Author: PMTkent

Holy Spirit & Spiritual Gifts: All Who are Skillful & Wise-hearted

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Holy Spirit & Spiritual Gifts: All Who are Skillful & Wise-hearted

 

Bazelel was the first person specifically mentioned by God as having been filled with His Spirit. Bazelel was also granted a myriad of gifts and skills to fulfill his role as Chief Architect of the Tabernacle. But, he did not complete this work alone, and was blessed with a godly assistant and many talented artisans to work beside him. Even today, the Church cannot be built up but a few, but by the many hands, talents, and contributions of the Body of Christ.

Before construction of the Tabernacle began, God commanded Moses to take contributions from all those who had a “willing heart”. The necessary materials included valuable metals, dyes, skins, weaving material, wood, oil, spices, and precious stones. Every one whose heart stirred him, and whose spirit made him willing, brought their freewill offerings (ref. Exodus 35:4-29). There was such an outpouring of generously donated materials that the people had to be restrained from giving more (ref. Exodus 36:5-7).

God instructed Moses to appoint Bezalel, as Chief Architect, over the construction of the Tabernacle. He was filled with the Spirit of God, in Wisdom, in Understanding, in Knowledge, and was a master craftsman in carpentry, metalworking, weaving, stone cutting, dying, and incense blending. His Deputy Architect, Oholiab, was also a skilled artisan, but most importantly, both he and Bazelel were blessed with hearts filled with the desire to teach.

Though there was undoubtedly other talented workers amongst the Israelites, it would be the previous brick makers, imbued with wise hearts desiring to give additional gifts of their work to the construction of the Tabernacle who would be taught the skills of “the engraver, and the cunning workman, the embroiderer, in blue, purple, and scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, to work in gold, silver, and copper, cutting and setting of stones, carving of wood, and of any of those that devise cunning and artistic works” (Exodus 35:32-35).

Bazelel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whom the Lord put Wisdom and Understanding to know how to do skilled work, and every one whose heart was stirred to come help with construction, worked together to build the Tabernacle’s structure, the holy furniture and instruments, the priestly robes, the oil and incense for offerings, amongst all the other things God had instructed them to craft (Exodus 36:1-2).

After the assembly was completed on the first day, of the first month, the Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle (ref. Exodus 40: 34-35). The Tabernacle was constructed by the freely given gifts and talents of the people of Israel and served as a physical space for God’s Glory to dwell. Likewise, the Church Body must be built up by our spiritual gifts so the Holy Spirit can dwell amongst us.

Just as there was a variety of materials and artisanal talents required to construct the Tabernacle, “there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Each one is a manifestation of the Spirit and given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).

Though Bazelel was an extremely impressive and gifted man and filled with the Holy Spirit, it took donations of physical materials and artisanal skills from all God’s People to construct the Tabernacle. Today, each member of the Body of Christ, whom should all be filled with the Holy Spirit, must contribute to His Kingdom through the application of our individual spiritual gifts. It is only then, that our families, ministries, and communities can fully experience the Glory of the Lord.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

Fruits of Spiritual Harvest-Wheat

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Fruits of Spiritual Harvest-Wheat

 

When the Israelites were entering the Promised Land, God told them it would be filled with seven distinct fruits as signs of His Abundance and Presence in the country. The first of these named fruits was wheat, which not only proved to be an essential source of food for its ability to be stored long-term, but was a symbol of those whose fruits would be everlasting.

Wheat was first mentioned in Genesis 30:14, when Patriarch Jacob and his growing family were participating in the wheat harvest, which was one of the most economically important to Israel. The wheat harvest was also the framework for the Feast of Weeks, known today as Pentecost, when the early Church first received the Holy Spirit.

Jesus referenced the wheat harvest in the parable of the tares, describing the Kingdom of Heaven as a field planted with good seeds, which had been corrupted by weeds sown by the enemy. Though the servants advocated removing the weeds, the master explained that doing so would root up the good wheat as well. Instead, the master suggested that they wait till harvest time, then the reapers would be able to distinguish between the weeds and wheat, based on their fruiting bodies, and then separate them to be burned or put into the master’s storehouse (ref. Matthew 12:24-30).

Lolium temulentum, typically known as darnel, poison darnel, darnel ryegrass or cockle is suspected of being the weeds referred to in this parable. This is due to the fact that up until the plant matures and begins to produce fruit, it is difficult to distinguish between wheat. More heinously, this weed’s name “temelentus” means “drunk” in Latin to describe the drunken nausea commonly associated with eating the grain, after it has been infected by a common fungus, which can lead to death if consumed.

Jesus wanted to stress that there would be many followers that had the appearance of being Christians, but it was by their “fruits“ that each would be differentiated. There was also a stark contrast between how each would ultimately be dealt with, the toxic tares and the life-giving grain would be harvested and protected in the barn.

Jesus also uses the wheat cultivation as a way to explain the process of producing fruit, saying that “unless a kernel of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit“. Christ further clarifies that if a man loves his life, he will lose it; but those who forgo this world to serve and follow Christ, will experience eternal life, beside Christ, and will be honored by the Father (ref. John 12:24-26).

This was a difficult concept to accept for people who expected Christ to bring a physical kingdom. They anticipated that He would be ruling and reigning from an earthly throne, but He was very direct about the fact that His Body and their physical expectations must die away in order to produce spiritual fruits.

Wheat was an essential foodstuff for the ancient world and Christ used its husbandry to explain how His Followers would be distinct, based on their fruits, compared to those who simply claimed His Name. Wheat was further used to explain that we must forgo material things to produce spiritual crops. The wheat harvest was also the moment when the Holy Spirit first filled the early Church.

God promised Israel a land blessed with a generous wheat harvest. He promised His Church would be blessed with the Holy Spirit, that, if they followed and worshiped Him, they would produce spiritual fruits, and that they would be a part of the elect who would be separated from the rest of the world to be taken to Heaven. As Pentecost approaches, we pray that you are filled with the Holy Spirit, and producing spiritual fruits in anticipation for eternity, in His Spiritual Kingdom.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

You Will Know them by their Fruits

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You Will Know them by their Fruits

 

When God brought Israel into the Promised Land, He reassured them that this country would not only be overflowing with milk and honey, but a rich bountiful harvest of the best produce. These fruits had special symbolism in the land of Israel and were used as a way to explain important principles about the spiritual kingdom Christ had prepared for His Disciples and the spiritual fruit He expected of them.

The fruits of the Promised Land, typically referred to as the Seven Species, were some of the earliest promises God made to the Israelites, as He brought them “into a good land – a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and date honey” (Deuteronomy 8:7-8).

Jewish Oral tradition believed these were the only acceptable first fruits that could be offered at the Temple in Jerusalem. Any fruits from foreign cultivation were not of the lands of Israel and thus not blessings from God and not worthy of sacrifice.

Christ recognized that false teachers would sow discord and confusion amongst the people and He warned His Followers to pay attention to the ultimate results of people’s actions. Though they prophesied in Christ’s name, cast out demons, and did many wonderful works, Christ would deny them and toss them aside because their work and their fruits were not of God.

It was only those who did God’s Heavenly Will who would enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, and only the good fruits of the Spirits that would enter the storehouse. Christ illustrated that we would recognize someone sent of Him by their fruits. Just as men would not gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, it is only from good trees that we collect good fruits and that every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (ref. Matthew 7).

Even before Christ’s Baptism, John recognized the Pharisees and Sadducees as a generation of vipers that had failed to “bear fruits in keeping with repentance” because they thought to themselves that “[having] Abraham as [their] father” was enough to spare them from the “axe ready at the root of the trees…that do not produce good fruit, [which} would be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:7-10).

Over the next several weeks we will explore the Seven Species (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranate, olives, and dates) and what they meant to the ancient Israelites, how their meanings developed in the time of the early Christians and what they mean to those of us who live in the current age.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

Christ: The First Fruit of the Awakening

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Christ: The First Fruit of the Awakening

 

Our previous article explored how Nisan 17 served as the dividing marker between the Old Ways and the New Blessings God had in store for His People. This starting point for counting towards the Feast of Weeks, also known as Pentecost, was the day of Christ’s Resurrection, which declared that He was the Firstfruits of those who slept and would experience the Spiritual Awakening.

The first mention of the Feast of Firstfruits may have been in Genesis 4, when Cain and Abel offered their gifts to God. Cain brought “an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground” compared to the “the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions” that Abel offered. “The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,” while Cain’s offering was disregarded, possibly because Cain did not offer the Firstfruits and thus the best of his harvest, while Abel did. This set a precedent for future worshipers and their offerings.

The establishment of Firstfruits as one of the Feasts of the Lord, was first mentioned in Leviticus 23, explaining that it would fall on the Sunday following Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Matthew (28:1), Mark (16:9), Luke (24:1), and John (20:19) all reinforce the fact that Christ was resurrected on this “first day of the week” after His Crucifixion on Passover.

The Feast of Firstfruits occurred during the ripening of the barley harvest, which was appropriate, since Israel was often closely associated with barley, which stood as a kind of national grain. When Judge Gideon was fearful of attacking a massive army with a dwindled 300 man force, God instructed Gideon to sneak to the nearby enemy camp and listen to the dream a soldier was recalling to another about a round loaf of barley bread destroying the camp. The fellow soldier understood the barley bread as a symbol for Israel, which was about to defeat them in battle. The famous feeding of the five thousand, which was made up of a population of Jews preparing for Christ’s second ministry Passover, was fed with five small barley loaves and two fish. This symbolism emphasized the fact that Christ first came to save and reap the House of Israel, before the rest of the world, as we will later see in the wheat harvest beginning at Pentecost.

When Christ rose on the Day of Firstfruits, people would have been “[bringing] a sheaf of the firstfruits of [their] harvest to the priest” in the Temple of Jerusalem. The Temple priests would have been taking these offerings and “[waving] them before the Lord,…on their behalf” as a demonstration that the worshiper had fulfilled the statute and recognized God as the source of the coming harvest.

Firstfruits were meant to remind the Israelites that the Lord heard their ancestors’ voices in their affliction and oppression, and brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand, great terror and signs and wonders. He then brought them to “a land flowing with milk and honey”, so they were obligated to bring the firstfruits of the land which God had given them (ref. Deuteronomy 26:5-10).

The physical Promised Land that Israel inherited, was a gift from God that required physical offerings as thanks for a physical harvest. In like manner, the spiritual kingdom that Christ had won for His People, when he conquered Death, would require spiritual offerings as thanks for a spiritual harvest. Just as the Israelites were collecting the new produce from the grains they had sown into the ground, “Christ was now risen from the dead, and [had] become the firstfruits of [those] that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

Christ’s Resurrection, which coincided with Firstfruits, should remind Christians of the affliction and oppression we had previous experienced under the slavery of sin, and how, through Jesus’s signs, wonders, and death on the cross, He bought our salvation and offers us the chance to be part of His Spiritual Kingdom, overflowing with blessings.

The Feast of Firstfruits was the initiation of the new harvest that was about to begin and served as a reminder to the Children of Israel of how their God delivered them and brought them into a prosperous country. Christ’s Resurrection was the inauguration of the Spiritual Harvest of those who slept and would be awakened, transformed. Just as the Israelites delighted in the fruits they were about to enjoy, we received a greater reward in the Firstfruits of the Spirit.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

The Day Death was Defeated

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The Day Death was Defeated

 

The day Jesus rose from the Grave was a momentous occasion, that we still celebrate nearly two millennium later, but this special day had a long history of marking important Biblical events. This third day after Passover, Nisan 17, signified the day death was defeated, and was the beginning of a new chapter.

The first Nisan 17th, after God had established His Calendar, was the day that the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. The exhausted Israelites began a three day journey immediately after their Passover Feast on Nisan 14, and had just reached the banks of the Red Sea. The Pharaoh of Egypt and his cavalry had been pursuing them, and now the Israelites were pinned against the water’s edge. Exodus 14 describes the miraculous moment when Moses outstretched his arm over the waters and they receded, allowing the Israelites to cross on dry land. Before the sun rose, Moses outstretched his hand again and the pursuing Egyptian military was consumed by the Red Sea. Slavery and Death by the Egyptian armies was replaced with Freedom and Hope on that day.

Forty years later, after the generation that had crossed the Red Sea had died wandering in the wilderness, Joshua lead the new generation across the Jordan River and camped in the plains of Jericho. They celebrated the Passover Feast (Nisan 14) and ate some of the produce from the previous harvest, as unleavened bread and roasted grain, the next day (Nisan 15). The following day (Nisan 16), was the last day that manna fell from Heaven, because they would begin to eat the fruits of the land from Nisan 17 onward (Joshua 5:2-12). The previous hard hearted generation and the old grain were replaced by a newly circumcised population and First Fruits of the Promised Land.

After Israel had become an established nation, and built the First Temple, it had been ruled by many evil and idolatrous kings who had defiled the Temple and turned the nation of Israel’s heart from God. God raised up righteous King Hezekiah to begin the cleansing of the Temple on the First Day of the First Month of Hezekiah’s first year of ruling. The work was completed on the sixteenth day and very early on the seventeenth day of the first month (Nisan 17) King Hezekiah gathered the rulers of Jerusalem and had a massive celebration commemorating the Cleansing of the Temple (2 Chronicles 29:1-28). King Hezekiah replaced the human and child sacrifices of the pagan worship the Israelites had fallen into, with Devotion to the Living God.

During the Babylonian Exile, a plot was instigated by Haman, one of the high officials of King Xerxes, who planned to exterminate the Jews in the empire. The edict enacting this systematic genocide was signed and decreed on the thirteenth day of the first month (Nisan 13). Instructed by her honorable uncle Mordecai, Queen Esther, a Jewess, requests that the Jews fast for three days. At the end of the third day’s (Nisan 16) fast, Esther hosted a private banquet for the King and the scheming official, Haman, inviting them to another banquet the following evening. During this feast, Haman’s plans for extermination of the Jews are uncovered, and Haman was killed in the manner he had planned for his rival Mordecai. This reversal, on Nisan 17, not only had Haman killed instead of Mordecai, but Haman’s wealth, authority, and title were given to Mordecai as well. Annihilation was replaced by Power and Glory.

When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they left 430 years of slavery and certain slaughter by the Egyptian chariots, and began the journey to form a nation after God’s own Heart. After Joshua traversed the Jordan River, to enter the Promised Land, there was no going back to Egypt, and no option to continue wandering in the Wilderness, amongst the previous generation’s bones, as the Manna had stopped falling from Heaven, and they would have to conquer the new land before them. After Israel had fallen into idolatry and human sacrifice, they had the opportunity to abandon the death cults that had been introduced into their lands and turn their love back to the God who established them. Even after they had been exiled, God’s redemption was seen when Haman’s conspiracy to massacre the Jews, led to his own death, and his rival Mordecai replacing him. Christ’s Crucifixion on Passover was the price of redemption, but it was His Resurrection three days later on Nisan 17 that marked the dividing line between what had been and the new chapter that had just begun.

God’s Timing is always perfect and the date of Christ’s Resurrection is a deliberate reference to the many previous prophetic instances of God giving His People the opportunity to leave behind their Demise and Destruction in exchange for Life and Prosperity God sought to redeem His People from their Slavery, their Hardheartedness, their Idolatry, and their Political and Economic Rivals, but all those challenges paled in comparison to Christ’s ultimate victory, for all of mankind, over Death.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

Prophetic Praise on Passover

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Prophetic Praise on Passover

 

Christ and His Disciples celebrated the Passover Feast the night before His Crucifixion, where Jesus used the prophetic imagery of the bread as His Body and the wine as His Blood to explain the sacrifice He was about to make. The closing of the Passover meal included another tremendously significant prophetic signal that enlightened the expectant Hebrews of Christ’s coming and was something Jesus and His Disciples also participated in during the Last Supper: the singing of Psalms.

The Book of Psalms was a collection of songs of praise, similar to the hymnal books found in many churches today. These songs were sung during weekly worship and God’s Festivals. Just as we have seasonal songs, some of these psalms were designated for specific holy days. Psalms 113-118, which were sung during Passover, were collectively referred to as the “Hallel“ (translated: “Praise“), the root of “Hallelujah“, which means “Praise the Lord“. These Songs of Praise were written during David’s kingship, but were later adopted in the Haggadah, which established a systematic way to observe the Passover feast in what we know today as a Seder.

The priests who served in the Temple, during the Passover, would have been singing these Psalms as they handed the blood filled silver basins to each other in a chain, with the last man tossing the sacrificial lamb’s blood onto the Mercy Seat. The sounds of their unified chanting would have filled Jerusalem during the Passover festivities creating a harmonic atmosphere for the Jewish men who had come from all over the known world to offer their ransom.

The Hallel song lyrics clearly showed that the Passover Feast was not restricted to Jewish participants, but that God’s Love was extended to all who feared God. In Psalm 116:9-11, all people, starting with “All you Israelites”, followed by “House of Aaron”, and closing with “You who Fear Him” are encouraged to “trust in the Lord-He is their Help and Shield“.

All you Israelites, trust in the Lord-
He is their Help and Shield.
House of Aaron, trust in the Lord-
He is their Help and Shield.
You who fear Him, trust in the Lord-
He is their Help and Shield.

This encompassing of all mankind is not accidental, and is repeated in Psalm 118:2-4, when the Psalmist wrote “Let Israel Say”, trailed by “Let the House of Aaron say”, finishing with “Let those who fear the Lord say”: “His Love endures forever”.

Let Israel say:
“His love endures forever.”
Let the House of Aaron say:
“His love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say:
“His love endures forever.”

After the Passover meal, Christ and His Disciples would have sung the closing half of the Hallel, Psalms 116-118.

Psalm 116 especially has direct references to Christ’s last few hours before His Crucifixion. The stanza “Everyone is a liar” (v. 11) alluded to not only Judas who betrayed Him, but also Peter who denied Him. “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord” (v. 13) must have chimed through Jesus’ thoughts as He prayed “let this cup pass from Me“, but He satisfied the following line that “I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,” (v.14) when He faced Crucifixion, recognizing that “Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of his faithful servants” (v.15).

Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm and the shortest chapter in the Bible, exclaiming

“Praise the Lord, all you nations,
extol Him, all you Peoples”,
“For great is His Love toward us,
and the Faithfulness of the Lord Endures forever”.

It concludes with “Praise the Lord”, reminding us that His immeasurable Love and Faithfulness should be recognized and celebrated by Everyone.

Psalm 118, the closing psalm, had been alluded to throughout Christ’s ministry. Jesus explained that He was “the Lord’s right hand, [which] has done mighty things!” (v. 15), “the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous may enter” (v. 20), and “the stone the builders rejected, [which had] become the cornerstone” (v. 22).

As Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey, the crowds chanted “Hosanna! Blessed is the One coming in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David. Hosanna in the highest [heavens]!” (ref. Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9-10; Luke 19:38; John 12:13). This direct reference to Psalm 118:25-26 meant that the adoring crowds understood that this Psalm was alluding to Christ as they chanted while He entered the city.

While the Passover Feast had transformed since the night of the 10th Plague, when the First Born was slaughtered, Jesus was able to take the new symbols, such as the wine drunk, to allude to His Blood, and the Psalms sung, to demonstrate the sacrifice He was about to give. In whatever capacity you celebrate and remember Our Savior’s Sacrifice this week, we pray that you give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His Mercy endureth for ever.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

The Voice Crying in the Wilderness

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The Voice Crying in the Wilderness

 

Our last article discussed the significance of the First Day of the First Month and how it marked the day of Jesus’ baptism and served as a precursor to what Christ would later fulfill throughout the Passovers of His Ministry. This First Day of the First Month also served as the birth date of John the Baptist, who was the precursor to Christ, whom John recognized and proclaimed as the Passover Lamb of God.

Luke 1 introduces John’s parents, his father Zechariah, a priest of the division of Abijah, and his wife Elizabeth, who was also a descendant of Aaron. They are “righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.”

When Zechariah’s division was on duty, he was chosen by lot to burn incense in the Temple, where he was confronted by the archangel Gabriel, who informed him that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son and that they were required to name him John, whose role would be “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (ref. Luke 1:17).

Priests didn’t serve continuously in the Temple but ministered for two separate week-long periods in a rotating system, in addition to being present for the three feasts (Passover, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Tabernacles) that all males were required to attend in Jerusalem. Since it was Zechariah’s division serving, rather than all the priests, we know that this event didn’t occur during one of the three feasts. This rotating system is kept consistent, since there were twenty-four priestly divisions which served two separate weeks, totaling forty-eight weeks, plus three mandatory festivals, equaling the fifty-one week Hebrew calendar. Since this system would have started on the first day of the first month and readjusted itself systematically, we can track when Zechariah first met Archangel Gabriel.

Zechariah’s priestly division of Abijah was the eighth in the series, so his service most likely occurred during the ninth week of the year, since Passover was mandatory of all the priests to attend and pushed the date a week ahead. After ministering, Zechariah would not have been able to have gone home yet, since right after his service on the ninth week, he would have to participate in the Feast of Weeks during the tenth week. During the 11th week of the year, Zechariah would have returned home to impregnate Elizabeth who would have given birth 40 weeks later on the First Day of the First Month.

Zechariah’s interaction with Archangel Gabriel could have happened during his series’ second rotation in the Fall, but Luke’s narrative leaves two distinct clues that inform us of the Spring dating. Gabriel explains that John will “be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb”. Because of his and his wife’s advanced ages, Zechariah was doubtful and questioned how they can have a child, requesting a sign from Gabriel, who makes him mute for his unbelief.

The Feast of Weeks, also known as Pentecost, occurring the following week, would be the next major holiday after Zechariah’s encounter. Pentecost would later be celebrated as the day Christ’s Followers”were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (ref. Acts 2:4) after His Ascension. It’s not coincidental that John’s father Zechariah lost his ability to speak due to his unbelief and that John the Baptist would be “filled with the Holy Ghost while still in his mother’s womb”.

The first day of the first month set a precedent for what Christ would accomplish during his Ministry Passovers, starting with righteous King Hezekiah cleansing the Temple, foreshadowing Jesus clearing the Temple of the money changers; Ezra beginning to teach in the Temple which was fulfilled by Jesus teaching them directly from God; and the rebuilding of the Temple starting the countdown to the death of the Messiah. In like manner, John the Baptist, born on the first day of the first month, laid the groundwork for what Jesus would accomplish later.


“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”-
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.'”

It was believed that Elijah would return to announce the coming Messiah and the Archangel Gabriel confirmed this, explaining that John would “turn the Children of Israel back to the Lord their God” going “before Him in the Spirit and power of Elijah”. John fulfills this when he declared:

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit, before being born on the First Day of the First Month, which was the date the Holy Spirit filled the Tabernacle and the same day Jesus was Baptized and the Spirit came upon Christ like a dove. John baptized Jesus with water, on the First Day of the First Month, to prepare the hearts of Israel for “He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit”.

The First Day of the First Month marked the counting of days towards the events of the Spring Feasts and forecasted the prophecies that Christ would fulfill. John was born on this day to announce the Passover Lamb and baptized Jesus with water on this day in preparation for us to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.


John was filled with the Holy Spirit and was ready to fulfill his role in God’s Kingdom.


Are you?

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

Nisan 1-The Day Jesus was Baptized

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Nisan 1-The Day Jesus was Baptized

 

In our previous articles, we began to discuss the importance of God’s Holy Festivals and how they were prophetic signs of Christ’s arrival. While Nisan 1, the First Day of the First Month, was NOT a holy festival, it was the date of many firsts, the most important of which was the day of Christ’s Baptism and the start of His Earthly Ministry.

In Exodus 12:1-2, during the Egyptian plagues, God instructed that the Jews recognize this first day, and this first month (Nisan 1) as the beginning of their religious calendar. One year after the Israelites fled Egypt, they had dedicated and “[erected] the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month” (Exodus 40:1-2). “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle”. This was a direct reference to Christ’s future consecration, also on the first day of the first month, during John’s Baptism by water, which was followed by the Holy Spirit coming upon Christ.

Several other important events happened on this special day which focused on the future King Solomon’s Temple and the roles Christ would serve during His time on Earth.

After King Solomon’s construction of the First Temple, several subsequent rulers began to do evil in the sight of God, one of the most heinous being idol worship and the human sacrifices that often came with it. God raised up the righteous King Hezekiah, who was responsible for bringing Israel back to fearing and venerating the one True God. King Hezekiah set a precedent for future rulers and “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD … [and] in the first year of his reign, in the first month [Nisan 1], he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them” (2 Chronicles 29:2-3). This date marked the beginning of the Cleansing of the Temple.

During the seventh year reign of the Persian King, Artaxerxes, his scribe, Ezra, was tasked with bringing in more groups of returning “Israelites, including priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers and temple servants, [who] came up to Jerusalem” (Ezra 7:7) to continue rebuilding the Temple of Israel and begin teaching the scriptures in the Temple again. They “had begun [their] journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, [Nisan 1]” (Ezra 7:9) beginning the reestablishment of the Temple system of Teaching of the Scriptures.

During the twentieth year of Artaxerxes’ reign, we saw the initiation of one of the most important prophecies foretelling of the coming of Christ. During the Babylonian Captivity, Daniel had prophesied that “From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.'”. On the first day of the first month [Nisan 1], while Nehemiah was serving as cupbearer/chief counsellor to the Persian King, Artaxerxes, God used this foreign sovereign to issue a decree which approved and authorized Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore Israel as a state (ref. Nehemiah 2:1-6). This first day of the Israelite religious calendar marked the day Israel would begin to be restored and rebuilt and was the start of the prophetic countdown to Christ.

We can easily trace Christ’s Baptism and the commencement of His Earthly Ministry to this same date of beginnings.

In our previous article, we discussed that during the second Passover Festival of His Ministry, Christ fed the multitude of 5,000 with the five small barley loaves and two small fishes. During the third Passover Festival He was crucified. In John 2:13-25, we learn about Christ’ first Passover Festival where He is filled with righteous anger and drives out the merchants and money changers with a whip, yelling “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” This would have taken place on the 14th day of the first month, Nisan (Abib).

Earlier in the chapter, Christ and a few of His Disciples were attending the wedding feast in Cana. John makes a point of stating that the wedding began on the third day (ref. John 2:1), which is still a custom of modern Jews today, because “God saw that it was good” twice on this day, leading many to believe weddings will be doubly blessed if they start on the third day (ref Genesis 1:9-13). Most weddings lasted a week during this time period and it would be during the last day or two that the wine would realistically run out. The water transformed into wine miracle must have taken place no later than the 9th of the first month, a maximum of seven days.

This 9th of the first month being the latest this miracle could have taken place is reinforced by the fact that “after this [Jesus] went down to Capernaum with His mother and brothers and His Disciples. There they stayed for a few days.” We’ve previously discussed how the 10th of the first month was extremely important, since it was the day that the Passover Lamb was chosen and brought into the family home (ref. Exodus 12:3) before the Passover celebration on the 14th which is mentioned in John’s narrative immediately afterwards.

The few days before the wedding were marked by Christ being baptized [Nisan 1], John’s disciples, Andrew and Simon Peter following Christ the day after His Baptism [Nisan 2], and Philip and Nathanael being called by Jesus the day after that (ref. John 1:35-50) [Nisan 3]. The Wedding of Cana miracle where water was turned into wine would have ended no later than Nisan 9, since the next day [Nisan 10] Jesus went back home with His Disciples to bring the sacrificial lamb into their house in preparation for Passover [Nisan 14] when He chases out the merchants and money changers.

The first day, of the first month, the Tabernacle was consecrated and God’s Spirit filled the building and was also the date of the future Baptism of Christ by water and the Holy Spirit. It marked the beginning of the cleansing of the Temple by King Hezekiah, mirroring Jesus chasing out the merchants and money changers during His first ministry Passover. It was the date when Ezra set out to reestablish the teaching of the Word of God in the Temple, which was fulfilled by Christ by His explaining during His second Passover that, “It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ [so] Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me.” (ref. John 6:45). Ezra teaching in the Temple was necessary so they could recognize when they were being taught by God Himself. This date was also the commencement of the seventy ‘sevens’ marking Christ’s coming and “After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One [would] be put to death” (ref. Daniel 9:25) on the third Passover.

While this First Day, of the First Month is not typically celebrated, it is still significant, since it helps us remember that God set it aside as a special day to mark the beginning of His Calendar in preparation for the Spring Festivals, starting with Passover. In His Infinite Wisdom, God included prophetic signs within the Temple, to point us to the coming Messiah and some of the key prophecies Christ fulfilled during the three Passovers of His Ministry. This beginning of God’s Calendar, we hope you recognize how Christ was baptized to prepare the way for the Holy Spirit to baptize us by fire, to fulfill the roles God’s Kingdom has for our own lives today.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

Wine and Worship

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Wine and Worship

 

In our last article, we discussed God’s seven holy feasts and gave a brief explanation of their significance, how they foretold of Christ’s arrival, and how He fulfilled each of them. Of these seven feasts, men were required to appear for three every year: the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Passover), Festival of Weeks (Pentecost), and Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot). They all had customs concerning wine, with each symbolizing a different aspect of Christ’s final ministering, during His time on earth.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) was a fall harvest festival that required that the Israelite men present a tithe offering of everything their fields had produced. In remembrance of their forefather’s time living in tents, they were to stay in temporary structures for seven days (ref. Deuteronomy 14:22; 16:13-15). On the last day of this celebration, the High Priest would draw water from the spring under the Jerusalem Mount, which was used to previously anoint King David. The water from this spring was extremely limited and precious and would be mixed with wine during the public sacrifices during the festivities. Jesus declaring that He was the source of Living Water (ref. John 7:37-39) shocked the audience, who understood that the sacrificial outpouring of living water and wine, symbolizing blood, was a sign of the coming Christ (Jeremiah 17:13; Zechariah 14:8-9; John 7:41) before God’s reign on earth. This was fulfilled when one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water poured out (ref. John 19:34).

Passover had originally required that the blood of the sacrificial lamb to be displayed on the doorposts of each Israelite family’s home, but, because every male was required to attend it in Jerusalem, the lamb’s blood was instead poured out into a silver basin and splashed on the altar of sacrifice. The Kiddush, literally translated “sanctification” was a blessing recited over wine or grape juice on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. Often, a silver cup, representing sanctification/salvation, was used. Christ uses this symbolism when He blessed the wine during the Passover dinner, often described as the Last Supper (ref. Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 12:23-25; Luke 22:17-18).

The Passover celebration had multiple cups of wine to be drunk throughout the meal, but Paul recognized the cup drunk in remembrance of Christ was the “Cup of Blessing, which we bless, [during] the communion of the Blood of Christ” (ref. 1 Corinthians 10:16).

During the previous year’s Passover, Jesus fed the crowd of five thousand with five small barley loaves and two small fish. When the crowd tracked Him down, He confronted them with the fact that He was the Bread of Life and that only by “eating the flesh of the Son of man and drinking His Blood” could they have Eternal Life. Even though the parallels between the Passover celebration’s bread and wine were still fresh on their minds, they still failed to understand the symbolism of what Christ said and many disciples abandoned Him (ref. John 6).

After Christ’s Resurrection, when the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) was being celebrated, Jesus’ followers experienced a violent heavenly wind in the house, before tongues of fire fell upon them and they became filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. Because all Jewish men were required to attend Pentecost every year, people from all over the known world were present and when they heard their native foreign languages being spoken, they became confused, since the group consisted of mostly Galileans. Some of those participating in Pentecost instead taunted them, saying that the disciples had had too much wine. Apostle Peter challenges this, saying, in a booming voice, while addressing the crowd, “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you accuse. It’s only nine in the morning! (ref. Acts 2:1-15). Though wine was drunk liberally during this festival, it would not have been consumed during the breakfast meal.

Peter recognizes that this event was a prophetic fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32, which stated that in the Last Days, God said He would pour out His Spirit on All People, many would be filled with prophetic insight, and all who called on the name of the Lord would be saved. The Greek word used to express the pouring out of the Spirit “ekcheō” is extremely similar to the Hebrew word “shaphak” which also referenced the pouring out of the Spirit. Both were typically used in association with something that had been pierced, crushed, or otherwise broken before its contents are spilled out, such as the crushing of grapes for wine and the slaughtering of an animal for a blood sacrifice. While the jeering spectators thought the disciples were filled with the over pouring of wine in celebration of Pentecost and the spring harvest, Jesus’ followers were the first to be filled with the intoxicating Holy Spirit, which would now flow upon all who called on Christ’s name.

These three celebrations were mentioned several times in the Old Testament (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:16; 2 Chronicles 8:13) as being mandatory, because they were profoundly significant in recognizing Christ’s arrival. Despite celebrating these feasts annually for hundreds of years, many Jews in Jesus’ time failed to recognize Him in the multiple instances of wine symbolism. Because Christ was the grape that was crushed and the Lamb that was slain, we not only are redeemed of all unrighteousness, have access to eternal life, but also have the overflowing Holy Spirit as our Helper during this New Age.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator

 

Divine Days & Prophetic Celebrations

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Divine Days & Prophetic Celebrations

 

Our last article explored the Tabernacle’s metal construction materials and layout, and how they symbolically explained God’s relationship with His People and the standards of purity that He required of them. He knew that they were imperfect humans and would ultimately fail to be able to keep all of His Statutes, so He set aside special times of the year to recognize their failings, make atonement for their sins, and rejoice in the God of Mercy they worshiped. More importantly, these seven celebrations were prophetic signs meant to point Israel to the coming of Christ and His Sacrifice.

While the Israelites were still in slavery, God gave the people their first mitzvah (roughly translated as precept, decree, or commandment). God informed Moses and Aaron that the upcoming new moon was distinct and that “this month [was] the beginning of months for [Israel]; it [was] the first month of [their] year” (ref. Exodus 12:1-2). Keeping this lunar based religious calendar was significant, because it required the population to deliberately watch for God’s appointed times, rather than relying on any dating systems men devised.

The first of God’s Holy Feasts was the upcoming Passover. On the tenth day of Aviv, the first Hebraic month, each family was required to bring a flawless yearling from their herd into their homes. The animal would remain with them till the fourteenth day of the month, when it was killed and prepared on Passover. Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey on the tenth day of the first month, mirroring His role as the perfect Passover Lamb being brought into the sinner’s home (John 12:12-19; Mark 11:1-12; Matthew 21:1-11; Luke 19:28-44) and would also be crucified and buried on the fourteenth day of the first month.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread started on the fifteenth day of the same month, the day after Passover, and was meant to be a day of rest. Observers were not to eat bread that contained leavening for seven days (Exodus 12:15), with the final day being another day of rest. The pierced and scorched flatbread that was eaten that week symbolized the flawless Christ who suffered and died.

The Feast of First Fruits was the first day after the Passover Sabbath, and occurred during the previously mentioned week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:4-8, 9-22) Paul tells us that Christ was the first fruits of those who would be raised from the dead (Acts 26:23; 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23; Romans 8:23). Christ rose from the grave on the Feast of First Fruits, which also marked the beginning of counting towards the day of Pentecost.

Pentecost (Shavuot), from the Greek pentēkostē which meant fiftieth day, occurred fifty days after the Passover Sabbath, starting from the Feast of First Fruits (ref. Leviticus 23:15-22) . Ancient Hebrews celebrated this Feast of Weeks as the beginning of a joyous harvest of fall grains, while Acts 2:1-31 describes Pentecost as the first great harvest of souls and the descending of the Holy Spirit on Christ’s followers after His Ascension.

Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the seventh month, is sometimes thought of as the Jewish Civil New Year due to the fact that it is translated as “Head of the Year“, but it was originally referred to as the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-27; Numbers 29:1). Many significant people are traditionally believed to have been born on Rosh Hashanah including Abraham (the first Patriarch), Isaac (the first allusion to the sacrificial lamb), Jacob (the first of the tribes of Israel), Joseph (the first great provider of food to the world), and Samuel (the first Prophet). It was also celebrated as the inauguration date of Joseph (Genesis 41:40) and Solomon (1 Chronicles 29:21-23). It is also speculated that the Festival of Trumpets was the day that Solomon’s Temple was dedicated (1 Kings 8:1-2, 8:65-66; 2 Chronicles 5:3, 7:8-10). The allusions to the coming King arriving to the sound of trumpets was a deeply rooted theme in the Old Testament.

Yom Kippur (the tenth day of the seventh month) was the Day of Atonement and the only day that the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies to offer a sin sacrifice to fully cover the trespasses of the nation of Israel for the year (Leviticus 16). It was traditionally understood that when the high priest was within the Holy of Hollies, offering the sacrifice for the sins of Israel, the high priest would receive a prophecy regarding the events of the upcoming year. Caiaphas, who was the high priest the year Christ was crucified, prophesied Jesus’ role as the sin sacrifice not only for the nation of Israel, but the entire world (ref. John 18:13-14, Matthew 26:3-5, John 11:49-53).

The Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot) took place on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after Yom Kippur, and required that the Israelites live in tabernacles/booths/tents for seven days as a remembrance of when God had brought them out of Egypt and they lived in temporary structures in the wilderness (ref. Leviticus 23:42-43). It was also a prophetic sign declaring that God would come down in a temporary human body and live amongst His People (ref. John 1:14). Jesus, despite being pursued by the Jewish leaders, celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, where He revealed Himself as the Light of the World and the Living Water, which were two important symbols in the festivities. Christ left the city and was transfigured on the Mount of Olives on the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2-John 8:1; Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36; 2 Peter 1:16-18).

Over the next few articles, we will be delving deeper into the signs and symbols that God placed in the spring celebrations for the ancient Israelites to recognize His Son’s Arrival and how He fulfilled these feasts. Christ served as the Passover Lamb that was brought into Jerusalem and killed and passed through the fire for our sins (ref. 1 Peter 3:18-20). The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week-long reminder of the sinless life that Christ lived. Christ’s resurrection during the Feast of First Fruits marked the beginning of an extraordinary spiritual harvest. Pentecost punctuated the spring feasts with the in-gathering of souls and the arrival of the Holy Spirit as our Helper.

Starting thousands of years ago, it is clear to see that God’s Holy Festivals were not arbitrary agricultural celebrations, but were instead sacred prophetic references to Christ’s Crucifixion for our sins. By exploring the deeper details of these Holy Days we will gain a greater understanding of how God made preparations for Christ’s role in fulfilling the Feasts and what the Holy Spirit is doing in today’s Prophetic Age.

 

Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator