LIVING BY DIVINE APPOINTMENT

LIVING BY DIVINE APPOINTMENT

                There is an ancient Catholic doctrine that finds it roots all the way back to the time of Constantine. It states that God rejected Israel as a people in AD 70 and that the church became the new Israel. It stated basically that all of God’s promises to Israel had been conditional and that since Israel had rejected Yeshua and crucified Him, all bets were off and God had replaced Israel with the Gentile church. Now all of God’s blessings and promises had been conferred upon the church while Israel had been left for cannon fodder.

                This doctrine is known as “Replacement Theology” and it has been prevalent in the church and in many Protestant denominations for 1900 years. I grew up in such a denomination myself and it wasn’t until the last 6 to 8 years of personal Bible prophecy studies that a new understanding has begun to dawn upon me.

                First of all it came to my attention that the Spring Feasts of Israel were perfectly fulfilled by Jesus at His first coming. He fulfilled them with tremendous precision right down to the day and hour and probably down to the minute as well. As the true Lamb of God, He hung dying on the cross on Passover even as the High Priest was slaying the Lamb. Then He lay in the tomb on the feast of unleavened bread as our sinless sacrifice. Then on Sunday morning, He rose from the dead and presented Himself to the Father as the first fruits of the resurrection, even as the High Priest was waving the wave sheaf offering before the Lord as the first fruits of the harvest. Then exactly 50 days later, He sent down His Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost to write the Law on our hearts as promised…the same Law that had been written on stone on Mt. Sinai 50 days after Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.

                So then I began to understand that all of the Bible’s prophecies concerning the end of the age and Christ’s return are written in the language of the Fall Feasts, including the Feast of Trumpets, (the first resurrection)  The Day of Atonement (Judgment) and the Feast of Tabernacles (Christ’s earthly millennial reign.) The book of Revelation is all written in Feast Day language as fulfilling God’s appointed times.

                It was with this understanding that the Fall Feasts represented yet future events that I became very curious about God’s appointed times and my curiosity was piqued when in 2014 and 2015 God sent a tetrad of blood moons all occurring on Passover and Tabernacles two years in a row.

                Next came my discovery of Romans 11 where it says that God’s gifts and calling to Israel were not conditional but were irrevocable. (Rom 11:29)  And, the church did not replace the Jews, but were rather grafted in to the Jewish family tree. “By faith are we Abraham’s seed and heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:29)

                Then, of course it was Joel’s statement in Joel 2:30, 31, 3:1-2 that the sun would be darkened and the moon to blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord and that this would happen in the general time when Israel has been brought back from all the nations wherein they have been scattered, when their land has been divided… and I realized that we are in that very period of time right now when Israel has come back into their own land as a nation and the nations are trying to divide their land between Jews and Palestinians.

                So, Bonnie and I looked up a Messianic Congregation on the internet, found one in Vancouver and went to learn more about the Feasts of the Lord. We had no doubt that God was guiding us. After all, He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)  So over the past few years, Bonnie and I have been learning to live by divine appointment.

                We came to Rehoboth out of curiosity about God’s appointed Feasts (Moedim) but it was love of the people that caused us to stay. We have never been so loved or loved so much as we have been in our years at Rehoboth and so it came as a surprise to me when the Lord met me in the garden and told me that my last assignment, my last mission in life was to be a father and grandfather.

                Strangely enough the Lord gave Bonnie the same revelation at the same time so that when we compared notes we knew that God had given us a corroborating message. There were other confirming signs as well and so we were left with a choice. Obey God, or blow it off as coincidence. But since we have dedicated our lives to living by divine appointment, we chose to obey God… something usually easier said than done.

                This means packing up at the age of 70, leaving our dearly loved friends and moving to Tennessee to be close to our children and grandchildren and again we are gaining insights into the mind of God. Yahweh as our heavenly Father, places a great deal of importance upon fatherhood as has been demonstrated throughout especially the Old Testament and so, Bonnie and I feel a lot like Abraham and Sarah right now as we prepare for this move.

                I am absolutely delighted with the prospect of being near my children and grandchildren and Bonnie and I have already discovered a Messianic congregation in Knoxville that we can attend and we may get involved in helping a Baptist Congregation in the area as well that is sending supplies in the form of a monthly container load to Israel in support of the raising up if Messianic congregations all over Israel and the Middle East. (Arab Muslims are also coming to Yeshua in droves and there is a great need for Messianic congregations in many places.

                Friends, I believe that God has raised up the Messianic Jewish movement at this exact time in history for a very specific couple of reasons:

1.       To remind and restore the church to its Jewish roots. (Something only God’s true remnant people will do.)

2.       To present to the Jews a Jewish Messiah. For as it was in the story of Joseph, his brothers no longer recognized him because he now looked like an Egyptian. Likewise today, the Jews no longer recognize Jesus because He has been made to look like a Gentile. It is time to introduce Israel and the church to their Jewish Messiah Yeshua.

                It is with a certain amount of sadness that we leave our beloved family at Rehoboth. We are so thankful for all that you taught us and for the love that you poured out upon us so generously. We have no doubt that we have made friends for eternity here… nor will it be long until we are together again in a much better place. Shalom and may God be with you until we meet again.

P.S.        Lord willing I will continue to write on the internet and to share with all of my forever friends the journey of faith upon which we have embarked together.