Ever once in a great while something that someone speaks into your life becomes a milestone. The words explode in your head and you know that something just changed in your heart. You sense that this was not a passing thought, but something that God would use to help you make a turn that you've needed to make for a long time, but didn't quite know how. Thanks to a wonderful man of God who lives in the mountains of Israel and whom I have met on a couple of my trips over there, I had such a moment this past Shabbat. Rabbi Ari Abramowitz and his close friend Jeremy Gimpel have a farm in Israel, where they are raising their families but also hosting an online fellowship and time of teaching on Sunday mornings.
Ari was reading to us from the book of Leviticus in Chapters 9-10. It is a pretty familiar story to many of us, yet it still leaves one with questions. In this story Aaron, the High Priest, is together with Moses and the Israelites. Moses tells Aaron, "Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded." (Leviticus 9:7) In this way, Aaron becomes an intercessor for the people. He stands in the gap for their sin and sacrifices a calf as a burnt offering to God to make atonement for himself and for the people. He is, in this passage, a type and shadow of Yeshua/Jesus, atoning for the sin of the people. When you think about it, this was a significantly intense role; an extremely holy work. His sons, Nadab and Abihu, were participating in the process with him. Verse 12 says, "His sons handed him the blood and he (Aaron) sprinkled it against the altar on all sides. They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar." Aaron continues this sacrificial work as he slaughters a goat for the people's sin offering and and I note that in verse 16 it says, "He brought the burnt offering IN THE PRESCRIBED WAY." That's a vitally important verse on which our God puts much emphasis. As in the building of the tabernacle, God is in every detail of this worship at the brazen altar. He is directing every single move that Moses and Aaron make, and when the sacrifices are complete, they go into the Tent of Meeting and bless the people. But the people don't just disperse and gather for coffee and donuts in the fellowship hall. They linger in the Presence of the LORD and then "fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it they shouted for joy and fell face-down." (Lev. 9:24) What a remarkable moment of supernatural, joyous worship! But as the story progresses in Chapter 10, something happens that has long been shrouded in mystery. Leviticus 10:1-3: Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke of when He said: "Among those who approach Me I will show Myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored. ' AARON REMAINED SILENT. Wait, what? He just witnessed the death of his two beloved sons, torched by a bolt of lightning from the hand of Almighty God and he remained silent? He did not cry out "O God, why did this happen?" He did not fall down, heaving great sobs of grief? No. He remained silent. And, friends, here were the words that exploded in my head and made what I hope will be a permanent change in my life. Ari pointed out to us the silence of Aaron and summarized it this way: "Aaron remained silent after seeing both of his sons die. In his heart he was saying, "Whatever is happening right now is what God is allowing to happen and God will use it and God will cause me to grow from it because whatever God allows to happen is from LOVE." He continued: "Don't stand before God begging. Stand before Him and ask, 'How do I live my best life before You? Show me what sacrifices I need to make to become the person You created me to be." Romans 12:1: Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. I want to get this. I no longer want to stand before God begging, but remain SILENT - as I offer Him whatever sacrifice He asks of me, and do it in the prescribed way. Not my casual censer-fire show, but the quiet, holy work He desires.
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As a watchman on the wall I continue to be blown away by the increasing signs and events God is using to SPEAK to us. More and more revelation comes forth about the solar eclipse on April 8 (4/8). Troy Brewer of Open Door Church points out that 4/8 corresponds to Exodus 4:8, which says "If they do not believe you or heed the message of the first sign (American Solar Eclipse of 2017) they may believe the message of the second sign (American solar eclipse of 2024). Through the first sign Almighty God highlighted the cities named Salem, (shalom) and thus prophesied that He would give us seven years of peace, in which to repent of the great sin of the nation. Through the second sign our God emphasizes the cities of Nineveh, which speaks of Jonah's call to ancient Nineveh to repent and return to the Lord. So, for those who did not see and hear the signs and words communicated to us by God in the first eclipse of 2017, there is still one more chance. And this time the messages and the signs are many; some as planets aligning across the universe in a spectacular display, some as insects like locusts (cicadias) emerging up out of the earth by the billions near the New Madrid Fault line, and some in the form of lightning and earthquake. Below I'm copying a post from Bill Koenig's watch.org website yesterday: Top News
Our God is not quiet nor is he subtle. He is speaking with pinpoint clarity, as with a megaphone to the United States of America! He is shining a lightning-blistering flashlight on those in our Congress who are calling for a cancellation of the decision to send Israel more military arms and support and advocating for a Palestinian state in Gaza, Judea and Samaria. Besides this extremely rare earthquake near New York City, He also caused a lightning bolt to strike the Statue of Liberty and it was caught on camera. These warnings are very real, my friends, and they are emanating from the heart of a Sovereign, All-Powerful God who is watching over His Land and His people Israel, and warning America that to withdraw our support from our ally, Israel, will cause Him to respond with great disasters upon our own land. This pattern is proven by history and can be found in Bill Koenig's book Eye to Eye: Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel. Bill writes, "God promised that He would bless those who bless Abraham and his descendants and curse those who curse them. Many world leaders believe that Israel is the key to peace when in reality the continued pressure upon Israel and the subsequent events will rapidly lead the world into the final battle - the battle of Armageddon - the battle for Jerusalem." We know God has clearly stamped His handprint on this April 8th solar eclipse, as I have stated before. He is using His original Hebrew language to illustrate His message and His urgency. The pathways of these three eclipses across America form Hebrew letters Aleph - meaning strength and authority, and Tav - meaning mark, sign or signature. Jesus Himself tells us He is coming soon and He is the "Aleph and the Tav" - the first letter and the last, the beginning and the end. And so, I have done much poring over maps this past week to try to find His mark also on the place where the April 8th eclipse departs the United States. We know it enters at Eagle Pass, Texas, but where does it depart? I've struggled to find exact towns in Maine where the eclipse exits our nation, but suddenly my eyes fell upon two cities that I believe must be in the totality or very close. The towns are named Shin Pond and Smyrna Mills! This might not jolt your spirit as it did mine, so please allow me to explain. In Revelation 2:10 the Lord Yeshua/Jesus reveals to the Apostle John about the church in Smyrna, encouraging them not to fear the things they are about to suffer in persecution. He says, "Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life." Even more stunning is the word Shin! The Shin is the 21st letter of the Hebrew language. Its literal meaning is "teeth" but I have always known it to be representative of Shaddai. El Shaddai is one of the Hebrew names of God that means "God Almighty" or "The Overpowerer." On the website Christianforums.com I read, "The SHIN is symbolic of the SECOND COMING, the consummation of God's Covenant, the FULLNESS of time." That took my breath away! Could it be possible that this eclipse on April 8, 2024, this "Sign of Jonah," is a last-days warning to us that our Messiah Yeshua, the Aleph and the Tav, is coming very soon and we must be ready? He will be stamping His mark across our nation, in deep meanings, urging us to repent and return to Him before it's too late. There will be many who consider this eclipse to be an excuse for a big, reveling party. I sense that our Loving El Shaddai, Almighty God, is trying to reach them before they miss the REAL party, the Second Coming of Messiah Yeshua, the consummation of God's Covenant, His Glorious Eternal Kingdom Reign! Shabbat Shalom! |
AuthorKelly Ferrari Mills SubscribeArchives
April 2024
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