Kingdoms

The title of this week's Sabbath reading is Sh'lach L'cha, or "send for yourself". The LORD commanded Moses to send the leaders of each tribe of the children of Israel ahead into the promised land from their current camp in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh (Numbers 13 and 14). They were to spy out the land and bring back a report of what they found. The spies who were being sent from each tribe were called "leaders" (nasi/nasa - prince, chief, governor, captain, ruler/to lift, to bear up, support, sustain, forgive, to be exalted)) and "heads" (ros - chief, top of a mountain, principal, choicest, best, highest, supreme) by the LORD. These heads of the tribes that would be sent to spy, or search out the land, were not "errand boys", but the most respected men of the children of Israel. These leaders would be leaving from the current camp and setting of the tabernacle in Paran at Kadesh (Num. 13:26) to go to Canaan (Num. 13:2), the new land. If we look at the meanings of these two places, we might see the beginning of an attitude problem. Paran (pa'ar) at Kadesh, their current location, means "glorify, beautify, adorn, proud, honored" at "holy, sanctuary, sanctify, dedicate, purify". Canaan (kana) means the opposite: "traffickers, merchants, depressed, bring low, bring down, brought into subjection, humble oneself, to bend the knee". The best and the brightest were being commanded to leave their place of exaltation and sanctity, and travel to a place of subjection and humiliation. The season in which they were to make this journey was the season of the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles because it was "the season of the first ripe grapes" (v. 20). The Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles is a most joyous feast celebrating the sweetest of the harvests - the harvest of grapes, figs, pomegranates and dates, very soon followed by the harvest of ripe olives. This is what the leaders of the tribes found in the promised land of Canaan also: "Then they came to the Valley (nahal - valley, stream, flood, torrent; inheritance, possession, to bequeath) of Eschol ("cluster of grapes"), and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs." (v. 23). Again, we see the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles represented in these ripened fruits. This timing, and the evidence of abundant harvest shouldn't have been difficult for these exalted men to figure out! However, after forty days, when they returned to camp after spying out the land, they reported to the people the giant descendants of the corrupted Anakim, the strong, fortified cities, and the violent tribes of Canaan that they had seen: the Amalekites, the Hittites, the Jebusites and the Amorites (v. 27-29). These four tribes of Canaan represented evil activity. Amalekites, according to the Jewish writings from the Midrash, were sorcerers. The Hittites were descendants of Heth, son of Canaan. Heth means "terror, break in pieces, be afraid, be discouraged, break by violence, cause confusion and fear". Jebusites inhabited a territory that included what would later be called Jerusalem. The word Jebusites includes the meaning "threshing place, trodden down, polluted, loath, desecrate, trample". Finally, the Amorites, the most powerful of the tribes in Canaan, included the meaning "publicity, renown, to boast, act proudly, avow, challenge, speak, command". Their mouths were used for threats and curses. These tribes sound like the same evil that is currently occupying my land. Although Caleb, the leader of the tribe of Judah, tried to assure the children of Israel that they should go at once and take possession, "for we are well able to overcome it", ten of the twelve respected leaders who had spied out the new land gave this report: "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we...the land is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature...we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." (v. 30-33). The children of Israel cried and wept, complained against Moses, and refused to go into the land because of what had been reported to them. They even wanted to select a new leader to take them back to Egypt! (Num. 14:1-4). Another of the leaders who had spied out the land, Joshua, tried to intervene saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land which flows with milk and honey...do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them." (v. 7-9). Joshua discerned that their defence or covering had withdrawn from these tribes who practiced evil. He called them "our bread". Bread has an interesting meaning. It is the Hebrew word and root lehem/laham and means "bread, food, meat, feast, provision/make war, overcome, devoured, prevail, do battle". Jesus called Himself "the Bread which came down from heaven", and "the Bread of life" (Jn. 6:32-41). Not only is He our Bread of spiritual and natural nutrition, but from the Hebrew meaning of the word, He also is the Bread of prevailing in battles on our behalf. In this case with the words of Joshua, however, the congregation picked up stones to stone them. The glory of the LORD then appeared in the tabernacle, and the LORD was prepared to destroy the Israelites who were ready to stone His faithful servants who spoke the truth. Moses had to greatly intercede before the LORD in order to spare the people (v. 10-19). The LORD then said to Moses: "But truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD..." (v. 21). The plan of the LORD for this Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles in Numbers had been to fill the earth with His glory by overthrowing the evil powers ruling the promised land. God's people had refused to participate. However, God swore that He would do so. That was and is His purpose. This Feast of Tabernacles of this Sabbath's reading portion was about the dispossession of the kingdoms and powers of darkness, and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. When I spy out the land in which God has placed me as a physical and spiritual inheritance, am I seeing the fulfillment of the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles of grapes, pomegranates, figs, dates, and olives (oil of the Holy Spirit), the harvesting of souls for His Kingdom, and the dispossession of the kingdoms of darkness, or am I seeing and reporting the strength and evil of the enemy? The new covenant speaks to this replacement of kingdoms, and it wasn't by violent revolution against governments or people. The Lord Jesus spoke about this great change that was at hand ("Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand", Mt. 4:17), and taught His disciples how to bring about this replacement of kingdoms saying: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" (Mt. 6:9-13). Do we view the Lord's Prayer as an outline and tool to dispossess the giants, the fortified cities, and kingdoms of darkness from the land? If not, perhaps we should be taking another look at it. Paul also spoke about the dispossession of the evil kingdoms, not by natural weapons, which are completely ineffective, but by our spiritual weapons, which are mighty through God. One version of the scripture says: "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." (2 Cor. 10:4). Daniel prophesied that one of the greatest kingdoms of darkness to come that "shall devour the whole earth", will be dispossessed: "But the court (din - judgment, justice, penalty) shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him." (Dan. 7:22-27). As the LORD guaranteed Moses: "All the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. "The Book of Revelation reports the triumph of the Kingdom of God: "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Rev. 11:15). According to the scriptures, just some of the spiritual weapons we have with which to participate in this miraculous change of power are: forgiving and seeking God for and treasuring our forgiveness Mt. 6:12), our obedience (2 Cor. 10:4-6), and our salvation (Lk. 10:18-20). The remaining portions of this Sabbath's readings deal with Israel's entrance into the Promised Land, finally, forty years later, under the leadership of Joshua (Josh. 2:1-24), and the distribution of the land by allotments to the tribes of Israel (Josh. 14:6-15). The LORD also made this promise to His Son in the Psalms: "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. Ask of Me and I will give You the nations (heathen) for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession." (Ps. 2:6-8). I have to ask myself what I see and believe when I look at the land of my inheritance and possession through Christ? I will bear in mind that the kingdoms of evil ended up having an additional forty years of power in the land of covenant promise, because the Israelites did not obey the voice and the appointed time of the LORD. I want to be instead an obedient participant in the glorious deliverance and harvest work of the Lord in this time before His return. If you would like to know more about the Kingdom of God, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, through Your Son, Jesus, the Messiah, You have given us an inheritance in heaven, a harvest or ingathering for Your Kingdom, and a possession here on the earth. Through Your Word, and by Your Holy Spirit, teach me to see, believe, pray, speak and live, not according to the kingdoms of this world, but according to the Kingdom of God. Show me Your fields white with the harvest of souls in this time. Use me in a way that establishes Your Kingdom, and disposseses the kingdoms of darkness from the land. You have won the victory, as Jesus said, "...I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33). We ask these things, and bless and honor You in Jesus' holy name. AMEN."

Sanctification

This week's Sabbath reading titled B'ha'alot'cha, meaning "When you step up or go up", sent me on a journey into sanctification, and what it means in my walk as a believer in Christ. Although this reading begins in Numbers 8, the story of sanctification begins earlier. When the LORD was about to release the tenth plague upon the Egyptians, death of the firstborn in every household, He also had to set apart the firstborn of the children of Israel: "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast...Now the blood (of the lamb, see Ex. 12:7) shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." (Ex. 12:12-13). The LORD set apart from the plague, or sanctified, the firstborn of Israel by the sign of the blood of the Passover Lamb. All other firstborn in Egypt were destroyed. This plague broke the stubborn will of Pharaoh, and he let the Hebrews leave Egypt. The concept of protection through sanctification was also revealed by David in praying to the LORD concerning his enemies: "But know that the LORD has set apart (pala - sever, separated, put a difference, marked out, be distinguished from) for Himself him who is godly; the LORD will hear when I call to Him...For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." (Ps. 4:3, 8). We can also see the meaning of sanctification as protection in the new covenant as well: "...To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved (tereo -to guard from loss or injury, hold fast, keep) in Jesus Christ." (Jude 1:1). The word "sanctified" above, is the Greek word hagiazo meaning "to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify by expiation, to free from the guilt of sin, to purify internally by renewing of the soul". At its root meaning, "sanctified" has to do with celebrating, dancing, making a holiday, and keeping a feast. So we also see that keeping the feasts of the LORD is part of the sanctification, or setting apart, of His people. As we turn to Numbers 8, we will see the LORD do a new work concerning those of the firstborn of Israel who had been set apart or sanctified in Egypt. In this Sabbath reading portion, the LORD will redeem or replace with the Levites those firstborn of Israel who had been set apart in Egypt. The Levites were to be like a wave offering (v. 11) before the LORD in order to set them apart: "For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of israel. For all the firstborn...are Mine...on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself. I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel." (Num. 8:16-18). The LORD connected the original setting apart, or sanctification, of the firstborn of Israel with the time of the plague of death in Egypt. Another important point to learn about sanctification is that we are set apart, like the Levites (see v. 15), for service unto the LORD. Regarding this sanctification and service connection, Paul wrote, "Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter (dishonor), he will be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work." (2 Tim. 2:20-21). Good works unto the LORD come out of our sanctification. Like the Levites we have been offered unto the Lord in sanctification according to Paul: "...that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the Gospel of God, that the offering (consisting) of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 15:16, see also the prophecy in Isa. 66:20). Here is another point to learn about my sanctification - according to Isaiah's prophetic word, and Paul's fulfilling ministry, I was sanctified or set apart by the Holy Spirit in order to be an offering to God, as the Levites were. This holds an important meaning which we may not have considered. Paul wrote of this again in Rom. 12:1 when he told us to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (logikos latrreia - pertaining to the soul: perform sacred services and worship to God according to the sayings of God; to officiate and discharge the priest's sacred office)". As we look further into the sanctification found in this Sabbath's reading, we are told Zechariah's vision of Joshua the High Priest in Zech. 3: "...Joshua (Yehoshua - "Jehovah is Salvation") the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan (satan - adversary, withstand, resist, oppose, attack, accuse, lie in wait) was standing at his right hand to oppose (satan) him." (v. 1). The Hebrew word satan appears several times in scripture describing a lying, cursing, speaker of words of hatred without cause, rendering evil for good, not showing mercy (see Ps. 38, Ps. 109, Ps. 71, Ps. 109). Ps. 109:18-20, a Psalm of David, says, using the word satan: "As he clothed himself as cursing as with his garment, so let it enter his body like water, and like oil into his bones. Let it be to him like the garment which covers him...Let this be the LORD's reward to my accusers, and to those who speak evil against my person." So Satan is standing on Joshua the high priest's right side, and Joshua is covered in excrement-filled filthy garments (Zech. 3:3). He is wearing the garments of lying accusation and cursing that has been put upon him by Satan, as he opposed Joshua before the LORD. However, Joshua is standing before the Angel (malak - king, representative) of the LORD. This upper case title is used in reference to the pre-incarnate Messiah, Jesus Christ, who appeared throughout scripture before His physical birth. And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke (ga'ar - restrain and deter from wicked efforts) you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" (v. 2). Joshua had been set apart from those who were meant for the fire. He had been plucked out (nasal - deliver, recover, escape, take out, snatch away, rescue, preserve, deliver from sin and guilt) of it. The LORD then orders to have the filthy garments removed from Joshua, and to be clothed instead "with rich robes (mahalasot/halas - robes of state, splendid or costly garments, a garment for a special occasion/armed, army, prepared, to be equipped (for war), make strong, despoil an enemy, plunder)". (v. 4). "...and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by." (v. 5). The Angel began to admonish (ud - relieve, restore, bear witness, surround, go round and round, say again and again, testify, invoke, affirm solemnly) Joshua: "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My command, then you shall also judge My house, and likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk among these who stand here." (v. 6-7). Then the Angel of the LORD prophesied the coming of the Messiah to Joshua: "...For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH (semah - sprout, shoot (of Messiah from Davidic tree)." (v. 8). No wonder Satan had tried to oppose Joshua the high priest! He was to stand before the Angel of the LORD and receive a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah. Joshua and his companions were to be "a wondrous sign" of this prophecy (v. 8). As a high priest, Joshua would have been one who was set apart, sanctified, for his office. He stood before his Sanctifier, as the lies of Satan were rebuked from off of him. We also have been sanctified in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 1:2). The Book of Hebrews teaches us more about our sanctification: "By that we will have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all...For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren...For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Heb. 10:10, 2:11, 10:14). If you would like to know and experience more of or sanctification through Christ, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You have given Your Son as a sacrifice of sanctification for me. You have set me apart from out of the people to serve You in Your spiritual house. You have rebuked Satan, removed my filthy garments, and clothed me in rich robes of office. You, the LORD who chooses Jerusalem, have sanctified me for a wondrous sign of the appearance of Your Servant, the BRANCH of David, Jesus. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and Your Word, so that I can learn to walk in Your sanctification. I ask these things in the name of my Sanctifier, Jesus, AMEN."

Naso

This week's Sabbath reading is titled Naso, or "Elevate!". The meaning of naso in English is "to elevate, lift up, to take a census or a sum, a measure of elevation". In this Sabbath reading, the LORD will give us a look into both His priesthood and kings, and their important role in the command to "Elevate!" the people of God. As we carry on church "life as usual", we have perhaps forgotten the root of our calling from the Torah. We also have been called to be a spiritual priesthood and kingship before God (1 Pet. 2:9-10, Rev. 1:4-6, Rev. 5:9-10). In this Sabbath reading, Aaron, Moses' brother, is serving as the high priest, and his sons are assisting him. His service in the Tabernacle deals with intercession and sin, trespass, peace and atonement sacrifices to God. On only one occasion, told to us in Numbers 6, did God give Aaron a command through Moses regarding what Aaron must speak to the children of Israel: "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons saying, "This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: The LORD bless (barak - bless, kneel, adore) you and keep (samar - guard, give heed to, keep watch, save life, to hedge about) you; The LORD make His face shine (or - light, enlighten, glorious, to make shine, kindle) upon you, and be gracious (hanan - show favor, have mercy, to bend in kindness to; to camp, dwell, pitch a tent) to you; The LORD lift up (nasa - lift up, carry away, forgive, exalt, assist, bear continuously, desire, armor, marry) His countenance upon you, and give you peace (salom/salam - peace, welfare, prosperity, health, safety, completeness, contentment, friendship in covenant relationship with God/recompense, reward, restore, repay, restitution, full, to be finished, completed, be uninjured, perfect, to be whole).' So they shall put My name (sem - name, fame, reputation, glory, authority, character, definite position, sign, mark) on the children of Israel, and I will bless them." (Num.6:22-27). This blessing to be said by Aaron to the children of Israel placed God's name upon the people, and accomplished much in the Spirit, as we can see from the word meanings. This blessing was meant to build something prophetically within the people of God, as well as supply their immediate and natural needs. This blessing, as we can see from the word meanings, immediately brings to mind those things that are found in the Person of the Messiah, Jesus: light, forgiveness, mercy, completion, perfection, wholeness, being carried away, marriage, reward. So the prophetic promise of the Messiah is also being embedded in the people through this blessing. The people didn't have to earn or deserve this blessing. It was an obligation of the priesthood to say it as commanded by God. This blessing marked the difference between the people of God and all others. Do we, the priests of the New Covenant, understand and perform this commandment of God? In another portion from this Sabbath's "Elevate!" reading in 2 Chronicles 6, we are given a kingly example of the command Naso, or to "elevate" God's people. God has placed before us in this portion, one of the most glorious and renowned of the kings of Israel, Solomon, the son of David. His glory was so far above all other kings, that Jesus used him as an example of glory in His teaching: "...Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field...will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Mt. 6:28-30). In our Sabbath reading for this week in 2 Chronicles 6, the Temple of God has just been completed in Jerusalem. It was a luxurious and glorious temple, and King Solomon is leading its dedication. All Israel was assembled before him as he stood on a platform that had been built before the bronze altar of the LORD so that all of Israel could see him: "...and he stood on it, knelt down on his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven." (2 Chron. 6:12-13). When is the last time we saw a king, or any governmental authority, kneel down, raise his hands towards heaven and pray? As kings before God, which we are according to scripture, when was the last time that we knelt down, and raised our hands to heaven to pray? What did Solomon pray to God about in the dedication of this temple? He asked the LORD to make this temple a place where God's people could pray, confess His name (v. 26), and come to Him for forgiveness (v. 21, 29-30)...a place where the land could be healed as a result of the repentance of God's people (see 7:14). Not only did Solomon pray for such a house of God for the people of Israel, but for any foreigner who would come because they believed the name of the God of Israel (v. 32-33). When Solomon finished praaying, "fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple." (7:1). Because of the presence of the glory of God, the priests could not enter the LORD's house (7:2). The Prophet Isaiah confirmed Solomon's prayer calling God's house a house of prayer for all nations (Isa. 56:7). Jesus confirmed the Law and the Prophets by calling the House or Temple of God to be a house of prayer for all nations (Mk. 11:15-17, Mt. 21:12-14). As the living, spiritual temple of God, we also are a house of prayer for all nations, as we have been redeemed and called "out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation." (Rev. 5:9-10). As we saw what happened when Solomon prayed, amazing things happen when "kings" humbly and sincerely pray. Our modern politicians, even those who proclaim faith, do not pray publicly. However, there was a speech given by Ronald Reagan on February 6, 1986, that came very close, and which brings to mind the great prayer of King Solomon, and the priestly blessing of Aaron that we read above. This is an excerpt from that speech: "...We also have His (God's) promise that we could take to heart with regard to our country, that 'If My people, which are called by My name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.' Let us, young and old, join together...in humble heartfelt prayer. Let us do so for the love of God and His great goodness, in search of His guidance and the grace of repentance, in seeking His blessings, His peace, and the resting of His kind and holy hands on ourselves, our nation, our friends...and all mankind, now and always. The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America...Our country is in need of and ready for a spiritual renewal. Today, we utter no prayer more fervently than the ancient prayer for peace on earth. If I had a prayer for you today...it is that one we're so familiar with: 'The LORD bless you and keep you, the LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace...'. And God bles you all." If you would like to know more about our calling as priests and kings, which Christ has made us, you can pray with me: "Lord Jesus, You have appointed us to minister before God and man as Your priests and kings. By doing so, we speak "naso", elevation to man, and glory to God our Father in Your name. Fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we can fulfill this important spiritual assignment, not by the agendas of man, but by the command of God, and these precious examples given to us from God in His Word. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Changed

This is the Sabbath before the Feast of Shavuot or Pentecost. This feast, as interpreted by Jewish teaching, is about the wedding of God to Israel in the giving of the Torah, or the Word of God, on Mt. Sinai (sinay - "thorny"). Shavuot occurs fifty days after Passover. The time in between Passover and Shavuot then, is considered a time of preparation for this marriage to God according to rabbinical teaching. All of the feasts of the LORD can be connected in meaning to a marriage, at least partially. For the church, Pentecost was fulfilled by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as we read in Acts Ch. 2. Jesus referred to the promise of this outpouring of power (see Lk. 24:49), which was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room. He told His disciples to tarry or wait in Jerusalem until this occurred after His death and resurrection. The title of this Sabbath's reading is B'midbar, meaning "in the wilderness". "Wilderness" sometimes has a negative meaning to us, but it can also mean "pasture". As the Sabbath reading begins in Numbers Ch. 1, the LORD gives us a hint that something special is about to occur. The scripture says: "Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt..." (Num. 1:1). The word meaning "second" in Hebrew is the word seni/sana. It means with its root "to do again, to change, altar, transmute, to be other". There is to be a change or transmutation accomplished in God's people. The mention that it is "the first day", or echad in Hebrew, means "joined in one, united, as one man; go one way or the other, to become unified". This changing work that will occur will join something together in one. Moses is commanded by God to count all in Israel over the age of twenty "by their families, by their fathers' houses... every male individually, from twenty years old and above - all who are able to go to war in Israel. God is establishing an army here, and this army will be identified by their fathers' names. The head of each named household was called to stand with Moses and Aaron while this is accomplished (Num. 1:4-16). The children of Israel spent over four hundred years in slavery in Egypt. During that time, they seemed to have lost the knowledge of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and knew only Egyptian gods. Not only did the LORD have to identify Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:6), but Moses asked the LORD His name so he could tell the children of Israel, who didn't know Him (Ex. 3:13-16). However, during the beginning of the second year after deliverance from Egypt, the men whom God specifically called to stand with Moses and Aaron during the census had names that gave the revelation of God. Some of their names, and their fathers' names, translated into English were: "My God is a Rock", My Rock is Almighty God", "My God is Father", "My Kinsman is Majesty", My Kinsman is Almighty", "The Rock has ransomed/redeemed", "My Father is Judge/Contender". Interestingly, there is one among these, the last one named, whose name means "My brother is evil, malignant". Could this last named person, Ahira in Hebrew, be a prophecy of Judas Iscariot? He represented the tribe, Naphtali, whose name means "wrestling, froward, unsavory, to be twisted". After these men came forth, who were to be heads of their tribes, the LORD had the people do something unusual: "...and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they recited their ancestry by families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, each one individually." (Num. 1:18-44). This naming of genealogies is also mentioned as one of the traditions in the ancient Jewish marriage ritual. Even in more modern Jewish marriages, a short genealogy is recited. According to one source (not from scripture): "The souls of ancestors from three generations back descend from the world of truth and attend (the marriage). Even further removed generations are present." The Gospels open with the genealogy of Jesus. Not just back to David, as would be necessary for the identity of the Messiah, but back to Abraham (Mt. 1:1-17), and to "...Adam, the son of God" (Lk. 3:23-38). Was Jesus, the Word of God, reciting His genealogy not just to justify His identity as Messiah, but to fulfill the custom established by God at Mt. Sinai in the wilderness regarding the marriage of the Son? After all, Jesus told us that He only did what He saw His Father doing. Hebrews 12:1 also points out that we are surrounded (have around one) by a great cloud of witnesses, these witnesses are not of our flesh genealogy, but of fathers of faith according to Hebrews 11. Could this also be a part of our marriage relationship with Christ, as it follows the Jewish traditions? Let me add here another interesting "wedding fact": The Jewish wedding ritual can also include the groom's washing of his bride's feet. In scripture, on the night of the Last Supper with Christ and His disciples, which was a Passover Seder, Peter tried to stop Jesus from washing his feet after supper. Jesus said to Peter in part, "If I do not wash you, you have no part (meros - share, allotment, portion) of Me." (see Jn. 13:3-10). In another part of this Sabbath's reading from Hosea 2, the LORD describes how, as a result of Israel's spiritual adulteries, He will say to her, "...she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband!" (Hos. 2:1-2). An interesting way to look at this statement by God that we may not have considered is the possibility that this statement is not an utter rejection of Israel as it might sound, but a mercy against the death sentence of adultery. The Jewish divorce, or "get", similarly declares that the wife is free from the marriage, free to marry another, and the laws of adultery no loner apply. In this same chapter of Hosea, the LORD assured us that He was NOT done with Israel, but would get Israel back in marriage: "Therefore behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort (leb - heart, soul, understanding, wisdom, memory, kindly) to her. I will give her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor (trouble; a place of stoning) as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. And it shall be in that day, says the LORD, that you will call Me 'my Husband', and no longer call Me 'my Master',...I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving-kindness and mercy...in faithfulness, and you shall know the LORD." (Hos. 2:14-20). As we read in Numbers 1, although Jewish tradition teaches that God married Israel at Mt. Sinai, and the scripture language bears that out, the people were numbered in order to form armies. When Hebrews 12 spoke about the great cloud of witnesses around us, it was for the purpose of laying aside sin, and "running the race (agon - contest, battle) set before us". Whether we speak of Israel's marriage to God, or the Church's marriage to Christ, warfare and battles will be involved, just as there is great warfare against marriage here on earth in the natural. God's marriage with His people in the second month, in the second year, and our marriage with our Bridegroom, Jesus, initiates a great change and transformation in our lives. The timing of the Feasts, with Shavuot or Pentecost approaching, allows us a time of preparation, as a betrothed prepares (hetoimazo - prepare, level the roads for a coming king, prepare minds of men to give the Messiah a fit reception, to receive one who is coming) for the upcoming wedding (Rev. 19:7-9). The great spiritual outpouring of Pentecost also endues us with power from on high to be the army of God. If you would like to know more about, and be prepared for, the soon marriage of the Lamb to His wife, you can pray with me: "Lord Jesus, I believe that You died and rose from the dead for me. I believe You sacrificed Yourself to cover my sins. Forgive me and keep me in Your Word and Spirit. Pour out Your Spirit upon Your people and teach me to prepare for Your soon return, and the marriage of the Lamb and His Bride. Teach me to walk with You, the Father and the Holy Spirit with faithfulness, in faith, and the righteousness of the saints. You are the faithful Husband returning for His spotless Bride. I thank You and ask these things in Your name. AMEN."

Statutes

This week's Sabbath reading portion is called B'chukkotai meaning "In My statutes" in English. In Leviticus 26, the LORD's Word to Moses to deliver to the children of Israel includes, "If you walk (yalak - proceed, manner of life, to live, to die) in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them..." (Lev. 26:3). The LORD then describes all of the blessings that will fill the land as a result of walking in His statutes: "I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit...you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely...I will give peace in the land...none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts...." (v. 4-6). I would like to interrupt the listing of blessings to look more closely at the phrase "I will rid the land of evil beasts". The word "rid" is the Hebrew word sabat, which has to do with the Sabbath. It is the part of the meaning of the Sabbath that has to do with warfare, and means "to cease, away, remove, exterminate, destroy" (see last week's entry below this one titled "Jubilee" for more information regarding the Sabbath). The word "beasts" is the Hebrew word hay/haya which means alive, living thing, creature/to revive, quicken, save, life, recover, to live prosperously, restore to life". It is a powerful word. It is used in these examples from scripture: "O LORD, you brought my soul up from the grave; You hae kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit." (Ps. 30:3). And, "The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth." (Ps. 41:2). The word "evil" used in the phrase is the Hebrew word ra, which means "evil, trouble, wickedness, afflictions, mischief, adversity, harm, distress, injury, calamity, grief, hurt, sadness, to break". So God will exterminate all of the evil that works the opposite of life, and restored life, as defined above. The list of blessings that result from observing God's statutes continues: "...the sword will not go through your land...your enemies shall fall by the sword before you...I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm (qum - to raise up, rise up, arise, accomplish, bring (come) on the scene) My covenant with you...I will set My tabernacle among you...My soul shall not abhor you...I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people..." (Lev. 26:6-12). There is also another promise in v. 10 about clearing out the old harvest because of the new. However, in the Hebrew word meanings, there is a much deeper thing going on: "the slack and sleeping will be brought out, will come out, in the face of, in the presence of, a new, unheard of thing, having been renewed, repaired, and made anew". To me, this brings to mind the scripture: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Cor. 5:17). As we can see, the resulting blessings from walking (see above) in the statutes of God are many and deep in meaning. The statutes are are manner of life, for a whole lifetime. Couldn't our nation and our people benefit from the beautiful blessings above that come from walking and living in the statutes of God, especially in these troubling times? We often think of the LORD's statutes as a set of rules. It is a good time to find out that the meaning of "statute" in Hebrew is more encompassing than our initial impression. The word for "statute" in Hebrew is huqqa, which, including its root word, means "that which is established or defined, limit, boundary, appointed, to cut into, engrave, stamp violently, encounter violently". The statutes are like an appointed boundary line violently cut into the spiritual ground. Something exists on one side of that boundary line, while something else exists on the other side of the line. The individual pictographic Hebrew letters of the word, cheth, qoph and heh, which make up the word huqqa, or statute, also combine to form a similar meaning: Behold the revelation -to be cut off, separated, fenced and protected from the past, from what is behind. Walking in the statutes of God keeps us within a spiritually protected area. Adam and Eve had dwelled within a fenced or enclosed garden that we call the Garden of Eden. When they broke the statute of God, they ended up forced out of that protected area (Gen. 3:23-24), and became subject to "the manner of life" that existed beyond that boundary - sweat, hardship, troubles, pain and ultimately, death (Gen. 3:16-19). At that point, all the LORD could do for them after they broke the statute was to send them out with one of the greatest promises in scripture, a promise of restoration through the Messiah to come (Gen. 3:14-15). As part of that promise, God also clothed the old or fallen man with tunics of sacrificed life (Gen. 3:21). Proverbs 30:5 says, "Every word of God is pure (sarap - tested and proved true, refined like gold); He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him." The tried and proven nature of the Word of God is a shield of protection for us. Even in trials and trouble, it is still fencing and drawing the line of separation that sets a boundary. Regarding the written statutes of God, Jeremiah received an amazing prophetic Word from the LORD: "Behold the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant I made with their fathers...My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them...But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts (inward parts); and I will be their God, and they shall be My people...I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jer. 31:31-34). A time would come, prophesied by the LORD, when His statutes would be internalized within His people, not just to be read only, but "to become" within us. Although it is a powerful prophecy, I doubt that it was received enthusiastically by the religious minds of the time. Perhaps they said, "A new covenant? We like the old one! What kind of blasphemy is this?" Jeremiah was not popular even before he gave this specific Word of prophecy - he spent a lot of time in prisons and pits! However, the LORD proved Jeremiah to be a true prophet by fulfilling the prophecies He gave to him. We will see the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy of a new covenant, this internalizing of the statutes of God, and the continuing spiritual boundary line or fence of protection from the past things that they provide. As Jesus brought the new covenant to us in His blood (Lk. 22:15, 19-20), He was identified as the Word of God that became flesh (Jn. 1:1-3, 14). He said that He did not come to destroy (katalyo - dissolve, disunite (what has been joined together), overthrow, deprive of success) the law and the prophets but to fulfill them (pleroo - to cause to abound, to consummate, to complete in every particular, to carry through to the end, to bring to realization) (see Mt. 5:17-19). This is how Jesus described how He would accomplish that by saying, "He who has sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him...I do nothing of Myself: but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things...If you abide (meno - not to depart, remain in a place, stay, live, dwell, not to become another or different) in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free...Most assuredly I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death...I do know Him (the Father) and keep His word." (Jn. 8:26, 28, 31-32, 51, 55). Jesus urged His disciples to remain in the Word which He had delivered to them from His Father in Heaven. Jesus also said, "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me and I in you...He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing...If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit..." (Jn. 15:3-8, excerpt). We see again clearly the role that the Word of God, in Christ, in us, changes life. Before His arrest and death, Jesus prayed to His Father concerning God's Word and His disciples then, and those who would become His disciples in future generations: "I have given them Your word...Sanctify (hageeadzo - to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to make holy, purify by expiation, purify by renewing of the soul) them by Your truth. Your word is truth." (Jn. 17:14, 17). Here the work of truth, which is the Word of God, acts as a separating or dividing force that purifies and renews. Through this new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah, and fulfilled in Christ, where the LORD places His Word in our inward parts, the statutes of God have gone from being the letter on the page to being a life giving Spirit in us, as Paul wrote (2 Cor. 3:6-9). Now it is written of us: "...clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that it, of the heart." (2 Cor. 3:3). We can see the progression of the statutes of God as He promised. They have gone from stone to living hearts as we abide in Christ. If you would like to learn more about being an epistle of Christ, you can pray with me: "Lord Jesus, I pray that the Word of God, the statutes of God, are written in my heart, and incorporated in my life in a way that all men may read them. By the Holy Spirit, I want to abide in Your Word, the same Word of the Father, that it may become abundant and everlasting life in me and others. You sanctify me in the Word and statutes of God because they are truth. I believe and receive this in Your holy name, Jesus, AMEN."

Jubilee

It is a special Sabbath this week because it is also the Second Passover* for those who had been unable to participate in the Passover - those who were unclean from handling the dead, those who had been far away on a journey. This aldo applies to the stranger in the midst of God's people. The Second Passover is to be observed exactly one month after the Passover (Num. 9:6-12, 2 Chron. 30:1-3). This weekend will also show unusual signs in the heavens as we have a special blood moon/lunar eclipse event. The Sabbath reading for this week is titled B'har, or "On the mount", because it starts with the LORD giving commands to Moses while he was on Mount Sinai with God (Leviticus 25). The individual Hebrew letters that make up the word B'har have the meaning "the house of the revelation of the Highest". What is this revelation of the Highest in this reading portion? This chapter opens with the spiritual power and blessing of the Sabbath. Throughout the Books of the Torah, the LORD repeatedly gave commands regarding the Sabbath. We can see in this chapter of Leviticus that the Sabbath is a beginning or foundational step leading up to something. There is a progression that leads to one of the great promises of God: the promise of Jubilee. Before discussing the LORD's Jubilee, we need to look at the progression of Sabbaths that lead to it. The Sabbath refers to the number seven, and is assigned to the seventh day. We first see a reference to the Sabbath as God completed His creation in Genesis Chaapter 1, and it is written: "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host (saba/i> - war, battle, appointed time, warfare, soldiers, go out to war, a campaign of war, organized for a war, waiting upon war) of them, were finished (kala - accomplished, done, determined, ended, fulfilled, prepared, made ready for; also meaning to destroy, exterminate, perish). And on the seventh day God ended (kala - same as above) His work which He had done, and He rested (sabat - cease, celebrate, put an end to, to exterminate, destroy, remove) on the seventh day from all His work (melaka/malak - labor, work prescribed, service; messenger, dispatch as a deputy, representative, embassador, angel (incl. prophet, priest, teacher), king, one sent) which He had done. Then God blessed (barak - praised, kneel down, adored, kneel as an act of adoration, thank) the seventh day and sanctified it (qadas - sanctify, hallow, appointed, purified, honored, sacred, conecrated, observed as holy), because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." (Gen. 2:1-3). In verse four, we see that all history, or generations (toldot/yalad - generations, birth, descendants, geneologies, course of history; beget, travail, labor, midwife, to show lineage, declare pedigree), was encapsulated in this completion of creation before man was made. As we can see from the meanings in the above verses, before man and religion got a hold of the Sabbath, it was God's very powerful provision and plan. The concept of the Sabbath is not just about a day of rest, and the religious rules that accompany it. God had not only completed everything pertaining to creation, but had set up a pre-planned military campaign of extermination, destruction and removal (of enemies) within that creation process. Within this period of creation as we can see from the meanings above, He also designated messengers, deputies, angels, prophets, priests, teachers, and kings. We can also say that included in these deputies to generations not yet born the ordination of the ultimate Deputy-Prophet-Priest-King, Jesus, was also accomplished. It is revealed that Christ was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8, 1 Peter 1:20). The Sabbath was so fundamentally important to God, man, and all creation, that God declared it blessed and sanctified. It is so glorious that it deserved to be honored and observed by kneeling in adoration. In the midst of His commandments to Israel, God said, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." It is, He said, "...the Sabbath of the LORD your God..." (Ex. 20:8-11). Before commanding all of the Feasts of the LORD, the LORD said this first: "The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations. these are My feasts. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings." (Lev. 23:1-3). Before any of the other feasts were introduced, the Sabbath was announced as a holy convocation, just as the feasts were (v. 4), and the Sabbath is incorporated in some way into every feast. Jesus brought revelation regarding the meaning of the Sabbath, and scripture describes seven miracle works of mercy and healing that Jesus performed on Sabbaths. Each time He did so, He was criticised and condemned for these works, because, to the religious mind, no work was to be done on the Sabbath, even if they are miracles! However, Jesus revealed that the works that He was doing were the works that His Father was also doing (Jn. 5:16-20). Jesus even included the resurrection of the dead as one of His Father's Sabbath works (v. 21). Jesus said that as a result of the Sabbath work of His Father, and the Son, Himself: "Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." (v. 24). This last statement was part of the Sabbath discourse which Jesus gave in John 5. Jesus said that the Sabbath is very much a part of His identity, and ours also, as He revealed that the Sabbath was made for man, and He is Lord of the Sabbath (Mt. 12:1-8, Mk. 2:23-28, Lk. 6:1-5). We must understand what the creation of the Sabbath encompassed in order to understand the progression to Jubilee. In the next step in the progression of the plan of God found in the Sabbath, the LORD commanded not just a Sabbath day in each week, but Sabbath years. A Sabbath year was to be observed every seventh year. This seventh year Sabbath was called the Shemitah: "...the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard." (Lev. 25:2-4). Now we have received the command that time in the land was to be marked in seven year increments, with the seventh year being separated from the rest as the Shemitah year. Many world-impacting events have occurred in Shemitah years, including the attack on the World Trade Center, and various economic and political upheavals. One prophecy in scripture that would determine the length of exile in Babylon for God's people was measured in multiples of Shemitah years that had not been observed in the land, seven years times ten in this case, or seventy years (see 2 Chron. 36:20-21, Jer. 25:11-12, Jer. 29:10). This measurement of Shemitah years prophesied by Jeremiah led to one of the most important Messianic prophecies in scripture. The ten Shemitah years of Jeremiah were further revealed later by God to the prophet Daniel as a timetable concerning the death of the Messiah and End Time events that would follow. This timetable also included warfare to come, as shown in the meaning of Gen. 2:1, above. Daniel was given the timetable of seventy prophetic weeks, The Messiah would be "cut off" or killed after 62 "weeks" of the timetable (see Daniel 9:1-3, 21-27). The revelation of the prophetic timetable was brought to Daniel by a deputy or messenger of the LORD in the form of an angel, as we saw in the meaning of "work" in the Genesis verses above. So now we have been given a timetable of events based on the principle of the Sabbath and the progression to the Shemitah (Sabbath year). From the introduction of the principle of Sabbath or Shemitah years, we progress to the Jubilee. The Jubilee year is the 50th year that begins after the completion of seven Shemitah or Sabbath years, which total 49 years: "And you shall count seven sabbaths of years, seven times seven years for yourselves...forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet (sopar - as incising: to cut or divide the surface of anything, to carve, engrave; beautiful, glisten, bright) of Jubilee to sound...on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land." (Lev. 25:8-9). It is a shout and a trumpet call that acts to cut and divide something open, like the heavens, to cause to be beautiful and to glisten. The shout and voice of an archangel, and the trumpet blast found in the meanings above are also found in scripture regarding the resurrection of the dead in Christ, and the catching away of the living believers which is known to some as The Rapture (1 Thess. 4:14-18). Because it is a vital moment in the plan of God, could the resurrection and Rapture of the believers also be embedded in the nature of the Sabbath? There is a divine "work" built into creation, and timed to be accomplished and completed through the forty-nine years, and upon its completion, the Jubilee is accomplished in the fiftieth year. The Jubilee is an event by which economics, including debt and servitude, is turned upside down. All debt is forgiven and all properties are restored to their original owners. Imagine the overturning of circumstances and finances this entails! No wonder Israel stopped observing Jubilees, but the LORD hasn't stopped observing them. In the Book of Revelation, the corrupt world economic system of great riches is overturned in a day, even in an hour. All of the merchants and kings of the earth at that time will weep at what seems to be a terrible calamity to them (Rev. 18:8-19). However, while viewed by those who were enriched by this corrupt and bloodthirsty system as a tragedy, in heaven, there will be great rejoicing as apostles and prophets, who were persecuted to death by this world system, are avenged by God (v. 20). It wouldn't surprise me to find out in the future fulfillment of this prophetic Word from Revelation, that this great overturning and destruction was fulfilled in a Jubilee year. The word Jubilee is terua in Hebrew, and it means "to shout, sound, alarm, blast and clangor of trumpets, clamor, loud noise, battle cry, joy, shout in triumph over enemies". The Jubilee is revolution and victory in spiritual and natural warfare, and against unjust worldly systems that will persecute the people of God in the End Times before Christ's return. It is restoration and justice for those who have lost all. The individual Hebrew letters that make up terua, or Jubilee, could also shout: "Behold the cross and nail of the Highest". It is no surprise then that this fiftieth victory year of the Jubilee begins on the Day of Atonement, also which our High Priest, Jesus, fulfilled with His own blood poured upon the Mercy Seat in heaven on our behalf (Heb. 9:11-12). Both Jewish and Gentile worshippers need to understand that the Sabbath means more than a weekly religious observance, especially as we see the prophetic "seventy weeks" of Daniel's timetable playing out. The Sabbath means more than "rest". As Jesus told us, His Father is still working, so He is working, doing the healing and deliverance works of His Father especially on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is one of the important building blocks of the Kingdom of God. The progression and timetable created from Sabbaths, Shemitahs, multiple Shemitahs, and Jubilees is irrevocable, commanded by God to all generations, and has been set into place since the creation, if not before creation (see Rev.13:8). If you would like to know more about the Lord of the Sabbath, you can pray with me: "Father, You established Your law of the Sabbath in Your plan for man and all of creation. You blessed and sanctified it, and it endures throughout all generations. Generations and history follow the timetable of the Sabbath, the Shemitah, and the Jubilee. Your Son, the Messiah, Jesus, is the Lord of the Sabbath, and taught us that the Sabbath is more than religious rules, but it is the manifestation of the Father's works of deliverance. I accept the Lord of the Sabbath as my Lord. Your Atonement blood cleansed me of sin, and restored me in Jubilee restoration. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can learn, understand, and walk in Your ways. I ask this in Jesus' name, AMEN." *Special thanks to JP and FB for contributing information on the Second Passover and upcoming celestial signs.

Zadok

In this Sabbath's reading portion titled Emor, or "Say", most of the Feasts of the LORD are given to Moses in Leviticus 23 for the people to observe throughout their generations. A study of these Feasts reveals the prophetic Person, promise and timetable of Christ, just as the pattern of the Tabernacle also declared the promise of Christ. The Hebrew word for "feast" used in Leviticus 23 is moed, and the root word is ya'ad. The meanings of these two Hebrew words are very important to all of the people of God. The meaning includes: "appointed time, appointed season, appointed sign or signal, a fixed time, a point of time, assembly; betrothed, engaged for marriage, to espouse". As the Bride of Christ, paying attention to the appointed times and seasons that have been encased in the Feasts of the LORD is very important. The meanings of the individual pictographic Hebrew letters that make up the word for "feast", moed, when put together could be saying to us "the mighty stream of blood from the nail inescapably pulls us on a journey toward a destination, a righteous harvest, like a movement or a path entering through a door or curtain". Christ described Himself as the Door for the sheep, His followers, to enter into the pasture of salvation (Jn. 10:1-9). He is also the Door or Curtain by which we may enter into the Holiest Place to the Mercy Seat, which is considered in Jewish tradition to be the Throne of God (Heb. 10:19-23). These Feasts bring us on a set journey from beginning to the end on the path to and with the Lamb of God, our Betrothed (Rev. 19:7-9). Not only are the Feasts a path, but they are a set timeline according to the meanings of the words. They play a significant part in our understanding of the plan of God for all of us. Currently, at this time of year, we are in the middle of the spring feasts. Part of this Sabbath's reading that includes the Feasts of the LORD, is also an unusual vision from the Prophet Ezekiel. The prophet had just given a very detailed vision of a temple that had not yet been built (Ezek. Ch. 40-43). Ezekiel saw the glory of the LORD enter the temple from the eastern gate of Jerusalem in this vision, and heard a voice say, "Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet (see also Zech. 14:3-4), where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever..." (Ezek. 43:7). This temple of Ezekiel's vision is sometimes referred to as "the third temple", and many expect this temple to be built in these end times. Jewish tradition states that the Messiah will enter through the eastern gate when He comes because of the prophecy of Zechariah noted above. At the same time, Ezekiel also received the Word of the LORD concerning a revolutionary change in the priesthood that would serve Him in this prophesied temple. The Levites will no longer be accepted to minister before the LORD, and will only be allowed to minister in the outer courts. This is because they had previously led the people away from the LORD and into idol worship: "...And they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place; but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed." (Ezek. 44:10-13). There was only one branch of the Levites that would be allowed to minister before God, in this new priesthood that Ezekiel saw, which were to be the sons of Zadok: "But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood,' says the Lord God. 'They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge." (Ezek. 44:15-16). The "Lord" who is speaking here about His Zadok priesthood is called Adonay in Hebrew. The meaning of Adonay/Adon includes, "Lord, Master, king, husband, prophet, prince, captain". The Hebrew letters that make up the name Adonay, when put together, mean: "the powerful authority of the First, who is the Door, the Way, the Son, the Offspring, the Seed, the Heir to the throne, whose hand accomplished the finished work" (see also Jn. 17:4, Jn. 19:28-30). This priesthood spoken of by Ezekiel as declared prophetically by Adonay, the Lord, will consist only of the sons or descendants of Zadok. Let us look at who Zadok was, who lived generations before this vision was given to Ezekiel. Zadok was a priest who remained faithful to King David when many others were conspiring with David's son, Absalom, the counterfeit heir, to depose the king (2 Sam. 15:23-24). King David had previously received the prophetic promise that the Messiah would be his future descendant (2 Sam. 8:12-18). Not only did Zadok remain faithful to David, and willing to follow him into exile, but he would also play a role in the king's future return: "The king also said to Zadok the priest, 'Are you not a seer (prophet)? ...See, I will wait/tarry/delay in the plains (crossing place, cause to bring over) of the wilderness (pasture for feeding flocks) until word comes from you to inform/certify (declare, utter, show forth, make known, profess openly, proclaim, bring into sight, proclaim and celebrate with praise) me." (v. 27-30). When the time came for King David's return, he sent a message to Zadok to bring to all of Judah: "You are my brethren, you are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?". This touched the hearts of all the men of Judah, who sent word to the king, "Return, you and all your servants." (see 2 Sam. 19:11-14). This is also the role that we have in the return of Jesus, "the Root and the Offspring of David". As Zadok asked the question of Judah, are we, Christ's brethren of His blood, the last to bring back the King? This should not be so. We, the Bride, are to join the Holy Spirit, not just in waiting for Christ's return, but in saying "Come", or erchomai in Greek, which means "to come forth from one place to another, used of those arriving or returning" (see Rev. 22:16-17, 20). The verse tells us to "say" this, but the meaning in Greek, lego, is much stronger. It means "to speak, affirm, maintain, teach, exhort, advise, to command, to call by name". Like Zadok, we have been given the responsibility by the King to exhort all of Judah, "the people of praise", to speak the command for Him to "Return" or "Come". Zadok's name in Hebrew means "to be just, be righteous, to be justified, make someone righteous, turn to righteousness". Daniel described God's people in the latter days or end times as "those who turn many to righteousness". The Zadok priesthood, which would be the descendants of Zadok as prophesied by Adonay, the Lord, in Ezekiel's vision, would have this calling also: They were to be clothed in linen (Ezek 44:17, Rev. 19:8). They will teach the people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and between the unclean and the clean (v. 23, Dan. 11:33). They shall stand as judges in controversies (v. 24, 1 Cor. 6:3-6). They shall keep the Lord's statutes, the appointed feasts, and hallow the Sabbath (v. 24, Jn. 8:31, Jn. 14:15, Jn. 15:10, Mt. 5:17-20, Mt. 12:8). The Lord, Adonay, also said that He is the Zadok priests' inheritance, and their possession (v. 28, Eph. 1:10-14), and they were to have no other inheritance in the earth. These priests were to have the first, best, or most chief, the head of the firstfruits offering (v. 30, 1 Cor. 15:20-23, Rom. 8:29). We also have been called to a priesthood, which Peter calls "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9-10), that requires something of us. I found that this week's Sabbath reading titled Emor, or "Say", contains so many parallels with our walk with Christ, and a timely message for the believers in Christ pertaining to our ministry or purpose on earth in these times. If you would like to learn more about these things, you can pray with me: "Lord Jesus, You show and teach us things in Your Word to guide us through these challenging days before Your return. Prepare us by Your Holy Spirit, and sanctify us by Your Word, to walk in the priesthood to which You have called us, and to minister Your salvation to all creation. We join with the Spirit, and exhort all, both Jewish and Gentile, to send this imperative word to our King of Kings, Jesus: "Come!". We ask and speak these things in the Name of Jesus. AMEN."