Gathered Around the Fire

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. God moved the heart of the Emperor of the Roman Empire, Ceasar Augustus to make a decree requiring that all people must return to the place of their ancestral heritage. This was how God caused the Roman emperor to expedite the trek of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee to Bethlehem Ephratah to fulfill the prophecy written around 700 years prior by the hand of Micah the prophet. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, This region Bethlehem, where Jesus was born (because of the edict of Rome)...

Catholic Christmas Celebration Creates Confusion- 12 reasons You should wait to bring out your Nativity Scene.    Rabbi Jonathon Kahn shared 12 facts that point to Jesus' birthday happening on March 20, in the spring of 6 B.C. And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field , keeping watch over their flock by night . - NOT IN WINTER - 1. Jesus could not have been born in the winter.. . Shepherds were only 'out in the fields' with the sheep from March until the rainy season but never in winter. -Talmud 2. Shepherds were only out in the fields ' keeping watch '  by night during the short lambing season that occurs in the spring, from late February until early April. ( see a-e below)  3. Shepherds were up all night watching for the lamb's birth.   4. The angels announced His Birth  to the shepherds in a way that only they could fully appreciate. "This will be a sign to you...you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a man...

There's no reason to Fear the Fear of the Lord!    if you call out for insight    and  raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver  and  search for it as for hidden treasures,   then you will understand the fear of the LORD.. .  - Proverbs 2:2 The Fear of the Lord is to believe* in Him . Blessings (treasure) of all kinds are the fruit of believing in Him. Curses (limitations) of many kinds are the fruit of ignoring or rejecting Him.  * The word 'believe' means to cling to, rely on, and trust in, our actions will always drown out our words if the two do not match... if they match they will amplify each other.  Imagine you are driving in a winter blizzard and the roads are covered in black ice, you come to a hill and see cars spinning out of control. What do you do? You grab the wheel with white knuckles...you cling to, rely on, and trust your strong grip on the steering wheel will bring you out safely. In short yo...

Let's start out with a conversation God had with the prophet Jeremiah... turn to Jeremiah 1:11   The word of the Lord came saying Jeremiah what do you SEE?  Jeremiah answers, " I SEE the rod of an Almond tree.  God says, "You have SEEN well for I am ready to watch over my word to perform it.  WHAT? In our English translations, it makes no sense, but in Hebrew, it is the same root word, let's look at an interlinear bible to see what I mean. mateh = rod, branch, Saqed = of an Almond tree   soqed = I am ready -  over my word to perform it This particular  rod , though, is an  almond  branch. Gesenius suggests the significance of the  almond  branch is connected to the fact that  almond   trees  are the first to wake up after winter. They are "watching"  trees , i.e.  trees  that watch for the approach of spring. So, the branch will be a "watching"  rod . Well, David, that's a cute wordplay ...

A friend suggested that I offer access here to my Videos on the Moedim or 'appointed times' of the LORD. There are nine video sessions recorded during a small in-person class from the spring of 2016 on the Prophetic Calendar,  During this class, we used a few other resources...  The Feasts of Israel A Prophetic Calendar author Jill Shannon  An Israeli Love Story by Zola Levitt Holy Days vs. Holidays published by the Church of God    Links to the videos of this class  Introduction - Holy Days vs. Holidays  Session 1 - God's Calendar  Session 2 - Passover Session 3 - Unleavened Bread  Session 4 - Wave Sheaf or first fruits of Barley Session 5 - Feast of Weeks - Pentecost  Session 6 - Feast of Trumpets Session 7 - Day of Atonement Session 8 - Sukkot, Tabernacles Password for all sessions: Festival  Disclaimer - These videos are over seven years old, they represent a snapshot of where I was in the spring of 2016. The content is the res...

Last time we talked about the interesting turn of phrase that revealed the actual spiritual state of Israel in Judges chapter 6 we found the story of the Angel who visited Gideon.  v11 Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress.  Gideon wanted relief from the oppression of the Midianites. He wanted God to judge Midian and deliver Israel.  But God wanted to sanctify Israel... and then take down their enemies. Scripture uses the threshing floor to symbolize the process of purifying God's people but the wine press was used in Scripture to symbolize the wrath of God on the godless nations. So the first step toward deliverance required Gideon to destroy the idols in his own dwelling place. v25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stone...

GOD WILL HAVE HIS DAY IN COURT - the DAY of ATONEMENT The Ten days that fall between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement each year are like the final countdown for a NASA launch...T-10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. However, on the prophetic timeline of the last days these 10 days are the final countdown of grace before Judgement comes.   One of a dozen titles for the Feast of Trumpets is #8. The Day  THE BOOKS ARE OPENED , Heaven's COURT is NOW IN SESSION, and the JUDGE is SEATED (the Day of Justice).  In this second coming, He will come to judge the living and the dead. and rule the nations with a rod of iron. The righteous will be exalted and the wicked will be destroyed.  You may have heard of the Feasts of Israel and see it all as merely a 'Jewish" set of religious protocols.  Those who practice Judaism know that each of these appointed times on the annual calendar also foreshadows a prophetic reality, they are dress rehearsals preparing us for...

YOU TURN PERMITTED – We are now in the annual season of Teshuva, This year Teshuvah began at sundown on August 17 and continues until sundown on September 24, the Day of Atonement.  These forty days, and especially the last ten days, have been compared to the days of Noah, the days just before the rains came.  Teshuva means to return, (a reconciliation produced by repentance)  The 40th day, The Day of Atonement has been compared to the day the LORD closed the door of the ark. The fate of all human life was based on their choice to enter the ark provided by the LORD or their refusal to enter by the appointed time. Yom Kippur has been compared to that day.  Genesis 7:16 And those who entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the LORD closed the door behind him. For the coming of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah – Matt 24:37  THE PROPHETIC TIMELINE Scripture states that the days of the (second) coming of the So...

Chapter 2 – How do we proclaim the LORD's Moedim by the Spirit? When Jesus fulfilled the Spring Feasts in His first coming, He forever transformed them into a New Covenant spiritual reality. Before we can proclaim them in the proper New Covenant way we have to understand some basic biblical principles, they are not complex, and you might already know some of them. Last time we talked about this principle.  “First the natural and afterward the spiritual” 1 Corinthians 15:46 In the Old Covenant, all of the Feasts and the law were expressed entirely in the natural realm. The law was written by the finger of God on Stone tablets . Exodus 31:18 Circumcision was a physical mark in the natural flesh indicating being sanctified unto God. The people of God were natural (biological) descendants of Israel and his 12 sons. The sacrifices required the physical death of animals. ·     God's Presence dwelt in a tent covered by layers of dead animal skins stretched o...

Chapter 2  “First the natural and afterward  the S piritual”   1 Corinthians 15:46 Jesus turned the water into wine,  (first the natural, water = natural) the servants poured water into earthen vessels (of the earth or natural) but what they drew out of the mouths of these earthen vessels was wine. (afterward the spiritual or supernatural) .  Wine coming from water is not natural it is supernatural!    We see this transitional principle three times in the first three chapters of the gospel of John.  The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us - John 1 In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   He was with God in the beginning.   Through Him all things were made; without Him, nothing was made that has been made.  The Word became flesh  (natural) and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, (supernatural)   the glory of the one and only Son, who came from...

Chapter One - Keep it Simple The Hebrew children were slaves in Egypt, and they cried out to the Lord, He heard their cry and sent Moses to lead them out of Egypt. On their way out of Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses, speak to the people say to them… v2 ‘The LORD’S  appointed times  which you shall proclaim  as holy convocations—My appointed times are these: The weekly seventh Day Sabbath – v3 ‘ For six  days work may be done, but on the seventh day  there is a Sabbath  of complete   rest , a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a Sabbath to the LORD  in all your dwellings . When we make appointments in our modern day it usually includes a date ; a month, a day, and a time of day.  We enter all this into our calendar to  'set' the appointed time. It usually includes a location  we might also enter this place into our calendar. It might also ...

Eight Reasons the Church must proclaim the Moedim of the Lord?  1. God says they are His ‘special Set apart times’ of proclamation/celebration. – Leviticus 23:2 2. He instructed His people to proclaim them at their appointed times – Leviticus 23:4 3. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings , throughout your generations . – Leviticus 23:21 4. Each Moed proclaims an aspect of the  New Covenant   redemptive work of Jesus the Christ – The  Sabbath  proclaims Jesus is ‘the  Creator ’ – John 1:3, Genesis 2:2 Passover  proclaims  Jesus is the ‘ Lamb of God ’ – John 1:29, 35 Unleavened Bread   proclaims  Jesus is the ‘ Bread of Heaven ’ – John 6:33,  Psalm 22 First Fruits  proclaims  Jesus is  the victor  over Death, Hell and the grave ‘ Overcomer ’ –  Pentecost  proclaims   Jesus is the  Baptizer  with the  Spirit/fire  – John 1:32 Trumpets   proclaims...