Persia

Persepolis-Ancient Ceremonial Capital
of Persian Empire, located in Iran

This entry is a companion piece to the previous entry entitled, "Yeruwshalaim".
We know from prophecy in scripture, from both the Old and New Testaments, that nations will be brought to a place of battle. Ezekiel describes the LORD "putting a hook in the jaws" of these nations, and compelling them into this huge world-involved war of attack on Israel. The LORD prophesies of these nations that "thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan...to take plunder and to take booty" (Ezek. 38:4,10-12). The purpose of the LORD in this moving of the nations to join together and attack Israel in the latter days is "so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog (name of the spiritual stronghold prince over Russia, which is called Magog, Tubal, Rosh: see Ezek. 38:1-3), before their eyes." (v. 16).
The Book of Revelation prophesies that demons or spirits of devils will tempt these nations to gather together(meaning like fish gathered up in a net) to make war in a place in Israel called Armageddon, a Hebrew word meaning "place of crowds, penetrate, cut into, attack, gather in troops or crowds of people, to press, crowd upon, invade with troops". (Rev. 16:14-16).
The LORD will gather these nations not because He hates them, but rather to do warfare against the spiritual principalities that rule over them, according to Ezekiel. We can say that these spiritual powers think they are manipulating the nations to enter into this foolish attack, but meanwhile, God is manipulating these spiritual powers to fall into His trap. For once they touch His covenant people, and His covenant land, He can execute judgment promises according to His covenant Word (Ezek. 38:18). Because of this everlasting covenant, Israel becomes irresistible bait for the trap that has been set for these overreaching spiritual powers. It is in their own interests that the spiritual powers are determined to prove to man and all creation that the everlasting covenant of peace declared by God (Ezek. 37:26) and sealed in the blood of Christ (Heb. 13:20) is a lie. In fact, there are four miraculous prophetic promises made in Ezekiel 37, and they all revolve around the nation of Israel, including the rulership of Messiah, referred to by Ezekiel as David, king and shepherd, forever (v. 24-25). To the spiritual prince over this area, the possibility of destroying Israel to prevent these prophetic promises from being fulfilled would be a temptation impossible to resist. However, God will prove it to be truth to His glory. He will hallow Himself right in the midst of their plan, and the whole world will see it. The prophetic promise made to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel regarding the everlasting covenant of peace would benefit all of us.
One of the nations specifically mentioned in Ezekiel as coming together with others against Israel is Persia (Ezek. 38:5). It is interesting that Persia is modern day Iran/Iraq, which has been creating very troubling headlines. Remember though, God is dealing with great spiritual powers over the nations. We will see that Persia has a great and interesting history with God, and His people.
The word Persia means "pure", "splendid". Let's look at some of the history of Persia in scripture.
As the time drew near for the children of Israel to be returned to their land from the Babylonian captivity, as prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer. 29:10), The LORD sent the Persian army, brilliant engineers of their time, to overthrow the king of seemingly impregnable Babylon. This Babylonian king was that night, defiling the sacred vessels of the Temple of Jerusalem, which had been taken as spoil seventy years before, by using them for drunken revelry (Dan. 5:22-23). According to the historian Herodotus, the Persian army diverted the mighty Euphrates river that ran through the city, and entered under the massive wall around Babylon through the now nearly empty river bed.
The very first year that Cyrus, the Persian ruled from Babylon, "the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus". As a result, he issued a decree to return the exiles back to Judah, and financed the rebuilding of both Jerusalem and the Temple of God. He also ordered his people to "send free will offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:1-4/2 Chron. 36:22-23). God had prophesied hundreds of years before through Isaiah, that He would know Cyrus the Branch, awesomely prophesying him by name, and that Cyrus would serve Him (Isa. 44:28, 45:1-7). Cyrus also had all of the gold and silver vessels of the Temple that had been taken as spoil and brought to Babylon, 5,400 items, returned to the prince and captives of Judah before they left (Ezra 1:7-11). These vessels were worth a fortune for their silver and gold value alone, but Cyrus of Persia obeyed the LORD and freely gave them back. Not many kings of history give away the silver and gold in their possession.
Later in time, Artaxerxes, another king of Persia who ruled from Shushan (in present Iran), allowed a most trusted Jewish man in his service as his cupbearer, named Nehemiah, to leave the king's service and go to Jerusalem to facilitate the rebuilding of that city and the Temple, and even appointed him as governor of Judah having the king's authority there (Neh. 2:1, 4-8 and Neh. 5:14).
Even later in history, Ahasuerus, thought to be Xerxes I, also ruled from Shushan (Iran). His empire covered territory from India to Ethiopia (which is also mentioned as one of the nations in the Ezekiel prophecy (Ezek. 38:5). As with all of the Persian kings, he was an absolute monarch. He could get rid of one wife and queen who failed to obey him to appear before his drunken friends, and order up a new queen. However, as he began dealing with the Jewish people in his city, he began to bow his very exalted head. God entrusted His beautiful young Jewish maiden, Esther, into this king's care as his new queen. A king's court was the most dangerous place for a king. Many plots and power grabs originate among those closest to the king among his court. They watch for the smallest sign of weakness in the monarch, so it was important that the king seem powerful, irreversible, unchallengeable and strong at all times, sometimes brutally strong. In front of his treacherous court, however, this Persian king lowered his scepter, the symbol of his judgment authority as king, and allowed Esther to approach him without being summoned first, which was a breach of royal protocol on her part punishable by death (Esther 4:11, 5:2). This absolute Persian king allowed a Jewish man, Mordecai, who had foiled an assassination attempt against the king, to be clothed in the king's royal robes, a royal crown placed on his head, and to be set upon the king's personal horse (Esther 6:3-10). This absolute monarch of Persia even rescinded one of his own decrees, an act which would be unthinkable for such a monarch, when Esther revealed the plot against the Jews, and her own identity as a Jew (Esther 8:6-17). By being willing to be seen as less than absolute, this Persian king saved thousands of Jewish lives across his whole empire, and the enemies of the Jews were destroyed. Many in the empire even became Jews themselves because of the fear of the miraculous favor given to the Jews by this king. It is true that Esther was the interceding vessel, but the ruling power of death or deliverance for the Jews was decided by the king of Persia. One of the great qualities of Esther as the intercessor for God's covenant people was that she was able to discern and reveal to true evil or enemy. It wasn't the nation of Persia, or its king, her husband, but the behind-the scenes lying manipulator, Haman (meaning "magnificent"), who was not a Persian, but an Agagite (descendants of Esau; meaning "I will overtop") (Esther 7:5-6).
The LORD said of Israel, "Blessed are those who bless you", a promise first made to Abram/Abraham in Gen. 12:1-3. The promise was again made concerning Jacob or Israel in Num. 24:5-9.  Persia has played an important role in ancient history in the deliverance or restoration of the Jews and Jerusalem. It is a nation that has been a remarkable blessing to Israel and the Jews in the past, because God has compelled them by His Spirit to do so. I think it is important to keep this in mind even though the headlines may provoke other thoughts and feelings towards peoples and nations. Like the intercessor Esther, we need to discern who the enemy really is, and how God will move against them. Our prayers need to keep in mind God's ultimate plan in all of this. Dark spiritual strongholds rule over nations, including Iran (Dan. 10:13, 20-21), and that nation now finances terrorist organizations' attacks against Israel. The prophesied battle mentioned in Ezekiel and Revelation is for the pulling down of those strongholds, so that the nations of the earth will see God's victory, and hallow God's name, and know that His Everlasting Covenant of Peace is true for them, for all, and it will be established.

Our Father will hallow Himself in the sight of the nations.

Yeruwshalaim

Metaphorically speaking, there is a hub around which a huge wheel turns. There is a sun around which planets revolve. There is a nucleus around which electrons orbit. As important and central as this hub, sun, or nucleus is to our spiritual walk, we don't give it much thought, prayer or recognition. We tend to neglect it, but it is by this center, or "hub", that nations will rise or fall- our nation, your nation, all nations, regardless of continent or hemisphere. That "hub" is Jerusalem.
On the long timeline of history, we are currently living in the age of nations (goyim). Nations didn't always exist. In fact many nations are relatively new, but today there is no territory on earth that has not been mapped, bordered in, and defined as being within a nation. One of the last nations to be carved out of the earth, mapped with boundaries set, with the official approval of the other nations: Israel. The completion of this age of nations brought with it the beginning of the countdown of a scriptural prophetic clock. Jesus spoke of the significance of the completion of the age of nations and its connection to Jerusalem, which was also translated to us from the Greek as "the time (meaning includes: a limited period of time, a fixed and definite time; the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for) of the Gentiles (meaning includes: a tribe, a nation, a people group)" (Lk. 21:24). Around that time in history when Jesus prophesied, there were few independent or self-governing nations. With a few exceptions, most of the earth was sectioned into huge empires, vast barbarian territories, a few city-states, and uncharted whole continents. His audience must have wondered what Jesus was talking about, but now, we can see it and understand it.
All nations are going to be drawn, and are now being drawn to an ultimate destination, and that destination is Jerusalem. What happens to those nations will depend upon how they deal with Jerusalem. This is the word of the LORD:
"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it...In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem."   Zech. 12:2-3, 8-9
The nations are raging as never before. Frightening headlines of deep espionage and sabotage, underhanded election tampering, aggression, warfare, attacks and counter-attacks, assassination, missiles, nations blatantly supporting terrorist organizations, fill our eyes and ears daily. The LORD connects all of these things to the coming of His Anointed (Christ), His Son in Psalm 2:
"Why do the nations rage, and the people plot (imagine, growl, utter, mutter, fervor of mind, devise, roaring) a vain thing (emptied, worthless, fruitless)? The kings of the earth set themselves...against the LORD and His Anointed ("Messiah")..."  v. 1-2
In this Psalm the LORD guarantees:
"Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion."  I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, "You are My Son, today I have begotten You...I will give you the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession." v. 6-8
The nations, and the spiritual strongholds over them (Dan. 10:12-14, Eph. 6:12, Rom. 8:38-39, 2 Cor. 10:4-6), do not want to belong to the Messiah, their anointed and appointed King. They rage and writhe against the decree of God. They plot, kill, and destroy on a scale never seen before. Eventually they will all turn against the place from which the Word and Law of God flows which is Jerusalem, as we will see.
It is important here to look at the meaning of the word Jerusalem, the original Hebrew being Yeruwshalaim. Simply put, the word means, "teaching of peace". The use of the verb "teaching" means it is an ongoing activity. It was before, it is now, and it is continuing into the future. The Hebrew root word is "yara", meaning archers, to shoot (an arrow), instructed, teacher, flow as water (rain), to point out, aim the finger, i.e. to teach. The second root word that makes up the word "Yeruwshalaim" is "shalam". It means peace and more: "peace, to make peace, to recompense, to repay, to restore, restitution, amends, make safe, to complete and perform, to make an end of that is perfect, prosperous, reward, to live friendly, to submit oneself to the dominion of any one".
We can see the importance of this meaning of Yeruwshalaim, or Jerusalem, and the importance of its fulfillment in these verses from the prophets Isaiah and Micah:
"...concerning Judah and Jerusalem...Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the LORD."  Isa. 2:1-5, Micah 4:1-3
The Law, the Word, and the teaching of the LORD will go forth from Jerusalem and Zion, and the nations will be taught and learn peace.
There is an interesting story about this verse above from Isaiah. The United Nations in New York City is a very impressive building inside and out. Across a wide avenue from the U.N., there is a small park named for the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Ralph Bunche*. Inside that small park a wall was built that faces the U.N.. An excerpt from the verse above from Isaiah was carved into that wall, but there was no attribution to Isaiah under the carved quote. A decade later, a group of citizens went to Mayor Koch and told him that the name of Isaiah should be added beneath the quote, and he agreed to add it. That wall facing the U.N. has been referred to as "the Isaiah Wall" since that day (see here). The prophecy of Isaiah regarding the nations of the earth faces the one place on earth where all of those nations meet daily. It is the nature of the Word of God that all creation must eventually manifest it, or conform to it, and so must the nations.
Our governments wrestle continually with how to deal with the dangerous events among the nations today. However, scripture has told God's people what to do. David prophesied/wrote/sang of the importance of Jerusalem in this matter, "For the thrones are set there for judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces." For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, "Peace be within you." Because of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your (Jerusalem's) good." 
                                                                                                    Ps. 122:5-9
David said that for many reasons, it is required of us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and all that its meaning contains.Do the headlines and threats of war alarm you? Are you concerned about the havoc surrounding the nations of the earth? Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, because the fates of all of the nations are directly tied to it. Within our prayers is the understanding that Jerusalem is indeed a physical place, but it also encompasses a meaning and truth for our age and for all time that prophesies regarding Zion, the Mountain of the LORD, the House of God, the thrones of judgment, the thrones of David, the out-flowing of the Law and the Word of God, the "teaching of peace" to all people and nations. Jerusalem is the sun, and all the nations revolve round it, whether they know it or not. As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are praying the will and Word of God, and we are also praying for the nations, even the darkest and most oppressive of them, for God has promised that His kingdom will be composed from every nation, kindred, tongue and tribe (Rev. 5:9-10, 7:9-10).

Our Father has commanded us to "Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem".

*Ralph Johnson Bunche ( August 7, 1904 – December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist, academic, and diplomat who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for his late 1940s mediation in Israel. He was the first African American to be so honored

Magnificat

 



"Visitation",Ghirlandaio,1491

There are many religious groups that have opinions about Jesus. Some say that they recognize Him as a prophet only. Like the religious leaders of Jesus' day, some religions suggest that it is blasphemous to suggest that God might have a Son, like an ordinary man. This is why those first century religious leaders threatened to stone Jesus and pulled out His beard, accusing Him of blasphemy.
Some groups say that they indeed recognize Jesus as the Son of God, who was sacrificed to atone for our sins, and because of this, they consider Him Savior, but they do not believe that He is God, or part of what is referred to as the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They believe that there is only Jehovah Who is God alone.
Is it necessary to believe in the deity of Jesus Christ to be saved? I am no theologian, but to me personally, YES, it is profoundly necessary for my salvation to believe that Christ is part of the Trinity, part of the God-head, and scripture very much affirms my belief, which we will see. To me, if I deny the deity of Christ, I am also denying a most deep and vital understanding of the character and purpose of God, the part of God that would give anything and everything to save man, to save me, whom He created and whom He loves with an abounding love. In Jesus, I see the sacrificial nature of the Father. God is an invisible spirit Whom we can "see" only through His wondrous works. However, He has made another way by which we can see Him: by and in a love greater than our human understanding can perceive, He gave and sent the most precious Person of Himself to become flesh and visible to us (Col. 1:15-17), to die in our place, in order to save us. Jesus said that when we see Him, we see the Father, and Jesus is disappointed in us when we don't know that (Jn. 14:9). Paul explained the connection of the deity of Christ and His sacrifice in this manner also:
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."   Phil. 2:5-11
It is to the glory of God, not His diminishment, when we recognize the deity of His Son as stated in the verse above. God sent the Person of Himself who manifests the invisible into substance: His Word. His Word, Who was with Him and in Him from the beginning even before the foundation of the world, created all things. Nothing was made that wasn't made by His Word. His Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:1-3, 14, Col. 1:15-17). It is written in the Psalms, "He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions." (Ps. 107:20). The word in Hebrew translated "sent" in the above verse is shalach שָׁלַח. The pictographic letters that make up that word are:
shin- teeth, destroy, devour, the name of God: El Shaddai
lamed- a staff, a rod (of a shepherd)
cheth- to separate, cut off from, to protect, an inner room or chamber
Even God's verbs embody and testify of His Son! (Jn. 5:39). We can see the Person of the Son, His purpose and His deity, in the meaning of these composing letters, and the protection found in Him, our God and Shepherd, Who "destroys destruction".  He, as God, chews it up and swallows it (1 Cor. 15:54).
For those who accept Jesus as the Son of God, but deny His identity as God, are contradicted by the language and traditions of the Hebrews, as I understand this. In Hebrew tradition and language, a son is the continuation of his father, and his name also contains the name of his father, using the connecting word "Bar" or "Ben", which means "son of", tying the son's identity directly to the father before him. Example: Simon Bar Jonah (Mt. 16:17, see also Jn. 5:43). In scripture, a son always existed in the loins of his father's father's (etc....) father (Heb. 7:9-10). There is no separation between them in fact.  Experts may disagree with my simplistic understanding, but this is another reason why I cannot separate Jesus from His Father and the Holy Spirit in character, name, power, glory, honor, love. 
The prophet Isaiah wrote that belief in the deity of Christ, and His "Oneship" with God's identity and Person is a truth proclaimed and prophesied by God, Himself, approximately 750 years before the birth of Christ, when this was written:
"For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government (misrah- to exert oneself, to contend with, to persevere, rule, dominion)
will be upon His shoulder (shekem- laid on him as a load to bear, the member upon which blows are inflicted, the place of burdens).
And His name will be called
Wonderful (pele-a miracle, root: extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action,
to separate (as an offering),
Counselor (ya'ats-devise, plan, command, deliberate),
Mighty God (El Gibbor-powerful, champion, a mighty king, giant, to prevail, a name of God),
Everlasting Father (Ad-Ab: eternal, continuous, old, world without end- Patriarch, producer/generator of benevolence and protection),
Prince of Peace (Sar-Shalom: ruler, general, commander, governor, have dominion and rule over -peace, welfare, safety, prosperity, completeness, covenant of peace, to be finished, restoration, compensation).
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." Isa. 9:6-7 (listen from Handel's "Messiah")

Isaiah was not writing above about an ordinary child, born from an ordinary father. He was describing a male child born, Who is God. Tradition says that the wonderful prophet Isaiah was killed by people who did not like the prophecies that he brought. If that is the case, then the above verses regarding a child to be born who is God might have been one of the nails in his coffin, so to speak. However, Isaiah wrote without compromise, as he saw it and heard it from the LORD, and we are blessed and saved because of it.
By incorporating the belief of the deity of Jesus, I am not disrespecting or diminishing God, but magnifying Him even more greatly in my heart. There is no greater magnification that can be given by man than the acknowledgement, praise, love, and thanks for God's planned sacrifice of His Son, who is a part of Himself, for us, even when we didn't know Him, or love Him (1 Jn. 4:10, 19).
Mary was told by an angel that the child she would conceive by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit was holy. The child would be called the Son of the Highest. He would be a king of the throne of David, and His kingdom would be without end, forever (Lk. 1:30-35). The fact that the child that she carried in her womb was extraordinary was confirmed to Mary later during the salutation of her kinswoman, Elizabeth ("Oath of God", "My God has Sworn"). In this moment of revelation, Mary's soul magnified the LORD:
"My soul magnifies (deem or declare great, celebrate, to make conspicuous, to make great, to increase, to esteem highly) the LORD, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."
                                                                                          Lk. 1:46-55 (excerpt)
Several denominations of the Church believe that Mary did not just declare these words, but under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, she sang them. Therefore some churches also sing her words in a song called "The Magnificat" (listen to one example).This is what I feel when I think about the deity of Christ and His sacrifice and resurrection: my soul begins to magnify God.
Many things that Jesus said points to this magnification of the Father through the deity of the Son. Jesus also spoke of the glory He had with His Father from the beginning. That same glory, He has given to us. If He didn't share with or eternally possess the glory of the Father, He couldn't give it to us, and we would still be naked and ashamed. Jesus said that He and the Father are one ("echad": a unity in plurality). Through this divine identity of Christ, we have also been reconciled and included in that oneness with our Father. If Jesus didn't possess that oneness of identity in God, then we are still separated and apart from our Creator (see Jn. 17:20-26, Col. 1:19-21). Paul wrote of Christ:
"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (in bodily form): and you are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power."  Col. 2:9-10
The deity of Christ directly affects me, according to the verse above. The fullness of the Godhead in Him, completes me as I accept Him as my Savior. If I rob Jesus of His divine identity, I am really robbing myself. This is one reason why my acceptance of Him as God is both precious and necessary to my salvation in my heart. To me, in order to believe Christ as Savior, while at the same time questioning or denying His deity, would require that I disregard both the Old and New Testaments, because this is the truth that our scriptures emphatically state.
We have designated a day, Christmas, to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This Christmas, take a moment to contemplate what you believe about Jesus. To you, was He a fable, a philosopher, a teacher, a founder of a religion, a troublemaker, a blasphemer, a good man, a prophet, a man who became a sacrifice, a sad victim, maybe a miracle worker?
This Christmas, consider this: God, the Creator, sent His most beloved part of Himself - His Son, to walk with you, to talk with you, to die for you, to save you from the destructions that were waiting for you, even death itself. God, the Creator and Father, even gave up His authority of judgment over you that was rightfully in His hands, and gave that authority to His Son (Jn. 5:21-30), because His Son is the embodiment of all grace and truth (Jn. 1:14, Jn. 14:6).
My salvation did not come through the death of a man, even a good man, but through the death, burial and resurrection of God. This is my song, my magnificat to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit of unending love, and of my salvation.

Our Father has glorified His Son.

Zion



We know that Zion has to do with God's people, and His Kingdom.

If we study the word meaning of Zion, we discover a whole story of what Zion was, is, is becoming, and always will be.
The first mention of Zion in scripture pertains to its capture from the Jebusites (root meaning-tread, trample to pieces, polluted, loathe, reject, desecrate, trodden under foot as used regarding a corpse, who spoke to David, saying:
"You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you," thinking, "David cannot come in here." Nevertheless, David took the stronghold (meaning- net, prey, snare, hunted, capture, siege works, hunting implement, chase, lie in wait for),  of Zion, that is, The City of David...Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David (meaning "Beloved, well-beloved, lover, friend"). And David built all around from the Millo (root meaning- to fill, be full, complete, abundance, consecrate, confirm, replenish, overflow, satisfy, to be accomplished, be ended) and inward (meaning- house, dwelling habitation, temple, household, family, descendants as an organized body). So David went on and became great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him."   2 Sam. 5:6-10 (excerpt)
Until David, the beloved, came and captured it, the place known as Zion was an enemy stronghold, a place of desecration and death, according to the meaning of the words used above. From the moment of its capture, David began a re-building of the city from the outward to the inward, becoming a consecrated place of overflowing satisfaction, a place of a holy household, a completed work.
We can see the same wonderful transformation process in the meaning of the word Zion, itself:
"dryness, desert, barren, parched", but also: "to be bright, to shine, enduring, preeminent, perpetual, superintendent or chief, to conquer, a clear voice, the virgin voice, pure, chaste, sincere, faithful, to be perfect, complete, perpetual, to lead in music, and in the service of the temple".
Zion is our story. Zion is the Gospel. We were entrapped, snared prey, spiritually blind and lame, desecrated by sin to be food for devils. We were as dead as corpses trampled under foot, until our Champion, our Deliverer, our Savior, the Beloved, Jesus Christ, stormed the stronghold of the enemy, and began to rebuild and replenish us, with Himself as the chief cornerstone (Mt. 21:42, Acts 4:11, 1 Pet. 2:7) of that rebuilding, until we became the temple service and the family of God. Songs of deliverance became our voice. We who were barren and parched became fruitful (Ps. 113:9, Lk. 1:36, 2 Pet. 1:8), shining and bright, called to be the light of the world, just as He is the Light of the world.
Even the pictographic Hebrew letters used to form the word Zion צִיּוֹן bring its meaning to us:
Tsadhe- hook, something inescapable, trouble, to hunt but can also mean to pull toward, desire, a harvest, righteous. As sin held us inescapable in death, Christ desired us and drew us to Himself, calling us a harvest of the righteous by His blood.
yod- hand closing upon, but also a finished work, a deed done, as Christ's work of atonement was finished on the cross, and we are finished or completed in Him.
vaw- a nail, a hook, becoming bound, can also mean joining and making secure together, as when Christ, nailed to the cross, joined us to Himself and to His Father as one.
nun- a fish (to be caught as food?), to continue, offspring, descendants also includes heir to the throne, and faithfulness. We were descendants of fallen man, to be hooked continually, but now, we are offspring, even joint heirs, with the Heir to the Throne of God, Jesus. Now, instead of fish as prey, our faith is symbolized by the fish that nourishes, and reminds us of Christ's miracles of multiplication. The fish reminds us that we have become "fishers of men" (Mt. 4:19).
We see in the above illustrated that what the enemy meant for evil, our Father turned for good by His Beloved Son. It is the transformation of Zion, from death to life.
Zion's purpose, according to the meaning of the word in Hebrew, is to be "a monumental guiding pillar, a marker, a sign post, a waymark in the sense of conspicuousness". We, as the inhabitants of Zion, constitute a living monument and signpost, by which all who see us are led to that City of David the Beloved, whose Builder and Maker is God (Heb. 11:8-10). Are we truly being Zion, as we are purposed to be: the waymark, for all others to come to the City of God?
The Book of Hebrews describes Zion, and ourselves this way:
"But you have come to Mt. Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. See that you do not refuse Him who speaks..."  Heb. 12:22-25
Zion is the place of glory where we dwell. It is who we are. It is the place where, in the Name and Person of the Beloved to Whom we belong, those devils that hunt and take others as prey now have become prey themselves. It is the place where the desecrated is rebuilt into the consecrated. It is the place where replenishment, satisfaction, and overflowing abundance now exists where previously the dead had been trampled under foot. Those who were barren and parched, now bloom and bear fruit. We are the waymarkers for others to this place.
This time of year, especially the Christmas season, is calling us to Zion. As the song says, "Zion Is Calling Me". We must answer the call.


 

Vineyard

Vineyards in scripture can be an enormous study. We will look at just a small corner of the topic here. The LORD equates His people to a vineyard. Let's learn about it from some verses in Isaiah:
"Now let me sing to my Well-beloved; A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard (kerem: a field set with plants of nobler quality; a garden of wine) on a very fruitful hill. He dug it up and cleared out its stones (see detail below), and planted it with the choicest vine (sorek: purple grapes, the richest variety; redness of these grapes; noble wine).
He built a tower (migdal: pulpit, rostrum; Root meaning-be magnified, become great, praise, do great things, nourish) in its midst, and also made a winepress (yehkev: two chambers-the upper in which the grapes are crushed, and the lower into which juice drains; it is dug in the earth, or cut out in rock) in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes (anav: bear fruit; cluster of grapes), but it brought forth wild grapes (be'ushiym: stinking, worthless things; stinkberries; stench, foul odor, sour, unripe)."  Isa. 5:1-2
The song is being sung to "my Well-beloved", and the vineyard belongs to this same "my Beloved". The phrase has for its root, the word, dov, which is the root of the name "David". So the vineyard belongs to David, making the vineyard spoken of here in these verses from Isaiah, to be Israel, specifically Judah and Jerusalem (Isa. 5:3), but "David" is also a Messianic name, referring to Jesus, the Son of David. Scripture also refers to Jesus as "My beloved Son" (Mt. 3:17). So these verses from Isaiah pertain directly to us as well. Also in scripture, and as a part of Jesus, we believers are  called "beloved" (Rom. 1:7). Here is our acceptance into the Beloved:
"...just as He (the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ) chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."   Eph. 1:4-6
 Jesus also tells us that there is a vineyard directly related to Him:
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing." Jn. 15:4-5
So the varietal, or cultivar in this vineyard of God is the "Jesus Varietal". Jesus goes on to say that if anyone becomes separated from Him, they become a withered branch, and be thrown into the fire. In a vineyard, withered branches are burned, in order to protect the rest of the vines against the spread of the disease that caused this branch to wither. Burning is a form of disease and pest control.
Are we growing and producing the noble fruit expected of us? Are we careful to abide in the Vine of Christ?
The fact that the LORD is singing to the Beloved, above, also makes sense when connected to the vineyard (see also Isa. 27:2-3). At harvest time, the people would sing and shout as they gathered in the grapes (also Feast of Tabernacles), because it was to be a joyful time. In this case, however, the LORD's song is a lament, because of what He found in the vineyard (refer. Isa. 16:10, Amos 5:16-17). Would the Father's song over me be a rejoicing, or a lament?
Jesus is also greatly identified with wine, the product of a grape vineyard. His first public miracle in Cana, was turning water into wine at a wedding on the third day-not just any wine, but the finest, or most noble variety (Jn. 2:1-11), as Isaiah referred to in the verses above. His atoning blood is the wine of the new covenant. In Isaiah's verses, the LORD spoke of clearing out the "stones" that had been in the vineyard. This is not the usual Hebrew word for stone, which is eben, but instead the word sakal is used, meaning "to stone to death, pelt with stones", which was the method of execution for those who broke the Law of Moses. The Beloved's vineyard has been freed from the sentence of death through the breaking of the Law, as we have been set free by Christ Jesus from the Law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2). Viewed in Christ, the winepress, from its word description is a place of crushing or death, dug in the earth, or as in the case of Jesus' burial, cut into a rock.  However, from this place of pressing, or death, emerges something more precious than even the noble grapes of the vineyard- the deep, red, rich wine they produce in the same manner as the spiritual winepress of Christ produced the blood of atonement, the resurrection life. Do we run from the idea of anything that "crushes" us? However, it is the crushing that brings forth the fine wine, which is the whole point. To me, the vineyard is Christ, the Gospel, and all of us, who are His fruit, and it represents our fruit as well. An important purpose of a vineyard, according to my research, is also to establish the best environment for the noble cultivars to produce seed, and reproduce, or multiply themselves. Not only are these qualities of the vineyard related directly to Jesus, but to our lives in Christ as well.
Vineyards were so valuable that kings coveted them (1 Sam. 8:11-18). Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, had the owner of a vineyard killed, because he refused to sell his vineyard to the king.The vineyard owner's name was Naboth ("fruits") the Jezreelite ("Sown of God").  Naboth said that the vineyard was "the inheritance of my fathers", and God forbid that he should give it to the king. The prophetic promise of Messiah is also an inherited promise from God to the patriarchs, that was to be carried to all future generations. Even sadder in this case, Ahab wanted to tear up Naboth's vineyard and plant herbs and vegetables there instead, because it was conveniently near the king's home. Perhaps this king found the odor of the grapes in the vineyard spiritually objectionable, and preferred the fragrance of herbs. That would have been very ignorant of him, as we will see later. Jezebel had Naboth set up and falsely accused of blasphemy, and taken out and stoned to death (1 Ki. 21:1-13). Because of the terrible thing that Jezebel and Ahab did, the great prophet Elijah was given the word of the LORD's judgment regarding their soon humiliating death.
Isaiah's verses above, also give us an interesting revelation regarding the fragrance associated with the vineyard. There was a revealing foul odor, when the grapes produced in the vineyard that were supposed to be "noble", turned out to be "stinkberries" instead. So if there is a bad odor associated with "wild grapes", is there also an odor associated with the noble grapes in the vineyard? The answer is yes!.
As I researched I found that grapes have a chemical that emits different fragrances during the grape's  growth stages. The fragrances are so specific, the different cultivars can be identified by its fragrance. A fragrance is present while the grape vines blossom. A different fragrance is released when the grapes develop, but are still unripened, or sour. A separate, stronger fragrance is present as the grapes come into maturity, and yet a fourth perfume is released as the ripened grapes are crushed. The fragrances of the grapes are caused by chemicals called terpenes. There is a direct connection between terpene concentrations in the grapes and later wine quality. The different terpene fragrances serve to attract pollinators, and also help to defend the plant against pests. The small size of the terpene fragrance compounds in the grapes enables them to more easily volatize and give off odors. The grower can tell how close his vineyard is to harvesting based in part upon the fragrances being emitted by his grapes. Terpenes, the fragrance powerhouses in grapes, are also used in pharmaceuticals, aromatherapy, and even as an anticancer agent for breast cancer treatment. So regarding the LORD's spiritual vineyard, its fragrance identifies what kind of grapes are ripening, and how mature they are, but it also has healing qualities.
King Ahab was wrong to destroy the spiritual inheritance of the promise of Messiah represented by that vineyard. Naboth the Jezreelite's name should have given him his first clue. Ahab was also undiscerning to say the least, to prefer the fragrance of herbs instead of that of the noble grapes contained in Naboth's vineyard.
Christ said regarding identifying false prophets: "You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?" (Mt. 7:16). Not only the type of fruit, but I think also the fragrance of our fruits will identify whether we are of the nobler grapes in His vineyard, or foul "stinkberries". The vineyard of my Beloved is supposed to carry a certain specifically identifiable fragrance. I want my life to emit this special fragrance of the vineyard of the Beloved before God. I want the LORD to be able to sing and shout with joy as He visits, and prepares to harvest, His vineyard.

Our Father is looking for mature, perfumed, noble grape fruits in the vineyard of His Beloved Son.

Tabernacles

 

 

Tomorrow begins the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a commanded feast of the LORD. He wanted His people to celebrate, come rejoicing every year, in every generation (Lev. 23:34-43). As solemn as the recently observed Yom Kippur feast is, this feast is for rejoicing. Many things can and have been said about the Feast of Tabernacles, and every detail involved in the Tabernacle of the LORD, as shown to Moses, is very important. To me, the beauty of Tabernacles is the picture of the love of God that it embodies. The prophetic image of the Tabernacle promises us that it is, and always was, the Father's intention to dwell (tabernacle) among men, whom He so dearly loves. To Moses, God said:

"And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell (let oneself down, to settle down, to lie down, to dwell, abide, be inhabited) among them. According to all that I show you, that is the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it."  

                                                                                                               Ex. 25:8-9

In His design of the Tabernacle, God required that the twelve tribes of Israel be encamped on every side of the Tabernacle, so the presence of God could dwell literally in their midst. Everything about the Tabernacle, its outward design and its interior furnishings, were pointing prophetically to the way which our Father had provided for man to come into His presence- through His Son, Jesus. According to rabbinical tradition, the three entrances of the Tabernacle, into the Outer Court, into the Holy Place, and finally into the Holy of Holies, were named "THE WAY", "THE TRUTH", and "THE LIFE". Jesus identified Himself in this same manner (Jn. 14:6), as the only living path to His Father. None of the world's "religions" present as their awesome privileged goal the manner of approach into the personal presence of the Almighty Creator, the Highest, Himself. Yet, God wants this more than anything else. He deeply desires this company and fellowship with man as His greatest will and plan. 

The sukkah (booth, tabernacle, tent) that is built by a Jewish family as they observe the Feast of Tabernacles is to remind them of when Israel dwelt in the midst of the presence of God after He miraculously delivered them out of the bondage of Egypt. It represents His provision and protection, His loving care for them. The Tabernacle and Presence in the midst of man as protection and provision are expressed in scripture:

"Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion ("sukkah") from the strife of tongues."   Ps. 31:19-20

And:

"...then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming (gleaming, polished point of a weapon or spear) fire (supernatural fire, altar fire) by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle ("sukkah")  for shade (shadow, a defense) in the daytime from the heat (desolation, drying heat, dagger, cutting weapon), for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm (inundate, overwhelm) and rain."  Isa. 4:5-6

When Jesus came to us in the flesh, He came as a Tabernacle, to dwell among men, who could then be in the presence of His glory:

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."  Jn. 1:14

Through His coming in the living flesh, His sacrifice, and  His resurrection, Jesus fulfilled the purpose of the Tabernacle. This allowed the subsequent infilling of the Holy Spirit to "dwell" in each believer on His name. We also then became living, spiritual tabernacles (1 Cor. 3:16, 2 Cor. 6:16) of the presence of the glory of God in the midst of men for their provision and protection, and for the purpose of being a living "signpost" (Zion) to all men of "THE WAY" to the Father through His Son (Christianity began as a Jewish sect called "The Way".) 
The Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 7:48), but in living Tabernacles: the sukkah must be constructed of living branches and leaves. In the beginning, God planted (fastened) a living Sukkah to the earth in the form of the Garden of Eden, and then placed man within it (Gen. 2:8-9). The LORD walked in the midst of that living sukkah, and fellowshipped personally with the man.

We see the eternal will of God for tabernacle among men at the close of the Book of Revelation:

"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."  Rev. 21:3-4

Can you imagine Almighty God gently wiping the tears from each of our eyes? This is the love He wants to express in His Tabernacle, and the intimate, personal fellowship He has always desired with each of us.

This is the picture of God's profound love that I find in the Feast of Tabernacles. Can there be any greater reason for remembering it with rejoicing?

 

Our Father desires to tabernacle with men.



Mercy (Pt 3 of 3)

This is Pt. 3 in a series covering these three fall feasts of the LORD commanded in scripture: the Feast of Trumpets (see the previous post, "NewMoon"), the Days of Awe/Repentance (see the previous post, "AWE"), and today's post, "Mercy" which is about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These posts cannot cover all that can be said about these feasts, and their importance not only to the Jewish people, but also to all who know Jesus as Messiah and Lord. I wanted to look into them to discover how these feasts that have been ordained by God to all generations must also contain a great impact on my spiritual walk. God has a purpose for us in these feasts, as well as the revelation of Jesus within them. 
Let's do a brief review of the previous two posts, and then begin our look into Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
We found that as well as the significance of the shofar or trumpet, the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, is directly tied to the new moon (root word "chadash") of the month of Tishrei (meaning "beginning"). This feast marks the beginning of a process. The chadash meaning of the Feast of Trumpets involves renewal, restoration, rebuilding, as well as the polishing and cutting of a sword. The rapture of the church is the most dramatic "renewal" of all, and it is associated with the sounding of the trumpets on this feast day.
We begin that personal renewal, and the even wider process of renewal of creation, during the self-examination and repentance associated with the Days of Awe, the days between the Feast of Trumpets and Yom Kippur. Repentance is the means, but the end result the Lord is looking for in us is change. Jesus addressed His churches and sought this serious change in them in the Book of Revelation. Failure of the church to address and change our serious shortcomings would result in great loss, according to these scriptures (see chapters 2 and 3). Heeding the Holy Spirit, and seeking the changes that the Lord required of His churches would result in rewards.
According to the rabbis, on  the Feast of Trumpets, our names are written or inscribed into books based upon the Lord's examination and determination regarding us. On Yom Kippur, the names in those books are sealed, or finalized. We have the days in between to search ourselves and determine to change those things that would have us inscribed and sealed into judgment books, "to avert the severe decree", as it is taught by the rabbis. As we saw in the previous post, "AWE", for those not found inscribed in the (Lamb's) Book of Life, the ramifications can be very serious. even deadly. This judgment of Yom Kippur is not the judgment of the dead, but the judgment of the living.
While on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, our names are sealed in those books, Lev. 16 also shows us the pattern for the provision of the atonement and mercy of God, which are also imbedded in this feast day. As we saw in the previous entry, scripture says that mercy and judgment always dwell together in God. The Day of Atonement is a solemn feast day (Lev. 23:26-32). The LORD commands that we fast, pray, and afflict ourselves. We are not to be busy with "life as usual" on this day. The pattern of heavenly intercession for the sins of the people is revealed in this feast day as given to Moses from God (see Lev. 16). The High Priest entered the Holy of Holies with the blood of sacrifice, and sprinkled the blood on the Mercy Seat. This atoning blood was for himself and his family, the tabernacle, and all of the people.
In the prophetic fulfillment of this most holy purpose of the Day of Atonement, God has not relied upon man, but has appointed His only Son to be not only the blood of sacrifice (Heb. 9:13-14), but also the High Priest who applies the sacrificial blood (Heb. 6:20, Heb. 7:24-26), and the Mercy Seat (meaning of "propitiation" used in Rom. 3:25, 1 Jn. 2:2) itself upon which that holy blood is sprinkled. That Mercy Seat is the throne of the presence of the glory of the LORD. Jesus is the Person, the Place, and the Means, the All in All, of the mercy provision of God. Leviticus 16:17 tells us that while the High Priest is fulfilling his duty on this day, no man may be present in any part of the earthly tabernacle. Now, instead of men, who have weaknesses, to intercede as High Priest, using the blood of animals, God has appointed His Son, who has been perfected forever, to be our High Priest as on the Day of Atonement (Heb. 7:28). The purpose of the approach to the Mercy Seat is to seek mercy in the face of the judgment of the living sealed in the books, and to bring reconciliation of man with God.
The Book of Hebrews tells us that we too can now approach that Mercy Seat, having been cleansed ourselves through Christ (Heb. 10:19-23). We are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together for this purpose, especially as we see this Day approaching, as some forsake it (Heb. 10:24-25). Here again, scripture tells us that the significance of these feast days are for the church, as well as for the Jewish people. Although it is the current custom of the church to ignore the true observance of these feast days, and the repentance and change that is required within them, we are warned in scripture not to overlook the significance in our walk:
"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. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?..."The LORD will judge His people"...It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."   Heb. 10:26-31 (see also Deut. 32:35-36)
The verses above were all written in the context of the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement by our High Priest, Jesus Christ. The whole Book of Hebrews teaches the church about this feast, and how it applies to the believers in Christ. The provision of this mercy, and its sanctification is forever. However, that doesn't mean we can take it for granted that the judgment of the living does not also apply to us as believers in Christ. Our Good Shepherd, Jesus, Who examines us, expects us to understand and observe the provision of mercy (and completed renewal) that pushes back the judgment deserved, and has been so lovingly and powerfully provided for us in this feast day. Are we diligent at the Mercy Seat of God on behalf of ourselves and all people? The mercy of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is precious to our walk with Christ. That mercy cost our Father, and His dear Son everything.

Our Father has sent His mercy, His Son, to provide the atonement for us.