Fruits

As the world has been in this pandemic of sickness, I have seen many images in the news regarding it. I have even seen images of people standing with signs that say, "REPENT". It is important for God's people to bring that message of repentance to ourselves and others, especially during this time. How can I incorporate this message of repentance effectively in my own life, as well as in bringing this vital message to others? 
John the Baptist ordered the religious Pharisees to bring forth the fruits worthy of repentance (Mt. 3:8-9). The Baptist was expecting to see these specific fruits from the descendants of Abraham, but didn't see them. Why did the religious people of his day need this correction in the first place? They surely knew about repentance, but it hadn't borne any fruit in their lives. Why not? Why aren't we seeing fruits of repentance in God's people today? Is it perhaps because of the same misunderstanding of repentance? These are my questions.
When God speaks of the fruit He wants to see in His people, He is speaking of wonderful things, just as the fruits of the Spirit are wonderful (Gal. 5:22-23). Keeping these things in mind, I would like to offer some unusual thoughts about repentance.
On the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, which is a day we usually associate with fasting and repentance, God instructed us to afflict our souls (humble, look down, weaken, be depressed, be downcast, but the root meaning is: answer, respond as a witness, testify or solemnly affirm something, to speak, to shout, to receive an answer, to sing, to praise with song, to dwell, to be bountiful, to bestow). We can easily fall into the trap of interpreting that in a certain way, a religious way, involving the work or effort of man. However, the Torah refers to the Day as the Shabbat of Shabbats. God made repeatedly clear that this was to be a Sabbath rest, no work of any kind was to be done on this day (Lev. 23:28-32), and to me, that includes the religious efforts of man as well. The Sabbath rest is a day for focusing on God in order to keep it holy. God addressed this through His prophet Isaiah. The LORD asks:
"Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sack cloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day (Yom) to the LORD?"  Isa. 58:5
Then the LORD went on to describe all of the fruit that the true affliction of the soul that He has in mind will bring forth. What I saw as the fruit of this day of repentance, according to the LORD through His prophet, is a soul humbled sorrowful, yet thankful in the face of the atonement sacrifice that was given to cleanse us of sin. Humble and thankful to the Father Who provided a substitute sacrifice for us, His own Son, so we will not be destroyed. Self-affliction in this awareness of His great accomplishment for us brings forth the breaking of the yoke, the loosing of the bonds of wickedness, the undoing of the heavy burdens, the freeing of the oppressed, and finally the glory of God (v. 6-8). Religious fasting, on the other hand, leads to strife and debate, striking with a wicked fist (of condemnation?) (v. 4).
In another scripture, Paul commands the believer to "examine himself" for participation in what we call communion. The failure to do so brings forth calamity (1 Cor. 11:28-30). In what context does this self-examination take place? What is God looking for? Christ set the example as He gave thanks (v. 24) for the fulfillment of God's glorious promise to man. The self-examination in this scripture comes in the context of the atonement of Christ in our stead, as in the manner of Yom Kippur, above. This is when Christ revealed that it is by His body, and by His blood, that He has victoriously brought us the New Covenant. It is in this kind of remembrance that our self-examination brings forth the fruit that God intended, which is the proclaiming of His atoning death until He comes again (v. 26).
God has a goal in mind, a Oneness with us, which He accomplished through His precious Son, Jesus. He didn't send His Son to die in our place so that we could live under condemnation, and misery. Repentance is a necessity among His people, especially in these current times. However, true repentance does not come about by the religious effort of man. I am looking for the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit promised in scripture that brings man to the awareness of his sin (Ezek. 36:23-31). Did you ever watch a new mother bathing and cleansing her infant? She doesn't do it with sandpaper and a pressure washer! I don't think this is God's method either. The goal is to cleanse, not to torture. Trying to do it in our own strength and understanding, to me, is an exercise in fruitlessness, not fruitful faith. The end result, or fruit of repentance, is not supposed to be torment, unending guilt, and continual chewing and re-chewing of bitter herbs. The fruit of repentance is glory. The fruit of salvation is glory. The fruit of redemption is glory, The fruit of holiness is glory. The fruit of our walk with Christ is glory, and that glory has a purpose and effect:
"...that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one, just as we are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world." Prayer of Jesus (excerpt) Jn. 17:21-24
How am I relating this glory to repentance? If the concept of repentance in our Christian walk amounts to spiritually sitting on an ash heap picking at old scabs and boils with pieces of broken pottery, and insisting that others follow suit in like manner, we might be doing something wrong. The man who did this in scripture was Job, who had much sorrow. He looked back continually in torment upon all the trouble that had befallen him, upon all that he had lost, wishing he had never been born, seeking in vain the reason and the cure with the non-help of his condemning friends. Job did not even want to hope anymore (Job 6:11). They insisted that Job must repent, in accordance with their understanding of repentance.
In the end, God did lead Job to repentance, but He did this by asking Job to compare himself to God's greatness, His glorious works. Does that mean that Job's friends were correct all along? God said they were not correct. Perhaps their mistake was the same one many of us make: they thought that repentance is solely an act of the human will and effort. Scripture tells us that this is not the case:
"...profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears."  Heb. 12:16-17
Job's friends placed the power and work of repentance solely upon Job. However, I think that repentance requires that we must meet God at a spiritual place of reconciliation. Jesus commanded that we go and preach repentance in His name, and by the power from on high that God would give us (Lk. 24:46-49). Like salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, repentance is a work of the glory of God. Why is glory the beginning and end result that God is looking for in us, even in our repentance? Because the dead are raised by glory:
"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection."  Rom. 6:4-5
If your method of repentance has you continually re-visiting the occasions of your failures and wounds, you are doing something wrong. Christ being raised by the glory of the Father, as stated above, allows us to walk in newness of life, not a continual rehearsal and regurgitation of things that brought death, and are dead. If it is truly dead in your life, let it be buried in order to begin walking in the new life. Repentance is the opportunity to consign dead things to their grave, leaving only those things that are alive in Christ to remain.
By the same method as the Father raised Christ, by His glory, He also raises us. Shouldn't people be seeing this glory in our walk and our talk? If they are not, we have missed the glory appointed for us. The glory of repentance is full of hope. Hope looks forward to the miraculous things to come, not continually backward to things that are, and deserve to be, passed away. Ineffective repentance keeps resurrecting the things that should remain dead, therefore preventing the lively things to be resurrected in the glory.
2 Chronicles 7:14 calls God's people to repentance. He urges us to repentance with the call to "seek His face". We cannot leave God out of the repentance equation. We automatically achieve prayer, humility, and the turning from the evil of our ways, when we turn towards His face. We can't face both directions at the same time: when we turn towards His face, we automatically turn away from our sin, flesh, and death, and His face is the face of glory:
"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."  2 Cor. 4:6
When Moses asked God to see His glory, God replied that Moses was not allowed to see His face, but as His goodness passed by Moses, Moses would be allowed to see His back (Ex. 33:18-23). God connected His glory to His face. Proverbs talks about the life that is found in the light of a king's face (Prov. 16:15). Now, because of Christ, we are allowed to look into the Face of Glory (see 2 Cor. 4:6 above):
We are changed by this glory in Christ's face, and this is what repentance is about-change:
"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."  2 Cor. 3:17-18
God is looking for the glory of repentance in us, being transformed by a work of His Spirit. Are we living this out in front of others? Are we showing others how to bring forth the true fruits of repentance by setting before their eyes the amazing glory of God? In these examples that God has given us, the revealing of His great glory, He is offering man the opportunity to say in repentance, "What is man, and who am I, that God would do these wonderful things for me?" (Ps. 8, Ps. Ps. 144:1-4, 1 Chron. 17:15-20). Man sees how truly small and fragile he is when he stands next to a Giant Sequoia. When faced with God's glory, we can see how far we have fallen short in comparison (Rom. 3:23). According to this scripture, the yardstick that sin is measured against is not the Law, but the glory.
The promise in repentance that we offer to others is GLORY, and its true liberty. Repentance originates in God's glory, and produces glory. This is what I can believe for myself, and tell and show others, as I manifest repentance glory in my own life.
Our walk with Christ is a walk of peace, joy, beauty and glory. Why would Christ make the fruits of repentance something different? We can show that repentance is not something from which to run away, but towards, with all speed.
Repenting because we are running from Hell is smart, no doubt about it, but repenting because we are running headlong into the glory is, well, glorious. The repentance that we seek, and the repentance that we can share with so many others, is found in our turning to the face of glory, the Father's glory that we are able to behold on the face of His Son. Look for the glory, and there you will also find the sweet fruits of repentance. 

Our Father is waiting to see His glory of repentance in us.

Times

Some may have the impression that God is not very specific about time, that He passively watches time flow past, and is not directly involved in it. He is eternal after all, so we may believe that time has no meaning to Him. However, I believe that God is more specific about time than we will ever be with all of our watches, schedules and calendars. If we were to look at God's appointment calendar, I think we would see that every line of it would be occupied with a specific purpose. We would find that God has ordained, appointed, set a work for every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every group of weeks of every month of every season of every year of every specific grouping of years. He has assigned even a time of rest for a specific day and year. He successfully accomplishes all of the works which He has ordained for those specific measurements of time. It was revealed to King Solomon that there is an appointed time for every purpose under heaven (Eccl. 3:1).
At least one appointed specific time is so secret, which is the day and hour of the Son's return, that not even the Son of God nor the angels know it, only the Father knows it (Mt. 24:36). The beginning, progression and ending of the Great Flood were all appointed for a specific year, month, day (Gen. 8).
In our lives, we have idle time, not designated for any plan or activity. Not so with God. Even during the time when we are oblivious in sleep, for example, He has appointed those hours to call out every star over our heads by name, and wants us to know He is doing it:
"Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing."   Isa. 40:26, also Ps. 147:4
Let's look at some examples of God's appointed times:
Groups of years:
There are many references in scripture to the grouping of seven years, for example, and the events accomplished within or at the end of those seven years. Groups of seven years were appointed in service to attain a desired wife (Gen. 29:30). God commanded that every seventh year His people should let the land rest and lay fallow, so that the poor of the people can eat what is left on that land, and also the beasts of the field (Ex. 23:10-11). At the end of every seven years, there is to be a release from all debts. This specific seventh year is called the Lord's release (Deut. 15:1-2, Jer. 34:14). There is also a specific work to take place, the reading of the Word of God before all of the people, during the Feast of Tabernacles as it occurs during each seventh year of release, to prepare His people for what will lay ahead (Deut. 31:10-13).  There was a specified group of years counted off, appointed, prophesied and then fulfilled for the first coming and death of the Messiah (Dan. 9:26). We can be assured that there is a also a specific time counted off and appointed for the return of our Messiah, Jesus. 
Year:
Isaiah prophesied regarding "the acceptable year of the LORD" (Isa. 61:1-3). Jesus announced that He was specifically fulfilling that promise, and the works of the Lord by the anointing of His Spirit appointed for that year, including preaching the gospel, healing the broken hearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives and the oppressed, and to restore sight to the blind (Lk. 4:18-21).
Season:
Everything is appointed for a specific season (Eccl. 3:1). There is a season of deliverance (Deut. 16:6). There is a season appointed for birth and death (2 Kings 4:16-17, Job 5:26). There is a season appointed to bring rain for a yield (Lev. 26:4, Deut. 4:14). There is a season in which a word is appointed to be spoken (Prov. 15:23, Isa. 50:4). There is a season for fulfillment of prophecy (Lk. 1:20). There is a season for the visitation of angels (Jn. 5:4).
Month:
Every month is set as a new beginning, as a time for reflection, repentance, change. It is signified by the appearance of the new moon in the night sky. Each new moon was to be an observance before the LORD as a Sabbath, and signified by the sounding of the trumpet so that all may know the moment of its appearance (Ps. 81:3). The new moon of a beginning of a specific month also signals the start of the LORD's Feast of Trumpets. The beginning of each month, or new moon, was a call to worship (Isa. 66:23).
Week:
Each week was marked by the end of seven days, the seventh day being a Sabbath. It is a day of rest and holiness (Ex. 20:8-11).  So even rest is appointed specifically at a set time with the LORD. Seven days were appointed for the circling of Jericho to bring down its walls (Heb. 11:30). The prophet of God sat with the captives 7 days waiting for the word of the LORD (Ezek. 3:15). The water was turned to blood for 7 days in Egypt as one of the ten plagues (Ex. 7:24-25).
Day:
There are numerous specific days and groups of days ordained by the LORD for specific purposes, including those found in His appointed feasts (Lev. 23). The LORD appointed specific days for the accomplishment of specific works, as we see in each of the individual  six days of creation in the first chapter of Genesis. God was revealing His working pattern to us, and its designated relationship to specific increments of time. God could have created all in one moment, or without the division of days, but the pattern was set from the beginning that each day in the LORD has its specific purpose and accomplished "good" and "very good" work. It must be that the pattern continues. There are so many appointed single days of works, they are too numerous to mention except for a few: a day of resurrection (Gen. 22:4, Mt. 27:63, Rev. 11:11), days appointed for covenant and circumcision (Gen. 15:18, Gen. 17:23, 26), a day appointed for justice/judgment/vengeance (Isa. 2:12, 13:6, 9, 61:2, Joel 1:15, Jer. 46:10), a day that the LORD's voice is heard, and He is seen (Zeph. 1:14, Ex. 6:28, 19:11), a day appointed for repentance (Isa. 22:12), a day of deliverance (Ex. 12:51, 14:30), a day of atonement that covers sin (Lev. 16:29-30, 23:27), a day when the LORD is a crown of glory and beauty upon His people (Isa. 28:5), a day for healing wounds (Isa. 30:26), a day of salvation, inheritance, and restoration of the earth (Isa. 49:8), and each day is appointed for the renewal of His mercy towards us (Lam. 3:22-24). It was the first day of a week that Mary came to the empty tomb, and the resurrected Jesus appeared to her (Mk. 16:2, 9). It was also a specific day of a week that Jesus appeared to the disciples for the first time after His resurrection (Jn. 20:19).
Hour:
Jesus, especially, identified the hours of God's specific and appointed work: an hour of healing (Mt. 8:13, 15:28), an hour of deliverance from demons (Mt. 17:8, Lk. 7:21). The specific hour for the crucifixion of Christ was appointed (Mk. 15:25), also the day and hour of the return of Christ (Mt. 24:36, 42-44, 50), an hour when the true worshippers are established (Jn. 4:23), an hour when the dead hear the Son's voice and are raised (Jn. 5:25).
We can be sure that the LORD has appointed a work for each day and hour. That would be greatness in itself, but He goes even further in His works. He appoints works for every moment and for time periods of less than a moment: Cities are overthrown in a moment (Lam. 4:6), His anger lasts for a moment (Ps. 30:5) and people are consumed in a moment (Ex. 33:5, Num. 16:21).
His greatest work concerning us is appointed for a specific moment and even less than a moment:
"Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised...and we shall be changed...then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."  1 Cor. 15:51-54 (excerpt)
We should be aware that the works of the LORD, though declared and prophetically completed before the foundations of the earth, are appointed for every moment, hour, day, week, month, season, year and group of years. The Antichrist, inhabited by the Devil, will desire and seek to change the times (Dan. 7:25), but he will not succeed because the times have been appointed by God. Satan is aware that God has specifically appointed times (Rev. 12:12). If Satan is aware of this truth, shouldn't the people of God also be aware of it? The LORD is indeed greater than time, but He still inhabits every second of time for His will and His plan. He is doing an appointed work even right now, in this moment of time.

Our Father has appointed times.

Silence

There is a conspiracy of silence. I believe that the Church has been deceived into participating in this conspiracy in the past, and continues to be a part of it. There is evidence that that I will present below that I believe will support this opinion. This issue is timely and relates to this present resurrection season especially, as we will see.
Passover is one of the appointed feasts of the LORD, which He commanded all of Israel to observe throughout all of their generations Ex. 12:1-48, Ex. 13:6-10,Lev. 23:4-8). This year, it is occurring this week, coinciding with our Holy Week observances of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.
Passover is a prophetic picture of the greatest triumph of Jesus Christ. Yet it is something in which most of the Church refuses to take part. The Church's ignorance concerning Passover and the other feasts of the LORD is based, I believe, on anti-Semitic prejudice. It is an ignorance that can keep the Church, and the individual believer from being effective especially during this time, when many are dying from a pestilence that is covering our land.
Passover memorializes the night when the children of Israel were delivered from the plague of death, and out of their slavery in Egypt. The LORD told Moses that the blood of a spotless lamb must be sprinkled or spattered with hyssop on the doorposts and lintels of every house of the Hebrews so that the angel of death that was about to be released over the land of Egypt would "pass over" the Israelites' homes without harm. The Passover is followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is to be observed for seven days, which makes it a type of Sabbath.
In the same manner, our spotless Lamb, Jesus, provided His blood as a deliverance from death. Have we applied the blood of the Lamb of God to our doorposts and lintels- not only to the doorposts of our physical homes, but to the doorposts of our spiritual houses or temples of God, which are our bodies? Does this ignorance regarding Passover prevent us from applying this same life-saving deliverance from death to the doorposts and lintels of our nation, as an angel of death presently rolls through our communities on a scale which we have not previously seen?
The word "Passover" in Hebrew is pesach which means "a sparing, an immunity from penalty and calamity". Its root word is pasach, meaning "to pass over, spring over, to hop, to skip over, to leap (see the definition of nazah also below)".
The meal which the Church has called "The Last Supper", from which we get our holy communion rite, was a Passover Seder which Jesus shared with His disciples (Mt. 26:17-19). The Apostle Paul, who was a Jew as were all of the apostles, called Jesus "our Passover" who was sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:7). Yet the Church remains silent regarding the teaching and the observance of the Passover. What conclusion can we draw from this except that the Church deliberately ignores, or suppresses the knowledge of the power of the Passover, and its prophetic proclamation of salvation and deliverance by the blood of the Lamb? For what purpose would the Passover be ignored and renamed except for the purpose of disguising its message of salvation in Christ from the Jew, and as well as denying the Church's Jewish roots. Both of these results can only have resulted from deep, systematic anti-Semitism, of which we have historical evidence*.
God has also sent His Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately follows Passover and cannot be separated from it, at a time when we need it most. As we see the return of Christ nearing, the unleavened bread of this feast not only pertains to the removal of sin, or leaven, from our homes and lives, but it also signifies the immediacy of the leave-taking out of bondage. The leave-taking was so sudden in the Exodus account, there was no time for the leaven to raise the bread. This is a prophetic announcement to us of the need to be ready to leave immediately when the trumpet of the LORD sounds, as the New Testament teaches (1 Cor. 15:51-53, 1 Thess. 4:15-17). This is the precious doctrine of what we refer to as the Rapture of the Church. The Israelites were to eat their Passover meal with shoes on their feet, ready to depart at a moment's notice. Are we ready? The Passover Seder not only memorializes "a night different from all other nights" of the past, but also prophetically announces the night that will be different from all other nights in the near future at the return of Christ. Yet the Church ignores the message of Passover.
The conspiracy of silence, denial and ignorance continues as the Church remains determined to hide salvation in the form of the image of Christ in the Passover from the Jews, for whom God first intended it. For the Gospel is to the Jew first, and then also to the Gentile (Rom. 1:16). The Church has deliberately determined, against all that is in the Word of God, that the Gospel is only to the Gentiles, as it continues to deny and neglect its Jewish foundation, which is Yeshua, Jesus, the prophets and the apostles (2 Pet. 3:1-2), who were all Jews.
Jesus died on the cross on the Passover, at the same hour as the Passover lamb was being offered in the temple, yet we keep silent about Passover, even turning away from it. How should we explain this strange contradiction?
Not only have we turned our backs on the Passover as an image of the crucified Christ, but the Church continues to neglect the tangible Passover image that we have of the crucified and resurrected Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We have that Passover image preserved on the Shroud of Turin, which the world denounces as a fraud, and the Church prefers not to acknowledge or discuss. Again, there is silence from the Church.
The Shroud of Turin is a long piece of linen with an image of a man who was the victim of crucifixion in the exact same manner as recorded in the Gospels. This Shroud was used to loosely cover the dead body of a crucified man from the area of Jerusalem, as was the practice of Jewish burial customs of the day. What this Shroud tells us is that what was originally a cloth or veil of death for the grave, has been swallowed up by the image of the victory of the resurrected Lamb (Isa. 25:7-8, 1 Cor. 15:43). The outer areas of the Shroud surrounding the central image is swallowed up by later fire and water marks (subsequent baptism of the Holy Spirit?), which do not trespass upon the central image itself. There are several scripture references regarding physical evidence seen with the eye that convicts and convinces both Jew and Gentile of the atonement and resurrection of Christ (Gal. 3:1, Zech. 12:10-14, and Isa. 52:14-15 below).
The conscious conspiracy of silence practiced by the Church applies to its silence regarding the Shroud of Turin as well. For the Shroud is a witness of Jewish customs of burial at the time of Christ. Not only does the Shroud shout loudly and clearly to the Gentiles, but the way the frontal and dorsal images appear on the cloth is a specific witness to the Jew. For Jews were not wrapped as a mummy for burial, but by a long piece of linen upon which the body was laid, which was then folded over the head to loosely cover the front or top of the body as well. The Shroud is the testimony of the Gospel to the Jew in its details. The body depicted on the Shroud shows evidence that phylacteries (items strapped to a Jewish worshipper containing the word of God) were worn on the forehead and arm. This identifies the person on the Shroud as being a Jew. So the Shroud is not a Catholic relic, nor a Christian relic. If we are going to characterize it at all, we must say that it is a Jewish relic.
Original scientific research on the Shroud has already concluded that the image, which has several unusual characteristics, was not created by any paints, dyes, or tints, nor is any manmade method of application indicated on the fibers. Human blood is present on the Shroud. The image itself, with its very unique qualities, cannot be accurately duplicated by any process. Incorrect Carbon Dating performed subsequently to the original investigation, which declared the Shroud a forgery, was overturned by later scientific analysis.**
Although the Church handles and keeps the Shroud as if it were more precious than gold, it refuses to publicly discuss what many believe to be the authentic burial cloth of Jesus, despite scientific findings that would lend support to that conclusion. Why the silence?
The prophets wrote that something would be seen that would astound and shut the mouths of those who saw it:
"Just as many were astonished at you, so his visage was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men; so shall he sprinkle ("nazah" - to spurt, spatter, sprinkle, to startle, besprinkle especially in expiation, to leap (see the meaning of Passover above), to cause to exult, to fill anyone with joy) many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at him; for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider."  Isa. 52:14-15
The passion or torture of Jesus even before His crucifixion, would have caused His blood to spatter and spurt in agreement with the definition of nazah used in the scripture above, in the same way that the hyssop branch dipped in the blood of the lamb would spatter the blood when striking the doorposts and lintels of the homes of the Israelites on the Passover night of Exodus. It also would produce this same kind of blood spatter as indicated by the wounds on the body depicted on the Shroud. Yet the Church remains largely silent on these things.
The Church has been deceived through its anti-Semitism into keeping hidden these obvious Jewish characteristics of the truth of the Gospel from the Jews. The spiritual powers behind the deception have much to gain from keeping the Jews unaware of their Messiah, their Passover Lamb. The Apostle Paul said regarding the salvation of the Jews:
"...if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh (Jews) and save some of them. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches."  Rom. 11:14-16
The receiving of salvation by the Jews would revolutionize, revive, and benefit the kingdom of God in every way, which should be the goal of the Church. Life from the dead, and holiness revival would come from this restored Jewish root. Paul said he would use any means possible to bring this about. Paul wrote that the salvation of the Jews is so essential to the Church, and to the kingdom of God, that if it were possible, he would give up his own salvation to accomplish it (Rom. 9:1-5). Does the heart of the Church cry out for this salvation as Paul's does? Its silence in word and practice on this matter, however, "speaks" plenty.
As the Lord keeps His promise to remove the scales from Jewish eyes (Acts 9:17-18), and  spiritual blindness is reversed (Rom. 11:25-27), it is time for the Church to lift the cover off of the almost 2,000 year old conspiracy of silence that makes the Gospel of salvation unrecognizable to the Jews*. The same tactic has been used in the case of the Feast of First Fruits, which is Resurrection Sunday. The Church has hidden the correlation of these two events under the disguise of the pagan term, "Easter", which has nothing to do with Christ or His resurrection. Unfortunately, most of the Church has continued along this path to its own loss and weakness, but we can begin to make a change. Each of us can begin to discover the Jewish roots of our faith, and put them into practice. This is not a form of legalism, but enrichment. I have been blessed to attend a church that has for many years taught the Jewish foundation of our faith. My faith has become deeper and richer because of it, and I am thankful for it. In the Jewish roots of our faith, the LORD continually confirms Himself, His Word, His Son, and His plan of salvation for His creation. In the Jewish roots of our faith, He assures each of us of His eternal promise that He is, and will be with us, and we will to be with Him. 
We can all take measures to end the conspiracy of silence.
Jesus said, "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him  must worship in spirit and truth."   Jn. 4:22-24

Our Father has ordained the Passover for all generations.

**Recommended reading regarding the scientific findings, Jewish culture, and   scriptural references concerning the Shroud of Turin:
"NAZAH: White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling" by Dr. Kenneth Stevenson

*Early Church history concerning anti-Semitism and rejection of our Jewish heritage:
Letter from Emperor Constantine to Church Bishops

dabar

The Hebrew word written above is dabar. It is an amazingly complex and powerful word. The three letters of the Hebrew aleph-beth used in the word are: daleth, beth, and reysh. If we were to interpret the combined pictographic meaning of these letters, it might be "the door of the tent/house of the Highest". The word "dabar" is used when referring to God's spoken Word. The New Testament equivalents in the Greek language are "logos" and "rhema", both words meaning the spoken word.
The partial translation of "dabar" in the Concordance is to: speak, declare, command, promise, teach, appoint, pronounce. The meaning can also include "to sing". We know from scripture that God does indeed sing. Not only is it recorded that the LORD sings over us, but many of His revelations to King David, and to the prophets, took the form of song.
The LORD is so committed to His dabar, that He sent it in the form of a Person, Jesus, who is the Word (logos/dabar) become flesh who dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14). It is through this Dabar Person of Christ that all things, including all life, were made  (Jn. 1:1-4). The LORD keeps watch over (hastens) His dabar to perform it (Jer. 1:12). It accomplishes what He sets it to do:
"So shall My word (dabar) be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." 
                                                                                            Isa. 55:11
Jesus said the same in describing dabar:
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words (logos) will by no means pass away." 
                                                                                            Mt. 24:35
Dabar's primary power is that of "setting in a row" and "bringing into order", as written:
^" He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together."  Col. 1:17 NRSV 
^"...has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..."      Heb. 1:2-3 (also Isa. 40:26)
Another action associated with the meaning of dabar is "to lead, to guide, to lead flocks to pasture, to rule or direct a people". Jesus described how His spiritual sheep respond to His voice, His spoken commands, as the Good Shepherd. This is a power of dabar:
"But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.....Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep....I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture...I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."   Jn. 10:2-4, 7, 9, 11
Not only is Jesus telling us that He is the performance of dabar, but He also associates Himself with the pictographic meaning of the letters of dabar in referring to Himself as "the door".
Dabar also refers to "the hinder part". This is also the part of God that Moses was allowed to see when Moses asked to see God's glory:
"So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."   Ex. 33:22-23
Before the LORD walked past Moses, He made a proclamation of His name over Moses (V. 19). He pronounced His name (see the above meaning of dabar) in order to shield Moses from an outbreak of the holiness of dabar.
Dabar is the word also used to refer to the innermost recess in the temple, which in the house of God is the Holy of Holies, where the ark of the covenant containing the commandments of God are housed. The ark is covered with the mercy seat, which is the throne of God. Remember, the letters of dabar mean "the door of the house of the Highest".
Dabar also includes the action "to ask in marriage, to speak to a woman". Jesus, the living Dabar, is betrothed to us, the Bride of Christ. We are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7). This is a working of dabar. Jesus also made it a point to speak with women, to share revelation (also a work of dabar) and truth with them, which would have been considered unusual in its day, especially of a rabbi, but dabar includes the meaning of speaking in this kind of intimacy with women. God, the Father, in a similar way, is married by the dabar to Israel (Isa. 54:5-6).
The Concordance says that dabar is also used as we speak together, to one another. The reference given for this is Malachi 3:16:
"Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name."
The LORD responded to the dabar of this activity: He listened and heard, and then He had a book written. This is the power of dabar.
However, the meaning of dabar also includes a solemn aspect which is very serious and timely to consider. Dabar also means "to warn, to threaten, to subdue, to destroy, to lay snares, to plot against". The destruction of dabar comes in the form of death and pestilence. In fact the Hebrew word for pestilence, deber, comes from its root word "dabar". This is especially important for us to know as a pestilence is now covering the earth in the form of a virus. However, scripture tells us that His people were afflicted with a deadly disease because of their transgressions and iniquity, with their souls melting because of trouble. They were at their wits end. It is at this point that "He sent His word (dabar) and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions." (Ps. 107:17-28). The same word, dabar, that became a pestilence to them because of their transgressions, was also sent to heal and deliver them in God's mercy, as they cried out to the LORD in their trouble.
The same holy dabar that breaks out in destruction against sin, came and dwelt among us full of grace and truth, not to condemn the world, but to save it (Jn. 3:17). The curse of dabar was hung on a cross and lifted up so we would have deliverance from that curse (Gal. 3:13-14). The dabar has two sides to it, existing together, seemingly opposite to one another, but not opposite at all.
To me, an example of the warning meaning of dabar can be found in this verse from the Psalms and the New Testament:
("Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.")
"while it is said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?  Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?"   (Ps. 95:6-11 excerpt) Heb. 3:15-17 

How can dabar contain life, deliverance and salvation, and all manner of benefits, but also contain warning, threats and destruction at the same time? To me, dabar is like a beehive full of thousands of bees. The bees work tirelessly, producing benefits far outweighing their seeming small size. Not only are there numerous benefits for us now by the bees in the fertilization of fruits, vegetables and flowers as well as the production of delicious honey, but these bees are building many chambers in the hive for future generations, with the food and provision necessary for them. Some of that future generation of bees are designated to be royal in nature, and are fed with a royal jelly. However, if someone tries to prevent the work of a single bee, or seeks to destroy the hive and its purpose, they can receive a thousand stings. To some, those stings are fatal. Like the bees and their hive, the dabar has a beneficial , essential work to do - don't try to interfere with it, impede it, or destroy it.

Perhaps this is the meaning of the scripture that warns as it teaches about the nature of dabar:
"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." 
                                                                                                         Heb. 4:12-13
The work of dabar is to bring all things into order and subdued in Christ, our Good Shepherd, our "Door of the house of the Highest", who leads us to pasture by the sound of His voice. This is the sharp two-edged sword of dabar.
Before leaving dabar, let's see a last example of its power and glory:
"Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”  Isa. 40:4-5

Our Father's dabar accomplishes what He sets it out to do.

 

Samson/Delilah

We have entered the season of Lent, and for many Christians, this is marked by a vow to give up something that they enjoy during the 40 days before Resurrection Sunday. According to the doctrine taught, this vow is also to be accompanied by prayer, penance, mortifying of the flesh, self-reflection and spiritual preparation. As the Cardinal of New York explained, the outward activities are only an indication of an inward change. It is what goes on in the heart that has the true importance, he said.
Whether you observe Lent in this traditional manner, or not, it is a good time to examine our own hearts as the remembrance of the atoning crucifixion, and the celebration of the resurrection of Christ approaches. For me the story of Samson and Delilah has an important message for us.
Samson was a Nazirite. Nazir in Hebrew means consecrated. An angel appeared to Samson's mother, who is unnamed in scripture, which is interesting. She and her husband, Manoah ("rest"), had no children because she was barren. Manoah was from Zorah (hornet, wasps; root meaning:to be leprous, to scourge, to strike down, stricken and smitten by God-see Isa. 53:4). The angel told the woman that she would have a son, and she was to refrain from wine or any product of the grape, for her child was to be a Nazirite from the womb. Yes, God knows us and destines us before we are even formed in our mother's womb. In spite of what some may believe, the life of man is divinely created and ordained (Ps. 139:13-16), and it is created with the light and life of Christ. That light and life in each of us is meant to overcome the darkness. (Jn. 1:4-5). Back to our story.
When the woman's son was born, he was never to take a razor to his hair, according to the instructions of the angel. This would be his Nazirite vow. He was to remain in that vow his until his death (Judges 13:1-7, 13-14). Although he was identified as an angel, the person who appeared before Samson's mother might well have been Christ, because when asked his name, he replied, "Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?" Isaiah tells us that one of the names of the Son, the Christ, would be "Wonderful" (Isa. 9:6). Also, Manoah declared regarding the "angel", "We shall surely die, for we have seen God." (Jud. 13:22).
It would be through Samson's consecration that he would be able to judge Israel.
The judges of Israel were an office provided by God. They were raised up when an enemy would overrun the land and afflict God's people. The enemy was often able to overrun the land because God's people forgot Him, and lived in sin. This certainly reflects our time also. We have forgotten God, and the spiritual enemy has overrun our land.
The judges were gifted by God in ways that would allow them to lead the unarmed people to miraculous victory over those oppressors, and bring deliverance to God's people. In Samson's case, his Nazirite vow of consecration endowed him with great strength. He destroyed many Philistines and their sources of wealth-their vineyards, grain, and olive trees- which made the Philistines determined to destroy Samson (Jud. 15:5). Samson's life and calling were impacted by his obsession for Delilah. Delilah was from the Valley ("to divide for a possession") of Sorek ("choice vines, choice grapes; root word: to hiss, to whistle as a signal used to call, bright red as piercing to the sight"). Everything about her was a challenge to Samson's consecration. Delilah pestered him into telling her the secret of his strength, which was his consecration, or Nazirite vow. As a result, the enemy found out his secret, and they thought they had at last found the way to rid themselves of Samson's interference. They cut off Samson's hair and his eyes were gouged out. He lost his strength, and he spent his days blind, grinding at a millstone, and in chains. That is not the end of the story, but more later.
The name Samson in Hebrew is Shimshon, which means "like the sun, glittering, shining upon pinnacles and shields"; it refers to the rising of the sun rather than its setting because it is associated with the eastern direction (which is also associated with antiquity or eternity). The meaning of his name is associated with openings such as windows, that allow the sunlight to enter. It is also associated with the notched battlements of a fortress. As we can see from his name, Samson represented a great ascending light, the light of battle and defense.
Delilah's name in Hebrew means "to make feeble, pining with desire, weak". The root meaning is "dried up, brought low, not equal, emptied, impoverished, made thin, languish, hang down, to be oppressed, also to hang down like a bucket that removes water from a well".  
As we consider the names of the two people involved, the great promise of Samson's life, his purpose as a light of deliverance, was challenged by something that was specifically purposed to draw something away from him, to enfeeble him, to draw him low, to oppress him, as it also impoverished and oppressed God's people and the land.
The judges of Israel were a fascinating lot, but they are not only relegated to the Old Testament. Isaiah wrote that the judges would be restored by God:
"I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.”  Isa. 1:26-27
The impact of judges in their office, as you can see above, has a wide sweeping effect on peoples and cities. Just as the judges of old were equipped by God for their calling, Jesus told us, "Behold, I have given you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Lk. 10:19). However, this is made possible because of our connection with Christ in the fact that our names are written in heaven (v. 20). Again, this shows us our divine creation and purpose. We are from above, in Christ, not beneath (Jn. 8:23, 1:12-13). How does our New Testament judgeship, ridding the land of the enemy, work?
 Paul tells us that our warfare is not carnal against flesh. Our weapons also are not carnal, but spiritual. We have indeed been called into a deliverance warfare against the enemy, but that warfare begins in us. It begins in our own minds and with our own obedience:
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when our obedience is fulfilled."  2 Cor. 10:3-6
The importance of victory in that spiritual warfare is not just for our benefit, but for the benefit of many. There is a song entitled, "Making War in the Heavenlies", and it's a great song, but the victory in the heavenlies begins on a much smaller scale- within us. Just as the enemy put Delilah across Samson's path to destroy his consecration and derail his judgeship, so also the enemy places similar disruptions in our path, disruptions that appeal to us. Those distractions and disruptions "pester" us, returning again and again. How do we overcome the continual challenge to our New Testament judgeship?
The accuser of the brethren is cast down, and salvation and strength comes as,
"... they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death".  Rev. 12:10-11
In understanding this scripture in the context of the story of Samson, the blood of the Lamb is our consecration. The Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8), and we were consecrated in Him before we were formed in our mother's wombs:
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
                                                                                                           Rom. 8:29-31
The word of our testimony, which is the Word of God in us, is our Nazirite vow. Concerning our not loving our lives unto the death stated above, as we will see, to Samson, his purpose as a deliverer and his service to God as a judge in Israel was more important to him than his own life.
Though captured, blinded and enslaved, Samson's hair grew back. His Nazirite vow was of the type that, like the re-growing of hair, would continue until his death. In the last moments of his life, Samson's strength returned as his hair grew, and he asked God to let him move in his Nazirite consecration and purpose once again. Samson pulled down a whole stadium containing the enemies who had come to mock him, and the God he represented. Samson destroyed more of the enemy in his death than he had during his whole life (Judges 16:28-31).
Our judgeship is not about destroying flesh enemies as it was in the Old Testament, but in the pulling down of spiritual strongholds through our obedience in Christ. We cannot allow those things that the person of Delilah represents to abort our purpose, trying to cut off the ascending light of Christ in us, or to hold God's people in captivity to impoverishment, oppression and enfeeblement.

Our Father has called us to be part of His Light of Deliverance.

Good/Evil

We are living in times when we see a prophecy of Isaiah coming to pass:
"Woe to those who call evil (wickedness, giving pain, unhappiness, misery, malignant, unkind, distress, injury, calamity, wrong. Root word- to break, to be broken, crushing, raging, tumultuous) good, and good (pleasant, excellent, merry, valuable, prosperous, kind, benefit, bounty, delightful, act rightly) evil; who put darkness (misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, dark place/prison/Hades) for light, and light (bright, clear, illumination, daylight, light of life, brightening of countenance, light of teaching. Root word-to become light, glorious, to make shine) for darkness; who put bitter (the end that comes from wickedness, pain, angry, discontented, sorrowful, the bitterness of death, fierce, powerful, raging, destructive, having a harmful effect especially in a gradual or subtle way) for sweet, and sweet (sweet, pleasant) for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!"  Isa. 5:20-21
It is difficult to imagine how man could become so lost, so far from God as to be in this condition. We can see it all around us, but we don't have to look far to see it, because it is sometimes no farther than our own hearts and minds. It is a trap into which we can easily and quickly fall. There is an example in scripture.
There was a great and blessed king. On a day when he was in a place where he was not supposed to be, at a time when he shouldn't have been there, this king spotted a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, she was the wife of one of his trusted soldiers, who at that time was away fighting in battle on behalf of his king. The king began an affair with the soldier's wife, and she became pregnant. Wanting to prevent discovery, the king arranged a leave for her husband, and brought him back from the battlefield for a short visit with his wife. However, the soldier was a noble man, and felt he should not enjoy a visit with his wife while he was home on leave, because his fellow soldiers were still suffering away from home. The soldier, therefore, was not intimate with his wife on the visit. The Plan A cover-up was not successful. The king moved to Plan B. This plan had the soldier reassigned to the front line of battle upon his return to duty, where the likelihood increased that he would get killed. This plan is successful. The only person who would know besides the king and the soldier's wife that the child was not the husband's, had been killed in action (2 Sam. 11:1-17, 26-27).
This whole plot is evil at its worst. The king involved, King David, had an intimate knowledge and relationship with God, probably more so than most of us. He sought, loved and treasured God so much that God had called him, "A man after His own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14). David received revelation knowledge from God, yet in this case he did not recognize the evil that he had done until a prophet of God showed it to him in a parallel example (2 Sam. 12:1-15). God sent His prophet because He needed David to face this evil in order to bring David to repentance, so David could live:
"So David said to Nathan ("Gift"), "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away ("abar"- put away, pass over, pass beyond, cross over, vanish, become invalid) your sin; you shall not die."  2 Sam. 12:13
God's great plan of redemption required that David live. David wrote Psalm 51 out of that repentance. However, there would be more to this picture than our minds could ever anticipate, which we will see later.
Our perception of good and evil gets twisted, because we tend to judge good and evil based upon appearances. We see with our eyes, hear with our ears, taste, touch and smell using our senses. We analyze the information that our senses receive with our natural minds. We are then judging these spiritual things using our flesh. Scripture says that no good thing dwells in the flesh:
"For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find."   Rom. 8:17
The above is what apostle Paul spoke of himself. It is no different for you or me. Using the flesh, including the natural mind and its reasoning, is not the way to identify good and evil. It is a trap for failure.This is the same as eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which Adam and Eve were forbidden to do. As Eve observed the Tree and its fruit, this is what happened:
"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."   Gen. 3:6
After hearing the convincing argument of the Serpent, although it was a lie, Eve looked at the Tree and found that it didn't look any less beautiful than the other trees in the garden. The fruit of it looked fine also. The commandment of God not to eat of it didn't make sense considering the evidence she saw with her eyes, and the deductions being formed in her mind. Adam was with her, and he didn't see the evil of the situation either. Good and evil are spirit, and it is defined by what God says, not by what man sees and thinks. When Adam and Eve chose to rely upon their flesh to make the determination between good and evil, rather than by the revelation of God, it meant the death of them. Are we eating of this same Tree every day? If so, is it bringing us death, or death to others? This might very well be the case.
The greatest Good the world has ever received, the birth, atonement death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, could not and cannot be perceived by the natural senses and mind of men. Jesus said that the knowledge of Him could only be revealed to someone by the Father, Who is Spirit:
"And He (Jesus) said to them (His disciples), "But who do say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father, who is in heaven."   Mt. 16:15-17
Paul said the same: the Gospel of Christ is foolishness to the wisdom of man, and can only be revealed by the Spirit (1 Cor. 1:21-24,  2:10, 14-15). If we cannot perceive this greatest Good, which is Jesus, by our flesh, what makes us think that we can perceive any other good, or by extension, any evil by our flesh?
Both Jesus and Paul warned of judging by the flesh (Jn. 7:24, 8:15-16, 1 Cor. 4:5). Yes, as Paul said, we will judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3). However, it won't be by appearance or the use of natural knowledge and understanding. Yet we judge and analyze people and situations, good and evil, every day by incomplete information and natural understanding. It happens so quickly, and so "naturally", we don't realize that we have fallen into the trap.
We may feel confident that we can judge good and evil by the Word of God. This is true, as far as the extent of our knowledge of the Word goes. What we lack, however, is the omniscience of God, the knowledge of the eternal plan of God concerning any individual, even ourselves, unless He specifically reveals these things to us. This brings us back to our story of David.
God sent His prophet to bring David to a recognition of his evil, and to a place of necessary repentance, God also had something else in mind that was not indicated by appearances, and that no human reasoning could have deduced. As David pressed into the LORD in repentance, seeking forgiveness, God revealed something greater to David. God planned to redeem something good out of this evil. What David caught a glimpse of spiritually, was too precious and miraculous to imperil with other men's faulty, natural judgment. David said that this matter was between David and God only (Ps. 51:4). David determined that he must depend upon the righteous judgment of God, not the flawed judgment of men. On another occasion David had said,
"I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man." 1 Chron. 21:13
David came to understand that not only was there cleansing in bringing to God the offering of repentance, there was also a redemption available that would result in renewal and restoration (Ps. 51:10-17). The words of revelation David used regarding this redemption were: create ('bara"- of new conditions and circumstances, of transformations, of birth, of something new, of miracles), renew ("chadash"- be new, renew, repair, make anew), and restore ("shuv"- turn back (from evil/to God), restore, refresh, repair, bring back, reverse).
Can we blame David for not trusting this work into the understanding of men?
It is only in the righteous, spiritual judgment of God, that good could possibly come from this evil situation of adultery and murder. Man could not have guessed that from this same couple, David and the soldier's widow Bathsheba, a second child would later be born (the first child had not survived). That second child, Solomon, David's tenth son over all, would become the next, and great king of Israel, known world-wide for his wisdom. Solomon built the temple of God in Jerusalem, following the plans left for him by his father, David. Solomon also wrote three books of the scriptures. Proverbs is a book of seemingly simple wise sayings, which are not simple at all, but deep truths, including the following, which pertains to our discussion here:
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."  Prov. 14:12
Solomon also wrote the deep book of Ecclesiastes, so named after the Greek translation of the word "Preacher", which Solomon called himself in the first verse of this book. This "Preacher", or kohehleth, is by the Hebrew meaning of the word, addressing an assembly of God's called out people, the Ekklesia.
The third book of scripture written by Solomon is the Song of Songs, sometimes called the Song of Solomon, or Canticles, meaning a hymn or chant based on scripture. This is another book that is not as it seems on the surface, but embedded within it is an astounding prophetic allegory of the Messiah.
Shortly before this terrible sin entered David's life, God had made a covenant with him. He prophesied of David's future generations, and the eternal kingship which would come from David's house (2 Sam. 7:12-19). This referred to the everlasting reign of the Messiah. A man might assume that this line could descend from one of David's already-born sons. However, God knew that the Messiah would descend from David's line through that yet-to-be-born son, Solomon. Solomon carried the seed of the coming Messiah, Jesus. From the genealogy of Christ as recorded in scripture comes this entry: "...David the king begot Solomon by her (who had been the wife of Uriah)." (Mt. 1:6).
This evil was placed in front of David's face for his repentance, to save David's life, and to continue the line of Messiah. God also showed s this example from David's life to show forth to all of us His redeeming power to fulfill His word, despite what was meant for evil, by the grace of the Passover Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. God knows the end from the beginning, as He did in this case. We, on the other hand, do not. Could anyone have foreseen, anticipated, understood this redemption of good from the evil that David had committed?
The Psalms sing:
"O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all His iniquities."  Ps. 130:7-8
Most people do not choose evil, darkness, and bitterness because they want them in their lives. It is often a trap we fall into because man prefers to rely upon and exalt his own will, desires, observations, and reasoning, rather than the Word and Spirit of God. The Breastplate of Judgment worn by the priests of God contained Urim ("Lights") and Thummim ("Perfection, Righteousness") to be consulted in all things (Ex. 28:30). We are also commanded to wear our breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14, Isa. 59:16-17). Isaiah said that this is the breastplate worn by our Salvation, the Right Hand of God, Who eternally lives to make intercession for us, even when no man will intercede.
Let us learn from David's struggle. In the face of evil, we can pray for God's redemption. Let us ask God to "create, refresh, and restore", to turn for good what is meant for evil for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Our Redeemer lives, and He redeems good from evil to fulfill His plan for us.

 

Cause/Effect

In the two previous posts, we have looked at some interesting scriptures regarding the last days and the nations of the earth. We have seen the importance of the role of Jerusalem among the nations, even in the comprehensive meaning of the name of the city of which the Hebrew means, "teaching of peace". We read why the command in the Psalm 122 to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem", means so much more than that short phrase encompasses, not only in regards to the destinies of the nations, but for our individual destinies found in the phrase, "for the sake of my brethren and companions".
In this entry, I would like to look at how our individual walks as believers and followers of Christ directly effects the nations of the earth:

"I will greatly rejoice ("suws suws" , a word repeated here in Hebrew reflecting the intensity of meaning as "to be bright, exult, display joy, to leap of spring with joy) in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful ("giyl"-go in a circle, dance, leap for joy) in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments ("beged"- cloth, covering, vesture, precious garment, with which anything is "wrapped up"*) of salvation ("yesha"- deliverance, salvation, rescue, safety, prosperity, victory, liberty. Root: avenging, defend, ample, broad, opulent, to set free),
He has covered me with the robe ("m'iyl"- mantle, cloak, outer robe, garment of the high priest) of righteousness ("tsedaqah"- justice, righteous acts. Root: cleansed, to justify, to vindicate, to clear self),
As a bridegroom ("chathan"- bridegroom, husband, circumcised child as a species of religious espousal as in "bridegroom of blood" as a sign of covenant relationship. Root: to cut off, to circumcise) decks ("kahan"- priest's office, to mediate in religious services, prophet, put on regalia, rich, opulent) himself with ornaments ("pe'er"- fancy headdress, beauty, bonnet, tiara, turban. Root: glorify, beautify, to gleam, white glowing heat),
And as a bride ("kallah"- bride, betrothed, crowned with a chaplet meaning a garland or wreath for the head or a number of beads strung together signifying prayers. Root: to complete, to perfect, to put a crown upon) adorns herself with her jewels ("kelly"- vessel, instrument, weapon, armor, armor-bearer, utensil, implement (of hunting, war, music, labor), yoke of an oxen, artillery, vessel for the temple. Root: to end, to finish, be completed, be fulfilled, vanish, wholly reap).
For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the LORD God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth ("tsamakh"- to sprout, to grow abundantly or thickly, to cause to sprout, to shine, shining forth, to cause deliverance (righteousness) before all nations."   Isa. 61:10-11

As usual, the wonderful prophet Isaiah gives us a prophetic look into things that most others were seldom shown. This is an individual and personal revelation of Isaiah using the words "I, my, me". The salvation work produced in the individual living in the earth has an inevitable witness or impact upon the nations of the earth, in the same way that the purpose and achievement of a garden is to bring forth buds. The manifested effect must follow the cause.
Jesus pointed us to this chapter of Isaiah when He preached the first verses of this chapter in the synagogue, and announced that He was the fulfillment of those verses (Lk. 4:18-21). We are a fruit of that fulfillment in a special way.
As we look at the meanings of the Hebrew words used in the verses from Isaiah, above, we can learn many things that perhaps the English meaning wouldn't show us. We can learn what the believer looks like in the Spirit, and the effect the properly clothed believer has in the earth.
First of all, Isaiah reveals that the joy found in the person who receives salvation is so great that it cannot be contained in a calm body, but the body must explode with it in jumping, dancing, or movement of some kind. When is the last time we felt or exhibited this kind of all-consuming joy? Most of our thoughts, emotions, actions and reactions unfortunately are responses to earthly circumstances and conditions, and not around the joy of the salvation glory with which we have been filled. This joy of the LORD is our spiritual and physical strength (Neh. 8:10, Ps. 21:1) and it is of eternity, yet we quickly forget it in our changing circumstances, which are temporal. Just when we need strength the most, we seek it in other ways, but it is found in the joy. Even in daily struggles and challenges, we are so much more spiritually effective if we keep and activate that joy, knowing that God turns for good, even what the enemy meant for evil (Gen. 50:20, Rom. 8:26-28). It is in the worst of circumstances that we especially need that strength of joy for ourselves and others. Maintaining this kind of joy is a big challenge for me, but Isaiah's words teach me its importance and encourage me to keep it in mind.
The salvation and righteousness with which we have been clothed, have a rich and extensive meaning in these verses from Isaiah. Isaiah is speaking here of spiritual clothing, but that spiritual clothing can still be discerned by others. The spiritual outerwear reflects the inner condition, the working of God's salvation and righteousness within us, making it readily apparent. Scripture tells us that the wife of the Lamb is clothed in clean, bright, fine linen garments that reflect "the righteous acts of the saints" (Rev. 19:7-8).
We are familiar with the imagery of the Bridegroom and Bride as it refers to Christ and His believers or "ekklesia" church, but the image of the bridegroom here in these verses very much centers around circumcision, and the covenant it represents, and the sacrifice with which it is sealed. Paul taught that circumcision was not an outward act, but an inward condition of the heart (Rom. 2:28-29). This is where covenant with God is made and kept. Have we allowed our hearts to be circumcised in this manner? Do our lives reflect the sacrifice surrounding our covenant with our Lord and Savior? The receiving of salvation is free to us, though it was not free for Jesus to make that provision for us, but the working of it in us is accompanied by this kind of spiritual circumcision in order for it to have an effect on others.
According to the Hebrew words used in the verses from Isaiah, the bridegroom's garments express his priestly office, and his prophetic calling. Do we intercede and mediate for others, or are our "religious" duties mostly concerned with benefit to ourselves? Do we believe in the prophetic promise contained in every word of God, therefore speaking it and praying it? These are the garments we must wear to be effective in the earth, as well as in the Spirit.
In the above verses, the jewels with which the bride adorns herself are not earthly precious stones, which man would find impressive, but it refers to weaponry, tools and implements that produce a work (effect) of some kind, even a creative work. According to the meaning of the word used, the bride is adorned with temple vessels that contain sanctified elements of worship and sacrifice. Do we love the glory of jewels of honor and wealth, but fail to value the true glory of the jewels of effective, creative works produced by faith, saving many, rather than religious works of the law which are dead (James 2:14-20, Heb. 6:1)? Are we wearing temple vessels representing cleansing and sanctification? In these verses according to the Hebrew, the bride's crown, which is made of a living garland that the she wears around her head, also contains beads representing her prayers. The prayers of the righteous are effective and avail much, even saving the sick (James 5:15-16).
Isaiah wrote that the coverings put upon us by God represent the spiritual work of salvation in us that have an impact on nations and peoples even as gardens bring forth the fruit of what has been sown in them. Are we wearing the garments that have been provided for us by God, garments that impact and effect, or have we woven and worn our own idea of what the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness should look like: whitewashed and impressive to others on the outside, but inside filled with corruption (Mt. 23:26-28)?
At His death, Christ was "wrapped up"* in a garment that not only carried His image, and reflected His death and resurrection, but the garment carried the signs of His suffering on behalf of many others (Isa. 53:11). This is indeed the nature of our garment of salvation, and our robe of righteousness, but will we wear them? If we will wear them, then the nations of the earth will see, and we will be a witness and an instrument in God's desired effect upon the nations through us.

Our Father desires to cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations.