Friday, December 31, 2021
Numbers 11:29
Friday, December 31, 2021 |
And Moses said, would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His spirit upon them.
The leader of the children of Israel in the wilderness wanderings, Moses, made a very profound statement to Joshua and expressed his desire for all the Jewish people. He wanted them all to have the “power of the Lord” on each one of them so that they also would be “mighty preachers” for the Lord.
The word “prophets” used in our key verse for the devotional today is the office of one that would “foretell” the future and in his ministry would be the “spokesman” for God to the people of the world to understand the plan of God for them in the days ahead.
In addition to a “prophet” foretelling the future, his office was to be one of a “mighty preacher” who would evangelize, exhort and encourage the people as well. This desire of Moses for all the people was a Godly ambition.
Earlier in chapter eleven we read of the selection of “seventy” wise Jewish men, seventy men of the “elders” of Israel. These men would be given the responsibility of helping Moses to make decisions for the Jewish people.
The Lord said that He would put His “spirit”, His power on these seventy, verse 17. Verse 25 reveals that when the “spirit of the Lord” came upon them they “prophesied”, continually. God would set these seventy men, and those who would replace them in the future as the “ruling body” of the Jewish people.
In the days of Jesus they were known as the “Sanhedrin” and had the responsibility of managing the activities of the Temple. It was also the Sanhedrin that would judge Jesus in the trials leading up to His crucifixion.
1,400 years ago the Sanhedrin disappeared and only recently have they resurfaced. The Sanhedrin has re-formed and is now in operation in the Jerusalem area where they have been recognized by the Judicial system of Israel as a “court” in the Jewish state.
These seventy wise Jewish scholars today are playing a major role in the preparations to rebuild the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Keep a close eye on these men as they increase their activity in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.
Please also notice Numbers 13 and the verses in our “For further reading” section of our devotionals, verses 17 to 30. This is the record of Moses sending the twelve spies into the “promised land” to spy it out and give him a report as to whether the time was right for the Jews to enter the land.
Notice that they went to the area of Hebron and there they found a “land of milk and honey”, verse 27. The two spies, Caleb and Joshua, came back with a positive report that they should at that time enter the land that God had given them.
The other ten spies said that it was not the time to take the land because of the “giants” in the land. Having read the last chapter of this episode I know that the ten were incorrect in their evaluation of the situation.
What a lesson for the Jews today, those who fear their purpose that God has given them, to return to the land of their forefathers. In fact, the Lord told the Jews through the Prophet Ezekiel that this time when they return to the land, “it will be better than at your beginnings”, Ezekiel 36:11.
Remember, I told you that the book of Numbers was a “manual” for the Jews to travel to the “promised land”, 3500 years ago, and in truth it is a “manual” today for the Jews making their third, and final, return to the land the Lord has given them.
There is information for Christians in the book of Numbers as it relates to the end times, the Sanhedrin, but also the land that God will give the Jews in the last days. However, there are “spiritual truths” that can be applied to our daily living as well in these passages for our devotional today.
Please read these principles and apply them as we await the Lord’s shout to join Him in the heavens at the Rapture, which could happen today.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for the record of the beginnings of the elements that will be included in the last days. Help me to realize the nearness of the Rapture in the future as I better understand the past and live in light of this knowledge.
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Leviticus 26:42
Thursday, December 30, 2021 |
Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember and I will remember the land.
For further study – Leviticus 26:1-46
As we come to our devotional reading today we come to the end of our study in the book of Leviticus as it relates to the “land”, conditions of blessing and warnings of chastisement. There is an interesting connection in this passage to the message of Moses to the Jewish people found in Deuteronomy 28.
Verse 3 is the standard the Lord sets for the Jews, “If you walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them”. This statement, along with those in verses 1 to 13, is the prerequisite to God’s “blessings” on the Jewish people.
Verses 14 to 31 reveal to the Jews the “warnings” of chastisement if they don’t honor His directives for their daily life. In fact there are five chastisements mentioned in this passage, with the final punishment for disobedience the dispersion of the Jews out of the land He has given them.
In the land of their enemies, the Lord will send the Jewish people, “a faintness into their hearts in the land of their enemies”, verse 36. These conditions have been how the Jews have lived for the last almost 2,000 years. It seems to allude to the “Holocaust” in verse 38, as the Lord warns that the Jews will “perish” in the dispersion.
We’ve discussed the negative portion of this message to the Jews so far, but the last seven verses of Leviticus 26 bring the promise to the Jews that will indeed fulfill the promises made in the Abrahamic Covenant and confirmed to Isaac and Jacob, verse 45.
These verses for our devotional today are “prophetic” and to some extent have been fulfilled over the years since the fall of Jerusalem when General Titus led his Roman Army into the “holy city”.
The additional prophecies in this passage are also nearing fulfillment as the Jews are returning to their “land”, as He promised. They have not yet “confessed” their sins and “humbled” themselves to the extent that the Lord wants, but we see the “setting of the stage” for these prophecies to be fulfilled in our day.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for the “principles” that you gave your chosen people, the Jews, to live by in the “last days”. Help me to live by these principles as well as I watch you setting the stage for the fulfillment of the prophecies in our devotional reading for today.
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Leviticus 25:23
Wednesday, December 29, 2021 |
The land shall not be sold forever: for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.
For further study - Leviticus 25:1-24
As we come to our devotional reading today we read a portion of scripture that deals with a large piece of real estate that is the most controversial in the world, the land of Israel and the surrounding Arab States. God’s Word has the answer to the controversy.
The land of the Bible, the land inhabited by Jews and Arabs, is not the land of the Jews or the Arabs. The land belongs to God Himself, verse 23. It is His choice to whom the land will be given.
The land in question, Israel, is only one tenth of what the Lord has promised the Jews, Genesis 15:18. And yet, they are actually only caretakers - it is His land. Notice that again. The land does not belong to the Jews, or the Arabs, the “land”, all of it, belongs to God.
Notice again that I said the ”land” that now is occupied by the Jews is only “one tenth” of the land that God has promised them. According to the 38 different Biblical passages that deal with the true borders of the Jewish State of Israel, the “future Israel”, will be ten times what it is today.
The total landmass for the Jewish people will include land that is now being “occupied” by the Arab world and includes three quarters of Egypt, all of Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and three quarters of Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
All the land that God has promised the Jewish people will only become theirs in the Millennial Kingdom. The land will in fact be theirs forever, even on the New Earth in “eternity future”. However, until the return of Jesus, the Messiah, and the setting up of the Kingdom, there will be a continuing conflict in the Middle East over the land.
The "land" promised to the Jews is an “eternal inheritance” as is the New Jerusalem for the Christian - the New Jerusalem where God and Jesus will dwell among us, forever, Revelation 21:22.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for making all things understandable. Thank you also Lord for the fact that You will keep Your promise to the Jewish people of their total area of “land” that they will receive in the future, it is assurance that You will keep all your promises to me as a Christian as well.
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Leviticus 23:44
Tuesday, December 28, 2021 |
And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.
For further study - Leviticus 23:23-44
Last time we visited Leviticus for our daily devotional we read from Leviticus 23:1-14 which has the directive from God to Moses, to the Jewish people about the seven "Jewish Feast." In our last reading we read about the first three of the Jewish feast, of the seven Jewish Feast. These are feast that the Lord gave to Moses, who then declared them to the Jews, verse 44.
Remember, that the first three feast, the spring feast were all fulfilled by Jesus Christ in their proper day sequences. Christ was crucified on Passover, buried on Unleavened Bread and resurrected on First Fruits.
As we come to our reading for today, we focus in on the last three Feast, the fall Jewish feast, Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. Verses 23-25 give the directions for the “Feast of Trumpets”. This feast day occurs on the first day of the seventh Jewish month, around the month of October.
This feast is when the “shofar” or the trumpet will be blown to signify the beginning of the feast days. There are ten days between the first fall feast day and the second feast day, or should I say "fast day," because it is the day when the Jewish people "afflict" themselves, verse 29. I’ll have more on this feast day, in a moment.
Then the last of the feast days, "Tabernacles" is on the fifteenth day of the seventh Jewish month. These three “fall feast days” will also be fulfilled, as were the three "spring feast days", by Jesus Christ, in the proper day sequence.
The "second coming" of Jesus Christ will occur on the Feast of Trumpets, remember that is not the "rapture", but the second coming of Christ on the Feast of Trumpets. During the ten days, the ten "awesome days", which lead up to the the Day of Atonement, today, the Jewish people endeavor to make sure that they are included in the "Book of Life."
The truth be known, the Jewish people will be cast into the "lake of fire", Revelation 20:11-15, at the Great White Throne Judgment, if their name is not in the "Book."
Jesus Christ will be in the Temple on the next "fast day", “Yom Kippur”, the Day of Atonement, at the time of His return to Earth. Jesus has never been in the Holy of Holies in a temple that stood on the Temple Mount when He was on Earth.
Jesus will enter the Holy of Holies when He returns to Jerusalem for the purpose of the salvation of the Jewish people on the Day of Atonement, Hebrews 9:25-28. That day the Jews will be saved, in a day, Zechariah 3:9, as Jesus, the "high priest" will enter the temple. Five days later, on the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus will begin the Millennial Kingdom.
So it is that Jesus will fulfill all of the Jewish feast days, the last three yet in the future. By the way, that future may well be a short-lived future. Before these three Jewish feast days that Moses declared to the Jewish people, verse 44, the "rapture" will take place. The "rapture" will happen before the Jewish feast days are fulfilled. The Rapture could happen today... Even so come Lord Jesus.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank You Lord for being a faithful God who always keeps His promises to us. Help us to be faithful in our service to you.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank You Lord for being a faithful God who always keeps His promises to us. Help us to be faithful in our service to you.
Monday, December 27, 2021
Leviticus 23:2
Monday, December 27, 2021 |
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, concerning the feasts OF THE LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
For further study - Leviticus 23:1-14
Today for our devotion, we are reading the passage where the Lord gives the seven "feasts" to the Jewish people to observe on a yearly basis. Notice that these feasts are given to the Jewish people and not to Christians.
It is alright for Christians to study and even re-enact these feasts, but remember that these are “Jewish feast days” that God has given to His "chosen people". God uses these feast days to teach His people about the coming Messiah.
Each of the feasts has at least a historic and/or prophetic significance. These first three "spring feasts" are related to Israel's past. The "Passover" is to remember the Exodus from Egypt and the journey to the Promised Land.
The second feast, the "Feast of Unleavened Bread", is also associated with Passover. For seven days, the Children of Israel were to stop eating the “sourdough bread” to eat “unleavened bread” for the purpose of "separating" the bondage and the journey into the Promised Land.
The third feast, the "Feast of First Fruits", was to be the celebration and thanksgiving of the very first of the “barley harvest”. These thoughts cover the historic aspect of the first three Jewish feast days. These feasts also have a prophetic significance.
The "Passover" was a prophecy of the "Crucifixion" or sacrifice of Jesus. "Unleavened Bread" was to honor the "burial" of Jesus Christ. Then on the first day after the Sabbath, after Unleavened Bread begins, or Sunday, would be the celebration of "First Fruits", and that pictures the day of the “resurrection” of Jesus.
The historic record indicates that Jesus was indeed crucified on Passover, buried on Unleavened Bread, and did, in fact, resurrect from the dead on First Fruits, thus Jesus fulfilled the first three of the Jewish Feast, in the proper day sequences.
There are three "Fall Feasts" when Jesus will come back, enter into the Temple, and set up His Kingdom on these three Jewish feast days. In our next devotional from the book of Leviticus, we will look more in depth into these future events, which are foretold in these feasts that God has given the Jewish people.
By the way, the first of the Jewish “feast days”, the Passover, will be one of the Feast days that will be celebrated during the Kingdom period, Ezekiel 45:21, when Jesus rules and reigns from the Temple He will build in Jerusalem, Zechariah 6:12-13.
Let me remind you that the “sacrificial system” will be re-instated during the Tribulation Period, the seven years of Judgment, right after the Rapture. There must be a Temple in Jerusalem for that to happen and all the preparations for that Temple have been completed.
Again, the Rapture happens before they build the next Temple. That Rapture could happen today. Watch and work until He shouts.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you, Lord, for the reality that the Rapture could happen at any moment. Help me to live as if it will happen in the next couple of minutes, because it could.
Sunday, December 26, 2021
Leviticus 19:2
Sunday, December 26, 2021 |
Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.
For further reading – Leviticus 16:1-34
As I mentioned in our last devotional, the book of Leviticus presents the “system of sacrifice” for the Jewish people in the first seven chapters, and it gives us a “standard for priests” who are to perform these sacrifices in chapters 8-11. The last part of the book, chapters 12-27 reveals a “system of worship” in a Tabernacle or a Temple.
The “technical interpretation” of Leviticus is for the Jewish people, those in Biblical times and those in the Kingdom to come. The sacrificial system, or at least a portion of it, will be reinstated in Messiah's Temple, located in Jerusalem, in His 1,000 year Kingdom, Ezekiel 45. These future sacrifices will be done in “memorial” as the Jews look back to what Jesus did for them as the “sacrificial Lamb”.
In addition to the technical interpretation of Leviticus for the Jewish people past and prophetic, future, there is also the “spiritual application” for all others reading the book of Leviticus today. There are several examples that I should mention.
The word "holiness" is used 87 times in Leviticus. If you want to understand the “holiness of God” you would study the book of Leviticus. The word “redemption” is used 45 times in the book and a student of the Word can better understand “redemption” after a closer study of this great book.
I will look at Leviticus 23 in our next devotional but before I conclude this time together I want to give you the over-all picture of the entire book. I’m not suggesting that you read all twenty-seven chapters for a devotional time, however, I do recommend that you spend time in the entire book sometime in the future.
The first seven chapters are the five sacrifices that the Lord introduced to Moses and his brother, Aaron, the “high priest”. This system for “sacrifices” is great insight to the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus would make for each of us.
These sacrifices were to be performed by the “priest” and Leviticus 8-11 reveals to the reader the “standards for the priest”. These passages discuss the consecration of the priest and even their diet, chapter 11.
Leviticus 12-27 is the “system for worship” as it relates to the “place”, the “procedure” and the “priest”. In chapter 23 I’ll pause to discuss the seven Jewish “feast days” and their importance in the life of the Jewish people, yesterday and tomorrow.
Chapters 24 to 27 discuss the “land” that God has given the Jewish people, today only 10% of what He has promised to give them in the future, and the actual owner of this land. When we come to the “true owner” of the “land” it will amaze you with the Lord’s method of operation.
The book of Leviticus is key to understanding God’s plan for the relationship that He wants to have with the Jews, but also with you and me. This book is essential for any of your plans to study the entire Word of God.
The study of the chapters in Leviticus, 23 and 25, will reveal a prophetic prospective for the student and reader of this great book. Both the “Jewish feast days”, Leviticus 23 and the true ownership of the land, Leviticus 25 will reveal a prophetic scenario that will alert each of us to the nearness of the Lord’s shout for us to join Him in the heavens.
It could be today…………..Keep looking up.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for the book of Leviticus and the time given to study this important book. Help me to understand the book and make it cause me to look to your shout with great expectation.
Saturday, December 25, 2021
Leviticus 1:1
Saturday, December 25, 2021 |
And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation.
For further reading - Leviticus 1:1-17
You may be confused as you read our devotional passage for today. You might even be thinking, "why read about the system given to the children of Israel for preparing sacrifices?" I will get to that answer in a moment, but first, let me tell you that the book of Leviticus is the first book studied by all children of religious Jewish families.
In fact, if the family is of the Tribe of Levi, the priestly family, the young boys of that family would study this book for 28 years, until their 30th birthday, to prepare to do the priestly duties in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
Now to your question of why read about the sacrificial system that God gave the Jewish people, since Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. That is a valid question.
The book of Leviticus not only gives us the “system of sacrifice” for the Jewish people in the first seven chapters, it gives us a “standard for priests” who are to perform these sacrifices in Leviticus 8-10. The last part of the book, chapters 11-27 reveals a “system of worship” in a Tabernacle or a Temple.
The technical interpretation of Leviticus is for the Jewish people, those in Biblical times and those in the Kingdom to come. The sacrificial system, or at least a portion of it, will be reinstated in Messiah's Temple, located in Jerusalem, in His 1000 year Kingdom, Ezekiel 45. These future sacrifices will be done in “memorial” as the Jews look back to what Jesus did for them as the sacrificial Lamb.
The sacrificial system set up in Leviticus was for the purpose of having the Jews to look forward to what Jesus would do through His death, burial and resurrection. But I haven't answered your question of why read Leviticus?
I mentioned that the technical interpretation of Leviticus is for the Jewish people past and prophetic, future. However, the spiritual application for reading Leviticus is precious. The word "holiness" is used 87 times in Leviticus.
If you want to understand the “holiness of God”, you can do so by reading this third book of the Torah, the books of the law for the Jewish people. Read the entire book sometime. It will be a real blessing to you.
One final thought. I mentioned that the boys of a religious Jewish family would start to read the book of Leviticus at two years of age and do so for 28 years until they qualify as priests on their 30th birthday.
Today in Jerusalem there are thousands of Jewish young men and even some not so young who are studying the priestly responsibilities from Leviticus as they prepare themselves to serve in a coming temple in Jerusalem.
All preparations have been made for the next temple in Jerusalem. It is not there now, but it is greatly anticipated by hundreds and thousands of Jewish people today. The preparation being made to build the next Temple, the Third Temple, in Jerusalem is one of the great evidences of the Lord's soon coming.
Keep looking up!
PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me to understand the holiness of God.
Friday, December 24, 2021
Exodus 40:34
Friday, December 24, 2021 |
Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
For further study –Exodus 40:1-38
As we consider all that the Lord taught Moses and the children of Israel about the “tabernacle”, the implements used in this “transportable worship center”, and the priest that would perform all the duties associated with the tabernacle we can learn of the “holiness of God” and how He will lead in His Kingdom to come.
Exodus 32 to 39 is a record of the above teaching that I would suggest you may want to study at your leisure, and I know it will be a blessing to you. Those who are preparing for the next Temple in Jerusalem do spend much time in the study of these scriptures to make certain of their learning process for their future duties.
Now, as we once again come to our devotional reading for today we will look at the final instructions for Moses as it relates to the Tabernacle. The Lord at that time assured Moses of His constant presence as the children of Israel would make their way towards the “promised land”.
Our key verse for today is the account of the “glory of the Lord” filling the Tabernacle and then showing Moses how He would lead the way for the Jews. There would be a “cloud” during the day and “fire” at night.
The “glory of the Lord” is the presence of the “God-head”, often in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ. A study of the phrase “glory of the Lord” indicates that most of the appearances of the “glory” is describing the work of Jesus Christ.
One such example is Psalm 19, which says that the “heavens declare the glory of the Lord”. It also says that His “handy work in creation” is evidence of the “glory of the Lord”. Thus the Creator, Jesus Christ, Colossians 1:16, is the “glory of the Lord”.
This passage describing the “glory of the Lord” filling the Tabernacle and the Lord’s presence in the form of a “cloud” in the day and the “fire” in the night is God’s way of directing the Jewish people on their way to the land that He promised them.
The Jewish people, you must remember, were established as a “theocracy”, a nation under God on the Earth. Everything we have read in Exodus, all forty chapters, were written so that we could see how God unfolded His plan to be played out in the Jewish people.
What is so interesting to me is that His plan for the Jewish people was not only unfolding 3,500 years ago at the time of the Exodus, but it is being played out today as well, among the Jewish people.
The end of times scenario happening on Earth today was foretold by the ancient Jewish prophets and each and every day another of the prophecies for the last days is closer to fulfillment.
By the way, the next thing on God’s calendar of events in the end times is the Rapture, when Jesus calls we that are Christians into the heavenlies. That event, the Rapture, could happen at any moment, maybe even today.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Dear Lord, thank you for your presence with us today, as it was in the days of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Please guide each of us as you did the children of Israel, toward the “promised land”.
Thursday, December 23, 2021
Exodus 31:17
Thursday, December 23, 2021 |
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever.
For further study – Exodus 31:12-18
As we come to our devotional reading today you will notice that I have jumped over several chapters in Exodus to the selected passage for this devotion. Before I discuss the scripture for today, a word about chapters 26 through 31.
Exodus 26 is discussing the “tabernacle” and its structure, as is the case in chapter 27. Exodus 28 and 29 look at the items needed for the “high priest”. Chapter 30 is instruction on “worship in a tabernacle”. This is information that is presently being studied very carefully in Jerusalem at the Temple Institute.
I remind you that the people at the Temple Institute are the ones that have made the Temple furniture for the next Temple as well as have done the training of many of those that will be serving in the next Temple. Exodus and Leviticus both contain the source of information needed to prepare for the next Temple.
Now let’s look at our selected passage for today, Exodus 31:12-18. The theme in this passage is the “Sabbath” and the “sign” it is for the Jewish people. The Lord instructs Moses to teach the Jewish people that “obedience” is key to all “religious duties”.
Moses is told that the “Sabbath” is a “sign between me and you throughout your generations”, verse 13. The Lord wants the Jewish people to “keep the Sabbath”, observe a day of “rest” because He had set the example on the seventh day of Creation, Genesis 2:1-3.
The Sabbath was a “sign” of the covenant that made Israel a “theocracy”. The Sabbath, then and today, marked Israel out as God’s people. Observing the Sabbath showed that the Israelites were set apart to God. This is still true today.
The Jews are “marked” as God’s people and they are “set apart” to serve God. Though we as Christians are not told to observe the Sabbath we are also a “marked” people and “set apart” to God for His purposes, what ever they may be for each of us.
God is not finished with the Jews today, as evidenced with the present-day observance of the Sabbath by the Jews. This day is set aside by those who observe the “day of rest” as the “sign”, the sign between God and His people, the covenant people, the Jewish people.
God will work among the Jews with intensity after the Rapture of the Christians and the seven years of Tribulation starts here on earth. One of the main purposes for this time of “judgment on the earth and earth-dwellers” is to turn the Jews to the true Messiah, Jesus Christ.
But do remember, before this work among the Jews begins the Rapture happens. And also remember, it could happen today, so keep looking up.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Dear Lord, help me to live in light of the "any moment" Rapture of the Church, which includes me. Also, thank you for your great work among the Jewish people today.
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Exodus 25:8-9
Wednesday, December 22, 2021 |
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
For further study - Exodus 25:1-40
For our extended reading today we have selected more verses than usual. However, I think you will benefit by reading all forty verses of Exodus 25.
This chapter is God's instruction to Moses and the Jewish people on how to build a "dwelling place" so that he could "dwell among His people."
Exodus 26 actually gives details on the "tabernacle" itself. Chapter 25 gives the details of three pieces of furniture that will be in the Tabernacle, a "transportable worship center," and later in the "permanent worship center," the Temple.
These implements are the "ark," the "table of shewbread" and the "menorah," the golden candlestick. I hasten to remind you that each implement in the Tabernacle and/or the Temple, the sacrificial system performed at the Temple and all the activities of the Temple were all prophecies of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Let me take these three implements found here in Exodus 25 and explain that indeed they did look forward to the coming Messiah.
First, the "table of shewbread", this implement was to hold the twelve loaves of bread, a special type of bread, that would be made every sabbath and then this new bread would replace the week-old bread.
By the way the priests on duty that day were allowed to eat the older bread, that week-old bread, which they said was still fresh. This "table of shewbread" is a picture of Jesus who said in John 6:35 that He was the "bread of life".
The second item, the "menorah", the golden candlestick, would stand in the "Holy Place" in the Temple and give light for the priestly activities inside the "Holy Place".
This “seven-branched candelabra” was fueled by "virgin olive oil" which the priest would use to refuel the "menorah" each day. Remember Jesus said in John 8:12, 9:5, and 11:9 that He was the "Light of the world".
The third implement is the most sacred of these three implements, the "ark of the covenant". It was a rectangular box made out of "shittim wood" and covered with pure gold.
It had four rings, one at each corner by which the priest would transport the "ark". Inside the "ark" would be the "tablets of the Ten Commandments," a "container of manna" and the "budding almond rod." The "ark of the covenant" was indeed the "mercy seat" where on Yom Kippur the High Priest, once a year, would pour the “sacrificial blood”.
The "ark" represented the person of Jesus Christ and His redemptive work, the shedding of His blood. It was a model of Him to come. By the way, when you have the "real thing" you no longer need the "model."
The Temple that Jesus Christ will build at His Second Coming, Zechariah 6:12, will no longer need any of these implements, because He is the Messiah, the one these implements foreshadowed.
The Temple that will stand on the Temple Mount during the coming Tribulation Period (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, II Thessalonians 2:4 and Revelation 11:1) will have all three of these implements in it because it is a "false temple" for a "false messiah", Antichrist.
That Tribulation Temple is ready to be built, all preparations have been made for that Temple. The only thing that must happen before the Tribulation Temple is erected is the Rapture of the Church, which could happen at any moment.
Thus in light of the "any moment" Rapture of the Church, which includes me and you, if your saved, let me say, let's keep looking up........... It could happen today.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Dear Lord, help me to live in light of the "any moment" Rapture of the Church, which includes me.
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Exodus 23:17
Tuesday, December 21, 2021 |
Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the LORD God.
For further study - Exodus 23:10-19
This is a very interesting section in the book of Exodus and it may give you insight into the reasons behind some Jewish activities today. In this section of Exodus, especially chapter 23 but also chapter 21, 22 and 24, the Lord is instructing Moses so that he can tell the Jewish people how the Lord wants them to live.
In the Torah, in the book of Leviticus, the Lord explains how not only the Jews are to observe the Sabbath, Saturday, the seventh day of the work week, but the Lord wants the land that He has given to the Jewish people to be rested every seventh year as well, Leviticus 25:8-24.
As Moses wrote in Exodus 23:10-11 we see a preview of the Law that God gives Moses to pass along to the Jewish people. The Lord tells the Jews that they can sow and reap a harvest from the land for six years, and then the land must be rested. No crops, thus no harvest, the land must be untouched.
This is the principle of the Sabbath that the Lord set in motion during the week of creation. The Lord worked for six days to create the heavens, the earth and all that in them is, and on the seventh day the Lord rested, Genesis 2:1-3.
It was at that time the Lord introduced the principle of "Sabbath rest". That is what Moses is discussing in this second book of the Torah, the five books of Moses. In our devotional reading, Moses writes to the Jews about the "Sabbath rest" for the land as well.
Though we don't observe the Sabbath as Christians, setting aside a day of rest makes good sense on our journey through life. Someone has said, "come apart to rest, or you will come apart."
Notice at the end of our reading, in fact the last verse, Moses records the Lord's directive that the “kid”, a baby goat, can not be cooked in it's mother's milk.
This is the verse that the Orthodox Jews today use to justify their "kosher eating habits". Religious Jews will not mix "meat and dairy" items in their meals. The Orthodox, observant Jews, don't mix the two, meat products with dairy products, at any meal.
Again, this practice of eating "kosher" is not something we should do to conform to a Jewish life style, but it does help our overall well being to follow the dietary laws of the Bible, especially those in the Old Testament. God made our bodies and He surely knows how to take care of them, so that we can better serve Him.
I skipped over several very interesting verses, verses 14-17, which actually are the instructions from God, setting in place the three Jewish feast days that the Jews are to appear before the Lord, early on at the Tabernacle, and then at the Temple in Jerusalem.
These three days are called the "Pilgrim Feast Days". The male Jews must make a pilgrimage to the Temple three times a year to observe three of the Jewish Feasts, Passover and Unleavened Bread, which is one, verse 15 and Pentecost and Tabernacles, verse 16.
Even today, Jewish men from around the world, and usually with their families, make their way to Jerusalem for these three Feast Days. Two of these three Feast Days will require a pilgrimage by all the Jews, during the Kingdom to come here on Earth.
These Feast Days, Passover, Ezekiel 45:21, and Tabernacles, Ezekiel 45:25 will be at least two of the Pilgrim Feast Days that the Jews must celebrate at the Temple in Jerusalem during the time of the Kingdom and into eternity future.
The Jews do celebrate these Pilgrim Feast Days, annually, a foretaste of what will happen in the future during the Kingdom Period when the Lord Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning from the Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank You Lord for Your Word that informs me of the activities in the future that will bring honor and glory to You as we serve You throughout the millennial Kingdom and into eternity future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)