The Creation Gospel Podcast

Dr Hollisa Alewine – Footsteps of Messiah Part 135 (Turning Tables Part 2) for week of December 8, 2024

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Dr Hollisa Alewine – Footsteps of Messiah Part 134 (Turning Tables Part 1) for week of December 1, 2024

Turning Tables

Here in Egyptalon, it's a language issue. The Hebrew language. One day, the tables will turn:   “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord.” (Zephaniah 3:9)   This echoes the three principles of the fall moedim, which are a step of sorting the sealed righteous from the intermediates from the wicked. Prayer to purify, repentance to seal, charity to the suffering to prove the heart change and willingness to serve the Kingdom.   The first principle, prayer, is a practice of purifying the speech, measuring one’s own prayer against the standard of the Word.   Those sealed with the Name of YHVH are one as He is One. They do not bear the many names of individual idols, but they are a unified, accurate reflection of His image as a nation apart. In a sense, because we tend to impose our face over the face of Elohim (“no other gods in front of me”), the world sees a distorted representation of His Name in us, especially when we assemble all our individual gods that we sometimes choose to place before obedience to YHVH. Too often, we are not a representation of Him, but of our mixed obedience and unreliable loyalty to His Oneness. In that sense, it is also a hearing issue: “Hear, O Israel, YHVH our Elohim, YHVH is One.”   At the end of days, “The LORD shall be King over all the world, on that day the LORD will be One and His Name one.” (Ze 14:9)   There will be no misrepresentation of the Holy Name in that day. Because the names, or reputations of people will reflect the holiness of the Word, His true reputation will be known by all the living.   The blasphemous names of the Great Harlot in Revelation may be a reference to traditional thought about how even in slavery in Egypt, Israel maintained a vital connection to the Promise of the Fathers: their names in exile. The Israelites’ Hebrew names, uncorrupted with Egyptian names, set them apart, even the tribes of Joseph, Ephraim and Menashe. They retained a “pure speech,” Hebrew, even though many among them descended into idolatry.    They were still a nation apart because of their literal names, but a name is also reputation. Their sexual purity retained the identity of the nation through the generations. Only when the greater part of the nation maintained sexual morality could they retain their identity with their family, clan, tribe, and nation. These two identifiers, speech and sexual morality, set them apart in Egypt.   James, who addresses the “twelve tribes scattered abroad” places emphasis on Godly speech in order to keep one’s Bridal garments unstained, the Bridal Bridle:   “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (Ja 1:25-27)   James emphasizes three aspects of the bridal garments as the three pillars of the fall moedim: Controlling the tongue by keeping the waters pure, also a prayer practice Exercising practical holiness by alleviating the suffering of those in distress, charity Sealing the fountain with repentance, which aids #1 by not allowing new pollutants to fall in.   See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs?  Nor can salt water produce fresh. (Ja 3:5-12)   In a play-on words, James warns against both sins of the tongue and sexual immorality, for the “sealed fountain” is thought to refer sometimes metaphorically to the holy marriage bed, each spouse sealing the fountain from outside persons: husbands sealing their fountains from all but their wives, and wives sealing their cisterns from all but their husbands.   So apart from the easy understanding, which is that our speech should be free of cursing, scorn, and gossip, and we should maintain holy marriage beds, how else can we understand the language of a Hebrew?   “A garden locked is my sister, my bride, A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.” (So 4:12)   The tongue, as James pointed out, is like a fountain, a spring. Israel is referred to as a ·     Locked garden ·     A locked rock garden ·     A sealed spring   It’s pretty easy to figure out. The Bride of Messiah is being restored to the Garden of Eden. It is a locked garden, protected by cheruvim with fiery swords; it is a locked rock garden, the palace of King Messiah, the representation of the Rock of Ages; it is a sealed [as with a signet] spring, watered by the rivers of Eden sourced from the Upper Garden, flowing from the very Throne of Adonai. It is not approachable in a state of sin, let alone inhabitable.   The first mention of gal/galeed is the heap of stones that witnessed to the uncrossable barrier of the Promised Land to Laban and other idolators who did not repent and make the journey with Jacob’s family:   “’Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between you and me. This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you for harm, and you will not pass by this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.’ So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his kinsmen to the meal; and they ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain. Early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.” (Ge 31:51-55)   It was the last meal Jacob and his family were to have with the Laban, the unrepentant idolator.   Israel is to be a locked garden, a stone of witness. Having preserved her identity, pure speech and marital fidelity in the exile, she returns to the Land of Promise given to Avraham. They set a barrier beyond which neither can cross without Heavenly authorization, a seal of approval from the One Who plants the Garden.   Israel’s wilderness journey was semi-supernatural: garments that didn’t wear out, shoes that didn’t wear out, and daily bread and fresh water. It was their preparation to cross into the realm of the Garden in the Promised Land. Alas, the Golden Calf and the Evil Spies delayed the crossing of the Hebrews, an identity that means those who have crossed over. It weeded out those of impure sexual habits, including idolatry, and those whose tongues had not been purified in the journey. What the Hebrews did retain after they finally finished the journey and crossed over was their Hebrew language.   Their language and the marriage bed were two important “preservatives” of the Hebrews in Egypt. These two practices preserved their recognition and witness of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as forefathers, both through descendancy and language. These two things should characterize Israel as they await the Greater Exodus in the Wilderness of Egypt, the Wilderness of the Peoples (Ezek 20:35-36), which gives them a double exile.   While Egypt was one exile, Babylon took the Jews to another, rooted in the confusion of the languages earlier at Bavel. It occurred because humankind wanted to make a name for themselves, not to build the Name of The Holy One. One. One. Not the many confused names, but ONE. One Word. This is difficult to us, for we suffer in a double exile, slavery in a land of idols as well as a confused world of many blasphemous names.   Through Yeshua, however, Adonai has provided a way even for the non-native Israelite to be identified in the wilderness of exile both through language and descendancy.   ·     “Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the Promise.” (Ga 3:29)  We are therefore bound to protect the sanctity of the marriage bed and to shun sexual immorality in our homes, for we are descendants of Avraham by faith. ·     Our pure “Hebrew” speech. Torah.   The Torah is the language we embrace and speak in the “Wilderness of Egypt and the peoples.” While we speak many languages, Adonai is returning us to His pure language, Hebrew. It begins by accepting His whole Word, His true representation, in whatever language we can understand it. This begins our journey back to the pure language. Don’t put more emphasis on learning Hebrew than learning and practicing what it says!   I love learning Hebrew, but in this dual exile of Egyptylon, we must begin with learning Torah in our own language. Along the way, we will pick up different levels of skill. Some will learn words like Shabbat, shalom, todah, and those associated with the feast days. Others will become fluent in Biblical or modern Hebrew. What matters is learning in obeying! This is our one clean, daily source of our pure speech.   Remember, two things will characterize, or unify, the Bride in exile: pure speech and sexual morality.   The Torah is the “language” in exile, but sexual morality must still be practiced as Sarah and Joseph in Egypt. “Do not even eat” with sexually immoral believers because it is conscious idolatry:   “Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK AND STOOD UP TO PLAY.” “But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one.” (1 Co 5:1-13)   Licentiousness characterizes those who serve the god of this world, not the Holy ONE of Israel. When it is time for the Greater Exodus, those of pure speech and holy vessels will exit their exiles to enter the locked Garden.   Until then, we must lovingly but firmly turn the tables on those who would enter our believing communities practicing sexual immorality. We must not invite them to our Shabbat or feast tables if they know the Word and intentionally transgress it. It is a departure both from pure speech and respect for the Elohim of Avraham, Isaac, and Jacob when such sin is deliberately committed without a desire to repent and taking steps to do so.   We are a heap of stones, a witness to the locked garden.   What if they don’t know? Teach them!   Start with the Big Ten. In the Big Ten, the observance of Shabbat is presented along with not committing adultery. Upon the commandments prohibiting adultery and idolatry, other commandments concerning sexual morality hang. They can be taught in kindness.   And when we address disobedience, we should do so in such a manner that the one being excused from the table feels as if we are on his/her side, pulling for his or her success, confident of a desire to change.   They should feel as though if they make this big decision, we would be the first person they would come to for help and guidance. Our table is open and ready when they return.   We should be a safe place to fall so it is easier for the disobedient brother or sister to learn how to stand as true Hebrews. When a fallen brother or sister returns, that table turns full circle.   Please SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to get new teachings.

Dr Hollisa Alewine – Footsteps of Messiah Part 133 (That's All She Wrote) for week of November 24, 2024

...That's All She Wrote

Have you ever written a book? Or thought you might? It seems like a good idea until you start trying to put the words on the page. Or laptop. Everyone has the material to write a book, but not everyone will take the time to write it.   The truth is that every single human being has written a book, is still in the process of writing it, or will write it when they are born. The biographies of our lives are transcribed in Heaven.   And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. (Re 20:12)   So there are books of our lives. Why so many? Perhaps we are also judged according to the places our lives intersected other lives in their books. And then there is THE book, The Book of Life. This is the standard by which every life will be judged. It is the Law of the Land and the Law of Heaven. The Word of Adonai.   The things written in the book are the deeds of each individual. What you write is your “name,” or reputation, based on your deeds and attitudes. In Hebrew naming, the name chosen for a child represents the many righteous deeds that the parents hope will characterize his or her biography. The Greek word for “written” is grapho:   Strong’s Definitions  γράφω gráphō, to "grave", especially to write; to describe.   Outline of Biblical Usage  I.to write, with reference to the form of the letters to delineate (or form) letters on a tablet, parchment, paper, or other material II.to write, with reference to the contents of the writing to express in written characters to commit to writing (things not to be forgotten), write down, record used of those things which stand written in the sacred books (of the OT) to write to one, i.e. by writing (in a written epistle) to give information, directions   So congratulations, you’re an author!   Your book will be judged by the Author of Life Who wrote THE Book of Life, our instructions. He wrote the basics of life, gave us THE Book, and then breathed life into us so we could start writing.   As we grew and learned His Book, we began to write, first instinctively, then consciously, our book intersecting with thousands, maybe millions, of other biographies. Imagine the size of Abraham and Sarah’s books at this point. What you write can certainly affect the biographies of those who are born after you!   While the Torah instructs us in the precepts, each person may creatively live them, making the biography uniquely his or hers. Imagine how the Father takes joy when we find a beautiful or inspired way to write that precept into our own biography.   When we write such beautiful things in our book, we are beautifying our garments as a Bride-to-be awaiting the arrival of her husband. That’s not nearly as scary as the second resurrection, which is reserved for those who were not gathered into the cloud at the first resurrection.   In our weekly Zoom classes, we have been examining the twenty-four garments of the Bride as listed in Isaiah Three. Although Isaiah is chastising Israel for using those garments for the harlotry of idolatry, the judgment prophesied gives insight into how those twenty-four garments should be used to prepare for the Bridegroom’s coming.   “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.” (Re 4:4)   Everything is double on Shabbat. Double manna. Double joy. Double peace. Guard and remember. In celebrating Shabbat, the Bride experiences a taste of Heaven on earth, a peaceful millennium and firstborn double portion under the rule of Messiah when “the day that is all Shabbat” is administrated by the twelve tribes of Israel from their assigned gates of New Jerusalem. By putting on the twenty-four garments of the Bride, Israel signifies the “double” principle of the millennial Kingdom of Messiah.   To illustrate the garment preparation for the Kingdom of Messiah, this week we focused on garment Number Twenty-three, gilyonim, or “robes.”   23. robes [gilyonim] [hand mirrors] גִּלָּיוֹן  a tablet for writing (as bare); by analogy, a mirror:—glass, roll.   How interesting is it that one garment can connote such different things:   Hand mirrors? A writing tablet? A scroll (roll)? A glass?   Each of these items is reflective. How do we see ourselves? James picks up the mirror-garment as one of the essentials for the Bride, explaining how it works:   “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” (Ja 1:22-25)   Each day we write on our scroll, either copying what is written of our life from the tablets of the Torah, or arrogantly writing our own Bible, mixing Babylon and Egypt instead of New Jerusalem into the text of what is written of us in the books of Heaven. Our biography. It is not wrong to be self-conscious if that consciousness is a continuous reflection of whether we are reflecting the beautiful life of the Word in our deeds, which are being transcribed.   The foundations of New Jerusalem are made up of precious stones, just as the Kohen HaGadol ministered with twelve precious stones of judgment representing the tribes of Israel. Judgment will reveal the stones when they are finally subjected to the penetrating Light of the Torah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhC6iPuh4XM   What may have shined as the most beautiful diamond in this world may be revealed as only a dull, colorless stone. What was perceived as only a semi-precious stone or trinket in this world may be seen for what it is in the Light of judgment when the books are opened: resplendent with Light.   In a recent newsletter, we read:   “Arise, O LORD, confront him, bring him low; deliver my soul from the wicked with Your sword, from men with Your hand, O LORD, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your treasure; they are satisfied with children and leave their abundance to their babes. As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.” (Ps 17:13-15)   The psalm highlights the difference between the wicked and those who will be rewarded when they “awake,” or resurrect.    While those who seek the things of the world are satisfied with their reward in this life...in fact, they get a “bellyful” of rewards...a hint to those who serve the serpent and the beast. The serpent, the most cunning beast of the field, falls down and goes “on your belly.” He habitually allows his soul (nefesh): appetite, emotion, desire, and intellect to rule; whereas the Ruach-led Bride-to-be will copy faithfully what is written in the Word. The Ruach guides and disciplines the soul. Feelings are not true, only real.   In the millennium, the full-bellied wicked do not “awake” to the same reward as the one who is clothed in the righteousness of the Word, Yeshua. Only then do the righteous fully inherit because they conformed themselves to the likeness of Elohim and were satisfied from His hand with spiritual riches until their resurrection. They are the Bride of His intimacy in His House, in New Jerusalem.   What reveals and authenticates the Bride at the judgment is the “books.”   “A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, and the books were opened.” (Da 7:10)   At the judgment of the righteous, books full of good deeds will be opened. White garments will dazzle. The joy of eternally continuing in those good deeds makes them open books with eternal sequels from the Book of Life. They can celebrate in rivers of fire that do not burn them, or even singe those twenty-four garments!   What of the potential Bride who persistently writes his or her own bible? Made a name for herself like the ancient ones of Bavel who brought about the confusion of languages? They forgot the judgment of the flood and thought mixing in bricks of disobedience with Heavenly aspiration would be okay. What will she do when the books are opened?   “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (1 Pe 4:17-18)   It will too late in this world for that Bride-was-to-be to write anymore obedient life into her biography.   Because that’s all she wrote.   Please SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to get new teachings.

Dr Hollisa Alewine – Footsteps of Messiah Part 132 (The King's Authority, Angels, and Demons) for week of November 17, 2024

The King's Authority, Angels, and Demons

Last week, we examined the prophetic value of waving and shaking the lulav:   •      With the lulav, we call home the exiles from all directions of the earth to the sukkah. They are called to their Kingdom assignments, their reward, and to further repentance. •      First fruits offerings and those consecrated for service are typically waved •      Is 13:13; Mt 24:29; Mk 13:25; Lk 21:26; Re 6:13 describe how powers and principalities will be shaken out of the way to prepare the way for Messiah’s return and Kingdom.  •      When Messiah sets up his Kingdom, the tribes will take the places of the removed “stars,” ruling from the twelve gates of Jerusalem under the King’s authority. (For the full explanation, review Powers and Principalities)   Today, disciples of Yeshua are still commissioned to learn, practice, and rehearse their future Kingdom responsibilities wherever they live among the nations. Learning to walk both in and under authority is something vital to orderliness in our walk today and absolutely vital in serving our now-and-future King in the millennium. Yeshua left us an incredibly valuable teaching on our preparation:   And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment. (Mt 8:5-13)   The text implies the servant was not suffering only from a physical malady, but a demonic oppression, or torment. The centurion frames his discussion on authority as being able to tell a subordinate to come or go, and they have to obey. Even demons are subordinate to the Word, and the centurion recognized Yeshua’s authority to send them away. Our King is the Living Word, not to be argued with by any demonic entity.    This is the authority that was to be invested in Israel as rulers with King Messiah. As they rehearsed their leadership in the wilderness encampment, preparing to replace powers and principalities, so Yeshua dispatched his disciples with instructions to practice healing and casting out demons in his Name, or authority. As with any learning exercise, sometimes they encountered challenges. Some demons didn’t accept their authority to send them back to their own realm. By definition, a demon attached to a human is out of bounds. Out of authorized areas. The question is, does the believer understand the authority to send it back to its assigned space?   And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (Ac 19:15)   Yeshua taught the disciples that for stubborn cases, prayer and fasting beyond the annual Yom HaKippurim was necessary. Just as some ancient warriors, like Uriah or Jonathan, purified themselves, abstained from marital relations before a battlefield encounter, or made vows, so a little yom kippur is a way of preparing for serious spiritual battle by humbling the soul.    This does not mean that if you are not healed, you are deficient in faith. Even Timothy was often ill. Early believers fell ill and were subject to torture and death, so we prepare, pray, and practice using Yeshua’s authority, but sometimes the answer is no. We walk within the authority of the King, and if He has willed a different outcome, then we can only pray and accept that our ministry is not authorized to override a royal decree, only to appeal that it be somehow mitigated.    Yeshua links the final gathering at the resurrection to calling in the Bride-to-be with the “lulav” principle of Avraham, Isaac, and Jacob who are buried at Hebron, awaiting the resurrection. If you’ll remember from last week, the three myrtle branches of the lulav symbolize the three pairs of patriarchs/matriarchs who are buried at Hebron. Because Hebron was thought to be an entrance back to the Garden of Eden, it was a signal to all their descendants that there will be a resurrection.    Having faith in that central idea of the Word is what characterizes those who will return to the Garden, which hovers just above Jerusalem. In the Jewish tradition, when a righteous person crosses into the Garden after death, he is greeted first by Adam with joy, and then there is a sit-down meal with the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the fathers of our faith. Yeshua said there will be lots of room at that table of believers in him. If they walk in righteousness with him, they will experience a pleasant family reunion while they await the resurrection.      So why did Yeshua connect walking in the authority of the Living Word of Adonai with the resurrection?    Learning to walk in authority and under authority today is our preparation FOR the resurrection. Life is not over then, but just beginning. We need faith skills. We need humility. We need a ministry work ethic. We need to understand what authority we have and don’t have in the Word especially if we must be prepared to judge angels! (1 Co 6:3)      Please SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to get new teachings.

Dr Hollisa Alewine – Footsteps of Messiah Part 131 (What You Did) for week of November 10, 2024

What You Did

for the Greater Exodus

 

When is the best time to plan for Sukkot?

 

Immediately after Sukkot!

 

There’s not much chance of a smooth eight days next year if you’re not already working on your calendar and negotiating the days off. One thing’s for sure...if you bumble and stumble through a feast, the kids and grandkids are watching. What must they think? Their friends’ parents put up the December holiday lights and decorations weeks ahead of time, but mom had no idea that there was a significant rip in the tent roof or grandpa tried to hold a sukkah together with zip-ties and fishing line as the sun set on the first day of Sukkot?

 

I know. I’m not helping your anxiety level. It happens to most folks, though, until they learn to plan. Let’s see if I can help. Would it help if you understood the prophetic value of the seemingly minor activities during Sukkot? Like waving and shaking the lulav for seven days?

 

The lulav, or four species, is comprised of seven components. The palm branch is the lulav, but the entire bundle is also called the lulav [1≈7]. To some, each of the species (minim) represent a type of believer, from extremely pious to minimally active spiritually. Even though there is a range of observance, they are all one bundle. The good traits of others can offset the lazier ones, who nevertheless might have some redeeming quality to contribute to the group.

 

There are other traditions as well. The feasts are filled with symbolic objects, foods, and actions. In one tradition, the symbolism of the lulav is:

 

•      One palm branch, representing the one Elohim.

•      One citron, representing the one nation (Israel).

•      Three myrtle branches, representing the three forefathers buried at Hebron

•      Two willow branches, representing the two Tablets of the Word

 

The palm branch, or lulav, must come from the crown of the dekel, or palm tree. It is the new growth that is still tightly compact, unopened, very straight like a spine that supports the body. 

 

The citron is the etrog, the pleasant-smelling “heart” of the lulav because of its shape. The etrog is invalidated if the pitom is broken off or missing. The pitom is the prominent tip. We must serve Adonai carefully and with a whole heart.

 

The myrtle is hadas, and its leaves look like eyes. If crushed or even brushed against, it releases a fragrant oil. We should always be on the lookout for opportunities to release the fragrance of Messiah Yeshua in our interactions with others. The Living Word leaves a tangible fragrance others appreciate. It is a sign of spiritual life, a prophecy of the resurrection. There must be three myrtle branches, a symbol of resurrection. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their wives are buried in Hebron because it was thought to the an entrance back to the Garden of Eden; thus, the resurrection number of three still speaks to us that we should walk in the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

 

The aravot are the two willow branches. Willows are very flexible, but they send down deep roots and dwell in well-watered places and along rivers of living water. Their long branches make a stunning whooshing noise if waved back and forth, which they were in the Temple water-pouring ceremony. These branches remind us that the Word must be inspired of the Ruach HaKodesh to inspire others. The commandments are embraced both with the spirit and letter, or practical doing of them.

 

The lulav is waved in seven directions. The Elyah Rabbah (Orach Chaim 651:1) writes: "All together, seven, corresponding to the seven heavens.” The bundled lulav is waved, or shaken, specifically in the direction of the four winds in a linear method as well as toward Heaven and earth, south-north-east-upward-downward-west. These directions are mentioned in Isaiah:

 

·     Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” (Is 43:5-7)

 

There are sheep out in the sheepfolds of the nations, sons and daughters. They were exiled to the “wilderness of the peoples,” but they will come home to the Land of Promise in the Greater Exodus. They were emplaced in the nations just like Israel was emplaced in Egypt for a purpose:

 

·     “Now not with you alone am I making this covenant and this oath, but both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God and with those who are not with us here today (for you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed; moreover, you have seen their abominations and their idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which they had with them)...” (Dt 29:14–17)

 

It is important for us to SEE the abominations and idols of the nation in which we live. That means we should recognize those as contrary to every precept of life in the Scripture. We are not to see in order to absorb the abominations or to be absorbed into them, but to become the Light of the Word that stands against them in that nation.

 

Out there among the nations is a Bride-to-be. She may not even know she is a Bride yet. She has not yet heard or responded to the Good News of Messiah. “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him that brings good news, announcing peace. Keep your feasts, O Judah!” (Na 1:15) This is why observing the feasts is important. Just as the Bride was called out of their chains in Egypt, so there are others in that wilderness of the nations who must shrug off the Egyptian chains and hang them in a sukkah at Sukkot. 

 

SHAKING AND WAVING

•      With the lulav, we call home the exiles from all directions of the earth to the sukkah. They are called to Kingdom assignments, their reward, and to perfecting repentance.

•      First fruits offerings and those consecrated for service are typically waved

•      Is 13:13; Mt 24:29; Mk 13:25; Lk 21:26; Re 6:13 describe how powers and principalities will be shaken to prepare the way for Messiah’s return. 

•      When Messiah sets up his kingdom, the tribes will take the places of the removed “stars.” Just as they encamped in the wilderness to prepare to reign from the twelve gates of Jerusalem in place of those principalities and powers, so we are in the wilderness of the nations preparing ourselves and preparing the nations for the reign of the one and only Elohim of the universe.

 

If you’ve ever noticed Jews shaking the lulav, they don’t just wave it in the directions of the four winds, heaven, and earth, they SHAKE it hard. As the Bride-to-be is called home from the four directions of the nations, she is called forth from the earth where she is buried and from the heavens where her soul awaits the blowing of the shofar for the resurrection. 

 

The tribes come home, but they also awake from the dust at the resurrection so that they may ascend to New Jerusalem. There they will form one Bride, one Body of Messiah, an adornment for the Bridegroom. From the height of that cloud, they will descend, perfected, to rule and reign on earth. 

 

She must shake off the dust of death to arise even as the principalities and powers are shaken out of their places to make room for the new administration of the King of Kings.

 

Sukkot are often decorated with paper chains. One legend says that two descendants of Ephraim ran away from the slavery in Egypt, attempting to return to the Promised Land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Pharaoh’s soldiers captured them, put them in chains, and paraded them through the cities of Egypt to warn people what happened to any attempting to flee slavery to Pharaoh. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and they first encamped in Sukkot, the two boys, who had kept the chains of their captivity so as not to forget the day of their freedom, hung the chains from their sukkot. Therefore, today children make paper chains to hang from the sukkah. 

 

Israel should never go back to the chains of slavery, but travel forward to the Covenant, the Land of Promise, and after the resurrection from the earth which they were formed, to take their places in the administration of Messiah during the millennium:

 

Shake yourself from the dust, rise up,

O captive Jerusalem;

Loose yourself from the chains around your neck,

O captive daughter of Zion. (Is 52:2)

 

Does that help any anxiety about preparing for Sukkot? When you shook the lulav, this is what you did. You were part of prophecy! 

 

Sukkot and the lulav each year teach us the responsibilities of being a Light of the Torah in the Greater Exodus of Israel as she returns to her Land of Promise. It’s a promise to Avraham, Isaac, and Jacob kept; it’s broken chains of sons and daughters in every sukkah on the journey home.

 

It’s the opportunity to be a part of that great cloud of witnesses to which we will awake at the resurrection. It’s a rehearsal to party with the righteous from centuries past at the resurrection. It’s a rehearsal to become acquainted with the Bride-to-be with whom we will be serving in the millennium. 

 

Wake it and shake it already!

 

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Dr Hollisa Alewine – Footsteps of Messiah Part 130 (Wee the People) for week of November 3, 2024

 

Wee the People

Did you have to memorize the preamble to the Constitution in school?   "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution...”   I never had a problem memorizing things for school. It was getting up in front of people that was terrifying. Eighth grade was a veritable shark tank of hormones, cliques, and mean girls and guys. A public mistake likely meant a nickname you didn’t want. Not much tranquility among “we the people” in junior high.   We the people. The politicians did get a few things right back then. A sense of common identity, community, mutual respect, and all those things that define a people group were at the top of their agenda. Not a bad start for a government defining and agreeing on what “constitutes” a nation.    But the signers of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution didn’t want a king, even a good one.    Israel in the wilderness was a miracle, a people group preserved in Egypt over hundreds of years without losing their identity. They had a king, a pharaoh, yet they kept their own language. They kept their tribal identity. These things became even more defined in the wilderness when they received their covenant in Hebrew, affirming their collective mission.    Each tribe’s blessings were clarified, territory defined in the encampment, leaders chosen and instructed. A central place of worship nestled in their center, reminding them that they should provide for the common defense of the Ark, maintain their boundaries in tranquility, and look to the welfare of their families so that their posterity would be able to enter and inhabit the Land of Promise.    Their King was YHVH, Who betrothed them to Himself at Mount Sinai. Everyone signed on with “We will do, and we will hear.” Unlike the Tower of Bavel, where human beings united to build a name for themselves, Israel united to build the Name of the Holy One of Israel. There is ultimate power in unity, which is reflected in our proclamation of the greatest commandment: “Hear O Israel, the LORD your God, the LORD is One.”   What happens, though, when our “we” becomes my “I”? Oh, my.   The stutter-steps in the wilderness occurred when the I’s developed an independent agenda or envied others. There were rebellions against the authority of Moses and Aaron, rebellions against the mitzvot, even passive-aggressive disobedience. In the wilderness, that means just not showing up when you know you should.    Each problem emerged when “I” outweighed “we the people.” Even rebel groups were not truly a “we.” They had different agendas, so they were bound as “we” only in dissatisfaction, which would not be enough to hold them together had they been successful, such as Korach and the Reuvenites. Truth is, they were a collection of “I’s”.    The secret to a successful “we”, as in “We will do, and we will hear,” or “We the people,” is that we have to become wee people. Smaller than our egos tell us we should or ought to be. Or, in some cases, bigger than our fears will allow us to be. In that case, doing more is actually an act of humility. If we obey the fear, we will not be fruitful in the congregation. We have to make the fear smaller and our Divine spiritual calling greater. Great faith means wee fear.   WE are not alone as we battle our egos or our fears:   “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us...” (He 12:1)   The clouds surrounded the Israelites in the wilderness. Within the cloud were many witnesses to the exodus from Egypt, the miracles along the way, and the national purpose to build the Kingdom of the only true King of Kings. “I” could never forget what “we” experienced because there were so many witnesses in the surrounding cloud. What I experienced was what we experienced.   This is a race we run together. The only time there is one runner is called a “walk-over” in horse racing. It means that there is an entry in the race that is so formidable that no one else dares even enter another horse in the race. That horse has only to walk over the finish line. In other sports, a walkover occurs when the opposing team forfeits because of the overwhelming skill of the opponent.   The race is not against other believers! The race is against the enemy within, the sin that so easily bogs us down, entangles us. Did you know that every horse race is designed to be a theoretical dead heat? The track experts rate each horse, and then the faster ones with more stamina carry extra weight in their saddles to slow them. Less proven horses carry less weight so they can run faster.    Although there is rarely a true dead heat, that is the goal. Within the Bride of Messiah, however, that is the ONLY way we finish the race, together. We might look around and point the finger at others for interfering with us, blocking us, bumping us, discouraging us. With our race, however, Paul tells the Corinthians that WE are our own obstacles.    Our own sin, whether rebellious and aggressive, or rebellious and passive, is a burden, or “encumbrance” in the NASB. It’s not extra weight that someone else slips into our saddle, but extra weight we choose to carry. And we don’t have to. And we shouldn’t. Because we want to finish the race at the same time as everyone else. This is not a speed race, but a finishing race. To finish with everyone in the cloud is the win. That’s why Paul says it’s an endurance race. There are no walkovers in the cloud in the wilderness.   We are not alone in our walking race. The cloud of the Presence of Adonai with us includes the inspirational souls of Israel who have gone before in their royal priesthood bridal garments. Like all who would take the yoke of the Torah upon them were standing at Mt. Sinai, so we are part of that great cloud of witnesses...   As the Israelites neared the Promised Land at the end of their journey, Moses reminded them, “You are witnesses today...”   The goal is to finish the testing in the wilderness, which is a race of endurance, not speed. We are in the wilderness of the peoples. In the wilderness of the peoples, we also are surrounded by that great cloud of witnesses and the Presence of Adonai:   “Now not with you alone am I making this covenant and this oath, but both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God and with those who are not with us here today (for you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed; moreover, you have seen their abominations and their idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which they had with them)...” (Dt 29:14–17).   Like the Israelites had to see the gods of Egypt and of the nations in their exodus, so the great cloud of witnesses are “with” us as we also journey, exiting Egypt, being tested for any shred of idolatry left within us from the “midst of the nations” where our wilderness of the peoples occurs.   Endurance is the race strategy, not speed. In this race, all finish at the same time, the resurrection of the dead. In the warning to Sardis in Revelation, Yeshua cautioned that not all who were called will be fully clothed in the supernatural garments that allow them to pass into and out of the “cloud” of New Jerusalem as they minister to the nations and kingdoms of the millennium. Although all were educated by Moses and the Ruach in the cloud in the wilderness, not all obeyed His compassionate mitzvot with joy, and they died in the wilderness. The Cloud expels rebels and practicing sinners. It re-assigns them to less holy spaces.   Nehemiah explains Israel’s royal priestly semi-Edenic journey, reiterating the special garments in a cloud dwelling where the Lamp was the Lamb, the Word of God, and they ruled the peoples from this portable Jerusalem/Temple. (Re 21)   “You, in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud did not leave them by day, to guide them on their way, nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go. You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, Your manna You did not withhold from their mouth, and You gave them water for their thirst. Indeed, forty years You provided for them in the wilderness, and they were not in want; their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell. You also gave them kingdoms and peoples...” (Ne 9:19-22)   From the wilderness the Israelites were educated how to rule kingdoms and peoples on behalf of the King of Kings. They had to see the abominations and idols in their journey in order to know how to minister to those peoples with the Light of the Torah. Although Hebrews, they understood the language of the Egyptians.  They were to see what NOT to do; they weren’t supposed to absorb it and do it.   Although we are Israelites in the wilderness of the peoples, we speak the languages of our exile. We see their abominations and idols. And in spite of all we see in our many Egypts, we retain our identity and the Scripture, the Hebrew “language” of righteousness. We, like every other witness at Mount Sinai, are being educated by Moses and trained in righteousness by the Ruach HaKodesh. The Divine constitution of our nation rests in our midst, the Presence of our King among us, abiding among us through His Word.    We are no longer I.    For now, our temporary tribal territory has been defined so that we may observe the nations and their abominations and idols, so that we may intercede for them now, lead them to repentance, and demonstrate to them that even though we are many Hebrews, we are one in Messiah. We eat the same spiritual food and drink the same spiritual drink in this wilderness.    Where, you ask, is this manna and water in our wilderness?   It’s on your end table. Your nightstand. Your desk. Your laptop. Even your phone.    The Israelites had to walk out each morning together to gather the manna and draw water from the rock’s streams in the desert. We, however, have the Scriptures at our fingertips without ever leaving our homes, our chairs, or even our beds. Never has a wilderness generation had such easy access to manna and spiritual water of the Word.   Therein is a great blessing, and therein is a great danger.   When we don’t have to gather together to gather the Bread of Heaven, we can remain isolated in our feeding upon the Word. I read. I study. I post. It appeals to both the inflated ego and the passive one who remains aloof, hiding from brothers and sisters in the cloud. The cloud is not a place to hide our faces from one another. It is not the cloud that makes us invisible to one another. It is the encumbrance of sin and rebellion we still lug around.   Although it seems like a great blessing for the Word to be so easily gathered and ingested, it is also a test in our wilderness of the peoples. Moses was the most humble man on the face of the earth. He humbled both aspirations and fears. He decreased so Adonai could increase in the faith of the Israelites. He decreased so the King’s witnesses could increase to fulfill their mission and finish the journey. He decreased so kingdoms and peoples could be joined to Israel. Moses became a wee person who could draw near the Divine Presence and draw others near as well.    In Yeshua’s temptations, neither aspirations nor fears clouded his understanding of the Word and his mission. Our Messiah Yeshua put off the Divine glory to become a wee person, to draw many into the cloud of witnesses.    Shouldn’t wee?

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Dr Hollisa Alewine – Footsteps of Messiah Part 129 (The Haunted Sukkot House: The Two Hauntings of the Lukewarm) for week of October 20, 2024

In this teaching Dr Hollisa Alewine discusses the two hauntings after Yom HaKippurim.

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Dr Hollisa Alewine – Footsteps of Messiah Part 128 (Green Grass of the Apocalypse) for week of October 13, 2024

We examine why the green grass is burned in Revelation. 

 

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Dr Hollisa Alewine – Footsteps of Messiah Part 127 (Rosh HaShanah: Who's Counted and What Counts?) for week of October 6, 2024

The three reckonings of Yom Teruah ...

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Dr Hollisa Alewine – Footsteps of Messiah Part 126 (The Bride's Wilderness Laundromat) for week of September 22, 2024

The Bride's Wilderness Laundromat

The wilderness journey brings up all sorts of practical questions. Practical questions often lead to impractical, but not impossible, answers. Although the Israelites looted the Egyptians, it is unlikely that the garments lasted for forty years in the harsh desert. How did they keep up with the laundry? What about the children born who would need clothes of their own?

 

Having done my laundry in the Aravah several times, I know from experience that clothes hung on a line to dry have a coating of sand by the time they dry and I take them down to fold them.

 

The pillars of cloud and fire, as well as the cloud cover in which the Israelites walked, provided supernatural assistance in these practical questions. The hint is found in the following verses:

•“Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.” (Dt 8:4)

•“I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot.” (Dt 29:5)

Egyptian clothes surely wear out. The sandals even more so with a nation on foot. These supernatural garments and shoes must have come from somewhere. The Midrash explains:

•“From where did they obtain clothing to wear throughout the forty years that the people of Israel spent in the Wilderness? They were from what the ministering angels clothed them. Thus it is written, ‘I clothed you (Israel) in rikmah (Ezekiel 16:10).

Rikmah is a royal garment.” (Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim 4§23)

 

The hint in Ezekiel is that these splended, durable garments were garments of royalty, fit for a royal priesthood. They were also fit TO a royal priesthood.

 

It was thought that the supernatural garments grew with the person like a shell grows with the chilazon, the snail from which techelet (blue) dye is extracted for tzitziyot to remind Israel of the mitzvot. From infant to adult, the garment grew. This helps us understand how the commandments grow with us when we continue to set our affection on what is above, learning to use what is below for the service of Heaven. The commandments become bigger and stronger in their protection and beauty as we grow because they are growing with us!

 

This passage in Ezekiel is thought to describe Israel’s bridal agreement to betrothal at Mount Sinai when they said, “We will do and we will hear”:

 

•“Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love; so I spread My skirt [wing, kanaf] over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became Mine,” declares the Lord GOD. Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I also clothed you with embroidered cloth [rikmah] and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth.” (Ezekiel 16:8-13)

Israel the Bride was at the time for “love,” or able to Shma, to hear and to love with all her heart, soul, and strength. At that time, the ministering angels were thought to clothe Israel with miraculous garments that did not wear out and give them the sandals that did not wear out. They were also given two royal crowns, one for “we will do” and one for “we will hear.” After the golden calf, those crowns were taken away and the “jewelry” were retrieved, but the miraculous royal garments and sandals remained upon them. (Dt 8:4) Like the Kohen HaGadol, every member of the royal priesthood was clothed in “garments of honor and glory.”

 

The Midrash asks:

•But did the clothing not need washing? “The pillar of cloud, which accompanied the nation throughout their journey in the Wilderness, brushed against the clothing and cleansed them.” (ibid 4§23). 

 

The garments could withstand the fire of the pillar of cloud because they were manufactured in Heaven. These were garments with the smell of the blessed field, a place of eternal life. The fire actually refined the garments instead of destroying them!

 

Likewise, Yeshua’s garment of salvation and robes of righteousness, which we may put on, have a Garden fragrance of eternal life and a royal priesthood, a fragrance of Lebanon, as Chapter Four of Song of Songs says. Lebanon is from lavan, which means “white.” Salvation and obedience are white robes from the pleasant Land of the Garden. A great "cloud of witnesses" to the commandments of God and the testimony of Yeshua wears clean, pressed white garments:

•“When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.” (Re 6:9-11)

If, according to Rashi, the garments were also pressed daily, does that seem too fantastic? Perhaps not! The cloud and fire was the Bridegroom’s way of keeping the Bride’s garments of glory washed, pressed, and perfectly sized: 

•“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.” (Eph 5:25-30)

Remain in the Word, and the spiritual water and fire will clean your salvation garment and robes of Yeshua's righteousness daily. It will even give them a fine pressing so that there is not even a wrinkle in your commandment-keeping as you journey through the wilderness of the peoples. No wrinkles also means you've grown into them and matured in the journey. What might have seemed overwhelming at the beginning of the journey, you'll find was nothing to worry about. Your garments grew with you, and you grew into the garments!

 

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