Understanding the Feasts As New Covenant Reality
The Seven Feasts Corresponds to Seven Areas of God's Providential Hand
The Three Harvests in Seven Stages
The Three Harvests Within the Kingdom Provision
January 24, 2015 Casual Christians = NO HARVEST!
One of the mistakes often observed when someone attempts to preach the Kingdom is that they start in the parables. Some begin by relating to some earthly kingdom and how that works. In my opinion the Gospel of the Kingdom MUST begin before the very beginning in the Book of Genesis. The Kingdom must begin in the absolute Sovereignty of God and the Kingdom of Heaven that has always existed. The Kingdom of Heaven is eternal and, therefore, there was no beginning and there will be no ending. Where ever you find God you will find the Kingdom because we cannot separate God from His Absolute and Sovereign Government.
Everything begins in God and then relates down to man. Mankind can never be independent of God even if they refuse any mention of God. Man has always been totally dependent upon God for all things temporal and eternal. God, the Almighty, has always been absolutely Sovereign over all things regardless of what man does. There is FIRST the Heavenly and the Eternal and then the earthly and the temporal. That is the bases upon which the Gospel of the Kingdom stands, unshakable! Without God, man cannot exist.
Some wonder why I always assume that Israel is our example of how man responds to God and begin to share the unfolding of God’s Plan and Purpose from the viewpoint of Mount Sinai and the Old Covenant.
It is because of some misunderstanding about these Seven Feasts that it is now important to explain how my theory about Mount Sinai applies to the New Covenant, the Christian Life, to the Eternal Realms of God’s Government and especially to our Eternal Destinies. This misunderstanding also applies to our including the Tabernacle of Moses, the Priesthood after the order of Aaron and the 40 years of the wilderness journey as our examples.
We could view the Four (or more) Phases of Bible Progression indicated by Scripture as;
(1) From Genesis to Mount Sinai.
(2) From Mount Sinai to Calvary.
(3) From Calvary to the Millennial Kingdom.
(4) From the Millennial Kingdom to Revelation 21 and 22 [The Tabernacle of God] .
It is phase three that is referred to as the Church Age. The Church Age also has its phases.
(1) From the Early Church to the Dark Ages.
(2) From the Dark Ages to the Reformation.
(3) From the Reformation to Pentecost in 1906.
(4) From Pentecost until today or from 1906 until 2015.
(5) From the Birth of the Church to the Harvest of the First Fruits.
(6) From Beginning of the Great Tribulation to the Millennial Reign of Christ Jesus!
Of course there are many phases within each progressive phase. It is Phase 5 that we are concerned with in these studies. Those that have acquired an Eternal Vision and have fixed their goal upon fulfilling God’s Eternal Purpose will understand my concern for the present condition of the visible church. It is true that multitudes see no relevance in that vision. Still, that potential “vision” is to see more of the Visible church return to the original goal that Paul referred to as “GOING ON TO PERFECTION” and not just remaining as babies tossed to and fro by irrelevant things.
Eph 5:25 ------ just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; 26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.
Even for us to just understand most of the things in the Old Covenant, it requires us to begin our search from a stable viewpoint. Why? That is because if our viewpoint is continually changing and vacillating from one theme to another, our gospel will likewise be confused and changing. This is why the pulpit message is always changing from husband and wife relationship to finances, to children, to fellowship, to tithing, to outreach and to our missionary support etc. Our vision perspective establishes both our message and our methods which then define our goals.
It is our final goals that establishes our “ministry habits.”
For example; Some will start their ministry from their viewpoint about the gifts, or of the church or from salvation or from the viewpoint of authority in the church. When we start our ministry from the earthly realm, our “gospel message” will generally give us a distorted viewpoint of most everything affecting the Christian life and our concept of eternity.
Another viewpoint example; God established a “system” that covered every aspect of earthly life that was inherent within the creation! That “system” became an integral part of the creation that is, in itself, absolute. For example; God established a system of marriage between one man and one woman. That has been absolute and any deviation from that system has caused serious problems. Did God need to pass judgement upon any departure from His System? Of course not! The system had inherent consequences or blessing created within it. This creative “system” covers every area of human life and affects the destinies of mankind. This system works in the deepest jungles or in the biggest cities and among the rich or the poor because it is universal within creation. These things work like gravity and they exists whether we believe or not!
When we speak about these Laws of Creation we are not referring to the Laws of Moses. The Laws of God given at Mount Sinai were exclusively for Israel and did not apply to any other nation. On the other hand, the Laws of Creation affects EVERY nation and all people. Some of the Laws of Creation are included in the Laws of Moses but precede these laws. Some of the Laws of the Kingdom are included in the Laws of Creation.
Therefore when we speak about the Laws of the Kingdom or the Laws of Creation we are NOT trying to bring people back under the Laws of Moses. You may break the Law of Moses and not be guilty but none can break the laws of Creation nor the Laws of the Kingdom without serious consequences. Why? That is because breaking these Laws will ultimately break us upon the Laws. Does God have to discipline us when we break those Laws? Not at all because the consequences are built into the Laws.
When modern man views the situation from the earth viewpoint he may decide that this system of Laws is not fair or convenient or misplaced for modern times. If man is religious he will look for scriptures that will permit him to escape these Laws. He may find scriptures than indicate God is full of Grace and Mercy. From this viewpoint man decides that God’s Grace and Mercy overrides His systems of standards and the Laws of Creation inherent within the creation.
A religious person can then permit these other divisive systems to be incorporated into the church “because we prayed about it and God never said NO!” “The God I Know would never require anything like that” is common reasoning. “Our church is inclusive and we accept anyone while other groups are EXCLUSIVE and limit outsiders.”
There might be hundreds of examples like this in the Scriptures and in Life. Each departure from God’s Standards that are built into creation corrupts the church and its vision. This has nothing to do with the Law of Moses because these standards are the Laws of Creation or the Laws of the Kingdom that are inherent within the creation.
One of the most grievous departures is ignoring the system that God established for all believers during the church age. That system is called the New Covenant. If we refer to this as the LAWS OF THE NEW COVENANT, I know there will be disagreement by many. Why? That is because the New Covenant is preached and viewed by many as a suggestion or as optional. Some even think it is irrelevant! In the same way God revealed a system for Israel within the Old Covenant, He has now established a Sovereign system for the church within the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was established for the natural man after the order of Adam. The New Covenant is established for the New Species of man after the Order of the Last Adam. The Kingdom of God is permanently set within that Sovereign System. We could say that the Kingdom of God and the New Covenant are a co-joined system.
Now man may not agree with that system because it is too restrictive and he may set out to pray and fast until God changes the system. This will be futile and a big waste of time. Then, after departing from God’s predetermined standards, because they cannot be assimilated into our modern church system, man may pray and fast for all the blessings of God and wonder why God is not responding. It is not God’s responsibility to give special blessings because the BLESSINGS are created to be inherent within His SYSTEM of Government.
What is revealed is that when we live in harmony with the system, we are blest because the blessing is inherent within the system. God does not need to act in our behalf to create a miracle or a blessing. This why the next dimension of Life and Ministry will be in the LIFE / SPIRIT / TRUTH REALM rather than in the doctrine realm. All we have to do to proceed into our divine destiny is set our life in harmony with God’s Sovereign System. God’s Sovereign System for the church age is the Kingdom of God and the provision is inherent within the New Covenant. Our conclusion then is this;
The only viewpoint that is always stable is from the Heavenly and Eternal Viewpoint. The most solid and stable viewpoint always begins with the Sovereignty of God. God, out of His absolute Sovereignty, has designed and established all the “systems within the creation,” whether natural or spiritual. In other words the “creation” in Genesis one was both natural and spiritual, incorporating both day and night, beginning and ending.
It is through the Scriptures that He has revealed to mankind how to function within those absolute and unchangeable systems. Once again; during the Church Age these systems are the Kingdom of God and the New Covenant. As long as man functions in total harmony with those irrevocable systems he is blest. As soon as man departs from those systems to live in some other way, man loses the blessing. This is NOT a matter of God giving and God taking away but just about the undeniable harmony of the systems God has established. God created and established these system to meet His Sovereign need for us to fulfill His Eternal Purpose!
Another example; God designed and created a system for Israel based upon certain Laws, principles, statutes and ordinances given at Mount Sinai. Whether Israel acknowledged, appreciated or obeyed these things or not NEVER modified or eliminated any portion of these systems. The systems were in place and there was no possibility they would be modified to accommodate man, even if he prayed and fasted. If man obeyed he was blest but if he disobeyed he lost the inherent blessing. God did not need to act one way or another. Why? The blessing was inherent within the systems.
According to my theory about looking from an eternal viewpoint, we must understand Mount Sinai and all that took place there is presented as just ONE COMPLETE STANDARD SYSTEM and as ONE REVELATION! It was Israel’s adherence to these systems established at Mount Sinai that determined their obedience! In other words obedience is not an abstract term, as it is preached in the modern systems.
Now, during the church age, it is our adherence to God’s “established systems” which determines our availability of His Resources and Blessings. Why? That is because the provision is inherent within the systems.
In that same way, God has designed EVERYTHING necessary for us to fulfil His Purpose out of His absolute Sovereignty. That System, designed for the church, is called the New Covenant and the Kingdom of God! Why is that important? That is because we should understand that there is no negotiation, no bargaining, no substitutes and no modification can be made to any of these things provided by the sacrifice of Calvary and though God’s Son. These Laws of Life are now as permanent and as absolute as Gravity or what God established at Mount Sinai. [In another document I plan to offer more details about these things.]
Any nullification of the Old Covenant (or any of those standards) would be a disaster for Israel. Any nullification of TRUTH can be a disaster for us when we seek the Kingdom of God and the New Covenant provision. Why is that important to understand?
God has designed and created an exact system out of His Absolute Sovereignty and then recorded for us how His Systems work. We should identify with this system as irrefutable and Absolute TRUTH or Reality. If man functions in harmony with God’s Systems of Government and provision, man is blest. Not just because God bestows a blessing upon us but because the “blessing” is inherent within the system God has created. It like manner, if we remain ignorant of God’s systems, or we live contrary to the Divine Plan, we suffer all kinds of negative consequences. Is that because God punishes us for our disobedience? Not at all! Why? That is simply because we have refused to adhere to the system God has designed for us! Consequently we have lost the blessing that is inherent within the system. How do we know this is true?
That is because we have the History of Israel as proof! It is recorded that Israel had
deviated from the Systems God prescribed for Israel many times and arrogantly shut God out of their lives and ignored His designated plan. Each time this happened Israel lost the blessings and over and over throughout many generations the consequences are recorded. It is not difficult to find the results of Israel’s arrogance because that is recorded in scriptures. Many times these departures resulted in death, defeat and captivity. The History of Israel, who were called to be the people of God, is the only proof we need of how God’s “systems” works.
Deut 27:9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying, "Be silent and listen, O Israel! This day you have become a people for the LORD your God. 10 "You shall therefore obey the LORD your God, and do His commandments and His statutes which I command you today." 11 Moses also charged the people on that day, saying, 12 "When you cross the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 "And for the curse, these shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
Deu 28:1 "Now it shall be, if you will diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the LORD your God. 3 "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
Deu 28:10 "So all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of you. 11 "And the LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. 12 "The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 "And the LORD shall make you the head and not the tail, and you only shall be above, and you shall not be underneath, if you will listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,
Both the blessing and the curse is inherent within the System God established for Israel.
The application for the New Covenant people is that the visible church’s history has been recorded for us to investigate. For 2000 years of church history the consequences can be seen whenever the “church” departed from God’s Established systems. During the nearly 1000 years of the dark ages there were some serious departures from God’s Established Plan and the history of the darkness has been recorded. During that nearly fatal departure there was still a visible church system that was operating but NOT within God’s established standards. The current church systems have also departed.
Well, brother, how can you be so sure the modern church has departed from God’s Established design during this church age? My theory is that this can be clearly seen in the deplorable immaturity and lack of direction within visible church. That failure is simply because the visible church has departed from God’s established systems. How do we know that? If God’s plan had been followed, it would have resulted in MATURITY of the church! Neglecting the Seven Foundations for the Christian Life, as genuine Christian experiences, has been visibly absent! Also, too much of the church has boldly taught that being born again is ALL that is necessary. Why? It is taught that you are as righteous and mature at that moment as you will ever need to be.
What is the visible result of that ignorance? The visible church has not developed into the Lampstand Church and neither has it reached harvest maturity. What is the visible consequences? It is obvious that a casual church system has emerged, made up of baby ministers, preaching themes, rather than laying the necessary foundation in the church so the church can go on to perfection. The visible and miserable result is that there are multitudes of baby Christians who are not mature enough for the First Fruit Harvest nor even for the Main Harvest of the Earth!
We must fully understand that NOTHING at Mount Sinai was designed by Moses and no man was consulted or ask for their approval for what God established directly out of His Sovereignty. EVERYTHING was designed and ordained by God to provide us an Eternal Viewpoint from which we can adjust our lives to conform to that Eternal Vision of God’s Ultimate Purpose.
One objection given to this theory is that I am assuming that Mount Sinai provides us with an Eternal Vision rather than just an encounter with God by Israel. My theory is that ALL these things were written down FOR US upon whom the end of the ages has come. Even Israel, as a nation, Jerusalem as the City of God’s choosing, Mount Zion as the place of God’s Governmental Throne, the Tabernacle, the Priesthood, the sacrifices and many other things, including the Passover, Pentecost, the crossing of the Red Sea, the manna from heaven and the water out of the Rock all have applications for us. EVERYTHING given at Mount Sinai, that is recorded, was given directly by God and is not encumbered by human wisdom or carnal design.
All that Moses reported to Israel was limited to just what God had commanded him to say and prepare. These facts should remove all the controversy over what and how much we can use to explain New Covenant Truth. God established these EXACT laws, principles and systems to reveal and to further HIS ETERNAL PURPOSE! All man needed to do was conform his life according to God’s established systems and designs. For example; Repentance, Salvation, Believer Baptism in Water and in the Holy Spirit is clearly revealed as the beginnings of the Christian life! The problems revealed by history always began when man followed another plan and in rebellion created his own “religious system” that better fit into his life style and into his carnal plans. Israel also adopted a religious system that better fit into their life style. Jeremiah warned Israel about correcting their ways and to adhere to God’s plan but they would not listen or even try to hear. That resulted in 70 years of captivity in Babylon.
God’s revealed system of the New Covenant and the Kingdom of God is a straight line into God’s Eternal Purpose. It has no breaks or side roads or restrictions and as long as we follow that precise line we will grow up and inherit the promises. If we choose some other way we will surely fail. All the irrelevant things the church does along with its worthless programs is causing the church to stand still or even go in the wrong direction. The same thing happened in Israel!
God had given Israel the whole land of Canaan from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates river AS “A FREE GIFT!” That is the Land promised to Abraham and to his descendants. This was not just a “gift” that you received by faith and just stepped out to pick it up with no cost and no effort. ALL of Israel had to fight for the Land, overcome the enemies, remove the enemies from “their gift”, then build up the land (free gift) to make it their new home. AFTER that they had to cultivate “their gift” and prepare the land, then plant it, care for it and harvest its produce by the sweat of their brow. The “Free Gift” was not entirely free from the Eternal Viewpoint. This fact could offend some who promote the “free gift doctrines” that are popular today. This problem occurs every time some one begins their “gospel” with God’s Grace or with “salvation” and in the present tense instead of in the Heart of God and His Eternal Purpose.
Israel is a good example and gives us understanding for the modern church that has perverted its concept of receiving the things of God as a “free gift.” Their idea of “free gift” is that it costs NOTHING and we must do nothing to activate the gift. There is no question that “salvation” is a “free gift” by God’s grace! However, there are many enemies, situations, adjustments, character defects, attitudes and failures that we must overcome to inherit the full provision of what God has given us as a “free gift.” Is “salvation” a free gift? Yes, but we still must work it out with fear and trembling.
How do we know that God revealed His whole plan for Israel at Mount Sinai? That is because what God ordained at Mount Sinai controlled and affected every aspect of their financial wealth, their economy, the political realms, the cultural realms, the social realms, the religious realms, the family realms, the exact order in which they were to march and advance into God’s Purpose! He gave the Trumpets and the Trumpet signals to inform them when to move and to direct EVERY aspect of their lives. The Cloud directed their movements. These Laws affected every Israelite, the nation as a whole and every aspect of their existence. These Laws were all inclusive! Why was all this essential to their success in conquering the Land? That is because God knew the road ahead and the many pitfalls awaiting Israel when they would possess the Land, had reaped its benefits, and lived in its houses after abandoning their tents. After the Manna stopped they had to produce their own food.
The divine order of Mount Sinai was essential because they were responsible to cultivate their gift, plant their crops and harvest the land for them to become prosperous. God knew that AFTER they became prosperous they would then become independent from God and assume that they were doing all the work so they were prosperous because of their own ingenuity and labors. The very next thing would be that they would ignore God’s demands and then turn to other gods and soon begin to worship man made idols and be rejected by God.
We witnessed a similar thing during the Charismatic Movement when the blessings, healing, prosperity and testimonies of abundance became an “entitlement” because we were Christians. We were the King’s Kids so we should not want for anything. Why? The King owns all the silver, all the gold and all the cattle on a thousand hills and He wants His Kids to have everything. This same “entitlement” mentality has also been applied to our Salvation. If we accept Jesus as personal Savior, God is obligated to save us, especially if we repeated a certain phrase or if we just believed the doctrines presented. The fact that God accepts only the ones He approves of in His Heaven never occurred to us. His absolute Sovereignty over His Kingdom was ignored. Any mention about a believer qualifying for the Kingdom never came up because of this “entitlement” mentality! Forgiveness of sins “entitled us” to the full provision of God as a guaranteed benefit because we had blessed God by accepting His Son as our Savior.
The Laws, the Tabernacle, the Priesthood, the sacrifices, the Feasts and all the various rituals were to keep God central to everything in Israel and to keep the nation focused upon the Lord and His purpose. This Divine Order was given so that Israel had a time and place to be grateful and to acknowledge the blessing are all from God and to rejoice before Him for His tremendous and wonderful provision. That is what the Feasts established but also EVERYTHING required of Israel, revealed in the Law, focused upon GOD as the King and Sovereign Head of Israel.
Was the land a wonderful and “Free Gift?” Certainly! However, Israel had to fight for every inch of the “Free gift.” Even the Tabernacle was given to Israel as a “gift” for God’s Habitation in their midst but they had to bring EVERYTHING to build it and do all the work of setting it up, tearing it down and moving it from one location to another. The “free gift” demanded a lot of work and responsibility on the part of Israel.
Our interpretation of the relevancy of the Feasts is very simple. It begins with the fact that EVERYTHING given at Mount Sinai was given to Israel as “one unit.” This “unit” was called “the Law.” The whole package is called the Old Covenant. This was just “One Packaged Unit” that included the Seven Feasts. The Tabernacle of Moses is a copy, a shadow and an example for us of eternal things, This is irrefutable and is acknowledged so in the Book of Hebrews. All ths was related to Mount Sinai.
Everything given to us by God as our New Covenant equivalent relates us, in some way, to Mount Zion. It is the New Jerusalem and Mount Zion that relates us to God’s Eternal Purpose.
For example as we make application to the details of the COPY, that is Mount Sinai and everything contained in the Law, the Seven Feasts, the Harvests, the Shemitah, the Jubilee etc, all these things are examples for us within the New Covenant. Therefore, the Feast of the Fiftieth Day or Pentecost which was partially fulfilled with the baptism with the Holy Spirit that was experienced within the New Covenant, was not optional for them in the copy nor are they optional for us in the New Covenant. All the Seven Feasts, although just shadows, are all interrelated and become authentic experiences within the New Covenant Reality. The Tabernacle of Moses is presented as a copy of the True Tabernacle which is in Heaven. That Heavenly Tabernacle is called the Tabernacle of God. Even as there is an earthly Mount Zion there is also a Heavenly Mount Zion. In the same way that there is an earthly City of Jerusalem there is also a Heavenly City of New Jerusalem. In the same way there is an earthly harvest of the natural fields there will be a total Harvest of the Earth for the Heavenly Realm Even as there were Feasts connected to each Harvest in the earthly realm, there will be corresponding Feasts connected to the Harvests of the Earth. One of these Feasts, the Feast of Tabernacles, will incorporate the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.
Luke 12:36 "And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.
Luke 12:40 "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do
not expect."
EVERYTHING that was commanded by God and ordained to be part of the Old Covenant Law at Mount Sinai was given by God to reveal His Plan and Purpose and nothing was irrelevant because nothing was designed by man. These Seven Feasts were commanded by God and have a fulfillment in the Kingdom of God. It is for that very reason that we must examine the Feasts from the Kingdom viewpoint rather than from a basic salvation viewpoint or just as a yearly ritual in Israel. In other words we are confronted by six more feasts beyond just Passover. If Passover is relevant for us, so are all the other Feasts. While multitudes have experienced one part of Passover, not many have experienced the complete Passover Feast. However, I am guessing that multitudes will experience the complete Passover Feast and all the others as well before the Harvest of the Earth is complete.
It is because of a seemly universal misunderstanding of the Law and the Eternal Viewpoint given to Moses at Mount Sinai that I will restate in this document what I perceive really took place there. While it may make too large a document and reading it may be too boring, I will still record my understanding of the Eternal Significance of what took place during the nearly one year Israel camped at Mount Sinai. [one year from Passover in Egypt to the completion of the Tabernacle of Moses.]
It seems obvious that Mount Sinai, and all that took place there, was Israel’s Spiritual preparation for conquering the land and establishing God’s Kingdom Government in Canaan. How do we know that Canaan relates to the Kingdom? That is revealed to Samuel when God told him that Israel had not rejected him but they had rejected God from being the King over them. They preferred an earthly king like the other nations. It is for that reason that we use Canaan as a type of the Kingdom of God.
While the Feasts, the Tabernacle, the Priesthood and the multitude of sacrifices, offerings etc appear to be rather abstract and irrelevant for us, I will insist that they are quite relevant to us as we approach the Kingdom and its unyielding demands. There are NO entitlements connected to the Kingdom of God! We must qualify for the Kingdom.
To expose these solemn things, we must always BEGIN with God and His Absolute Sovereignty and then reason down to man and how man fits into the Eternal Scheme of things. Generic Man has been chosen to complete everything God has designed to meet His need for the world yet to come. If man is NOT meeting God’s all important needs and fulfilling God’s Predestined Plan then man becomes insignificant and irrelevant. This can ONLY be fully acknowledged if we see from the Eternal Viewpoint. When we say that the visible church has become irrelevant that is what we mean.
EVERYTHING that took place at Mount Sinai, including the earthquake, the raging fire, the whirlwind, the thick cloud and the blast of the trumpet and His voice that shook the earth was an unforgettable reminder of WHO God is. The terror of God’s Manifested Presence should have been constant reminder to Israel throughout their entire life! They had a glimpse of God’s Absolute Power and Sovereignty over all things. When God spoke it shook the earth and His voice was so intimidating that Israel insisted that God never speak to them again lest they all die.
Just this Mount Sinai “introduction” to God’s Person and His Presence should have made a lasting impression upon every Israelite. They should, each one, be absolutely convinced that NO MAN should mess around with a God like this. My theory is that this “experience” was necessary for Israel to possess the land, stay humble and to NEVER lose sight of God and why God chose them. Of course by now we all know the history of Israel and how quickly they forgot! We are aware that Aaron made the golden calf following that traumatic experience.
God made Himself known in a moment of time that He is absolutely Sovereign over the Earth and everything in it. It is by His great Power that He created all things and EVERYTHING belongs to Him. With this Mount Sinai revelation, God established Himself as being totally Sovereign and holds the first and highest place above and beyond anything that is seen in this earth realm. The Earth is the Lord’s and even the fulness thereof. That leaves man always UNDER God and insignificant except to serve God and to be only stewards and “temporary renters” on God’s earth.
Up until Mount Sinai they had some knowledge of God and had heard by word of mouth who God was but in that moment of time they had met God. This encounter was so traumatic that it should have changed Israel forever. The first change was “Don’t let God speak to us again!”
Everything begins with God and everything ends with God and everything in between belongs to God. Outside of functioning solely within these parameters man soon becomes insignificant and irrelevant. Without a life changing encounter with God we just become religious.
It is within this astounding revelation of God that EVERYTHING at Mount Sinai was revealed. The trauma of God’s Presence legitimized every thing else God commanded. Everything that took place at Mount Sinai was ordained by that singular God that shook the earth just with his voice to reveal Himself. Even after that tremendous encounter with God the natural man soon recovered and reverted back to his entitlement mentality. This can certainly be applied to church history also.
It is for that reason that I will assume that everything that God established and ordained at Mount Sinai was to provide Israel, and US also, with a constant reminder of who God is and what He requires.
Therefore, the Feasts, the multitude of sacrifices, the Tabernacle, the smoke from the Bronze Altar, the cloud, the Priests always busy with the things of God, all the New Moons, the Holy Days were constant reminders of the absolute centrality of God! It is this revelation of God that must become the motivation for Israel in EVERYTHING related to both the People and the Land. Without this revelation of God’s Presence, Israel’s preparation for conquering the Giants of the Land would soon give in to weakness, inability and fear. How do we know that? That is because that is EXACTLY what happened at Kadesh Barnea when Israel spied out the land. This is a clear revelation of how soon the natural man forgets even the most significant and powerful manifestations of God’s Presence. We also saw that happen during the Charismatic renewal.
It seems that man must be constantly reminded that God is the Ultimate Source of every blessing! Every provision and every protection that Israel needed to possess the Land was in the provision revealed at Mount Sinai. When Israel was obligated to keep all these Laws, Feasts, sacrifices, statutes, ordinances and limited to eating the Manna from heaven, that restriction soon reveals the many flaws, defects, and human failures that plague mankind. Our primary human fault is being in rebellion against God and the constant attempt to dethrone God and to establish ourselves as independent beings. To be independent of God or to like God was the deception of eating the Fruit from the wrong tree.
Everything that God was demanding of Israel at Mount Sinai was just to prepare the nation of Israel to conquer the heathen land of Canaan and to live in Covenant with God. Everything God is demanding of us in the New Covenant and the Kingdom of God is so we might OVERCOME and fulfill His Eternal Purpose!
To see the failure of the current church system all we need do is see the declining morals and the lack of the rudiments in society that is taking place in USA and the world today. The primitive form of the natural man, who demonstrated his rebellion against God from the beginning, is again attempting, and accomplishing, the total removal of God from every area of public life. Even the Ten Commandments, given at Mount Sinai, has become so offensive to some people that they must be removed from public sight. The fact that our government permits and agrees to this total rejection of God is an all encompassing sign of how far this nation has departed from its roots and beginnings.
Holding to the Centrality of God was at least attempted when this nation was established in 1776. When the “church” lost the “Centrality of God” it became no longer either salt or light and the natural man, whether religious or heathen, reverted to his primitive state. Then what follows is exactly what we see is happening in the USA and the world today.
Is that strange? Certainly not. This is just following the history and the example of Israel and the very thing that led up to their captivity.
The daily sacrifices and the continuous activity within the Tabernacle, the constant functioning of the priesthood, the yearly reminder by these Feasts maintained the Centrality of God in Israel. All these things served to keep Israel humble and in submission and provided a way for them to stay faithful to God and for the natural man do the will of God. We must always remind ourselves that Israel was of the Old Creation and NOT of the New Creation.
Of course all these things that were ordained at Mount Sinai were only copies, shadows and examples for us. However, the intended RESULT of maintaining the Centrality of God in Israel is still absolutely essential for us today. What is the intended result? The same as it was for Israel! To keep us in submission to God, to keep God entirely central in all things, produce humility in us, and for us to be obedient to the commandments and to the demands of the Government of the Sovereign God. )))(((***&&This can only be experientially effective if we maintain the Centrality of God and maintain the constant reminder of who God is and that the Earth belongs 100% to Him and just exists to complete His Eternal Purpose! That understanding revels that we are only stewards and protectors of the things He has given to us. We are not owners or possessors but just stewards.
Well, brother, if the situation is so extremely serious, what has really happened to bring us to this crises? We may have lost the concept of the Centrality of God, Almighty.
When the people brought the First Fruits to God and then the very best of their harvest they were acknowledging that God owned all their land and they were just “renters and keepers” of the land. God was establishing His absolute Centrality and He became the focus of these Feasts.
It is because of this lack of the centrality of God within this nation for the last 60 years that has caused the impending disaster. Now, the seriousness of what is happening is not just the loss of the Centrality of God but the total removal of any reference to God or His Son from public view. What is happening in this country is very similar to what happened in Israel before Israel was taken into captivity in 536 BC.
The question we must ask is this; Has this nation gone too far astray from the things of God for any hope or expectation of a national return to God? We could surely expect that at least HIS PEOPLE would recognize this and submit to the understanding of God that Jesus brought to us? When theologians say this understanding that Jesus brought to us was His Love, mercy and forgiveness they are being very naive. Jesus demonstrated the Centrality of God in all things and did NOTHING on His own initiative. .
When Israel was advancing toward Jordan and the things of God, the prophet Balaam was consulted about how to stop Israel from conquering the Midianites. Balaam came up with a perverted plan to cause the judgement of God to come upon Israel.
This is a clear picture for us of exactly what is happening here in this country. Satan knows if he can cause USA to reject God and do everything possible to offend God that he can extend his days from the immediate judgement of God. We must admit that he has done a masterful job in turning this nation and the visible church away from the Real Creator and Sovereign God. Satan has been successful in pushing God out of our government, out public life, out of the political realms, out of the financial realms, out of families and deceived the visible church into doing all kinds of irrelevant things.
Then what hope is left for us? What remains in the visible realm is just a portion of the actual reality which is true Christianity. Then is there no hope? Not unless we can turn this rampant perversion of “casual Christianity” into the Kingdom dimension of real Christianity.
God is still on the side of those who will repent and turn from their wicked ways. However, our “WICKED WAYS” must be redefined and evaluated by looking from the Eternal Viewpoint and what God has purposed for the world yet to come. We may be deceived if we just look at the visible church, our leaders, the government or anything in the visible realms to identify what is “wicked.” We must return to the Ultimate Standard revealed to us in the Kingdom.
If we can translate what happened at Mount Sinai into the New Covenant dimension and the Reality of what God intended the Christian Life to be, we will discover that we must still “ONLY trust God for a solution.” Still, we must adjust our definition of what “TRUST” God means. My opinion is this means; to RETURN TO THE CENTRALITY OF GOD IN ALL THINGS!
We can evaluate the situation in this country by understanding how God felt about Balaam and the Midianites BEFORE they crossed Jordan to possess the Land. Remember that Moses lived with the Midianites and his wife was from that group.
Num 31:1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people." 3 And Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute the LORD'S vengeance on Midian. 4 "A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war." 5 So there were furnished from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 And Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the war, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war with them, and the holy vessels and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7 So they made war against Midian, just as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 8 And they killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of their slain: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.
Our ONLY hope is if God takes vengeance upon these evil servants of Satan that have
enticed God’s people away from following God completely. Some are on Television or Radio, some are in the pulpit, some are even in the news business and some are in government but God knows those who are His.
But brother, this is all so complicated and confusing so how do we start a corporate returning to God and to His patterns shown to Moses on the Mountain of Sinai? We must begin by understanding that what God showed Moses of the Heavenly Things is ONE WHOLE PACKAGE that should Not be divided into separate parts. This “package” is “one indivisible whole.” For years I made the mistake of trying to separate these “ITEMS” into parcels to be examined as isolated things. For example; the Tabernacle, then the Priesthood, then the Ordering of the Tribes, then the Feasts, then the sacrifices, then the Mighty Presence of God etc. I made the mistake of NOT accepting EVERYTHING as ONE PACKAGED UNIT!
Why is this important to understand EVERYTHING is “ONE UNIT?” That is because THIS was how God was preparing Israel to possess the Land. Separating these things as separate revelations would NOT been sufficient for Israel to Conquer Canaan.
To start a reversal in this nation we must begin to follow a certified path to the full revelation of God’s Full Provision for the Church He is Building! God has provided us with a “COMPLETE AND FULL AND EFFECTIVE PACKAGE.” This “PACKAGE” is the New Covenant AND the Kingdom of God. If we can translate these things into the New Covenant Reality, experientially, we may be able to at least slow the descent into a national judgement.
However, the “one unit” theory must first translates into “one person” or each person taking responsibility of repenting and seeking God for an individual transformation related to the Kingdom Reality. A corporate group of these “restored” individuals is what makes up the “restored people of God.” If we “wait” for the corporate group to appear BEFORE we repent and join the group, IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.
It is for that reason that I am refocusing upon the Seven Feasts which are the Appointed Times of the Lord. Why? That is because that is how the individual begins to prepare for harvest.
Lev 23:1 The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'The LORD 's appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations--My appointed times are these: 3 '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. 4 'These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. 5 'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover.
Keeping the literal Feast of Passover prescribed for Israel under the Old Covenant and designed for the natural man would be irrelevant and a total waste of time for us. For that reason all these things must be “translated” into New Covenant Reality for us. For example;
1Cor 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. 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.
We must also keep the Feast of Passover but not by the Old Covenant way but by the New Covenant way. Not by natural rituals but by a spiritual way through an exchanged Life. Many of the parables about the Kingdom point to the Harvests as the immediate goal. If we “keep the Feast of Passover” in the New Covenant reality, is there any option about removing the “leaven” from our lives? Of course not! Removing “leaven” is not negotiable. Nevertheless, this has nothing to do with eating a natural bread without yeast! It has specifically about putting all hypocrisy, false teaching, malice and every kind of wickedness far from us.
How do we know that?
That is because of how serious God considered the “leaven” which is revealed in Exodus 13. All this is revealed IN THE ONE PACKAGE given at Mount Sinai! This is an essential part of the Feast of Passover which is one of the Seven Feasts. God’s Absolute Sovereignty is in the same way associated with the Feast of the Fiftieth Day or the Feast of Pentecost! Our Sovereign God also designed and established the Feasts of the Seventh Month and the details about the Final Harvest. Why? Because these things reveal the details about the Harvest of the Earth at the end time.
The Feast of the Fiftieth Day [or the Feast of Pentecost] has a New Covenant fulfillment in us and is all part of the New Covenant Package. Keeping the Old Covenant type is another big waste of time and totally irrelevant for us. Still, this is practiced in the visible church once a year when a “message” about Pentecost is delivered. However, part of the “Package that God Revealed to US in the Scriptures” does NOT mention anything about a genuine New Covenant experience of Pentecost being optional. It is part of the PACKAGE and is required. Why? Because that is included in our doctrine? NO! It is because Pentecost is essential for us to participate in the Kingdom and the New Covenant and to Overcome and to Fulfill God’s Eternal Purpose!!
Today, there are many “voices” that would distract us from establishing the “systematic understanding of scriptures” and to participate in irrelevant causes! Some are suggesting that we just chase after the spectacular manifestations that are popular attractions! Nevertheless, the still small voice is calling us to hold the course and pursue the eternal. This requires us to stay within the New Covenant reality and the revealed Eternal Purpose of God, the Almighty.
Since the Creator God has given us pictures, types and shadows of His Ultimate Reality, it is imperative that we hold the course to what is revealed as part of our preparation for Eternity. Going to heaven when we die, as a goal, is much too shallow when compared with preparing ourselves NOW, during the church age, to take our active place in Eternity, in the Tabernacle of God and in the World yet to come.
This greater goal is seldom mentioned in the regular church service. This “gospel of salvation” has reduced God’s Purpose for us, individually, down to going to heaven when we die. The “Gospel of the Kingdom” demands our preparation to be counted worthy (to qualify us) to participate in the Eternal Kingdom Government of God and to take our place in the World yet to Come.
2Thes 1:5 This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.
Rom 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This Eternal viewpoint assumes that there is a Divine Design and a Fixed Plan and Methodical System to reach that Ultimate Purpose. This is, within our understanding, the only rational thing to pursue. The “Methodical System” is what we are calling the Seven Experiential Foundations! For too many years we were focused upon irrelevant messages and popular programs just to pursue what were being promoted. Now we consider those times to be wasted years.
While we have no objection to the spectacular, that is just not our concern at this time. Are the gifts, healings, signs, wonders, spiritual travel, transfiguration, walking on water, prophetic insight of future events and the greater works important to this generation? Of course they are because that is part of God’s Evangelistic plan. God makes Himself known by these things.
Nevertheless, even though some extraordinary things have been taking place during the last century and up until now, the church has not advanced to experience the Eternal Preparations which are necessary to comply with God’s Ultimate Design. It is for that reason that we must hold the course of researching the heights of God’s Providential Assistance for each of us to obtain His approval, be counted worthy, to qualify and to participate in His Predestined Purpose.
It is my opinion that the Seven Feasts will eventually reveal God’s Providential Hand in producing the harvest of the earth. It is this hope that has nurtured our calling to define the Seven Foundations and to reveal His Three Part plan for the final harvest of the earth. Our calling is toward this generation to warn all who will listen that “ the saints” must be prepared and equipped to participate in the final Harvest of the Earth.
That preparation is the convergence of the New Covenant Provision, meeting the Kingdom Demands, which will result in our actual experience of coming to the necessary maturity to meet the requirements of the final harvest of the earth.