Pentecost Part 2: the dynamite we all still need

What is God trying to say to his people?

Primary pupils awestruck by popular Easter project

It was an awesome privilege once again this Easter to find myself sharing the Gospel message with many hundreds of primary schoolchildren here in Doncaster.

With regard to the commandments of God which formed the bedrock of our national life today as well as that of Israel long ago, we are told: “Teach them to your children and to their children after them” (Deut 4:9).

As for keeping the Passover (fulfilled at Easter), we are similarly urged to pass on the message to the next generation: “In days to come when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery’” (Ex 13:14).

The Easter Journey

Though much of what we share is unfamiliar to this new generation, many schools warmly welcome our so-called ‘Easter Journey’ project. This involves a group of volunteers virtually taking over school premises for a morning, during which the children are invited to explore the meaning of what Christians believe.

With the aid of scenery, props, costumes and key roles being acted out, pupils are imaginatively transported to Jerusalem as they travel from Palm Sunday to the Passover meal known as the Last Supper, followed by the Garden of Gethsemane and the Good Friday crucifixion, before finally witnessing the wonder of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.

With regard to the commandments of God, we are told: “Teach them to your children and to their children after them”.

In setting the scene for the Upper Room meal, it’s been a sheer delight to explain the significance of the occasion to so many children over the past ten days. Most of them are polite and well behaved – and some of the schools are in quite tough areas.

Volunteers work hard to get the right table setting for the Last Supper for each of up to nine groups of children. Photo: Charles GardnerJudging by the wide-eyed attention of these seven to eleven-year-old pupils, the words and pictures conveyed will no doubt have found much good soil for seeds of faith to germinate.

The Fields are Ripe!

This is the tenth year of the project, for which schools are queuing up; unfortunately, we have to turn down invitations for lack of resources. The feedback from teachers accompanying the groups on the journey is invariably upbeat, speaking of the sense of wonder being captured.

Indeed, the fields are ripe for harvest, yet many Christians are under the mistaken impression that schools are closed to the Gospel. We know there are aggressive atheists working towards that end, but the national curriculum still encourages Christian visitors to share what they believe in the classroom.

Linda Gardner, who became a Christian herself through a Gideon Bible received in school, has been engaging Doncaster’s primary pupils with the Gospel message for the past 24 years, through assemblies and RE lessons as well as special projects such as Christmas and Easter Journeys.

Employed by a trust¹ supported by churches, her diary is bulging with appointments at schools straddling a wide geographical area. About half the borough’s 100 primary schools have been reached on a regular basis over the years, while Linda’s colleague Dan Budhi is making an impact in the secondary schools.

Many Christians are under the mistaken impression that schools are closed to the Gospel, but the fields are ripe for harvest.

The message – particularly of the Easter Journey – is of a loving God who has come to rescue us from slavery to sin and degradation, and whose sacrificial blood cleanses and sets us free. It’s a message that brought freedom to an ancient people who had been slaves for 430 years, and that brought freedom to us in Britain as we turned from paganism to the living God and became world leaders.

Linda Gardner, heading up Christian work in Doncaster’s primary schools. Photo: Charles GardnerMost importantly, in the schools, it’s a message that can change lives. And we pray they will never forget it. This is, after all, why we are urged to celebrate the major festivals – for the crucial lesson they teach us to remember about the path to freedom.

Remembering Hope

Young people have never been so helpless, fatherless and without love, care and discipline. My prayer is that – should darkness, despair or loneliness threaten to lead them astray – these children will remember the lesson of the rescuing servant King who died because he loves each and every one of them; and how, like the Red Sea opening up to let the Israelites cross to freedom, he was raised from the dead to be with us forever.

I pray also that, if ever any of them should be caught up in a web of violence, drugs or sexual abuse, they will recall the hope we shared with them. For no-one is beyond the reach, and help, of Jesus, as the powerful testimony of Bishop Ron Archer forcefully brings home.

As a distraught ten-year-old, he held a gun to his head wanting to end his short life. But something stopped him, and God soon began speaking to him through the scriptures.

This is a message that can change lives – and we pray that the children will never forget it.

From Pain to Power

Addressing an international conference of the Bible-distributing Gideon movement, the bishop shared how – as a so-called ‘trick baby’ born to a prostitute and one of her clients – he had come to that dark moment.

His mum became pregnant at 16. It wasn’t supposed to happen and the pimps to whom she was indebted did everything they could to kill the unborn child with drugs, alcohol and repeated kicking and stabbing.

But the baby refused to die and was born two months prematurely with neither pancreas nor bladder, unable to function properly and later developing a severe stutter as he grew up being physically abused.

“That baby was me. Life was so horrific with so much vitriol and pain that by the age of ten I had had enough and wanted to die,” Ron recalled.

Then the miracle happened. “There was a teacher with a Gideon Bible who came to my school and saw dysfunctional kids like me as her mission field. She would read me stories of dysfunctional characters whom God used – like Moses, who was also a stutterer. She said, ‘Ronaldo, God will turn your pain into power.’

“And I began to understand there was hope for me. I began to memorise the Bible, I stopped stuttering, stopped wetting my bed…and eventually became a pastor until everyone in my family got saved.”

He said everything changes “when a child begins to understand the love of God and the power of his Word,” adding: “I may have been a ‘trick baby’, but the trick was on the devil because of you [Gideons] and the power of the Word of God.”

For Ron’s full testimony, click here.

References

1 Doncaster Schools Worker Trust, in association with Scripture Union.

Words of revival in the charismatic movement. Part 1 of 2.

After looking at words of warning last week, Dr Clifford Hill turns to the many words of revival that have been given through the charismatic movement.

This article is part of a series. Click here for previous instalments.

Promises of Revival and Blessing

We look now at prophecies which contrast strangely with the warnings considered last week. By far the most popular prophecies among charismatics have been those promising renewal and speaking of days when great power and prosperity would be enjoyed by the Lord's people.

These prophecies actually pre-date the charismatic movement and began in the Latter Rain Revival movement in North America (see also the part of this series written by David Forbes). It is relevant here to note their persistence over a period of more than 50 years. Concepts which have no biblical foundation, some of which were banned as heretical in the 1940s, have reappeared time after time in the charismatic movement. They have been popularised by charismatic speakers and uncritically accepted.

A prophecy by David Minor which was given to an assembly of the Lutheran Church in the USA had a wide circulation among charismatics reaching many countries. It conveyed a message with a promise of revival preceded by a time of cleansing and purification of the Church. These were described as 'winds'. It is a long prophecy but it is reproduced here in full because of its influence in the charismatic movement.

TURN YOUR FACE INTO THE WIND

The Spirit of God would say to you that the Wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing through the land. The church, however, is incapable of fully recognizing this Wind. Just as your nation has given names to its hurricanes, so I have put My Name on this Wind. This Wind shall be named "Holiness Unto the Lord".

Because of a lack of understanding, some of My people will try to find shelter from the Wind, but in so doing they shall miss My work. For this Wind has been sent to blow through every institution that has been raised in My Name. Those institutions that have substituted their name for Mine, they shall fall by the impact of My Wind. Those institutions shall fall like cardboard shacks in a gale. Ministries that have not walked in uprightness before Me shall be broken and fall.

For this reason man will be tempted to brand this as the work of Satan, but do not be misled. This is My Wind. I cannot tolerate My Church in its present form, nor will I tolerate it. Ministries and organizations will shake and fall in the face of this Wind, and even though some will seek to hide from that Wind, they shall not escape. It shall blow against your lives and all around you will appear crumbling. And so it shall.

But never forget this is My Wind, saith the Lord, with tornado force it will come and appear to leave devastation, but the Word of the Lord comes and says, "Turn your face into the Wind and let it blow." For only that which is not of Me shall be devastated. You must see this as necessary.

Be not dismayed. For after this, My Wind shall blow again. Have you not read how My Breath blew on the valley of dry bones? So it shall breathe on you. This wind will come in equal force as the first Wind. This Wind too will have a name. It shall be called "The Kingdom of God".

It shall bring My government and order. Along with that it shall bring My power. The supernatural shall come in that Wind. The world will laugh at you because of the devastation of that first Wind, but they will laugh no more. For this Wind will come with force and power that will produce the miraculous among My people and the fear of God shall fall on the nation.

My people will be willing in the day of My power, saith the Lord. In my first Wind that is upon you now, I will blow out pride, lust, greed, competition and jealousy, and you will feel devastated. But haven't you read, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven"? So out of your poverty of spirit I will establish My Kingdom. Have you not read, "The Kingdom of God is in the Holy Ghost?" So by My Spirit, My Kingdom will be established and made manifest.

Know this also, there will be those who shall seek to hide from this present Wind and they will try to flow with the second Wind. But again, they will be blown away by it. Only those who have turned their faces into the present Wind shall be allowed to be propelled by the second Wind.

You have longed for revival and a return of the miraculous and the supernatural. You and your generation shall see it, but it shall only come by My process, saith the Lord.

The church of this nation cannot contain My power in its present form. But as it turns to the Wind of the Holiness of God, it shall be purged and changed to contain My glory. This is judgment that has begun at the house of God, but it is not the end. When the second Wind has come and brought in My harvest, then shall the end come.¹

This prophecy became influential in the charismatic movement as much for its emphasis upon 'holiness' as for the reinforcing of the expectation of supernatural power. But the concept of 'holiness' it conveyed was not biblical. The Hebrew understanding of holiness was of separation from the world. Hence the prophets could speak of the 'wholly otherness' of God. The temple vessels and priestly garments were 'set aside' from common use for the exclusive service of God.

Concepts which have no biblical foundation, some of which were banned as heretical in the 1940s, have reappeared time after time in the charismatic movement.

But this popular charismatic concept of holiness does not speak of a people 'set aside' from the world for the exclusive service of God a people who have renounced the values and ways of the world. It concentrates upon personal morality; the elementary things which all people of goodwill who accept the Ten Commandments as the basic rule of life should be following. There is nothing special about turning away from 'pride, lust, greed, competition and jealousy' which the prophecy says will cause the Lord's people to feel devastated!

In testing this prophecy, we should ask, why should this make us feel devastated? But the prophecy was never subjected to biblical testing - it was simply uncritically accepted because it sounded good and made people feel good. So it was passed around charismatic churches across the world.

Nobody queried the phrase “Have you not read, ‘The Kingdom of God is in the Holy Ghost?’", the answer to which has to be NO! It's certainly not in the Bible! Yet it is subtly used here to introduce a promise of “a return of the miraculous and the supernatural. You and your generation shall see it”.

This promise is certainly not in the Bible. Nevertheless, promises like this appeal strongly to Western Christians who long for power and prestige in a world where they feel powerless and lacking in social acceptance.

Rick Joyner’s ‘Harvest’

Another prophecy which had considerable influence in the charismatic movement was published as a small booklet entitled 'The Harvest' by Rick Joyner.² In this he predicted a time of worldwide revival and great spiritual awakening.

This was fully in line with the expectations and hopes of charismatics. It was a popular word that was eagerly received and passed on from one to another. It helped to reinforce the belief that a great and glorious, supernaturally-endowed Church was about to be raised up by God.

This belief was picked up and passed on by many charismatic leaders, who incorporated it into their teaching so that it became part of the accepted body of doctrine in the charismatic movement.

Rick Joyner’s ‘Harvest’ prophecy helped reinforce the belief that a great and glorious, supernaturally-endowed Church was about to be raised up by God.

John Wimber and Vineyard

Undoubtedly the prophecies which have had the greatest influence in directing the development of the charismatic movement have been those coming from the Vineyard/KCF ministry. The Vineyard group of churches was founded by John Wimber in 1981 and in 1989 the Kansas City Fellowship of six churches was incorporated. Their major emphasis was upon prophetic revelation.

Wimber recalls that in 1987 he himself was at a low ebb in his spiritual life. He told his congregation that he hadn't heard from God for about two years.³ Nothing was going right in his ministry. David Watson, with whom he had become firm friends, had died of cancer despite Wimber's confidence that he would be healed. Up to that time he had been saying that they were seeing a considerable proportion of healings amongst those prayed for, including the healing of cancer. He has since confessed that that was not true and they actually saw very few healings.

Wimber's cup of bitterness was compounded in 1987 by the discovery of adultery and immorality among his leaders. He struggled to rectify these things during the next year and then he records, “On December 5th 1988 Paul Cain visited me in Anaheim. Paul was living in Dallas, Texas, at that time, and he had a proven, mature prophetic ministry on a level of which I had never heard before…”⁴

Paul Cain had been out of ministry for 30 years since the death of William Branham and his days as a Latter Rain Revivalist preacher. He says that God told him to attach himself to a man with an established ministry in order to promote his teaching about an end-time 'new breed' of men anointed with supernatural power. He could hardly have chosen a more appropriate moment to approach Wimber whose ministry appeared to be on the wane and who was in a highly vulnerable condition. Cain also accurately predicted a minor earthquake in California which convinced Wimber that God had sent him.

Paul came with reassuring words that God was with us. He said, ‘God has told me to tell you in the Vineyard, grace, grace.’ He said that if we repented God would spare us from judgment for our sins. Further, I was admonished to no longer tolerate low standards and loose living in the Vineyard, and to discipline and raise up a people of purity and holiness. My role, he said, would be significantly altered more authoritative and directive…Paul Cain (and others) also introduced a new dimension of ministry and God's working to the Vineyard…We have produced few people with a prophetic ministry…quite honestly, I didn't take prophecy too seriously. All that has now changed. During this past year I have had to look at prophecy seriously for perhaps the first time in my life.⁵

Undoubtedly the prophecies which have had the greatest influence on the charismatic movement have been those coming from the Vineyard/KCF ministry.

Paul Cain was introduced by Wimber as a prophet of extraordinary spiritual power and insight. He was presented to the British churches as the herald of a new breed who would be the end-time people of God possessing extraordinary spiritual power. In the write-up prior to his public meetings in Britain it was reported,

Today it isn't unusual for Paul to call out twenty or thirty people by name in meetings and to know the most intimate details of their lives (family relationships, birthdays, secrets of their hearts, prayers, where they live) and then bring prophetic direction regarding repentance, forgiveness, calling, gifting, and ministry.

However, the most satisfying aspect of Paul Cain's ministry isn't his remarkable prophetic insight into people's lives, although naming people and knowing intimate details of their lives does catch one's attention. More significant is his clarion call by word and example to live holy lives that are submitted to God, and thus join the new breed of men and women whom God is raising up in the 1990s.⁶

This promise of a 'new breed' was central to Cain's teaching. There can be no doubt that Wimber saw Cain as a divine messenger to give revelationary confirmation and support to his own teaching of 'power evangelism', power healing and power for signs and wonders and miracles.

Speaking on Wimber's platform in Anaheim in 1989, Cain said that there was going to be a worldwide spiritual awakening and the Gospel was going to reach every part of the earth. It's going to:

...reach every cavern, every cave, every foxhole, every land, every tongue, every nation...God is going to reach them with the supernatural, with the power evangelism that John Wimber so eloquently speaks about. It is the power evangelism that's going to do it...⁷

I tell you we're in a crisis stage right now where the church is going to be forced to pray and forced to believe for the prophetic ministry because that's our only salvation. If God doesn't raise up apostles and prophets and power evangelists and pastors and teachers, then we've had it because the church is going to fade into oblivion...⁸

This 'prophecy' was based upon Latter Rain teaching and the expectation that the restoration of the offices of Apostle and Prophet would be the key to raising a glorious end-time Church to rule the world. Cain continued:

God has reserved a day after due process and after preparation. God is going to raise up a people out of a people and they're going to be a bunch of nobodies from nowhere. They may not have a lot of degrees and they may not have a lot of clout and they may not have a lot of PR, they may not have a great vocabulary, they may not even be able to do any more than groan in the Spirit, but if that's all they do, it's going to be power. It's going to be powerful and it's going to accomplish more than all the beautiful words of oratory in the world...the Lord is doing his new things in these last days. The gospel of the kingdom is not just the word, it is the word and power. The word will do you no good.⁹

It is hard to imagine what Cain meant by the phrase 'the word will do you no good' as he did not elaborate it, but when such phrases slip out it indicates something basically wrong with the preacher's attitude to Scripture. Cain's prediction that ordinary people with little education and no special status were going to be given supernatural power was a highly popular prophecy received with great acclamation.

Next week: Prophecies of revival contd.

References

1 This prophecy was given by David Minor on 6 April 1987.

2 Joiner, R, 1989. The Harvest. Distributed by Morning Star Publications, N Carolina.

3 Pytches, D, 1990. Some Said It Thundered. Hodders, London, p52.

4 'Introducing the Prophetic Ministry', article by John Wimber in Equipping the Saints, special UK edition/Fall 1990, Vineyard Ministries International.

5 Ibid pp5-6.

6 Springer, K. Paul Cain: A New Breed of Man. Ibid p12.

7 Paul Cain, speaking at 'School of Prophecy', Anaheim, Vineyard Ministries International, November 1989. Transcript of tapes published by Holly Assembly of God, Missouri; Session 7, Part 1, p6.

8 Ibid p7.

9 Ibid p7.

What can Christians expect from the coming times of volatility - and how can we prepare?

As was announced last week, we at Prophecy Today believe that God will not now hold back from shaking Britain. For many years his warning signs have not been heeded - signs of the very same nature that Amos highlighted when he warned Israel of their departure from the ways of God (Amos 4).

In Britain there has been a long-standing expectation of a severe economic shaking - even in secular circles. This financial shaking will surely be more severe than that which accompanied the hurricane which hit the south of England in 1987, impacting the markets in the following days.

One might have thought the recession of 2007, seen as the greatest since the Great Depression of the 1930s, was the severe shaking that we were expecting. Now it seems that even this was a warning shock pointing to something much more severe ahead.

God’s Shakings Are Immense

The Book of Revelation predicts the fall of all the cities of the nations (Rev 16:19) and some see in Revelation 18 the foretelling of a total, global financial collapse in the space of just an hour (Rev 18) – a phenomenon which would not have been possible just a few decades ago, but which today could happen very easily. Whatever shaking is coming to Britain in the near future will likely be a precursor of this, though not the final woe that impacts the world.

In Britain, even in secular circles, there has been a long-standing expectation of a severe economic shaking.

God’s shakings are immense, nevertheless. Clifford Hill, in last week’s editorial, took us back to the times of Jeremiah to liken what is happening in Britain to the judgment that was about to fall on Judah. Jeremiah wept over Jerusalem just as Jesus did around 600 years later, when he prophesied its fall under the Romans, including the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.

The return of Israel to God following this major shaking and her second exile into diaspora is still not complete.

So let’s take the fallout of an imminent shaking in Britain very seriously. If Jerusalem was not preserved, who are we to say that a dramatic collapse could not occur to once-protected Britain?

Obvious Weaknesses

A financial recession or collapse would, of course, impact incomes, savings, businesses and investments, with enormous consequences. People would fall on hard times. But there is a possibility here of even greater fallout: a breakdown of law and order.

There is already an atmosphere of discontent with and distrust of authority enveloping the country, especially among young people. This could easily turn into resentment, and violence could erupt on our streets.

A brief perusal of the political scene in Britain reveals a landscape ripe for volatility: a perceived weak Conservative Government appearing to fail with Brexit (or even appearing to succeed!), Government failure to fulfil election promises, health and care systems on the brink of collapse. There is also the possibility of another general election and the Labour Party led by Corbyn coming to power, which itself could dramatically fail, further dampening the hopes of many. The weaknesses are many and obvious, with tragedies like the Grenfell Tower fire brewing up to a fervour problems that have already been bubbling away for some time.

Yet, for the Church, this is not an entirely negative picture. We must see it as a day of opportunity for the Gospel. But how will it be to minister in such troubled times?

Prepare!

Consider the interval between Malachi’s prophecies and the coming of Jesus – the 400 ‘silent years’ when God seemed to be inactive. We know that by the time Jesus came to minister to the poor and proclaim the Kingdom, many were demonised and many were sick with incurable diseases. Surely we will find the same when God opens the door for the Church to minister to the needy in Britain, during and after the coming shaking.

A brief perusal of the political scene in Britain reveals a volatile landscape – but this is not an entirely negative picture.

Already we see many people in our nation falling for the temptations of satan and living – or merely existing - outside of the protection of God. Family life is disintegrating, as in the time of Malachi, as a sign of this. The consequences are already telling on many lives, just as in the days of Jesus.

It will not simply be a case of food banks and extra financial support. We will need to be ready with the full scope of spiritual ministries at the time designated by God for a call to repentance that many may yet heed. For the events ahead will lie completely within the redemptive purposes of God.

We may have just a short time to consider this and so the word for the Church today, in this context, surely must be "PREPARE"!

But How?

I would suggest that the first part of our preparation be in our attitude. For those of us who have warned of the decline in our nation for so long, it is all too easy to have the judgmental attitude of Jonah who was sent to Ninevah. We should instead have the attitude of Jeremiah and Jesus who wept over the fall of Judah. When did we last weep for the people of our nation?

We must seek to understand the mindset of this generation, especially amongst young people. Why do they believe what they believe and do what they do? Through understanding and sympathy we will be more ready and able to help when doors of opportunity open.

Secondly, we must turn to prayer. The strategy of prayer triplets was very successful for the evangelistic ministry of Billy Graham (called Mission England) in the 1980s. What strategy for prayer will the Holy Spirit give us for the coming days of ministry in our nation?

We will need to be ready with the full scope of spiritual ministries at the time designated by God for a call to repentance that many may yet heed.

Thirdly, let us fan up the flames of the ministries in our churches. How will we deal with someone needing deliverance or healing as they make steps towards acceptance of the Gospel? How will we minister to those who will emerge with confusion and fear?

Let us be honest: if our spiritual life has dried up leaving a lifeless religiosity in its place, now is the time to seek God for personal revival and re-commissioning for the days ahead. Through watching and praying we must seek to understand the times we are in and the subtle tactics of our spiritual adversary who finds ways of deceiving Christians as well as unbelievers.

Fourthly, of course, we must prepare prayerfully for the practical helps that will be needed when this nation is shaken.

Being Ready

Some years ago, when I lived in Gorseinon close to where the 1904 Welsh Revival broke out, I asked an elderly neighbour about her experience of the revival. I had the following answer: “Oh dear no, that was in the chapels. It passed the churches by”.

Let us be sure that we are ready to serve and participate when the day of harvest comes to us. We do not want to let the opportunity pass us by.

A word from Dr Clifford Hill.

For several weeks, in my prayer times, I have been hearing something I did not want to hear. The weekend before last, at a team retreat with Issachar Ministries trustees and the Editorial Board of Prophecy Today, I shared with them the message that I’m hearing – “stop praying for the nation”.

This sounds outrageous, but before you pick up stones to throw at me, please join me in a little Bible study. The Prophet Jeremiah spent 40 years of his life bringing God-inspired warnings to the people of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah. He pleaded with them to repent of their idolatry, injustice, oppression, violence and immorality; all of which are detailed in his famous ‘Temple Sermon’ in chapter 7.

He constantly pleaded with God on behalf of the nation for mercy and for God’s continuing protection, even though he knew the people to be unworthy of the Lord’s blessings.

But there came a point where God told Jeremiah to stop praying for the nation as he would no longer listen to his pleas. His Temple Sermon concluded with a striking passage:

Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”…?

Jeremiah then almost exploded,

Safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

This was followed by the Lord’s declaration, “I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim.” This was followed by a direct command to Jeremiah, “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you” (Jer 7:16).

Jeremiah constantly pleaded with God for mercy on behalf of the nation, but there came a point where God told him to stop praying.

Repeated Warnings Ignored

Three times Jeremiah was given the same instruction, to cease praying for the nation. The other two times are in 11:14 and 14:11. The latter enables us to understand just what God was saying. It says, “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.’”

You notice that God did not say that he would not listen if they repented, but that he was no longer interested in their ritual religious offerings while they continued all their idolatrous practices and showed no trust in him. This is very similar to what Isaiah had said some 200 years earlier:

The multitude of your sacrifices – what are they to me? Says the Lord. I have had more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals…When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you. (Isa 1:11, 15)

God had been calling for repentance for 40 years and his words, through Jeremiah, had been ignored. The corruption in the nation had now reached the point where the people were being driven by evil forces that made them blind to the danger facing them and deaf to the warnings they were given.

After giving his Temple Sermon, God said to Jeremiah, “When you tell them all this they will not listen to you; when you call to them they will not answer. Therefore, say to them, this is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips” (Jer 7:27).

Disaster Inevitable

I believe this is the situation we have reached in Britain – not only in the nation where our politicians are squabbling among themselves in confusion and the BBC forces homosexual propaganda on us on a daily basis, but also in the Church of England, our official state church, which has departed from the truth. As Charles Gardner pointed out two weeks ago, the Archbishop of York declared to the General Synod that the Bible should be ignored and measures passed to please lesbians and homosexuals.

The Synod also voted to call on the Government to ban the practice of ‘conversion therapy’ for gay people and is considering whether transgender people could be given special church services to celebrate their new gender identity. 25 years ago David Noakes sent a prophetic warning to Dr George Carey, who was then Archbishop of Canterbury. The warning is even more relevant and urgent today.

Surely the Lord is saying of the Church of England: “Truth has perished from their lips!”

I believe this is the situation we have reached in Britain - not only in the nation but also in the Church of England.

Justine Greening, the lesbian Secretary of State for Education who is determined to brainwash all our children with LGBT values from the age of five, put further pressure upon the Church last month saying, that if churches do not perform same-sex marriages they are “not part of a modern country”.¹ Our politicians and our church leaders are colluding to distort the truth and deceive the nation: “truth has perished from their lips!”

By contrast this week, the Archbishop of Uganda has stated that he will not attend the next meeting of Anglican leaders because he cannot have fellowship with those who deny biblical truth. Good for him!

God holds his Church primarily responsible for the spiritual and moral state of the nation. When the church becomes as corrupt as the nation, judgment becomes inevitable.

This is the reason why I can no longer pray for the welfare of this nation. I cannot pray, “Peace! Peace!” When the Lord is saying: “There is no peace!” I believe some kind of catastrophe is now inevitable in order to open eyes that are blind and ears that are deaf, and the Lord will use it to bring the nation to our knees. I also believe that this is the only way that God’s salvation is going to reach this nation.

A Coming Harvest!

In the 40 years before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in the year 586 BC, God raised up three prophets in Judah – Jeremiah, Zephaniah and Habakkuk. All three brought strong warnings to the people; but all three saw beyond the catastrophe to the time of restoration, blessing and prosperity that would follow.

I am convinced that there will be a great spiritual awakening and harvest for the Kingdom in Great Britain with multitudes being saved - but it will not happen until there is repentance and turning. Just as many people whose lives are broken by sin, hear the Gospel and respond with joy as their sins are forgiven and they come into a right relationship with God, the same can happen with the nation.

I believe that some kind of catastrophe is now inevitable in order to open eyes that are blind and ears that are deaf.

For many years God has been warning that the time will come when he will shake all nations. The prophecy of Haggai 2:6-7, repeated in Hebrews 12, is coming true today: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations’”. Note also that the prophecy concludes with a promise of restoration, “I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty”.

I am looking forward to the great spiritual awakening that will follow the great shaking! I can no longer plead with God to spare this nation from the judgment we so richly deserve. My prayer now is, “Make the shaking effective, Lord! And work out your good purposes!”

References

1 Interview with Sky News, 23 July 2017.

Our Resources Editor Paul Luckraft pays his own visit to the Tabernacle Christian Centre, near Grenfell Tower.

When my friend Sally Richardson told me of her visit to the Tabernacle Christian Centre in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, I decided to follow this up with a visit of my own and spend some time talking with Pastor Derrick Wilson. Here is what I learnt.

The setting for the interview was the strangest I had ever encountered. The main church and all the other smaller rooms were full to overflowing with racks of new clothes, boxes of household goods, mattresses and many other items. Where to sit was the first problem! Eventually we squeezed into a tiny space in a corner of the crowded main room, set up a couple of folding chairs and began to talk. Meanwhile, volunteers continued to work around us, organising the items and talking to anyone else who came in.

Derrick has been a pastor for 24 years, and has led the Tabernacle Christian Centre since 2005. Before then he was engaged in similar work, including being a street preacher, totalling 30 years in ministry overall. His wife Paulette has been an integral part of this, including being Principal of the Tabernacle School, which is a Christian school nearby.

He admitted that at times it has been a difficult role to sustain, with many challenges and hardships, both financially and in terms of opposition. But Derrick is a man that rises to a challenge, and with God’s help he has already overcome many obstacles. Another challenge has now come, but God has been preparing his man.

Looking Outwards

Recently God had been speaking to Derrick about a new move which would impact the church and the community. Derrick is a prophetic pastor with a clear teaching ministry. The Gospel and the Cross are central to all he proclaims.

God had been speaking to Derrick about a new move to impact the church and community.

He also encompasses an evangelistic and missionary focus. But he admitted to having been frustrated. The small congregation he leads were not always responsive. How could this change? How might they become more community-focussed, more mission-orientated? For a while, Derrick had sensed that God was saying he would be bringing people to them, from all directions. Did this make sense?

People from All Directions

Pastor Derrick Wilson. © Prophecy Today UK

On the Tuesday evening before the fire broke out (in the early hours of Wednesday 14 June), Derrick had led their usual Bible study from the Letter to the Hebrews. At the end they took up an offering and Derrick began to pray. As he did so, he felt a word from God, along similar lines to before but more specific: “As from tonight there will be a spiritual shift over this church. You will see people come here from north, east, south and west, to do the job you should be doing.”

It felt like a rebuke. Was it of the flesh, Derrick wondered? It seemed to be a warning, but what did this mean? Who were these others that would suddenly come from all directions?

A few hours later, the phones started ringing. Immediately it was clear a major incident was happening less than half a mile away. Was this what God had spoken about? The doors of the Tabernacle were immediately opened. Derrick and his wife began to search the streets. Messages flooded in from friends and relatives. Then, from nowhere, people started arriving - some local, others total strangers.

Over the next few hours and into the next few days, they continued to arrive at the Tabernacle. Many brought items or gifts; others came to offer help. Volunteers simply appeared - literally from all points of the compass - and some from far away, in one case Bristol. Once they arrived, they stayed. Some even slept in the side rooms of the church.

Within hours the church was at the heart of a mercy mission. No-one had organised this; even today Derrick does not understand how it happened. Why his church? But God had honoured his word, and Derrick’s heart for the community and obedience to preaching the true Gospel. Although other churches nearby also became similar centres, clearly God was doing something special at the Tabernacle.

God honoured his word, and Derrick’s heart for the community and obedience to preaching the true Gospel.

A Message in the Midst of Tragedy

Many of the volunteers who came were not Christians, but they seemed to know where to come. They simply arrived; God had guided them there. And once there, they found a peace and joy in what they were doing. A sense of God’s presence and blessing surrounded them and began to change them.

The Muslim community has suffered immensely by this tragedy, and been greatly affected by it in so many ways. But they are also being significantly impacted by what God is doing at the Tabernacle. They come to receive physical goods but find they are offered so much more. They are told ‘we as a church are praying for you’, and they are so grateful. They have been shaken so much that they are responding to what the Christians are offering. In their suffering many questions remain, but at the Tabernacle they are at least finding some answers.

In the midst of tragedy, a message is getting across - the message of the cross. At the front of this crowded room full of gifts is a large wooden cross, with a crown of thorns. It stands there strong, stating clearly ‘this is what you need’. Meanwhile, with their building crammed full of clothes and other items, the church congregation has been worshipping on the streets, and is being asked what this singing means!

Just the Beginning

As has been frequently reported, the initial response from the Council was chaotic or non-existent. But God knew what needed to be done, and how to do it. He stepped in and told the Tabernacle Christian Centre they were to be at the heart of this. Derrick had prayed that somehow the Tabernacle would become a significant part of the community and now it is happening.

God knew what needed to be done, and how to do it.

© Prophecy Today UKHe had faithfully preached a Gospel of holiness and righteousness, love and service - not always a popular message, but God has honoured him for this and put the Tabernacle firmly on the map. He has woken them up and there is a sense that this is just the beginning. A harvest of souls is fully expected.

My visit was informative and emotional, amazing and at times shocking. But soon after meeting Derrick my impression was that it was a privilege for them to be so used by God at this time. This is a deeply significant event that will stay with us all for a long time, certainly for as long as the blackened shell of the tower block stands there for all to see, and no doubt the pictures and videos of it will remain for much longer.

My own first glimpse of it was unusual. As I walked from the tube station towards the Tabernacle I had no sense that I was in its vicinity. Where was it? Had I come to the right area? Suddenly it appeared from behind a similar tower block which had been blocking it from my sight. ‘Here I am’, it seemed to be saying, you will not be able to ‘block’ me out for years and years.

After meeting Derrick, he walked me back a different way, past the memorial walls and pictures, past those still standing there and wondering - past the places where the horrific events of that night had taken place.

God has honoured Derrick for his faithfulness and put the Tabernacle firmly on the map.

In such cases it is always right to ask what God is saying, what he is doing, both among the church and the community, even the nation (as Clifford Hill does in this week’s editorial). Grenfell is part of a pattern of events that is shaking our nation, our political system and social structures. Yet that shaking is aimed at producing a greater harvest, for the Kingdom that cannot be shaken. The Tabernacle Christian Centre is an example of how God works his purpose out among those who are prepared to listen and serve.

This is the day of your salvation!

Whilst we continue to challenge those in positions of leadership in Church, nation and the Islamic world to stop fudging the issue of the divide between the Bible and Qur’an, let us remember God’s high priority: this is the day of salvation!

When God revealed in the mid-1980s that he was about to bring forth a great harvest from among Muslims, there was not much evidence to back it. Yet, since then such prophecy has been verified as true, as millions of Muslims have turned to the Lord across the world. Is it any wonder that our spiritual adversary has risen up in hate, whipping up jihad and drawing up battle lines?

We must be careful not to be fully diverted into this battle and miss the opportunities on our doorstep. There are many young people who have been born into Muslim families but whose hearts are being stirred for truth. God is opening hearts to receive the Gospel message as never before in the Muslim communities on our doorsteps. It is God’s time for the Muslims!

Millions of Muslims are turning to the Lord across the world - is it any wonder that our spiritual adversary has risen up in hate, whipping up jihad?

Time for Equipping

There are a number of ways that God will send the Gospel to these people, but every Christian would do well to be equipped to be God’s mouthpiece for one-to-one evangelism. Witnessing to our Muslim neighbours could bring one or many to salvation - the angels in heaven rejoice over each and every sinner brought to faith in Jesus.

It is time for churches, especially those near Muslim communities, to ask questions of their own understanding and attitude. If God is holding out a loving hand of invitation, we must be his willing ambassadors.

Practical Preparations

It is foremost a time for prayer: prayer for understanding, prayer for wisdom, prayer for opportunity, prayer for individuals.

But there are also preparations we can make. There are resources available from existing missionary organisations to equip us to understand the Islamic mindset and to develop a right approach (scroll down for some). Here are key areas that we can consider:

• The history of Islam, its missionary zeal and its methods.
  
• The five ‘pillars’ on which Islam is founded: statement of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, pilgrimage to Mecca.
  
• The call to and nature of jihad.
  
• The structure and message of the Qur’an.
  
• Islamic teaching on sin and good works.
  
• Islamic teaching on Jesus.
  
• The role of the Mosque.
  
• The character of the Islamic god Allah.
  
• The intent of the Islamic movement in the West.
  
• The sects of Islam.
• The basics of Shariah law
• The missionary intent of the Islamic movement (House of Islam versus House of War)
• The concept of the Dhimmi (treatment of Christians and Jews under Islam)
• Women in Islam
  
• Recent evangelistic moves among Muslims, especially individual testimonies of those coming to faith in Jesus.
  
• Testimonies of Christians in fruitful evangelism among Muslims.

In studying these issues, the goal in personal evangelism is not to confront Muslims aggressively, but to be good listeners. Let’s not be seen as crusaders. There are tracts available from some Christian missions to read and have in one’s back pocket. Let’s be serious about our Bible study and prayer and not be on the defensive, or on the attack.

We must be careful not to be fully diverted into this battle and miss the opportunities on our doorstep.

If, as the evidence shows us, this is indeed the day when God is calling many Muslims to himself, some of us will be privileged to find already prepared, open-hearted Muslims ready to respond to the Gospel message. If we meet someone in the earlier stages of questioning, let us leave a good and loving testimony on which the Lord can build as time goes on.

It is one thing to face up to the spiritual battle against Islam. It is another to win Muslims to the Lord. This is the day of salvation.

Resources for Outreach to Muslims

Understanding Islam (including its history, theology and worldview)

Unveiled: A Christian Study Guide to Islam. Barnabas Fund. Suitable for individuals and groups. Available here for £3.50.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus Study Guide (8 sessions). Nabeel Qureshi, with Kevin and Sherry Harney. Suitable for individuals and groups. Available here for £7.60 (paperback), designed to accompany a DVD study.

Booklets from the Barnabas Fund (£1 each, discount available when purchasing the entire set. Click here to buy):

• What is Islam?
  
• Is the Muslim Isa the Biblical Jesus?
  
• Islam and Slavery
  
• Islam and Truth
  
• What is Sharia?

Books by Patrick Sookhdeo: Unmasking Islamic State (2015), Understanding Islamic Theology (2013), A Christian’s Pocket Guide to Islam (2013), The Challenge of Islam to the Church and its Mission (2009), Faith, Power and Territory: A Handbook of British Islam (2008), Understanding Shari’a Finance (2008), Understanding Islamist Terrorism (2004) and many more. Click here to purchase from the Barnabas Fund.

What Every Christian Needs to Know about the Qur’an (James R White, 2013, £8.99 paperback)

Books by Sam Solomon: Not the Same God (2016, £7.99 paperback), Modern Day Trojan Horse (2009, £11.95 paperback)

Articles by the team at Christian Concern – all available online. Click here to read.

Resources for Engaging with Muslims

Leading the Way (international ministry): plentiful online resources, testimonial videos, books, DVDs/CDs. Many free downloads. Click here to explore the UK site.

Say Hello (US ministry): Online resources for Christian women seeking to engage with Muslim women, including prayer resources, articles, videos. Click here to find out more.

Breaking Through the Barriers: Leading Muslims to Christ (Rosemary Sookhdeo, 2010, £6.99 paperback)

Barnabas Fund Evangelism Pack: Contains Breaking Through the Barriers and Unveiled (both above) plus a selection of tracts designed for outreach to Muslims. £10. Available here.

Mahabba The Friendship Trio courses: three courses (comprising DVDs and worksheets) aimed at equipping Christians to engage with Muslims. Available to purchase in parts or in full - click here. Plenty more resources are available on the Mahabba site.

Books about Mission/Testimonials of Conversion

A Wind in the House of Islam (David Garrison, 2014. £15.20 paperback) – read our review here.

Miraculous Movements (Jerry Trousdale, 2012. £6.99 paperback)

Books by Nabeel Qureshi: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus (2016), No God but One: Allah or Jesus? (2016), Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward (2016). Click here to find out more.

Hiding in the Light: Why I Risked Everything to Leave Islam and Follow Jesus (Rifqa Bary, 2016, £13 paperback)

Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love (Samaa Habib, with Bodie Thoene, 2014, £8.99 paperback)

The Torn Veil (Gulshan Esther, 2004, £6.99 paperback)

I Dared to Call Him Father (Bilquis Sheikh, 1978, repr. 2003, £8.99 paperback)

Mission Organisations with Which to Engage and Support

• Frontiers
• Leading the Way
• Barnabas Fund
• Mahabba Network
• Arab World Ministry
• Pioneers

If you know of any more useful resources on this topic, do comment below!

"Thank God for ISIS!" This extraordinary statement by an Egyptian leader shocked delegates at a recent international Christian conference...

He went on to explain that thousands of Muslims are turning to Christianity in reaction to the atrocities committed by the Islamic State.

All over the Middle East similar things are happening among Muslims as they see the chaos created by militant Islam and the turmoil that has spread across the whole region. It is not only Christians, Yazidis, Kurds and Shia Muslims who are suffering, but also members of the Sunni Arab community.

In Iraq, the militant Sunni jihadis led by al-Baghdadi regard all who oppose them as enemies - including fellow Sunnis. They especially hate Shia Muslims, whom they view as infidels. They see them as a fifth column at the heart of Islam that must be wiped out. The deepening Sunni-Shia rift in Iraq and the similar sectarian civil war in Syria has enabled the Islamic State to attract rebellious Sunnis from around the world.

Russian Fighters

Putin himself estimates that some 5,000-7,000 people from Russia and former Soviet countries have joined the Islamic State,¹ which is one of the major reasons why Russia has decided to join the Baghdad-based 'Intelligence Alliance', in partnership with Iran/Iraq and Syria. Their objective is to share information about the Islamic State so that a co-ordinated attack can be launched.

This has wrong-footed the USA, which has been backing so-called 'moderate' Islamic groups opposed to Assad in Syria. In a failed $500 million programme, the US had been supplying weapons and training to these groups which are now being attacked by Russian bombers. Most of the fighters with American weapons are said to have deserted to the Islamic State.²

The Wrong Weapons

But will Russia and her new allies be any more successful in combating radical Islam than the USA, NATO and others who have tried to wipe out ISIS?

The plain fact is – they are using the wrong weapons. The Islamic State will never be defeated by military power! Militant Islam is driven by a spiritual force which can only be overcome by a more powerful spirit. This moves the whole conflict into a realm of spiritual warfare of which the rulers of the nations have no understanding.

The militant Islamist fighters are driven by a spirit of hatred that is blind and unresponsive to normal rational thought processes. This spirit of blind hatred goes right back to Muhammad and the fearful atrocities he committed against his enemies, especially Jews and Christians. The historical accounts of his activities in and around Medina and Mecca are being replicated by the Islamic State in the name of the god of Islam.

Militant Islam cannot be overcome with human weapons, for it is driven by a spirit of hatred that can only be overcome by a more powerful spirit.

This is what is being increasingly recognised by those who have been brought up in the Islamic faith - such as President Sisi of Egypt, who in a New Year 2015 message called upon Muslim scholars to examine their scriptures and historical documents to determine what is happening in the Muslim world. This is something that only they can do.

Action Points for Christians

But is there anything that Christians can do? In the first place we can spread the whole situation before God in our prayers and seek to understand what God himself is doing in the Middle East and in other parts of the world (such as Indonesia, where millions of Muslims are becoming Christians).

The second thing we can do is in our Bible study groups, look at the way God has acted in the past. For example, when a united Arab army invaded Israel during the reign of King Jehoshaphat he recognised that the tiny army of Judah was no match for them and called for a time of prayer and fasting. He led the nation in prayer, "We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you" (2 Chron 20:12). This prayer of faith was answered by a prophetic word: "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours but God's."

It is this kind of faith that is needed today, plus the discernment to see what God is doing so that we can pray into the situation with understanding. There is no doubt that God is at work among Muslims, opening eyes that were blind and enabling them to understand the spiritual power behind Islam that enslaves their women and drives the men to the most appalling acts of barbarism and savagery.

Christians need both faith and discernment to understand what God is doing. It can help to look at the way he has acted in similar circumstances in the past.

Heavenly Agenda

As the Egyptian Christian leader implied in his somewhat shocking statement quoted at the beginning of this article, God is actually using these atrocities to release those who are bound by spiritual evil.

Angela Merkel, who is said by those who know her to be a Bible-believing Christian, has got it right in welcoming migrants from the Middle East who are escaping war and terrorism. As a politician she has been incredibly bold in the face of considerable opposition, even from her own party. If Europeans are prepared to take the risk of Jihadi fighters being amongst the migrants and welcome them with love and generosity in the name of Jesus, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus will touch their hearts and there will be a mighty harvest for the Kingdom among the multitude coming into Europe.

It may even be that God will use this migration to turn the hearts of the European nations, who have so largely abandoned the word of God and despised the precious spiritual heritage of their forefathers.

Possible Revival

Only God can turn the tide of secular humanism that has already brought the nations of Europe to the brink of disaster. But God's purposes are always for salvation rather than judgement and in his mercy he is longing to use the tragic situation in the Middle East to trigger a mighty spiritual revival in Europe that could change the history of the world.

God is longing to use the tragic situation in the Middle East to trigger a mighty spiritual revival.

We are on the edge of a cusp which could tip either way – into disaster or into a glorious fresh spiritual awakening bringing Kingdom values into the life of the Western nations. The way we react to the migrant crisis may well determine the future history of the world.

References

1 Biryukov, A. Putin Says Thousands from Russia, CIS Joined Islamic State. Bloomberg Business, 16 October 2015.

2 Middle East Eye, 28 September 2015.

In the final article of our series on the Jewish High Holy Days, Helen Belton looks at the meaning and significance of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Feast of 'Booths'

On Sunday 27 September, 2015 (Tishri 15 in the Jewish calendar), the Feast of Tabernacles begins. In Hebrew, it is Sukkot, which means 'booths'. We use the English word 'tabernacle' from the Latin word for tent (taberna declining as tabernaculum).

The biblical instructions are as follows:

The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord's Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the Lord. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work...

A booth prepared for Sukkot (see Photo Credits)....So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.'" (Lev 23:33-43)

The instruction to live in temporary shelters for seven days is a reminder: firstly, of the Israelites' sojourn in the desert for 40 years after the exodus from Egypt and, secondly, that they are totally dependent on him for everything and that since they left their comfortable homes in Egypt to follow him they have never been abandoned or forsaken. The true home of God's people is God himself.

Abraham was "a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Heb 11:9-10). In the same way, the believers who left everything to follow Jesus were sent out without money or provisions and were described as "foreigners and exiles" in this world (1 Pet 2:11).

At Sukkot the Israelites were instructed to live in temporary shelters for a week, as a reminder of their 40 years in the desert, and of their total dependence on God, who is faithful.

Journeying with God

Sukkot also teaches us that salvation is a journey with God: we are led out by God towards the Promised Land and he travels with us. After the Exodus, God himself 'tabernacled' or camped with his people in the desert and provided for their needs with manna. So, this festival reminds us of God's provision and his presence. He was a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, and he was worshipped in the Tent of Meeting, itself a temporary structure. He dwelled with his people.

Centuries later, God dwelled among us uniquely by tabernacling in another temporary structure, a human body: "...the Word became flesh and dwelt [or tabernacled] among us" (John 1:1). This echoes Genesis 1:1 ("In the beginning") to indicate a new beginning in God's relationship with his creation when he would once more dwell among his people, sharing our nature and bearing our sin.

Rejoicing in Harvest

After the awe and solemnity of Yom Kippur, Sukkot is a joyful celebration - a traditional name for it is Zeman Simchatenu, "Season of our Rejoicing". It is the final harvest festival of the year and so it is also known as the 'Feast of Ingathering' (in Hebrew, Hag ha Asif. Hag means feast and ha is the definite article).

Lulav and etrog (see Photo Credits).The Feast of Tabernacles is the final pilgrim feast of the year (Passover and Pentecost being the first and second), when the men of Israel were commanded to go up to Jerusalem to celebrate (Ex 24:33). All are harvest festivals: Passover celebrates the ingathering of the barley harvest, Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) the wheat harvest and Tabernacles the final ingathering of wheat. The land of Israel would yield a variety of fruits at this time, including figs, pomegranates and dates. It is a thanksgiving celebration (it is thought that the American feast of Thanksgiving took its inspiration from this biblical harvest feast¹).

Biblical Observance of Sukkot

The biblical observance of Sukkot consisted of three main aspects; firstly, the building of booths, secondly, the gathering of four species of plant, and thirdly to rejoice. The four species are date palm, myrtle and willow branches, and the etrog or 'citron' in English (not the same as a lemon), interpreted from Leviticus 23:40.

The palm, myrtle and willow branches are bound together and are collectively known as the lulav. They are held upright with the etrog and waved before the Lord, a custom which has arisen through tradition.

There are various interpretations of the meaning of the four species. One of the best known is that they represent four types of Jews: the etrog, which has both flavour and fragrance, represents those who study and do good deeds. The palm branch has flavour but no fragrance, symbolising those who study but do not perform good deeds. The myrtle has no flavour but has fragrance, representing those who do not study Torah but do good deeds. Finally, the willow has neither flavour nor fragrance, representing those who neither study nor do good deeds.

At Sukkot, the final pilgrim festival of the year, men would go up to Jerusalem to give thanks for the ingathering of the wheat harvest. Four types of branch would traditionally be gathered and waved before the Lord.

Another interpretation is that each species relates to a particular aspect of man's service to God:

Etrog refers to the heart, the place of understanding and wisdom. Lulav refers to the backbone, uprightness. Myrtle corresponds to the eyes, enlightenment. Willow represents the lips, the service of the lips (prayer).²

The people were to rejoice for seven days. Seven is the number of perfection in the Bible. Passover is seven days, Pentecost is seven weeks after Passover and Tabernacles lasts seven days during the seventh month. The number of offerings during the feast are divisible by seven³ and according to rabbinic tradition the 70 bull offerings were symbolic of the 70 nations of the world (70 nations being deduced from scripture).⁴

The Hallel (messianic Psalms 113-118), which was sung during the Temple service, includes the words "The LORD is exalted over all the nations" (Ps 113:4) and, "Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples" (Ps 117:1).

According to the Talmud⁵, Israel was sacrificing for the nations of the world, even though the nations mock Israel (again in the Hallel) saying, "Where is their God?" (Ps 115:2) and part of the Hallel speaks of Gentiles (or nations) rising against Israel: "All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down" (Ps 118:10). The Talmudic commentary lamenting the loss of the Temple in 70 AD says: "Woe to the idolaters, for they had a loss and do not know what they have lost. When the Temple was in existence the altar atoned for them, but now who shall atone for them?"⁶ The apostle Paul gives the answer:

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith (Rom 3:21-25).

Israel was blessing the Gentiles through sacrifice at the Feast of Tabernacles, but Israel's sages did not see that the Gentiles do not need to enter via Moses but by the same route as Abraham, who did not have the Law of Moses, but was justified by faith: "Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the "man of faith" (Gal 3:8).

Torah scholars today expect that the Gentiles will become obedient to the Torah. According to the International Embassy in Jerusalem who host a multi-nation Feast of Tabernacles event in Jerusalem each year, "many are intrigued by the increasing number of Gentile Christians showing up in Jerusalem each year for Sukkot."⁷

They are fascinated beacuse Zechariah 14 prophesies that all nations will one day celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Zechariah 14 is one of the Haftarah texts (readings from the Prophets) traditionally read in synagogues at Sukkot, along with 1 Kings 8⁸. The Torah readings are the sections Leviticus 23, 24 and Numbers 29 which instruct about Sukkot.

Gathering the Nations

In fact, another interpretation of the lulav is that the branches represented different types of Jewish people and the etrog represents the Gentiles, or non-Jews. At the start of the waving ceremony, the etrog is upside-down. The spiritual meaning is that before we came to God, we were in a state of being upside-down. During the ceremony, the etrog is turned right side up and joined to the other three species, depicting Jews and Gentiles joining together at the Feast.

The lulav and etrog are waved together to north, south, east and west, to welcome the Lord and symbolise his presence in the four corners of the earth, but perhaps also the gathering of the harvest of souls to come from the four corners of the globe.

The lulav and etrog may also represent Jew and Gentile, being gathered together before the Lord from all four corners of the globe.

In the Temple at Jerusalem tens of thousands of worshippers would gather and shake their branches and fruit before the Lord, creating a tremendous rustling and whooshing sound with the fragrance of thousands of citrons rising in the warm sunshine. It would have been an experience of sensory worship unlike any other, involving sight, sound, smell and touch, with overwhelming fragrance and bright colour.

Times of Revival: Solomon and Ezra

The Feast of Tabernacles was a time of spiritual revival for the people of Israel, taking place at key moments in their history. Solomon dedicated the first Temple and brought in the ark during the seventh month, the time of the Feast of Tabernacles (1 Kings 8:2) - referred to then as "the Feast". Tabernacles was known as the Feast (ha-Hag) because it was seen as the greatest of the year. In John 7 it is also simply described as "the Feast".

The high point at Solomon's dedication was the glory of the Lord descending on the sanctuary:

When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple (1 Kings 8:10-11)

Fire came down and consumed the offerings Solomon made at the Feast (2 Chron 7:1). Both the cloud of the Lord's glory in the Temple and the fire consuming the offerings were a reminder of God's original tabernacling with his people in the desert, when his presence was a pillar of cloud to guide them by day and a pillar of fire by night in the desert. The LORD was indicating that he would tabernacle with his people in the Temple.

Solomon also prayed prophetically (1 Kings 8) about future exile and re-gathering for Israel, but also envisaging that foreigners (Gentiles) would come to God's Temple.

After the return from exile the first thing the people did, even before re-building the Temple, was to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Ezra 3:4). At Rosh HaShanah, the New Year (Feast of Trumpets or 'first day of the seventh month'), the people gathered in Jerusalem for a reading of the Law. Interestingly, this was not instigated by their leader, as had been the case with Moses, rather the people asked Ezra to read the Law to them. They stood for five or six hours listening to God's word and weeping.

When Ezra praised the Lord they raised their hands and called out "Amen, Amen!" and prostrated themselves. Then the priests gave the meaning of the Law for them so that everyone could understand (Neh 8). The next day the leaders gathered around Ezra again and found the instructions about the Feast of Tabernacles. They instructed the people, who celebrated it with a joy not seen since the days of Joshua. On each day of the Feast, Ezra read the Law to them.

It was at Sukkot that Solomon dedicated the first Temple; fire came down and consumed his offering and cloud filled the Temple, symbolising God's presence with his people in the desert as pillars of cloud and fire.

Living Water

Jesus used the Feast of Tabernacles to announce his messiahship (John 7). One tradition of the Feast of Tabernacles was a water-drawing ceremony (described in the Mishnah). Each morning at dawn during the Feast a procession of priests, musicians and other worshippers would leave the Temple and process about half a mile to the Pool of Siloam (created by King Hezekiah, which can be seen today).

Part of the Pool of Siloam (see Photo Credits).The High Priest, dressed in full robes and carrying a golden pitcher, led the throng. At the pool, he would fill the pitcher and then process back to the Temple through the Water Gate of the City. The Water Gate was identified by some rabbis as the south gate of Ezekiel's Temple through which the water of life would flow to all the land (Eze 47:1-5). At the Water Gate, they paused while trumpeters blew three blasts on silver trumpets and the priests would sing or shout, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isa 12:3).

Then the High Priest ascended to the altar, which was elevated, and upon which stood two silver basins. He poured water into one and wine was poured at the same time into the other as the trumpet players blew three more blasts. Then the whole congregation and choir of Levites sang from Psalm 118:25: "Save now we beseech thee, O LORD, O LORD, we beseech thee, send now prosperity."

There they would pour both the water and wine into special funnels, which created droplets which would come out at the bottom of the altar. It was a sign of the outpouring of God's Spirit and, as it would turn out, of his own lifeblood. John's gospel tells us that water and blood came from Jesus' side as his life was poured out on the altar that was the Cross.

After the outpouring on the altar, the Hallel (Praise, Psalms 113-118) was sung, which consists of Psalms 113-118. This was sung as the priests circled around the altar. The same psalms are sung at Passover. Jesus and his disciples sang them at the last supper. Significantly, they are messianic psalms. The worshippers would be waving their lulavim and singing psalms beseeching God for salvation. This joyful cacophony would fill the air, culminating in a fever pitch on the seventh day of the feast. This last day was known as Hoshanah Rabbah meaning 'Great Salvation' and it was the most intense day of all, with seven circuits of the altar by the priests and seven trumpet blasts and the people crying, "God save us now".⁹

The messianic fervour of the nation was at its peak at this point of the Feast - and in the time of Jesus, messianic hope was at fever pitch. It is thought likely that it was on this seventh day (some say it was on the Eighth Day of the Feast¹⁰) that Jesus stood up and cried out, as water flowed from the altar:

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."¹¹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet." Others said, "He is the Christ." (John 7:37-41)

It was at Sukkot, in fulfilment of its daily water-drawing ceremony and its Messianic expectation, that Jesus stood and declared himself the source of Living Water.

This water ceremony was a reminder of Moses and the miracle of the water from the rock in the desert (Ex 17). It pointed to the coming of the promised prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15) who would bring forth new water from the well of salvation. Paul reminds us that Messiah is that rock: "For they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them and that rock was Christ" (1 Cor 10:4). Ezekiel foresaw the coming of a Messianic 'Prince' who would celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Eze 45:25) and then water would flow from the threshold of the Temple to all the land (Eze 47:1-11).

Light of the World

Another feature of Sukkot was the illumination ceremony, which took place at the time of Jesus from the second night of the feast at the Temple. The Levites and priests would process from the Court of the Men with their instruments down the 15 steps to the Court of the Women, singing the Psalms of Ascent which are Psalms 120-134.

The Court of the Women was a wide, open space and in the centre stood four giant lamps, each consisting of four containers mounted on a pole over 70 feet high. Young priests would climb ladders to light them. Each container held about 15 litres of oil with wicks made of priests' old garments. The Mishnah¹² tells us that once these were lit, "There was no courtyard in Jerusalem that was not illuminated from the light of these." The priests, sages, elders and (in Jesus' day) Pharisees would then pick up torches and dance with abandon.

There is a story about one rabbi (Simeon Ben Gamaliel) who rejoiced by juggling with eight lighted torches. There are stories of others juggling with knives, glasses of wine and eggs.¹³ Singing and celebration would go on all night. The Talmud says, "He who has not beheld this celebration has never seen joy in his life."¹⁴ It was in this context of night turned to day by the giant candelabra that Jesus stood up and cried out, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). He was declaring that he is the Shekhinah or glorious light of God, the pillar of fire that was with Israel in the desert.

It was also at Sukkot that Jesus declared himself Light of the World, during the illumination ceremony when giant candelabra lit up Jerusalem.

The miracle Jesus used to confirm his messianic claim was the healing of the blind man who was told to wash in the pool of Siloam, the very place from which the water for the pouring ceremony had come (John 9). Using the imagery of the festival, water and light, Jesus showed that he was the provision and presence of God, the Hoshanah Rabbah or 'Great Salvation' of the seventh day.

Other references to the Feast of Tabernacles in the New Testament are at the transfiguration, where Jesus is seen speaking with Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:27-36). Peter's thought is to make booths or tabernacles, suggesting he sees the fulfilment of the Feast in Jesus, whose messiahship is corroborated by Moses and Elijah (representing the Law and the Prophets respectively). In Revelation, we are told that God "will shelter them [the redeemed] with his presence" (Rev 7:15), literally he will tabernacle over them (in Greek, skenosei).

Observance today

Booths (sukkot) constructed on balconies (see Photo Credits).Religious Jews begin making their sukkah at the end of Yom Kippur five days before Sukkot, as it is seen as a blessing to go from one mitzvah (commandment or good deed) to another. A sukkah is a temporary shelter built to provide shade and so it must be under the open sky. You should be able to see the stars through the roof.

The walls can be of any reasonably secure material, but the roof must be of natural materials that have grown from the ground, such as evergreen branches.¹⁵ There is a height limit but it can be as wide as you like, to accommodate guests. It is like the temporary huts that shepherds would use as they travelled with their flocks, a structure that could be erected and disassembled easily.¹⁶

It is not obligatory to sleep in the sukkah but meals are taken there and there is a tradition called Ushpizin ('guests' in Aramaic) where symbolically honoured guests are invited each day to join the family in the Sukkah. These imaginary guests are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. One is invited for each day of the Feast. Another custom is that it is a blessing to invite the poor and needy to celebrate with you. Often yeshiva (Orthodox Jewish seminary) students would be invited by families to share their meals at this time, just as the Levites, along with foreigners and widows, would have been invited in biblical times.¹⁷

Redemption for Jew and Gentile

The harvest theme of the Feast of Tabernacles, which is also known as the Feast of Ingathering, finds its prophetic fulfilment in the final end time harvest of souls from among Jews and Gentiles.

God promised to tabernacle with his people once more in Ezekiel 37. After the dry bones have come to life, he says:

My dwelling place [or tabernacle, Heb. mishkan] will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever. (Eze 37:27)

In our day we are seeing the dry bones come to life and put on flesh, as Jews have returned to the land of Israel and many hearts of stone have been turned to hearts of flesh by the Holy Spirit, who is the stream of Living Water promised by Yeshua the Messiah.

Tabernacles prophetically heralds the final ingathering of Jew and Gentile souls, when the Lord will tabernacle with his people forever and be their source of light and life.

On the Sabbath falling during Tabernacles, Ezekiel 38:18-39:16 (about the destruction of Gog) is read. It depicts other nations coming against Israel and receiving God's punishment. Zechariah 14 is also read during Tabernacles and foresees the Gentile survivors of the final conflict against Israel coming up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles in the end times:

Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. (Zech 14:16-17)

Ezekiel 38 predicts rebellion against the Lord and the epitome of anti-Semitism: a war against Israel. Zechariah prophesies that survivors, a remnant of God-fearing Gentiles who are philosemites (those who love the Jewish people) will worship the Lord with the Jewish people in Jerusalem. They will truly be "one new humanity" (Eph 2:15).

This Tabernacles theme of redemption for Gentiles is echoed in Revelation 7, where people from every tribe and nation (i.e. Gentiles) stand before the Lamb dressed in white with palm branches in their hands and Jesus' promise from John 7 about streams of living water is echoed, "For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water."

Tabernacles Fulfilled

At the Feast of Tabernacles the whole of Jerusalem was illuminated at night and in Zechariah 14 this finds fulfilment in the new earth where "there shall be continuous day...for at evening then there shall be light" (Zech 14:7) and again in Revelation 21:23, "the Lamb will be its [Jerusalem's] lamp".

The Lord himself is the illumination of the city and the river of the water of life flows freely:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling [or tabernacle] of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Then verse 6: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life (Rev 21:3-6).

The new earth will be God's sukkah or tabernacle where he will dwell once more face-to-face with his people, in paradise restored.

References

1 DID YOU KNOW: The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles Inspired America's Celebration of Thanksgiving? Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, 1 October 2012.

2 Sefer HaChinuch (Book of Education), #285.

3 A total of 182 sacrifices. 182 divided by 7 = 26. Chumney, E, 1994. The Seven Festivals of the Messiah. Destiny Image Publishers Inc, Shippensburg, PA, p166.

4 Deuteronomy 32:8 and Genesis 46:27 – God divided the nations according to the number of the children of Israel, which are 70.

5 Talmud, Sukkah 55b.

6 Ibid.

7 Black, JM. Sukkot and the Gentiles, ICEJ, 25 October 2012.

8 Kings is included with the prophetic books in the Jewish canon of scripture.

9 At Jesus triumphal entry (Matt 21:1-11), the people laid palm branches at his feet because they see Zechariah 9:9 being fulfilled, "See your king comes riding on a donkey" so they shouted "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" There was a tradition of shaking palm branches at Passover, but it is possible that as they recognised Messiah they echoed Tabernacles in their greeting because that was seen as the key messianic feast.

10 Glaser, M & Glaser, Z, 1987. The Fall Feasts of Israel, Moody, Chicago, p177. The last day of the Feast is called Shemini Atzeret (Eighth Day), a day of solemn assembly, in the Bible and in the Talmud. The book of Ecclesiastes is read on this day. In rabbinic tradition, Israel has acted in intercession for the world before the Lord on the first seven days of Sukkot and takes the eighth day as an opportunity to be alone with God (p199). This day is also known as Simchat Torah, 'rejoicing in the Law', which celebrates the conclusion of the annual cycle of Torah readings and the beginning of the new cycle. This is not found in the Bible or the Talmud but has arisen probably later (p200). Outside Israel, Simchat Torah is a separate ninth day of the holiday.

11 There is no exact Old Testament quotation that is the equivalent to the phrase "streams of living water will flow from within him", but it echoes many scriptures promising the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, such as the verse mentioned earlier - Isaiah 12:3 (also Ex 17:6; Num 20:11; Ps 114:8; Isa 44:3; Isa 55:1; Isa 58:11; Joel 2:23; Joel 3:18; Eze 47:1; Eze 47:12; Zech 13:1; Zech 14:8).

12 The Mishnah is oral law written down by around 200 AD. Combined with the commentary on it known as the Gemarah, the two together became known as the Talmud.

13 Brickner, D, 2006. Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles. Chicago, Moody, p83.

14 Mishnah, Sukkot 5:1.

15 The Sukkah: The Holiday Hut, Chabad.org.

16 Brickner (see note 10) p34.

17 The inspiration for Ushpizin goes back to Abraham, who invited travellers in (Gen 18) - See also Ushpizin: Welcoming Guests, Ross, LK, and Brickner (note 10), p35.