A SEASONAL WORD

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In God’s prophetic and redemptive calendar given to Israel, the appointed times of the Memorial of Blowing of Trumpets, of the Day of Atonements, and of the Feast of Booths speak of the Ingathering of God’s people/harvest at the end of the age.  God knows His own, and those who call upon the name of the Lord will depart from iniquity.

One thing that God will not have in His people — whether Israel or the Church — is self-righteouness.  The cross slays all our own righteousness, and to be disciples of Jesus, we are to deny ourselves, pick up our own cross daily, and follow Him.  He is our righteousness.

One prayer that is sure to be answered by God is the one which His Son, the Lord Himself, prayed, which we read in John 17.  He prays for our love and unity within and among His own followers that is the same as the love and unity “within and among” the one, true, triune God.  The answer to His prayer will be supernatural, as none of us have any clue really to the utter reality of that sort of union and love.  Yet it is this Holy Spirit-produced life of Messiah formed in us that is at the heart of God’s dealings with us, constantly bringing us to recognize our dependence on Him, lest we exalt ourselves.  It will be this revelation of the sons of God — even if only momentarily this side of the resurrection — that will bear witness to the world that Yeshua was sent from the Father, and that the Father loves us as He loves Him.

It is to this that I want to give this word in this season.  The Lord Jesus told us that there would be wheat and tares until the end within God’s Kingdom at large, within Israel, within the Church.  He says in connection with this not to separate the two until the harvest, and then He would have angels do that work of separation — not us.  The apostle James warns us of being judges of the Law rather than doers of the Law. As in all things of God, the devil attacks Him and those things.  Our usual initial response to something of God is to question it or reject it, only afterwards to see and obey in accordance with God’s will, and even then not always discerning God’s purpose.  This should be proof enough for us to see that we are not “little Christs” or “little Gods”!

As the time of Yeshua’s crucifixion neared, despite having instructed His apostles (those closest to Him) of what was coming, they did not understand in their hearts or minds, and when the actual deed was accomplished they all thought their hope had been misplaced and was gone.  So, too, as the end of the age draws nearer, and the necessity of this spiritual unity and love to be manifested, the devil is attacking and doing his best to deceive the elect.  The result is not more unity and love being evident, but more judgmentalism and division in our own assessment of who is really a true believer and who not — before the time.  Some things are clear, and require righteous judgment within the household of God; other things require patience for the living Word of God to bring the hidden things to light.

Those who engage in self-righteous separation from the corporate whole place themselves in danger of sowing disunity rather than promoting the unity which is in Messiah/Christ.  And, of course, when we do such a ‘separation’, we always place ourselves ‘in’.  For those of us who support Israel in God’s purposes for the sake of His holy Name, we do not normally distinguish the true Israel from the false at this time; we simply refer to Israel, knowing that within this people and nation there are those who believe in Yeshua already; there are those who fear God and do righteousness, but do not yet know the Lord personally; and there are those who are simply uninterested in the covenantal relationship and destiny which YHVH God has established with and for them.  Not all Israel is Israel.

So, too, is it for that collective and corporate entity historically called the Church (in English):  we must not quibble over terminology, but simply acknowledge the same truth as it applies presently to Israel:  that there are true believers in Yeshua/Jesus; there are those who fear the Lord and do righteousness, but do not know Him personally/are not born-again; and there are those who have no interest in His covenantal ways in saving individuals and nations alike by His grace through repentance and faith in the gospel.  It is all based on HIS righteousness, not at all on any of ours, which are to Him, in any case, as filthy rags in comparison.

As this season of individual and national soul-searching and forgiveness for sins is again brought before God’s chosen people and nation, we pray for more to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.  As the Holy Spirit is generating God’s move on a world-wide scale for more than a century already to bring the Bride of the Lamb to feel the need for the Lord’s personal return in great power and glory, when the Lord does break through to put all things in order, we may be surprised at the results.  Our hope and trust must be in the name of Jesus/Yeshua, and not on our own understanding, however much we may think we know.  It does not need to be said that we do not know anything as we ought to know, which helps keep pride covered and for us to boast only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, giving glory to YHVH God.

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