intercessor/watchman: Understand Yom Kippur

The watchman was asked in his spirit to understand and identify with the Jewish brothers (natural descendants of Abraham, father of faith) on their national day of atonement. So he has found some useful information which he will publish on this blog for others who are like him.

CUSTOM AND LAWS (from National Jewish Outreach)

“A. Yom Kippur is a Yom Tov, a festival day, which is observed like Shabbat. “

“B. Afflicting your soul – “…on the tenth of the month, you shall afflict your souls and do no work at all…for on that day will G-d forgive you and cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before G-d” (Leviticus 16:29-30). How does one afflict one’s soul and why? The oral law enumerates five prohibitions as the way to “afflict your soul” on Yom Kippur: eating and drinking, washing, annointing, wearing leather shoes and marital relations. By refraining from these actions, one is reminded that it is the spirit that must be the focus, not the body. It may seem the opposite is true, that a person would focus on being hungry or thirsty or uncomfortable from not washing, but such discomforts are temporary and on Yom Kippur one can transcend physical discomfort to connect with the spirit of the day.”

Yom Kippur is a Jewish holy day that takes place 10 days after Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year). Also known as the Day of Atonement, it is a time for introspection, prayer and forgiveness.

How to Prepare for the Yom Kippur Fast (By an eHow Contributor )

During Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday also known as the Day of Atonement, adults are required to refrain from eating or drinking for a 25-hour period from one-half hour before sundown until nightfall the next day. By properly preparing your body for this “affliction of the soul,” as it is known, you can reduce the pain and discomfort associated with the fast.

Prepare for the Yom Kippur Fast

1 Reduce and eventually eliminate the amount of caffeine, refined sugar and tobacco products you consume in the days leading up to the Yom Kippur fast. A sudden “cold turkey” approach may increase the chance of headaches and withdrawal symptoms during the fast.

2 Drink plenty of water on the day prior to Yom Kippur. This will help you to digest all of the food eaten at the Seudah Mafseket feast more easily, and will help prevent dehydration during the fast.

3 Prepare fish or poultry for the morning meal on the day before Yom Kippur begins. This will help you to store more energy later on, since other meats are prohibited on this day.

4 Partake in the Seudah Mafseket (“last meal”) feast. Eat only foods that are not heavily seasoned or salted, which can aggravate dehydration later. Prepare foods that are filling and high in carbohydrates, such as kreplach (dumplings), rice and bread.

5 Brush your teeth thoroughly just after the Seudah Mafseket, and just before sundown. This will help to reduce the bad breath that occurs during fasting periods.

6 Conserve your energy once you have started the fast. Take a nap halfway through the day, and reduce physical activity. Generally, your body will tell you what you can and cannot do during a fast, so listen to it. Most of all, try not to talk with others about food or how hungry you are, which will make you even hungrier.

How to observe Yom Kippur

1 Take the day off from work.

2 Observe the Yom Kippur fast, beginning at sundown the night before and ending after nightfall on Yom Kippur. (Skip this step if you are pregnant, nursing or under age 13.)

3 Attend the Kol Nidre service at your synagogue. This service takes place the evening before Yom Kippur.

4 Reflect on the mistakes you have made in the past year, and plan how to avoid them in the future.

5 Make amends with anyone who has wronged you or whom you have offended. Ask forgiveness and let go of old grudges.

6 Find out in advance when services are being held at your synagogue, and attend at least one on the day of Yom Kippur.

Prepare a Seudah Mafseket Before Yom Kippur

1 Decide which foods you are going to serve for Seudah Mafseket. Usually, rice and kreplach (dumpling) dishes are the more traditional choices, along with plenty of bread, since meat is not to be consumed on the day before Yom Kippur. Fish and poultry are considered appropriate, although more orthodox Jews prefer to confine those to a separate meal earlier in the day.

2 Put as little salt and seasoning into the food as possible. While you want to eat enough food to get you through the fasting period as safely as possible, the idea is to provide simple foods that aren’t rich or extravagant. Heavily seasoned foods can also aggravate dehydration.

3 Avoid drinking too much alcohol during the Seudah Mafseket, since saying prayers while you are drunk is considered an abomination before God. It is also important to bless the bread, but not the wine, during this meal.

4 Restrict your intake of caffeine during the entire day, which can intensify the headaches you may experience during the fasting period of Yom Kippur.

5 Drink plenty of water during the day to help ready your body for Yom Kippur, since fasting can accelerate dehydration.

6 Choose to eat foods that are easy to digest, since you may be eating a larger than normal amount to prepare for Yom Kippur.

7 Recite both the Grace after Meals, and Psalm 126 upon completion of the Seudah Mafseket, which should be concluded at least 30 minutes before sundown. Psalm 126 is especially important, since it reaffirms that redemption has not yet taken place, and there is hard work ahead during the Day of Atonement.

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Break the fast recipes

Here are two which seem easy to try:

Apple Crisp

Ingredients :

1) Tart apples – 8, peeled, cored and sliced.
2) Water – 1/2 cup.
3) Cinnamon – 1 tsp.
4) Nutmeg – 1/4 tsp.
5) Flour – 1 cup.
6) Butter/margarine – 7 tsp., unsalted.
7) Sugar – 3/4 cup.

Preparation :

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Lightly butter a baking dish (dimensions: 7 1/2- by 11 3/4-inch). Scatter the peeled apple slices evenly across its bottom. Pour in the water. Also add in the cinnamon and nutmeg.

3) Get a small bowl. Pour in it the flour, butter and sugar. Combine all of it together with a fork or pastry blender until crumbly. Spread this mixture evenly over the apples and bake for 30 minutes (or until the top becomes crispy and the apple filling turns frothy).

4) Drizzle the apple crisp with some honey. Pour some vanilla ice cream also. Serve warm.

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Cucumber Salad With Dill

Ingredients :

1) Water – 1 cup.
2) White vinegar – 1 cup.
3) Salt – 1/4 tsp.
4) Sugar – 1 cup.
5) Cucumbers – 2 large (hot-house variety), sliced paper-thin.
6) Dried dill weed or Fresh minced dill – 2 tbsp.
7) Bibb lettuce – 1 head.
 Arugala – 1 bunch.
9) Cherry tomatoes (for garnish)
10) A large glass bowl

Preparation :

1) In the large glass bowl, combine the water, vinegar, salt and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the cucumbers and toss.

2) Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

3) Take it out of the freezer and drain. Garnish with watercress and cherry tomatoes. Serve on lettuce leaves.

End Times witnessing: the heart cry of Ezra

Churches may not realize that the same cry is being raised today as Ezra did. The Lord clearly warned in 1 John 2:15-17,

Churches may not realize that the same cry is being raised today as Ezra did. The Lord clearly warned in 1 John 2:15-17,

^“15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”Do not limit the problem to marriage. What this means is entering into any form of partnership and corrupt practices with unbelievers, or even worse, bringing the worldly system into the church (from the entrance to the altar)! What is your priority? Do you align your heart with that of God?
______________________________
Ezra 9 A priestly prayer from an intercessor
1 When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.”
3 So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished. ⁴ Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice.
⁵ At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God. ⁶
And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.
⁷ Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day.
⁸ And now for a little while grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.
⁹ For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
¹⁰ And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, ¹¹ which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying,
‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity. ¹² Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’
¹³ And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, ¹⁴ should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us,there would be no remnant or survivor? so that
¹⁵ O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”
¹ Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly.

The Calling and Sending of a Prophet/Watchman

The watchman heard, "Ezekiel 2!"

Ezekiel Sent to Rebellious Israel

So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
¹ And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” ² Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. ³ And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. ⁴ For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ ⁵ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
⁶ “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. ⁷ You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. ⁸ But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”
⁹ Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. ¹⁰ Then He spread it before me; and there waswere writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it lamentations and mourning and woe.

Ezekiel 3

¹ Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.
³ And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.
⁴ Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. ⁵ For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, ⁶ not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. ⁷ But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. ⁸ Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. ⁹ Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”
¹⁰ Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. ¹¹ And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.”
¹² Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: “Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!” ¹³ I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise. ¹⁴ So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. ¹⁵ Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

Ezekiel Is a Watchman

¹⁶ Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ¹⁷ “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: ¹⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. ¹⁹ Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
²⁰ “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. ²¹ Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”
²² Then the hand of the LORD was upon me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out into the plain, and there I shall talk with you.”
²³ So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. ²⁴ Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. ²⁵ And you, O son of man, surely they will put ropes on you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them. ²⁶ I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house. ²⁷ But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.

End Times Witnessing: Today’s Prayer for All Churches

ALL CHURCHES WHO HAVE GONE BACK TO SLAVERY, CONFESS YOUR SINS! TURN AWAY FROM YOUR WICKED WAYS AND TURN BACK TO THE TRUE GOD!

^{NEHEMIAH: 1} On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. ² Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. ³ They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God. ⁴ Standing on the stairs were the Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani—who called with loud voices to the LORD their God. ⁵ And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said:
“Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. ^[a] “
“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. ⁶ You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
⁷ “You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. ⁸ You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.
⁹ “You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea. ^{[b] 10} You sent miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. ¹¹ You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. ¹² By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.
¹³ “You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good. ¹⁴ You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. ¹⁵ In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them.
¹⁶ ” But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands. ¹⁷ They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them.They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, ¹⁸ even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.
¹⁹ “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. ²⁰ You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. ²¹ For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.
²² “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon ^[c] king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan. ²³ You made their sons as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their fathers to enter and possess. ²⁴ Their sons went in and took possession of the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you handed the Canaanites over to them, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. ²⁵ They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness.
²⁶ “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they put your law behind their backs. They killed your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. ²⁷ So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.
²⁸ “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.
²⁹ “You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. ³⁰ For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. ³¹ But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
³² “Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. ³³ In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong. ³⁴ Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the warnings you gave them. ³⁵ Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.
³⁶ “But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our forefathers so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. ³⁷ Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.

The Agreement of the People

³⁸ “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”
Nehemiah 10:29
²⁹ all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord.

END TIMES WITNESSING: REPENT! SEEK GOD AND LIVE!

OLD TESTAMENT REPENTANCE CALL
2 Chronicles 6:36 “When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to a land far or near; 37 yet  when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’; 38  and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name: 39 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You. 40  Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be  attentive to the prayer made in this place.

Jeremiah 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘ Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the LORD; ‘ I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the LORD; ‘ I will not remain angry forever. 13 Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the LORD. 14 “Return, O backsliding children,” says the LORD; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15 And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Hosea 6 A Call to Repentance  1 Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us;   He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up,    That we may live in His sight. 3 Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

Joel 2 A Call to Repentance 12 “ Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “ Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God,      For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. 14 Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him—A grain offering and a drink offering  For the LORD your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion,  Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; 16 Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. 17 Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘ Where is their God?’”

Joel 2 The Land Refreshed 18 Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people. 19 The LORD will answer and say to His people, “ Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. 20 “ But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise,    Because he has done monstrous things.” 21 Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things! 22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. 23 Be glad then, you children of Zion,      And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. 24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. 25 “ So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. 26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. 27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.

Joel 2 God’s Spirit Poured Out 28 “ And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;  Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants. I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 “ And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:  Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. 32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance. As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

Amos 5:A Call to Repentance 4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: “ Seek Me and live; 5 But do not seek Bethel, Nor enter Gilgal, Nor pass over to Beersheba; For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, And Bethel shall come to nothing. 6 Seek the LORD and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel— 7 You who turn justice to wormwood, And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!” 12 For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate. 13 Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time. 14 Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the LORD God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken. 15 Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Zephaniah 2: A Call to Repentance  2:1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, 2 Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff,  Before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you! 3 Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the LORD’s anger.

Zechariah A Call to Repentance  1:1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 2 “The LORD has been very angry with your fathers. 3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts. 4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.”’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the LORD.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR: WHEN GOD COMMANDS A WATCHMAN NOT TO PRAY

In the book of Jeremiah, a watchman would find it hard to obey certain instructions. For example, in the following verses, a watchman is commanded not to pray.

Jeremiah 7:16: “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you.

Jeremiah 11:14: “So do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble.

Jeremiah 14:11: Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for this people, for their good.

He is commanded very specifically not to pray for the people there or make intercession for them, for their good. It makes no sense. The purpose of existence of a watchman is to watch and pray (intercede) for the nations (kings, priests, people). What is the point of being a watchman if he cannot pray?

So Jack was troubled at these verses. He re-read the relevant context chapters in Jeremiah to find his answer. He found that the words of warning, that Jeremiah was asked to speak, addressed specific audience as follows:

1. Jeremiah was to “Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say” them. (7:1)

2. The words were directed to “the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem”. (11:2)

3. The words were meant for those who “come and stand before God in this house which is called by God’s name” (7:9)

4. The words were from God to those who have broken the covenant with God: “Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,’ (11:3-4) “the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” (11:9)

5. The warnings addressed those families who made offerings to the queen of heaven and other gods (7:17).

6. The warnings addressed those who practiced religious practices which God did not instruct them to do, such as making burnt offerings. (7:24)

7. God commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you.’

8. God admonished them: “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD.” (7:11)

8. God had sent messengers (“all My servants the prophets”), “Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.”

In the modern context, the message is meant for those who are called by God’s name, the Christians. The Christians are Abraham’s descendents by faith. The Christians are under a covenant (the New Covenant set by Jesus) with God. They go to church to worship God.

God called them backsliding children. (3:14, 22)

They have committed two evils: “My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns –broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (2:13)

God described them as, “This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God nor receive correction.” (7:28)

God described their iniquities as “refused to hear My words, and they have after other gods to serve them”; they have “broken My covenant”. (11:10)

It is frightening to note that the backsliding Israelite who went after other gods (queen of heaven, idols) went to the temple of God to worship too and even offered burnt offerings. They had no real respect for God or for His words.

Today are there such people in church? Are there churches which have broken the covenant made with Jesus’ blood? Are there churches that do not pray and thus become a den of thieves instead? God said, don’t pray for them or intercede for them!

Frightening but a reality as Solomon said, nothing is new under heaven. History repeats itself.

Reading Jeremiah is indeed a sad experience. “Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night…” (9:1) A sad day for a watchman.

2009-11-30

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: COME, LIE ALL NIGHT IN SACK CLOTH

The more Jack tries to live in the Spirit, the more he reads the Bible with an increased sense of urgency. This morning he woke at 5am after attending a late night worship service on the day. He decided to get out of bed as the last dream he had was disturbing. He could not remember the dream but he remembered seeing a bed full of people slumbering, bodies of people in fact. He could not see the faces. But he was disturbed. So he got up despite the inadequate sleep.


Then he was led to read the book of Joel (probably 835-805 BC). It was more disturbing as it was about the judgment of God and the Great and Awesome Day of the Lord. It was also comforting as it was about the grace of God too. The following are verses that made him ponder. Why? The signs are here and now in increasing intensity.

Joel 1

The Land Laid Waste

4 What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten. 5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep; 9 the priests mourn, who minister to the LORD.

Mourning for the Land

13 Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; 14 Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD.

Joel 2

The Day of the LORD

1 For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: 2 A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?

A Call to Repentance

12 “Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.

The Land Refreshed

18 Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people. 21 Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things!

God’s Spirit Poured Out

28 “ And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 “ And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:

32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.

Joel 3

God Judges the Nations

1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there. 14 For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. 16 The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake;”

God Blesses His People

18 And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD And water the Valley of Acacias.

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“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12)

“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done so to stand.”

(Ephesians 6:11-13)

2009-10-12

The Day of the Lord

God’s Promise Is Not Slack

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

The Day of the Lord

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Be Steadfast

14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.