“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Romans 15:4
“Whatever things were written before were written for our instruction.”
1 Corinthians 10:11
“All these happened to those (Israelites) as examples, and it was written for our warning.”
In the teaching which will follow this introduction, we will study one of these things that are set as examples to help us…the situation of the golden calf, related in Exodus 32.
This sin angered YHVH so much He was prepared to destroy His people, Israel!
We will explore the events that led to the building of the golden calf and what that actually represented to Israel at that time.
If this Golden Calf issue is given to us as a warning, an encouragement and a helpful ‘visual aid’, then we need to see what it represents for us today.
• Is it possible to make a golden calf in our life?
• Is there a spiritual parallel in our walk with Yeshua today?
• Is there a foundational principle in our faith we often forget?This forgotten principle results in provoking God’s anger and rendering us ineffective and fruitless.
If any follower of Yeshua has built a spiritual golden calf in their lives, the result is ‘broken tablets’ of Law!
Under the new covenant, there is a promise that He writes His Law on our hearts but how is it that it’s not always apparently manifest in some believers’ lives?
• Is it evidence of a spiritual ‘Golden Calf’, causing a broken covenant (broken tablets of Law)?
• Paul’s entire letter to the Hebrews was an encouragement not to break the covenant!
The meaning of “the ten commandments”, in Hebrew, is
“the tablets of the covenant” or “the tablets of the testimony”.
• Is it possible to call not applying the ‘forgotten’ principle, mentioned above, “breaking the covenant”?
• Is it possible to break the new covenant through a type of golden calf worship today?
These are provocative questions which need answers through deep study of the Word.
Listen to this audio teaching and see just how the lessons of the Golden Calf example are applicable today.
Palm Sunday, Yeshua our Messiah (the Christ or anointed one) did not ride into Jerusalem proudly on a horse. He came mounted upon a little donkey, even a small colt. No earthly king would do this. Yeshua came not to fight or to compete, but to be a meek King.
This meek king comes first of all not to be enthroned as King but to cleanse the temple, (cleanse our hearts).
Psalms 31:24 NIV
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
Correct translation………
Be strong, and He will make your heart stronger, all you who hope in YHWH
Does the book of Esther have a prophetic fulfillment in our day? The Jews will survive, but the question is will you be part of it?
Are the words Mordechai spoke to Esther relevant to you today?
“If you remain silent, you and your father’s family will perish.” Esther 4:14
Esther proclaimed a fast of three days of fasting night and day without food or water.
Mordechai’s famous words to Esther;” If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish.” Esther 4:14
One way or another the Jews will survive, the question is to Esther, will you be part of it?
The Jewish feast of Purim is a prophetic blueprint of the overcoming Church in the last days of this present age that brings salvation to the Jewish people.
This Church has a crucial role in the transition of the current Church Age to the purposed time when the Kingdom of Israel rules as a head.
Esther, A prophetic picture of the church in the last generation
Esther, a type of the Bride of the Lamb interceding for Israel
Esther, The Talmud compares Mordechai to Joseph
Gehennah is not only a real place, but it is right outside our back door in Jerusalem. I found some homeless Arab men in this valley, even in the middle of winter.
It is not every day you hear sermons on this subject. Yeshua mentions this valley, which in the Old Testament is called, the Valley of Hinnom, 11 times.
Christ stressed that it would be better to proceed through life with great loss (e.g., deprived of an eye or a limb), rather than having Gehenna as a final destiny (Mt. 5:29-30; cf. 18:9; Mk. 9:43-47).
“And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt. 10:28; cf. Lk. 12:5).
Matthew 5:22
But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, “Raca!” shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, “You fool!” shall be in danger of the fire of the Valley of Hinnom.
Matthew 5:29
If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into the Valley of Hinnom.
Matthew 5:30
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into the Valley of Hinnom.
Matthew 10:28
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in the Valley of Hinnom.
Matthew 18:9
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into the fire of the Valley of Hinnom.
Matthew 23:15
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of the Valley of Hinnom as yourselves.
Matthew 23:33
Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of the Valley of Hinnom?
Mark 9:43
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to the Valley of Hinnom, into the fire that shall never be quenched.
Mark 9:45
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into the Valley of Hinnom, into the fire that shall never be quenched.
Mark 9:47
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into the fire of the Valley of Hinnom.
Luke 12:5
But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into the Valley of Hinnom; yes, I say to you, fear Him!
James 3:6
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by the Valley of Hinnom.
The almond tree is blossoming.
The almond his Hebrew means, to be alert, eager and ready. It is always the first tree to blossom in the spring, and now all over Israel, it is a symbol of resurrection life after the winter.
The lampstand with seven branches has Almond buds and flowers on it. The seven branches of the Lampstand represent the seven spirits of God.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
The Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
The Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:2-3
We light up the world with the light of God when we are alert, eager and ready, and waiting for the Spirit,
Paul, the apostle, said to “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy”.
The word “Earnestly” is the same word for Almond, so to be the first, to be before all the other trees that blossom, is how to connect to the Spirit of God.
Renewing our mind is in connection with world conformity. What is world conformity? Why does God the Father hate the world and the Word of God clearly states that if anyone loves the world the love of the Father isn’t in Him?
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of Father is not in them.” 1 John 2:15
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4:4
Is the world a system we need to be disconnected from, or just certain things we have to abstain from? Or both.
According to tradition, the sad historical advent of this day is recounted in the book of Numbers chapter 14 when the twelve spies were sent into Canaan.
Ten spies brought back an evil report after surveying the land they were about to inherit.
Consequently, the congregation wept and wailed all night, then decided to stone Moses and choose a leader who would return them to Egypt.
God swore that they would not enter His rest, and that generation died prematurely in the desert. These events set the historical character for the 9th of Av.
First in 587 BC the Babylonians destroyed Solomon’s Temple…
Then in 70 AD the Romans destroyed the Second Temple built by Zerubbabel and refurbished by King Herod; the very one Yeshua visited and prophesied that not one stone would remain upon another.
The fast of the 9th of Av is mentioned in Zechariah 8:19 in a prophetic statement.
“So says YHVH of Hosts: the fast of the fourth , and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the 10th, shall become for joy and gladness and cheerful Feasts…”. The 9th Av is the fifth fast mentioned.
Jews have been fasting on this day, and mourning the destruction of their Temple for 2,587 years.
The fast expresses deep sorrow and mourning for the loss of YHWH’s presence, and a genuine heart’s desire for YHWH to return to His people. But keep in mind this prophecy declares that, in Israel’s future, this day will be day of joy, not of mourning.
We will return to this point later in the message.
Since the temple which Yeshua entered was destroyed on the 9th of Av, (the very day the First Temple was destroyed), many calamities have befallen the Jewish people on the same day.
-9th Av 1095, The First Crusade…10,000 Jews slaughtered in the 1st month alone.
-9th Av 1492, The expulsion of Jews from Spain was to be completed.
-9th Av (August 1-2, 1914), Germany declared war on Russia sparking World War 1
-9th Av, (24th August, 1929), 68 Jewish adults and children in Hebron were massacred by Muslim Arab
-9th Av (2nd August 1941) Nazi Party approved “The Final Solution”.
-9th of Av (July 22 1942) the mass deportation of the Jews from Warsaw began.
-9th Av 1994 (18th July) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was bombed, taking the lives of 86 Jews and wounding more than 300.
In 1987, when I first immigrated to Israel, the 9th of Av was hardly mentioned, except in the ultra-Orthodox communities, but over the years it’s significance has increased and found its way into the general community. A few years ago, quietly, without any exposure or argument, a bill was passed in parliament to mark this day of fasting as a national holiday. Shops are required to close at 5PM, and by 6.30PM, owners who don’t comply are heavily fined.
Following this day of fasting, we enter a period of 3 weeks of deep mourning which is called “Bein Hametzarim”, meaning “between the narrow places”, or “between the straits”. During this time, for the observant Jew, there are no marriages, no music, no swimming or traveling, and, for the very devoted, no changing of clothes (or at least no new clothes). All of this takes place in the two months of repentance leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Jerusalem has now entered this two-month period during which hundreds of buses transport groups of Israelis of all sizes and levels of observance, from all over the country to visit Jerusalem in the evenings. They leave their occupations late afternoon and arrive in Jerusalem between 5PM and midnight.
Outside the Old City’s Jaffa Gate, the buses unload their passengers, who arrive noisy, happy, singing and making a deafening noise. But, once they enter the gates, their entire mood changes to solemn prayerful soul searching. Then they will spend at least an hour in a synagogue for prayer. The more devout groups stay for midnight prayers, eventually traveling home in the early hours of the morning.
During this time, Jerusalem at midnight becomes more congested than Tel Aviv at midday! Normally it can take me 20 minutes to drive from one end of Jerusalem to the other, but during these two months, even at 9PM, it can take a few hours.
What can possibly turn this cursed day into a day of joy as prophesied? What do these crowds aspire to?
But the terrible outcome of this counterfeit deception will be a disaster which will far outweigh those of the nation’s 3,400 year history; because many Jewish people will once again reject their true Messiah and choose, not a Barabbas, but a False Messiah, the Antichrist.
As the last rejection of the Messiah resulted in the destruction of the Temple and a 2,000 year exile, so this rejection will cause judgment from God in which two thirds of the Jewish people will perish [Zechariah 13:8-9]. What remains of Israel will be a refined remnant who will enter the age of Messiah’s Millennial Kingdom when Israel will take her place at the head of the nations.
My concern is that the Church would not be ignorant or indifferent that the increasing millions of Jews, who are fasting and repenting every year in this season, are on a collision course with the Antichrist. This is a deep grief to the heart of YHVH and His longing is for us to share His heart and pray for Israel and particularly for the remnant, those who will believe on Messiah Yeshua now in this season, and those who will be the refined remnant entering the Millennium. Our prayers will powerfully participate in this true redemptive process…
Are you a passive spectator or are you grieved and travailing in prayer for the third who will be saved and refined?
“For Zion travailed and also brought forth her sons. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth?” Isaiah 66:8
For Zion’s sake I (Isaiah) will not be silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,
Until her righteousness and vindication go forth as brightness,
And her salvation goes forth like a burning torch. [Isa. 62:1]
The building of a third temple with priests and sacrifices will impart no benefit at all to me or to my family, or to any other Jew; it cannot add anything whatsoever to what Yeshua has accomplished on the cross. Furthermore, It will bring persecution to the Messianic community.
Instead, history will be repeated.
In Yeshua’s day, religious Jews could not endure that their holy ground was controlled by the Romans, and many rioted over and again against their earthly rulers, believing that God was on their side to drive out this foreign pagan entity with its false gods.
A recent modern expression of religiously motivated fanaticism in Jerusalem is the Islamic claim of ownership over the Temple Mount. They believe their god is supreme and is with them in their struggle against the Israeli police force. Even the removal of the metal detectors and cameras from the Mount didn’t quench the fire of their religious zeal but only increased their riotous fervor to annihilate Israel for the sake of their false god.
Yet this is merely a foretaste of the religious zeal we will witness when the Third temple is built as it inspires an unprecedented and nationwide return to Judaism. This religious zeal will almost certainly spark an intense persecution of Messianic Jewish believers in Yeshua (Jesus) who live in Jerusalem and greater Israel. The religious Jews believe we are worshiping false Gods (trinity) and they won’t tolerate this “idolatry” in light of what they believe to be God’s long-awaited “geula” (redemption). As such, we expect to witness and be subject to a recapitulation of the first century situation when Yeshua first arrived here. And these events are at the doorstep as the preparations for the rebuilding of the third temple have been well underway for several decades.
It truly is time to “Watch and Pray” as our Lord warned [Luke 21:36] because the spiritual war is raging, and His coming is “at the door”!
One thing I am very aware of as a licensed tour guide is that tourists never see the real Jerusalem and they are unaware of just how Muslim the city is! Yes Muslim, and how much power and control they have over this city. This is because, every Friday, tens of thousands of muslim worshipers from all over Israel enter the temple mount through the back door of Jerusalem through the Lion’s gate. We take our groups in through the Jaffa gate, the west side. Our tourists are unaware of what is going on just 400 to 800 meters from them. Just look at the picture.
After the murder of two Israeli soldiers on the Temple Mount, our government decided to set up metal detectors. Muslims refused to be checked and enter into the compound of the Temple Mount. Instead they protested and prayed all around the walls of Jerusalem even on the western side and Jaffa gate. Suddenly we are invaded by thousands of Muslims praying to Mecca in front of our faces.
Last Friday, I walked into a huge crowd of Muslims praying just like in the picture above, but this time it was outside the Jaffa gate. I would have liked to film it but it would have risked my safety and possibly life.
I can’t help thinking, in Yeshua’s time the scene for us was reversed. We didn’t like the Romans controlling our Holy Place as it meant their gods were superior to ours.
In Yeshua’s’ day like today, there were many demonstrations and much resentment.
It is a battle of the gods.
In a Muslim’s mind, if his God Allah is superior, how can it be that the Jews with their God control Allah’s holy place?
Please pray for Our Lord’s Name to be glorified in His people, the messianic community, in this conflict we aren’t even on the sideline. Please pray there would be healings, signs and wonders again in the streets of Jerusalem and that the Muslims and Jews alike will see and hear.