A Feast
This week we are in the middle of Sukkot, or YHVH's Feast of Tabernacles. I say this is YHVH's Feast (rather than a Jewish feast) because this feast originated with the Creator Elohim (God), and not with the Jewish people. The Jews merely kept this feast. YHVH first commanded this feast, as He did with all of these appointed feasts, or appointments, in Leviticus 23. During this feast, He called the people of Israel to live in tents (booths or sukkot) for 7 days to remember how the children of Israel lived in tents for 40 years in the desert after YHVH brought them out of Egypt with signs, miracles, and wonders. The Feast is punctuated by a Sabbath day of rest on both the first and last day of the Feast. It lasts 8 days total. In Leviticus 23 it is written to rejoice before YHVH our Elohim and to bring offerings. No work is to be done on the first and last days of this festival.
We just got back from a quick camp out with some friends in the beautiful hills of California and we had wonderful fellowship, barbeque, singing, hiking, swimming. The children loved playing together. Apart from my children who cried several times during the night and woke everybody up, (!) it was a very relaxing and fun time hanging out with our spiritual mishpocah (family)doing what Elohim has called us to do at the time He has called us to do it.
Since this feast is a big one, our friends shared with us how they have decided to celebrate by giving gifts to their children (and thus I imagine making an indelible mark in their children's memories forever). Since this is this family's first year of not observing the pagan holiday of Christmas, they wanted to transition to YHVH's feasts in this way instead. We talked about how each person and each family is in a process with coming out of Babylon and her counterfeited ways and holidays and how each person and family does this at their own pace as they feel the leading of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). We all process truth and change at varying degrees and our Elohim did not make a bunch of cookie-cutter human beings. That would be boring and it would not bring Him glory. But the love for the Truth which this family has is very inspiring to me and freshens up my own walk just observing how fervent they are in the faith. It is truly what spurs one another on toward love and good deeds, as the scripture says to do.
A Sign
On Yom Teruah, our friends used the space application (I don't know the name of it) on their Apple I-Pad to look at the constellations as they are in real time. This app is very cool- you can point it anywhere in the sky and it will show you exactly where the constellations are in relationship to each other. Well, on this particular feast (the Feast of Trumpets-Sept 11th 2010), which prophetically began the beginning of the end, or Daniel's 70th week, our friends spotted a very interesting configuration that I hope you will find encouraging, and confirming, as our Elohim has given us the heavenly bodies for signs and for seasons, for months and for years (Gen 1:14). They saw the constellation of Leo the Lion (which represents Yeshua- the Lion of the Tribe if Judah) with his paw on top of the serpent's (Hydra's) head! This made me think of the prophecy of what Messiah Yeshua would do to the devil in Genesis 3:15. The NIV reads like this:
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he (Messiah) will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
(clarification mine).
Indeed, at the execution stake, Yeshua did crush the head (which symbolizes authority)of the serpent.
We also know that in the book of the Revelation in chapter 12 there is another sign in the heavens and that is the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon at her feet, with a crown of 12 stars on her head. There is a dragon who seeks to kill her man child as soon as he is born, but he is caught up to heaven, and so the dragon goes after the rest of her offspring to devour them. The woman represents Israel, the 12 stars are the 12 tribes of Israel, the dragon is the devil, the man child is Yeshua, and the rest of her offspring are those who have the testimony of Yeshua and who obey God's commandments. This particular arrangement of stars will happen during the time of the end, the great tribulation. According to NASA projections, this configuration will appear above Jerusalem in a few years from now at sunrise. I will research to confirm the date and post it in the near future.
Father God loves the world and did indeed send His only begotten Son, Yeshua, to earth to die a horrible death in our place to pay for the judgement we so deserved for our sins (John chapter 3). He not only gave us His Word, but also confirmed it in the heavens (heavenly bodies). He wants the world to know His good news so that they will believe, repent, and be saved from eternal damnation. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Could He also want those who are His, the followers of Yeshua, to be encouraged and reminded of this at the start of Daniel's 70th week, the time of the end? Friend, I hope you are as encouraged as I am, that on Elohim's Feast of Trumpets (which fell on Sept 11th this year), YHVH sent a sign in the constellations to remind us that He is victorious! That He (and those who remain fathful to Him til the end) wins in the end! No matter what the circumstances look like, no matter what the cost is of serving Him in these last hours, no matter what you may be facing in your life....NO MATTER WHAT!
Now sit and think about that.
A Set-Up?
Also this week I caught wind that the deceiver is revving up his engines again getting ready for the grand deception which will envelope the whole world. One news report has the United Nations set to appoint their Contact Person (pardon the pun) or the ambassador to aliens from outer space. Apparently, this person has already been speaking out about the importance of the position. To read the article, copy and paste this into your browser:
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/un-to-appoint-earth-contact-for-aliens/story-e6frfku0-1225929498742
This is just another brick on the foundation for what the enemy has in store for all of those who will believe a lie. 2 Thessalonians 2:11 says: For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.
What is the reason God sends (them) powerful delusion? That they had not a love for the truth. Exactly what the delusion is, we do not know for certain. But we know that it may be possible for the elect to be deceived and that is why we want to walk in the truth in these last days, as we are led and guided into all truth by the Ruach HaKodesh.
Will there be "contact" made in the near future by extra terrestrials? Only time will tell. But it will be part of a powerful deception. At best, these "beings" are demons or possibly nephilim (due to limited time and scope, I am not able to go deeply into this subject at this time, perhaps in a future post). But for those who "watch" world events with discernment and diligence, all these manipulations, upheavals and cover-ups are starting to paint a very distressing scenario. Be assured of this one thing: Elohim is not taken off guard. He knows and He has told us. He declares the end from the beginning and He is sovereign. He shall be a sure foundation for our times for those who have the fear of Elohim for Isaiah 33:6 says so:
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.
Also this past week, we caught wind of a so-called cult in Los Angeles with whom the authorities intervened. Now, whether this was an actual cult or not, I don't know. I do know this: there will be some true believers who will be made to be examples to the rest of society in order to marginalize those who will cling to truth and not to the system in these last days. Many will be made out to be fools in front of the world in a attempt to influence the masses. Be alert! Be aware! And know that the enemy will use all manner of lies and manipulation to get you to not believe the truth. That is why we must be firmly grounded in the truth, rather than our feelings or our opinions. Even our own feelings and opinions can lie to us and they often do. Investigate for yourself and study the Word diligently so that you are not taken in by these set-ups for deception.
The stage for deception has been set for many decades, if not centuries. But Revelation does tell us one thing: that there will come a point in time when the devil, the adversary (called Ha Satan) will be thrown down to the earth and will be furiously seeking to devour the people of God because he knows his time is short and those same people, the scripture tells us, will sit in judgement of angels, which includes him. One of his go-to weapons in his arsenal, and this has been the case since the Garden of Eden, is deception. May we be girded about with the truth instead during this hour.
Shalom!
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