New Territory – Ruling and Reigning with Yeshua Melchizedek
Shalom Pillars,
Here are the notes from last night's meeting. I am attempting to post all notes from meetings. Please enjoy and share if you want. Blessings!
Tonight I want to share a little about the Feast of Passover because it represents a pattern or cycle, we are entering and the Lord desires that we prosper and reap all the benefits available to us. It is a season for blessing if we understand what the Spirit is saying to the Church today. Passover is one of the 7 feasts of the Lord in which God instructed Moses to command the people to observe at their appointed times after they were delivered out of Egypt. The 7 feasts are prophetic pictures that point to Yeshua. The first 4 (spring feasts) have been fulfilled and the last 3 (fall feasts) have yet to be fulfilled. The 7 feast are:
Spring Feasts – Jesus came as the suffering servant or the humble servant – 1st coming
Passover – Jesus was our Passover lamb
Unleavened Bread – Jesus took our sin upon Himself, His body was broken that we might be made whole
First Fruits – On the third day Jesus was resurrected and is the first fruits of many brethren
Pentecost – After Jesus ascended into heaven the Holy Spirit was poured out on the 120 on the day of Pentecost
Fall Feasts – Jesus will return and be coronated as the victorious King of kings and Lord of lords, our Melchizedek High Priest will be coronated King of Righteousness and King of Peace – 2nd coming
Trumpets – With a trumpet call Jesus will return to gather His elect from the four corners of the earth
Atonement – As our Melchizedek, High Priest will take away our sins once and for all eternity
Tabernacles – God will tabernacle with us on the earth (heaven on earth). There will be no temple, God and the Lamb will be the temple.
For more information, see attachment: The Feasts of the Lord
These are the Feasts of the Lord, not the Feast of the Jews. There were no Jews when God commanded that they should be observed for perpetual generations.
Why bother observing the feasts? Simple, because God said to. It is a way of blessing for His people. They are holy convocations and appointed times (feasts).
Feasts/appointed times – mo’ed – a fixed time or season; an appointed time; a set time or exact time
Convocation – translated as assembly or ceremony. The Hebrew word for convocation is miqra and denotes a meaning more specific to “a rehearsal.”
It is God’s way of revealing who we are and where we come from. It is our heritage; our Hebraic Heritage. These are set times when God promised to visit us if we were obedient to meet with Him at these appointed times.
Leviticus 23:1-4, 14, 21, 31, 41, 43-44
1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. 3 'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. 4 'These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. ...
14 it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. ...
21 It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. ...
31 You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. ...
In other words, we should do our best to set time aside to meet with God and each other to celebrate what He did according to the feast we are observing. We should make time for God and not try to find time for Him.
41 'You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations… 43 'that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.' “44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.
The feasts were never meant to be a way to God, Jesus is the only way to God and the feasts are meant to be signposts directing us to Him. The feasts are appointed times when God promised to visit His people. But we have to show up!
Remember, they are HOLY appointed times to meet with the Lord. They are family traditions. God loves His family gatherings at His appointed traditions. Psalm 133 gives us a visual of God being so blessed by His people dwelling in unity that He pours Himself out on them. In other words, His visits them.
Psalm 133:1-3
1 A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing--Life forevermore.
The feasts also represent seasonal portals to heaven; open windows of heaven, or appointed times when God pours more of Himself out on us.
The feasts also represent a pathway God laid out for us to draw closer to Him.
Jeremiah 6:16-17
16 Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' 17 Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen.'
Matthew 11:29
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
1 Kings 8:36
then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.
Psalm 116:7
Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
Isaiah 8:20
To the law (Torah – teaching, instructing, learning) and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn (no light, no revelation, no understanding of the ways of God).
Isaiah 28:12
He who said to them, "Here is rest, give rest to the weary," And, "Here is repose," but they would not listen.
Jeremiah 18:15
'For My people have forgotten Me, They burn incense to worthless gods and they have stumbled from their ways, from the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths, not on a highway,
Jeremiah 31:21
"Set up for yourself roadmarks, Place for yourself guideposts; direct your mind to the highway, the way by which you went. Return, O virgin of Israel, Return to these your cities.
Jeremiah 42:3
that the LORD your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do."
There are 7 feasts. Prophetically, 7 is the number of completion or perfection. In my short and amazing journey with the Lord, I have come to believe, and this is my personal opinion, my revelation, my dawning of light at this time, that observing the feasts of the Lord is a form of spiritual warfare. The Lord has shown this Rhema word to me through three passages which He says for me are an unbreakable threefold cord. They are in Job 5, Matthew 7 and Job 14.
Job 5:17-27
17 "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. 18 For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole. 19 He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you. 20 In famine He shall redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword. 21 You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes. 22 You shall laugh at destruction and famine, And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth. 23 For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. 24 You shall know that your tent is in peace; You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss. 25 You shall also know that your descendants shall be many, And your offspring like the grass of the earth. 26 You shall come to the grave at a full age, As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season. 27 Behold, this we have searched out; It is true. Hear it, and know for yourself."
Matthew 7:13-14, 17-19
13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. ... 17 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Job 14:7-9, 14-17
7 "For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its tender shoots will not cease. 8 Though its root may grow old in the earth, And its stump may die in the ground, 9 Yet at the scent of water it will bud And bring forth branches like a plant. ... 14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes. 15 You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands. 16 For now You number my steps, But do not watch over my sin. 17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You cover my iniquity.
As for me, this journey started in 2004 at Church Without Walls in Tampa Bay, Florida, the church of Pastors Randy and Paula White. The church practiced giving God the first paycheck of the year as a first fruit offering that Randy and Paula would wave before the Lord as a sacrificial offering, thanking Him for our past provision and for His abundant outpour in the year to come. The offering set the tone for the entire year. It worked! God blessed it, and I am here today because of this revelation and tool God gave me.
Later, when I returned home from giving my first fruits offering for the first time, I wanted to learn more about what I had just done. I read about all the feast in Leviticus 23. The Lord spoke to me and said He wanted me to begin observing all the feasts, but I was too indoctrinated with replacement theology to recognize it really was God speaking to me. I had always been taught the feasts were the feasts of the Jews and that God did not require Christians to observe them. But God told me to observe them and the Bible says to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. I still did not begin to observe them because every leader in the church I spoke to discouraged me from doing it. They told me I would be returning to the Law and away from Grace.
Years later, 2013, the Lord told me He would take me to Israel before the year was over. Later that same day, He divinely sets an appointed time when I was to meet a woman by the name of Janice Sturkie. It was later that same year I went to Israel with her to make Aliyah, which means ascent or to ascend, to observe and celebrate my very first feast of the Lord, the Feasts of Tabernacles. It was my very first feast in my life to ever observe and the Lord saw to it that I observed it with Him in Israel! He is soooooo good. Janice today is a dear, dear friend. She is my mother and my sister because she does the will of my Father. On that first trip to Israel for the Feast of Tabernacles, she was the Holy Spirit leading me and guiding throughout the whole journey in the Land. It was as if God took out His old family photo albums to teach me about the family I hadn’t met yet and the place where my lineage began. It was at that time in Israel that God cut down the tree I had grown to be. He left only a stump, but before the trip was over, this stump who God cut down to the ground began to bud and bring forth new branches. He was calling me and I could now hear in a new way to answer Him according to His thoughts and His ways. And so, this amazing journey continues day…
How does this apply to today? Passover is coming upon us again. This year it will begin at nightfall March 30th and end on Shabbat April 7th.
Ecclesiastes 1:4-7, 9
4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. 5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it arose. 6 The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north; the wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit. 7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place from which the rivers come, there they return again. ... 9 that which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
Genesis 8:22
22 "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease."
God clearly is showing that He works in patterns, and through times and seasons. When we learn to recognize them, then we can begin to perceive what God is doing again or about to do again. We can then sync ourselves with Him and benefit tremendously.
Psalm 103:1-7
1 A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 6 The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.
So what’s the big message you have for us tonight Samuel? Come on, spill the beans.
Here it is. I have been instructed by the Lord to command you to make yourself ready for the Passover is drawing near to you again. A window of opportunity called “deliverance from slavery and bondage to ____________.” You fill in the blank. Whatever Pharaoh calls himself in your life today, it may be – sickness, depression, poverty, addiction – you are about to be part of a mass exodus from Pharaoh’s darkness into Yeshua’s marvelous light. By faith, make yourself ready and in haste flee into the wilderness where God will meet with to covenant with you.
Exodus 12:1-14
1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 'And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 'Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 'Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 'And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. 8 'Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 'Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire--its head with its legs and its entrails. 10 'You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. 11 'And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover. 12 'For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 'Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 'So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
When we understand the meaning of the feasts, like Passover, we can begin to understand why Jesus said some of the things He said. When we see Him as the Passover Lamb of God, we know why Jesus said the following to His disciples.
John 6:53-68
53 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 "This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." 59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. 60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" 61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 "What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 "But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
When Yeshua declared to His disciples that He was the Son of Man, they understood that He was declaring Himself to be the Melchizedek Messiah Daniel prophesied would come. Yeshua declared the same to Caiaphas on the night of His trial, which is why Caiaphas tore his robes. Caiaphas knew Yeshua was declaring Himself to be THE Melchizedek Messiah. I believe, and this is just my opinion, that when Yeshua told the disciples that unless they ate the flesh of the Son of Man and drank His blood that He was telling them they could not cross over from the Levitical into the Melchizedek priesthood, except through the Melchizedek and His Law. Just as the children of Israel had to consume the entire Passover lamb in order to crossover from Egypt to Mount Sinai, or from darkness into light, they would have to also the same in order to crossover Yeshua’s heavenly priesthood.
Hebrews 7:11-16
11 Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. 13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. The reason why many left Him after His hard saying about eating flesh His and drinking His blood was because they were thinking from a Levitical mindset. They thought He was speaking of literal cannibalism which is strictly forbidden and they understood to be a curse from God for wickedness. They could not understand heavenly things with an earthly mind.
Today, as we prepare for Passover, we must also choose to follow the Lord’s without double-mindedness. Now is the time for us to examine and reexamine ourselves, and choose to refuse compromise. We either take in ALL of the Lord or NONE of Him. Just as Moses instructed the Hebrews to consume the entire Passover lamb and leave none of it behind.
Exodus 12:8-11
8 'Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 'Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire--its head with its legs and its entrails. 10 'You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. 11 'And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover.
Can you imagine having to eat the head and entrails (bowels, organs) of a lamb? Most of us can eat the best parts but very few will eat the head, eyes, ears, brains, organs, bowels, lungs, etc. Today, at Passover, we do not have to sacrifice a lamb and eat the entirety of it because the scripture says that once was enough. Yeshua only needed to be sacrificed once for all sin past, present, and future. But when we look at the prophetic symbolism in the body parts, God is speaking loud and clear that before the Passover, before the exodus, we must choose to consume, or serve, in other words, all of the Lord and not just the parts about Him we like to serve.
So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover… Haste meaning, hurriedly, hurried flight, trepidation; a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen. In other words, we need to recognize we are entering into a very holy time to the Lord. He does not want us to be lukewarm when we enter into what He calls the wilderness experience. We will all enter into it, but only those with ears to hear will know it and only those with eyes to see will perceive it and remember the benefits waiting for them to possess.
Remember why God was calling them out of Egypt into the wilderness to meet with Him at Mount Sinai? It was to be betrothed and married to Him. His intention was to make them a nation of kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek. They were to be the heavenly priesthood on earth to establish the government of the kingdom of heaven on earth, but they failed.
Exodus 19:3-6
3 And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. 5 'Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."
They accepted the proposal to be married to God, but immediately after the marriage was sealed they played the harlot with the golden calf. Read Exodus 19 – 24, and 32. In chapter 32, the Levitical priesthood was established as a temporary fix until the Melchizedek, Yeshua would come on the scene to reestablish the Melchizedek priesthood which is why Peter says in 1 Peter 2:9,
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Peter does not call them Levites, he calls them a royal priesthood. The Melchizedek priests are king/priests, they are of the Royal House of Yahweh. A Melchizedek priest operates in a double-portion anointing; the birthright and the blessing. They, like Yeshua, are anointed by God. Messiah means Christ, Anointed One, but we must understand that He was anointed to do something – to rule and reign! We too are anointed with the double-portion to rule and reign on the earth from heaven. What?
Revelation 5:1-10
1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." 6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."
The scroll is the marriage contract between Yeshua and His Bride. Those who make it through the wilderness, the season of testing and trying, so to speak, are able to enter into the marriage covenant with Yeshua Melchizedek and are anointed to rule and reign on the earth. By decrees and declarations from the courts in heaven, they establish the government of the Melchizedek’s Kingdom on earth as in heaven. It is through decrees and declarations that the works of darkness are destroyed.
Jesus tries to explain this to Nicodemus in John 3.
John 3:1-13
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 "Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
First, we need to see that they were not speaking about eternal salvation in the context of this passage. Second, try to see them both as Levitical and Melchizedek. Nicodemus, the Levitical, was asking Yeshua, the Melchizedek, how he was doing the miracles and signs he did. In other words, how are You able to destroy the works of darkness? We know that you are a teacher come from God and can only do the supernatural things you do unless God is with you. Yeshua basically tells Nicodemus that he has to be born-again. Then he can know what the Father is doing and saying in heaven and make it the same on earth. Yeshua was basically saying, I am operating in both realms and you can too, but you have to cross over and enter into My priesthood which was from the beginning. Yeshua tells that no one came down from heaven, except the Melchizedek, who is talking to you now, who is all in heaven at the same time. I am operating in both realms.
When John baptized Yeshua in the Jordan and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, is when the Melchizedek priesthood was reestablished on the earth. God audibly says in the hearing of all present, “This is My Son in whom I am well pleased.” This is why John said, “He, the Melchizedek priesthood, must increase and I, the Levitical priesthood, must now decrease.” One of the first things Yeshua did was to declare His assignment and His intended goal.
Luke 4:17-21
17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
He is anointed to rule and reign and was sent to destroy the works of darkness.
Act 10:38
38 "how God anointed (to rule and reign) Jesus of Nazareth with (the double portion anointing), the Holy Spirit (the blessing) and with power (the birthright), who went about doing good (destroying all the works of darkness) and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Remember, Nicodemus? Rabbi, we know you are a man come from God and that God is with you.
So let me come back from my rabbit trail to the point I started to make. With the feast of Passover, we are presented with an opportunity to be visited by God and led by His Spirit to a new place of deeper intimacy with Him, but only after we pass the test. The wilderness is not a place to discover if we can endure trial and tribulation. The wilderness is a place where we meet with God and discover if we believe what He says His promises are for us. Think Joshua and Caleb.
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation (test and trial) has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation (test and trial) will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
The wilderness is the place where we meet with God. Wilderness means mouth, the place of speech. It is the place where He speaks with us face to face as a man speaks with His friend. The children of Israel are an example to us of what not to do in the wilderness - complaining, murmuring, and practicing idolatry, sexual immorality… It was because of their complaining, murmuring and their plain and simple unbelief that they were not able to enter into the Promised Land. Think Joshua and Caleb.
God did many miracles for them in the wilderness, but they still did not believe. But this must not be so with us. We must believe and therefore we must speak.
Last meeting we learned from the feast of Purim about the authority of the Bride and the power of declaring and decreeing while under the authority of our High Priest Yeshua Melchizedek. We have also learned in past meetings about the Yeshua being called by God according to the order of Melchizedek. He is our King of Righteousness, our King of Peace, and our King of kings and Lord of lords. If the head is Melchizedek then the body must also be Melchizedek.
James 5:16-18
16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
God sent Elijah on assignment to release rain on the earth and break the drought that was upon the land. He would have to deal with all the prophets of Baal first and destroy their works of darkness. Then afterward, Elijah had to pray fervently and repeatedly to bring the word of the Lord into manifestation.
1 King 18:1-46
1 And it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth." 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria. 3 And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly. 4 For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) 5 And Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock." 6 So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. 7 Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, "Is that you, my lord Elijah?" 8 And he answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your master, 'Elijah is here.' " 9 So he said, "How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 "As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, '[He is] not [here],' he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. 11 "And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here" '! 12 "And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth. 13 "Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD's prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 14 "And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here." ‘He will kill me!" 15 Then Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today." 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?" 18 And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals. 19 "Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." 20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 "Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24 "Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God." So all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken." 25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it." 26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But [there was] no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made. 27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened." 28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name." 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood." 34 Then he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time; and he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water. 36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!" 40 And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there. 41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain." 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again." 44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.' " 45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
I want to draw your attention to a portion of the conversation between Elijah and Obadiah - 11 "And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here" '! 12 "And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me… 15 Then Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today." Do you see it? Elijah is operating in both realms! Obadiah tells Elijah the Lord will take and hide him in a place he does not know. Remember Yeshua’s words? John 8:14, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. Elijah says, as the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand.
Still, don’t see it? This is the same scene that played about between Nicodemus and Yeshua in John 3. Obadiah was basically saying, “Look, Elijah. I don’t know how you do what you do, but I do know you can only do it because the God is with you.”
Remember that Melchizedek means king of righteousness. Whenever we see the word ‘righteous’ in the Word we need to think Melchizedek. The scripture declares Elijah to be a righteous man. Was he Melchizedek? Can’t say for sure, but was he operating in both realms? Certainly.
James 5:16-18
16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Another thing I want to draw your attention to is the false prophets would have never accepted Elijah’s public challenge to call down fire from heaven they had not done it before. They had, but it was from the second heaven by the powers of the fallen watchers, principalities, etc. But when a man of God, who operates from the third heaven where Yahweh Himself is seated shows up on the scene. The gods in the second heaven refused to answer the false prophets’ call. They never showed up. They never even responded because they knew Elijah was superior to them but only because Yahweh with him, and is Superior to ALL things created, even them.
After the great victory over the false prophets, Elijah prays fervent and effectually until the rain came. Hallelujah.
Back to Passover and the wilderness. We must learn to pray or speak by decree and declaration under the unction of the Holy Spirit. Decreeing and declaring the Kingdom of God and His righteousness on the earth is not prayer like most us think. It is declaring that a King has been coronated, His dominion and rule will never end, and His system of government is now the Law of the land. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Yeshua is the Melchizedek Messiah, King of kings and Lord of lords over all. Glory!
We can yield to this process of holiness and righteousnessthrough the power of His covenants, and press into His priesthood by faith. I believe that is when the great exploits will begin. He is looking for a few good men and women. Hasten to do it now and until the Feast of Pentecost comes 50 days later. We must take in all of Him; His flesh and blood. Let’s not let His revelation and His priesthood be too hard a saying for us to receive. It may be that the Father may pour out a blessing on us and declare Himself that He has begotten us and has anointed us into His heavenly priesthood to rule and reign in the authority of His Bride here on earth. The reality is, we are already a part of His priesthood. We only need to be like Yeshua, a king/priest under authority.
I ask you today:
Where is the Pride of the Lion of the tribe of Judah?!
Where are the lions of the Bride of Christ?!
Where are the Meleks, the Melchizedeks of the earth?!
All creation is waiting in earnest expectation for your revealing!
It is time to arise and shine for your light has come!
Lord, may we be found worthy to serve before your altar in heaven and your people on earth. In the name of Yeshua Melchizedek. Amen!
For more in-depth information on the subject of Melchizedek, I highly recommend the following two books by author Sue Watkins, a personal friend of mine. Just click on the books and you will be taken to her Amazon page.
Best,
Samuel
Smashing Pillars International (SPI)
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