Last night I dreamed I was in Israel. I can see myself in the dream, making connections, numerous phone calls, and preparations to find a place where I could live there permanently.  Eventually I found it, a small apartment in a rather large building. It had a living room, bathroom and bedroom, plus a tiny kitchen in the corner.  Then I was on the phone with my father and mother, making plans for them to come live with me there! You probably remember that they both went to Glory eight years ago this week. But in the dream, they were coming to Israel.

It was 4:03 a.m. and I was intrigued by the dream so I switched on my litle night light and recorded it in my journal. I smiled to myself, thinking that perhaps the LORD was showing me that we would all be together again in Jerusalem one day in the not-too-distant future.  Then, out of curiosity, I picked up my phone to look at e-mail. The first thing that caught my eye was an article reprinted by Worthy News. The title read: HISTORIC FIRST: JEWS ENTER THE TEMPLE MOUNT THROUGH THE GATE OF THE TRIBES. Did you see that article? I just wonder how many missed it, since the whole thing took place so quietly, "under the radar," so to speak.  Here is a small excerpt from the article at The Jewish Link:  By Aryeh Savir/TPS • 29 August, 2022Jerusalem, 29 August, 2022 (TPS) — A group of Jewish worshipers entered the Temple Mount on Sunday through the Gate of the Tribes in the northern part of the Mount, the first such occurrence since 1967, when liberating IDF paratroopers entered the holy site during the Six Day War.The group entered through the Gate of the Tribes and was escorted by a Temple Mount police officer, and some left the Temple Mount through the same gate.
Tom Nisani, CEO of Beyadenu for the Temple Mount said that the “Jewish entry through the Gate of the Tribes shows that there is no justification for the threats and claims that if we exercise our sovereignty and basic freedoms on the Mount, terrible things will happen.”
“This morning, Jews entered through the Gate of the Tribes smoothly and without any problems. This precedent should be first implemented on special occasions when many Jews ascend the Mount through the Hallel [Mugrabim] Gate, which cannot facilitate all of them. It is a positive development,” he said.
Jews are usually allowed to enter the Temple Mount only through the Mugrabim (Moroccan) Gate, which is right next to the Kotel, Western Wall. The rest of the nine gates around the Temple Mount are reserved for Muslims.
The Gate of the Tribes, Bab al-Asbat in Arabic which is the name for the 12 tribes of Israel, is located in the northeast corner of the Temple Mount. The gate is located near the Lions’ Gate, which was also formerly called the Gate of the Tribes. The gate is nearby the “Pool of Israel” and the “Tower of the Children of Israel,” both names preserved by the Muslims.
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs said that it “views with grave concern” the development.

Yes, of course the Muslim world would view this small event "with grave concern." It must have been Spirit-led! This small group of Jews managed to go through that gate, for the first time since 1967, without any violence or uproar. The more I pondered it, the more I felt that it was some kind of sign from the LORD, some kind of prophetic marker to encourage us all.  Perhaps it was a kind of "dress rehearsal" or prophetic act similar to the March I participated in at a Messianic Israel Alliance conference several years ago. We met in St. Louis, Missouri and about 1300 of us, waving banners, blowing shofars, and carrying children on our shoulders, walked through the Arch and down to the edge of the river, symbolizing the return of all the tribes to the Land of Israel. Or, perhaps this small group of Jews ascending to the Temple Mount through the Gate of Tribes was a signpost pointing to Revelation 21:10-12, a thrilling future day when we (the Bride of Messiah) shall enter the New Jerusalem through the twelve gates of the tribes!

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The Gate of Tribes. My heart is so stirred by this event, even though the world took little notice. In 1967, Israeli soldiers recaptured Jerusalem and the Temple Mount at that gate. What other battles will be fought and won there before the Heavenly Jerusalem is revealed?  What great throngs of people will be passing through those tribal gates from every nation, tribe and tongue in the earth?

It makes my heart beat wildly! But in the meantime, perhaps I can look forward to my cllittle apartment in the Land, joined by my mom and dad, and so many other loved ones, in the Kingdom where Yeshua will reign for a thousand years.  

The Fall feasts are almost upon us. The Hebrew year 5783 is about to dawn. The month of Elul is here and we are called to spend this month in deep self-examination and repentance, preparing for all that awaits us. I feel more of an urgency than ever before to be purified and ready to walk through the gate with my tribe.

August 4 of this year was one of those restless, sleepless nights I've been having quite often. I was given a personal word from Holy Spirit that night that I do not feel released to share. However, I was also given words that I do know are for all of us, because since that date I've gotten two more witnesses.  The Lord woke me that night at 3:33 a.m. and so I turned over to Jeremiah 33:3, recalling the message from that verse:
"Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
I asked the Lord, "What things? What great and unsearchable things do you wish to tell me, Father?" Immediately in my spirit I heard this answer: "What is required of you, O man, but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God?" (Micah 6:8). 

The first witness of that word came very quickly, less than an hour later, as I listened to a message from Marsha Burns. She quoted Micah 6:8, but then said this: "Never look for justice in the world but always GIVE IT. " I lay awake for a long time that night, pondering all the injustices we are witnessing in the world right now, from the violence and trafficking perpetrated upon innocent children, to the sick, corrupt politicians and judges promoting lies and excusing crimes with no penalties. Injustice is an outrage to so many of us right now! But Marsha's word shifted my focus. Suddenly my thoughts were no longer centered on my outrage, but rather focused on how I can go about affirming and applauding justice and mercy, wherever I can give it, and wherever I may find it.

I spent more time in prayer that night and then heard again the Voice of the Ruach: "These, my child, are still and forever the things that must be cultivated in your heart of hearts: Justice, mercy and humility. These traits sum up the method you are attempting to follow in your caregiving. This is the ancient path, the good way; the rest for your soul."

Since August 4th I've allowed those words to ruminate often in my spirit. Now, today, we read the Torah portion called EIKEV.  If you do a careful study of this portion (Deuteronomy 7-12), you will quickly see a pattern emerge. Moses is speaking to the generation of Israelites who have made it through the 40 days of wilderness wandering and testing. He summarizes the wilderness experiences their fathers endured and makes it pretty clear that if we are going to become the people that God calls us to be, we must endure suffering.  In Deut. 8:10 Moses says, "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these 40 years to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands."  

Are you feeling like you're in the wilderness right now? Are you in a dry place or a place of suffering? Know that it is a place of testing, a time when God peers deep inside the heart to see how you are responding. Will you harbor resentment and anger or will you  open the door and invite Him in closer?  Will you remain humble or will you rebel in pride and arrogance? 

In Deut. 9:5 the LORD says to Israel, "It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people!"  

I have learned that humility really is listening to and following God's commands because this is obedience. One who does justice, loves mercy and walks humbly before Him is without question one who is walking in obedience and one who is submitting his will to the will of the Father. This surely must be the bottom line for our Heavenly Father, even as it was the bottom line for our earthly fathers!  

In fact, if we move the timeframe all the way from Israel's first possession of the land (after their exodus from Egypt) to the second great Exodus from the nations and into the restored Land of Israel, we see a definite pattern. In Ezekiel 20:35 the LORD says, "I will bring you into the desert of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you. As I judged your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the Covenant.  I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against Me. "

We are His sheep and He is our Shepherd. We will pass under His rod of judgment, counted one by one, face to face. Then we shall know true Justice, even as we have given it. Then we shall experience the deep, deep Love and Mercy of Yeshua our Redeemer, even as we have extended it. Then we shall walk ever so humbly before our God!

These, my child, are still and forever the things that must be cultivated in your heart of hearts: Justice, mercy and humility.  This is the ancient path, the good way; the rest for your soul.

P.S. If you are interested, you can find a teaching I have done on the Torah parsha Eikev in this youtube video (link below).  Shabbat Shalom and be blessed!

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4NXLF8nk4k