Be Stirred, Not Shaken

"We ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled..." ~ II Thes. 2:2 *** "But stir up the gift of God that is within you by the laying on of hands..." ~ II Tim. 1:6

Tag: fall of jericho

Leaving Egypt & The Fall of Jericho:  Prophetic Implications of the Days of Unleavened Bread

By

On April 9, 2016

In Holy Days, Old Testament, Prophecy

“By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe” (Heb. 11:29-31)

The spring holy days are aligned with, and represent the firstfruit harvest, and each has specific themes that keep showing up.  Passover is a sacrifice and redemption from slavery.  The Days of Unleavened Bread are overcoming sin and acceptance or victory.  Pentecost is a celebration, receiving an inheritance.

The holy days show us God’s plan for His people and all mankind, and give us a framework for prophecy.  But while we often talk about the fulfilled prophecy of Passover and future implications of the fall holy days, people get really mealy-mouthed around both the Days of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost.  We’ve been told the Days of Unleavened Bread picture our journey out of sin and putting sin out of our lives.  These are likely true, but what if there are even more concrete fulfillments?

This time of year I think it’s important to look at two significant occurrences on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread that help us begin to figure out its place in the future prophetic framework.  God performed similar baptism-like miracles for two generations of Israelites, then destroyed the worldly system standing in the way of establishing His chosen nation in the land He had promised them.  Together these show us a picture of the future when God will destroy sin and the carnal world—the death knell of Babylon—and help His people enter His kingdom.

Coming out of Egypt

The children of Israel started their journey out of Egypt on the first holy day during the Days of Unleavened Bread, after experiencing the horrifying and humbling tenth plague and God’s favor as their own firstborn were spared death.  Over the next few days, God led them away from the heart of Egypt, by day with a pillar of cloud and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light along the dark path.  His presence was visibly with them every second of the day.

Read More

The Feast of Trumpets:  Dark Before the Light

By

On September 12, 2015

In Holy Days, Old Testament, Prophecy, Topic Studies

In scripture, there are prophetic descriptions that evoke images of terrible destruction.  Zechariah 14 describes the inevitable end of what we term as the “trumpet plagues”.  There are, of course, other passages in the Old and New Testaments that describe the destruction associated with the last seven trumpets.  It is not my goal in this study to describe the trumpet plagues, which can easily be found in the book of Revelation.  My goal is to shed light on the actual holy day of Trumpets—what it does and does not symbolize.

There are historical events in the bible that, I believe, paint a picture of just what the Feast of Trumpets foreshadows.  I will attempt to clarify the symbolism of the Feast of Trumpets.

The Feast of Trumpets in the Bible

I am of the viewpoint that the holy days give us important milestones in God’s plan, so let’s start here.

“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. 23:24)

The first thing mentioned is the day.  It’s easy to jump right over this after noting it on your calendar and letting your boss know.  The fact is, the Feast of Trumpets is the only holy day that is kept on the new moon.  This particular new moon was the beginning of the civil year, and that in itself may have significance.  But more important is the new moon itself, or more correctly, the phase of the new moon; does this have significance in determining what the Feast of Trumpets is all about?

The New Moon Holy Day

There has been controversy for centuries over the new moon, mostly the question of what constitutes the new moon (to simplify, you would have the ‘dark of the moon’ and the ‘first crescent’ crowds).  This issue has attained a higher profile in the past several years as it relates to the topic of the calendar/holy days.  The calendar debate is beyond the scope of this article, but the actual symbolism of the new moon is very important when discussing the meaning of the Feast of Trumpets in the bible.

There are scenarios in scripture that paint a picture of what the new moon symbolizes.  These stories all have to do with something being ended—done away with—so something new can begin.  The “dark” of the moon—the period of time between the disappearing crescent and the first crescent—is right at three days.  I don’t think that this is random.  Our Savior was dead for that same period of time.  During that time, the spiritual world was dark.  It wasn’t until He rose from the dead and ascended to be accepted that the light started to shine again.  The new covenant (bringing light) could not come without the death and burial of the Messiah (which caused darkness).

The seven trumpet plagues (depicted in Revelation 8 and 9, and continued in chapters 11 through 15)  mark the ending of a society that mankind has built.  It will have no redeeming qualities that should be saved.  The politics, governance, values, use of technology, business practices, etc., will all have to be swept away to make way for something that is 100% new.   Two examples from the Old Testament that encapsulate the trumpet plagues (which is what the Feast of Trumpets foreshadows) are the fall of Jericho (Joshua 6), and the image dreamt of by King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2).

Read More

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén