ENTERING THE LAND NO.5

     If we follow church history we see the church has never participated in all the promises of God since the restoration began in 1545. Neither has the church kept all the feasts. Some individuals have completed the purpose of God for their life in each generation. However the church in general has not yet experienced all the promises of God, or kept the feasts.
     Canaan was called the promised land. We are calling the Kingdom the land of promises. The Kingdom holds all the provision and security the end time church needs to fulfill the purpose of God.
     The true sacrifices for God can only be offered from the Kingdom and in the Kingdom. Each feast has specific sacrifices that must be offered at the specified time. Many of these offerings must come from the land. Since the feasts are harvest feasts, they cannot be kept outside the land.
     The true harvest is tied exclusively to the land. Joel 2 is tied solidly to the Kingdom of God. None of the feasts could be kept in the wilderness.
     The end time harvest will be brought in from the Kingdom. The fullness of the feasts cannot be kept outside the Kingdom.
     NEH 8:17 And the entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was great rejoicing.
     After Joshua died the feast of the 7th month was totally ignored until Nehemiah restored it after the captivity and return to the land.
     Joshua lived to about 1200 B.C. Nehemiah lived in about 500 B.C. There was about 700 years that no one kept the feast of Tabernacles.
     2CH 30:5 So they established a decree to circulate a proclamation throughout all Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to celebrate the Passover to the \Lord\ God of Israel at Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated {it} in great numbers as it was prescribed.
     Israel as a nation was not careful to even keep the Feast of Passover. Only a few were faithful
     In all the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness,it is not recorded that Israel ever kept any of the feasts of the Lord. The passover Israel kept at Mt. Sinai was the last Passover until Joshua again kept the feast after they crossed over into Canaan, 40 years later.
     In the same way, much of the church has not even been careful about the feast of Passover. There is more to the feast than the blood upon the lintels and the door posts. There is also the eating of the whole lamb and keeping the feast of unleavened bread. There is also the offering of the firstfruits to the Lord. There is the bitter herbs. The firstfruits must come from Canaan. THE KINGDOM>
     After 40 years of delays, the day has finally come to enter the land. Moses is dead. The 30 days of mourning is finished. Joshua was anointed with the Spirit of God and filled with divine wisdom. The people have accepted Joshua as their sovereign leader. God had already encouraged Joshua and promised God's presence. God promised to do great things so the people would have confidence that God Himself was with Joshua.
     Now the day has come to move Israel right to the banks of the Jordan river. It was harvest time and the river always overflowed it's banks. It was obvious to all the Canaanites that the time had come and the great battles were about to begin.
     But now God told them to camp for three days before they crossed over. 40 years earlier it was a mistake to stop. But this is a new day and they must move in God's time. Each day has it's own instruction.
     However on exactly the 10th day of the first month of the harvest year Israel crossed over into Canaan and camped at Gilgal. What is the significance of this day? JOS 4:19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho.
     The 10th day of the first month was the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. It was the day Israel was to separate a lamb for each family in preparation for Passover.
     It appears Israel camped for 3 days waiting for that precise moment to cross over. When the Passover lamb was separated in Egypt it signaled the beginning of a whole new move of God. This was really the beginning of Israel's release from Egypt
     When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the 10th day it signaled the beginning of a whole new move of God. It was the final sacrifice, the beginning of the fulfillment of all the prophets spoke,and the time of all the New Covenant promises.
     At the Jordan, it signaled the entrance into the promises God made to Abraham. It also signaled the end of an era. This was the time to bring to a conclusion all the reproaches of Egypt. The influences and the longing for Egypt must stop here. This is a new beginning.
     JOS 5:2 At that time the \Lord\ said to Joshua, "Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time." JOS 5:8 Now it came about when they had finished circumcising all the nation, that they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed. JOS 5:9 Then the \Lord\ said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.
     The meaning of this circumcision is " The reproach of Egypt is rolled away."
     Circumcision was introduced with Abraham. It signaled the end of abraham trying to bring in the promises of God by his own strength in the flesh. That results in Ishmaels.
     Circumcision also signaled the promise of a new move of God. Sarah was to conceive after all natural ability was gone. Now was the time of fulfillment of the promises that would be fulfilled through Isaac.
     Here at Gilgal circumcision is again the focus. It signaled the rolling away the reproach of Egypt and it signaled the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham that his decedents would possess this land.
     This circumcision must also have a current fulfillment in our experience.
     ROM 2:28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. ROM 2:29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.  PHI 3:3 for we are the {true} circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,  COL 2:11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
     First we see circumcision is not outward in the flesh but is inward in the heart. Circumcision is done by the Holy Spirit and is something that is from God.
     Next we see true circumcision is worshipping God in the Spirit of God, Rejoicing in Christ Jesus and putting no confidence in the flesh.
     DEU 30:6 "Moreover the \Lord\ your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the \Lord\ your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.  This New Covenant promise of a circumcision of the heart so that we may love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul. In order that we may live.  We learn here that God does this circumcision.
     Circumcision in Canaan meant the beginning of a whole new move of God that was to be so supernatural flesh could not participate. All the confidence of Egypt had to be laid aside along with 40 years of wandering in which circumcision was not part of their experience.
     If we applied this to our experience today we can see the end of fleshly activity, fleshly confidence and man driven schemes have come to an end. This is a totally new time.
     This restoration advancement will require a new circumcision of the heart, a new worship in the spirit, a greater measure of rejoicing in Christ Jesus. It will mean loving the Lord our God with all our heart and soul, in order to survive in this next renewal and live.
     It should be evident that this Passover at Gilgal was unique in all previous history.  .JOS 5:11 And on the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched {grain}. JOS 5:12 And the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.
     This was only the 3rd passover in Israel's history. Each one was unique and had a separate relevance. The first passover was in Egypt and signaled and end of one era, and the beginning of a new one. The passover lamb was given in place of the first born of Israel.    NUM 3:12 "Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every first-born, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. NUM 3:13 "For all the first-born are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the first-born in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the \Lord\.
     The passover at Mt. Sinai was their first passover in freedom. It also signaled the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.  NUM 9:13 'But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet neglects to observe the Passover, that person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not present the offering of the \Lord\ at its appointed time. That man shall bear his sin. Now we see Passover is taking on a new dimension. Passover has to do with cleanness and the removal of sin. Immediately following the passover at Mt. Sinai the cloud lifted and Israel set out on their journey to Canaan. Passover was the turning point from coming out to beginning to enter in to the purposes of God.
     The Passover in Canaan, which was the third Passover, takes on an entirely new dimension. This was their first Passover in the land. What began in Egypt with a promise is now realized in the promised land. This was the first Passover that Israel could really keep the complete feast because it was the first time they could reap the harvest of the land and bring the firstfruits in to the house of the Lord.
   LEV 23:10 "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. LEV 23:11 'And he shall wave the sheaf before the \Lord\ for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
     God's full acceptance of Israel in the Passover feast had to do with the sheaf of the first fruitfruits, which could only be offered after they entered the land. The same principle existed for all the other feasts as well.
     What that means to us is this; The church outside the Kingdom is not God's complete plan. It means our Passover lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, calvary, the blood, eating the lamb, drinking His blood, the offering of the firstfruits and the bitter herbs will take on much greater significance and be the central focus when the church enters into the full experience of the Kingdom of God. At this time there is much of John 6 we haven't yet experienced.
     Most all bible believing churches accept the Passover as a type of our salvation.  1CO 5:7 Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are {in fact} unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.  1CO 5:8 Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  From this picture of Canaan, we can see God will bring the church into a greater dimension of salvation and deliverance.  
     Much of the church accepts a one time, final salvation that we can look back at and speak of that time. A kind of moment of faith salvation, rather than a progressive salvation.  1PE 1:5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.   ROM 13:11 And this {do,} knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.  PHI 2:12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
     At least some of our salvation is still ahead of us.  As we see Israel walking out their salvation, so also the church. If we saw salvation as a person, rather than a past experience, we would understand our salvation is an unfolding revelation of Jesus Christ in our experience each day. We should have a greater revelation of Jesus Christ today than when we first believed. Therefore God is bringing the church into a new and greater dimension of salvation.
      JOS 5:11 And on the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched {grain}. JOS 5:12 And the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.
     Israel ate the unleavened bread from the grain of Canaan. They kept the feast of unleavened bread from the produce of the land. This was the first time that had ever happened. This is a new experience. A new beginning. The old has been brought to a conclusion and a new day has begun.
     Israel ate from the produce of the land and the manna stopped that very day. God's purpose is unfolding at a very rapid rate now. Changes are coming moment by moment. Canaan is completely different than the wilderness. What worked in the wilderness will not work in Canaan.  JOH 6:49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. JOH 6:50 "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. JOH 6:51 "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh." JOH 6:32 Jesus therefore said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. JOH 6:33 "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."
     One of the significant things about the manna was that it ceased at the Passover feast. This was truly a day of new beginnings. 1CO 5:7 Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are {in fact} unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 1CO 5:8 Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
     Israel's eating habits changed from Egypt to the wilderness. Now they are changing again. The manna has ceased, unleavened bread has taken on a whole new significance. They are eating the produce of Canaan. Leaven speaks about hypocrisy and false teaching. Hear Paul says leaven speaks of malice and wickedness, while unleavened speaks of sincerity and truth.( or reality )
     As God moves His church into the Kingdom these negative things will be judged very severely. How do we know that? If we look at Achan we will understand. Hypocrisy killed he and his family.
     The miracle of that situation was only one man out of over 600,000 men of war took anything under the ban. Also in Acts 5 God judged hypocrisy very severely when Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit.
     This is a very exciting time for the church, but it is a very serious time for the church. God will bring the church to a " NEW KIND OF DISCIPLINE", AND A NEW OBEDIENCE>
     From all of this it is clear it is not a good plan to hinder the next restoration of God. Rather, this is the time to pray and seek God and ask God to circumcise our hearts, to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul, so that we may live and eat from that good land. From the Kingdom and from the true manna that has come down out of heaven from God.
     DEU 30:19 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, DEU 30:20 by loving the \Lord\ your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the \Lord\ swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. "