3.11.26 – Filled with the Spirit

With the New Year on God's calendar coming quickly, the prophetic calendar visibly cranks up once again. Winter has passed (here in Michigan, I am not sure :-) and springtime has come (Song 2:11). The Spirit and the Bride's call is getting louder (Rev. 22:17), and so too are the enemy's distracting schemes:

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
(Rev. 22:17)

In this week's Torah portion, Scripture lays out one of the most beautiful pictures imaginable to help us see the direction that Yahweh is moving. If we took a menorah and labeled each of the branches 1 through 7, with the fourth or middle branch—the shamash—a little higher than the rest yet serving them all, and we numbered them 1 through 7, we would find that multiple patterns in Scripture overlay those branches perfectly, which helps us understand what it really means to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). Try it, and you will see.

The seven branches are the seven Spirits of God (Rev. 4:5), which are the seven horns and seven eyes of God (Rev. 5:6). The seven days of creation (Gen. 1:2–2:3) match perfectly with the seven Spirits because they were created through the seven Spirits. The seven appointed times (moedim) (Gen. 1:14; Lev. 23) overlay those:

"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons (moedim), and for days, and years."
(Gen. 1:14)

"Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts."
(Lev. 23:2)

The seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3, which are the seven lampstands containing the seven Spirits, obviously fit perfectly as well (Rev. 1:20):

"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."
(Rev. 1:20)

The seven seals, trumpets, and bowls of Revelation, amazingly, do the same. They all overlay each other, and their descriptions fit perfectly on each corresponding branch.

We will not deal with all of them this morning, but I do want to draw attention to the first three branches, the first three Spirits, and the first three moedim that occur in the spring.

The first three moedim (appointed times)—Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits—match up with the first three Spirits (Wisdom, Understanding, and Counsel), which match up perfectly with the first three days of the creation story (light, separation, fruitfulness). The emphasis on each of these overlapping ideas is about individuals and divisions.

The enemy knows that at this time of year the Spirit will always follow a specific pattern; likewise in the fall, the same regarding the body as a whole and her coverings. Because the enemy knows this, he will do whatever he can to "flip the coin" and manifest a counterfeit spirit—contranyms—that focuses on self-centered individualism and division within the body.

For centuries, revivals have always been held in the spring and the fall. There is a reason! The enemy knows that if he can get the minds of individuals off of separating themselves to Yahweh Elohim and focused on individualism, he can divide a house. If he can divide the house during the spring moedim, he knows that it will carry over into the community in the fall.

There has been a long-time work going on in the body of Messiah since the time of Adam and his honey bunny in the garden. It is forming the New Jerusalem—that City made up of individuals who, like Abraham, are looking for something beyond this world (Heb. 11:10). Yahweh had Solomon build the earthly Temple after the same manner that we are being built into: the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21–22).

Individually, He is taking these living stones (1 Pet. 2:5), sawing, axing, hammering, and sanding to conform them into the image of the One who is the Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). He will not share His glory with one who is different (Isa. 42:8). This process is all done away from Jerusalem (1 Kings 6:7). And when the stones are finished being shaped, they will be transported and assembled for His glory (Eph. 2:20–22; Rev. 21–22), to provide a permanent dwelling place for the Most High!

The enemy knows all of this. Hence, instead of seeing God's hand in the matter of chiseling on each of "our" stone structures, we get distracted and focus on the enemy's work—wrong focus :-).

Springtime is a time for decision-making and sending forth more seed for the fall harvest. Do not be fooled by the temperatures outside. In God's economy, spring is an appointed time, not an appointed temperature. Be careful not to let the enemy shift the focus in your world and/or the world of others within the body of Messiah to bring division (Luke 11:17). 

Shalom,
Alan

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