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There are times when our Heavenly Father by way of His Holy Spirit, asks us to do something we perceive as very difficult. If we have heard His voice prompting us, what is our immediate response? If it something we want, or is an affirmation of a request for direction we are happy. If we haven’t heard His voice saying something difficult through a prompting in our spirit, or by way of a scripture, it’s questionable whether we are really hearing Him. When He is speaking to us, we listen, but do we actually hear Him? In these instances once we do really hear Him, His words seem harsh and unyielding.
We need to read the biblical accounts as they are, and not embellish or misconstrue them with our overly emotional interpretations based on a feel-good factor. Looking at the account in Luke 18 of His encounter with the rich young ruler; we must see that Yeshua/Jesus didn’t show the least concern that the rich young ruler should do what He told him to, and He didn’t make any attempt to keep this man with Him. He simply said “sell all that you have and come follow me.” Messiah did not plead with him, try to lure him with promises or compromise with a suggestion, He simply spoke some of the strictest words a person could ever hear; and then He left him alone, giving him space to choose by exercising his gift of free will.
Have we ever heard Yeshua/Jesus say something to us that is difficult and without compromise?
Has He said something personally to us to which we have deliberately listened, something we have heard him say directly to us?
This man understood what Yeshua/Jesus said, he heard and understood, realizing the full impact of its’ meaning, and it broke his heart. He didn’t go away defiantly but instead he was full of sorrow and very discouraged. He had approached Yeshua/Jesus with determination, full of zeal thinking he was doing everything right, and then Messiah’s words stopped him in his tracks. Instead of producing enthusiastic devotion to Him, the words produced discouragement.
Do the things Yeshua/Jesus asks of us produce discouragement in us because it’s not what we want to hear? Furthermore He knows what is in us John 22:23-25. Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to anyone because He knew what was in man.
He also knows that once His word is truly heard, it will bear fruit sooner or later, one way or another.
The sad fact is that some of us prevent His words from bearing fruit in our present life.
Are we like the rich young ruler, sorrowfully discouraged, turning away from Messiah with no response to His directive?
Are there things in our lives that are more important than following Him? Are we not willing to count the cost and pay the price?
He had no question as to what Yeshua/Jesus had asked of him or what it meant, and it produced such a deep sorrow in him that he had no words by which to express himself.
Has that ever happened to us?
Has His Word ever come and pointed out an area in our lives that needs attention, one that requires us to yield it to Him?
Sometimes He puts His finger right on a certain quality, desire, interest or relationship of our hearts and minds that He sees needs adjustment; or in some cases total change and we don’t want to admit it and deal with it. If so then we have experienced the state of being discouraged and speechless with sorrow.
The Lord will not chase us, nor will He plead, threaten or offer compromise. However every time He meets us where He has pointed out such a place in our life, He will simply repeat His words and ask us if we really mean what we say. If we do, then these are the conditions noted in 18:22… sell all that you have…. In other words divest ourselves of everything that might be considered a possession, or an idol, or a hindrance that we have placed before the Father; get rid of them all until we are simply bare before Him and ready to fully give Him ourselves.
This truly is where the battle is really fought, in the realm of our will before our Heavenly Father. We have heard that the battleground is in the mind, in our thoughts and carnal emotions and it is true. Paul shares a profound truth about our human experience in Romans 7:14-25. He explains the struggle that exists within us that our fight is with the natural self vs. the spiritual self.
All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 2 Timothy 3:12
Are we more devoted to our idea of what Yeshua/Jesus wants than to Yeshua/Jesus Himself? If that is the case then we are likely to hear one of His harsh and unyielding statements that will cause deep discouragement and sorrow in us. What He says is seemingly difficult, and it’s only easy when it’s heard by those who have His nature in them. Galatians 4:19.
This is the process of spiritual formation and maturity. It implies a transformation where the character and life of Messiah become evident in the believer.
We must be careful not to allow anything to soften the hard words of our Savior. We can sometimes be so rich in our own poverty, meaning, having an awareness of the fact we are a nobody and will never be His disciple; or we can be so rich in the awareness that we are a somebody that we will never be a disciple.
Are we willing to be destitute and poor even in our sense of awareness of our destitution and poverty? If not, that’s why we become discouraged. Discouragement is disillusioned self-love and this self-love may be love for our devotion to Yeshua/Jesus and not love for Messiah Himself.
Sadly we have added to the basics of the gospel of His kingdom. We have learned our doctrines, dogmas and interpretations from other humans, who in turn learned them from others and so on. What have we truly received from the Lord Himself? Paul said in 1 Cor. 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you. The phrase encourages believers to trust in the guidance received from the Lord and is often used to convey divine revelation or instruction. Not solely from other people but taking the time to study out the Words of instruction in scripture for ourselves.
Galatians 1:17 Paul was in Arabia (including Damascus and the surrounding desert) for at least three years immediately after his conversion. He did not go to the other Apostles. It seems he was 3 years hearing first hand from Messiah and we know the disciples and apostles also heard teachings from Him personally. We can too both through His Word if we take the time to study and through the promise that His Spirit will teach us all we need to know. John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Sadly we have become lazy and these days it’s too easy to listen to a 1000 voices with a 1000 interpretations, and we can easily form our own gospel by cherry picking the parts we like and ignoring those that don’t fit our personal lifestyle and paradigm. When Yeshua/Jesus doesn’t run after us with any kind of correction we take that to mean everything is ok. We can become devoted to a denomination, a church, a pastor, a doctrinal teaching, even a Christian lifestyle instead of to the source of all life. We can become discouraged by our own lack of obedience and discipline when we don’t hear and obey the words of the One Who gave it all for us.
1John 2:17 This world and the things of this world will pass and we are not of this world John 17:16, although for a short lifetime we are in it.
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.
Hebrews 13:14-16
Let’s remember we are passing through it
and not passing by Messiah
in order to have and
gain the whole world and suffer the loss of eternal life.
Mark 8:36.
Let’s be encouraged and devoted to Him alone
and remember His promise that…
whosoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 16:25-6.
The unfolding events of these days should be prompting us
to get our lives in order,
to be occupied with the preparation of our hearts,
not discouraged but devoted,
by being spiritually ready to meet Him face to face.
Shalom shalom
‘Mishpachah’
‘Family/Tribe’
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa,
friends, visitors and every reader…
Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His
and are truly born again from above.
Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is
your Redeemer, Savior, Lord
and soon returning King
and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.
I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.
I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1.
When our Heavenly Father called to Adam in Genesis 3:9, it was not because He didn’t know where Adam was physically. He was asking him where he was spiritually…. and our He is asking us the same question today!
Where are we spiritually?
When true holiness is wrought in us by His grace, it’s not an end in itself, it’s a transforming work by His Ruach haKodesh; so that His will may be accomplished though us. If we are a flowing, vital part of His eternal purposes we are blessed; however, if we by our willful disobedience become a hindering factor, we suffer in accordance to the degree of our rebellion.
Our Heavenly Father called Adam by name and in John 10:3
He calls His own by name.
Does Messiah know us?
Does He know us by our name?
If He does then we are His own.
Are there times when we have not fully understood Him?
It’s possible to know all about doctrine and still not know Yeshua/Jesus.
A persons soul is in great danger when the knowledge of doctrine is greater than that of Messiah Himself, because it avoids being in intimate relationship with Him.
Why was Mary crying in John 20:11-18?
Was it because at that moment, doctrine and even the blessings of deliverance from spiritual bondage were nothing to her in comparison with knowing Jesus/Yeshua Himself. And where was He, He was gone and to her so was their relationship.She could not face living without Yeshua/Jesus.
The scripture tells us that she turned and saw Messiah standing there and did not recognize Him….then He called her by her name. Immediately she knew that she had a personal history and relationship with the One Who spoke and ‘she turned and said to Him Rabboni’ John 20:16- 17.
Do we hear Messiah call us by name?
Would we be as devastated as Mary was, if we thought we would never again hear Him call our name and spend time with us?
His Spirit of Holiness, His Ruach haKodesh is always speaking to us… but are we listening?
Be encouraged to meditate on the following words….
Draw near to me as I speak to your hearts and you shall know that it is my voice for I shall confirm my word. He who searches for my truth shall be taught of the Lord, he shall know that the vessel used is chosen and prepared by me and does not speak of himself but every word that I shall give him that shall he speak.
I call you again this day my people to come to the well and drink and come to my word and eat. Let the hunger of your soul be nourished by the one source of life which alone can satisfy. No human voice can answer the cry of the soul.
My spirit alone can heal the broken heart and revive the languishing soul. In mercy I minister. In compassion I deal with your sins. Return to the Lord it is written I shall have mercy and abundantly pardon.
I shall have a people purged and prepared for these last days my purposes shall be fulfilled. My church shall stand and truly the gates of hell shall not prevail against its witness in the world. I shall preserve the faithful remnant and they shall walk with me in white.
You shall lay aside your own petty personal plans and selfish desires as you grasp the magnitude of the challenge of this hour.
Many are still sleeping who should be awake.
Many are still toying with trivialities; I plead with you my people to seek me with intensity and with a broken teachable spirit. I am not asking for your help for but your consecration. I need trumpets through which to sound, vessels through which to flow, hearts through which to love and lips to honor my name.
Rise up, be strong, the battle is in array and the enemy takes no rest. Wherever he perceives a point of weakness, your hope of victory is small. I am your strength and your only sure defense. See that you walk in the spirit only that is victory ensured.
Compare not your walk with others. You judge falsely and unwisely. Falsely because you see not the whole situation and unwisely because I judge each man individually. Judge your own heart and examine your own way. Condemn not another because of his imperfection, but cry to me that I may forgive your own iniquity and take away your sin. Make straight paths and let me prepare through the desert a highway of Holiness and a path of peace.
The world is both at once on the precipice of destruction and on the brink of revival, being both consumed by the fires of purification and restored to Edenic perfection.
Know the day in which you live, listen intently to My voice for how shall you obey except you know my will and how shall you run except you be sent.
Put outside the levity that robs the soul of its vitality. Put away the clamor of self-seeking that closes your ear to my voice. Let the zeal of the Lord consume self-pity and the fires of My holiness consume your sins.
You have not many days to ready your soul. This is the hour of your own spiritual destiny, and every present action is laying up in store for you either eternal rewards or eternal poverty. He who has been faithful in little shall be entrusted with much and He who rules well over his own city shall be given authority over ten. I shall not create in that day leaders in the kingdom, I am preparing them even now from those few who choose to lay aside the weights of carnal pursuits and cast themselves headlong into full dedication to my will.
Behold the time is short do not be entangled in the things of the world for they are transitory. Do not be overly concerned as to your personal needs for your Heavenly Father knows what you need and will supply, but let your utmost concern be to carry out My will and purpose for your life. To be sensitive to my guidance to keep your ears open toward heaven. Miss anything else but do not miss My Voice. Other voices may introduce disharmony but My voice will always bring peace to your heart and clarity to your thinking; for when you turn to the left or to the right you will hear My voice behind you saying this is the way walk in it.
Yes I will keep you in the center of my will and my being less on the one hand you move into coldness and doubt and on the other hand you become carried away by fleshly zeal. There is no neutrality in the center. This is not an arbitrary position for I will fill you with the abundance of my own life and your heart will burn with the fire of my love. You shall rejoice in all kinds of circumstances because I will share with you My joy and My joy is completely disassociated from the world, from the people of the world, but I joy in those who joy in Me and My love I pour out to those who pour out their lives to me.
In Luke 6:38. We are told that ‘Give and it will be given to you,’ it is a spiritual law that holds true as much between ourselves and our Heavenly Father, as between man and his fellowman.
Do we have a personal history with Messiah Yeshua haMashiach/ Jesus Christ?
The one true sign of discipleship is intimate oneness with Him, a knowledge of Him that nothing and no one can shake. This is the kind of relationship and unshakable faith that we need to have now and in the days that lie ahead. When unexpected events unfold today such as strong earthquakes, and next week long dormant volcanoes suddenly erupt and earths very foundations shake….echoing Messiahs words in Matthew 24…. where are you Adam? Where are you reader?
Shalom shalom
‘Mishpachah’
‘Family/Tribe’
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa,
friends, visitors and every reader…
Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His
and are truly born again from above.
Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is
your Redeemer, Savior, Lord
and soon returning King
and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.
I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Matthew 24 seems to be happening in real time and we are reminded that Messiah told us to
not be troubled
when we see and hear of these events.
For those living many hundreds of miles away from the epicenter of these tragedies, the headlines are just that, ‘headlines’. However the reality of the devastating earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and subsequent tsunamis; not to mention the storms, floods and wind damage that are making those headlines, are very real to those living in their proximity.
We are reminded to focus our prayers towards those in need, and for those first responders who place their own lives in danger to help others. It is not ever just the event itself, but the aftermath that requires stamina and faith to deal with the situation as lives are for ever changed; and challenges present themselves in unimagined quantities. Remembering the people in prayer, after the headlines fade, is something we can and should do.
Most important is for people to place their lives in the hands of the One Who can truly turn all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Rom.8:28. Understanding such events is beyond our reasoning at times and that is when our faith must take the place of fear, doubt and bewilderment; as we cast all of our care on Him because He cares for us. 1Peter 5:7. When disaster strikes we are not only to turn to Him but we are to cling to Him.
It is important to know to whom, or to what we are clinging before we find ourselves in a crisis. It’s time to check up where our faith is centered and firmly grounded, or on whom we depend. Is our life, safety and provision in family, friends, government institutions, insurance companies, etc., etc.? There is nothing wrong with looking to those for assistance, however, our relationship with our Heavenly Father must be a priority.
Why?
Because when all other lifelines fail us, if we are clinging to the Lord, He is a sure anchor, the hope of our faith; and His promise of intervention into our situation is certain, whatever it may be.
When we use the word cling, it gives us a picture of someone clinging to a rock or tree during a storm, so as not to get blown or swept away in a flood.
In Hebrew the word is
dabaq
Strongs 1692
dabaq: To cling, cleave, adhere, stick, join
Original Word: דָּבַק
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: dabaq
Pronunciation: dah-BAHK
Phonetic Spelling: (daw-bak’)
KJV: abide fast, cleave (fast together), follow close (hard after), be joined (together), keep (fast), overtake, pursue hard, stick, take
NASB: cling, overtook, cleaves, clung, clings, hold, hold fast
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
abide fast, cleave fast together, follow close hard after, be joined together
A primitive root; properly, to impinge, i.e. Cling or adhere; figuratively, to catch by pursuit — abide fast, cleave (fast together), follow close (hard after), be joined (together), keep (fast), overtake, pursue hard, stick, take.
Cling – Dabaq/Deveq – דְבָּ֔ק
Daleth Beth Qop
and means more of an expression of love and respect in the form of an embrace or a hug, than how we think of it.
So we could read this verse in
Deuteronomy 10:20: “You shall fear, reverently respect, the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.”
as: “You shall fear reverently respect the Lord your God, you shall serve Him and you shall embrace Him…”
Similarily in Deut. 4:4 ..you that did cling to the Lord/ lovingly embrace the Lord. Deuteronomy 4:4: “But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive to this day, every one of you.”
The force behind a davekut is the love of the Father and the desire for intimacy or closeness with Him.
The same could be said for the verse Gen. 2:24 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and cleave/cling to his wife, and the two will become one.
Genesis 2:24
HEB: וְאֶת־ אִמּ֑וֹ וְדָבַ֣ק בְּאִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וְהָי֖וּ
KJV: and his mother, and shall cling/cleave unto his wife:
This is also true of each of us with our Heavenly Father, we are to become one with Him with a total embrace.
In the same way a small child runs to be embraced by a parent in times of great need, or just to express trust, love and deep affection.
In Jewish literature the rabbis teach that, a devekut is a high and deep stage of spiritual development where the seeker attaches himself or herself to God and exchanges individuality for a profound partnership with the Holy One.
If we consider the Sabbath as a gift from our Heavenly Father, it’s a day to draw closer to Him, to enter into a davekut with Him. This clinging is not in a negative way, like we would see a parasitic insect such as a tick or a leech; it is not one sided, it takes both parties to complete the embrace, the devekut.
Psalm 63:8 is another place this word is used
deveqah nepeshi acherika.
The King James translates this as “My soul follows hard after you.” Other translations read it as “My soul clings to you.”
My soul [my life, my very self] clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me. Amplified.
As noted, the word for “follows hard’ or “clings” is deveq.”
Deveq or devekut in Hebrew today is the word for glue.
The Rabbis teach that it means: a gateway to the heart of God through holiness and sanctification.
In Psalm 63, David was so hungry for the Lord that he was devekut or clinging/embracing the Lord as much as is possible without the physical posture. A prayer of devekut has been described as, not praying anything for oneself but in a state of complete humility, seeking only to bring pleasure to the Lord.
The Hebrew word for humility doesn’t mean: thinking little or less of yourself. Humility in Hebrew is:
to lose all sense of yourself in the presence of the Heavenly Father; and it’s in this state of humility that we enter into a devekut. So devekut is simply losing all sense of self. Scripture tells us to make our requests known unto the Lord. Jeremiah 29:13 tells us that if we seek God we will find Him if we search for Him with all our hearts.
That Holy embrace comes when we seek and search for the Lord with all our hearts, confessing sins, repenting and humbly waiting upon the Lord, clinging wholly to Him.
Shalom shalom
‘Mishpachah’
‘Family/Tribe’
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa,
friends, visitors and every reader…
Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His
and are truly born again from above.
Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is
your Redeemer, Savior, Lord
and soon returning King
and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.
I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Prophecy concerning a third temple is racing around the internet and there is almost as many interpretations as there are videos and blogs. There is a caution to all that Peter and also Timothy warns us in 2 Tim 4:3.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold,
2 Peter 2:1-3
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. / Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. / In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
How do we know what is correct?
We must read the scriptures for ourselves and ask for wisdom, Proverbs and James 1:5-8 are promises that we will receive understanding. There is sometimes such a strong desire in the hearts and minds of Christians for the Messiah to return that we try to help that time come sooner by aligning real time events with certain prophetic promises. We zealously interpret things to mean one thing and in truth they mean another and many times when things don’t unfold as we think they are going to, we get discouraged and confused.
The answers we seek are all in the Scriptures. His truth is the word and we must read and understand it in context, to fully comprehend the plans and purposes of our Father and His perfect timing. We often read prophetic book like Daniel and Ezekiel, and think things will happen a certain way or mean a specific thing; without a full appreciation of the time in which it was written and many of those prophesies have already been fulfilled.
There is much speculation about the red heifer, which we looked at in the last post; and the building of a 3rd Temple. Many are relating these 2 things as being necessary before Messiah can return.
Be encouraged to search the scriptures for yourselves and not to take certain scriptures out of context. There is far more going on behind the scenes in the world today than is reported or discussed. There is much misdirection and misunderstanding. A brief look at some biblical facts may help us to be guided along the ‘Way’, as Fathers’ Holy Spirit reminds us Yeshua/Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life and it’s to Him we must listen, not to a multitude of mixed messages.
Recall that the scriptures tell us that for the Jews, the red heifers are for the purification of the people who have been in contact with a dead body and for the ritual cleansing of the priests. The excitement today is so they can offer sacrifices in a future temple to prepare for what they believe will be the first coming of the Messiah.
The requirement comes from Numbers 19:2-10, where YHVH, the Lord God, commanded a sacrifice of this special heifer, whose ashes would be used for “the water of purification,” necessary to purify the priests before they could offer sacrifices in the Temple.
Here’s the irony of the red heifers being provided by a Christian group:
As we already noted, for the Jews, the red heifers are for the purification of the priests, so they can offer sacrifices in a future temple in order to prepare for what they believe will be the first coming of the Messiah.
But some Christian groups believe that the third temple must be built so it can be occupied by the “man of sin,” based on their reading of 2 Thessalonians 2:4.
This post is simply offering some prayerful thoughts that we may not have considered.
What if ‘the temple’ is our physical bodies and the man of sin, as in the spirit of the antichrist, will reign/sit in us?
Is this maybe the result of these who say they are Christian succumbing to the strong delusion? The reason so many will be taken in by the deception is sadly a lack of knowledge…
my people are destroyed because of that. Hosea 4:6.
It’s due to a lack of knowing the Word and the originator of that Word. If we do not cultivate a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, His Messiah Yeshua and His Holy Spirit, we put ourselves in danger of misleading rhetoric and false doctrine. There are teachings that have been around so long that we just accept them as truth, and don’t take the time to research them in context; and especially in light of the translations, Hebraic idioms and language. We have a duty to search out truth as did the Bereans, who were commended for doing so in Acts 17:11. The Bible is a Hebrew Bible, written for the Israelites/Hebrew children/Jews, by Jewish people about a Jewish Messiah. Christianity has westernized so much of the content, we need to carefully consider what is Truth, and what has been modified to fit certain criteria for various doctrinal beliefs.
These are the last days, and days that come with serious warnings. Warnings that require strong faith and a sure foundation, which only comes through genuine relationship and spending time hearing the word, living it; and with worship and prayer which is literally time given in the Fathers presence. Our walk is not to be casual but one of a wholehearted committed decision…we must be authentic in all our ways. We may fool people but our Father sees it all and knows us better than we know ourselves.
The Orthodox Jews are looking for their Messiahs first coming and by providing the red heifers to the Jews, some groups of ‘christians’ seek to speed up end-time events. Ironically, the fulfillment they wish to hasten will be largely destructive to the Jews and the world.
Though the Temple Institute represents just one group in Israeli society, many evangelical Christians support their efforts because they believe the building of a third temple is necessary to fulfill prophecy. (Both groups seem to conveniently ignore that their respective views of the end times and coming of the Messiah are diametrically at odds.)
The Bible talks about sacrifices resuming in Jerusalem, but does this mean a temple must be built there, for end-time prophecy to be fulfilled? Many believe so, but what does the Bible say?
For years, the Temple Institute in Jerusalem has been preparing the implements and materials needed for a third temple.
In 2015 they completed an altar needed to restart sacrifices and performed a reenactment of the Passover sacrifice.
In 2017 they performed a sacrifice near the Temple Mount, a controversial act that resulted in some being arrested.
In 2018 they were given permission to perform a reenactment of the Passover sacrifice at the foot of the Temple Mount.
Then the Temple Institute overcame a major hurdle in their plans to build a third temple. It was something most people would not expect: cows.
Why were red heifers sent to Jerusalem?
The Temple Institute made the news when five red heifers were flown to Israel from Texas to meet the requirements for resuming temple sacrifices. These five unblemished red heifers (a heifer is a young female cow that has not yet calved) were supplied by a Christian group in Texas.
As we have discussed the requirement comes from Numbers 19:2-10, where God commanded a sacrifice of this special heifer whose ashes would be used for “the water of purification,” necessary to purify the priests before they could offer sacrifices.
In times past, obtaining an unblemished red heifer was difficult. As a cow ages, hairs may turn white or black causing the animal to be rejected by the rabbis as blemished.
Will daily sacrifices be resumed in Jerusalem?
A brief history…
After the collapse of Alexander the Great’s empire, his kingdom split into four smaller empires under his generals (Daniel 8:8). A ruler named Antiochus Epiphanes rose to power in the Seleucid Empire. He ruled over the Jews and outlawed worship of the true God. He stopped the daily sacrifices and offered unclean sacrifices to pagan gods instead. Daniel 8:11-12, 13; 11:31.
Yeshua/Jesus prophesied that this historical event would also have a future fulfillment. In the end times, a despotic ruler (“king of the North”) would stop the “daily sacrifices” again.
We know from Daniel that these events will occur at ‘the time of the end’, Daniel 12:9; and that ‘from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days’ (verse 11) indicating a countdown to Messiah Yeshua HaMashiach/Jesus Christ’s return.
If the ‘daily sacrifices’ are going to be stopped in the future, that means they must first be resumed!
This is why the actions of the Temple Institute and their plans to resume sacrifices are interesting.
Must a third temple be rebuilt?
After the destruction of Solomon’s temple, the Jews were subjected to 70 years of captivity in Babylon. Daniel 9:2; Jeremiah 29:10. Afterward, YHVH began the process of returning them to their homeland to rebuild.
Under Ezra’s guidance, a group of Jews returned to Jerusalem and resumed sacrifices to YHVH. These sacrifices were performed before work had even begun on the second temple.
Ezra 3:1-2, 3-4, 5-6.
This shows that only an altar is necessary for sacrifices to be offered therefore…a physical temple is not a requirement.
So why do some believe a temple must be built in Jerusalem in the end times before Jesus Christ returns?
Does Ezekiel’s temple describe a rebuilt temple in this age?
In Ezekiel 40-48 we read about a vision of a future temple. The vision is recorded after the destruction of the first temple and before the construction of the second temple.
The second temple was not a fulfillment of this vision because it did not have the physical features described by Ezekiel. So, some connect this with the prophecy of the sacrifices being stopped and conclude that there will be a temple built in Jerusalem before Messiah’s return.
However, as we have seen, the sacrifices don’t require a temple. When you study the description of Ezekiel’s temple, it becomes clear that this is a structure that will be built after Yeshua/Jesus returns.
Here are some reasons:
Jerusalem/Yerushalayim will be known as ‘ The Lord is there’. Ezekiel 48:35. So this temple will stand at a time when the Lord is ruling in Jerusalem.
A river will flow from the temple that will heal the land and the seas. Ezekiel 47:1, 8-9.
The time setting is after YHVH/God delivers Israel. Ezekiel 39:25-26, 27-28.
YHVH/God’s Spirit will be poured out on all Israel. Ezekiel 39:29.
These prophecies clearly describe a temple to be built during the millennial reign of Messiah/Christ on earth …not a temple built by human beings in this age.
Will the man of sin actually occupy a 3rd Jewish Temple?
Does the prophecy about the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 require a third temple to be built in Jerusalem? Many do see this scripture as an indication that a Temple must be built in Jerusalem before Messiah/Christ returns.
However, though it could possibly be fulfilled by a physical temple, there is another way this scripture could be fulfilled.
The New Testament identifies the true Church of God, Assembly of the firstborn, His ecclesia/called-apart-ones, composed of believers who have His indwelling Holy Spirit/Ruach haKodesh, as the spiritual temple of our Heavenly Father.
1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:4 Paul described things that the ‘man of sin’ will claim are true, but are actually false. For instance, he claims to sit ‘as God’, though he is not God.
So, the reference to the temple of God could be another false claim that he will make namely, that the ‘church’ he leads, is the true temple of God. However, the ‘church’ he will lead, will be a counterfeit of the true temple of God, that being the faithful ecclesia Yeshua/Jesus built in the 1st century.
Interestingly, many people have noted that the Roman Catholic Church has historically claimed to be the one true universal church and the Kingdom of God on earth.
It can be easy to assume a physical temple must exist for the sacrifices, but we need to be aware and not force conclusions into Scripture references, when there are other options.
However it’s important for us to understand that the building of a 3rd temple in Jerusalem before Messiah’s return is not necessarily a definite prophetic sign to watch for, and we mustn’t be sidetracked.
According to scripture what is essential, is the reinstitution of sacrifices in Jerusalem…
which only requires an altar,
not a completed temple.
We must keep our eyes on Yeshua/Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and continue watching Jerusalem and Europe; because Yisrael/Israel is our Heavenly Father’s time-clock. Watch for continued efforts to reinstate sacrifices in Jerusalem and for the rise of a religious and political power in Europe, and a new leader who will eventually cause those future sacrifices to cease.
One thing is certain, time will prove all things, and whatever we think… our Father is always right; and
whatever we choose to believe… will not ever change His Truth.
Shalom shalom
‘Mishpachah’
‘Family/Tribe’
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa,
friends, visitors and every reader…
Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His
and are truly born again from above.
Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is
your Redeemer, Savior, Lord
and soon returning King
and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.
I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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