The Return of Jesus: Awaken To The Call of The Shofar!

Just a couple of days ago, I spoke to a friend who asked me the age-old question, "Do you think we'll see Jesus coming back in our lifetime"? He quickly followed up that inquiry with, "I know that no man knows the day or hour, but just what is your opinion [based on what you're seeing in the world]? I mean, I know Israel is back in their homeland, but what else are you looking for"? 

I understand there are lots of Christians who are asking those questions out of their concerns and fears [as they sense the instability in the world]. But I also think it is as much a result of the lack of depth in their understanding of the Bible and of God, Himself. I don't mean to offend anyone in particular, but over the 12 years of writing this blog, I have discovered that the desire to seek God's Truth through knowing Him in a real relationship, or through study of His Word, is lacking in a large portion of "the modern Church".

I used to say that we all have a worldview, or a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world. But I find that there is a separation in belief systems that leaves so many without any solid ground to stand on. Maybe you are still mired in a normalcy bias, choosing to not look at what is going on in the world; or your senses are highly alert to the drums of war that are sounding across the globe and you instinctively discern that we are on the edge of a dramatic course of events; or whether, like me, you have a Biblical worldview, which is my framework of ideas and beliefs through which I interpret the world and how I choose to interact with it.

So, rather than give my friend a direct Yes or No as to whether I expect to see Jesus in my lifetime, I explained that throughout history people have lived during destructive times that looked like what Jesus told us it would when He returned. And, yes, I recognize that Israel is back in the Holy Land, given to them by YHWH. But there is more that I wanted him to understand. It's not hard to see that the current situation in Israel is affecting the entire world, so yes, it would be easy to say "God's Zion" is under attack and on the verge of destruction, so surely Jesus will soon be coming back! 

So, before I am called a "Zionist Christian" or ridiculed for my "pro-Feast, Jewish tendencies", I want to make this simple statement ... I see the nation of Israel as that land promised to God's Chosen People in the Bible. And I recognize that there is a distinction between the future prophetic restoration of that land, and the existence of the current state of Israel. My Biblical worldview tells me that Jesus will not return again until God turns the focus of His saving mercies on Israel again, and Israel responds to God through Jesus Christ, their Messiah. That hasn't yet happened in a national sense.

Yet, the circumstances there right now should be waking a lot of Israelites up! The spiritual and temporal attacks against them should be driving them to search what their ancient prophets have revealed regarding their salvation, deliverance, preservation and redemption! As I explained to my friend, the question is not really about whether Jesus will come back during my lifetime, but how God sees the state of the world and how He measures Israel's continued rebellion against Him. 

In Biblical language, Zion refers to God's spiritual kingdom. But, in this modern century, the word Zion and Zionist have taken on negative connotations because the love of Zion [from its establishment as a Jewish state in 1948] has become a nationalistic and political movement, rather than a religious/spiritual or cultural identity. Zionism, today, continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the nation of Israel and address the threats to its continued existence and security. It has little to do with God's spiritual view of Zion. 

Let me be clear in explaining my sensitive position, and please read this paragraph in its entirety before you pass judgment ... the state of Israel, as it exists today in the Middle East, does not represent the Israel that will say, "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord."  They are largely a secular and political state, with no religious connection to Yeshua, their Messiah at all.They are true political Zionists. However, the population also includes a sizable number of religious Orthodox Jews who remain blinded to their future, and most probably view themselves as Zionists from a historical, Old Testament perspective. But I also want to point out that there is a growing population of Messianic Jews, who know and believe in Yeshua as the Biblical Messiah, and are evangelizing "in the Name of the Lord." And I praise God for this remnant that is returning to its true identity in the land.  

BUT, as I continued to share with my friend, it is not only Israel that God has His eye on. The Bible tells us that Jesus will return when all the nations have drunk from the cup of wine of God's wrath [Jeremiah 25:15-17]. "They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword [Jesus, the Word] that I will send among them." I have no doubt that our own nation has drunk from this cup, and God abhors our rebellion against Him as much as He does Israel's. We have squandered His favor and goodness towards us -- being responsible for killing 60+ million innocent babies; supporting, promoting, and exporting child trafficking and pornography; for turning our humility into endless greed; and if that's not enough, we have sought to remove His influence in every sector of our society, while much of "the Church" maintained their self-promoting identity in the shelter of their extravagant buildings. 

My friend had to acknowledge that we deserve God's judgment and have surely drunk the cup of wine of His wrath. If God did not spare the fallen angels, the ancient and wicked civilizations in Noah's day, or Sodom and Gomorrah, how much more will He bring certain judgment upon those of us who have knowledge of the Good News of His Salvation and Kingdom?!? As I explained further, Jesus has told us the times will get worse until He returns, and I do not believe we are destined to be raptured out of this wicked earth. God does not want to lose even one soul, and we need to be present to speak into the unsaved, the skeptical, and the wicked themselves who have yet to sear their minds against God's love for them. So, we will have work to do right up to the moment that we hear the trumpets sounding the Lord's return!

And let us not forget that we are entering the season and rehearsal of the Lord's Fall Feasts... As you read this blog post, the Feast of Trumpets is upon us, which has us looking heavenward, anticipating the blowing of the shofars announcing His return as we repent and celebrate renewal in the Lord. If He doesn't come this year, what would I advise my friend and all Christians? Let us live in patience and with purpose! Let us trust in God's timetable as we live out our New Covenant responsibilities. Let us proclaim that all the promises of God in the Bible are possible because of the work of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit. Let us not bemoan the delay of His return, but rather seize each day as new, transformed people who bear witness to Jesus, continuing His work to heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and spread the Good News that God's Heavenly Kingdom has broken into our world! And let us never tire of fighting back the power of evil and wickedness, thereby bringing new disciples into His kingdom on earth. I don't know if my Lord and Savior will return in my lifetime ... I'd love to see that! But I will devote however many years I have left to hasten His coming! May the shofars sound soon!

Habakkuk 2:3   For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end -- it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.         

"The Big Picture": The Lord's Judgment and Mercy; Hope and Redemption

 

More and more, I have been hearing from people who are feeling the tension in the world; most are Believers, some are not; but they all can sense that something dark is coming upon the earth. It is in these times and seasons of fear among men [which, let's be honest, that is what it is], that I earnestly seek the Lord for His clarification and the counsel of the Holy Spirit. I know the warnings against man's rebellion that can be found in the Word, and I know the Good News of the strength, peace, and joy of the Lord that are ours in the midst of such darkness. But I don't have a crystal ball to see into the future to forecast what we might experience in the coming days or years. I can only draw inspiration from Scripture and what it reveals. And lately, I find myself studying the words of the minor prophets at the close of the Old Testament. They speak of both God's judgment and mercy, which are both sobering and hopeful as we reside in a world that is in such turmoil.

So, it is with great anticipation and expectation that I view the approach of the beginning of the High Holy Days of Judaism in less than a week. At sundown on Sunday, September 25th, the Feast of Trumpets commences. This Fall Feast, as ordained by God nearly 4000 years ago, was to begin with the blowing of the shofar to remind the Hebrew people that it was 10 days until the Day of Atonement, when the people were to make amends [by blood sacrifice of animals] for the sins they had committed against Him. Between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement (known as the Ten Days of Repentance), people could repent of their sins. The Feast of Trumpets was [and still is] a call to examine our lives because they will be judged.

Fast forward to approximately 600 B.C. [or 2622 years ago], and the prophet Zephaniah hears these frightening words from the Lord, "I will completely consume and sweep away all things from the face of the earth [in judgment]”. Zephaniah had prophesied during the reign of godly King Josiah, whose father and grandfather (Kings Amon and Manasseh, respectively) had profaned the statutes of the Lord and led the people of Judah into wickedness. Josiah rediscovered the Law and brought religious and social reform and restoration to Judah. But it was to be short-lived, as his son Jehoiakim is forced to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar and eventually delivers the treasures of the Temple into the hands of the Babylonian king. It is Zephaniah who prophecies that the blasphemous worship of Baal; and "the names and remembrance of the idolatrous priests along with the [false] priests"; and "those who have turned back from following the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord [as their most important need] or inquired of Him” will bring the downfall of the nation of Judah.

Zephaniah declares that the wealth of Judah will become plunder for its enemies; neither their silver nor their gold will be able to rescue them. He warns that God has set apart another nation [for His use]; a nation that has accepted His invitation to bring judgment upon Judah. The merchants will be silenced and destroyed and all who weigh out their profits in silver will be cut off. The economy and the security of the nation are in dire jeopardy because the spirits of men are in stagnation -- they do not fear God. Zephaniah prophecies that "The great [judgment] day of the Lord is near; near and coming very quickly... That day is a day of [the outpouring of the] wrath [of God]". Except for the names and places, this prophecy in Zephaniah, chapter One, could be spoken over nations today. 

BUT, Zephaniah, chapter Three, brings hope out of the devastation. True, the prophet holds to the forecast of judgment for the rebellious and defiled; for those who did not listen to nor heed the voice of God and accepted no correction; and for those who trusted in their own power rather than the power of the Lord. But just a few verses later, we read that the Lord promises deliverance from captivity for His remnant.... for those who grieve for the appointed Feasts [which have been outlawed]. God promises that their shame will be turned into praise and renown, and that He will gather them together, and restore their fortunes and freedom. 

God tells the godly remnant of Judah to patiently wait for Him; for the day when He will rise up as a witness against the rebellious nations. He says, "For it is My decision and My right to gather the nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All [the heat of] My burning anger; For [in that day] all the earth shall be consumed by the fire of My zeal". So, in the midst of His righteous judgment, God promises mercy to His faithful remnant. “Then I will give to the peoples [clear and pure speech from] purified lips [which reflect their purified hearts], that all of them may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder (united)".

That's why it's important that we keep our eyes and hearts on these Fall Feasts. From their institution in the Old Testament until the Day Jesus returns, they offer a time of Hope, Repentance, and Redemption that we, His faithful Remnant, might be spared His judgment that is due upon the ungodly world. It is such a blessing that God has given us these Feasts to prepare; to spend days in repentance and contemplation on how we can serve Him. It is a time of remembering and repentance for not living up to our full potential as sons and daughters of God. BUT we, who are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus as our Savior live with the certainty of the ancient prophets that our sins are forgiven and we are pardoned; that the blood of Jesus covers our sin and we stand blameless. Whether our Lord returns on this Feast of Trumpets or on a Feast day in the future, we do not fear the judgment of God. Rather, we praise Him for sending His Son back to claim us as His righteous harvest.  

The bottom line is this: It is inevitable that God will punish the wicked. But we have hope in this day when it seems that evil is running unchecked and victorious. God's remnant may number few, but we have the comfort that He will not forget us. So, I am grateful to God for those who reach out; those who are awakening to the sound of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They may not fully understand why their hearts and spirits are being quickened, but it is evidence that the Lord is readying Himself to return. God, the Father, is nearing the final number of His remnant who are willing to answer His call and seek Him. What a joy to be able to speak of the prophetic truths and promises in the Word. And Lord, we look forward to celebrating the Feast of Trumpets on the 25th and excitedly look forward to the Feast of Tabernacles, when You will reside in our midst. Hallelujah!

#Godsjudgment #Godsmercy #RemnantofGod #Feastoftrumpets #thelordsfeasts #bibleprophecies

Revelation 11:15   Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.

It's A New Biblical Year! What Does That Mean For Us?

Last evening [Monday, September 6th] at sundown began the observance of God's Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah. This Feast is mentioned in Levitcus 23:23-25, and was instituted as a memorial day announced by the blowing of trumpets; a holy convocation. In the Jewish tradition, it is the first day of the month of Tishri, and the beginning of the "civil" New Year in which the counting of years is calculated. Since the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles, rather than the solar cycles of the Gregorian calendar [which we in the West follow], it can get a bit confusing. And according to the sages of the Jewish faith, when we count the years from the first day of Tishri, we find that it has been 5782 years since the creation of man [Adam]. 

It can get even more confusing when we understand that there is another month also designated as the "religious" new year. In Exodus 12, God tells Moses that the month of Nisan "shall be the beginning of months to you; it is to be the first month of the year to you". But unlike the new year in the month of Tishri, this new year is not for the counting of years, but is in commemoration of the Israelites' momentous transformation from slavery to physical liberation from Egypt. And not coincidentally, it is the month in which the Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits are celebrated, signifying our transformation and freedom from the slavery of sin and eternal death through Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. 

Although the Feast of Trumpets is not specifically mentioned in the New Testament, the themes of the Feast [trumpet blasts] are found throughout the Book of Revelation. And in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, the Apostle Paul alludes to the prophetic importance of the trumpet blasts heard during the Feast of Trumpets ...  Listen very carefully, I tell you a mystery [a secret truth decreed by God and previously hidden, but now revealed]; we will not all sleep [in death], but we will all be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed], in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at [the sound of] the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [who believed in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we will be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed].

So, what does all this tradition and instruction have to do with us 21st Century Christians? We see that the celebration of the new year in the month of Nisan speaks to the delivery of the Hebrew nation from slavery in Egypt, and their transformation into freedom. It speaks of Jesus's First Coming. The new year in the month of Tishri also speaks of a transformation -- and for us Christians, it commemorates our future transformation into our glorified bodies when Christ returns at His Second Coming. Should we observe this Feast of Trumpets, and what significance, if any, does the counting of this particular year have for us? 

The celebration of God's Feasts has increasingly become important to Christians as we take note that God ordained these Feasts as "permanent statutes throughout your generations, wherever you may be". Often mistakenly referred to as the "Jewish Feasts", they apply to all who call themselves children of Abraham. We may not be Jewish, in the physical sense, but we are "spiritual children of Abraham". He is the father of our faith, and through him, we have the roots of our faith. So, again, is this year any different than any other? Is there special significance to the year 5782? It is not uncommon at this time, as it has been for thousands of years, for prophecies to be forthcoming about what this new year holds for the faithful. All of us want to know how God's plans for mankind will transpire. And since we know there is a very active Enemy coming against those plans, we want to be forewarned of danger ahead.

To be honest, I am often skeptical of all the prophetic words that are coming from all the prophets in the land. I am always conscious that we are to test the spirits of those claiming to hear from God, because He tells us in His Word that "many false prophets have gone out into the world". I am aware that we have the ability to prophesy, as the Spirit leads us, therefore I am very discerning of what I hear prophesied, and, in turn, I never want to prophesy anything to anyone that I'm not convinced came from the Lord. That being said, I hear so many [in Christian circles] saying that the theme of prophecy for this year seems to be centered on rest in the House of the Lord; new things will be birthed, as the old falls away; new levels of Grace and Favor; Divine alignment and Kingdom connections. Oh, how I pray all that becomes our reality!

My spirit longs for it all and I will be earnest in praying for it! But I decided today to take some time away from what I'm hearing the prophets say and ask God what He wants to say to me about this year of 5782 and the year 2022. I just sat quietly and listened. I didn't want to project my fleshly biases, but honestly wanted His perspectives on what this year could bring. So, I now would like to share what I heard in my spirit; what I felt was an honest answer to my question of Lord, what is it that You want me to know about this coming year? [NOTE: this is not intended to be considered prophecy for the Body of Christ! It is simply sharing the personal conversation I had with the Lord, in the hopes of focusing my heart, mind, and spirit on discerning His will for my life].

Lord, what is it You want me to know? What should I be expecting [or looking for] in the coming year? Lots of upheaval, but a strengthening at the core. 

At the core of what? 1) My physical body;  2) the core of my spiritual house;  and 3) the core of the TRUE Body of Christ in the world.

Lord, I'm afraid to ask, but what does the upheaval look like? You don't need the details of all that is coming ... Trust Me to prepare you and inform you as needed.

Is there anything else You want me to know about this coming year? It will be difficult for many and your heart will be burdened by loss.

Is there any hope, Lord? You will be victorious and able to help many. You will see Me in the midst of it all. 

I want to stress again that this is what the Lord spoke over my individual life. It is not meant to be spoken as an umbrella prophecy over the Body of Christ. In fact, I urge you to take the time to sit with God and ask for Him to speak to you regarding His will for your life in the coming year. We each have an individual destiny as well as a corporate one, so He may have something specific to speak to you, and it will likely be vastly different than mine. And then continue to stay in touch with Him. As His prophetic word over your life comes to light, you will have more questions in which you will seek His direction and guidance.

 But most of all, I want you to celebrate this beginning of the new Biblical year, declaring that God is ever-present in our circumstances and we are all individually known to Him. We must never doubt that He has His eye on us, nor that we will be alone in what comes, good or bad. We have so much to look forward to! In this season we will experience the Ten Days of Repentance [leading to the Day of Atonement], and the Feast of Tabernacles [when we celebrate the future of living in the presence of our Lord and Savior]. So, I bless you all with peace and joy and revelation in this season of Holy Days! May the Lord's face shine upon you!

Revelation 21:5   And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”