Feast of
Tabernacles
Shalom ! What a blessing it is to email you today,the last day
of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) when Yeshua (Jesus) proclaimed that He is the
Messiah.
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It was a hot sunny afternoon as I
watched three Israelis confess their faith in Yeshua while they
were immersed (baptized) in the rushing waters of the Jordan River! It was a proclamation of their faith
in Yeshua and receiving eternal life. Hallelujah! In my journey to find God, it took a
year and half of going through all the Messianic prophecies before I finally believed Yeshua was the Messiah. Then three months later, I had the most amazing and phenomenal experience that lasted for about five minutes. It was 5 minutes of rushing waters that I will never forget. One night I attended a Messianic
worship service with approximately 1,500 other Jewish
Believers, praising the Lord in song. With my arms stretched out to the Lord, and singing praises to Yeshua and my Father in Heaven, I felt a bolt of lightning hit me in the forehead and travel throughout my body. It felt like a million volts of beautiful warm electricity – it was the Ruach (Holy Spirit)! |
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And then, a flood of water rushed throughout
my body. I can only describe it like
being in a carwash. Though the water was not washing the outside of my body, it was washing
the inside! It was like a rushing river of water which totally
cleansed me. I was not imagining this, I was physically
feeling this happen, and it left me
feeling totally pure! So as you will
soon read, the meaning of water during Sukkot is very special to me . |
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During the holiday of Sukkot, the
priests in the Jerusalem Temple sacrificed 70 bulls as sin offerings to the Lord; so that He would forgive the sins of
the other 70 nations in the world. This holiday is not just for the Jewish people, it is for all people! The Messianic prophecy of Zechariah
14:3 speaks about Sukkot and Yeshua. Zechariah foretells
that on one day the
Lord will fight against the
nations that come against Jerusalem. And on that
day His feet will
stand on the Mount of Olives and the mountain will split in two. We
know that this is Yeshua who returns to earth, to the same
place from where he ascended – the Mount of Olives. The prophet Zechariah goes on to say
in verses 16-19, that all the people of the earth who survive the battle will be required to visit Jerusalem each year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles; otherwise they will have no water (no rain). Can you imagine not having any water
to drink? You would die of thirst after seven days. On average a person can last without food for 30 days, though you can only go without water for seven days. |
Click here for Sukkot to save lives for eternity!
Do you know the feeling of what it is
like when you haven’t spent time with the Lord for a day, a few
days, or even a week? Your soul feels empty and it thirsts for God.
And that’s why in 7:37, Yeshua
says:
“If anyone is
thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever
believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living
water will flow from within him.”
Yeshua said this when He fulfilled the
Water Pouring Ceremony at Sukkot!
Jewish people know that the holiday of
Sukkot commemorates when God delivered our ancestors from
Egypt and performed miracles during the 40 years when they lived in the desert
(Leviticus 23:33-43). He provided manna, and their sandals and
clothes never wore out!
This October during Sukkot, very
religious Orthodox Jewish men went to the Mikvah (water immersion)
to purify themselves before the
festival. Then during the seven days of Sukkot, which is a
very joyous festival of thanksgiving, most Jewish people ate their meals and
sometimes slept in sukkas (booths). They built their sukkas in their
backyards or on their balconies if they live in apartments.
This is to remember the flimsy booths that our ancestors lived in during the 40
years in the desert.
Jewish people also know that it’s God’s
provision of the fall harvest (Exodus 23:16), and one of three
Biblical holidays where the Jewish people are required to go up to Jerusalem to
worship the Lord. That’s why in 7, it says: “When the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Yeshua’s
brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea . . .”
Yeshua then went up to the Temple in
Jerusalem with his disciples to celebrate – the Feast of
Tabernacles. Yeshua ate his meals and
perhaps slept in a sukka (booth).
BUT this is what Jewish people do Not know. . .
That Yeshua
fulfilled the Prophetic Water Pouring Ceremony of Sukkot!
Imagine each morning as Yeshua woke up
during the festival of Sukkot; He was in the midst of thousands of people who
came to worship the Lord at the Temple. The place was filled with a sense of
awe. It was a Holy place during a special time!
Half way through the festival, Yeshua
went into the Temple Courts and began to teach. Some of
the people began to ask if he was the
Messiah. Others said, “We know
where this man is from; when
the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”
Still, many in the crowd put their faith
in him.
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They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more
miraculous signs than this man?” Some believed and others did not. Each morning a procession of priests
would go down to the Pool
of Siloam accompanied by men
and women dancing to the Lord with music and
much rejoicing. The Pool
of Siloam is a 15 minute walk from where I used to live
in Jerusalem. When they arrived at the Pool, a priest drew water from a golden pitcher. While
the priest drew water, all of the other priests
recited the following verse from Isaiah 12:3,
“You shall draw forth
water in joy from the
wellsprings of salvation,” in Hebrew it is: Ushavtem mayim b'sason mimayney haYeshuah.” These words
have been popularized by a Jewish circle dance
called Mayim, Mayim in
Engish Water,Water. The Pool of Siloam symbolized the
“wells of salvation,” and the word Salvation is very
close to the name of our Messiah Yeshua. Now back at the Temple thousands were waiting for the procession to return from the Pool of Siloam. Announced by a three-fold trumpet
blast, the priest with the golden pitcher approached
the altar and poured
out his water offering. The musicians played on their holy instruments, and everyone began singing the Hallel (Psalms 113-118). Psalm 118:22 is actually a Messianic Prophecy which speaks about: “The stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief corner stone.” |
In 7:37 it says that Yeshua was right there with
everyone else during the Water Pouring Ceremony and he said in a loud voice:
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me
and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture
has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” 7:37
Each day, during Sukkot, the Hallel was
sung in synagogues in Israel and around the world.
Unfortunately as the Jewish people sing Psalm 118:22 this year, they have no
clue that this Scripture is a Messianic
Prophecy referring to Yeshua!
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The day after Yeshua proclaimed that
He was the fulfillment of Psalm 118:22, He healed a man blind from birth. And guess where the man was healed? Yeshua spit on the ground, made some
mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. Then
Yeshua said to him, “Go
and wash in the Pool of Siloam.” Remember this is the Pool of water
where the priest drew the Holy water, and where the
priests recited: “With joy you shall draw water from
the wells of salvation.” So the man went and washed, and came
home seeing! Yeshua healed him physically and then his
eyes were spiritually opened when he believed Yeshua was the Messiah of Israel. , isn’t it a great joy for us to celebrate these holidays knowing that Yeshua is the
fulfillment of the Jewish Scriptures? However, my heart cries out for my
brethren, the Lost Sheep of Israel. During this Biblical holiday
of Sukkot when we are rejoicing, 99.9% of Jewish people still do not know Yeshua. They are separated from God for eternity. Right now, you can make a difference. Please help us, as we tell them about Yeshua! With all my love in Messiah, Zev
Isaacs |
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Click Here now to help share YESHUA with the
Jewish people!
11/10/09
04:22