Thank Who?

This morning as I was busy doing my webber net thing and copying down recipes for the upcoming Thanksgiving festivities, I happened upon this article.

It brought tears to my eyes...

The More Important Thing by John Paul Jackson

Several years ago, when Streams Ministries was still located in New Hampshire, I started hearing footsteps. Some of the time, it would be my editor coming into my office to tell me I had a phone call or something else, but at other times, no one would be there. I would hear someone enter, but the office would be empty.
Well, this is strange, I would think.

The Busy Body of Christ
All of us have experienced different seasons of busyness in life. I don't mean periods of time when we are swamped for a week or two; I mean entire months and years of busyness, when we don't have time for God because we are trying to do things for Him. In this story, I was in one of those seasons. I had not slowed down in a long time.
One day, I was in the office by myself. I heard someone come into the room and assumed that my staff had returned. I was on a roll, so I kept working, figuring they would tell me what they needed.

But no one said anything. The steps stopped right behind my chair, and the next thing I knew, I felt arms around me. The physical presence was so real that at first, I thought I was being hugged. But when I looked down, nothing was there.
I began to weep, overwhelmed by incredible love and compassion. Conviction dropped over me like a blanket. In a moment, I knew the Lord was showing me that I had gotten too busy for Him. I wasn't giving Him time to touch me.

No Substitutions
We can have phenomenal experiences in God: visitations, translations, transportations, trances, dreams, visions, etc. We can learn to recognize His voice and have angels bring us messages of profound revelation. We can have extreme prophetic gifting and direct the courses of nations. But none of these things can act as a substitute for Him. Doing what God has called you to do is an excellent thing-but not when it takes His place.
Obviously, walking in our calling is very important, but we can't ever forget why we are walking in our calling-why we wanted to take this road in the first place. Our focus can easily shift from God Himself to being busy with what He has given us to do.

Practice the Presence
Around the time of our move to New Hampshire, it seemed like everyone wanted a piece of my attention. I felt constantly pulled on. I love people and I want to help them, but that day in my office, I felt the Lord was letting me know, "John Paul Jackson, you've gotten so busy working for Me that you don't have room for Me to touch you. You don't make time for Me to touch you, like you used to."
It may seem like an oxymoron, but sometimes we are so busy going after Him that we fail to wait for Him. As Isaiah 30:18 declares, God moves and acts on the behalf of those who wait for Him. They give Him time, and He responds.
No matter what happens in our relationship with God, what level of gifting we have, where we feel God has placed us in His body, the influence we may or may not have-we need to keep our gaze on the more important thing: God Himself.
Throughout our lives, there will be times when God calls us to hard work and other times when God calls us to rest; in both seasons, He is here. Where are you? Learn to hear His voice. Seek Him out. Let Him touch you. Practice the presence of God and grant Him the desire of His heart.
From: identitynetwork.net jpj article
Oh, how He loves us!

11/11/11

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, [which] shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, - Isaiah 62:6 KJV

Friends of mine emailed me to alert me of what is happening. I am thankful for this because we do not have regular TV reception in our home (we gave up cable, etc.).

UN recognition of a Palestinian state is one step closer to collapse according to the internet news (click on ynetnews). Although the Palestinians are no longer pushing for full state status this year in the United Nations, the proposed strategy is for them to request upgraded status:

...Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian leadership, is expected to convene his leadership council by the beginning of next week to discuss alternative options.

It is likely that they will approve the presentation of a resolution to the General Assembly, which can upgrade the Palestinian Authority from its present status as an observer entity at the UN to that of a "non-member state" without recourse to the Security Council.

Known as the "Vatican Option", it would give the Palestinians the same status as the Holy See, which cannot vote on resolutions but which – crucially – is regarded as a sovereign state.

Although no decision has yet been made, a Palestinian official said a resolution could be tabled before the General Assembly meets on November 29, when it traditionally discusses Palestinian affairs. [Excerpt taken from: telegraph.co.uk]

We need to be in prayer especially now for the peace of Jerusalem, because (as I mentioned in my previous article written September 17--click on Urgent) upgraded observer status could be interpreted as implicit UN recognition of Palestinian statehood because the assembly would be acknowledging that the Palestinians control an actual state.

The advantage of this option to the Palestinians is that it would require only a simple majority of the General Assembly. Since around 120 countries have already recognized the state of Palestine to date, it would likely win such a vote overwhelmingly.

If the Palestinians were to be recognized as a non-member state, they would be able to sign certain international treaties, such as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which they cannot currently sign. This would mean thousands of lawsuits against Israel and isolation and demonization of the State of Israel...

...and you know what happens to those who would do this (see Joel 3:1-2 and Deuteronomy 30 if you don't remember).

These are amazing and prayerful days we live in!

Linger Under the Canopy

As the Feast of Tabernacles comes to a close, the Lord asks us to linger one more day--the eighth day of assembly or Shemini Atzeret. This indicates His great desire for intimacy and communion with those He loves. When I shared about how I decorated our library during Sukkot, I said that when I had finished draping the white sheer panels, it looked like a wedding canopy. There's a reason I did that.

Like the cloud by day that led God's people, the cloud also represented a chuppah or wedding canopy:

And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies ], a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory [shall be] a defence [2646]. - Isaiah 4:5 KJV

The word 'defence', according to the Strong's Concordance note No. 2646, is the Hebrew word chuppah meaning 'canopy; chamber; divine protection'.

In a Jewish wedding, the couple is married under the chuppah signifying their new home together. The chuppah can be made from a piece of cloth or other material attached to four poles, or a prayer shawl (tallit) held over the couple by four family members or friends.
I believe it will be during Tabernacles that the Bride of Christ will marry the Bridegroom, Yahshua.

The word chuppah originally appears in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Joel 2:16; Psalms 19:5)...In biblical times, a couple consummated their marriage in a room. In Talmudic times, the room where the marriage was consummated was called the chuppah.(Excerpt from: wikipedia.org)

Let us linger under the canopy of intimacy...He is the Beloved!

The Holiest Day

In the timetable of the seven festivals of the Lord today is The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur in the Hebrew language--the holiest of all days. According to Leviticus Chapter 16 on the holiest day of the year (the Day of Atonement), the holiest man in the world (the high priest of Israel) went into the holiest place in the world (the Holy of Holies). The high priest had to enter in order to make atonement for Israel.

"It is on Yom Kippur when the Great Trumpet, known in Hebrew as the Shofar HaGadol is blown...There are three primary shofarim (trumpets) to the Jewish people and these three trumpets are associated with specific days in the year. These three trumpets are: (a) 'The First Trump,' blown and associated with Shavuot (Pentecost); (b) 'The Last Trump,' blown and associated with Rosh HaShanah; (c) 'The Great Trump,' blown and associated with Yom Kippur."*

Let me share with you why this really is the holiest day. In the Old Testament "G-d issued a warning that no man could see His face and live (Exodus [Shemot] 33:20). But because on the Day of Atonement the priest could be in G-d's presence (Leviticus [Vayikra] 16:2), another term for the Day of Atonement is "face to face".*

Of course, Yahsuha, our Jesus, became The Great High Priest and The Atonement and presented Himself before God's throne on our behalf (Hebrews 4:14-16).

So this fall festival will be completed when we see Him 'face to face'.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away...
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. - 1 Corinthians 13:9,10,12 KJV

"The year of Jubilee was the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 25:9-11). This was a year and day of liberty. Yeshua came to preach this liberty at His first coming (Isaiah [Yeshayahu]61:1-3; Luke 4:17-21...The ultimate fulfillment of the year of Jubilee will take place at the second coming of Messiah. The earth will be redeemed and come into full and complete rest from the curse brought upon it by Adam's sin...So, the year of Jubilee and the day of Atonement speak of the fullness of the redemptive plan of G-d for man."*

*Quoted material from Edward Chumney, The Seven Festivals of the Messiah, Chapter 8. Website: http://www.hebroots.org/hhmi.html

Tribulation--The Time of Jacob's Trouble

We are in the last days of this year's Rosh HaShanah (Feast of Trumpets) season. One of the significant themes of Rosh HaShanah is 'the time of Jacob’s trouble (the birthpangs of the Messiah)'. Jacob refers to the natural-born of Israel.

As I have written before, it is significant that the United Nations is taking into consideration a bid of statehood for Palestinians which would, if approved, tear the city of Jerusalem in half and be in total opposition to almighty Yahweh's covenant with Israel. Could this be the precursor to 'the time of Jacob's trouble', the seven-year tribulation period? If so, where does the rapture or gathering of the saints fit in God's timetable?

In Matthew 24:8, Yahshua, our Jesus, refers to The Tribulation as 'the beginning of sorrows'. The Greek word translated as 'sorrows' here is odin, which means "birthpangs". The birthpangs of the Messiah are also spoken of in Revelation 12:1-2 and Jeremiah 30:4-7:

And these [are] the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is] like it: it [is] even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. - Jeremiah 30:4-7 KJV 

"The interpretation here [of verse 7] is of the day of Babylon's overthrow. The application is of the yet future Great Tribulation of Matthew 24...Jacob's [trouble] Not Israel's, for it is the natural seed that is here in question, not the spiritual." [Note from page 1058 The Companion Bible, Zondervan Bible Publishers.]

To clarify, those who believe on Yahshua, Jesus Christ as the Messiah, are grafted into spiritual Israel (see Romans 11:11 and 17) so that Jew and Gentile become one new man (Ephesians 2:12-16). Those who are natural born of the tribes of Israel who do not accept Jesus as Messiah are not of spiritual Israel.

...For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. - Romans 9:6-8 KJV

So the tribulation will be experienced by the natural born Israelites who have not yet accepted Yahshua as their Messiah.

This period of time will be Israel's most trying time ever... There shall be great tribulation in Israel such as never was since there was a nation (Daniel 12:1). It will also be a time when G-d will ultimately judge sin and all the nations on the earth. Through it, the nation of Israel will be physically saved from total destruction by G-d, and will, as a nation, accept Yeshua as the Messiah. "...But he shall be saved out of it" (Jeremiah 30:7)...[excerpt from page 113 of The Seven Festivals of the Messiah by Edward Chumney]

Another excerpt from The Seven Festivals of the Messiah reads: The festivals will, beyond a shadow of a doubt, tell you that the resurrection of the dead precedes the time of Jacob's trouble (also known as the tribulation). First Thessalonians 4:16-17 says that the dead in Messiah will rise first, and that the catching away of the believers will immediately follow. [Ibid, page 129]

There are many interpretations of the Book of Revelation. This is where I am at in my understanding at this time. I am open to being convinced otherwise if anyone has Biblical evidence. One thing I am certain of is this, however--we are saved from the wrath to come! 

Tribulation--The Time of Jacob's Trouble updated 8/14/21