Numbers 29:1-40  Offerings for Various Occasions, Part 2

[Study Aired November 27, 2023]

Introduction

This week’s study on chapter 29 is the continuation of the offerings that the Lord expected from the people of Israel. In today’s study, the focus is on the offering at the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Feast of Booths. To help us understand what we are being taught in Numbers chapter 29, let’s take a look at what these feasts were and their spiritual significance.

The Feast of Trumpets is one of the seven feasts appointed by the Lord which began on the first day of the seven month which marks the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar. The festival derived its name from the command to blow trumpets. The word “trumpet blasts” is translated from the Hebrew word “teruah” which means a shout or ‘a blowing.’ The feast marks the start of ten days of consecration before the Lord with the tenth day being the day of atonement and the fifteenth day being the beginning of the festival of booths.  During this feast of Trumpets, no one is required to work. It is important to note that this feast also marks the end of the agricultural year for the people of Israel. The blowing of the trumpets on the first day of the month heralded a solemn time of preparation for the Day of Atonement. This preparation time was called “Ten Days of Repentance.”

Spiritually speaking, the first day of this feast marks the beginning of a new age where the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. This shall be heralded by a shout from the Lord and the death in Christ shall rise.

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 
1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

As indicated, the feast of Trumpets marks the start of a ten-day period in preparation for the Day of Atonement. According to Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, atonement means God has provided a way for humankind to come back into harmonious relationship with Him. What all this means is that the ten-day period before the Day of Atonement represents the thousand-year reign when humankind’s sins become full. Remember that the number ten means the fullness of the flesh. The Day of Atonement signifies the start of the work of the fire of God’s word where God has provided a way for humankind to come back into harmonious relationship with Him through the agency of Christ and His Christ.

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. 

The Feast of Tabernacles or booths takes place on the 15th of the Hebrew month Tishri which was the seventh month. The feast begins five days after the Day of Atonement, and it is celebrated for seven days. During each day of the feast, the people of Israel were to offer a sacrifice made by fire to the Lord. At the beginning of the feast of booths, there is a holy convocation where the people rest from their work. The Feast of Tabernacles therefore begins with a Sabbath day of rest. During the eight days of the feast, the Israelites would dwell in booths or tabernacles that were made from the branches of trees. This feast is one of the three feasts which the Jews were required to observe each year by going to appear before the Lord in the place which He shall choose.

Lev 23:40  And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 
Lev 23:41  You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 
Lev 23:42  You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 
Lev 23:43  that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”

Deu 16:16  “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.
Deu 16:17  Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you. 

The fact that the feast of booths takes place five days after the Day of Atonement implies that it is by grace through faith that we are saved. The seven-day celebration of the feast is to show us the complete period of our lives when we come out of the world (Egypt). The people of Israel living in booths for the seven days of the feast is to let us know the temporariness of our commitment to the Lord when we leave Egypt. 

In a discussion with Brother Mike about this study, this is what he said which is very insightful:

“Hos 11:1  When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Hos 11:2  As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images. 

Our rod of iron will not be appreciated for very long, just like Israel when they came out of Egypt. Their gratitude lasted for three days until their first trial and then they wanted to go back to Egypt.

The eighth day is called “the great day of the feast” where Jesus says “If any man comes to me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters” signifying the work of the elect in the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/ second death. It is here that “the eighth is of the seven and goes into perdition” which ‘perdition’ of our old man produces the new man in all who are in the lake of fire. It is the eighth day of the feast which signifies the “all in all”.”

1Co 15:27  For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 
1Co 15:28  And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Presently, however, the feast of trumpets represents the time in our lives that the Lord comes into our lives with a shout or trumpet (word of His mouth) to begin the destruction of our old man or flesh. 

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

From the perspective of the present, we can say that the Day of Atonement signifies the beginning of what the Lord takes us through to be united with Him and to prepare the way for all humanity to also be joined to Christ later. As Christ died as one of the two goats presented before Aaron on the Day of Atonement, we represent the other goat (scapegoat) that is presented to the Lord alive and set free in the wilderness to complete the suffering of Christ.

Lev 16:7  And he (Aaron) shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Lev 16:8  And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 
Lev 16:9  And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 
Lev 16:10  But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. 

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: 

Through the suffering we endure as we learn righteousness, we become united with the Lord as we dwell in Him and Him in us.  

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

In today’s study, we shall look at what we are to offer during these festivals appointed by the Lord. Ultimately, what we are to offer as a burnt offering to the Lord is presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord. However, offering our bodies as living sacrifices does not happen in one day. We go through a process in order to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. These offerings at various feasts help us to understand what the Lord takes us through in order to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to the Lord.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Offerings for the Feast of Trumpets

Num 29:1  And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you. 
Num 29:2  And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish: 
Num 29:3  And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,
Num 29:4  And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs: 
Num 29:5  And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you: 
Num 29:6  Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.

As indicated earlier, the sounding of the trumpet is translated from the Hebrew word “teruah” which means ‘a shout’ or ‘a blowing.’ The coming of the Lord with a shout in our lives marks the complete period of our lives where we were dead spiritually (signified by the seventh month). This coming of the Lord is to cause us to hear His words, signified by the sounding of the trumpet to us.  

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

This is the period of our lives where we learn to rest from our own works as indicated by the command to cease servile works during this feast of trumpets. 

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

The feast of trumpets begins our judgment or fiery trials as we gradually draw away from the standards of this world. That is when we can offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord – a sacrifice made by fire as Christ had already laid the foundation for us by offering Himself as our sin offering. The meat offering of flour in verse 3 which was mingled with oil symbolizes what we have received from the Lord as He opens our eyes and ears to see and hear the spiritual significance of His words. This implies that offering ourselves as living sacrifices can only be accomplished when we are endowed with the knowledge of the Lord’s words. It is this offering which serves as a sweet savor to the Lord.

Pro 4:5  Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Pro 4:6  Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 
Pro 4:7  Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 
Pro 4:8  Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 
Pro 4:9  She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

Offerings for the Day of Atonement

Num 29:7  And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein: 
Num 29:8  But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD for a sweet savour; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish: 
Num 29:9  And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals to a bullock, and two tenth deals to one ram,
Num 29:10  A several tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs: 
Num 29:11  One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings.

The Day of Atonement represents our reconciliation with God. This is after Christ has come to us with the spirit of His mouth and the brightness of His coming. The tenth day of the seventh month, which is the Day of Atonement, shows us that it is when our flesh reaches its fullness that Christ comes to us to reconcile us to God. His coming to us is to judge us as we offer ourselves as a burnt offering which is a sweet savor to the Lord. As we indicated in the previous study, the young bullock, the ram, and seven lambs of the first year which were offered, represent us, His elect. The seven lambs of one year signify that the complete number of the elect of every generation who offer themselves as living sacrifices to the Lord are all of one mind. The meat and the drink offerings signify that it is through the spiritual knowledge of His words (flour mingled with oil) that we can offer ourselves as sacrifices pleasing to the Lord and also to offer our service of love to the people of the Lord. All of this is possible because the Lord has laid down His life for us as the goat for the sin offering. 

Php 2:17  Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
Php 2:18  Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (ESV)

2Ti 4:6  For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. (ESV) 

Offerings for the Feast of Booths

Num 29:12  And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days:
Num 29:13  And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish: 
Num 29:14  And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto every bullock of the thirteen bullocks, two tenth deals to each ram of the two rams, 
Num 29:15  And a several tenth deal to each lamb of the fourteen lambs: 
Num 29:16  And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 
Num 29:17  And on the second day ye shall offer twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without spot: 
Num 29:18  And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
Num 29:19  And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering thereof, and their drink offerings. 
Num 29:20  And on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish; 
Num 29:21  And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
Num 29:22  And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

The feast of Booths starting on the fifteenth day of the seventh month signifies our new lives when we come out of the world (Egypt). The burnt offering that we offer during this period of our walk is different for each day. The difference is in the number of bullocks that are offered each day. The number of bullocks decreases each day by one, but the rams and lambs are the same each day for the seven days. In the Old Testament, it was those who were physically rich that had cattle or bullocks. This implies that spiritually, bullock represents spiritual riches.

Gen 13:1  And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 
Gen 13:2  And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

The decreasing number of bullocks in the burnt offering each day during the feast of booths is therefore to show us the decreasing appreciation of the rule of the Lord during this period of our lives when we have left the world but found ourselves in Babylon. It is usually the leaders of the people who have the physical riches to offer a bullock as sacrifice. This tells us that it is our leaders in Babylon who have lost their bearings regarding their appreciation of the rule of the Lord which causes us to also go astray. 

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 
2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 
2Pe 2:14  Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 
2Pe 2:15  Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 
2Pe 2:16  But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 
2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

The burnt offering for the first day of this feast consists of thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year. The number thirteen signifies rebellion. This rebellion against the Lord is caused by the old man or our flesh within us. That is why our old man must be dealt with through our fiery trials. 

On the second day, our burnt offering consists of twelve bullocks. The number twelve represents Christ and also means foundation. What this tells us is that although we have started our walk with Christ, we are still carnal as we are controlled by our flesh. Thus, we are not able to appreciate the Lord’s rule in our lives. 

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 
1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

On the third day, the number of bullocks offered reduces to 11 which signifies the ruin and disintegration of the perfection of the flesh. What this means is that our lack of appreciation of the rule of Christ in our lives is the opportunity the Lord is seeking to destroy our flesh in the fullness of time. 

Num 29:23  And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish: 
Num 29:24  Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
Num 29:25  And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 
Num 29:26  And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without spot: 
Num 29:27  And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 
Num 29:28  And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering. 
Num 29:29  And on the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish: 
Num 29:30  And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 
Num 29:31  And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 
Num 29:32  And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish: 
Num 29:33  And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 
Num 29:34  And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.  

On the fourth day, ten bullocks are offered as burnt offerings together with two rams and fourteen lambs. The number ten means completion of the flesh. At this point in our walk, we have come to see the fullness of our flesh and have come to understand that of ourselves, we can do nothing. 

Joh 5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

The fifth day offering consisted of nine bullocks, two rams and fourteen lambs. The number nine indicates God’s judgment. Our appreciation of the Lord at this stage of our walk continues to decrease, paving the way for the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh in order for us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord. 

The sixth day sacrifice was made up of eight bullocks, two rams and fourteen lambs. The number eight means new beginning or new man. What this implies is that as fleshly beings (significance of the sixth day), it is through the judgment of the Lord that our old man or flesh dies, giving way to the new man after Christ. 

The seventh day sacrifice consisted of seven bullocks, two rams and fourteen lambs. At this point in our walk with Christ, our appreciation of the Lord has reached its lowest point. We have fallen completely and needed the Lord to intervene in our circumstance. As the saying goes, the darkest hour is just before dawn. Our deliverance is very close at this point as the Lord is about to come with the breath of His mouth and His brightness to start the process of destroying the old man within us. 

Isa 60:1  Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 
Isa 60:2  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 
Isa 60:3  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

The Eighth Day

Num 29:35  On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein: 
Num 29:36  But ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: one bullock, one ram, seven lambs of the first year without blemish: 
Num 29:37  Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 
Num 29:38  And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering. 
Num 29:39  These things ye shall do unto the LORD in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings. 
Num 29:40  And Moses told the children of Israel according to all that the LORD commanded Moses. 

As indicated earlier, the number eight means new beginning or the new man. Presently, this is the period when we are dominated by our new man. At this point in time, we become fully united with Christ, having one mind (one bullock for sacrifice) and resting fully in Him. That is when we shall be enabled by the Lord to offer all kinds of offerings that are holy and acceptable to the Lord.

This period also refers to the sanctifying work of the elect during the lake of fire age in bringing all humanity to Christ. 

May His name be praised forever!! Amen!! 

Gospels In Harmony – Jesus Curses the Fig Tree and Cleanses the Temple

Mat 21:12-16, 18-19, Mar 11:11-18, Luk 19:45-48, Joh 2:13–16

[Study Aired April 27, 2021]

Mar 11:11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

Mat 21:18a Now in the morning as he returned into the city, 
Mar 11:12b when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
Mar 11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mar 11:14a And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever 
Mat 21:19 [and] Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. 
Mar 11:14b And his disciples heard it.

The following is an article from the website that gives us the spiritual significance of this story. Why Did Christ Curse the Fig Tree?

Hi Mike,

Why do you think Jesus cursed the fig tree, and how does it relate to us? This experience is listed in the scripture Mark 11:13-14. I would really appreciate it if you could help me understand it.

Thanks,
D____

Hi D____,

Thank you for your question about why Christ cursed the fig for not having fruit on it at a time when it wasn’t even expected to have fruit. Here are a couple of verses in the Old Testament which demonstrate the spiritual significance of the fig tree:

Hos 9:10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

Joe 1:7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

So the fig tree is a type of what had been, up to that time, God’s physically chosen people, the physical nation of Israel.

With this in mind let’s read those verses in Mark:

Mar 11:12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
Mar 11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mar 11:14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

Christ had come to them, but as with the fig tree, He deliberately came at the time when they weren’t even expected to bear any fruit. He came to them at a time when they were preordained to reject and crucify Him.

Joh 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But Why did “His own receive Him not”? This is why:

Act 4:25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
Act 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Act 4:27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
Act 4:28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

Christ knew Israel would reject and crucify Him. That was why He came into this world:

Joh 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

Joh 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

So Christ cursed His own fig tree for not bearing fruit even though He knew it was not the time for it to bear fruit. It all tells us simply that Israel was doing “whatsoever God’s hand and His counsel determined before to be done”. Christ was indeed hungry, but He was not pitching a temper tantrum, and He was not upset at the tree for not bearing fruit before its time. He did it all for our sakes, to teach us what He is doing:

2Co 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Here is an Old Testament prophecy of what God intended to do with physical Israel and all physical nations, from the beginning:

Jer 8:13 I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.

So here is that story again:

Mar 11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mar 11:14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

The spiritual application of this story for all of us is that “the flesh profits nothing” and while in this flesh, it is not the season for bearing fruit. We must die first before we can bear fruit.

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

The spiritual lesson in this story is that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”. Christ’s cursing of the fig tree at a time when it could not bring forth fruit is the cursing of all flesh, the old, “first man Adam” in all of us who must die and be destroyed for “the new man, the last Adam” to be born.

1Co 15:31 Every day do I die, by the glorying of you that I have in Christ Jesus our Lord: (YLT)

1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

That is the spiritual message behind the physical cursing of the fig tree. I hope this helps to explain why Christ cursed the fig tree while it was not even the season for it to bear fruit.

Your brother in the Christ,
Mike [End quote]

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Joh 2:13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
Joh 2:14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
Joh 2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;

Mat 21:12b and the seats of them that sold doves,

Mar 11:16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
Mar 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Joh 2:16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

Mat 21:14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
Mat 21:15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,
Mat 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Luk 19:47a And he taught daily in the temple. 

Mar 11:18a And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, Luk 19:48a And could not find what they might do: Mar 11:18b because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.

There is a debate in the religious world as to whether the cleansing of the temple happened once or twice. Either John’s writing of this event represents the first time there was a temple cleansing and was not recorded in the other gospels, or else in John it is not the chronological order of the event which does happen in the gospels. Mat 21:12 and Mark 11:15 state the same account of this event. This is a study in itself and will not be searched out in this particular study. Either way it does not affect the spiritual significance of the spiritual understanding of the cleansing of the temple. As we know being the temple of God we are cleansed daily.

1Co 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of Godis holy, which temple ye are.

2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

1Jn 1:7-10 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Here are the first verses of the story of cleansing the temple, which we are.

Joh 2:13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
Joh 2:14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

The following is the reason there were those that sold oxen, sheep and doves among other items. The money changers were there to exchange foreign monies into what the temple accepted as money for a fee of course.

Deu 14:22-26 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

If you have a long journey to the feast the Lord has set up a way to travel lightly until you arrived at the feast. We have established in earlier studies that at this point in our walk we have heard of Christ and his miracles and may have even witnessed them. We may see Christ as our savior but do not understand there are things yet to take place before he will truly be our King. The sellers and money changers were set up in the court of the temple and that is what upsets Christ and causes him to do the following because the temple is holy.

Joh 2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;

Mat 21:12b and the seats of them that sold doves,

Mar 11:16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
Mar 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Joh 2:16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

As we said earlier the selling of these things is perfectly lawful that is not the issue. The issue Christ has is where they are selling. The temple even the court is holy and not to be used for this purpose. This action by Christ is spoken by Isaiah and Jeremiah in the following verses.

Isa 56:7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

Jer 7:11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

Mat 21:14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

Once the temple is cleansed, healing begins. This again upsets the priests and scribes.

Mat 21:15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,
Mat 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Psa 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

Keep in mind all this is within each of us and continues daily in our lives. The cleansing, healing, and even the displeasure of these thing taking place. This battle is our calling and will continue until the end.

2Co 10:2-7 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.

Christ has now entered into the court of our temple and begun the cleansing process. There is much more to come.

Isa 49:8-17 In a Day of Salvation Have I Helped You - Discussion

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Isa 49:8-17 In A Day of Salvation Have I Helped You

[Study Aired November 10, 2019]

Isa 49:8  Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
Isa 49:9  That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
Isa 49:10  They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
Isa 49:11  And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
Isa 49:12  Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
Isa 49:13  Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
Isa 49:14  But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
Isa 49:15  Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Isa 49:16  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
Isa 49:17  Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

These verses are the continuing thoughts of the Lord towards Isaiah as an Old Testament type of His Israel, His kingdom, His elect. As a reminder of what we discussed last week, here are the last three verses of that study, demonstrating that the Lord considers His elect to be his nation, His ‘Israel’ whom He is in the process of redeeming:

Isa 49:5  And now, saith the LORD that formed me [Isaiah] from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
Isa 49:6  And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
Isa 49:7  Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

“He shall choose thee” refers both to Isaiah as the Lord’s prophet while at the same time referring to “the Israel of God”, which is “the kingdom of God… within you” and within me. That is demonstrated in the way the Lord refers to Isaiah as Israel in the first three verses of this chapter:

Isa 49:1  Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
Isa 49:2  And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
Isa 49:3  And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Christ tells us that His ‘Israel’, His kingdom, is within us:

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

When the Pharisees asked Christ about “the kingdom of God”, they were asking about the kingdom of Israel, and in their mind it was a literal physical kingdom which was to dominate the rest of the world. ‘The kingdom of God’ to these Pharisees certainly was not a matter of “being a new creation” as it is described by the apostle Paul.

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn't matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (GWV)

The book of Isaiah and “the sum of [God’s] word” (Psa 119:160 ASV) demonstrates for us that anything said in scripture which refers to the Lord’s kingdom, also refers to the Lord’s people. As the Lord refers to Isaiah as Israel, He also refers to each and every one of the Lord’s people as His nation, and according to the Lord Himself, anything we do or say about those who are His, we are doing and saying it of Christ the Lord Himself and His anointed.

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Knowing that the Lord refers to Isaiah and to each of us as His ‘Israel’ notice what he is saying to each of us:

Isa 49:8  Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

Wow! Those words are addressed to you and me… “I will give you for a covenant of the people to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.”

How are we to be “a covenant of the people to establish the earth”? The answer is disclosed by the Roman centurion seeking the healing of his servant:

Mat 8:5  And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
Mat 8:6  And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
Mat 8:7  And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
Mat 8:8  The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
Mat 8:9  For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
Mat 8:10  When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

We, too, are under authority, and while the only authority we are given at this time is over the kingdom of God within, the time will come when we will be given authority over the kingdoms of this world. When that day comes, all we will need do is to “speak the word only and, [we will] establish the earth, [and] cause to inherit the desolate heritages” as the new man increases and the old man decreases, first within ourselves, and then to others who are presently within the darkness and bondage of the prison of false doctrines and sin:

Isa 49:9  That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
Isa 49:10  They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

These are the Lord’s words which “shall never pass away”.

Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

What this verse tells us is that these words of Isaiah had an application to Isaiah and his time, while at the same time applying presently and inwardly to each of us, and they also have a future application to our part as the rulers of the kingdoms of this world during the thousand-year reign, and then continuing right over into the lake of fire, white throne judgment.

We know these words apply in every age because these verses are quoted in the book of Revelation referring specifically to the great innumerable multitude who come up through the great tribulations of the lake of fire:

Rev 7:9  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; [As opposed to those who are numbered as 144,000 in the preceding verses of Revelation 7]
Rev 7:10  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Rev 7:11  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 7:12  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev 7:13  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 7:15  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Rev 7:16  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 
Rev 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters,: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Compare these last two verses of Revelation 7 with these verses of Isaiah 49:

Isa 49:9  That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
Isa 49:10  They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

While these words certainly apply to the Lord’s 144,000 firstfruits, they also apply to the innumerable multitude who are raised up to the great white throne judgment in the lake of fire.

Let’s take the time to contrast this great innumerable multitude, who also come up through great tribulation and who also wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb, with “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” who are numbered in the preceding verses of this 7th chapter of this book of “the revelation of Jesus Christ”:

Rev 7:1  And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
Rev 7:2  And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Rev 7:3  Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Rev 7:4  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

This very same group of 144,000 are called “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb in Revelation 14:

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 
Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Rev 14:5  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

“The firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” are called ‘first’ fruits because they are “the first to believe in Christ” in Ephesians 1.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Paul was given to reveal to us that “we… who first trusted in Christ… in the dispensation of the fulness of times… have obtained an inheritance  … in Christ [to be] the manifested sons of God… [for whom] the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now, waiting [to be used of Christ to] gather together in one all things in [the] Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth”.

These “firstfruits” are given this prominence because they were predestined to be the channel of God’s judging grace upon all men of all time who were not granted to have a part of what Paul refers to as “the manifested sons of God” in Romans 8:

Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 
Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

“The whole creation” of verse 22 is the same as “all in Adam” of:

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1Co 15:27  For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
1Co 15:28  And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

These verses here in 1Corinthians 15 give the lie to the false doctrine of the churches of Babylon which teach that “Today is the day of salvation” means that today is the only day of salvation.

2Co 6:2  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Nothing is further from the Truth. The Truth is that ‘today is the day in which “it is not give to… the multitudes… to understand… the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 13:11). But they will be given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven “each in his own order”, that order being “Christ the first [of the] firstfruits, afterward they that are are… the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb [Rev 14:14]… at His coming”. “Then comes the end” is neither “the end of the world” nor the beginning of eternal hell fire. Rather it is the harvest “at the end of the year” (Exo 23:16).

The plan of God for the salvation of all men is revealed in the annual festivals of ancient Israel. Christ is the first of the firstfruits, but it is very significant that the feast of Pentecost, the day on which the New Testament church began, is also called “the feast of firstfruits” in:

Exo 23:14  Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Exo 23:15  [1] Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib [Passover]; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
Exo 23:16  And [2] the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field [Pentecost]: and [3] the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

Pentecost is called ‘Pentecost’ because Israel counted 7 weeks “until the morrow after the seventh week” making it 50 days, the word ‘Pente’ meaning 50, and the word ‘cost’ meaning ‘to count’. Lest there is any doubt about the meaning of “the firstfruits of your labors” in Exodus 23, these verses clarify for us that it is speaking of the feast of weeks, called ‘Pentecost’:

Exo 34:18  [1] The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.

Exo 34:22  And thou shalt observe [2] the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and [3] the feast of ingathering at the year's end. 
Exo 34:23  Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.

James calls all who are called to suffer with Christ in “this present time” (Rom 8:18) “a kind of firstfruits”:

Jas 1:18  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

So, the first two harvests, 1) the spring barley harvest at the time of the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, and 2) the summer wheat harvest of Pentecost, are both called firstfruit harvests. Passover is the offering of Christ and Pentecost is the offering of the church, which is His body, referred to as “they that are Christ’s at His coming, the 144,000… firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” (1Co 15:23 and Rev 14:4).

The use of the word ‘firstfruits’ in reference to those who are raised up in the first resurrection necessitates that there is also a “harvest at the year’s end, which will dwarf, for sheer numbers, the previous resurrection which takes place at the beginning of the thousand-year reign of Christ and His Christ, His anointed, of whom we are told:

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Being given power over all the power of the enemy in the kingdom of God within us in this present time and being “exalted” to the position of “kings and priests” under Christ during the thousand-year reign is the fulfillment of our next verses:

Isa 49:11  And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
Isa 49:12  Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
Isa 49:13  Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

We are the Lord’s ‘mountains’ and His ‘highways’. “The dream is one” (Gen 41:25-26). We have already demonstrated that when the Lord speaks to the “heavens and the earth” this, too, is speaking to His people who will indeed “be joyful… and break forth into singing” when the Lord comforts His people and has mercy upon His afflicted.

However, that day comes only through being brought to our wits’ end, to the extent that we cry out “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?“ That day will come to us only “through much tribulation” (Act 14:22, having all) the wood, hay, and stubble (1Co 3:13-16), burned out of our lives by “the fiery trials which are to try” [us] (1Pe 4:12) and by being tormented day and night in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb (Rev 14:6-12) [by having] the seven plagues of the seven angels fulfilled [in our lives].

Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

This book of Isaiah is the source of all those New Testament prophecies, so Isaiah tells us:

Isa 49:14  But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
Isa 49:15  Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

These words are repeated in:

Isa 54:7  For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
Isa 54:8  In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

“I… have forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee… I hid my face from you… in a little wrath, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you” is just another way of saying:

Isa 49:16  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
Isa 49:17  Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

The Lord must pour out His wrath upon us and hide His face from us for a moment before we can enter into His temple. We are all Joseph’s brothers who sell him for twenty pieces of silver before we are brought to our wits’ end (Psa 107:27) and granted repentance in ‘this present time’ (Rom 8:18). When that takes place our flesh and our old man has served their purpose, and we can then begin to “die daily” (1Co 15:31), be “crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20), and “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (Rom 12:1), and our new man can begin to increase as our old man begins to decrease day by day (Joh 3:30).

We will “make haste” to trim our lamps and be ready for the bridegroom, and our enemies and “destroyers who have made waste, of [us] will go forth of [us]” just as Joseph’s brothers went forth from him at his words and only after they had bowed down to him and had worshipped at his feet:

Gen 42:6  And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

Gen 45:9  Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
Gen 45:10  And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:
Gen 45:11  And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

If our old man is made to bow to Christ within us in “this present time” (Rom 8:18), then our brothers in Babylon will be made to come and worship at our feet and to know the Lord has loved us:

Rev 3:9  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

That is our study for today. Here are our verses for our next study:

Isa 49:18  Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
Isa 49:19  For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
Isa 49:20  The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
Isa 49:21  Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
Isa 49:22  Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
Isa 49:23  And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
Isa 49:24  Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
Isa 49:25  But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
Isa 49:26  And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 149

“The feasts of the Lords will”

February 2, 2019

While preparing for this study, I didn’t really know where I was going to start. So, like with many of my studies, I simply relied on the Lord to guide my thoughts as His spirit flowed through the words I was reading to the typing of my keyboard.

This study is an example of how the Lord is not random in what He is doing, but it quite precise.

That knowledge is like a two-edged sword because if they Lord is working everything after the counsel of His own will, then even then things we think are negative are happening as a direct effect of His will working it.

In our study today, we are going to see how the Lord has pre-orchestrated events which cause us to acknowledge His will in our lives.

Without this causation we might think all things are coincidence or “karma” or some other sort of causation NOT pointing to the Lord.

Our verses for today are found in Deuteronomy 16.

Deu 16:9  Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.
Deu 16:10  And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
Deu 16:11  And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
Deu 16:12  And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.

I started with verse 9 because our first verse with the word hand or hands is in verse 10, and I always like to read these verses in context.

This chapter is listing out three time periods which the Lord has purposed for His people to come together in acknowledgement. These times of acknowledgement are given to the people of God so that they can acknowledge the accomplishments the Lord has done in their lives both present day and in the past.

Though we are started at the feast of weeks, also known as the feast of ingathering, the earlier verses speak about the Passover.

Of the verses I have chosen to start reading from, the number 7 is the first prominent point that is being made. With seven being the number of completion, especially of judgment, we can see that the Lord is completing the process of the bounty He has given Israel in the form of a harvest.

There are several things to note here that carry spiritual types for us to implement in our thinking and in our lives today.

Obviously, I will be listing things that are brought to my mind about this topic, but there certainly are many examples that can be taken from these verses.

The next things mentioned that stands out to me is that the Lord tells us to bring a freewill offering according to how the Lord has blessed us.

It is easy to look at the freewill part of these verse, but the real focus is on, “according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee”. Freewill mentioned here is not speaking about your will free from God’s but rather gives us a perfect example of showing how we have nothing to offer unless God has already blessed us.

The third thing I see in these verses is the inclusion of others around us. The Lord doesn’t simply bless only us, but He blesses others via us as well.

The feast of weeks is a feast that the Lord wants to make sure all participate in. In other words, the Lord wants us to sympathy towards those that are around us versus holding grudges, despising or looking down on others.

This phrase “thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you” tells us that the Lord wants us to acknowledge that He has placed these people where they are and we would do well to recognize that.

We are all servants of the Lord no matter what we are doing because the Lord will use what is happening for the good that will inevitably come about from it. Our intentions have not bearing on how the Lord works things in the end.

Gen 50:18  And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
Gen 50:19  And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
Gen 50:20  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Gen 50:21  Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Rom 14:1  Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom 14:2  For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
Rom 14:3  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Isa 46:10  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:

Why have I mentioned all of these verses together? Well, the stranger in the land is to be treated just as the “son, daughter or servants”. If we really hearken unto what the Lord teaches us concerning these things, then our outlook should change how we treat others.

We do this because we are commanded to remember that we were once “bondmen in the land of Egypt”. Any other outlook is not acceptable to the Lord and does not glorify Him.

The next set of verses finds us look at the feast of tabernacles.

Deu 16:13  Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:
Deu 16:14  And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
Deu 16:15  Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
Deu 16:16  Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
Deu 16:17  Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.

These feasts were to all designed to acknowledge God in both the blessings of the past, present and future. That is because the Lord encompasses it all.

Passover shows us what the Lord has done for us, the feast of weeks shows us what the Lord us doing for us and the feast of booths shows us that we can celebrate because the Lord has brought us to where we are, and more importantly, where we are going. Without a bountiful harvest, we will not be going anywhere as far as progress with the Lord is concerned.

It is during the time of the feast of tabernacles that we reflect on the blessing of being able to gather in corn and wine. It takes a lot of work and a lot of blessing of the Lord to get us to this point.

Anyone that has gardened, farmed, raised livestock or even been around these things understands the toils involved, but more importantly the absolute reliance on the Lord for the increase to happen. IF the rains don’t come, the crops don’t grow, and the animals die too.

Additionally, the feast of tabernacle shows us that the Lord WANTS us to delight and take grateful pleasure in the work of our hands of which He has blessed. There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying the blessings the Lord gives us, but He wants us to SHARE those blessings as well. That sharing obviously comes in many forms.

Both of these events tell us to be conscious of those around us.

“Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee,” is telling us that the Lord knows what He has given us and wants a loving offering given back to the Lord as acknowledgement.

Pro 3:1  My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Pro 3:2  For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
Pro 3:3  Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Pro 3:4  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

This is all good in well, but how do we look at these feasts and apply it to our lives today? Each event we have in our lives leads to the eventual crossing of the finish line where we will no longer need to toil.

However, the Lord wants us to acknowledge Him in all ways until we get there.

Much of our present day lives correspond to the “time period” of Pentecost. Passover certainly happens in ours lives, as well as, the feast of tabernacles.

I find that my daily activities have me reflecting on my walks with the Lord in the form of Pentecost or of being a kind of first-fruit unto the Lord. What do I mean by that?

“Seven weeks shall thou number” tells me this is about completely living my life to the Lord. A week is 7 days, and this is 7 weeks. There is a witness to this completion being works in our lives.

This period begins with the waving of the sheaf offering.

Lev 23:11  And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

It was after this time that the baked loaves were presented to the Lord.

Lev 23:16  Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Lev 23:17  Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

This shows us that we are to dedicate our lives to the Lord because we are a kind of firstfruits. The baked bread represents us acknowledging that the bread is life in us and we are the bread bring offered up unto the Lord.

This all starts with the “Passover sheaf” and ends with the wave of the wave loaves. This all points to a time and cycle in our lives.

Joh 9:3  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Joh 9:4  I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Joh 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

We are the light of the world because we have the light in us, and that is how we need to live our lives. If we are always concentrated on the past events of our lives, then we cannot keep our eyes on the mark of the prize of the high calling.

Peter sinking in the water is a perfect example of this. The storm that caused the waves to crash against the boat was a storm of the PAST so to speak. It happened BEFORE Peter was called out onto the water, but it continued into the present time of Peter being called onto the water.

Instead of Peter keeping his eyes on Jesus, Peter looks around and continues to focus on the storm that has already been conquered by Jesus who is currently walking on the water.

Mat 14:22  And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
Mat 14:23  And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
Mat 14:24  But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
Mat 14:25  And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
Mat 14:26  And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
Mat 14:27  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
Mat 14:28  And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
Mat 14:29  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
Mat 14:30  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
Mat 14:31  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

What we need to do is concentrate on Jesus coming before us as seen in the Passover.

(ESV) Rom 11:16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Rom 11:17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,
Rom 11:18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.

1Co 15:19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
1Co 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

We must remember that Jesus died on the Passover and the Spirit of God didn’t come until the Pentecost was fully come.

I point this out to say there is always a waiting period with the Lord when He is working a situation that causes us to wait upon Him.

In the old testament examples, we have read today, the Israelites were being given directions on how to keep the feasts in the flesh, while we can take many, many lessons from the ways we should keep these feasts on both a macro and micro level.

These feasts were kept both individually and as a collective nation.

Jas 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

I hope we can all continue to dwell upon the mindset that we are indeed very important to the Lord because of the position in His kingdom that He has placed us in, but not only for ourselves but for everyone around and connected to us in one way or another.

Mike,

Did we at one time have a diagram that showed the old testament feasts and celebrations and what part of the year they took place? I would like to know their seasons and spiritual meanings.

YbitC,

N____

Hi N____,

This is not from the web site, but it does answer your question.

“Rosh Hashanah

“From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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For other uses, see Rosh Hashanah (disambiguation).

Rosh Hashanah
A shofar, symbol of the Rosh Hashanah holiday
Official name	Hebrew: ראש השנה‎
Also called	Jewish New Year
Observed by	Judaism and Jews
Type	Jewish
Observances	Praying in synagogue, personal reflection, and hearing the shofar.
Begins	Start of first day of Tishrei
Ends	End of second day of Tishrei
2015 date	sunset, September 13 – nightfall, September 15
2016 date	sunset, October 2 – nightfall, October 4

“Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה‎, literally “head of the year”) is the Jewish New Year. The Biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (Hebrew: יוֹם תְּרוּעָה‎, literally “day [of] shouting/raising a noise”) or the Feast of Trumpets. It is the first of the High Holy Days or יָמִים נוֹרָאִים Yamim Nora’im (“Days of Awe”) which usually occur in the early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. Rosh Hashanah is a two-day celebration, which begins on the first day of Tishrei. Tishrei is the first month of the Jewish civil year, but the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year.

“The day is said to be the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of humanity’s role in God‘s world. Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the shofar (a hollowed-out ram’s horn) and eating symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey to evoke a “sweet new year”. (End quote)

Here now is what the scriptures say about the Old Testament festivals:

Lev 23:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:2 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.
Lev 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover.
Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
Lev 23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
Lev 23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
Lev 23:9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
Lev 23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
Lev 23:12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.
Lev 23:13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.
Lev 23:14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
Lev 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Lev 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.
Lev 23:18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.
Lev 23:19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
Lev 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
Lev 23:21 And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
Lev 23:22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
Lev 23:23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
Lev 23:25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Lev 23:26 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Lev 23:28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.
Lev 23:29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
Lev 23:30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
Lev 23:31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
Lev 23:33 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:34 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.
Lev 23:35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
Lev 23:36 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.
Lev 23:37 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:
Lev 23:38 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.
Lev 23:39 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.
Lev 23:40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
Lev 23:41 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.
Lev 23:42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
Lev 23:43 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.
Lev 23:44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

I well remember being blown away as a teen to discover when I started taking the Bible Correspondence Course from the World Wide Church of God, that these holy days are a type and shadow of the plan of God for all men.

Here is what these days foreshadow in the exact order in which they are here presented to us here in Leviticus 23:

Passover: The death of The Christ for our sins.

Days of Unleavened Bread: After being cleansed by His blood we begin to put sin out of our lives, but we are “yet carnal” (1Co 3:1-4), and we must wait fifty days, symbolizing grace through faith (The Meaning of the Number Five), as we come to be cleansed to the point of being able to receive the holy spirit on:

Pentecost: The birth of the church. The only holy day where the meat (meal) offering is offered with leaven, telling us that we are still in vessels of clay, bodies of sinful flesh, dying daily.

Feast of Trumpets: The beginning of the judgment that is now on the house of God (1Pe 4:17).

Atonement: The death of our old man symbolized by fasting and denying the flesh. Through this death we are brought to “be raised with Him in newness of life” (Rom 6:1-6), both spiritually as being already resurrected with Christ, and as a type of the literal first resurrection.

Tabernacles: The first resurrection and the thousand year reign of Christ and His Christ.

8th And Last Great Day of the Feast: The second resurrection and the white throne judgment and the salvation of all men:

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

As we now know, “He that believeth on  me” will, through the work of the lake of fire, include all who are in Adam (Rom 3:21-22; 1Co 15:22; 1Ti 2:4 and 4:10; 2Pe 3:9 and 1Jo 2:10 etc.)

I hope this is all of some help to you.

YbitC,

Mike

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 85

“The judgments” Part P

August 26th, 2015

In the previous study we saw the Lord instituted periods of rest for His people. In this study, we are going to skim the surface of the times of feasts the Lord has given His people and what they mean in our lives today as Christians.

Three times a year

Exo 23:14  Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Exo 23:15  Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
Exo 23:16  And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
Exo 23:17  Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.
Exo 23:18  Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.
Exo 23:19  The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.

There are seasons for all sorts of things in our lives. Though it is true that the study today will be covering feast times, even these times have hidden meanings which help us gain a better understanding of the Lord workings His will for us into our lives.

“There is a time for …. _________” and you can fill in the blank. There is a time “under the sun” for everything.

Ecc 3:17  I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

As beasts and sons of men, we should be concentrating more on what makes us sons of God. When we evaluate the verses at the focus of this study today, let us concentrate on how we should be applying them to our daily lives and not only for specific times of the year.

Exo 23:14  Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Exo 23:15  Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
Exo 23:16  And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

In the feasts that are mentioned here, we see three time periods which are obviously separated by varying degrees of time passing. In a “black letters on white paper” sense, we see that during the year the Israelites has to keep three particular feasts.

The first was to recognize their rescue from Egyptian slavery. All males must appear “before the Lord” to keep the feast of unleavened bread.

The feast of unleavened bread

This first feast symbolized a much deeper spiritual meaning for Jews which are inward and of the heart.

Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

We yearn for the praise of God, and to gain that praise we must spiritual partake of the feast of unleavened bread. In this feast, we fully recognize that Jesus Christ was the sacrifice made for all of mankind so that we could be freed of the spiritual bondage and death.

This is the feast which represents our savior coming into our lives and there is NO leaven permitted to taint this sacrifice and offering. This also represented the purist form, the purest form of not having any false doctrine in our lives because Truth – Jesus Christ – cannot be mixed with lies.

1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Co 5:6  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Gal 5:7  Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
Gal 5:8  This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Yes, leavening represents untruth, lies and false doctrine. As we live out this feast in our lives, we must always be worshipping the Lord in Spirit and in Truth. We do this by always keeping in mind who Jesus Christ is to us.

We have been freed and we are now His workmanship. Selah.

The feast of harvest/firstfruits

The second feast we are studying today is one which continues to build upon who Jesus Christ is.

Jesus Christ is a Head and Body. He is a Father and Son. He is a Husband with a Bride.

Exo 23:16  And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field:

There are a few foundational things to remember about who it is we are in Christ Jesus. We are His body. We are his church.

The church is added to Jesus Christ at Pentecost. I am going to cover a few easily missed, but very important points, if one if just quickly reading through these verses.

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Yes, everyone that is fully brought to the “day of Pentecost” is brought to have the same mind and be in the same place spiritually. We must all be at the point Peter described as witnessing during this day of Pentecost.

Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

One must call on the name of the Lord. Only we, as His body, know that “His name” is not simply the English words, “Jesus Christ”. His name is so much more than that.

However, calling on the name is not the only requirement that is made.

Act 2:40  And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Act 2:41  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

One must also “receive His Word” and be baptized by the “washing of water BY the Word” (Eph 5:26). Receiving His Word is believing His Word.

Rom 10:6  But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
Rom 10:7  Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
Rom 10:8  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

The “day of Pentecost” comes to those who have a deceitful heart and to “the generation” which must shortly have these things come to pass in their lives.

Acts 2:40 tells us to “save yourselves” from this untoward generation much in the same way we are told to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling”.

See, we are both taken from the field and left in the field. That is to say, the old man is taken, and the new man is left IN THE FIELD.

Mat 24:38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:40  Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

What is the field?

Gen 24:65  For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

The “servant of the Master”, whether it be Christ presenting God the Father to His people, or His angels presenting Jesus to His bride, presents the Master to the future up and coming bride “in the field”.

Here is the field:

Mat 13:38  The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

Why is it important to recognize what the field is in context of these feasts the Lord is instituting in Exodus 23?

Act 2:42  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Act 2:43  And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
Act 2:44  And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
Act 2:45  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
Act 2:46  And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Act 2:47  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

These feasts are feasts which are to be kept daily while it is “to day”. The key to understanding the linking of the field to Exodus 23 and the feasts is that the field is the world.

We, as the children of God, are in the world but are not OF the world. We are in the field laboring, but are not OF the field.

It is true that we have been Of the field BEFORE Pentecost, but part of confessing and believing is being baptized into newness of life and being BORN AGAIN into something different.

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Gal 4:3  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

Jas 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Joh 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

“The ends of the world” are come upon us. What that means for us is that our LABORS are “in the world” but are not “of” the world, and this is CONTINUOUS.

Exo 23:16  And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

In Acts we just read that they continued daily breaking bread house to house. When we connect that Christ is the Passover and the unleavened bread is sincerity and Truth, when do we stop worshipping God in Spirit and Truth? The answer is we never stop.

If we see that the field is the world, then what we are SOWING in the world are the labors the Lord has given us, and those labors are not something that we need to guess about.

Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the REAPERS are the angels.

In “spiritual speak”, for those with eyes to see and ears that hear, Jesus could not have been any more clear. His messengers are the reapers who are told to sow to the field. The reason why is that “the kind of firstfruits” are just first in the process and the feast of INGATHERING of all of mankind will be coming upon everyone!

The feast of ingathering

Exo 23:16  And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
Exo 23:17  Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.
Exo 23:18  Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.
Exo 23:19  The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.

The three parts of this “year” we are reading about in this study is the process in which God is saving all of mankind. Therefore, we see that “all males” shall appear before God tells us spiritually that all “sons of God” must go through this process.

We cannot offer Truth and untruths during this process. That is to say, that God will not be mocked and anything that is leaven will be cast out of us.

As sons of God, we will be put through the fire but ONLY in our appointed time during this “year long” process of salvation of the Lord.

To bring home this point, Exodus 23:19 ends with “thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk”. Mike wrote a great article about this “seething”, but the word means to boil.

Boiling is a process to mature something whether for eating or purification. However, there is another connection that “seething” has to this conversation.

H1310
bâshal
Total KJV Occurrences: 30
seethe, 9
Exo_16:23 (2), Exo_23:19, Exo_29:31, Exo_34:26, Deu_14:21, 2Ki_4:38, Eze_24:5, Zec_14:21
sodden, 5
Exo_12:9, Lev_6:28 (2), 1Sa_2:15, Lam_4:10
boil, 4
Lev_8:31, Eze_46:20, Eze_46:24 (2)
boiled, 2
1Ki_19:21, 2Ki_6:29
ripe, 2
Gen_40:10, Joe_3:13
bake, 1
2Sa_13:8
baked, 1
Num_11:8 (2)
brought, 1
Gen_40:10
forth, 1
Gen_40:10 (2)
roast, 1
Deu_16:7
roasted, 1
2Ch_35:13
seething, 1
1Sa_2:13
sod, 1
2Ch_35:13

I am going to read the two verses that really bring out a spiritual concept for us on when we are to spiritually “seethe/boil” and when we are not to “seethe/boil”.

Gen 40:9  And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
Gen 40:10  And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe(H1310) grapes:

Joe 3:9  Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
Joe 3:10  Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
Joe 3:11  Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
Joe 3:12  Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
Joe 3:13  Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe(H1310): come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

This is a process we are to keep in mind daily as hard as that is to do sometimes. When the time is RIPE, we have been told we are the reapers of the harvest.

However, when someone in our lives is NOT YET being worked with my the Lord, we are told not to try to bring the fire of the Word of God to that person because they have not yet even went through TRUE baptism.

They are still on milk of the Word.

Num 31:23  Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.

In order for us to live out these commandments of the Lord in Exodus, we must never despise those around us who do not know what we know or who could be being worked with but are still getting nourishment from the milk of the word.

The latter group must be placed into the “washing of the water by the Word”, the baptism of the “water of separation” of the old and new man before they can have the fire of the world start to burn up the wood, hay and stubble.

I hope this has helped expound upon the ways we keep these feasts in our Christian lives today and every day “unto the end”.

God made all in His physical creation good for His purpose (Gen 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31). That means everything fits exactly in the place and time appointed by God (Ecc 3:1). Nothing happens outside of God’s one will which is His one plan, as we live “by every word” from God’s mouth (Mat 4:4):

Ecc 3:11 (BBE) He has made everything right in its time; but he has made their hearts without knowledge, so that man is unable to see the works of God, from the first to the last.
Ecc 3:11 (DRB) He hath made all things good in their time, and hath delivered the world to their consideration, so that man cannot find out the work which God hath made from the beginning to the end.
Ecc 3:11 (CLV) He has made everything fitting in its season; However, He has put obscurity in their heart So that the man may not find out His work, That which the One, Elohim, does from the beginning to the terminus.

The natural man cannot see the spiritual works of God because God “dwells in thick darkness” from the natural mind’s point of view (2Ch 6:1, 1Co 2:14). For example, the natural man cannot even understand how God brought forth this whole physical creation “suddenly” in six 24-hour days (Joh 11:9):

Isa 48:3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.

On these six physical creation days all the host of heaven and earth were completed:

Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

On the seventh day, God “ended His work”:

Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

When it says that God rested on the seventh day it does not mean Jesus, the God and Creator of this creation, or His Father were tired and in need of a rest or sleep. He that keeps Israel never slumbers nor sleeps. The Godhead is at work in all things all the time, even at this point in time (Eph 1:11):

Isa 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Psa 121:4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Joh 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

To understand what it means that “God ended His work” when He is working “hitherto”, we need to take a closer look at this seventh day. It is also called the Sabbath, but few in this age are given to see how God is actually sanctifying this day:

Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.

Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Many believe that Adam was spiritually perfect after his creation on the sixth day. That belief becomes a stumbling block, and they cannot see what the sanctification of the seventh day is all about (Eze 14:3-4). It is indeed a “strange work” of God for those who believe that Adam was in no need for sanctification at that stage. When Jesus “sanctified” a man from his physical affliction on the Sabbath, the religious mindsets of His day were very upset because, from their point of view, He did something unlawful:

Joh 5:9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
Joh 5:10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.

Joh 5:16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.

This physically healing on the Sabbath is a type of what the spiritual sanctification of the seventh day is all about. God did not complete the first Adam to be spiritually perfect on the sixth day of creation:

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make (Hebrew tense here is an action that is incomplete at this specific time “the sixth day”) man in our image, after our likeness:

The sixth day is the climax of all the days that went before it from an earthy perspective (“under the heaven”). All things are brought together on this sixth day for us to see that the first Adam is just an earthy beast at that stage (Ecc 3:18, 1Co 15:45-50). From the beginning Adam was in need of sanctification through God’s fiery judgment of His Word and spirit in Christ (2Th 2:13, 1Co 6:11). The sixth day is not the completion of God’s work in the first Adam because He (and all in him) is not yet in the spiritual image of God (Joh 4:24)! The seventh day, however, follows and concludes the six days of the physical creation just as the light (the morning or the day) follows the darkness (the evening or the night):

Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Gen 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Gen 1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Gen 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Gen 1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

From the human perspective, the morning (or light) comes after each evening (darkness) on each of the six days of creation which also shows a progressive awakening in our lives. In this process we are still ‘childish’ and in “need of milk” (1Co 13:11-12, Heb 5:12-14, Heb 6:1-2).

Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

This ‘exercise’ is brought to us through the sanctification of the seventh day, “if God permits” (Heb 6:3, Lev 11:44, Mat 5:48, Joh 17:17, Eph 5:26). This relates to the “last day” or “last days” when the first Adam’s complete corrupt state is being revealed to him (Mat 12:45, 1Co 15:50). It is when we are being drawn to be seated with Christ Jesus in the heavens to see that “we are His workmanship” from beginning to end (Rev 1:8). Then we are at peace (Rev 4:6, Psa 107:29-31):

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together (rest) in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

We know that the number seven is spiritually speaking about completion in general. It was on the seventh month, for example, that the ark ‘rested’ upon the high mountains in the land of Ararat. This rest links with the judgment of ‘the old world’, even Babylon in its broader sense (2Pe 2:5, Rev 17:15):

Gen 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

Jer 51:27 Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her [judgment against Babylon], call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers.

Trumpets in Scripture declare an imminent happening, like calling God’s people to come together, or to move forward. They also point out our transgressions/sins, and announce battle/judgment, among others (Num 10:1-10, Isa 58:1, Joe 2:10, Heb 12:26, Rev 1:10, Rev 4:1). The blowing of the trumpets also links in various ways with the number seven in the Scriptures:

Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

Jos 6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

Lev 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

The seventh month in the Jewish calendar has other important memorials for our admonition (1Co 10:11):

Lev 23:27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Lev 23:34 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.

Affliction of souls and offerings are again associated with the number seven here. It is interesting to note that it was in this seventh month, Ethanim, during this feast of tabernacles, that Solomon brought the ark into the most holy place in the newly built temple in Jerusalem with the slaughtering of sheep and oxen that could not be numbered:

1Ki 8:2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim (meaning ‘enduring’, ‘strong’ or ‘valiant’), which is the seventh month.
1Ki 8:3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
1Ki 8:4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.
1Ki 8:5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.

God ordained seven big festivals in the physical nation of Israel of which the feast of tabernacles or ingathering was the seventh or last at the end of the year (Lev 23, Exo 23:16). This again indicates the completion of the work of God when all in the first Adam will be in Christ through judgment.

1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

The seventh angel in Revelation completes the blowing of the seven trumpets which bring the seven vials of judgment on the rule of the first man Adam in each of us:

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world [of the first man Adam] are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled [God ended his work].

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

God’s work is “ended” on the seventh day when the judgment is “fulfilled”, and that is only done on “the Lord’s Day”:

Rev 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

1Co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

This is when the “last days” in the flesh and its carnal mind have come when God is drawing us out of this darkness to His marvellous light (Joh 6:44, Act 2:17-20, Mat 24:29-33). God sanctifies and blesses the seventh day in the ‘perdition’ (destruction) of all in the generation of the first man Adam. All in Adam will be circumcised in spirit to be entering into His “rest” that is the eighth or new day (Isa 56:6-8, 1Co 15:22-28, Isa 66:23-24, Heb 4):

Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Php 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

[Detailed studies on the themes covered in this study can be found at www.iswasandwillbe.com, including:]
The rest of God:
Hear the Word of God and Keep It
The Days of Creation and the Seventh Day
The spiritual meaning of the numbers seven and eight:
The Spiritual Significance of the Number Seven
The Spiritual Significance of the Number Eight – New Man, New Beginning
Sanctification and Purification:
What is Spiritual Circumcision?
What is the Meaning of the Law of Birth Purification?
The Need to Pray
Salvation of all in the first man Adam:
The Seven Steps of Salvation