Our trip down the rabbit hole begins with a girl I met this week who is currently beginning her third year at Alma College. "Have you ever heard of Alma College?" she asks me. I tell her that not only do I know where it is located but that I've actually been there a few times in the past.
"I know Alma." say I. "The fighting Scot's if I'm not mistaken. Some of my kids played soccer at Hope College which is in the same conference so I've had the pleasure." The young lass confirms the nickname and adds that they used to be known as the fighting Presbyterians way back when but eventually changed their name when it lost it's intimidation factor. I don't think she appreciated both the irony and the social commentary suggested by her bit of information but then again she hasn't seen me running with a bible either.
"And what pray tell is your major?" I inquire. Our Alice hems and haws a bit and then tries to explain to me the concept of a program Alma has where, shall I say, motivated students like herself get to design their own majors based on which classes they would really like to take. The more she explains the murkier the waters become. I had it figured out about 3 seconds in but enjoyed the next few minutes of utter confusion.
She tells me this is called the Emphasis Program and next Monday when she goes back to start her third year she has to present her major proposal to a committee. It is Friday and when I ask Alice if she has everything ready she again hems and haws and so I blurt out; "You've been home for a month, you have nothing written down, you will try to tell me that it's been marinating in your brain all this time thinking that I will think, Oh yea, girls on top of it, when you and I both know that nothing will happen until Sunday night and you got to get it done.
I know your game. Been there and done that, a born procrastinator. I remember the summer before my junior year at Aquinas, sitting in the library and still trying to figure out what to major in. Knowing that majors require X amount of hours and that I had to get everything done in 4 years or else I added up the tally of courses already taken and realized that a major in Political Science was possible along with a minor in History. I also realized that the average course load per semester to be on track to graduate was 16 credits and that, because I had dropped a few courses during my first two years, to graduate I needed to average about 20 credits per semester. On top of this I met the girl I was going to marry mid way through my Junior year and that was going to have demands on my time.
It finally dawned on me that the only way to "get it done" was to treat college as one would a job. Get up early, work hard and finish all my assignments right away. This led to the biggest surprise of my life. Even with a heavy course load I actually had more free time than I even did before. And I could enjoy it because I wasn't always worrying about what was hanging over my head. Perhaps that approach might work for you."
Wisdom spoken my Alice responds; "Well, maybe." Ah, the school of hard knocks, still knocking. I shift gears and opine that if Alma has a foreign studies program they could call it "Em - fas - is" (the em fas is is on the wrong sil lob al). Before we depart I finally inquire; "So where do you think your interests will lead?"
"Well, I really liked a course I took on human sexuality." says Alice. "Something along that line would be ideal."
Hmmmmmmmm. If I wasn't 64 I would have noticed that Alice was displaying ample cleavage. My mind calculates the career choices for my Queen of Hearts - research scientist, social worker, perhaps prostitute. But then again, who am I to judge, Political Science major that I was.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Amazing Grace
I am awed by the power of God that I saw and heard about this Easter Week.
There were testimonies from people whose lives had been wonderfully changed by surrendering to Jesus and stories about one of them, a college age man who was recently filled with the Holy Spirit and not knowing any better then prayed for a person who was deft from birth and that person received the ability to hear (still not knowing better the next week he prayed for another deft person who received the gift of hearing). I saw God give confidence and boldness to those who had little and saw grace flow in many ways.
But there is one particular story I want to share.
On Monday my 94 year old mother-in-law, Helen Johnson, finally left on her flight to Heaven. She had intestinal cancer and was expected to have only 1 to 2 days left for the previous 2 to 3 weeks. It had been a very stressful time for everyone but by God's grace and the help of a lot of family and Hospice she was able to be at home the entire time.
Jackie and I have been living with her for the last 4 1/2 years and we returned to the house from work Monday night around 8 pm. At 10 pm began the shift of a Hospice nurse that everyone really liked. All of the Hospice nurses were great but Lisa would do little extra things like rubbing Helen's feet. Jackie had a conversation with Lisa the day before and it turned out that she actually was attending a church that we also worshiped at for a couple of years while living here in Kalamazoo.
Shortly after Lisa arrived Helen's breathing and coloring started changing. Lisa asked the family members who were there in the room with her and Helen if it was OK to play some worship music which she had on her phone. After starting to play the music she felt the Holy Spirit telling her to sing Amazing Grace. She asked the family if she could sing and after a few lines they joined with her.
Just then Helen, who hadn't anything to eat, drink or even moved for the last 3 days except when the nurses moved her and whose mouth had been open the entire 3 days, closed her mouth. Her mouth opened and closed again a couple of times in time with the song, her eyes fluttered some, a bit of a smile formed on one corner of her mouth, and then her breathing stopped. It was a very beautiful moment for all who were there.
When the singing started I got up from where I was sitting in the living room to stand with a couple others just outside the bedroom door and joined in. After that I went back to the living room to sit down and started praying quietly in the Spirit. Lisa soon came out and sat in the corner of the living room to make a few calls. In the first call I could tell she was in tears, explaining to whomever how the Holy Spirit wanted her to sing, how she objected to Him that she was nervous to do so, and that she was finally obedient to the leading of the Spirit. She explained what then happened.
I know her tears were those of joy. For Helen that she was finally released from the used up shell of her body to be able to go to the Savior that they both knew. And for her, that she was granted the opportunity to be used by the Spirit at such a time.
That Monday night, 4/14/14, it snowed once again in Kalamazoo. Helen loved fresh snow. That night her soul/spirit flew with angels through the falling snow to be with Jesus and all those departed she knew who were also with the Lord of Glory. Her body left on a gurney down the slope of the front yard leaving tracks in the fresh white deposit. It was perfect.
There were testimonies from people whose lives had been wonderfully changed by surrendering to Jesus and stories about one of them, a college age man who was recently filled with the Holy Spirit and not knowing any better then prayed for a person who was deft from birth and that person received the ability to hear (still not knowing better the next week he prayed for another deft person who received the gift of hearing). I saw God give confidence and boldness to those who had little and saw grace flow in many ways.
But there is one particular story I want to share.
On Monday my 94 year old mother-in-law, Helen Johnson, finally left on her flight to Heaven. She had intestinal cancer and was expected to have only 1 to 2 days left for the previous 2 to 3 weeks. It had been a very stressful time for everyone but by God's grace and the help of a lot of family and Hospice she was able to be at home the entire time.
Jackie and I have been living with her for the last 4 1/2 years and we returned to the house from work Monday night around 8 pm. At 10 pm began the shift of a Hospice nurse that everyone really liked. All of the Hospice nurses were great but Lisa would do little extra things like rubbing Helen's feet. Jackie had a conversation with Lisa the day before and it turned out that she actually was attending a church that we also worshiped at for a couple of years while living here in Kalamazoo.
Shortly after Lisa arrived Helen's breathing and coloring started changing. Lisa asked the family members who were there in the room with her and Helen if it was OK to play some worship music which she had on her phone. After starting to play the music she felt the Holy Spirit telling her to sing Amazing Grace. She asked the family if she could sing and after a few lines they joined with her.
Just then Helen, who hadn't anything to eat, drink or even moved for the last 3 days except when the nurses moved her and whose mouth had been open the entire 3 days, closed her mouth. Her mouth opened and closed again a couple of times in time with the song, her eyes fluttered some, a bit of a smile formed on one corner of her mouth, and then her breathing stopped. It was a very beautiful moment for all who were there.
When the singing started I got up from where I was sitting in the living room to stand with a couple others just outside the bedroom door and joined in. After that I went back to the living room to sit down and started praying quietly in the Spirit. Lisa soon came out and sat in the corner of the living room to make a few calls. In the first call I could tell she was in tears, explaining to whomever how the Holy Spirit wanted her to sing, how she objected to Him that she was nervous to do so, and that she was finally obedient to the leading of the Spirit. She explained what then happened.
I know her tears were those of joy. For Helen that she was finally released from the used up shell of her body to be able to go to the Savior that they both knew. And for her, that she was granted the opportunity to be used by the Spirit at such a time.
That Monday night, 4/14/14, it snowed once again in Kalamazoo. Helen loved fresh snow. That night her soul/spirit flew with angels through the falling snow to be with Jesus and all those departed she knew who were also with the Lord of Glory. Her body left on a gurney down the slope of the front yard leaving tracks in the fresh white deposit. It was perfect.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Blood Moon
Lately a book has been going around our family that talks about groupings of blood or red moons and solar eclipses. This is the latest hot topic for people that are looking for signs to indicate that we are indeed in the days prior to the return of Christ. This mouth will begin the first of 4 "blood moons" (called a tetrad) and 2 solar eclipses to occur during 2014 and 2015 in which the "blood moons" happen to occur during major Jewish feast times.
Because this is very rare and also because bad things have happened to the Jewish people during past tetrads it will be interesting to see what might develop for the Jews and their nation during this time period. Some people speculate that this could be the beginning of the tribulation period which will start when a person who is later identified as the Antichrist makes a 7 year treaty or an agreement with the Jewish nation.
The tribulation will be a very bad time for the nation of Israel but it also is a time of judgment upon the gentile nations.
People who believe that the Church, those who are born again in Christ, will be protected from God's judgment by being removed from the scene in an event known as the rapture are naturally interested in when that will be but the time frame is usually connected to the tribulation. Opinions range from a rapture prior to or just before the tribulation begins up to a point in the middle of the period (called pre-wrath, people will go through some tribulation but not the part considered to be the wrath of God).
My studies convince me that there will indeed be a rapture and that it will be prior to the tribulation period. I do not know however what year or what day it will take place. Many people believe that it will coincide with one of 7 major Jewish feasts known as Rosh Hashanna, or the Feast of Trumpets. There is no biblical requirement that it occur during a Jewish feast time but I have suspected for some years that if it does the logical feast is not Trumpets but rather the mid, or fourth feast, the Feast of Pentecost.
Pentecost on the Christian calendar occurs this year on Sunday, June 8. In the Jewish calendar Pentecost is known as Shavuot and this year the Jewish religious calendar has Shavuot during the period of June 3-5.
The Bible also indicates that these times will be accompanied by signs in the heavens. I remember a rather old book by a guy named Bullard which talked about the story of salvation written in the constellations of the heavens which predated and was later corrupted by astrology. The positions of the stars move (known as the procession of the equinox) and when certain planets or comets intersect certain areas or when eclipses or other "signs in the heavens" happen there are logical ways to put the pieces together.
Below are two articles concerning the time period we are in which I found interesting. The first is from the blog Unstated.org written by David Efind.
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
Pentecost comes in the early summer (mid May-mid June). It’s the only Levitical Feast Day between the 3 Spring Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits) and the 3 in the fall (Rosh Hashanna, Yom Kippur, and Tabernacles). The Hebrew name for this Day is Shavuot, which means weeks, so in Israel it’s often called the Feast of Weeks.
This is because it’s supposed to occur 7 weeks after the Feast of First Fruits (Lev. 23:15-16). Deut. 16:9 confirms this. “Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.” The first cutting of the grain took place on the Feast of First Fruits. Since First Fruits was the first day after the Sabbath that follows Passover, it was always observed on a Sunday. Shavuot, being 7 weeks later, was always on a Sunday, too, and celebrated the beginning of the summer harvest.
But in 140 AD, following the final defeat of the Jewish nation after the bar Kochba revolt of 135 AD, the Sanhedrin changed the focus of Shavuot from the summer harvest to the giving of the Law. They did this because Shavuot was one of the three feasts all Jews were required to observe (Exodus 23:14-17 tells us Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles were the other two) and the defeated and dispersed nation would no longer have any national harvests to celebrate. From that time on, the count down began from the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the day the Israelites left Egypt. So now Shavuot can come any day of the week and takes place on the 6th day of the Hebrew month called Sivan, which is the traditional day Moses received the Law from the Lord. Making this change placed the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai exactly seven weeks after the Exodus from Egypt and preserved the Feast of Weeks in Jewish life.
Christians call this day by its Greek name, Pentecost, from a Greek word that means “50 days”. There were 50 days from the Sabbath that followed Passover to the Feast of Pentecost, and that’s where the Greek name comes from.
Early Christians also changed the way the various dates are determined, although we’ve retained the Sunday requirement for Pentecost. Christians now start counting on the day we call Easter Sunday, which is officially the first Sunday after the first full moon that follows the Spring Equinox. We count Easter Sunday as day one, so Pentecost is always 49 days after Easter and always comes on a Sunday. By counting Easter Sunday on both ends of the span we can arrive at 50 days (Pentecost) and still keep the celebration on the 7th Sunday after Easter.
As I said, Jews now celebrate Pentecost (I’ll just use its Greek name to avoid any more confusion than necessary) as the day Moses received the Law on Mt. Sinai and the nation of Israel was born. (Exodus 19-20) Christians celebrate it as the day the Holy Spirit came upon the Disciples in Jerusalem and the Church was born (Acts 2). If you agree with my view that the parables of Matthew 13 describe the Kingdom of Heaven during the Church Age and that the parable of the yeast (Matt. 13:33) predicts the Church will be filled with sinners, you’ll be interested in the fact that unlike all the other Jewish Feasts that call for unleavened bread (no yeast), Pentecost calls for two loaves of bread baked with yeast (Lev. 23:17). In the Bible leaven, or yeast, is a model of sin because it causes the dough to begin spoiling.
Other Jewish Pentecost ceremonies also reveal a subtle link to the coming church. In synagogues, the Book of Ruth is read on Pentecost. The story of Ruth has been called “The Romance of Redemption”. It’s about Naomi, a Jewish woman from Bethlehem who lost her land due to a famine in Israel and was forced to flee into neighboring Moab, where there was no famine. Shortly thereafter her husband passed away leaving her penniless and alone in a foreign country.
After the famine ended, she returned to Bethlehem accompanied by Ruth, a gentile woman who had sworn never to leave her. Ruth was a Moabite who had married one of Naomi’s sons (who also died) making her Naomi’s daughter-in-law and a destitute widow as well.
Once back in Bethlehem Naomi’s close relative, a prominent Jewish man named Boaz fell in love with Ruth and married her. In the process he also regained Naomi’s land as her kinsman redeemer. Both these events were accomplished according to the Law. For Naomi it was the law of redemption (Lev 25:25), and for Ruth it was the law of leverite marriage (Deut. 25:5-6).
The modeling here is dramatic, with Naomi in the role of Israel, destitute and alone; Ruth as the Church, the gentile bride; Boaz as the Messiah and the story itself as a prediction of the relationship that would involve all three of them. In the process of redeeming Israel, the Messiah takes a gentile bride. In doing so, He saves both from their destitute condition and restores Israel’s Land. The identification of the Church with Pentecost began in the prophecies of Ruth.
By the way, Boaz was the son of Rahab, the harlot from the Book of Joshua and 3 generations later his great-grandson David became the King of Israel. Rahab and Ruth are both listed in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus (Matt. 1:5), and King Solomon named one of the pillars at the entrance to the Temple after his ancestor Boaz.
By tradition Enoch, one of the patriarchs from Genesis 5, was born on the day later to be known as Pentecost. Enoch’s name means “teaching”, a primary function of the Church (Matt. 28:19-20) For this reason many scholars see him as a “type” of the church as well. Genesis 5:21-23 indicates that Enoch had a close relationship with God and was actually taken live (raptured) into Heaven before the Great Flood. Pre-Trib scholars see this event as one of several Old Testament hints that the Church will disappear from Earth before the Great Tribulation.
These same traditions also hold that Enoch was taken on his birthday. So here’s a man identified with the church being born and raptured on the day that would become Pentecost, the day the church was born. Will the Church be raptured on our birthday too? Personally I don’t believe the Rapture of the Church will be the prophetic fulfillment of any of Israel’s Holy Days. But if I’m wrong and the Rapture does fulfill a Jewish Feast, Pentecost is by far the most obvious candidate.
Because this is very rare and also because bad things have happened to the Jewish people during past tetrads it will be interesting to see what might develop for the Jews and their nation during this time period. Some people speculate that this could be the beginning of the tribulation period which will start when a person who is later identified as the Antichrist makes a 7 year treaty or an agreement with the Jewish nation.
The tribulation will be a very bad time for the nation of Israel but it also is a time of judgment upon the gentile nations.
People who believe that the Church, those who are born again in Christ, will be protected from God's judgment by being removed from the scene in an event known as the rapture are naturally interested in when that will be but the time frame is usually connected to the tribulation. Opinions range from a rapture prior to or just before the tribulation begins up to a point in the middle of the period (called pre-wrath, people will go through some tribulation but not the part considered to be the wrath of God).
My studies convince me that there will indeed be a rapture and that it will be prior to the tribulation period. I do not know however what year or what day it will take place. Many people believe that it will coincide with one of 7 major Jewish feasts known as Rosh Hashanna, or the Feast of Trumpets. There is no biblical requirement that it occur during a Jewish feast time but I have suspected for some years that if it does the logical feast is not Trumpets but rather the mid, or fourth feast, the Feast of Pentecost.
Pentecost on the Christian calendar occurs this year on Sunday, June 8. In the Jewish calendar Pentecost is known as Shavuot and this year the Jewish religious calendar has Shavuot during the period of June 3-5.
The Bible also indicates that these times will be accompanied by signs in the heavens. I remember a rather old book by a guy named Bullard which talked about the story of salvation written in the constellations of the heavens which predated and was later corrupted by astrology. The positions of the stars move (known as the procession of the equinox) and when certain planets or comets intersect certain areas or when eclipses or other "signs in the heavens" happen there are logical ways to put the pieces together.
Below are two articles concerning the time period we are in which I found interesting. The first is from the blog Unstated.org written by David Efind.
This is the
big one for me. Rosh Hashanah, September 23rd, 2017 and Revelation
12. I and others have scoured over hundreds of different dates using
astronomy software and this is the first and only date for any year
that fits ALL FOUR CONDITIONS of the sign in Revelation 12: Woman
clothed with the sun. CHECK. Moon at her feet. CHECK. Giving birth
to a single male child (the king planet Jupiter) right between the
constellation’s legs. CHECK. Crown of 12 stars. CHECK. I have seen
several close dates, such as Rosh Hashanah 2011, where 2 or 3 of the
four conditions were met, but 2017 is the only date that meets all
four conditions. THIS IS HUGE. Revelation 12 is a mid-trib sign,
indicating the beginning of the last 3.5 years. Please also note:
Jupiter, the king planet, was identified as THE Star of Bethlehem in
the now famous Bethlehem Star documentary. It is the only object in
the sky that meets ALL NINE of the conditions the Gospels mentioned
of the Star of Bethlehem.
2. A LOT of external support for 2017 as a significant year: A. exactly 1 Jubliee after the 1967 re-capture of Jerusalem, which was exactly 1 Jubilee after the Balfour declaration. B. Judah Ben Samuel. C. Judah Ben Samuel rejected Christ, thus his “messiah” coming in 2017 is the antichrist, not THE Christ, which further points to the mid-trib. D. The Pyramid of Giza points to 2017. E. EXACTLY 1260 days before Rosh Hashanah 2017 is Passover 2014. F. EXACTLY 1290 days after each of the days of Rosh Hashanah 2017 is Passover, Unleavened Bread, AND First Fruits/Easter. G. Exactly 1335 days after Rosh Hashanah 2017 is Hayom-Yom 2021, the day the world needs purification. It also happens to be 2-3 days before Pentecost 2021.
3. As mentioned in point #2, Passover 2014 happens to be 1260 days before the sign/Rosh Hashanah in 2017. Passover 2014 also happens to be THE FIRST BLOOD MOON in the 2014-2015 tetrad! Of the four, it is the VERY FIRST. The timing is beyond incredible. Just think about it.
4. Here is where it starts to get even more chilling (in a good way): according to TorahCalendar.com, Passover 2014, which is 1260 days before Rosh Hashanah 2017, happens to be MONTH 1 of JEWISH SPIRITUAL YEAR 6000. It is the first month of the 6,000th year!!!
5. 2018, exactly 70 years from the rebirth of Israel, would thus be YEAR 6000 in the JEWISH CIVIL YEAR. TorahCalendar.com accounts for the ~230 missing years in the Jewish calendar, most of which were lost because of Seder Olam (a Rabbinical work in the 2nd century AD that forms the basis for the modern Jewish calendar).
6. 2014-2015 is the last year of Jubilee 120. No wonder there are 4 blood moons and 2 solar eclipses all falling on Jewish holy days!
This timeline places the signing of the Covenant with Many on Passover 2014, the AOD on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur 2017, and the Second Coming flexibly on Shabbat Parah (1260 days later), Passover or Easter (1290 days later), or Hayom-Yom or Pentecost (1335 days later).
Note: This is for the 7 year tribulation, NOT the rapture. I do not think it is possible for the rapture to occur and the AC to be revealed and sign the treaty on the same day. Rather, the rapture happens shortly after or before Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83, the dust settles, the AC arises, and then days/weeks/months later he confirms the covenant.
2. A LOT of external support for 2017 as a significant year: A. exactly 1 Jubliee after the 1967 re-capture of Jerusalem, which was exactly 1 Jubilee after the Balfour declaration. B. Judah Ben Samuel. C. Judah Ben Samuel rejected Christ, thus his “messiah” coming in 2017 is the antichrist, not THE Christ, which further points to the mid-trib. D. The Pyramid of Giza points to 2017. E. EXACTLY 1260 days before Rosh Hashanah 2017 is Passover 2014. F. EXACTLY 1290 days after each of the days of Rosh Hashanah 2017 is Passover, Unleavened Bread, AND First Fruits/Easter. G. Exactly 1335 days after Rosh Hashanah 2017 is Hayom-Yom 2021, the day the world needs purification. It also happens to be 2-3 days before Pentecost 2021.
3. As mentioned in point #2, Passover 2014 happens to be 1260 days before the sign/Rosh Hashanah in 2017. Passover 2014 also happens to be THE FIRST BLOOD MOON in the 2014-2015 tetrad! Of the four, it is the VERY FIRST. The timing is beyond incredible. Just think about it.
4. Here is where it starts to get even more chilling (in a good way): according to TorahCalendar.com, Passover 2014, which is 1260 days before Rosh Hashanah 2017, happens to be MONTH 1 of JEWISH SPIRITUAL YEAR 6000. It is the first month of the 6,000th year!!!
5. 2018, exactly 70 years from the rebirth of Israel, would thus be YEAR 6000 in the JEWISH CIVIL YEAR. TorahCalendar.com accounts for the ~230 missing years in the Jewish calendar, most of which were lost because of Seder Olam (a Rabbinical work in the 2nd century AD that forms the basis for the modern Jewish calendar).
6. 2014-2015 is the last year of Jubilee 120. No wonder there are 4 blood moons and 2 solar eclipses all falling on Jewish holy days!
This timeline places the signing of the Covenant with Many on Passover 2014, the AOD on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur 2017, and the Second Coming flexibly on Shabbat Parah (1260 days later), Passover or Easter (1290 days later), or Hayom-Yom or Pentecost (1335 days later).
Note: This is for the 7 year tribulation, NOT the rapture. I do not think it is possible for the rapture to occur and the AC to be revealed and sign the treaty on the same day. Rather, the rapture happens shortly after or before Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83, the dust settles, the AC arises, and then days/weeks/months later he confirms the covenant.
- years from this Passover, on the Feast of Trumpets (September 2017), there will be another peculiar occurrence: an exact match of the sign described in Revelation chapter 12. It would not be a stretch to say that this has not occurred in recorded history: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon at her feet, birthing a male child, and crowned by 12 stars. There have been numerous ALMOST matches, but never an EXACT match. On September 22nd-23rd, 2017, the constellation Virgo the Virgin will be clothed with the sun, the moon will appear at her feet, she will be crowned by the 9 stars of Leo the Lion + 3 planets (also called stars in the Bible), and she will be “birthing” the planet Jupiter from her womb—which is the “king” planet.
Even more amazing is that the planet Jupiter will have been in retrograde within the womb of Virgo for between 9-10 months (the length of a pregnancy). This is simply unheard of and all easily confirmable using astronomy software like Stellarium.
Pentecost comes in the early summer (mid May-mid June). It’s the only Levitical Feast Day between the 3 Spring Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits) and the 3 in the fall (Rosh Hashanna, Yom Kippur, and Tabernacles). The Hebrew name for this Day is Shavuot, which means weeks, so in Israel it’s often called the Feast of Weeks.
This is because it’s supposed to occur 7 weeks after the Feast of First Fruits (Lev. 23:15-16). Deut. 16:9 confirms this. “Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.” The first cutting of the grain took place on the Feast of First Fruits. Since First Fruits was the first day after the Sabbath that follows Passover, it was always observed on a Sunday. Shavuot, being 7 weeks later, was always on a Sunday, too, and celebrated the beginning of the summer harvest.
But in 140 AD, following the final defeat of the Jewish nation after the bar Kochba revolt of 135 AD, the Sanhedrin changed the focus of Shavuot from the summer harvest to the giving of the Law. They did this because Shavuot was one of the three feasts all Jews were required to observe (Exodus 23:14-17 tells us Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles were the other two) and the defeated and dispersed nation would no longer have any national harvests to celebrate. From that time on, the count down began from the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the day the Israelites left Egypt. So now Shavuot can come any day of the week and takes place on the 6th day of the Hebrew month called Sivan, which is the traditional day Moses received the Law from the Lord. Making this change placed the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai exactly seven weeks after the Exodus from Egypt and preserved the Feast of Weeks in Jewish life.
Christians call this day by its Greek name, Pentecost, from a Greek word that means “50 days”. There were 50 days from the Sabbath that followed Passover to the Feast of Pentecost, and that’s where the Greek name comes from.
Early Christians also changed the way the various dates are determined, although we’ve retained the Sunday requirement for Pentecost. Christians now start counting on the day we call Easter Sunday, which is officially the first Sunday after the first full moon that follows the Spring Equinox. We count Easter Sunday as day one, so Pentecost is always 49 days after Easter and always comes on a Sunday. By counting Easter Sunday on both ends of the span we can arrive at 50 days (Pentecost) and still keep the celebration on the 7th Sunday after Easter.
As I said, Jews now celebrate Pentecost (I’ll just use its Greek name to avoid any more confusion than necessary) as the day Moses received the Law on Mt. Sinai and the nation of Israel was born. (Exodus 19-20) Christians celebrate it as the day the Holy Spirit came upon the Disciples in Jerusalem and the Church was born (Acts 2). If you agree with my view that the parables of Matthew 13 describe the Kingdom of Heaven during the Church Age and that the parable of the yeast (Matt. 13:33) predicts the Church will be filled with sinners, you’ll be interested in the fact that unlike all the other Jewish Feasts that call for unleavened bread (no yeast), Pentecost calls for two loaves of bread baked with yeast (Lev. 23:17). In the Bible leaven, or yeast, is a model of sin because it causes the dough to begin spoiling.
Other Jewish Pentecost ceremonies also reveal a subtle link to the coming church. In synagogues, the Book of Ruth is read on Pentecost. The story of Ruth has been called “The Romance of Redemption”. It’s about Naomi, a Jewish woman from Bethlehem who lost her land due to a famine in Israel and was forced to flee into neighboring Moab, where there was no famine. Shortly thereafter her husband passed away leaving her penniless and alone in a foreign country.
After the famine ended, she returned to Bethlehem accompanied by Ruth, a gentile woman who had sworn never to leave her. Ruth was a Moabite who had married one of Naomi’s sons (who also died) making her Naomi’s daughter-in-law and a destitute widow as well.
Once back in Bethlehem Naomi’s close relative, a prominent Jewish man named Boaz fell in love with Ruth and married her. In the process he also regained Naomi’s land as her kinsman redeemer. Both these events were accomplished according to the Law. For Naomi it was the law of redemption (Lev 25:25), and for Ruth it was the law of leverite marriage (Deut. 25:5-6).
The modeling here is dramatic, with Naomi in the role of Israel, destitute and alone; Ruth as the Church, the gentile bride; Boaz as the Messiah and the story itself as a prediction of the relationship that would involve all three of them. In the process of redeeming Israel, the Messiah takes a gentile bride. In doing so, He saves both from their destitute condition and restores Israel’s Land. The identification of the Church with Pentecost began in the prophecies of Ruth.
By the way, Boaz was the son of Rahab, the harlot from the Book of Joshua and 3 generations later his great-grandson David became the King of Israel. Rahab and Ruth are both listed in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus (Matt. 1:5), and King Solomon named one of the pillars at the entrance to the Temple after his ancestor Boaz.
By tradition Enoch, one of the patriarchs from Genesis 5, was born on the day later to be known as Pentecost. Enoch’s name means “teaching”, a primary function of the Church (Matt. 28:19-20) For this reason many scholars see him as a “type” of the church as well. Genesis 5:21-23 indicates that Enoch had a close relationship with God and was actually taken live (raptured) into Heaven before the Great Flood. Pre-Trib scholars see this event as one of several Old Testament hints that the Church will disappear from Earth before the Great Tribulation.
These same traditions also hold that Enoch was taken on his birthday. So here’s a man identified with the church being born and raptured on the day that would become Pentecost, the day the church was born. Will the Church be raptured on our birthday too? Personally I don’t believe the Rapture of the Church will be the prophetic fulfillment of any of Israel’s Holy Days. But if I’m wrong and the Rapture does fulfill a Jewish Feast, Pentecost is by far the most obvious candidate.
Monday, April 7, 2014
The Next Big One
Oh Lord,
It is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM,
who by the mouth of David Your servant, said,
"WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE,
AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS?
THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND,
AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER
AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST."
For truly in this city were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus,
whom You anointed,
both Herold and Pontius Pilate,
along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do what ever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and grant that your bond servants may speak Your word with all confidence,
while You extend Your hand
to heal, and signs and wonders take place
through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.
And when they had prayed,
the place where they had gathered together
was shaken,
and they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak
the word of God
with boldness. (Acts 4: 24-31)
It is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM,
who by the mouth of David Your servant, said,
"WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE,
AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS?
THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND,
AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER
AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST."
For truly in this city were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus,
whom You anointed,
both Herold and Pontius Pilate,
along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do what ever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and grant that your bond servants may speak Your word with all confidence,
while You extend Your hand
to heal, and signs and wonders take place
through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.
And when they had prayed,
the place where they had gathered together
was shaken,
and they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak
the word of God
with boldness. (Acts 4: 24-31)
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
The Second Veil
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; (Matthew 27: 50-51)
At the moment Jesus died on that wooden cross an actual curtain located in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, two inches thick, was ripped in two, torn from it's top all the way to the bottom. This was significant because the curtain separated an inner chamber that was called the Holy Place from yet another inner chamber which was called the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies.
The Jewish temple was patterned after the design God gave Moses for the tabernacle in the wilderness. It had an outer court which featured the burnt offering altar as well as an elevated pool or laver which the priests were to use to cleanse themselves before entering the inner court. In the inner court or Holy Place was located a seven light oil lamp stand, the table of shewbread and standing in front of the veil to the Most Holy Place was an altar of incense which was considered part of the ministry of the Most Holy Place.
A veil or curtain completely covered the way to the Most Holy Place in which was placed the Ark or The Ark of Testimony. This was a wooden box covered by gold which originally had three items. These were the stone tablets onto which God's finger carved the ten commandments and which were thrown down by Moses when he returned from the mountain and found the people worshiping a golden calf. This represented the law, given by God but always bound to be broken by sinful man. Then there was the rod of Aaron which budded. This represented both the priestly and the prophetic ministries, deliverance of a sinful people from the bondage's of the world.
And last there was a jar into which was placed some manna that God miraculously provided for almost 40 years to feed the Jewish people in the wilderness. The manna would spoil if one were to try to keep it for more than a day except for the manna gathered the day before the Sabbath which was given another day of freshness. The provision ended the day the Jewish nation crossed over the Jordan to enter the promise land. The represented God's provision when accompanied by faith and obedience.
On top of the Ark was a golden lid with a golden cherubim or angel on both ends whose wings extended over the lid. This was called The Mercy Seat and it was upon this Mercy Seat that the high priest would once a year sprinkle the blood of the offering for the sins of the nation.
The great temple built by Herold which existed at the time of Jesus had an ark in the Most Holy Place but this was not the original one with the actual contents. That was lost or hidden many hundreds of years earlier during the end of the first temple era. The Most Holy Place did not have a candlestick as part of it's design because it once was lighted by the glory of God which would reside over the Mercy Seat. But as in all religious practices after time the importance is more on the practice instead of the presence so it mattered little to the current priesthood.
The Book of Hebrews talks about this in chapter 9 when it compares the priesthood of Christ to the earthly priesthood.
Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron's rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat;
Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.
Please don't miss the importance of the next sentence;
The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, (Hebrews 9; 3-9)
The reason for the veil being torn is now given in verses 11 and 12.
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood. He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
Do you understand what this means for you and me? Jesus took upon himself at the cross all the sins of man, past, present and future. He did this for us as our high priest and as our high priest He reconciled us to the Father. In Him doing so, if He is indeed our high priest, man now no longer has need for a priesthood or an earthly high priest or for daily offerings and sacrifices for sin. In Jesus the veil between man and God has been removed and in Him we have now entered into the Most Holy Place.
The way that works is described by Jesus in His prayer to the Father in the 17th chapter of the book of John.
This is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (verse 3)
Now Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. (verse 5)
for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. (verse 8)
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. (verses 21 and 21)
Our purpose in life is to know the Father. We can do so because the Father is in Jesus as Jesus is in the Father and They can come to be in us if we only ask Jesus to come into our hearts as Savior and Lord. In doing so we also get a nice little bonus. Jesus tells us that He will teach us and guide us by His Holy Spirit.
But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. (John 16: 13-14)
God's gifts of the law and the priests and the prophets and the provisions are now available to us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus is our high priest and we are priests of a new covenant. The second veil has been torn by God, from top to bottom and now we can freely enter His presence. Praise the Lord!
At the moment Jesus died on that wooden cross an actual curtain located in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, two inches thick, was ripped in two, torn from it's top all the way to the bottom. This was significant because the curtain separated an inner chamber that was called the Holy Place from yet another inner chamber which was called the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies.
The Jewish temple was patterned after the design God gave Moses for the tabernacle in the wilderness. It had an outer court which featured the burnt offering altar as well as an elevated pool or laver which the priests were to use to cleanse themselves before entering the inner court. In the inner court or Holy Place was located a seven light oil lamp stand, the table of shewbread and standing in front of the veil to the Most Holy Place was an altar of incense which was considered part of the ministry of the Most Holy Place.
A veil or curtain completely covered the way to the Most Holy Place in which was placed the Ark or The Ark of Testimony. This was a wooden box covered by gold which originally had three items. These were the stone tablets onto which God's finger carved the ten commandments and which were thrown down by Moses when he returned from the mountain and found the people worshiping a golden calf. This represented the law, given by God but always bound to be broken by sinful man. Then there was the rod of Aaron which budded. This represented both the priestly and the prophetic ministries, deliverance of a sinful people from the bondage's of the world.
And last there was a jar into which was placed some manna that God miraculously provided for almost 40 years to feed the Jewish people in the wilderness. The manna would spoil if one were to try to keep it for more than a day except for the manna gathered the day before the Sabbath which was given another day of freshness. The provision ended the day the Jewish nation crossed over the Jordan to enter the promise land. The represented God's provision when accompanied by faith and obedience.
On top of the Ark was a golden lid with a golden cherubim or angel on both ends whose wings extended over the lid. This was called The Mercy Seat and it was upon this Mercy Seat that the high priest would once a year sprinkle the blood of the offering for the sins of the nation.
The great temple built by Herold which existed at the time of Jesus had an ark in the Most Holy Place but this was not the original one with the actual contents. That was lost or hidden many hundreds of years earlier during the end of the first temple era. The Most Holy Place did not have a candlestick as part of it's design because it once was lighted by the glory of God which would reside over the Mercy Seat. But as in all religious practices after time the importance is more on the practice instead of the presence so it mattered little to the current priesthood.
The Book of Hebrews talks about this in chapter 9 when it compares the priesthood of Christ to the earthly priesthood.
Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron's rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat;
Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.
Please don't miss the importance of the next sentence;
The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, (Hebrews 9; 3-9)
The reason for the veil being torn is now given in verses 11 and 12.
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood. He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
Do you understand what this means for you and me? Jesus took upon himself at the cross all the sins of man, past, present and future. He did this for us as our high priest and as our high priest He reconciled us to the Father. In Him doing so, if He is indeed our high priest, man now no longer has need for a priesthood or an earthly high priest or for daily offerings and sacrifices for sin. In Jesus the veil between man and God has been removed and in Him we have now entered into the Most Holy Place.
The way that works is described by Jesus in His prayer to the Father in the 17th chapter of the book of John.
This is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (verse 3)
Now Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. (verse 5)
for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. (verse 8)
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. (verses 21 and 21)
Our purpose in life is to know the Father. We can do so because the Father is in Jesus as Jesus is in the Father and They can come to be in us if we only ask Jesus to come into our hearts as Savior and Lord. In doing so we also get a nice little bonus. Jesus tells us that He will teach us and guide us by His Holy Spirit.
But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. (John 16: 13-14)
God's gifts of the law and the priests and the prophets and the provisions are now available to us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus is our high priest and we are priests of a new covenant. The second veil has been torn by God, from top to bottom and now we can freely enter His presence. Praise the Lord!
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