Anyone Thirsty?

By Hazel Holland

The Feast of Tabernacles, also called Booths, began on the 15th day of the 7th month, and was the last of the divinely appointed feasts of the Old Testament.  This was Israel’s Thanksgiving feast in which they acknowledged the fall harvest and God’s provision for them.  It was a celebration of great joy.

During this feast the Jews were required to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and were commanded to make  booths to dwell in for the week of the feast.  These temporary shelters were made out of branches and leaves that were woven together.  At night they could look up and see the stars through the spaces in the thatched roofs, and feel the wind blow through the spaces in the walls.  This was a reminder to them of how their fathers were exposed to the perils of the wilderness for forty years, and yet were miraculously preserved by God. 

During New Testament times, for each of the seven days of the feast, the priests would go down to the pool of Siloam in a religious procession with large water jugs.  They would fill the water jugs with water, and then walk up the many steps to the Temple mount commemorating the long expected anticipation of the promise given by the prophet Isaiah.  

“And in that day you will say: "O LORD, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; 'For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.'" Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And in that day you will say: "Praise the LORD, call upon His name; declare His deeds among the peoples, make mention that His name is exalted” (Isaiah 12:1-4).

As the priests approached with the water jugs the people would burst forth in singing the marvelous “Hallel Palms” (Psalm 113-118) which conclude with these verses:  “You… have become my salvation.  The Stone which the builders rejected has become the Chief Cornerstone.  This was the Lord’s doing.  It is marvelous in our eyes.  This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it… Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118:21-26).

Then as the people were praising the Lord the priests would pour out the water from these jugs upon the pavement.  It was a reminder to them of how God miraculously provided water for their fathers in the wilderness out of the Rock, and that one day He would pour water from heaven upon their thirsty souls through the coming of the Messiah.  In Judaism water was always used as a symbol of that which “comes from above” and was identified with the coming of the Messiah.

However, on the eighth day, or last day of the feast which was called, “the great day of the feast”, the priests made no procession and poured no water.  This eighth day was a reminder to them that God had fulfilled the promise to their fathers by bringing them out of the wilderness.  They no longer needed the miraculous supply of water from the Rock, because God had brought them into a well-watered land flowing with milk and honey.

Imagine the people’s surprise on this eighth day, this last day of the Feast of Tabernacles when Jesus stood in their midst and cried out: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38).

Jesus was standing in their midst as they were performing this joyous ceremony, but their hearts didn’t recognize Him.  The Word who became flesh and dwelt (“tabernacled”) among them (John 1:14) for three and a half years WAS fulfilling the promise spoken through the prophet Isaiah, but their minds were blinded by tradition.  Many wouldn’t see that the Reality had replaced the shadow until the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit would be poured out.  On that day three thousand people would recognize their Messiah, acknowledge that they were thirsty, and the Lord would become their salvation.

The Lord wants to become your salvation, too.  Are you thirsty?  Then come and drink the Living Water.  If you believe in Jesus you will never thirst again.  For He has come to "tabernacle" in your heart through His Spirit so that out of your heart will flow rivers of living water.♥

Caught Up to "Meet" Him!

By Hazel Holland

Here are some thoughts I've been considering the last few days as the Spirit has been prompting me to look at these verses.

^"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NASB).

First of all I do not believe that when believers are caught up to meet the Lord in the air it means to be "raptured away"... an escapist mentality that Dispensationalist teachings promote in the "Left Behind" series.  In other words, I do not believe in a secret rapture where Christians all of a sudden disappear off the face of the earth.  For me that teaching does not have sound biblical support.

However, I think that being caught up to "meet" the Lord in the air has another possible meaning that many of us (including myself) have overlooked, perhaps because we haven't understood the normal usage of the Greek word "meet" that Paul was using here.

The same word "meet" that is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 is also used in Matthew 25:6 to describe the bridesmaids who go out to "meet" the bridegroom and then accompany him into the feast.  Furthermore, this same word "meet" is also used in Acts 28:15 to describe the Romans who go out to "meet" Paul as he arrives in their city, and then go back with him into their city.

The key factor with the normal usage of the Greek word "meet" in these instances is that the arriving dignitary: the bridegroom in Matthew 25, and Paul in Acts 28, didn't change directions and go back where he came from AFTER the people came to meet him! He continued with them into their house or city.  For me the implication here is huge and it blew me away!

So it seems to me that Paul's use of the word "meet" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 might be talking about a similar kind of "meeting".  A "meeting" where believers who are alive and those who have been raised from the dead are caught up to "meet" Christ in the air on His way back to earth.  Yes, they will be with the Lord for evermore as the verse tells us, but it doesn't tell us that that He is going to turn around where He came from and take us back to heaven as I have always understood this verse to mean.

Rather it sounds like believers will be with the Lord as they accompany Him on His way back to earth as He "descends".  And yes, they will be with Him always.  There's no mention of being caught away and taken somewhere... like to heaven as I always have thought.

Furthermore, 1Thessalonians 3:13 says, "So that He may establish your hearts blameless...at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints."  He's coming with all His saints... not to turn around and go back to where He just came from.

The central theme is that every believer, whether dead or alive will be resurrected and caught up to greet Jesus in the clouds when He returns to earth.  What a glorious day that will be when we are caught up to meet him in the air and we return with Him... yes, in glorified bodies as part of his army, dressed in white linen, riding on white horses (Revelation 19:14).

As soon as I read this verse of Scripture I began to laugh out loud and rejoice in the Spirit...  When we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air we will be changed... in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump we will have our glorified bodies... and we will be with our God forever and ever!♥  

What are your thoughts?   

♥ Lamb Power ♥

By Hazel Holland

Today I was hit with a bolt of lightning from out of the blue.  The book of Revelation is about Lamb power—NOT Lion power!

Yes, the Lamb—Jesus Christ, who is pictured at the center of the throne in Revelation 5:6 looks almost incongruous.  But here at the very heart of the power of the universe stands Jesus Christ—God’s slain Lamb! And just like the Lamb, God's people are called to conquer—NOT by fighting, but by remaining faithful and testifying to God's victory of self-giving love!

Here at the beginning of the book of Revelation we are given a picture of the Lamb's non-violent power in contrast to the beast power that is shown later as being hell-bound on victory as he inflicts  pain, suffering and death on all who oppose him.

However, having said that, don't we much prefer images of Jesus Christ as the Lion of Judah rather than the Lamb of God?  We prefer images of strength rather than weakness, right?  But look at the Scriptures that tell us that God always chooses the weak things of this world to overcome the strong and powerful...

“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21).

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong…” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

I know that many of us in the body of Christ have no problem seeing that Jesus came as a Lamb the first time…when he was born in a stable.  We will even concede that perhaps lambs were among the animals that watched His birth.  However, I believe that many of us have trouble seeing Jesus as Lamb in the book of Revelation, because we’ve been taught that when He comes the second time He will come as the Lion of Judah.  We have images in our minds of a conquering, roaring Lion.  

But is this the true picture that John paints for us in the book of Revelation?  Is the final Revelation of Jesus Christ given in Lamb-like or Lion-like imagery?  Although Jesus is the Lion of Judah, I want us to see that He is portrayed throughout the book Revelation as the Lamb who conquers through self-giving love!♥

The first picture we get of Jesus being portrayed in the imagery of a Lamb is in Revelation 5:6-13 where we see “a LAMB as though it had been slain…" and all heaven is falling down before Him and worshiping Him because He alone “is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”  Furthermore, this LAMB  is the "only One who is found worthy to open the scroll and read it, because He has redeemed us to God by His blood out of every tribe and nation and made us to be priests and kings to our God…”

So let’s continue to look at other verses in Revelation that use LAMB imagery.  Revelation 6 lets us know that it is the LAMB who opens the seven seals.  In Revelation 7:9-10 we see a great multitude... standing before the LAMB and saying, "Salvation belongs... to the LAMB!"  Then in verse 14, John tells us that these people are the ones that have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the LAMB", and in verse 17 we see the LAMB in the midst of the throne who shepherds and leads His people to living water, and wipes every tear from their eyes.

Here is a list of further verses that use this LAMB imagery right on through to the last chapter of  Revelation.

Revelation 12:11 "They overcame him by the blood of the LAMB and by the word of their testimony..."

Revelation 13:8 "And all who dwell on earth will worship it (the beast), everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the LAMB who was slain."

Revelation 13:9 "All who dwell on earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the LAMB, slain from the foundation of the world".

Revelation 14:1-4 "… a LAMB standing on Mount Zion and with Him 144,000, having His Father's name written on their foreheads... and they follow the LAMB wherever He goes..."

Revelation 15:3 “They sing the song of Moses... and the song of the LAMB."

Revelation 17:14 "These will make war with the LAMB and the LAMB will overcome them...for He is the Lord of lords, and King of kings..."

Revelation 19:7, 9 “…for the marriage of the LAMB has come… Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the LAMB.”

Revelation 21:9 "Come and I will show you the bride, the "LAMB'S wife".

Revelation 21:14 "...on them (the walls of the city) were the names of the 12 apostles of the LAMB".

Revelation 21:22-23 "But I saw no temple in it (New Jerusalem), for the Lord God Almighty and the LAMB are its temple… and the LAMB is its light".

Revelation 21:27 “…only those who are written in the LAMB'S Book of Life” shall enter the New Jerusalem.

Revelation 22:1-3 "And He showed me a pure river of water of life proceeding from the throne of God and of the LAMB... and there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the LAMB shall be in it..."

Yes, today was the first time that I clearly saw Jesus Christ being portrayed in the beautiful imagery of a Lamb-like conqueror throughout the book of Revelation!   What an amazing God who surprises us with such wisdom.  Instead of seeing the LION we behold the LAMB—the LAMB of God who takes away the sin of the world!♥

See: The Lamb's Revelation (By  Ramone Romero)
        Follow The Lamb (By Ramone Romero)