To all beloved Doves,,,,
I have not posted here
for quite some time; please forgive me,,,,but have
had a series of trials and testings not few. Don’t even ask.
Nevertheless, I have
continued to read all your posts, much to the edification of my soul,,,,and have seen the Spirit as the wind coming and going, as
we have awaited the coming of our beloved Lord,,,,,,repeatedly disappointed
as each promising day fizzled out…..but then, I am forced to remember, He
said, “I will come WHEN YOU THINK NOT”. We do all think it will be a Jewish
feast day, and perhaps that will be so, and somehow, we have a great expectation
of this year 2007, as it is 40 years from the 1967 victory of taking Jerusalem
by Israel. Israel was 19 years old at the time and
Israel is the fig tree, as we know. God told the Israelites
that those aged 19 and over would wander in the desert and die there, and
that the younger generation would inherit the land, some 38-40 years later.
Thus, 2007 is a very important year to watch. Jesus our Lord told us to
watch the fig tree.
Gary Rich,,,,,,,your
post of January
24, 2007,,,,,,
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/jan2007/garyr124-1.htm
reminded
me of the coming February peace talks held here in the U.S., and that God has shown in recent
times, that any attempts to divide His land resulted in judgments, for when
they say peace and safety, swift destruction comes……and remarkably, that
does happen.
Accordingly, this date
has been announced, for this coming peace discussion:
US's Rice calls Mideast quartet meeting for
February 2
at the
following Reuters news URL:
http://za.today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-01-18T130044Z_01_BAN846811_RTRIDST_0_OZATP-RICE-DIPLOMACY-20070118.XML
Now, there is another
relatively un-noticed thing happening, beginning the evening of February
2.
That is the Jewish tradition
of Tu B Shevat,,,that is, the New Year for the
Trees. This is an ancient tradition, wherein, it is the last day for any
firstfruits to be offered to God for the prior year, and the determination
of tree harvest tithes,,,much like April 15, is our tax deadline date. These dates
coinciding, certainly got my attention, and so I have decided to dig further
with the hope of gaining some insight, that I might share with you Doves,,,,,,,with
an appeal for the Spirit’s blessing upon my search, and with apologies for
any wrong turns in my own imaginations. So, the following is what comes
off the top of my head after a net search on this Jewish day, and other
things, and that, if nothing else, will give us a few more treasures in
heaven to store up from His magnificent Word. Rather than provide urls,
all over the place, I will paraphrase, and leave it to you to further confirm
with your own searches…..
Tu B Shevat is the 15th
of the Jewish month of Shevat (and 15 means “rest”). The Jews celebrate
a traditional New Year for the Trees. It is an agricultural day, of reckoning
the worth of trees, and begins the time of PRUNING, and of tallying
what the tithes of each tree will be, as also it is the last day of bringing
any and all firstfruits unto the Lord from the prior year. It was determined
by Hillel et al that this is the time when the “dry tree” (remember our
Lord said if they do this when the tree is green –passover—what will they
do when the tree is dry—winter—“) begins to take up the water from the
heavy former, winter, rains….therefore, the new sap begins to run, as we
know here in the U.S., by our maple trees…these heavy winter rains are imperative
in the development of fruit for the coming year.
"Until now (15th of Shevat) they (the
trees) lived on the water of last year. From now on, they live on
the water of the new year."
As signs of Spring
begin to appear, the weather becomes milder and the fields begin to sprout
green. A riot of flowers of every kind carpet
the earth. The almond is the first of the trees to blossom,
and the trees give forth a fresh and pleasant aroma.
The Israeli birds, which migrated to warmer
climates during the rainy season, return home. The Jewish people in
ancient Israel, most of whom were farmers,
were aware of and sensitive to these changes in nature”
In the Song of Songs,
the bride says that the winter is past, and the rains are gone…she later
goes down to the nut grove to see if the nut trees have budded, and then,
suddenly, she is taken up in the king’s chariot, and taken to his palace….Our
Lord promised to us, living waters, which should begin to well up within
us, unto eternal life, and the trees certainly need these winter rains,
living waters, to sustain them.
James 5:7 Be patient
therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman
waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for
it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of
the Lord draweth nigh..
They celebrate
this day by eating a wide variety of the fruits of the trees of Israel, and giving thanks to God, for them.
The Jews also believe that this is a day where even God Himself “judges”
the trees, declaring their worthiness or worthlessness. Our calendar late
January, early February, is the time of this traditional observation of
the trees. You may find out much about this day, in your own search of
Jewish sites.
In Israel, it is a time,
when the first spring flowers appear, and when the first buds and flowers
appear on the trees, reminding us of that time when the bride in Song of
Songs, notices the first signs of spring around her.
Let us look at what
our Lord said in Luke 21:
Luke 21:29-38
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold
the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot
forth, ye see and know of your
own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye,
when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation
shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth
shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take
heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting,
and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the
face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all
these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man
Above, our Lord told
us to take note of “all the trees”. When they “shall
shoot forth” (bud and flower). Then He speaks of “this generation”,
referring to the fig-tree generation, the first of trees mentioned. So,
we first see the fig tree, as in 1948, and 1967,,,,then
we know that that generation shall see all these things (that Jewish generation).
Unlike in Matthew, our Lord says in Luke that we are also to take note of
“all the trees”, which may narrow down the time for us, to early
spring, as He states “when they now shoot forth”.
Now, with the above
established, let us look at the almond tree. The almond tree is the first
tree to flower in Israel, and in fact is in flower at this
time of the judgment of the trees. The almond tree puts forth its blossoms
before it does its leaves, and produces nuts, or fruit, all through the
spring, summer and fall,,,,,a very fruitful tree.
It is a truly beautiful tree, one of the gifts of almonds given sent to
Pharoah by his sons in the time of Joseph. The almond branch was that rod
of Aaron’s which “budded” in the time when Aaron and sons were being challenged as to their qualifications for
being priest over the other Israelites, therefore, a declaration from God,
that this budding rod of Aaron was a sign of priesthood for Aaron, as the
others who placed their rods at the entrance of the tent, did not see them
bud. Here is an early type of the “judgment” of the trees, resulting in
a declaration of priesthood for the holder of the almond branch. (and
we are supposed to be priests of the Lord…..) (as I have said before, I am not qualified to be a king or a
priest,,,,I just want to serve in the Lord’s kitchen or sewing room somewhere,
only with the energy to enjoy the work!)
(quoting) “The
symbolic meaning of the almond rod is even more significant. There must
be a good reason why Aaron's rod budded almond
of all fruits. The almond blossoms in January. It is the first to bloom
in the spring while other trees are still sleeping. It is the harbinger
of spring -- the wakeful one. The Hebrew for "almond",
shaqed, comes from the root, shaqad, meaning to be vigilant or awake, i.e.
sleepless, hence to be on the lookout. Is this not required of the priest
charged with trimming the Lampstand!?
The parable of the ten virgins (Mat 25)
is a perfect illustration of the almond rod a.k.a. Lampstand. The fire goes
out if one is not vigilant in trimming the lamp and refilling the oil. To
keep the fire burning requires constant zeal (LIGHT). For this reason, to
the lukewarm Laodiceans the Lord issued this warning, "be zealous therefore, and repent." (Rev
3:19)
Hence the almond rod signifies watchful,
zealous and prompt service of the priesthood, appropriate
characteristics of LIGHT. Light is service and works (Mat 5:16). The first vision given to Jeremiah proves the almond-zeal
connection.
Jer 1:11-12
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest
thou? And I said, I see a
rod of an almond [shaqed] tree. Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast
well seen: for I will hasten
[shaqad] my word to perform
it.
There is a play on words here. The Hebrew
for "almond", shaqed, is morphed into its Hebrew root
word, shaqad, meaning hasten or watch. The idea is, the
God who slumbereth not (Ps 121:3, 4), watches His word to
perform it speedily -- the meaning of the almond rod. Does
not Scripture say no less than three times "the zeal
of the LORD of hosts will perform..." ? (2 Kings 19:31, Isa 9:7, Isa 37:32) Thus Aaron's almond
rod points to the LIGHT symbol convincingly.”
Above, we see that the
almond tree is a symbol of wakefulness, vigilance, and the first to awaken
from “sleep” and also means “hasten” or “watch” ; (note Luke 21:36, above
Watch
ye therefore) and also do we not call unrelenting
unto our Lord to “hasten” His coming? For He says to the nagging petitioner
of the unjust judge…..Luke 18:6 And the Lord said, Hear what
the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge
his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will
avenge them speedily.
(He will hasten to perform His word, as said to Jeremiah…) Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith
on the earth?
The wise virgins are
those who are wakeful (they “slumber”, …nap….rather
than “slept”…a deep sleep…..) The groggy foolish virgins, awake to find that they do not have
a sufficient supply of oil for their lamps. (shall
He indeed find faith on the earth, when He returns?)
Romans 13:11-14
11 And
that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep:
for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night
is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of
darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Above, the almond tree
awakens out of sleep before all the others,,,,,,and even puts forth profuse blossoms…..Also, when Jacob was
in the land of Luz, which means almond grove, is when
he saw the angels ascending and descending from earth to heaven.
I noticed somewhere
on the web that almond leaves can purify bad water.
THE MENORAH
The almond tree is a
much beloved tree of the Lord’s. It is the entire basis for the PATTERN
of the menorah of the tabernacle, which is made of one talent of refined
gold, not overlaid in gold as are the other furnishings, and we, the church,
are refined as gold. It is to be made of “one piece” altogether,,,and
we are one in Christ. The candlestick is to be made of beaten gold,,,,and
in fact, our Lord’s feet were bruised, as are we who are His all too often…
Then, it is specifically told Moses, that the branches of the menorah, and
central shaft, have almond “knops”, many of them,,,and
many almond blossoms. This menorah literally screams ALMOND TREE! Thus
we have a picture of an almond tree in FULL BLOOM, as it is in January/February
in Israel. (is this
the tree of life?) for Jesus said He was the “light” that giveth “life”… This
is the church, with our lamps lit, tended by the
“priests” both in the evening and morning, so that they never go out. See
the end of this article for the reference to this work by Moses, in Exodus.
On Solomon’s porch,
the second temple, were ten of these lampstands,,,,(the ten virgins?).
In the book of Revelation,
John hears a voice like a trumpet,,,then sees the Lord, walking among the
lampstands, JUDGING them…..(judging the almond-tree menorahs?) with both
commendations, and rebukes (judgment of the trees?) Which lampstands are
“worthy” and which are not?
again,
in Luke 21, above:
Luke 21:36 Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these
things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Remember, the above
is said by our Lord, after He draws our attention to “all the trees”.
There is much in the
Word of our Lord, about trees, beginning of course with those two infamous
trees in the garden of Eden. Fruit trees were
to be valued, as in Deuteronomy:
Deuteronomy 20:19
When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to
take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against
them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for
the tree of the field is man's life).Above, a tree is likened unto the
“life of a man”. It is the Lord’s business to judge trees, as the Father
is the Husbandman, and who can curse, or wither, or cut down a tree that
is not fruitful. There is much to glean about governments, and trees, such
as the boastful trees lording it above all the other trees, John the Baptist,
saying that the axe was to be laid to the root of trees, our Lord saying
that a good tree cannot produce bad fruit, His cursing of the fig tree,
and of course the mighty words of the prophets about the “Branch”, who is
our Lord, the root of the tree Jesse. and,
Mark 8:22-26
22 And
he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch
him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out
of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him,
he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, and said,
I see men as trees, walking. 25 After that he put his hands again upon his
eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and
saw every man clearly.
Now, if anyone can shed some light upon the above passage,
I would appreciate it, for I am as blind to the meaning of this as this
poor blind man whom the Lord healed. Perhaps when we begin to be healed
from our own blindness, we “see men as trees, walking”. Any help here would
be appreciated……..
Tu B Shevat is considered by the Jews as a day of joy,,,,they celebrate the abundance of fruits
from the Lord,,,and we know from the Word, that on that day, “no man will
be able to take your joy from you….”.
This is a day of “new life” for trees, and that more abundantly,
with the winter rains past, as in John 10:
I am come that they might
have LIFE and that they might have it more abundantly". John 10:10
So, our “life” in Deuteronomy, is as a tree.
And our suffering brother, Job, said this, about those who die in
Christ,,,
"For there is HOPE
of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that
the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old
in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;
Yet through the scent of WATER
it will bud,
and bring forth boughs like a plant."
JOB 14:7-9
The resurrection to life, anew.
By the scent of the living waters. There is newness
of life, for us who are alive and await our redeemer, in this early spring
blossoming period. Maybe it’s just my imagination but every year in mid-February
or thereabouts, I do get a sense of renewed vitality, and this we all know
as that period of “spring cleaning” of our houses.
I might direct you to look further into our Lord’s
trees, to the following teachings,,,
Continuous rejuvenation throughout life....Psalm
One
"full of sap"...Psalm 104:16
"will clap their hands for joy" Isaiah
55:12 (I
like this one a lot)
saints called "trees of righteousness"....Isaiah
61:3
awaiting adoption Romans 8: 22, 23
Olive Tree...integrating Jew and Gentile through
Yeshua : Romans Chapters 9, 10 and 11
Yeshua Jesus, the integrating BRANCH...Zechariah
6:12
our need for pruning....John 15
For oil....Zechariah 4 and Revelation 11:4
Fig Tree--Symbol of the nation of Israel....Matthew
24
WISDOM (understanding) is a tree of life ...Proverbs
3:18
leaves for healing.....Ezekiel 47:6-12 and Rev.
22:2
Before I weary you Doves, and knowing that now
you have earned a rest from this lengthy message,,,,
I should like to mention a couple things about the fact that our Lord just
may turn up when we “think not”. We know that the revealing of the antichrist
may follow the pattern of the “revealing” of Judas on the night of our Lord’s
passion, for that is when satan entered into him, and he became the “son
of perdition”, thereby REVEALING this wicked enemy of our Lord’s. And
Paul tells us the rapture must preceed this latter-day revealing of the
coming son of perdition.
We also know that it is a tradition of the Jews
to set an extra place at their Passover seder table,
just in case Elijah might just drop in, and that Jesus said that Elijah
would come first. Therefore, if this year, the rapture does take place
before Passover, it gets the church out of the way (the Withholder, removed)
that that “that wicked” could be revealed,,,and
when Judas went out,,,”it was night”. We are children of the day, so not
to experience that horrible “night” to come. And who is to know ? Perhaps He will come in the winter, for He tells the
Jews who are fleeing Jerusalem that they pray their flight not be in winter,
which makes the flight a summer month, hopefully for them, perhaps at the
3 ½ year mark of the tribulation. (July-August is six months from February,
and I believe the 9th of AV,,,is the day of sorrow for the Jews
regarding the destruction of both their temples on that day,,,and other
assorted malignities……so, it could be that there would be signs at that
time that all is not going so well for the temple…..
Remember the comet last summer, Schwassman/Wachman?
(sp.)
was
this the “watchman, twice repeated,,” of:
Isaiah
21:11
The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of
Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
(Schwassman/Wachman?)
The watchman answers, “The morning cometh, and also the night”…
So, this “watchful” one, (almond?),,,says
the morning (for us, the rapture, the new life), cometh, but also the “night”,
of the son of perdition.
This new comet McNaught,,,,now, wasn’t
that spectacular? Surely, this is a sign for the bride………….how beautiful
! Did it look like a bridal veil to you?
http://www.biblicalisraeltours.com/photogallery/Tabernacle/IMG_2047.JPG
Doves ! A group picture of all Doves, click the above
URL……
| |
| Exodus 25:31-40
31 And thou shalt make a candlestick
of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft,
and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be
of the same. 32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three
branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches
of the candlestick out of the other side: 33 Three bowls
made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower
in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with
a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.
34 And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like
unto almonds, with their knops and
their flowers. 35 And there shall be a knop under two
branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and
a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches
that proceed out of the candlestick. 36 Their knops and
their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work
of pure gold. 37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof:
and they shall light F78 the lamps thereof, that
they may give light over against it. 38 And the tongs
thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. 39 Of
a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels. 40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was
shewed thee in the mount. |
And so, Doves, a day we can mark on our calendars,
the judgment of the trees, February 2,,,,and also a day when they shall
be saying peace and safety in Washington DC…….a day that just might be a
day when the trees will awaken and “clap their hands for joy”, and a day
that “you think not”……if nothing of any importance happens on this day or
surrounding this day, well, now that is nothing new to the WATCHFUL ones,
the ALMONDS. But notice,,,,,nothing keeps us from that watchfulness, that expectancy,
that great desire to see our Beloved ! That is because “you shall know
them by their fruits”,,,,and an almond tree (menorah), is watchful, and gives light.
enough already,,,,and blessings to all of you….
Arlene
