Hello John and all my sweet Doves. Sorry I have not been
active in posting to forums for a couple years, but recently have been working
on a study that may be relevant to NOW, a "day and an hour" that we may be
watchful of, may the Lord bless this and add to it by the Spirit through your
own thoughts and studies, as I am still working on it. Love you
all,,,,,your sister in Christ, Arlene
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Welcome back, Arlene!
John
The Samaritan Woman at the Well
This is a study on John 4, which
describes our Lord’s private meeting with the Samaritan at the well, in
Samaria. I would like to alert the brethren and sisters of Christ to the
fact that there is a day and an hour mentioned in this chapter. Our Lord
admonished us to “watch” or else we would not know the “day or the hour” of His
coming, such as His message to the church of Sardis in Rev 3:
Rev 3:3
Remember therefore how thou hast
received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not
watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will
come upon thee.
So, apparently, we should look
for a mention of a day and an hour in the Scriptures.
There is a “day and an hour”
mentioned in Acts 2, at Pentecost, it was the third hour in Jerusalem
(9:00 a.m.). So, that is a possibility, as Pentecost is 4 months until
Pentecost,,,but this could not be it, because our Lord spoke these words well
before Pentecost. But there is another day and hour mentioned, and
this one is in John 4, and this day and hour has to do with the BRIDE OF CHRIST,
and a WHITE HARVEST. And this day and hour was not proclaimed at
Pentecost, but prior to Passover of that year, and also prior to a "feast of the
Jews", which most probably was Purim.
First, we have to place the timing of this encounter of our Lord with this woman
at the well. In John 2, He had been at a Passover, where He overturned the
money changers’ tables. In John 3 He speaks with Nicodemus, after which
He then baptizes in Judea with His deciples. He learns of the
animosity of the Pharisees, and departs out of Judea into Samaria. He
speaks with the woman at the well between two Passovers, and shortly after He
speaks to her He attends a “feast of the Jews”, after which “Passover drew
near”. So, He spoke to her just prior to a “feast of the Jews”, just
before the next Passover.
First of all, the major feasts of Israel are always mentioned by name in the New
Testament, such as Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles. But this is a minor
feast, so is not called by its name, but just “a feast of the Jews”. Since
it occurred just before “Passover drew near”, then the feast which followed His
encounter with her was probably Purim, which takes place 30 days before
Passover.
Now, our Lord had traveled with His deciples through Samaria, for He said He
“must NEEDS TO GO” to this place, and He was “tired”, so He sat on the well, AND
IT WAS ABOUT THE SIXTH HOUR. (noon). That is an hour.
But there is also a day, for when the Samaritan woman had run into town to bring
back the people of the city, our Lord pointed out to His deciples, “DON’T SAY IT
IS FOUR MONTHS TO THE HARVEST,,,for look at the harvest NOW,,,white to
harvest”. So, there is a “white” (ripe) harvest four months prior to
harvest. And Pentecost is called the harvest feast, or feast of
weeks. So, this proclamation came from our Lord, at noon, 120 days before
Pentecost.
He then went to a “feast of the
Jews”, a minor feast, probably Purim, where He healed a man, infirm for 38 years
at the pool of Bethesda. This man (a Jew), didn’t even know the Lord,
typical of the Jews then and even now, until He met Him later in the
temple. Also typical of the book of Esther, about Purim, where there is no
mention of God at all, just “fasting”. One of the commandments given
in the book of Esther to the Jews to celebrate Purim, is that they should make
merry and “give gifts to the poor”. Our Lord, then also fulfilled this
minor feast by giving a gift to this poor man who “had no man to help me”.
After this, He healed a nobleman’s son on His way back to Jerusalem, for
“Passover drew near”. So, this was a minor feast before Passover.
Some people say that there are 120 days from Pentecost to the fall feasts.
BUT,,,our Lord Himself did not say this four months to harvest at Pentecost, He
said it before Passover. And He was not in Jerusalem when He said it, He
was in Samaria, and He was required by Jewish law to attend the three major
feasts. He said this prior to Passover, and prior to Purim.
THIS YEAR, 120 days before “the harvest” (Pentecost), is January 28-29.
Purim is March 10 FORTY DAYS LATER (forty days is a period of testing in the
Bible). 30 Days after Purim is Passover.
So, for our watchfulness, this year, for this “day and hour”, we would want to
watch for the day that is 120 days before Pentecost, (January 28-29) and the
hour that is noon (Jerusalem time).
Paul speaks about the "children of the night", who WILL NOT ESCAPE the sudden
destruction. See John 3. Nicodemus is a "type" of the children of
the night...He comes to the Lord in secret, at night, lest he damage his career
and image, etc. The woman at the well meets Him in broad daylight, and
runs into town to publicly proclaim His Messiahship. She is a type of the
bride of Christ,,,the WHITE HARVEST (white linen
robes). .........to be continued
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