THE ELUL CHECKLIST

The disciples of Yeshua of the first century C.E. believed they would see the return of their Master in their lifetime or that of their children. In Emperor Nero and Domitian, they saw the Antichrists often spoken of by the prophets Daniel and Ezekiel, by Yeshua, Paul, and John. For that reason, much of Paul's writings are in the context of preparing the congregations of Messiah for evil days ahead.

Just like Messiah had His foreshadows in some of the patriarchs and prophets, the Antichrist has his foreshadows in the heads of world Empires and evil dictators of History. Whereas Nero and Domitian were not the 'Antichrist', they were foreshadows of him. 

Today, while we may not live under the 'Antichrist', maybe our children will, and if not them, maybe our grandchildren. Each year we celebrate the Fall Feasts which in Hebrew are called 'rehearsals'. The Fall Feasts speak of the time when the Messiah comes, when Yeshua will return. They are therefore rehearsals for that Blessed Day. In Judaism we do not try to figure out the date of the Messiah but are taught to be ready each year by preparing ourselves for it at the Fall Feasts, especially during the forty days preceding Yom Kippur, the most likely 'time' Yeshua will set His feet on the Mt of Olives. These forty days start with the first of Elul which was in this year's Gregorian calendar last 18^th of September. 

If our grandchildren are to be ready, we better live lives that reflect that readiness in the sight of our children, so they will in turn teach their children, our grand-children. Paul gave to the Thessalonians congregation a readiness class in the form of a 'checklist' for that day. Oddly enough, unlike some to day who urge us to be ready, this 'checklist' did not have anything to do with self-preservation or survival such as changing money to gold, growing beans in their yard, or live outside the city in a self-contained environment. Paul's idea of preparation was first and foremost concerning inter-personal relationship, as well as their relationship with God. Here is what Paul said to prepare the congregations for that Day (my comments in italics): 

1 Thessalonians 5

"Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you (You know the 'season' of the coming of Messiah: the Fall Feasts). For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of Adonai will come like a thief in the night (a Talmudic expression referring to Rosh Hashana, 10 days before Yom Kippur). While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.  

But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief (you are enlightened by the knowledge and teachings of the Word about the Fall Feasts, so you will not be surprised like the others).  For you are all children of light (light = knowledge), children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness (darkness = ignorance).  

So then;

·         Let us not sleep, as others do (sleep: a Talmudic expression for being oblivious to our responsibilities towards God's Instruction),

·         But let us keep awake and be sober (a Talmudic expression for being conscious of our responsibilities towards God's Instruction). 

For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.  But since we belong to the day,

·         let us be sober:  

Now the checklist continues: 

·         Having put on the breastplate of faith (like Moses who fled Egypt and put his lot with God, learn to trust the Father for the present and the future, and not trust in the riches of the world)

·          Love (learn to love; may your faith be motivated by love for God and your brothers)

·         And for a helmet the hope of salvation (remember that full redemption is the end of the story; nothing can change that)

·         For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Master Yeshua HaMashiach (we are not destined to suffer the wrath of God as described in Revelations 16) who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him (this time 'awake or sleep' are to be understood literally within the language of the day meaning 'alive or dead').   

Here is more instruction:

Therefore:

·         Encourage one another

·         And build one another up, just as you are doing.

·         We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,

·         And to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

·         Be at peace among yourselves.  

And we urge you, brothers,  

·         Admonish the idle,

·         Encourage the fainthearted,

·         Help the weak,

·         Be patient with them all.

·         See that no one repays anyone evil for evil,

·         But always seek to do good to one another

·         And to everyone.

·         Rejoice always,

·         Pray without ceasing,

·         Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Yeshua HaMashiach for you.

·         Do not quench the Spirit (let the Holy Spirit speak to you).

·         Do not despise prophecies (use your gift of prophecy),

·         But test everything (but don't believe all of them; test them (1 Cor 14:29).

·         Hold fast what is good (then keep the good one).

·         Abstain from every form of evil (from all disobediences).  

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Master Yeshua HaMashiach. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.  

This was Paul's checklist for the Congregations to be prepared for the Day of Messiah. I think that if it was good for them, it must be good for us to use as a list to check our hearts during the next 40 days to prepare for Yom Kippur! 

He then added:

·         Brothers, pray for us (Pray for the apostles).

·         Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

·         Put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers (that's us too).

·         The grace of our Master Yeshua HaMashiach be with you.

 

 

 

THE JUBILEE OF JUBILEES

Matthew 24:31                                                                                  
And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 

We are still in the season of the counting of the Omer, between Pesach and Shavuot, between Passover and Pentecost. The command to count seven Sabbaths of weeks plus one day (50 days) is incumbent upon every Israelite, as in the text of Leviticus 23 it is expressed in the second person of the plural (Leviticus 23:15–16). The commandment to count the days of the Omer to Shavuot/Pentecost sounds very similar to the commandments of counting the years to the jubilee. The high priest (this command is given to Moses in the second person singular form) is to count seven weeks of years or forty-nine years, then to declare the fiftieth year jubilee (Leviticus 25:8–10). This declaration is made in the synagogue on Yom Kippur. The counting of the jubilee has been all but lost. Many people are trying to piece it together and we have now some ideas of where we’re at, but even so, the command is not practicable at this time.

It is the duty of the high priest to count off the jubilee. At this point in time we do not have a physical high priest simply because we do not have a physical temple. The commandment also requires that on the jubilee all lands be returned to their previous owners, all debts be forgiven and slaves liberated. Today’s slavery has to do with being owned by someone to whom we ought money (Proverbs 22:7). I don’t think that the financial systems of today are very well geared to these practices. Can you imagine all debts being forgiven, lands returned, etc …? Israel already had a hard time with it when it was under Rome; it would impossible today!

Another issue with jubilees is that the Torah forbids for land in Israel to be sold in perpetuity (Leviticus 25:23). One element of the laws of jubilee is for and is to be returned to its original tribal owners. It could be used as collateral for awhile, but it eventually it needed to be returned. It is not our land to do as we please with; it is his (Leviticus 25:23)! Because of this, the sages declared that all Israel needed to be present for the great jubilee to be practiced. Today because of the long exile, we no longer follow from which tribe people are descended from. Learning about D.N.A. has started the process, but we are far from finding all Israel. Messiah is the one supposed to gather all the tribes (Acts 1:6), so it was ruled that the great jubilee will happen at the coming of Messiah. We know that before he returns (Revelations 19:11–16), 144 thousand believers from all the tribes will have been sealed in his name (Revelations 7; 14:1–5). They are the firstfruits from all the elligible tribes; therefore they are the redeemed representatives for the redemption of all the tribes of Israel. They render the jubilee of the Land possible.

Yeshua will surely return to gather his people and return the Land to its rightful owners: Israel. He is the kinsman redeemer. As Boaz redeemed Ruth and thereby returned the land to Naomi, Yeshua also redeems us (The Book of Ruth). On that Day there will also be a wedding and the Land will be returned to Israel (Revelations 19:9). It will truly be the jubilee of all jubilees.

May it be soon Abba, even in our days!

 P. Gabriel Lumbroso
www.thelumbrosos.com

For P. Gabriel Lumbroso's devotional UNDER THE FIG TREE in Kindle edition click here

.