The prior post was about the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) which is celebrated (according to Biblical account) on the 10th day of the seventh month - this has now become the "first month" on the Jewish calendar. This post is about the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) which begins on the 15th day of the seventh month and runs for eight days. The instruction relating to the Feast of Tabernacles can be found in Leviticus 23:34-43:
"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord.
Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."
The Feast of Tabernacles is a special time for me. It is when I celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The reason for this being such: to me, "dwelling in a tabernacle" means to live in this mortal flesh body. Jesus Christ came to dwell in a mortal body in order to set us free from the bondage of sin (the word "Egypt" is from the root "bondage" in Hebrew) by His death on the cross. Also, in John 1:14, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." The word "dwelt" is the Greek word "skenoo" which literally means "to build a tabernacle". This word is only ever used by John and is used once in this reference and four other times in the Book of Revelation. Therefore, if Jesus was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, then His birth would be on the first sabbath of the feast, and His circumcision (dedication to God) would be on the second sabbath of the feast. Two times to celebrate in the feast week.
I also love the image of the trees in the feast week. Trees are symbolic of the spiritual body - they (figuratively) live for ever. God calls Himself a "green fir tree" (which is ever green) in Hosea 14:8. There were many trees in the Garden of Eden, one of which was the Tree of Life - Who is Jesus Christ. (Ezekiel 31 also describes the story of the trees in the Garden of Eden.) So the imagery of the trees waving their boughs in celebration reminds me of two very happy celebrations in the Bible. The first is described by Isaiah: "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands (Isaiah 55:12)." The second is known as the "triumphal entry" of Jesus Christ, or "Palm Sunday", when He came to Jerusalem shortly before His crucifixion (as described in Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John 12). Granted, the triumphal entry did not occur during the Feast of Tabernacles, but the imagery is the same. This is where the crowds carpeted the way for Jesus' entry into the city by throwing down their clothes and also branches from the nearby palm trees and shouted, "Hosanna!" (which is Hebrew for "Save us now!") and, "Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord!"... both of these sayings being found in Psalm 118.
Beautiful imagery for the Feast of Tabernacles, and truly a time to celebrate when the Word of God came and tabernacled with us. God bless.
Showing posts with label Garden of Eden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Garden of Eden. Show all posts
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Monday, 12 September 2011
Be of Good Cheer; I Have Overcome the World...
Jesus says to His disciples in John 16:33, "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." And it's true - His death on the cross was the price paid so that all mankind may have everlasting life; His ressurection by the Father was the sign that He had indeed received all authority in the earth. But I like to look at this statement in a different way. I like to look at it in the fact that Jesus faced all of the temptations that Adam and Eve had, and overcame them. Here's how it happened.
The interesting thing about the statement, "I have overcome this world," in John 16, is that earlier in the chapter, in John 16:11, Jesus makes reference to "the prince of this world." It's clear that His statement is about Satan - who else could it be? But John is the only author in the Bible who uses the term "prince of this world". John also gives some discussion to overcoming Satan and the things of the world in 1 John 2:14-16: "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him That is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one... For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
There are three unique items in that passage: (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life; these are all temptations that Eve faced in her encounter with the serpent.
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life, because the serpent had just told her that the fruit of the tree would make her as a god], she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." ~Genesis 3:6
Eve failed three temptations - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - and Adam failed one - he disobeyed God when he allowed his bride to cause him to turn from what was right. The first three of these temptations happened at one time, and the fourth occured later when Eve gave the fruit to Adam. In all of these cases, Adam and Eve should have said, "Get lost, Satan."
Now, Jesus faced all of these temptations, in the same pattern, and He triumps over all of them by saying, "Get lost, Satan," or rather "Get behind Me Satan." Here is where it happens:
"And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. And the devil said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.' And Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, 'All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.' And Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, 'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.'' And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from hence: for it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.'' And Jesus answereing said unto him, 'It is said, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'' And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season." (Luke 4:1-13)
Now the devil left for a season, but he'll be back with one final temptation, the hardest one of all, as you will see. However, the temptations here are also the same temptations that Eve faced and, though they are ordered differently in Matthew 4, they are the same order that Eve faced in this passage in Luke:
1) turn the stone to bread for hunger - the lust of the flesh;
2) want to rule all the kingdoms of the earth - the lust of the eyes;
3) want to have angels save you at any peril - the pride of life.
Jesus overcomes these first three temptations with flying colours. But what about later? For this last temptation, the pattern must be shown.
Adam did not resist his bride; rather he chose to follow her sin instead of standing against her and standing for what was right.
Symbolically, the bride of Christ is the church (see Revelation 19:9). Jesus tells Peter that he (Peter) is the head of that church, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [a Greek word meaning "rock"], and upon this rock I will build My church (Matthew 16:18)." Then, only a few verses later, Jesus says to Peter, "Get thee behind Me, Satan (Matthew 16:23)." But why? These are two very contradictory statements!
This is where it gets tricky. Peter is symbolic of the church, which is symbolic of the bride - and no doubt that Peter is one of the most beloved disciples and, if it were possible to influence Jesus' actions or behavior, Peter would be the one who would be able to do it. But, just as Eve had tried to draw Adam away from God's purpose by offering him the forbidden fruit, Peter, in verse 22, had told Jesus that he would not allow Jesus to die on the cross. The cross was Jesus' purpose, and He knew that it was God's will for Jesus to go to the cross, so to not go would have been akin to eating the forbidden fruit. So here Jesus is faced with His fourth and most powerful temptation, to defy God and please the ones He loved. But He recognizes the temptation and says, "Get thee behind Me, Satan."
And this is how Jesus faced and overcame every temptation that Adam and Eve had faced, and gave to us the benefit. And with His stripes we have been healed (Isaiah 53:5) because He chose not to listen to Satan, but rather to die for us on the cross. God bless.
The interesting thing about the statement, "I have overcome this world," in John 16, is that earlier in the chapter, in John 16:11, Jesus makes reference to "the prince of this world." It's clear that His statement is about Satan - who else could it be? But John is the only author in the Bible who uses the term "prince of this world". John also gives some discussion to overcoming Satan and the things of the world in 1 John 2:14-16: "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him That is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one... For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
There are three unique items in that passage: (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life; these are all temptations that Eve faced in her encounter with the serpent.
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life, because the serpent had just told her that the fruit of the tree would make her as a god], she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." ~Genesis 3:6
Eve failed three temptations - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - and Adam failed one - he disobeyed God when he allowed his bride to cause him to turn from what was right. The first three of these temptations happened at one time, and the fourth occured later when Eve gave the fruit to Adam. In all of these cases, Adam and Eve should have said, "Get lost, Satan."
Now, Jesus faced all of these temptations, in the same pattern, and He triumps over all of them by saying, "Get lost, Satan," or rather "Get behind Me Satan." Here is where it happens:
"And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. And the devil said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.' And Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, 'All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.' And Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, 'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.'' And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from hence: for it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.'' And Jesus answereing said unto him, 'It is said, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'' And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season." (Luke 4:1-13)
Now the devil left for a season, but he'll be back with one final temptation, the hardest one of all, as you will see. However, the temptations here are also the same temptations that Eve faced and, though they are ordered differently in Matthew 4, they are the same order that Eve faced in this passage in Luke:
1) turn the stone to bread for hunger - the lust of the flesh;
2) want to rule all the kingdoms of the earth - the lust of the eyes;
3) want to have angels save you at any peril - the pride of life.
Jesus overcomes these first three temptations with flying colours. But what about later? For this last temptation, the pattern must be shown.
Adam did not resist his bride; rather he chose to follow her sin instead of standing against her and standing for what was right.
Symbolically, the bride of Christ is the church (see Revelation 19:9). Jesus tells Peter that he (Peter) is the head of that church, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [a Greek word meaning "rock"], and upon this rock I will build My church (Matthew 16:18)." Then, only a few verses later, Jesus says to Peter, "Get thee behind Me, Satan (Matthew 16:23)." But why? These are two very contradictory statements!
This is where it gets tricky. Peter is symbolic of the church, which is symbolic of the bride - and no doubt that Peter is one of the most beloved disciples and, if it were possible to influence Jesus' actions or behavior, Peter would be the one who would be able to do it. But, just as Eve had tried to draw Adam away from God's purpose by offering him the forbidden fruit, Peter, in verse 22, had told Jesus that he would not allow Jesus to die on the cross. The cross was Jesus' purpose, and He knew that it was God's will for Jesus to go to the cross, so to not go would have been akin to eating the forbidden fruit. So here Jesus is faced with His fourth and most powerful temptation, to defy God and please the ones He loved. But He recognizes the temptation and says, "Get thee behind Me, Satan."
And this is how Jesus faced and overcame every temptation that Adam and Eve had faced, and gave to us the benefit. And with His stripes we have been healed (Isaiah 53:5) because He chose not to listen to Satan, but rather to die for us on the cross. God bless.
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Declaring the End from the Beginning...
This is a follow up to my prior rapture post. It is one of those numerous numerous scriptures that I was refering to that contradicts rapture theory. The message is short and sweet and straightforward. In Isaiah 46:9-10, God says, "I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'" (This reminds me of when Jesus says in Matthew 24, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.") But what did God just say there? I read it as, "I gave you the pattern for the end times from the beginning, in the first story about man, and what happened there will happen again." So what happened there?
The first story of man is the story of Adam. This is how I read the story of Adam: Adam was put in charge of God's creation, he was the prince of the Garden of Eden (the first Adam represents Satan who was "the prince of this world", who failed the test - see John 12:31 - and the last Adam is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and King of Righteousness, who passed the test). Eve represents the bride of the prince in the old Garden, and the bride of Christ in the repetition - so Eve represents the Church in the story (where the original bride failed, the new bride will overcome... for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear). And here are the order of events that went down in the Garden - you can read of it in Genesis chapter 3:
Garden of Eden Final Days of the Earth
1. God gave instruction to man Jesus gave instruction to man before ascending to heaven
2. God goes off out of the Garden Jesus ascends into heaven
3. Time passes Time passes
4. The serpent shows up to tempt man Antichrist shows up to tempt man
5. Adam and Eve believe serpent & sin Many will believe antichrist and sin; some will not
6. God shows up to find man has sinned Jesus returns to find man has sinned
7. Man is given death sentence Man is thrown in lake of fire; the pure go to heaven
That's it. That's the pattern. There is no premature return to find out what man was doing - no wisking him off before the serpent comes. God told Adam what to do if the serpent came. God gave Adam the warning about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He also gave Adam authority over it. He did the same for us - if we will listen to Him.
A short and sweet message about how God declared the end from the beginning. It was His first lesson for us. God bless.
The first story of man is the story of Adam. This is how I read the story of Adam: Adam was put in charge of God's creation, he was the prince of the Garden of Eden (the first Adam represents Satan who was "the prince of this world", who failed the test - see John 12:31 - and the last Adam is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and King of Righteousness, who passed the test). Eve represents the bride of the prince in the old Garden, and the bride of Christ in the repetition - so Eve represents the Church in the story (where the original bride failed, the new bride will overcome... for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear). And here are the order of events that went down in the Garden - you can read of it in Genesis chapter 3:
Garden of Eden Final Days of the Earth
1. God gave instruction to man Jesus gave instruction to man before ascending to heaven
2. God goes off out of the Garden Jesus ascends into heaven
3. Time passes Time passes
4. The serpent shows up to tempt man Antichrist shows up to tempt man
5. Adam and Eve believe serpent & sin Many will believe antichrist and sin; some will not
6. God shows up to find man has sinned Jesus returns to find man has sinned
7. Man is given death sentence Man is thrown in lake of fire; the pure go to heaven
That's it. That's the pattern. There is no premature return to find out what man was doing - no wisking him off before the serpent comes. God told Adam what to do if the serpent came. God gave Adam the warning about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He also gave Adam authority over it. He did the same for us - if we will listen to Him.
A short and sweet message about how God declared the end from the beginning. It was His first lesson for us. God bless.
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