Walking with God
Hi Everyone,
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Thanksgiving of course should not simply be one day to be thankful, but it should be a lifestyle, a manner of being thankful for all things, even the things we may not at first appreciate. For God has a plan and is working behind the scenes for our benefit.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
I have two visions to share with you today.
The Visions
Drinking Water
In this vision, I simply saw a woman drinking water from a clear glass tumbler. The water was perfectly clear as was the glass.
The woman represents the church, for the church is called the Bride of Christ. She is drinking clear water which represents the living water that Jesus spoke of during the Feast of Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles.
Water Pouring Ceremony
It was during the water pouring ceremony that Jesus stood up and cried out loudly, making a bold statement, which in effect declared himself to be the Messiah:
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. John 7:37-39
Years ago, I belonged to Jonathan Cahn’s Messianic Congregation “Beth Israel.” It was a wonderful experience to be under his teaching regarding the feasts, the traditions and the Jewish understanding of the scriptures and how Jesus, Yeshua, fulfilled all that was written about him. One of the stories I remembered was of the water pouring ceremony during the feast of Sukkot, the feast of Tabernacles. I thought I would share an article from Jewish Roots.net with you entitled: Water Libation Ceremony
This is an excerpt:
Significance Of Ceremony:
It is important to know something about this water. It was taken from a spring just east of Jerusalem called the Spring of Gihon. This spring may have been used to anoint David's son, Solomon, King of Israel (1 Kings 1:45). King Hezekiah later redirected the water of this spring into the city of Jerusalem through a long underground conduit known as Hezekiah's Tunnel. Within the walls of Jerusalem, the waters of Gihon ran into a pool named the Pool of Siloam.
Waters from the pool of Siloam were used in the ordinance of the red heifer described in Numbers 19, where Moses was instructed to mix "running" (lit. living ) water with the ashes of the red heifer. The water had to be fresh, able to give life, not stagnant. This mixture of water and ashes was sprinkled on those who had become unclean to purify them. This same Pool of Siloam is also referred to in the New Testament.
It was to this pool that the Lord Jesus sent a man, blind from birth, to wash off the clay that He had applied to the man's eyes. After washing in the pool, the man received his sight (John 9:6-7).
The Pool of Siloam not only held historical significance, but in Jewish tradition it also had a prophetic connotation. First, the Jewish Scriptures speak of a time when, water poured "upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground," God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (Isaiah 44:3). Because the waters of Siloam were used to anoint the kings of the house of David, and that anointing was symbolic of the Holy Spirit coming upon an individual (1 Sam. 16:13), the living waters of Siloam became associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, this outpouring is to take place during the days of the Messiah, the anointed one, a descendant of King David, through whom salvation would come to Israel. Based on Isaiah 12:3, the Pool of Siloam became known as the "well of salvation" and was associated with the messianic age. Thus, to the Jewish people of the Second Temple days, pouring water on the altar at the Feast of Tabernacles was symbolic of the Holy Spirit poured out during the days of the Messiah.
…This was no statement secretly whispered in the dark corner. The text says that Jesus "stood" to make His announcement, and He "cried" meaning He spoke with a loud voice. He wanted everyone to hear the good news. The stunned crowd did hear and they knew what He meant.
Jesus was declaring that He was Messiah and that everyone who would believe in Him would receive the gift or indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the "living water," not measured in terms of a trickling spring, the Spring of Gihon, but a flowing river-even numerous rivers!
Jesus was saying in effect "I am the reality that the water in this ceremony symbolizes-the true life giver through whom the Holy Spirit is also given."
Jesus’ name means salvation. He demonstrated his divine power through his miracles and his purpose was revealed through his teachings. So many asked that Jesus speak plainly to them, “If you are the Messiah…”
The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe, because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:24-30
We understand and believe, for we are his sheep. They did not understand, for Jesus said, “but you do not believe, because you are not my sheep.“ It is important that we ask the Father to give our loved ones and those that are lost into His hand. For the Lord also said:
And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. John 6:39
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44
Jesus and the Woman at the Well
Jesus spoke of living water and eternal life when he asked a Samaritan woman for a drink.
“You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
“Sir,” the woman replied, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get this living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?”
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water so that I will not get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
“I have no husband,” the woman replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are correct to say that you have no husband. In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. You have spoken truthfully.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “I see that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.”
“Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”
Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.” John 4:9-26
The water that the Lord gives is living water, which becomes “a fount springing up to eternal life,” for those who believe that Jesus is God, Lord and Savior. He is “the way, the truth and the life.” When we have him, we have life everlasting.
The Man and Woman
In this vision, I saw a man and a woman holding hands. He with his right hand and she with her left. Then the man released her hand, and walked in front of her, and then turned around to face forward so that he was now on her right. He then offered her his left arm, and she took it with her right hand.
In this vision, I believe that the woman once again represents the church, as the Bride of Christ. The man represents the Lord. There were several scriptures that came to mind as I saw this vision. The first is this:
“Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” Amos 3:3
There has to be agreement in order for there to be a relationship. In the vision the man led the woman by holding her hand. The relationship shows trust, for no one willingly holds the hand of a stranger. Even in a church, when we are asked to hold each other’s hands, there can be a split second thought - “Who is this? Is it safe?” We of course hold each other’s hand as brothers or sisters in Christ, nonetheless, there is the split second thought that may come to mind.
But there is no doubt that in the world, we are less likely to hold any one’s hand unless we have a measure of safety, and we both have agreed.
As I was praying about the meaning of the vision, I opened my Bible, to this passage:
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt— Jeremiah 31:32
Suddenly I understood what the vision meant. Let’s look at this passage in context:
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.
“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34
The Lord held the hand of Israel when he led her out of Egypt. But it was not long before she rebelled against God and failed to trust him. In so many ways, over the course of generations, the Israelites, failed to follow the Lord, but merely gave him lip service.
Eventually, when the appointed time had come, he let go of her hand. In God’s foreknowledge, and plan for salvation, not only for the Jew but for the Gentile as well, He decided to change how he would lead her. He walked in front of her and turned around to continue in the same direction. He offered his arm to her and she took it. What I believe the Lord is demonstrating is his change from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. The woman is not shown to change, for she represents true Israel, those Jews and Gentiles that would place their trust and hope in God alone. 700 years before Christ came in the flesh, Isaiah prophesied that He, Jesus, the Messiah would fulfill God’s plan to bring salvation to every tribe, nation and tongue, to the Jews, to the Gentiles, to all people groups.
“He says, ‘It is not enough for You to be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back those I have preserved of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:6
Isaiah’s prophesy was confirmed by Simeon at the temple in Jerusalem, eight days after Jesus’ birth:
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” Luke 2:25-32
God has always valued those relationships that he has with people who have placed their faith and trust in him. In the vision the change from hand grip to offering the arm, can be seen as a maturing of the relationship between God and his people. It represents a more intimate relationship that comes when the Holy Spirit indwells the believer.
The woman’s relationship with the Man (the Lord) changes. She begins like a child, willful, rebellious and self indulgent. She was taken by the hand and led in the way that she was to go. However when she went astray, time and time again, pursuing other lovers (false gods, false religions, idolatry), she was released from his hand of guidance and protection. The young woman who represents true Israel, the church, chooses to take the arm of her Messiah, choosing to walk with him, becoming his bride. She trusts him as her husband, to lead her and to care for her. He is her strength, her provision, her all in all. In confidence, she walks in step with him for she knows that he loves her and has given himself to her.
This change of grip by hand, to one of offering the arm, represents the changing of the covenants, from the Old Covenant based on the law and circumcision, and the New Covenant based on the blood of Jesus.
The change was necessary, because no one could keep the law.
“...yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Galatians 2:16
The Old Covenant was to be terminated, cancelled and nullified so that the New Covenant could be established. This change of covenants was prophesied by Jesus. He had come to fulfill the law. And was coming soon to bring closure to an age. It was to be a day of vengeance, a day of wrath, a day that overturned the sun, the moon and the stars. It was “the day of the Lord.” Jesus said he would come to his generation, with wrath, “on the clouds in great glory with his angels.” His recompense was with him and he would give what was due whether good or bad.
“And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.” Matthew 23:35-36
Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 24:30
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” Revelation 22:12
The Lord’s Day was a day of wrath. His visitation came as it had done many times before, as a foreign army wielding God’s terrible swift sword. This time of tribulation fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy of a 3.5 year Roman military siege of Jerusalem. This was God’s plan for redemption. He was to destroy the temple so that the New Covenant could be fully initiated. The pride of Jerusalem, the wealth producing economy created by their sacrificial system was to be permanently dismantled. Jesus’ actions of overturning the tables, was a foreshadowing of its entire destruction.
400 years before, Malachi prophesied that the temple doors would be shut forever.
“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.” Malachi 1:10
This was the great tribulation of John’s Revelation. This was time of the “shattering of the holy people. This was the end of the age.
Now we live in the New Covenant Age., where spiritual death is no more. We are living as the New Jerusalem, for God dwells within us. The New Jerusalem was announced and presented by the angel as a bride prepared for the Lamb.
“Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
The bride was seen in John’s revelation as a glorious city: the New Jerusalem. This is the Church. We are the dwelling place of God. We carry the glory of God and are filled with His radiance. Jesus presents us to himself as a bride without spot or wrinkle:
Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27
The Book of Revelation is about the victory that Christ has over the powers of darkness, the closing or consummation of an age and the inauguration of the New Covenant and the new relationship we have with God, as his bride. We are reconciled to him, and can have intimate fellowship with him now on this earth and continuing on for all eternity. His kingdom is eternal. We are members of his kingdom and members of the family of God at the moment we are born again. And even though we die a natural death, we continue to live in his kingdom never having died spiritually! We will never be separated from God, which is spiritual death. Hallelujah!
So, let us truly live in the reality of Christ as head over all. We are seated with him in the heavenly realms. We are alive spiritually and will live with God forever. So as we are living here on this earth for a short duration, let us live fully submitted to God, so that his light can shine through us. Let us not fail to see what is clearly before our very eyes. Jesus kept his promise to the very people in his audience. He promised to come soon, and he did. Now let us live for God, and give him the glory for what he has done!
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Thanks for reading. Please share with others. I pray that the Lord will open our eyes to see the bigger picture of God’s plan for the world. If we truly align ourselves with God’s purpose for our lives, the whole earth can be filled with the glory of God.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! Psalm 72:18-19
