Feast of Tabernacles (part 2) 10/10 Friday Faith

 Was Jesus Born in a Sukkah?  from Messianic Manna on Facebook

Has anyone ever wondered why does a manger scene resemble a baby in a Sukkah?
The answer is in the opinion of Messianic Manna is a simple one. Yeshua was actually born in a Sukkah (Booth). Am I saying that the feast of Sukkot is the time  of Yeshua’s birth? Yes I am. The basic scenario is that Miriam was with child during Hanukah and gave birth during Sukkot. The Roman Church established a different time to celebrate His birth. The establishment of a different date to correspond with a Pagan date does not negate the actual date. Do I have anything to back up my reasoning. Ohh, but yes I do. The complete answer may be beyond the scope of this Facebook post. However in order to whet your appetite to study for yourself let me throw a few interesting tid bits at you.

1: Was you aware that the word “Stables” is in some cases interpreted from the Hebrew word Sukkot ?
יז. וְיַעֲקֹב נָסַע סֻכֹּתָה וַיִּבֶן לוֹ בָּיִת וּלְמִקְנֵהוּ עָשָׂה סֻכֹּת עַל-כֵּן קָרָא שֵׁם-הַמָּקוֹם סֻכּוֹת:
Gen. 33:17. And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

2: Did you notice that mankind carries a common ancient memory of Yeshua being born in a Stable that is usually depicted as temporary?

3: Did you know that if the birth of Yeshua is placed in the context of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) the story would then also account for the angelic greetings of “Hosanna in the highest!”—a pilgrimage-festival salutation connected with the recitation of the Hallel at Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

4: Did you know that a medieval collection of anti-Christian Jewish folklore titled The Story about Shim’on Kefa (Simon Peter) (Aggadta DeShim’on Kefa, אגדתא דשמען כיפא) preserves Jewish traditions about the early Jewish believers and early Christians.?
Notice here what it says:
“And in the place of the festival of Sukkot, you will celebrate the day of his birth, and on the eighth day from his birth, you will celebrate his circumcision.” (Aggadta DeShim’on Kefa)
This is how the sect of the Nazarenes was seen from the perspective of mainstream Judaism. Can anyone see the importance of this?

5: Did you know that we can show through Theological reasoning that YoHanon the Immerser (John the Baptist) was born during Passover and that Yeshua was born 6 months later placing Yeshua's birth in the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) ? This may also be shown by understanding the time when Zechariah’s ministration of the priesthood was in serving the Temple.

6: Did you know that Sukkot is also called the Feast of Tabernacles, and that the Brit Hadashah (New Testament) declares : “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14).

  4-minute video on Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) on YouTube:  http://youtu.be/1RWfTmmoCA8

Feast of Tabernacles 10/9 Thursday Thoughts

The Feast of Tabernacles ("Sukkot") begins at sundown Wednesday, October 8, and continues through Thursday, October 16.  This is the third and final fall festival.  The fall festivals have moved through repentance and reconciliation to the joy of our redemption.  It is the most joyous and the most loved of all festivals.   Families live in elaborate booths that they have decorated for the holiday as a reminder of how God cared for them in the wilderness.  There is good biblical evidence that Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacles, probably in a sukkah booth. (More tomorrow).

During the water ceremony on the last day of the festival in Jerusalem, Jesus said, "If any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink... From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water."  (John 7:37-39). 

Jesus is God tabernacling among men.  Jesus is God's ultimate sukkah booth.  For God, in Jesus Christ, tabernacles among men.  As the Temple was a temporary dwelling for the Shekinah, so Jesus tabernacling among us manifested the glory of God.  (The Fall Feasts of Israel, by Mitch and Zhava Glaser)

I will be celebrating by attending a Feast of Tabernacles concert by leading Messianic recording artist Paul Wilbur at Tikvat Yisrael Messianic Congregation in Cleveland on Saturday.  This will be his fourth concert / worship experience that Joanne and I have attended.  Look him up on YouTube.

For more information on the Feast of Tabernacles, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot

D. L. Moody 10/8 Wednesday Wisdom

Featuring some favorite quotes from D.L. Moody, famous evangelist, pastor (who had no education and was never ordained), and founder of Moody Bible Institute. 
Out of 100 men, one will read the Bible, the other 99 will read the Christian.

The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation.

Give me a man who says this one thing I do, and not those fifty things I dabble in.
 
What makes the Dead Sea dead? Because it is all the time receiving, never giving out anything. Why is it that many Christians are cold? Because they are all the time receiving, never giving out anything.

Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.

George Whitefield 10/7 Tuesday Truth

This week we are using some miscellaneous quotes by great Christians of the past.

George Whitefield (pronounced Whit-field) was the greatest 18th Century American revivalist / evangelist.  Here are three of his famous quotes. 
We are immortal till our work is done.

Take care of your life and the Lord will take care of your death.

 True conversion means turning not only from sin but also from depending on self-made righteousness. Those who trust in their own righteousness for conversion hide behind their own good works. This is the reason that self-righteous people are so angry with gospel preachers, because the gospel does not spare those who will not submit to the righteousness of Jesus Christ!

Our Turn 10/6 Monday Meditation

Last week we completed the quotes from the complete sermons of Smith Wigglesworth.  Before we start quoting from another "Pentecostal pioneer", I'm going to use some quotes that were suggested to me by a reader.

Those heroes are gone now; it is our turn. That is why I get excited when I hear stories of people just like you and me who are seeing the same things our heroes saw. These are everyday people walking through their own normal problems with tiny faith and producing huge outcomes.

 

Think about this: Many of us who think that the impossible is not within our grasp are the same people who believe that one day we will leave our bodies and shoot off into heaven. How can we be sure? We believe this by faith. Then why not use that same type of childlike faith to say, "God, we have no idea how this all works, but we want to see You do fun, weird, miraculous stuff through us." Jesus continues to show me that I will miss 100 percent of the shots that I never take...

 

 But I cannot help asking why so many of us live our lives without the victories that our biblical ancestors experienced. If we say that we are children of a Father who props up His feet on the moon, then might our lives resemble something close to supernatural?

 

-- Chad Norris, M. Div., quoted on the Charisma Magazine Facebook page 

YOM KIPPUR 10/3 Friday Faith

The holiest day on the Jewish calendar begins at sundown Friday.  Jesus Himself observed this day, the Day of Atonement, which points to the Atonement that He would bring.  It concludes the Ten Days of Awe, or self-examination, which began at Rosh Hashanah.  During this time we are to ask forgiveness for ways in which we have sinned against others.
On Yom Kippur, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and saw the Shekinah (the manifest presence of the Lord) over the Mercy Seat.  The sins of the people were put onto a scapegoat, that was led to its death in the wilderness.  A bull was then offered for atonement. 

"For the Christian, Yom Kippur should be a day of great celebration, a day when we remember that Christ died for us... It should remind us that salvation is by grace, received by faith, and that even faith is a 'gift of God' (Eph. 2:8-9).  We need not worry that our bad deeds may outweigh the good in God's balance scales of judgment.  Our salvation rests securely upon God Himself.  What freedom and joy we experience, and how gracious He is to save us from sin!

"Believers who trust in the blood of Christ experience God's presence more than any high priest ever did.  The ancient high priest could enter God's presence on one day each year, and then only with fear and trembling.  Yet those of us who know Jesus can boldly enter His heavenly throne room and step into the glorious presence of God."  

--The Fall Feasts of Israel, by Mitch and Zhava Glaser

For additional information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur

THE FINAL WIGGLESWORTH QUOTE 10/2 Thursday Thoughts

This quote is the last paragraph of the complete works of Smith Wigglesworth.  Tomorrow I'll be featuring Yom Kippur, then next week we'll have some miscellaneous quotes that have been suggested to me before we start another author/teacher. 
I am a father and I want to give my boys the very best.  We human fathers are but finite, but our heavenly Father is infinite.  There is no limit to the power and blessing He has laid up for them that love Him.  Be filled with the Spirit.