biblical history, the flood during the days of Noah began on the 17^thof Cheshvan and ended the following year on the 27^thof Cheshvan.  This month is regarded by many as a time of judgment and hardship.  But for those “walking in obedience” to the Lord, it can be a month of resting in God’s protection, and entering into new doors of opportunity.

When Noah opened up the door and left the ark, he was on a new mission. In the “ark of obedience,” Noah and his family were spared from God’s judgment. But after the door opened, Noah was  given a new job to multiply and fill the earth.

Cheshvan is the eighth month which signifies new beginnings or revelation that God is releasing in this second month of the harvest season. 

This month is also associated with the tribe of Manasseh; which was one of sons of Joseph. Joseph’s sons were grafted in to Jacob/Israel’s Covenant blessing:

“Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them.  And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” (Gen. 48:16) 

Manasseh means, “one who makes to forget, one who forgets the toil.”  The character of Manasseh was to forgive and not carry a grudge.  In doing so, Manasseh could reach the full potential of their calling.  This tribe shows us the character of forgiveness to the point of forgetting the wrong, and it is through this character that the Lord uses His people to minister to thousands and to bring healing to the nations.

The prophetic blessing given to Joseph (which would now go to his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim) was the crowning best:

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.” 

In Genesis 49:22-26 and Deut. 33:13-17, God declares that the sons of Joseph would have hidden resources, rich heritage with God’s favor and blessing upon the land given with rain and produce.  In addition, these two tribes would push the peoples to the ends of the earth.  This rich heritage is what we inherit through Christ, and have seen manifest as Christians are now all over the world.

In studying Manasseh, there was a pivotal time in their history in which there were no men to carry on the inheritance of the tribe according to the laws that had been set forth (Numbers 27:1-11). Five women from the tribe of Manasseh dared to believe God for a new thing.  They came together and set forth a petition to Moses to allow women to take possession of their inheritance if there weren’t any male heirs so that their tribe could continue to thrive.

Moses took their request to the Lord, and the Lord made an amendment to the law and granted their request.  I think this story is so relevant to women stepping through doors of leadership like “Deborah.”

There is a surge of women arising and positioned to lead in what God is calling forth in this hour in areas that have been oppressed or blocked through religious and cultural strongholds. Women will be granted access to places the “traditions of men” wouldn’t let them go to before.  God alone (not women’s manipulation or self -preservation responses), will break forth like a flood as God open up the gates.

God is definitely tearing down the barriers and limitations that have kept women from the ability to take their position for the King.  It will not look like the feminist movement that diminishes the vitality of men and their significant roles.  Women that God is positioning to lead will be known for their wisdom, humility, and unbridled love for the Lord who honor the men in their roles as well.

Gender, status, or title will NOT be the deciding factor of who can lead or not up ahead:  It will be determined by whom God has chosen to anoint in this hour: male, female, young, old, rich, poor, title or no title….He will raise them up, and He will anoint and appoint.  I believe the Church at large will be surprised whom God is raising up out of “no-where.”  The “hidden” remnant will bear much fruit in this hour as it did for Joseph.

In the Old Testament, we read one hero from the Tribe of Manasseh named Gideon, a “mighty man of valor. (Judges 6:12.) At the time He is “chosen” by God to do a mighty work, He was threshing wheat to hide from the Midianites who were impoverishing and oppressing the Israelites who were destroying their produce and livestock.

The Angel of Lord appeared to him. Gideon asked, “Why are all these things happening to the children of Israel?” He was wondering where the signs and wonders were of the days of His ancestors who God delivered from the Egyptian slavery.  And the Lord said to Gideon, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.  Have I not sent you” (Judges 6:14)?

Gideon didn’t believe God had the right guy, because the odds were against him and he didn’t “appear” to be the best candidate. 

”O my Lord, how can I save Israel?  Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” But the Lord replied,“Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

God is calling the Gideon’s of today to stand in His strength, not their own. He has chosen the Gideon’s to move forward in their gift and talent in His righteousness so that this nation can see His truth and glory; placing people in government, business, education, finances, arts, etc. who He has prepared for such a time as this.

When God finally convinced Gideon He was chosen, Gideon did the logical thing and gathered as many resources as he could to fight the Midianites.  The Lord instructed Gideon that he had too many resources…too many soldiers to go to battle. This was key to God’s strategy in turning the hearts of His people toward Him.  The children of Israel needed to see His sovereignty to cut to their heart and depend on the resources “flooding” forth supernaturally.

I believe the Lord is speaking very clearly today that the old season is DEAD!  When the Lord flooded the earth, there was a great death.  Death needs to happen in order to see God’s resurrection power.  The Lord said to Joshua, “MOSES IS DEAD!”  (Joshua 1:1).

I believe we are experiencing a death to the last season the church has been in.  We will have to close doors to open new ones.  We will have to let go of old ways and mindsets that aren’t producing life any longer.  We need to let go of past successes as well so we can embrace the newness of the season ahead.

Ask the Lord, “What door do I need to close so I can enter in the new door ahead?”

 

 

 

“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord.  On the first day there shall be a holy convocation (dress rehearsal).  You shall do no customary work on it.  For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.  On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation (dress rehearsal), and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. (Lev. 23:33-35)”

The Feast of Tabernacles is also known as the “Feast of Ingathering,” as it is celebrated at the final gathering of the harvest season, signifying the mark of the end of the agricultural year. Whereas the Passover offering was associated with the barley harvest, and Pentecost was associated with the wheat harvest, Tabernacles was associated with the grape harvest.  Since the “blessings of the land” had been reaped for the year, the people could REST from their labors and REJOICE, which is the heart of this Feast.

“And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the ^[a]fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall REJOICE before the Lordyour God for seven days” (Lev. 23:40).

The Feast of Tabernacles is also known as “Sukkot,” which when translated means, “Feast of Booths.” This is because the Lord commanded the children of Israel to live in temporary houses, or “tents/booths,” during the Feast so that they would remember how the Lord provided and was present with them, even in their 40 years of testing through their wilderness wanderings.

“You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 23:42.43).

The “temporary tent/booth” today is symbolic of a New Covenant believer’s mortal (temporary) body, where God’s presence dwells because of the Holy Spirit deposited in us.

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwell in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16).

This deposit was a guarantee UNTIL we receive our immortal (permanent) bodies.

“who (speaking of the Holy Spirit) is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:14).

The Tabernacles blueprint required drink and wine offerings to be given 7 days of the Feast of Tabernacles. The drink offering was symbolized as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit (water) that prophesied of the “guarantee.” Because of Christ’ sinless sacrifice that conquered death, at God’s SET TIME, He will also swallow up death in our mortal bodies and manifest God’s glory.

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9).

The wine represented the overthrow of evil because of the wrath of God, which will produce righteousness in the earth.  A similar pattern is found in Revelations 16, as the “7 bowls of wrath” are poured out, confirming this transformation process of light overcoming darkness.

“Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth” (Rev. 16:1).

God warns us in Rev. 14 that those who worship the beast (Babylon (money and power and reject the Law (Way, Truth, Life of Christ), will be affected by God’s wrath:

“If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation” (Rev. 14:9,10).

In addition to the offerings, at the end of every seventh year, the Lord commanded the Israelites to read the LAW each day of the Feast:

 “And Moses commanded them, saying: ‘At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing” (Deut. 31:10,11).

By opening up the Law and reading what God spoke in His Tablets of Covenant, the hearts were reminded of God’s love and promise for each of them. 

Historically, on the first day of Tabernacles, the Israelites sang Psalm 105 when the priests poured their offerings of water and wine on the altar.  Psalm 105 is a brief history of how God redeemed the children of Israel from Pharaoh and slavery.  This kicked off the celebration.

It is interesting to note that the Feast of Tabernacles was not properly celebrated for over 900 years between Joshua and Ezra.  Butjust one week after the completion of the wall of the second temple in Jerusalem, the people gathered together for the Feast of Trumpets and stayed through the Feast of Tabernacles.  They instituted a new tradition of reading the law every year so their hearts could hear the law and respond to the Word (Rom. 3:20; 4:15; 7:7).

Tabernacles was the seventh and final Feast of the Hebraic Covenant Calendar. The number seven means blessing and completion and is so fitting that this Feast is all about celebration, joy, and “REST from works.”

The last day of Tabernacles is much like a wedding celebration, in which the bride and groom are united as ONE, and because of the Covenant made, ALL rejoice, dance, and toast to NEW BEGINNINGS.  

The Feast of Tabernacles blueprint primarily focuses on God perfecting His promise of immortality through His Son returning to the earth as our kinsmen redeemer and releasing us from the debts of sin (Book of Ruth). The 7 days of Tabernacles fulfills the laws of cleansing, which is the lawful process of purification to rid ourselves from our sinful flesh so we can receive our “immortal and glorified body (a permanent dwelling) (Num. 19; Lev. 14). After this process is complete, we can fully “tabernacle with God.”

“Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body (inheritance of a glorified body)” (Romans 8:23).

Until Christ returns, we celebrate like our forefathers, with great anticipation of the “promises” to come.  And like the children of Israel in the days of the Old Testament, who were known as a “Church in the wilderness” (Acts. 7:38), the “Church at large” for the past 2,000 years has living in temporary booths (bodies), with the presence of God (deposit of the Holy Spirit), hoping to enter into the Promised Land (“New Jerusalem” which is an immortal corporate body).

“For we know that if our earthly house, this TENT, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation, which is from heaven.  For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (2 Cor. 5:1-5). 

The fulfillment of this feast will mark the beginning of the New Millennium reign of Christ here on the earth. The Church at large will then be able to “REST” from the war with Satan as He is “bound” for a thousand years while Christ judges the nations and restores the earth with His righteousness.

“He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and cast him into the bottomless pit ad shut him up and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished..(Rev. 20:2,3). 

The Day of Atonement is the next Fall Feast to honor:

“Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement.  It shall be a holy convocation (dress rehearsal) for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.  And you shall do not work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God.  For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. You shall do no manner of work it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.  It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath” (Lev. 23:27-32).

This “Appointed Day” is also known as “Yom Kippur,” which literally means “Day of Coverings.” This was the only day of the year in the Old Testament that the High Priest was able to go behind the veil in the Tabernacle and enter into the “Holy of holies” to pour the blood of a goat over the Mercy Seat to atone (cover) for the sins of the nation.

“Then he (High Priest) shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat” (Lev. 16:15).

The overall purpose of this Feast was a call for a corporate (national) day of repentance with fasting, and prayer so that the MERCY of God would accept their offerings (Read Is. 58; Joel 2).  This is the ONLY fast God required each year.

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children who are nursing and babes; let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room” (Joel 2:15,16).

As the children of Israel cried out for the mercy of God to cover their shortcomings for not upholding His commandments, the High Priest would take their offerings of sacrifice to atone for their sins so that the nation could rest in the presence of the Lord and continue to receive His increase in the land.

“For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year” (Ex. 34:24).

When the Day of Atonement ceases to be a “dress rehearsal” and goes “live,” it will be a day that judges the body of Christ and reveals the Lord’s “Firstfruits” remnant that are chosen to reign with Him in the Millennium to bring “rest” to the earth (Rev. 14:1-5).  They will then be joined together with the “dead in Christ” remnant who have risen from the graves.

“And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations”(Rev. 2:26).

The Day of Atonement is NOT the day of judgment for the sinners who don’t know Christ as so many of us have been led to believe.  Keep in mind that all of these appointed Feasts are set dates to fulfill the purpose of the Covenant promises God made with those He chose to know Him. These “divine appointments” are not to judge those who don’t know the Lord and are ignorant of His Covenant promises.  “The books” that judge both the believers and unbelievers are opened up at the end of the Millennium, at the second resurrection.

“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.  And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.  And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Rev. 20:12).

In every book of the Bible, God shows a comparison between those who are in Covenant with Him, and those who aren’t. And within each generation of those IN Covenant with Him, there is a division in the family between those who humble themselves and obey, and those who don’t.

There are well known examples in the Bible in whom we see this distinction and division between “brothers” such as Cain/Abel and Jacob/Esau (Gen. 4 and 27).  Let’s take a look at Cain and Abel’s story:

“And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering.  And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.  So the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry?  And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.  And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it'” (Gen. 4:4-7).

As we can read in Gen. 4, God reached out to Cain to give him Fatherly advice.  God was extending His hand of mercy to give instruction to Cain to save his soul and the life of Abel.  It was Cain’s job to rule over his soul.  Cain made the choice outside of God’s advice, which caused him to kill Abel, and put him and his family in a different land.

Likewise, Esau’s anger and bitterness toward Jacob caused him to leave a legacy of people whose souls despised the children of Israel and wanted to kill them.  God then hated the actions of Esau that mimicked the devil:

“As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated”(Rom. 9:13).

In the New Testament, Christ Himself shared that many may call on the Lord, but there is a distinction made in the family of God:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness'” (Matt. 7:22,23)!

The Apostles were also used to rightly divide those Christians who were “abiding” in the Lord and those who weren’t:

“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” (Acts 5:3)?

The outcome of that story is intense. Ananias, a Christian, died after being confronted with truth. The Lord separated Ananias and Sapphira from those who were birthing the Church “in one accord” with the Lord.

Even the letters to the Churches in Rev. 2 and 3 divides the “family of God” into overcomers and those who chose NOT to abide in God’s word.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.  Therefore, be zealous and repent…To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Rev. 3:19,21).

In Lev. 23:29, concerning the Day of Atonement, God declares that “anyone who is not afflicted in soul is CUT OFF from his people.”  This does NOT mean cut off from God.  God is love, and can NEVER stop loving His people.  It also does NOT mean that believers who continue to live their lives “lawlessly” lose their salvation, for ALL have been saved by grace, which is a gift.  It DOES mean that they are cut off from the “REWARD!”

“He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded” (Prov. 13:13).

Jesus made a way for ALL debt to be paid for breaking the law. There isn’t anyone who doesn’t need that sacrifice of atonement.  BUT, even in the New Testament, God divides the body of Christ with His Word of instruction that bears the fruit of rewards for following the Lord’s leadership, or the consequences of living our life in rebellion to God’s instruction:

“When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.  Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth; fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.  But now you yourselves are to put off these:  anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth”  (Col. 3:4-8).

The above scripture tells believers what they need to crucify in their flesh.  However, the following scripture tells believers what qualities to adopt to become an overcomer:

“Therefore, as an elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.  But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection” (Col. 3:12-14).

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.  But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality” (Col. 3:23-25).

There is NO way any of us can become “more holy” because Christ has made us so through His sacrifice and has given us a guarantee by sending us the Holy Spirit:

“who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee (2 Cor. 1:22).

However, our soul (mind, will and emotions) continue to go through a sanctification process to crucify our flesh so that Christ is the Head of our soul.  We must judge our sins daily for the purpose of maintaining fellowship with Christ.  As we see through the above examples, (Cain, Esau, the Jewish leaders during Christ’s ministry, and later some Christian leaders), they rebelled against the Lord, refused His correction, and were separated from His presence.

Through Christ’s atonement as High Priest, our willingness to go through the Lord’s sanctification process, and Christ’s leadership (High King) on the earth, we can all enjoy the REST of Jubilee and the goodness of creation WITHOUT SIN.  However, one part of the family will arrive FIRST (144,000 remnant) at the “tabernacle of meeting” so they can help the rest of the family enter into HIS TABERNACLE OF REST.

“These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.  These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb’ (Rev. 14:4).

We can be assured we are prepared for the Day of Atonement through our willingness to be obedient to God, honoring His commandments, serving with a broken and contrite heart, examining our unbelief with a response of repentance, and quickly forgiving offenses and injustices. (Matt. 5:9-15; Col 12-17).

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as in the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the DAY approaching.  For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries…..

“Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great REWARD.  For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Heb. 10:19-25,35).