The following message was presented at the Hickory, North Carolina, Aglow International Lighthouse on September 12, 2015.
Joel 2: 1-2.
Joel 2: 1-2.
2 Blow
the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who
live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is
close at hand—2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and
blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains, a large and
mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will
be in ages to come.
Introduction- The Day of the Lord
Joel gave this prophecy prior to the fall of Jerusalem which
occurred in 586 BC when the Israelites were carried off to Babylon
into exile for 70 years. Earlier
in chapter one, Joel wrote about an actual invasion of locust which
devoured all the crops, ruined the fields, the grain harvest, the
grape vines and the olives trees. He witnessed how the massive locust
plague and severe drought devastated Judah-- as a harbinger of
the “great and dreadful day of the Lord” and he called
on the people of Judah to repent.
As a prophet of God, Joel discerned that
the plague and severe drought were indicators of God's judgment on
the nation of Judah due to their disobedience and falling away
from God.
In
Chapter 2, Joel tells the people to “Blow
the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on God's holy (mountain). Let
all who live in the land tremble for the
day of the Lord
is coming; it is close at hand.
Trumpets were blown loud and long to call the people to a
sacred assembly, to fast and to pray. Today many prophets and
ministers of God in America are sounding that same alarm.
God had
a clear pattern of dealing with the the house of Israel. First, He
sends a warning or multiple warnings through His prophets. If the
people do not repent of turning away from Him, then comes judgment on
the land and the people. When they finally cry out to Him, He brings
restoration and blessings.
The Prophetic Events on God's Calendar this fall:
The
Blood Red Moons The Mystery of the Shemitah
The Feast of Tabernacles
The Jubilee Year
God's Calendar-
To understand how God thinks and how He makes His plans we have to use the calendar He gave the Israelites (Ex. 12:2).
Gregorian Calendar- developed by Pope Gregory and based on the cycles of the sun, January- December, dates from the birth of Jesus, 2015.
Hebrew Calendar- based on the cycles of the moon, Nisan (Mar-Apr) Adar (Feb-Mar), dates from the first Passover when the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt. Each new day begins with sundown of the day before. On God's calendar, we are living in the year 5776.
2015 on the Gregorian calendar is
actually 5775-76 on the Jewish calendar. The Jews had two concurring
calendars which they followed. A sacred calendar for the holy
days and festivals begins with the month of Nisan. The civil calendar based on
the four agricultural seasons begins with the month of Tishri- which is actually the 7th month of the sacred calendar.
Three Annual Festivals: Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. God instructed the Israelites to travel three times a year to Jerusalem to celebrate these festivals. Passover is celebrated in our spring season in the month of Nisan and Pentecost is 50 days later, similar to when Christians celebrate Easter and Pentecost.
Our focus today is on the final fall Feast of Tabernacles which begins Sept. 14, 2015 with:
Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.
These Jewish High Holy Days run for the first ten days of Tishri, focus on repentance and are called the Days of Awe. We'll come back
to this feast later on.
The Blood Moons-
the 1st
prophetic event for 2015.
A total lunar eclipse is called a blood moon. When the earth casts its shadow on a full moon and eclipses it, the moon will take on a reddish glow.
A total lunar eclipse is called a blood moon. When the earth casts its shadow on a full moon and eclipses it, the moon will take on a reddish glow.
Lunar
tetrad- four total lunar eclipses happening in a row. The total
lunar eclipses happen six months apart. The dates of the most recent tetrad were April
15 and October 8, 2014- on Passover. April 4 and
September 28, 2015 on Tabernacles. The dates coincided with Jewish feasts in these years. There have been eight sets of tetrads since the time of Christ.
 | |
| Super moon over Greece. |
Pastor
John Hagee wrote in his book, Four
Blood Moons, that God
is trying to communicate with us. He belives that something historically dramatic
will happen to Israel in the next one to two years which will effect
the outcome of history.
Biblical references to blood moons are found in Joel 2:28-32 and Rev. 6:12.
Biblical references to blood moons are found in Joel 2:28-32 and Rev. 6:12.
Joel
2: 28-32 describes the day of the Lord and was quoted by Peter in Acts
2 on the day of Pentecost.
Two examples of blood moon tetrads which effected Israel in recent history.
1948- Israel became a nation when the Queen of England signed the
Balfour Declaration. 1967- The Six-Day War Israel fought with six
Arab nations. Arab soldiers saw an army of angels protecting the
Jewish soldiers and surrendered or ran away. The Israeli soldiers took control of Jerusalem for the first time since 70 AD when the Romans captured it.
Mark Biltz commented recently in Prophecy News Watch, “I
believe and have always taught these signs in the heavens do not mark
the end of the world. My interpretation is that we
have at least another 1,000 years (the Millennieum). But I do believe
these signs portend major changes, including a possible major war
involving Israel and an economic collapse.”
According
to Biltz, September is shaping up to be a perfect storm of global
catastrophes. He cited several examples from at home and abroad.
In the United States, civil order is under assault as police are
increasingly under attack, homosexual marriage has been imposed on
the entire country and Christians are being sent to jail for their
beliefs.
God
is giving signs in the heavens through blood moons and solar
eclipses appearing specifically on significant dates on the biblical
calendar to grab the world’s attention. Biltz argues, “These
are not just harbingers of things to come. I believe the heavenly
call is going out to all who would come to the Feast.” What
feast? The Feast of Tabernacles.
Read
more at
http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2015/September10/101.html#Xk5x21H09moVopzb.99
The Mystery of the Shemitah, by Jonathan Cahn-
the 3rd
prophetic event in 2015.
Rabbi Cahn is the founder of Hope of the World Ministry and
the Jerusalem Center/Beth Israel, located in Wayne, New Jersey,
across the river from Manhattan. He personally witnessed the
destruction of the twin towers and observed the building of the new
World Trade Center. In his first book The Harbinger, Rabbi
Cahn tells about 14 mysteries that indicate God's
judgement is coming on America. (Notes below were taken from his book.)
The First Harbinger: THE BREACH
or Sign of the Breach:
Years before the judgment of a nation there comes a warning, a
national shaking. The warning manifests in the form of an attack. The
nation’s hedge of protection, its natural security, is breached. 9/11
was America's wake-up call. While watching the smoke rise to the
skyline of NYC, the Lord directed Rabbi Cahn to study Isaiah
9 and 10 and
there he found a vow pronounced by the leaders of Israel.
Later
he termed it- the
Isaiah 9:10 judgment.
10 “The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down, But we will replace them with cedars.”
This
vow was an act of defiance by Israel. The nation of Israel was
saying: “You will not humble us. We will not repent. Rather, we
will continue to depart from Your ways. We will rebuild. We will
replant. And by our own power and resources, we will come back
stronger than before.” In the last 50 years, America
has demonstrated the same pride
and arrogance
that Israel displayed during Isaiah's time. By making this ungodly
vow, Israel pronounced a curse upon themselves.
The Shemitah is one of the 9 harbingers
that
have taken place in our lifetime. To understand completely the revelations given to Rabbi Cahn, you will need to read his book. I have included only a summary here to illustrate how prophecy is coming to past in America.
1. A Blessing. The Shemitah is designed to be a blessing from
God. For the nation of Israel, every seventh day was
called “the Sabbath.” The Israelites were commanded to keep it
separate and distinct from the other six days of the week. It was the
Lord’s Day and all regular work and all worldly endeavors were to
cease. The Sabbath was the day of rest, to be devoted solely to the
Lord.
Lev.
25:1–4
Also every seventh
year was the Sabbath year.
The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak
to the children of Israel and say to them: Six years shall you sow
your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather
its fruits; but in the seventh year there
shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the
LORD.’”
Then in Deut. 15:1–2, we read where the Lord commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, you shall grant a release of debts. And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the LORD’s release.”
The original Hebrew commands every creditor to make a “shemitah.” In Hebrew it is called the Lord’s “Shemitah” and it took place on Elul 29, the Day of Remission. Jewish farmers who faithfully kept the Shemitah’s requirement ended up with an extra abundant harvest the following year. God blessed them abundantly for their obedience to his commandments. The Shemitah is a reminder that God is the source of all blessings, spiritual and physical alike.
2. A Judgment of God. The
keeping of the Shemitah was, above all, an act of devotion and
worship, to put God above everything else in one’s life. BUT when
God is removed from their life, the removal of blessings will
ultimately follow. Instead of having a year of blessing, it can mean
a year of judgment on a nation. So the matter of the Shemitah was
critical. Upon it rested the nation’s future. God is not waiting for His people to disobey so He can punish them, we bring judgment on ourselves by our choices. Read Deut. 28 for a complete understanding of the blessings and curses God's people bring upon themselves depending on whether they love and obey God's commandments, or if they refused to honor Him.
The Shemitah and World History
The judgment that fell on the land of
Israel in 586 BC was a pivotal event in biblical history, Jewish
history, and world history. The Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed and
the words of the Hebrew prophets fulfilled. 586 BC was the end of a
Shemitah year and the Jews were exiled to Babylon for 70 years. The
seventy years of judgment were the seventy unkept Shemitahs from
Israel’s past.
How
does the Shemitah have an effect on America?
Israel was a civilization established
on the Word of God, dedicated to His purposes, and consecrated to His
glory from its very inception. Only two civilizations in human
history were established, dedicated, and consecrated to the will, the
word, the purposes, and the glory of God from the moment of their
conceptions. The first was Israel; the second was America.
As did ancient Israel, America has
progressively redefined what was right and wrong, adopting a
new morality to replace the old. It now calls evil “good,” and
good “evil.” What it once celebrated, it now condemns, and
what it once worshipped, it now reviles.
Just
a few examples of what occurred on Shemitah years.
- The Crash of 1916–1917, World War I- 40 percent of the market was wiped out.
- The Crash of 1930–1932, The Great Depression- 86% on the market whiped out.
- The Crash of 1973- 45 percent of the market was wiped out.
- The Crash of 2000–2001 The Dot-Com Crash and 9/11- more than 37 percent of the stock market was wiped out. The crash occurred on the Monday following Elul 29.
- The Crash of 2007–2008, The Great Recession- It was the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. 2007- a shemitah year. 50% of the market whiped out.
Only the hand of God could have
calculated such complex and precise phenomenon. The mystery of the
Shemitah has effected the course of the market, America and countless
other nations.
How does judgment come?
It can come through another nation or nations. It can come through
natural disasters or man-made disasters, economic collapse, attack
from terrorists or weapons of mass destruction. Without God, there is
no true safety or security for America. Without God's hand of
protection over our nation, our enemies will be allowed to come
within our borders and attempt to destroy us. Without God, America
will collapse.
HOWEVER,
God can not be put into a box.
Prophecy does not have to happen when men predict it will. It will
happen how, when and where God wants it to. Any shemitah year does
not have to bring destruction. It is up to God if and when judgment
comes upon a nation. We do need to be aware and forewarned of any
impending judgment and make preparations. Wisdom says to be prepared for difficult times and don't be caught off guard.
The
Shemitah's most dramatic impact leads up to and occurs on or around
Elul 29, the last day of the cycle- the Day of Nullification. The
shemitah year we are living in right now will end September
13, 2015. Dramatic events associated with the shemitah can also occur into the next year.
The Feast of Tabernacles-
the 2nd
prophetic event of this year.
Three Events. The following dates are for 2015. To find out dates for another year, you will have to consult a Hebrew Calendar for that year.
Three Events. The following dates are for 2015. To find out dates for another year, you will have to consult a Hebrew Calendar for that year.
- Rosh Hashanah- Tishri 1 (Sept. 14). The Feast of Trumpets marks the start of the Jewish new year. It is a season of judgment, as well as a time for reconciliation with God. It occurs in the 7th month of the the Jewish calendar year.
- Yom Kippur- the Day of Atonement, a day of fasting and repentance, affording man the opportunity to cleanse himself of his sins and renew his relationship with God. Sept. 22-23.
- Sukkot- the Festival of Booths (Tabernacles). The Jews camped out under the stars in huts made of branches for seven days to remember that God is our ultimate protection. Sept. 28-Oct. 4.
Jesus- the Fulfillment of the Feasts
Dr. Richard Booker in his book, Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts, wrote that for 1500 years, the Jewish people learned about the one true God through the religious laws and rituals that God instructed them to perform. These rituals taught them how to know God and walk with Him-- and pointed them to the Messiah. In other words, God's pictures in the Old Testament pointed the Jews to the person of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Jesus fulfilled the first two feast seasons- Passover and Pentecost- at his first coming. He will fulfill the third feast season,Tabernacles- at His second coming.
Dr. Richard Booker in his book, Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts, wrote that for 1500 years, the Jewish people learned about the one true God through the religious laws and rituals that God instructed them to perform. These rituals taught them how to know God and walk with Him-- and pointed them to the Messiah. In other words, God's pictures in the Old Testament pointed the Jews to the person of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Jesus fulfilled the first two feast seasons- Passover and Pentecost- at his first coming. He will fulfill the third feast season,Tabernacles- at His second coming.
Passover- the first feast.
During the month of Nisan when the Jews were in the temple
sacrificing a lamb on the altar for the remission of their sins,
Jesus was being crucified outside on the cross on Golgotha. His
physical death and resurrection took place on the exact day
and hour that the Feast of
Passover was being celebrated by the Jews.
Pentecost- the second feast.
Traditionally, the Jews celebrated Pentecost as the day God met with
Moses on Mount Sinai to give him the Torah- the book of the
Law. Exodus tells us it was
in the sixth of Silvan. 1500 years later on that same date when the
Day of Pentecost came, the Jews were in the temple celebrating.
However, on that same day and hour, the Lord's apostles and other
believers were in the upper room--
receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit
and the gift of tongues.
Dr. Booker explained, that just
as the Hebrews received the book of the Law on the original Pentecost, 1500 years
later 120 followers of Jesus Christ received the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 1 and 2). As Spirit-filled Christians, we understand the importance of following God's commandments in the Old Testament, but we also need revelation and enlightenment given to us by the Holy Spirit. The Law without the Spirit is religious legalism. The Spirit teaches us and empowers us to live under God's grace and mercy. The Spirit of Christ in us transforms us over time into sons and daughters of God.
Tabernacles-
the third fall festival of the Lord.
When Messiah Jeshua returns the next time-- He will return according
the Old Testament picture God gave the Israelites- during the fall
harvest on the Feast of Tabernacles.
Jews from around the world will be gathered together in Jerusalem for
seven days to celebrate the Festival of the Ingathering- the final
harvest of the year and a time of rest from their labors. It will be
a time of great rejoicing and they will sleep in booths or shelters
outside under the stars. It
will begin on the 15th
of Tishri and end on the 22nd
(Sept. 28- Oct. 4, 2015).
The
Feast of Tabernacles represents the complete and final work of God in
this present age. We know from Scriptures that Jesus Christ, Messiah Jeshua, is the ultimate tabernacle or dwelling
place of God in human flesh.
God dwells in our midst through Jesus who gives us His
Spirit in our hearts. Jesus will fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles at
His second coming.
 |
| Sunsetting over Jerusalem and the Eastern Gate |
I can just imagine what that day will look like. One glorious morning Muslims around the world will be facing East toward Mecca worshiping Allah. The sirens from the mosques will be blaring away calling the people to morning prayer. In the synagogues of Jerusalem, Jews will be sounding the last trumpet call with their ram's horn shofars. For the last seven nights, they have been sleeping in booths or tabernacles on the roof tops of their homes. They will look up to the morning sky and see... a strange sight in the heavens.
Messiah Jeshua
in all His Father's glory
will descend out of heaven with all His glorious saints
and a multitude of angelic host. He will land on the Mount of Olives
and proceed to take the path that leads over to the Temple Mount--
just like He did 2,000 years ago in the year 33AD riding on a donkey. Read the passage in Matt.21:8-10 for his first entrance into the city of David.
Except the second time, will be much different. Jesus
Christ of Nazareth will make his second
triumphal entry into Jerusalem--
with angelic voices crying... “Hosanna
to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!”
This time He'll be riding a white horse with
eyes like blazing fire and on His head will be many crowns. He'll be
dressed in a robe dipped in blood and out of His mouth will come a
sharp sword to strike down the nations. On His robe and on His thigh
will be written the words,
“King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” (Rev.
19:11) Let's give a glory shout!
The Eastern Gate pictured here was sealed in 1530 AD when Muslims conquered the city of Jerusalem (the Ottoman Turks). 
However, one day Jesus will supernaturally pass through the now sealed Eastern Gate just like He did when He appeared to His disciples in His resurrected body and walked through the locked door (John 20:19). Then finally, the world will know that Messiah Jeshua has returned to set up His kingdom on earth. And every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
We may not know what year he will
return, but we most certainly know what season. And if we understand
God's calendar of holy events and are a student of the Word, we will
know the day and the hour and the place of His return.
Hallelujah!
Year of Jubilee. Finally, some more good news! The 4th prophetic event of this year.
Leviticus 25:8-18, "Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 9.Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land.” (Tishri 10, Sept. 23).
The year
of Jubilee is a super Shemitah all year long. Debt was released, the
land rested, slaves and prisoners were set free, lost inheritance was
returned and people returned to their own families and homeland. The Jubilee was
the year of restoration, the year of reconciliation and the year of
return.
Israel
experienced a Jubilee Year in 1967 following the Six-Day War. The Old
City of Jerusalem was one again in the control of the Israeli soldiers. The
upcoming year 5776 which begins on Sept. 15 is prophesied to be a
Jubilee Year as well. What will it mean for Israel? What will it mean
for America? No one knows for sure. But when Christ returns the
second time, it will be the Jubilee of all Jubilees! Messiah
will come to rule and reign for a thousand years and the bride of Christ will rule the nations with Him.
How Do We Prepare?
How
will we react when
our nation experiences an economic collapse, a catastrophic disaster
or we're attacked again by terrorists? Are we going to allow fear to
control our emotional state and decisions? Will we live in fear or live by faith? Are we going to trust
in God to take care of us? Here are five ways we can prepare ourselves for what lies ahead.
1. Humbling Ourselves in Prayer
2 Chronicles
7:14.
if
my people, who are called by my name, will
humble themselves and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will
forgive their sin and will heal their land.
1. Humbling Ourselves in Prayer
In order
to be in right standing with the Lord, we have to come before
Him humbly and acknowledge that we have sinned. We ask the Lord to
forgive us for how we have fallen short in our obedience to His
Word. We spend time asking the Holy Spirit to reveal any
areas in our heart that are not completely surrendered to Him.
Psalm
139:1 Search
me, O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way
everlasting.
That is
one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins. Ask
the Spirit to show you anything that you need to get rid of
and anything you need to be filled with?
James 4:8, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
2. Repentance
Revelation 3:19- Jesus warned the lukewarm church at Laodicea, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”
To
repent means
to turn away from sin, to feel genuine sorrow or regret for our past
behavior, to have our conscience so stricken with remorse that we vow
never to do that again. We go before a Holy God and ask for
forgiveness for how we have sinned against others and against Him.
Repentance
means getting rid of everything
that interferes with having an intimate relationship with the Father.
Not trusting God is the #1 problem among Christians and fear is the #2
problem. Fear is a sin against God, because it means we are not
trusting Him to take care of us, to meet all our needs or to have a
plan for our future. Fear is the #1 way Satan attacks the children of
God. You can't walk in fear and faith at the same time.
3. Circumcised hearts and flesh
Ezekiel 11:19, 36:24-27, 44:7-9. Three times Ezekiel prophesied to the house of Israel that God would remove the heart of stone and put a new spirit in them. Hebrews 8 explains that Jesus came to fulfill the New Covenant by taking out of us the heart of stone and replacing it with a heart that is pliable and teachable. He came to give us a new, regenerated spirit by filling us with His Spirit. Gal. 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me.”
Ezekial 44: 7-9 tells us that the Lord rebuked the Levites saying, “No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary.”
Have you circumcised your heart and flesh so that you will be acceptable before the Lord? Do you want God's will in your life over anything else? Have you died with Christ and your life is now hidden IN CHRIST?
4. Being Filled with the Holy Spirit
Acts
2:4- All
of them
were filled
with
the
Holy
Spirit
and began to speak in other tongues as the
Spirit
enabled them.Matthew 25- The Parable of the Ten Virgins.
25 “Then
the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their
lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five
of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 Those who were foolish took their lamps (but) took no oil with
them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps...6 “And
at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go
out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed
their lamps.” When
the
bridegroom came, those who were ready went in with him to the
wedding; and the door was shut.
We need to be prepared for Jesus' coming by keeping ourselves “continually filled with the oil of the Spirit.” The baptism of the Holy Spirit we received 20 years ago may not be enough to get us into the wedding supper of the Lamb tomorrow. The oil we received last year, a month ago or even last week will not get us through the days of chaos and destruction that are coming on the earth.
Like the five wise virgins, we need to be continually filled with the Spirit of God AND carriers of His Presence so we can do the works He created for us to do. We need to be ministers of Light which lead others into a saving relationship with Christ. We need to be manifesting both the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit in our walk with God.
5. Being Sensitive to the Voice of the Spirit.
Seven times in the book
of Revelations, Jesus said to the churches, “He who
has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.” I
am concerned so many westernized Christians in the church have ears that are dull of
hearing and eyes that are blind. They would not recognize the voice
of the Holy Spirit- IF He tried to speak to them. They have a form of religion, but deny the power of the Spirit. Have you quenched the voice of the Spirit trying to speak to you? Have you refused to yield your temperament and behavior to the Spirit of God?
During difficult seasons
or tribulation, we have to know how to draw near to the Lord. We have
to know how to practice His Presence and recognize when the Spirit is
speaking to us. He will give us instructions and speak words of
comfort to us. When we obey His leading, He will provide for all our
needs. We have to have spiritual eyes and ears to follow the
leading of the Spirit of God. Our natural mind and logical thinking
can even get in the way of hearing the voice of the Spirit tell us something important to do for our safety or well being.
- Ask
the Holy Spirit to reveal to you anything that
is hindering your hearing?
- Repent and ask forgiveness; get healing or deliverance if needed.
- Ask
the Holy Spirit to give you the
divine enablement, the supernatural grace
be more sensitive, and willing to listen and obey.
The Feast of Tabernacles- A summary of the significance of
the season.
Tishri 1 begins Sunday
evening at sundown. The first 10 days are the High Holy Days, the
“Days of Awe.” The sounding of the shofar is a “wake up blast”
to remind us that the Day of Atonement is near. To remind us that
Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was the atonement for our sins. It is
a time to make amends for those we've wronged, to ask forgiveness for
any vows we may have broken, and to ask the Lord to forgive us for
any way we have sinned against Him. It is a time to make restitution to those we have sinned against. Of course, as New Testament Christians, we are instructed by the Word to do these things all year long, not just during Tabernacles.
Feast of Trumpets- a time to draw close to God
The Day of Atonement- a day of fasting & repentance
Tabernacles- God is our ultimate protection and provision. Jesus Christ will return one day to fully dwell in men.
A closing prayer for today.
Ps. 139: 23-24 says, "Search me, O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."
Additional Scriptures to declare over youself, your family, your church and community during times of trial or tribulation.
Psalm 23 A psalm of David.
1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 27:1 A psalm David wrote while hiding in a cave from King Saul.
The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? (or what situation)
Psalm 32:7- You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Psalm 91- a prayer for protection and provision.
Psalm 112:7 They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Isaiah
12:2- Behold, God is my
salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is
my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Isaiah 60:1-5. Speaks to us of the future Glory of Zion.
60 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come."
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
