Although it technically begins at sundown tonight, today we are celebrating Shavuot or“Pentecost” together. Shavuot literally means “Weeks,” or “Sevens” as in the 7 (Complete) Weeks from Pesach or“Passover.” Again, technically Pentecost means 50, and therefore it begins on the 50th Day, which is counted forward from the day after Passover. This Holiday is also referred to as HaBikkurim or “The first fruits,”because this was the time that we, Israel, were to offer the first fruits of the spring harvest to the LORD. In Judaism, it is also recognised as the day that the Torah was given to Israel. Therefore, there is a lot going on during this Feast.
Shavuot is also the 2nd of the “Shalosh Regalim” the 3 Mo’edim (or the 3 “Times”or 3 “Holidays”) that we were commanded to gather together before the LORD, in the place where He would cause His Name to reside – which is Jerusalem.
This one (Shavuot) is the odd one of the three. I say this, because with Pesach and Sukkot, they are 1 week (8 Day) Holidays, which are at points of the year on opposite sides of the Calendar. Therefore, if you lived outside of Israel, it would be like taking a couple weeks holiday to journey back to the land, twice a year, to have a time of ingathering, fellowship, and feasting, of which after you would return to where you live.
However, due to Shavuot’s proximity to Pesach (7 Weeks later), if we were to leave right after Pesach, to return “home,” we would arrive, only to begin the journey back, just a few weeks later. This begs the question, “What’s the point?”
This meant that the only other option was to stay. During that time of year, it probably made more sense to come and stay for 2 months, rather than journey all the way back to let’s say, Babylon, Galatia, Medina, or Alexandria for that matter, or from whatever other remote Jewish Community that there was in the Diaspora.
What if you had to Work for your Master in Babylon? What if you owned a Business in Arabia? What if you had to return a library book in Egypt? What if you had a doctor’s appointment in Greece? This was not a very convenient Holiday, was it? I mean, a two month Vacation sounds amazing to us, doesn’t it, but is this realistic in today’s world, let alone thousands of years ago? The real question comes down to, “Where are our priorities?”
Perhaps this was the reason that this Mo’ed existed, in the time that it was set. The difficulty of its observance was not the LORD’s doing, but rather our lack of commitment to His Vision. His plan was to have us living in The Land, right next to Him. However, it was by our doing, due to our Sin, that we were scattered into the Diaspora, so that His Word would be fulfilled. The fact that we stayed out, even when we had opportunity to return, was of our own choosing. Therefore, this begs the question, “Is it Sin to live outside of Israel?”
The problem with this question isn’t so much “Is it Sin to live outside of Israel,” but rather, “What is HaShem’s Vision for Israel, and are we truly aligned with it?” The answer is very clear within Torah, He wanted us to live in “Community” (Kehielah) in close proximity to Him, and the place where He would cause His Name to dwell – “Jerusalem.” Therefore, I’ll ask again, is it Sin for a Jew to live outside of Israel?
The direct and simple answer is –No- in short. However, when we place the idea of Sin back into its original context,“Missing the Mark,” then we can consider that living outside of Israel as“hindering” the Vision of God. By doing so, we in turn, affect the way that we are able to fulfill His Instructions. It makes it more difficult to obey, and therefore by making His Mo’edim a “burden” (Torach) we have defeated the purpose of the “Visit.” These Shalosh Regalim were given to us as a Joy for both Him and Israel – A Time of Mishpocha –Family – Togetherness!
God doesn’t want us to be bothered by the fact that we are going to spend time with Him. He wants us to “anticipate” our time with Him. Approach it with joy and excitement!
“Abba?! We’re Home!”
Why wouldn’t Israel (The People) want to return to Israel (The Land)? Perhaps, because things were good in the Diaspora? Business is good, lives are better, less of a target of persecution, and let’s face it, it’s hard to find a good cheese burger in Jerusalem?
There are just so many reasons, and above all, we are so busy living our lives that we shrug our shoulders and declare, “Life Happens.”
Yes - Life Happens, and then it’s over. Now today, as Messianic Jews, we know that we have been given a commission, “A Great Commission,” to go out into the outermost parts of the World to proclaim the Besarah (The Gospel –The Good News).
Therefore we have a mandate, and reason to be outside The Land, for the time. We also know that since there is no Temple, and the Mo’edim have ceased until it is rebuilt, the call to the Shalosh Regalim (The 3 Commanded Ingatherings) has been suspended.
However, what happens when the Temple is rebuilt? Do we “Fall back under The Law,” and return to Israel, or do we avoid such a thing, because this will be the Temple of the Anti-Christ? Now, this is a very valid question, and a very tight paradox, when dealing with Messianic Understanding.
Let’s have a look at a few clues to understanding this paradox.
1) What did Yeshua teach us about the 3rdTemple?
In Matthew 24, we hear Yeshua explain that the present Temple, in His day, would be completely destroyed. Then, He jumps ahead in time, to explain what would be the sign of His Coming.
Let’s have another look at Matthew 24 – Now Grab your Bibles. I know that I’m in Mennonite Territory, and so I’m expecting everyone to be armed – With the Word of God.
Yeshua left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
3 As Yeshua was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,”they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 Yeshua answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,
11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Let’s stop here for a moment. In fact my translation has a “Dash” after Daniel. This would indicate for me to –Stop- Go look at what the Prophet Daniel has to say about this “Abomination that causes desolation,” and then continue reading.
But before we do that, I want you to take a mental note at a subtle clue here –
2nd: “So when you see standing in the holy place…” Yeshua, just previously, mentioned that the Temple would be completely destroyed. However, when He makes reference to “The Holy Place,” this is a part of the Temple Sanctuary, and therefore, we can draw a few possible conclusions from this:
A) “So when you see standing in the holy place,” He could mean “Where the Holy Place should be, but is no longer there, because the Temple is gone… (Enter – The Dome of the Rock.) -Or-
B) He could be talking about another holy place that we have deemed holy through Theology…(The Garden Tomb, the Holy Sepulchre for example or “The Vatican,” perhaps Winkler, or whatever other place that we make up and ourselves and call “Holy.” The list is endless…) –Or-
C) He is specifically indicating that the Temple will be rebuilt, and thereafter the“Abomination that makes desolate,” will take place in its Holy Place. The 3rd Temple.
Therefore, now turn with me to Daniel, to find out what exactly Daniel did write:
Let’s begin with Daniel 7 to set the stage – and I’ll warn you now – Reading the Prophetic Words of Scripture, will demonstrate The Eternal nature of God’s Word. The thoughts, although spanning millennia, are interwoven so tightly, it would appear that the Prophets were all in the same room, at the same time. I don’t believe this is coincidence - This is the nature of His Eternal Word – and the inter-dimensional nature of His Creation. Again, I’ll warn you… It’s kind of like a literary roller-coaster ride – or as we use to call it in Sunday School– “Sword Drill” Here we go – Starting in Daniel 7 verse 1 – Are you ready? Go:
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed; then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters.
2 Daniel spoke and said: I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven broke forth upon the great sea.
Let’s stop for a moment – Let me ask you, “Which sea is the Great Sea?” – If we look back to Bereshit or Genesis 1, we can find a clue:
Turn to Genesis 1 – This is the easy one – Hint: It’s right at the beginning.
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.
3 And God said: 'Let there be light.' And there was light.
What is this deep, and where are these waters? The answer is found in verse 3 and so I ask,“Where was this light?”
It would appear that in Ancient Hebrew idiom, “The Deep,”and “Waters” also referred to the Cosmos –or- Space.
Therefore, when Daniel speaks of “The Great Sea,” he is referring to the Sea of Stars.
This is why when we read the Prophets, that their language is so mysterious. It is because they are speaking in Cosmic Idiom. The metaphors are describing elements of the Cosmos – Space and The Stars.
How do we know this?
Let’s look to the Psalm 19: Go…
1 For the Leader. A Psalm of David.
2 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork;
3 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night revealeth knowledge;
4 There is no speech, there are no words, neither is their voice heard.
5 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. {N}
In them hath He set a tent for the sun,
6 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course.
7 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. Psalm 19:1-7
And we can also read in Job 38:
29 Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoar-frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
30 The waters are congealed like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
31 Canst thou bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?
32 Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? Or canst thou guide the Bear with her sons?
33 Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth? Job 38:29-33
This type of language is common place within the Prophets, especially with Daniel, Ezekiel, and Job and others. It is a Celestial conversation. In fact, the word from Job 38:32 – “Mazzaroth” is Hebrew for “Constellation,” or in other terms “The Zodiac.” The images spoken of from Pleiades to Orion, and the Bear with her sons, are all terms for these Star Systems.
What are you saying Daniel, that we should be looking to the Horoscope to develop our Theology? Not even close. What I am pointing out is that the reason that these writings are so perplexing is that the language is no longer common place to us. We no longer understand the Stars, as the Ancient World did.
As Psalm 19 declares, His Word is written in the Stars. The fact is, that we’ve lost the ability to read them. The fact is, that the lights in the Heavens were given to us to appoint Seasons – His Seasons – His Holy Days – His Appointed Times – His Mo’edim.
And God said: 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; Genesis 1:14
This is His Calendar in the Sky. All those symbols and animals up there are telling a story – His story. Yes – The Ancients, not grounded in the knowledge of HaShem, derived their own meanings from these stars, and so today we have all kinds of interpretations of His Word. The Greeks have their Myths, and Chinese theirs, and the First Nations theirs, as well. All along, the Hebrews have their understanding of God’s Word, and it is found within the writings of the Prophets of YHVH. These are the Oracles of God.
This is what the Prophets declare – What the Heavens have already said. “What is bound in Heaven will be bound on Earth.” A False Prophet can change the Written word of God, or utter false reading of the Stars, but the Stars themselves cannot be changed by the Will of man. It is the LORD alone that can alter the Stars in the heavens. Therefore, His Word is untouchable and unchangeable by the hands of men, as Job describes in Chapter 38.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings; I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon two feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was said thus unto it: 'Arise, devour much flesh.'
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the sides of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet; and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
Oh – and it had 10 horns… That's interesting.
Pretty straight forward and simple stuff right?
WHAT is he talking about?!!!
This makes no sense to me!
If it makes no sense, then why would the LORD have it recorded for the purpose of our understanding, and why would Yeshua refer to these writings as “The Answer” to our questions?
Now, we can be like the other Ancient Astrologers who superimposed their own interpretations upon God’s Word, generating varying theologies, or we can look to the Word of God for the answers to “What is he talking about?”
My point is that we must be careful when we are reading the Prophets. We must always look to the Scripture itself for the interpretation. The simple Rule to Understanding the Scriptures, is that Scripture equals Scripture. There is nothing new under the sun, and so What Job said, was what David said, was what Ezekiel said, is what John of Revelation said. They are all unified in context. Our job, as Students of the Word, is to look for the common denominator within these writings, so that we may triangulate a theological cross section. This cross section is that “Mark” that Sin has missed.
In doing so, we will be like the Star Readers, as we are able to navigate our path through the Prophesies, and like the Magi, find Him in the midst of the Scriptures. He gave us the Tanakh or as some refer to it as “The Old Testament,” therefore, He is there. Can you find Him?
Reference for reference – Precept upon precept – Here a little and there a little. Those little pieces of the puzzle that He has revealed to you today, may not be useful until you are able to find other interlocking pieces to connect it with. Then, as you walk with Him through the Streets of the Scripture, you will begin to see the story that He has written in the Stars to be revealed.
Now, this was a long way to get to Daniel Chapter 9, where Matthew 24 was actually leading us to, but I was attempting to demonstrate the abstract nature of the Prophets, and how easy it is to misconstrue the meaning, and come up with so many varying conclusions.
Therefore, draw your Swords once again, and turn with me to Daniel 9:25-27
25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[f] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.
26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[g] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” Daniel 9:25-27
Now, in this writing the conversation is a little more coherent, however it is the Math that appears to be abstract in nature. For example: “There will be 7 (7’s) and 62 (7’s)” - Is this saying 49 and 434 = 483?
Perhaps, but what does that even mean? I’m not here today to give you the answer, because Frankly, I just don't know what it is for myself. All I know is that we are only scratching the surface, as we read these Deeply Prophetic Words. Nevertheless, they are clues right before our eyes. We just need to learn how to look at them.
The Hebrew here for “7” is Shavuot or “Sevens,” like the Mo’ed that we are presently celebrating. The Feast of 7’s. Is there a connection between Shavuot and Daniel’s Dream? This is yet to be seen, perhaps there are some of you who are well versed in this study, and will have some insight to share later. For now, let’s turn again back to Daniel 7.
In verse 12, we find a repetitive term. Now, in Hebrew Writing, when we see these repetitions, they are there for a reason, and for emphasis, so that we do look closer.
12 And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
“A season and a time.” What does this mean?
Then we see this again in vs 25:
25And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the seasons and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.
“A Time and Times and half a time.” Is “A Time” equal to “Seven?”
There is something abstract, but familiar about these terms.
Of course this understanding leads us all the way to Revelation12:
Are you ready? Start flipping – I’ll give you a hint – It’s at the back.
1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.
4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.
5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”[a] And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.
6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. Revelation 12:1-6
This is just to set the stage, but let’s look further into this chapter:
13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.
15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.
16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring —those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Yeshua. Revelation 12:13-17
There is that connection to that term: “where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach”
Does anyone know who this Woman is? Is this a metaphor for Mary? I’ve seen pictures depicting this idea as“The Queen of Heaven,” with her crown of stars. After all, she gave birth to Messiah Yeshua… Right? To find the answer to this clue, we must travel back in time again from Revelation 12 – ALL the way to the beginning –Bereshit 37.
Turn with me, let’s look at the images in Joseph’s dream:
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said: 'Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.'
11 And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying in mind.
Genesis 37:9-11
In this imagery, Jacob refers to himself as the Sun, and Rachel as the moon, and Joseph’s brothers being the 10 and 1 Stars -- That’s right 10 and 1. I know that most of your translations say 11, because of the 12 sons, less Joseph, but in the Hebrew it is specific to identify the 10 and 1. Our Midrash on this determined that the reason was to single out Benjamin, because he was not a part of the plot against Joseph – This also demonstrates the remnant nature of Benjamin, which has a Prophetic connection to “Rachel’s” hiding place for the 1260 days, however that’s for another time.
The more we travel through the Scriptures, finding the hidden clues, we become like the wandering bride of Shir Sharim, or The Song of Solomon.
Shir Sharim – or Song of Songs Chapter 5:1-8
2 I sleep, but my heart waketh; Hark! my beloved knocketh: 'Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; for my head is filled with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.'
3 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my heart was moved for him.
5 I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with flowing myrrh, upon the handles of the bar.
6 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had turned away, and was gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
7 The watchmen that go about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me.
8 'I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, what will ye tell him? that I am love-sick.'
As does the beginning of Psalm 42:
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One[d]
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
Psalm 42:1-4
Now, how does this all tie into today’s Parasha?
This week, we have studied Bamidabar – Which means “In the dessert.” In English, we refer to this as “Numbers,” because this book is full of Numbers and Census. Now, in the process of establishing the Camps that surrounded the Tent of Meeting, Israel was broken into 4 groupings. Israel would surround the Tent of Meeting, as the 4 living beasts of Revelation would surround The Throne of YHVH. Where this is significant to the Message is the Lead Grouping of Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.
The Rabbis say that Issachar’s position within Israel’s gifting was that they were the Star Readers as well as the Torah interpreters, demonstrating this connection between the Stars positioning and Understanding the Written Word of God. This comes from 1 Chronicles 12:32, where it demonstrates that the Tribe of Issachar established the Calendar of Israel, inspired by YHVH of course.
Perhaps this ability to understand God’s Word within the Cosmos is not lost forever, or to the hands of the Occult. Perhaps HaShem has a plan to reveal, once again, our understanding of what He is telling us through His Creation. Only time can tell, but those days are coming!
The days are coming Haverim, but we must prepare. Those Saints who have come before us have worked hard in the fields, spreading the Gospel to all the nations, so that the end would come, as described in Matthew 24. It would appear that soon, a 3rdTemple will be built, and then the Shalosh Regalim and all the Mo’edim will recommence. On that day, we will seek the LORD on what it is that He wants from us, individually. Some of us may be called home earlier than others to prepare the way, while other stay back to help finalize the completeness of the Gospel.
As we draw nearer to that day, we must prepare and make the LORD our Priority. We must not look at His Mo’edim as burdensome or alien to us. These are His Appointed Times. These are not “Jewish Holidays.” These are written within His Eternal Word, for a reason. They are written in the Stars. He too longs for the day that we will gather together again as we did in the days of old for the Shalosh Regalim. This is why He wanted us to come home to Aretz Israel, to stay, to be with Him, in the place that He has made His name to reside.
Will there be persecution if we go? Why don’t you ask it this way, “Will there be persecution if we stay? To both questions, the answer is yes, because He already told us that.
But I was taught that Christ died once and for all, and we no longer need this “Jewish Stuff.” 1st of all, this is not “Jewish Stuff,” this is “Biblical Stuff,” this is “The Word of God Stuff.” If you don’t believe me, read it for yourself in your Bible:
We know that the Scriptures tell us that All Nations will come before Him and celebrate Sukkot. In fact, if a Nation does not participate in this Global Messianic Event, their nation will be cut off from Rain – Water –The Word of the LORD.
It is Written in Zechariah 14:16-19
16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.
18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord[b] will bring on them the plague He inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
Now, you tell me, has that been “Done away with?”
The Scriptures also say, “(Christ) The Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the World.” Revelation 13:8
This means that ALL the sacrifice that was done before His Coming and Dying on the Cross, was just as valuable as it would be after the fact. Haverim, we need to get our minds away from Religion, and the corruption of Theology, and remain obedient to His Word. As I have just demonstrated through the continuity of the Prophets over spans of Thousands of years, the Word of God is Echad (One) and it is Eternal (Alpha and Omega or Hebrew: Aleph and Tav). His Law, His Instruction, His Word, has NOT been done away with. It has been fulfilled, and finally made Complete (Shavuot - Sevens) and Ready.
Therefore, we should be looking forward to the coming Sukkot, our next Mo’ed of the Shalosh Regalim. I look forward to it, and so should you. As I have demonstrated, this is not a Jewish Holiday. This is an Appointed Time of The LORD, where Scripture has taught us that ALL Nations will come before Him.
It would be a blessing to experience it in Israel this coming year, but until the LORD makes a way, we will remain here, in His Service.
This reminds me of a couple points that I wanted to make before I conclude today.
As I had mentioned earlier, Passover is a 7 plus 1 = (8) Day Holiday, as well as Sukkot. What’s interesting is that the 8th Day of Sukkot is not actually a part of Sukkot. The “8th” Day is a Day unto itself. It is referred to as Shmini Atzaret, or “The Eighth Day,” but the Rabbis are uncertain of its meaning and purpose.
I was reading the Rabbinical commentary on Shmini last year. As I read, the Rabbis explained it this way –It’s like unto when you go to visit family in Israel, or where ever, and after your stay, it’s time to go home. However, as you are about to walk out the door to leave, your host becomes upset, and asks you to stay, “Just for one more day.” Therefore the Rabbi, compare the idea of Shmini Atzerat as The LORD asking us to stay, just for one more day.
Something else I found out most recently while studying in Job about the Leviathan – The Great Dragon or Serpent. Just as we sing and declare at the end of the Passover, “Next year in Jerusalem!” The Orthodox Jews declare a similar blessing at the close of Sukkot. Apparently they call out, “Next year in Jerusalem – Under the skin of the Leviathan.”
Now, for those of you who have celebrated Sukkot, and know that it is ordered by the Rabbis to make sure that the roof of your Sukkah is not completely ceiled, so that you may see the Sky. There is a reason for this. It would appear, that a tradition of understanding the celestial language, there was a hint that the coming of Messiah would be at the time that “The Dragon,”or “The Serpent,” would be the primary constellation above Jerusalem. Hence tying into what we had just read in Revelation 12. The story goes on that we would be eating the flesh of the Leviathan during the celebration, as his head is crushed, but this is tradition, and I still do not understand how a serpent would be deemed “Kosher.” Perhaps Peter might have some insight on this topic, but until I can ask him, I think I’ll stay away from Giant Red Dragon meat – That could be a spicy meat ball. So much for eating Lamb at the Marriage Supper. I hope that that one is metaphoric, or the Rabbis got that one completely wrong!
The Word of The LORD is so Rich, and challenging and exciting, that I could go on and on all day, on the discoveries that we have made through Midrash. I just want to encourage you keep asking questions, and do not allow theology, and fear tactics to frustrate your Walk with Him. He is holding out His hand and telling you, “Although it be dark, I’ll show you the way.” Just put your trust in Him, and do not fear the fear of man.
Also, continue to Pray and Converse with Him, but remember Midrash (investigation) and the diligent searching of His Word. This is the other side of that conversation. It’s one thing to talk to Him, but it’s a whole other thing, when He speaks to you, through His Word. This is the purpose of having a relationship with Him. His Word and His Spirit, He has left with us, until He returns. Then we can shout, “We are Going HOME!” and we will drink from the Cup of Redemption with Him, in Our Father’s Kingdom.
May the LORD Bless You.
Let us Pray -
** After delivering this message a few weeks ago, a brother directed me to Psalm 74:14:
"Thou didst crush the heads of leviathan, Thou gavest him to be food to the folk inhabiting the wilderness."
In fact although Psalm 74 was not the inspiration of my message, having this pointed out to me, after the fact, demonstrated to me that The LORD had a deeper understanding to deliver to us. Baruch HaShem! **
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