“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”
-Luke 13:34-35-

The Day of Atonement, which is one of the seven primary Feasts of the LORD, begins at sunset tonight (It started at around 10:30am CST in Jerusalem).  Some ask why the Feasts are relevant to the Church today.  Many dismiss them based upon theological bias.  Many more, in the Body of Christ, simply haven't heard of them.  It might be of interest to know that Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) fulfilled the Feasts that occur in the spring, quite literally on the very days on which they occurred.  He was the Passover Lamb that was slain, as he was crucified and shed His blood for the remission of our sin.  He was the Unleavened Bread, for 'He who knew no sin, became sin for us'. Just as the unleavened bread was to have no leaven (which represented sin), Jesus was the sinless God-man.  He arose on the Feast of Firstfruits, as He was the first-fruits from the grave and the first-fruits of all those who will be resurrected, who trust in Him for salvation and eternal life.  Finally, He imparted in His Holy Spirit on the Feast of Pentecost (in Hebrew, Sukkot).  All this was the beginning fulfillment of the New Covenant, purchased by His death and shed blood.

Jesus/Yeshua did indeed fulfill the spring Feasts of the LORD at His first coming, however the fall Feasts are yet to be fulfilled.  There is no doubt that they will be fulfilled in the future in some amazing way, on the literal day of the Feasts, in some prophetic 'exclamation-mark', just as He set the pattern at His first coming. How and when are ultimately for Him alone to know, but it becomes very clear, once one begins a deeper study, that the fulfillment of the fall Feasts have a keen focus on the redemption of the nation of Israel. This brings me back to the first statement of this blog entry; the Day of Atonement is just hours away.

Why does this matter?  Studying the Scriptures in general, and the Hebrew words for Feast, brings one to the conclusion that these dates are important to God's plan, that is . . . the story of redemption He is telling through the Scriptures and then as He fulfills prophecy in 'real time' -- through history.  And this is how we know that the Scriptures are truly inspired and supernatural in their origin.  God tells us something, makes statements about future things and then they come to pass.  This is exactly what happened at the first coming of Jesus/Yeshua.  God said the Feast dates were important and that His people should gather on those days. If God had a calendar program, He selected certain days, marked them as appointment times, sent out an invitation, and designated the invitation as 'urgent'. It is our choice how we respond to that invitation.  The Hebrew words for Feast include the concept of an 'appointed time, season, sign or signal' and also a 'sacred assembly' or 'dress rehearsal'.  Those meanings were proven true at the first coming of Jesus and I believe they will prove true at His second coming as well.

As the Feast of Passover became the day which salvation and redemption were brought to any individual who would receive, the Day Of Atonement is a 'dress rehearsal' for the nation of Israel.  The nation of Israel (i.e., its ruling leadership) rejected Yeshua, as the suffering Messiah who came to redeem all individuals (Jew or Gentile) who recognized their need of salvation.  Many Jewish individuals actually did recognize Yeshua as Messiah, both before His death and resurrection (and afterward) and were saved.  What we call the 'Church' was completely Jewish in its beginning.  However, the nation of Israel itself rejected Him and they have paid a heavy price every since.  They wanted a conquering Messiah, and in failing to see Yeshua as Messiah, not only did they not get the 'nation-conquering Messiah' they were looking for, they temporarily forfeited their national calling as 'a light unto the nations'.  Not long after Jesus ascended back to His Father, Israel was razed and the Jewish people scattered into the nations.  A tragic consequence.  The nations that were to come to them for light and truth now were absorbing them.

This, of course, allowed God to fulfill His heart's desire and purposes . . . to bring His love and redemption to lost and wandering souls.  Our stiff-necked and biased perspectives will not keep the Father from accomplishing His aim . . . especially when it comes to the salvation He extends to all people, if they will simply trust in Him.  This is just as true regarding the Church, as it has been for the Jewish people.

The Church is not a replacement for the nation of Israel.  The Church is God's current vehicle to bring the message of salvation to all nations.  God will bring the Jewish people, as a nation, back into their eternal calling.  

 “ Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, 
      And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, 
      ‘ He who scattered Israel will gather him, 
      And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’"
-Jeremiah 31:10-

This is of great comfort.  Just as Israel was blinded and stiff-necked, so to have we been (and also currently are) at various points in our own individual lives.  God loves us and has a plan for our lives.  He has created us with eternal purpose and He has a plan for how we each can be a 'light to the world'.  We don't always walk in that path or in His ways.  We blow it because of our own blindness, brokenness and wrong-headed perceptions.  We bring biases to the way we see life and His Word.

But God is faithful to His Word . . . His promises.  To us and to Israel.

"Thus says the LORD, 
Who gives the sun for a light by day, 
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, 
Who disturbs the sea, 
And its waves roar 
(The LORD of hosts is His name): 
“ If those ordinances depart 
From before Me, says the LORD, 
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease 
From being a nation before Me forever.” "

"Thus says the LORD: 
“ If heaven above can be measured, 
And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, 
I will also cast off all the seed of Israel 
For all that they have done, says the LORD."
-Jeremiah 31:35-37-

The plain and obvious understanding of the Scripture here is that regardless of Israel's sin ("for all that they have done") He has not cast them off.  They are simply experiencing the consequences of rejecting Messiah at His first coming.  Are we not all lost and scattered?  In need of being gathered into the presence of the Father?  

But God's keeps His promises.  To us and to them.  If God were to cast the nation of Israel off for their sin, after making a solemn promise to them, what assurance do we have that He will keep His promise to us as individuals. Do we, as the Church, believe that we are better than the Jewish people?  My it never be said nor thought.  We, like they, have gone astray, and we keep our end of the New Covenant no better than they kept their end of the Old Covenant.  It is He who made the covenant with us that is able to keep it. The nation of Israel will enter into this New Covenant.  They will repent as a people and nation.  The day is coming and sure.  The LORD will forgive them and save them.

"And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 
“ The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins."”
-Romans 11:26-27-

We have a curious and very unfortunate shift occurring in the Church these days. Replacement Theology is gaining greater strength and adherence, as more and more Christians become convinced that the Church has replaced the nation of Israel and made void the promises of God.  It is a heart-rending development that diminishes the Word of God and castigates the Jewish people.  Some would argue that it is simply a theological position, yet it has within it the seeds of anti-semitism, as I hear the Jewish people talked about with derision, as if God's discipline of that chosen nation has amounted to a whole-sale rejection on God's part.  I am horrified and weep as I watch this contagion spread across the face of the Church.  A little leaven is indeed leavening the whole lump. They say, "Look at the nation of Israel. It is corrupt. They are secular and godless." I say, "Look at yourself." There but the grace of God goes us all. Are you the model of godliness? Was it the path of your wayward life and behavior that God found so worthy of redeeming?

We all, both Gentile and Jew, are lost and need of salvation. Can God not bring the Jewish people into understanding, by opening their eyes and granting them the gift of repentance? Did He not priovide this act of mercy and grace for us, even though we did not deserve it?

The Church was a mystery, even to the Jewish disciples of Jesus.  The Church, while a mysterious development in the plan of God (to us, that is), was created to fulfill a purpose . . . sharing the message of salvation and redemption to the nations (the whole world).  A day is coming when this mission will be mysteriously transition again. Paul calls it the 'fulness of the Gentiles'.  When the Heavenly Father determines that time has 'come in' or been completed, then He will move in diligence to redeem the nation of Israel.  Paul calls positions counter to this being 'wise in our own opinion' . . . arrogance.

Consider this . . .

"For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."
-Romans 11:25-

And this . . .

"And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either."

-Romans 11:17-21-

The truth is that while God did scatter the Jewish people among the Gentile nations, He promised them that He would regather them and fulfill His promises to them.  They will repent.

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."
-Zechariah 12:9-11-

They will be redeemed into their eternal calling to be a 'light unto the nations'. This is what the Feast of Tabernacles is all about.

The LORD called us to 'pray for the peace of Jerusalem'.  For me, and many others, this is what the Day of Atonement is all about.  When true peace comes to Jerusalem, it will mean that the nation of Israel has been redeemed, through their repentance as a nation, and their trust in Yeshua as Messiah.  The second coming of Jesus is likely to occur on a future Day of Atonement.  

" . . . And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day."
-Zechariah 3:9-

Since the Feasts are a 'dress rehearsal' it is in all our interests to fast and pray for the Jewish people.  His return is tied to their repentance and redemption.

" . . . for I say to you, you shall see Me no more until you say,
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"
-Matthew 23:39-

"I will return again to My place 
Till they acknowledge their offense. 
Then they will seek My face; 
In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."
-Hosea 5:15-

He loves them dearly, just as He loves us all.  He desires to save them and raise them up for the glorious purpose in which He called them.  He has tied His return and the establishment of His earthly Kingdom rule to the repentance of the Jewish people as a nation.  Why would we not be committed to praying for them and the peace of Jerusalem, on the Day of Atonement, which represents the forgiveness and salvation of the nation of Israel?

May the Body of Christ consider afresh our need to gather on this 'appointed time' and 'dress rehearsal' to study and learn about the LORD's Feasts and to intercede on this Day of Atonement for the salvation of the Jewish people.  May the following video help aid you in fresh brokenness over the people of Israel . . .

Oh Jerusalem Video

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart (belly) will flow rivers of living water."

John explains that, " . . . He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive . . ."  There is no better way to describe the moment of filling when the Holy Spirit moves upon our heart and innermost being.  The word translated 'river' here means as much a 'torrent and flood', as any classic image of a river.  Figuratively, it means the 'greatest abundance'.  The word translated 'heart' isn't the standard word for heart as we would normally see translated, and the use of 'heart' actually somewhat obscures the fuller understanding.  This word literally means 'the entire cavity of the whole belly'.  In my experiences with the LORD this describes that fresh and needed move of the Holy Spirit . . . a flooding, penetrating presence within the innermost places of my being.  This move can become a torrent as we surrender to His presence and allow Him to fully wash over us, cleansing the inside of the cup and running out and beyond us.

Have you had one of these moments?  Have you felt the rising of grief, or tears, or that you are going to lose control in these moments?  I lament with you, that so often our classical Christian services do not leave room for the Holy Spirit's greater move.  If and when the moment of surrender, release and filling come, the schedule of our meetings suppress and grieve the Holy Spirit, as we move onto the next next thing in our 'order of service' . . . announcements, service needs or sometimes it's just the next bullet point in the sermon.  I speak as a pastor who has done just this thing and later wept that I made the service more important than His ministry.

I exhort pastors and ministers.  Please be willing to lay aside your outline and the Order of Service when you know, deep in your heart, that the Holy Spirit is moving on the sheep He has entrusted to your care.  Encourage them to let go, to cry, grieve and let go of control.  I believe there is a need for great lamenting in the Body of Christ, before joy and empowerment will ever come.

As pastors we say we want empowered, serving followers of Christ, yet we orchestrate hindrances within the gatherings of our ministry to them.  How odd.  Of what are we afraid?  

Dear pastor, are you afraid of letting go of your own control?  Maybe you first need to have your own healing encounter with your Father.  Maybe you need to personally experience His grace . . . His loving and accepting presence in the broken places of your own life.  We as ministers cannot provide for others what we have not experienced ourselves.  Let us not be the blind leading the blind into the ditch.

Dear sheep of His pasture . . . I encourage you to embrace the Father's move upon your being.  Cry, weep, grieve, receive His ministry to you.  Release and receive.  Don't hold it back.  Don't swallow back the move of God, suppress it and grieve the LORD.  The widows of these miracles only come as we yield to them and allow Him to have His way within us.  The more we yield, the more often these moments begin to come.  Allow the tide to be turned in your life by the life-giving move of His presence.

That word translated 'heart' or 'belly' that I mentioned a few paragraphs above has even deeper meaning.  It means also 'to be given up to the pleasures of the palate, to gluttony'.  It reminds me of the Scripture . . .

"You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

There are several worship songs that we sing which reference the fact that the more we 'eat and drink' of the LORD, the more we hunger and thirst for Him.  If there is a place for gluttony . . . this is the meal  for which we were designed to feast . . . the presence of the LORD.

The 'heart' in this passage can also refers to the womb . . . the place where the fetus is conceived and nourished until birth.  While theologically we understand that there is a single-point of salvation and re-birth of our spiritual essence, sanctification (as it unfolds in our daily life) is like a death and re-birth everyday.  We die to self, our hardness, our untouchability, our self-protection, and our learned independence from God . . . and we become alive to His ways, truth, and life.  To encounter the filling presence of God is to experience a miracle of change within us.  It has the power to birth the change and transformation for which we cry out.  

"Change me, Father!
I am imprisoned to my self.
To the lies of the Enemy.
To ways of this world.
Perform a miracle in me.
I cannot find a way to change myself.  
You must do this in me!
I give my life to You!"

Worship places us in the 'opportunity for a miracle'.  Anointed worship music can facilitate this encounter.  We should avail ourselves to it.  Whether in gathering together, or in the solitude of our personal worship of the Father, encountering the presence of God regularly is vital in our walk with Him . . . and for the healing, strengthening and sustaining of our being.

If there is one nugget of advice I can give as a counselor for the broken and those in need of healing it is this . . . 

Come Into His Presence And Truly Worship Him.
Don't Hold Back With God.
Seek Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
Then yield to Him, as the flooding of His presence rises within.

You will find your healing, true self and purpose with Him in that place.

"Father, this is the day that You have made.  Teach me to live in it through Your eyes, Your words and Your actions.  Let me see You in it and experience Your transforming power through it."  

So simple . . . yet we forget this simple prayer, do we not?  How different a day may be, depending on whether we chose the conscious surrender or not.

3.  Get Back Up When You Falter Or Fail
Truth is . . . we will have moments where we fail.  When we fail, it does not mean we are a failure.  Don't let a single frame of failure define the motion picture of your life.  It is not the last word on the matter.  It is not the last word on your value, your worth, nor the outcome of your journey.  The Father calls us to a simple acknowledgement of our failings and then to step back into His empowerment to go and live.  And that is precisely the point . . . we want to LIVE.  He wants us to LIVE as well.  In fact, He came to give us life in greater abundance than we are experiencing.

So remember . . . wake up and calibrate your perspective to the truth.  The Father is rooting for you and has paved a path of empowerment for you this day.  Make the conscious choice to surrender by acknowledging Him as God, and you as in need of Him.  When you fail, remember that it is a moment of failure.  You are not a failure. Look back into your Father's eyes and see Him loving look back with extended hand. He will lift you up into success.

" . . . His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue . . . "

Phillipians 4:11-13
" . . . for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I Thessalonians 5:11-24
"Encourage each other, and build each other up . . . live at peace among yourselves . . . always try to do good to each other . . . Always be joyful.  Pray perseveringly.  In everything (all circumstances) be thankful, for this is what God wants for you . . . May the God of shalom make you completely holy - may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless for the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. The One calling you is faithful, and He will do it."

The common theme of these two passages are to be thankful in all circumstances. Thanksgiving tends to focus primarily on being thankful for all the things we consider good . . . home, family, health . . . generally for the life of comfort we experience. All the blessings we have received from the Father's good heart is something to be thankful for . . . no doubt about it!

But what about the painful things we have gone through in the last year? What about the painful thing that is upon us right now?

Do we believe that the Father's heart is still good in the hardship, discomfort and pain? Is He really in control of all this? Will we trust Him to bring good out of it all?

How about these things . . .

•Thank you Father for dealing my pride a death blow.
•Thank you Jesus for revealing my weakness, control, anger, selfishness . . .
so that I can see it and bring it to You and be healed.
•Thank you Holy Spirit for convicting my heart of where I have sinned, so that I can confess and make amends.

•Father, thank you for showing me tough love, letting me fail, and not letting me accomplish that 'thing' in my own strength.
•Thank you for thwarting me, rendering me helpless, and yanking me out of complacency.
•Thank you for this mountain in the way, and for how You will teach me to overcome it.

For many, there have been challenges this past year . . . like no other year. Brushes with cancer. Diagnoses of cancer. Lou Gerig's Disease. Financial hits. Car accidents. Relational discord that still is not resolved. Prayers of all sorts that are yet to be answered.

God's Word tells us to keep on encouraging each other . . . and for us to encourage our own hearts. To pray perseveringly. We should plead our case to the LORD . . . and plead the case of our brother and sister who is in the middle of the the struggle. We CAN come to rest and learn to be content in all things. Like a wild stallion that has been lassoed for the first time, so does our inner man buck and jerk and pull against the reigns of the Father. But through His still small voice, He calls us be still and to know that He is God.

He whispers to our soul that we can do all things through His Son, who will strengthen us. And we are reminded that He who is calling us is faithful . . . that the God of shalom will do it. What is it that He will do? He will keep us blameless, make us holy and fill us with peace. He will bring us to rest.

In all this we are encouraged to be filled with joy. And we can be when we know that He will bring us through, bring us to rest, and show us just how good His heart is . . .

It is said that at the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims had dug seven times as many graves, as they had built homes. Yet they celebrated the goodness of God and His provision in all things. So, as you gather for Thanksgiving . . . thank Him for all the blessings He has poured out into your life this past year . . . but also remember . . . as He shapes your life in ALL circumstances . . . give thanks for the trials, challenges and yet to be answered prayers. He is conforming you into the image of His Son. And there is a revelation of His good heart yet to be revealed. If you are struggling with trust right now; hold on, choose - in faith - to thank Him, and allow Him to increase your faith through the current struggle.

King Solomon says that God tears and God mends . . . both things necessary to reveal His glory in us and transform us into the person He created us to be. It can be so very hard to get our hearts to be thankful in the middle of such circumstances, but there is a supernatural and unexplainable release and freedom that comes when do.