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10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” . . . Isaiah 55. So says our Lord . . .
SHABBAT SHALOM – J&R

We all need the move and giftings of the Ruach, especially in the days to come. Please take time to listen to this powerful interview. Shalom –

http://sidroth.org/television/tv-archives/steven-brooks-0?src=fb_765brooks_post

More horrible, unspeakable accounts of atrocities are coming out of Iraq perpetrated against everyone of non-muslim faith, mostly women and children, by ISIS. Women being raped, beaten and buried alive; innocent children being tortured and beheaded wholesale by the hundreds ; and when I think of our children and grandchildren . . . . The local villagers who would normally effectively defend their homes and families are out-gunned being that ISIS is caring top-of-the-line US weaponry. A picture was also taken today of an ISIS insignia posted in front of the White House.
For a little while we need to set aside our debates concerning pronunciations and traditions and pray for those that are in harm’s way in fashions that most of us could not even begin to fathom. Yes, we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel, understanding peace will not come until the Prince of Peace returns. God will fight for His land and keep His promise. We MUST stand in the gap for these that are being systematically exterminated for their failure to convert to Islam . . . or just for being.
Just like the ‘Simultaneous Sh’ma’, we implore you, as a world-wide body of believers, to cry out to God for His intervention in this virtual genocide. We must bombard the throne room with our petitions to the Righteous Judge who ‘hears the prayers of His people’.
Secondly, we are challenging everyone on Facebook that has one ounce of compassion for these people that are being exposed to unimaginable terror to contact every government representative you can get access to and DEMAND we take direct, immediate and decisive action to help the helpless from this onslaught. This is what needs to dominate FACEBOOK, every other media outlet and our prayers until relief comes. ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ this if you agree, but don’t stop there. If you don’t agree, God help you in the place where you are . . . for it’s a sad, dark place.

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me and their was no one to speak for me . . .

Shalom –

http://messiahsmandate.org/a-brief-history-of-gaza/#sthash.RhwcwOUE.lQHuQyDv.dpbs

Some final references on ‘Who changed the Sabbath’ ?

The following quote is from a paper presented by Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, author of the Baptist Manual, before a meeting of Baptist ministers in Saratoga, New York, August 20, 1893;
“Of course I quite well know that Sunday did come into use in early Christian history as a religious day, as we learn from the Christian Fathers and other sources. But what a pity that it comes branded with the mark of Paganism, and Christened with the name of the Sun-god. Then adopted and sanctified by the Papal apostasy, and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism, and the Christian world, just as Easter. …”

A short time later, the conclusions of Dr. Hiscox would be upheld by the March 1894 edition of ‘The Catholic World’, a monthly magazine of General Literature and Science published by the Catholic Church.
“The church took the pagan philosophy and made it the buckler of faith against the heathen. She took the pagan, Roman Pantheon, temple of all the gods, and made it sacred to all the martyrs; so it stands to this day. She took the pagan Sunday and made it the Christian Sunday. She took the pagan Easter and made it the feast we celebrate during this season.
Sunday and Easter day are, if we consider their derivation, much the same. In truth all Sundays are Sundays only because they are a weekly, partial recurrence of Easter day. The pagan Sunday was, in a manner, an unconscious preparation for Easter day. The sun was the foremost god of heathendom. … There is, in truth, something royal, kingly about the sun, making it a fit emblem of Jesus, the Sun of Justice. Hence the church in these countries would seem to have said, “keep that old, pagan name. It shall remain consecrated, sanctified.” And thus the pagan Sunday, dedicated to Balder [by the Scandinavians), became the Christian Sunday, sacred to Jesus. (p. 809)”

Other quotes:

It (Mithraism) had so much acceptance that it was able to impose its own Sun-Day in place of the Sabbath, its Sun’s birthday, 25th December, as the birthday of Jesus. Gilbert Murray, essay published in ‘Christianty in the Light of Modern Knowledge’ (“Religion and Philosophy,” pp.73-74).

The History of the Christian Religion and Church during the Three First Centuries by Dr. Augustus Neander “The festival of Sunday, like all other festivals, was always only a human ordinance, and it was far from the intentions of the apostles to establish a Divine command in this respect, far from them, and from the early apostolic Church, to transfer the laws of the Sabbath to Sunday. Perhaps, at the end of the second century a false application of this kind had begun to take place; for men appear at that time to have considered labouring on Sunday as a sin. …
The Jewish Christian Churches, {i.e. Churches consisting of Jewish converts,} although they received the festival of Sunday, retained also that of the Sabbath; and from them the custom spread abroad in the Oriental Church, of distinguishing this day, as well as the Sunday, by not fasting and by praying in an erect posture; in the Western Churches, particularly the Roman, where opposition to Judaism was the prevailing tendency, this very opposition produced the custom of celebrating the Saturday in particular as a fast day.” (Vol. I, p.186)

A Doctrinal Catechism, by Rev. Stephen Keenan, published in 1846 and released in the United States in 1876 .

“Q. Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?
A. Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her; – she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority. (p.174)”

The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine by Peter Geiermann, Louis, Missouri, 1909, 16th edition, page 50;

“Q. Which is the Sabbath day?
A. Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 336), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.”

Now, we know the history of who did what and who changed what. But there comes a time when we, like Jeremiah, must draw a line in the sand and recognize the false inheritance that has, without intent, been handed down and refuse to pass this on to the next generations. The greatest inheritance we can leave for our children and our grandchildren is the Truth. “And when your children ask . . .” How will you answer ? shalom –

More to consider concerning ‘Who changed the Sabbath’ ?

The Following was published in the
‘The Industrial American’ of Harlan, Iowa,
December 19, 1889.

Father Enright on ‘The Sunday.’

FOR the benefit of those who favor Sunday laws, and especially those who boast of the indorsement of Cardinal Gibbons, and the co-operation of the Catholic Church, we print the following statement of Father Enright, lately made, as to the authority for Sunday laws:—

“My brethren, look about you upon the various wrangling sects and denominations. Show me one that claims, or possesses the power to make laws binding on the conscience. There’s but one on the face of the earth—the Catholic Church—that has the power to make laws binding upon the conscience, binding before God, binding under pain of hell fire. Take for instance the day we celebrate—Sunday. What right have the Protestant churches to observe that, day? None whatever. You say it is to obey the commandment, ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.’ But Sunday is not the Sabbath according to the Bible and the record of time. Every one knows that Sunday is the first day of the week, while Saturday is the seventh day and the Sabbath, the day consecrated as a day of rest. It is so recognized in all civilized nations. I have repeatedly offered $1000 to any one who will furnish any proof from the Bible that Sunday is the day we are bound to keep, and no one has called for the money. If any person in this town will show me any scripture for it I will, tomorrow evening, publicly acknowledge it and thank him for it. It was the holy Catholic Church that changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, the first day of the week. And it not only compelled all to keep Sunday, but at the Council of Laodicea, A. D. 364, anathematized those who kept the Sabbath and urged all persons to labor on the seventh day under the penalty of anathema.”

“Which church does the whole civilized world obey? Protestants call us every horrible name they can think of—antichrist, the scarlet-colored beast, Babylon, etc., and at the same time profess great reverence for the Bible, and yet by their solemn act of keeping Sunday they acknowledge the power of the Catholic Church. The Bible says, ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,’ but the Catholic Church says, ‘No, keep the first day of the week,’ and the whole world bows in obedience.”

Source: The American Sentinel, Pacific Press Publishing Company, New York, Vol. 5, No. 6, Feb. 6, 1890, page 46.

Does this mean it’s wrong or sinful to worship on the first day of the week ? Absolutely Not !! But the first day of the week is not the Lord’s Sabbath. Have we been called to keep His ways or ours ? The Word ‘laodicea’ literally means’ the people decide’. We haven’t been called to ‘decide’. We’ve been called to repentance and obedience. Besides, we’re not fond of anything that came out of Laodicea . . . Shalom –

We will post this in three sections . . . this is the first . . .

Asking the Pope about the Change of the Sabbath

In 1956, this letter from a Georgia gentleman and the subsequent reply appeared in the Catholic Extension Magazine, the largest Catholic magazine published in the USA at the time.

From: J.L. Day, Thomaston,
Georgia May 22, 1934

To: Pope Pius XI Rome, Italy

Dear Sir:
Is the accusation true, that Protestant’s accuse you of? They say you changed the seventh’ day Sabbath to the, so called, Christian Sunday; identical with the first day of
the week. If so, when did you make the change and by what authority?
Yours truly,
(Signed)
J. L. Day

(Reply)
THE CATHOLIC EXTENSION MAGAZINE
180 Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
(Under the blessing of Pope Pius XI)

Dear Sir:
Regarding the change from the observance of the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday, I wish to draw your attention to the facts:
(1) That Protestants, who accept the Bible as the only rule of faith and religion, should by all means go back to the observance of the Sabbath. The fact that they do not, but on the contrary observe the Sunday, stultifies them in the eyes of every thinking man.
(2) We Catholics do not accept the Bible as the only rule of faith.
Besides the Bible we have the living Church, the authority of the Church, as a rule to guide us. We say this Church, instituted by Christ, to teach and guide men through life, has the right to change the Ceremonial laws of the Old Testament and hence, we accept her change of the Sabbath to the Sunday. We frankly say, “Yes, the Church made this change, made this
law, as she made many other laws, for instance, the Friday Abstinence, the unmarried priesthood, the laws concerning mixed marriages, the regulation of Catholic marriages,
and a thousand other laws.”
(3) We also say that of all Protestants, the Seventh-day Adventist are the only group that reason correctly and are consistent with their teachings. It is always somewhat
laughable to see the Protestant Churches, in pulpit and legislature, demand the observance of Sunday, of which there is nothing in the Bible.

With best wishes,
(Signed)
Peter R. Tramer, Editor

Hummmm . . .

Is this why the Catholic Church still considers the Protestants as part of the Mother Church ? We still follow Her lead ? Perchance we did not protest enough . . .

Huh ? There’s nothing in this Portion about a war dog ? OK, well, just hang on a moment. This week’s portion is Deuteronomy 3:23 through 7:11 entitled ‘Va’etchanan’ or ‘I pleaded . . .’ So what’s that got to do with an old Disney movie ?
Well, for those that know the movie, the plot is about a young army recruit, an old trainer and a german shepherd that just can’t seem to cut the mustard. But at the last minute, this ‘washed-out’ pooch is the only option and must pass the test the next day. So all night, the old trainer ( he can’t go to the testing site) sets with the recruit and the dog reminding them of all they need to remember, going over and over their training one last time. Over and over the old trainer keeps saying, ‘ oh yeah, and this is the most important thing . . .’
Well, every time this Torah portion rolls around that movie comes to mind. The good ol’ pooch is Israel, the recruit is Joshua and the old trainer ? Well, that would be Moses. And in this portion and others to come he is reminding the people over and over of their training and all that they need to remember. ‘Oh yeah, don’t forget, this is really important . . .’ He can’t go to the final testing site with them, so he is reminding them one last time.
There is much in this portion that we need to remember; things like “To you it was shown that you might know that YHVH, He is God; there is no other besides Him” or “”Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that YHVH, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other,” and don’t forget “When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days, you will return to YHVH your God and listen to His voice.”
But the one that stands out most for us begins in Deutoronomy 5:1, for this is the description of what we should understand and recognize as ‘The New Covenant’.
What ? That’s right, The New Covenant. In verse two Moses states- ‘God made a covenant with us at Horeb . . . this is not the covenant He made with our fathers’. Why ? For this is the New Covenant. For the first and only time, God of Creation enters into a covenant relationship with a nation He called out and formed. Up to this point, every covenant made by God has been with an individual or a couple; Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, even Hagar and Ishmael. But now, God has formed a family and set up His new household with all the guidelines that are needed for and by this New family . . . the family promised to Abraham.
The English word ‘new’, in reference to ‘new commandment, new covenant or new testament, appears over a dozen times and only once is it the greek word for ‘new’ as in brand new, never existed before. It is the word ‘neos’ from which we get words like neo-natal. Every other instance is the greek word ‘kainos’ which means to ‘renew, refurbish or make like new again’. That one instance for ‘brand new’ – neos – is in Hebrews 12:24 where it states ‘ Yeshua is the mediator ( intercessor) of the NEW Covenant. So what does that mean ? We are not going to presume to be able to give a comprehensive answer but to this one point we will speak. Yeshua is the intercessor of this New covenant given at Horeb, which is a type and shadow of Messiah and not the other way around. The blood of bulls and goats does not forgive sin, but the sincere obedience from a grateful heart – the circumcision of the heart – coupled with Yeshua’s intercession postponed the judgment until the ultimate atonement could be made on the cross, all in the Father’s perfect timing. Abraham’s faith was reckoned unto him as righteousness. Abraham was saved the same way we all are – faith in the Word of God and the Blood of Messiah.
The New Covenant ? Torah. The intercessor for this Covenant ? Yeshua, the living Torah.”

In the movie, Chips the wayward german shepherd finally ‘gets it’ and performs just as the old trainer had hoped. Under the tutelage of the ‘old trainer’ and the leadership and relationship with the ‘recruit-turned-soldier’, Chips is transformed into all he was meant to be. The same is true for us as a part of the citizenship of Israel. Under the teaching of Moses, the Apostles and Prophets, and most importantly the leadership and relationship with Yeshua, the commander of the Hosts of Heaven, we are transformed into all we were meant to be – we are meant to be like Him.
Shalom – J & R

OK, here we go . . . here’s our 2 cents worth on when Jesus – Yeshua- was born. By the way, just as a caveat, if this information and understanding was relevant and crucial to our relationship with Father God, it would be laid out in such a way to reflect that relevance and necessity. Now, with that said, let’s begin . . .
The Word was given at Sinai (see Exodus 20 and following) which we understand to be the first Pentecost or Feast of Weeks. John declares that ‘the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us . . .’
Our premise is this – if the Word was given the first time at Pentecost, then it would seem to follow suit that the Word became flesh ( Jesus’ birth ) at Pentecost as well. Ok, so let’s see if it fits.
Zechariah, the father of John the Immerser, was of the ‘order of Abijah’. 1st Chronicles 24:10 shows us the order of Abijah was the 8th order. Each order served for 2 weeks ( or half a month ) therefore Zechariah’s weeks would have been weeks 15 & 16 ( the last half of the fourth month of the service order).
2nd Chronicles 7:5-9 tells us the dedication was at the time of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) . If that’s the case, then weeks 15 & 16 of the priestly order of service would fall somewhere around the time of the end of February or the first of March on the modern calendar. IF . . . IF . . . sometime soon after Zechariah’s return home from work Elizabeth conceives, that would place the 6th month of her pregnancy and the first month of Mary’s pregnancy ( Luke 1:23-41) somewhere around the month of August . . . IF . . . IF . . . that is the case according to the information available to us in the Word, that would place the birth of Messiah (Jesus – Yeshua in the Hebrew) somewhere around the end of May or first of June . . . about the time of Pentecost. . . in our humble opinion . . .
Also, the birth of Messiah at the Feast of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Spirit (the Ruach) at Pentecost ( Acts 2 ) would tie together the two halves, if you will, of the ‘promise of the Father’ . . . the birthing of the Seed of the Woman – The Messiah – ( Gen 3:15 ) and the ‘outpouring of the Holy Spirit in ‘the last days’. ( Joel 2:28-ff and Acts 2 )
We are commanded to remember His death until he comes again. Why ?
Many were born in the history of mankind.
Many were resurrected in the history of mankind.
Only ONE died and shed Blood with the Power to reconcile me to my Heavenly Father.
If I am reconciled by His death, how much more am I saved by His resurrected life. Romans 5:10

” I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20)

Hebrews 10:20 speaks of ‘a new and living way’. That is not exactly what the Greek says.
It speaks of a ‘new, fresh slaughter that lives . . .’
Only Yeshua could die and live again to reconcile me and save me.
Baruch Haba B’Shem Adonai – Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of YHVH.
Shalom  to you and yours –  B’Shem Yeshua HaMashiach – In the Name of Yeshua the Messiah

This is our prayer….that the Father will continue giving and we will continue receiving revelation on who we are. May He give us ears to hear and eyes to see, especially in these last of days. If you aren’t familiar with or haven’t read 2 Kings 17: 24-41 in a while, this would be a good time to read it. In Messiah, Rhonda

A Prophetic Look at
The Woman at the Well

These are the things that Yeshua (Jesus) wanted us to see as we look at the entire account of John 4: 4-43 concerning the Samaritan woman and her being brought into the Kingdom. The key words or phrases are: Samaritan woman….Jacob……Joseph…..
5 husbands……2 days……Jacobs well……HAD to go through Samaria.

We will be looking at how these words and phrases relate to the gentiles/nations as they are brought in to the kingdom. We will be looking primarily at….. John 4…. 2 Kings 17….. and Hosea, along with a few others.

How does John 4 and 2 Kings 17 relate to the gentiles or nations being brought in ?
First, we have to go back to the blessings given to the grandsons of Jacob. [A side note here: What I am about to share, concerning this blessing, was revealed to Bill Cloud a few years back.] There are only 2 places in Scripture this is to be found. In Romans 11:25 it says: “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. When you take this phrase, ‘fullness of the Gentiles’, back to the Hebrew, it is found only one other place and that is Gen. 48:19 when Jacob places his hand on Ephraim’s head and says (in Hebrew) “melo ha-goyim”, which means fullness or the filling up or fulfillment of the gentiles.
Where in Scripture is there a type, picture, or shadow of this portrayed ? In 2 Kings 17:24 we see the gentiles or nations being brought into the land or kingdom ( or ‘house’ if you will ). The previous verses in this chapter deal with the sins of Ephraim ( the northern Kingdom ) and why they were getting ready to be removed from the Lord’s presence (v.18) and mentions the fact in verse 21 about the whole house of Israel being divided into two kingdoms. The two kingdoms were known as the Southern Kingdom
( also called Judah ) and the Northern Kingdom ( also known as Ephraim or Israel ). On occasion the whole combined house of Judah and Ephraim together would be called Israel. To read about the division of Israel into the Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom read 1 Kings11: 26-40 and 1 Kings 12: 21-24 where the Father states this division is His doing.
In verse 24 of 2 Kings 17 we see 5 nations being brought into Samaria which was the capital of the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim). This correlates with the 5 husbands of the Samaritan woman ( John 4:18).
The Samaritan woman in John 4 represents the Northern Kingdom or the Melo Ha-goyim. [Side note: According to some historical sources concerning the overthrow of the Northern Kingdom it was stated that ‘ . . . the Assyrians took part of Ephraim out of the land to Assyria and left part in the land . . .’ They would bring people in from other nations they had conquered to replace the ones taken and to intermarry with those that were left in the land thus trying to destroy any remaining nationalism that may have remained]. This is also prophesied about in Hosea 7:8 ( Ephraim mixes with the nations) 8:8 ( Israel is swallowed up in the nations) 9: 17 (God has rejected them because they have not obeyed him, they will be wanderers among the nations) Hosea was the last prophet sent to the Northern Kingdom before she was cast from His presence (2 Kings 17:18).
So, as we can see through these verses that the type or shadow of the Melo Ha-goyim (Romans 11:25 and Gen. 48:19) can be found in 2 Kings 17 and actually started with part of Ephraim being taken out to Assyria and mixing with the nations there and the part left in the land had the nations brought in and mixed with them. So we see the blessing that was pronounced over Jacob’s grandson, Ephraim, taking place (the fullness of the gentiles shall be found in or through you)…Melo Ha-goyim.
Paul states in Eph.2:11-19 concerning the gentiles coming in…..”Therefore, remember that formerly you who are gentiles by birth….remember at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of promise , without hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Messiah. Therefore, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.
The Samaritan woman had 5 husbands and the one she had now was not her husband or in other words, she was not married to or committed to Him. According to verse 25 in John 4 she knew that Messiah was coming but did not know Him ( so was not committed or married yet, if you will). But in verse 26 Messiah reveals Himself to her – the Samaritan woman ( the Northern Kingdom, Ephraim) and began the fulfillment of the promise made in Hosea 1:10…..”In the place it was said to them (Northern Kingdom) you are not my people they will be called sons of the living God “. This is why Yeshua said in John 4:4 that He HAD to go through Samaria.

In John 4:40&43 Yeshua stayed with the Samaritan woman and the rest of the Samaritans for 2 days represented in Hosea as the adulterous wife and her children Lo-Ruhamah (not loved or I will no longer show love to the house of Israel) and Lo-Ammi (you are not my people). Also the 5 nations that came in to the land ( 2 kings 17) continued in their idolatry (spiritual adultery) as did Ephraim….2 Kings 17: 33-41
Yeshua came to the “Samaritan woman” at the well ( which at this point also included the gentiles or melo ha-goyim) to start the fulfillment of the reviving process He promised in Hosea 6:1&2…..”Come let us return to the LORD, He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us, He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. After 2 days He will revive us, on the third day He will restore us that we may live in His presence.”

After 2 days……” One day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3:8). In the 2nd chapter of Acts, Peter states that the last days had begun. He has been reviving us (Ephraim) the last 2 days (or 2000 yrs.) and we are getting ready to go into the 3rd day so that the rest of the verse might be fulfilled….”on the 3rd day He will restore us so that we may live in His presence.

John 11: 51-54….Caiaphas, who was high priest, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish”. He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Yeshua would die for the nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one”.

In James 1:1 he addresses his letter to……the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.

Here is the summation……

Samaritan woman represents….Northern Kingdom, Ephraim, ‘melo ha-goyim’ and all that it entails . . .
Samaritan people represent the woman’s children…..Lo-Ammi and Lo-Ruhamah

Jacob, Joseph, Jacobs well…. brings to mind the blessing given by Jacob to Joseph’s son, Ephraim…..”In you shall be the fullness of the gentiles….(melo ha-goyim)
The well was located in the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim).

5 husbands….. represents the 5 gentile nations brought in to mix with Ephraim
(2Kings 17)

2 days …..represents the start of the prophecy given to Ephraim in Hosea 6:2

Yeshua HAD to go through Samaria……Yeshua himself had to be the one to deliver and fulfill what had been written and promised in Hosea 1 :10….”In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people, ‘ they will be called sons of the living God”. He went back to the place where it all took place.
This is a process that began then and continues until the restoral of the 3rd day …..

The prophet Ezekiel was told by YHVH to lay on his left side to symbolically prophesy the judgment that was to come upon the Northern Kingdom [i.e., The 10 Northern Tribes of the House of Israel; collectively, known as Ephraim]. He was to lay on his left side for 390 days, which would represent 390 years of Divine judgment to be executed upon the House of Israel aka Ephraim. He was also instructed to lie on his right side for 40 days (1 day for each year) which would depict the judgement prophesied upon the Southern Kingdom . . . the House of Judah.
(Ezekiel 4:1-6)

Unlike the House of Judah, Ephraim ( the 10 Tribes of the Northern Kingdom) did not repent and return to YHVH and to His Torah at the end of their judgment period. Therefore, according to the principle laid out in Leviticus 26, their punishment [ exile and loss of identity… Hosea 8:8; Amos 9:9; Micah 5:8] was multiplied by 7 times. (Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24, 28).

390 years x 7 = 2730 years

The captivity of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians culminated with the final conquest of Samaria in 722-721 B.C. So when would the judgment (based upon Leviticus 26) upon the House of Israel/ Ephraim [ exile and loss of identity…Isaiah 10:21-22] be over?

The Answer:

2730 – 722 B.C. = 2008 A.D.
OR
2730 – 721 B.C. = 2009 A.D.

We are not setting dates . . .
We just find this interesting . . .

For YHVH promised the House of Israel/Ephraim the following:

“And I shall sow her for Myself in the earth, and I shall have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion. And I shall say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people,’ while they say, ‘You are my GOD!’” (Hosea 2:23)

Meanwhile, Back at the Well . . .
01 May
Here’s an additional thought or two concerning ‘The Woman at the Well’. “Samaria” or Shomron ( Hebrew) means ‘ watch mountain‘ and comes from the word ‘shamar’ which means to ‘keep, guard, to keep watch or to watch for’ . . . {By the way, this is the same word used by God in the garden when He told Adam to ‘keep’ ( shamar) the garden . . .}
The spiritual implication is the ‘samaritan woman’ ( john 4 ) was drinking water from the well of her father Jacob and was waiting – watching- for Messiah to come ( John 4:12,25)
Hosea 6:3 says “ . . .let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him, and surely as the sun rises He will appear, He will come to us like the winter rains and the like the spring rains that water the earth. . . .”
Yeshua in John 4:6 sat down ( appeared ) at the 6th hour by Jacob’s Well to offer her the ‘living water’ she had been watching for ( John 4:10,12) . . .
I find it interesting that He reveals Himself to the samaritan woman (Northern kingdom) at the 6th hour, He was declared “king of the Jews” ( the southern kingdom ) by Pilate in the 6th hour ( John 19:14) and Peter’s vision in Acts chapter 10 concerning the coming in of the nations also took place in the 6th hour.
But I’m sure that’s all just a coincidence . . .
And, we have in Acts 15:14-21 another example of the type and shadow in 2 Kings 17:27-28 of the nations coming into the land or ‘kingdom’ and having the need to be instructed in the ways of the Lord.
Funny how all of this just seems to go together . . .you might almost think it was intentional . . . Blessings – Rhonda

More from the Woman at the Well . . .
18 Aug
Here is an addendum to “The Woman At the Well”……Blessings and Shalom to all, Rhonda and Jerry

THE OIL AND THE WINE and TWO DONKEYS

Revelation 6:6 and Hosea 2:14-23 are inexplicably linked . Rev. 6:6 commands… ‘not to harm the oil and the wine’. Why ?…. it is a Promise in Hosea 2:21-22 that the Lord will give back the vineyards and they will be restored.
Hosea 2:14-15 states that HE is going to ‘woo us and take us into the wilderness (desert ) and speak tenderly to us and there give us back our vineyards. And when does this happen ? In the time of ‘Jacob’s Trouble’ or what we call the ‘tribulation’, as stated in the remainder of verse 15 – “ . . . and will make the valley of Achor ( tribulation ) a door of hope . . . and she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the days she came out of Egypt . . .” , a reference to the first Exodus. This takes place during the tribulation – the time of Jacob’s trouble – which is taking place towards the end of the ‘2nd day’ of Hosea 6:2. At the ending of this ‘2nd day’ the Lord says “don’t harm the oil and the wine” . At the beginning of the 3rd day (millennial kingdom) “HE will raise us up” and HE will restore the grain, the oil and the wine (Hosea 2:21-23) and “we will live in HIS sight”.
Hosea 3:5 tell us the ‘Israelites’ ( the northern kingdom – Ephraim ) will come trembling to the LORD and to His blessings in the last days. Yeshua said “ I am sent only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” Ephesians 2:11-13 clarifies that those who were formerly of the ‘nations’ have been brought near by the Blood of Messiah and are no longer foreigners and strangers but fellow citizens with God’s people. So whether we have the blood of one of the 12 Tribes running through our veins, or are simply ‘gentile’, we have been made part of the Household of God – The Whole House of Israel . . . ‘I am sent only for the . . . House of Israel . . .’ and we are expected to keep HIS ways , just like the picture we see, and is laid down, in 2 Kings 17 . The five pagan nations listed here, coming into the Land or the ‘kingdom’ if you will, were expected to keep the Father’s commandments, even though they were a ‘wild branch’ being put into or grafted into the ‘kingdom’ which was a shadow of what was to come ( Romans 11:17, Acts 15:13-21) .
Therefore, through and because of the ‘blood of Messiah’, those of the nations that believe are brought into the House of Israel ( Eph. 2: 11-13 ) and they ( we ) come in as part of the ‘re-gathering’ of Ephraim ( along with Judah – Ezekiel 37 )
What do we mean by ‘re-gathering’ ? Here’s a picture that we’ve not seen before. There are two donkeys in Matthew 21:1-5 and Zech 9:9. Yes, two donkeys !
On the day that tradition has come to call ‘palm sunday’, Yeshua ( Jesus ) comes riding into town with two donkeys – an older male and a younger male . . . the wording is quite clear in the Hebrew in Zechariah 9:9. So, what’s that mean ?
Judah is the older brother and Ephraim ( the house of Joseph ) is the younger. We see the same symbolism in the account of the ‘prodigal son’. The ‘prodigal’ is the younger brother and Judah is the older.
So back to the two donkeys. I picture Yeshua riding the older one and leading the younger. That would line up with the Biblical tenet that Judah always goes first and leads ( Numbers 2:9, Judges 20:18 ).
The Prophets Jeremiah ( chp. 2 ) & Hosea ( chp. 8 ) speak of the people of God as donkeys . . . and it is not a compliment. Deuteronomy 9:6 and Acts 7:51 ( and other passages ) tell us that Israel is a stiff-necked people. That includes me and you as well.
Exodus 13:13 and 34:20, seemingly out of context, speak of ‘redeeming donkeys’ in the same passage with ‘redeeming the first born of your sons . . . so what’s up with that ?
There is a play on words here that we miss without a closer look.
The word ‘ARAPH’ – to break or ‘slope’ the ‘NECK’ ( OREPH ) is a picture of our unwillingness to humble ourselves due to our basic sinful nature . . . pride.
Therefore we must be ‘redeemed by a LAMB’. And if there is no redemption, then we ultimately die.
But, when we willingly accept the work of Messiah on the cross ( the redemptive LAMB of our FATHER ) we willingly humble ourselves before HIM ( we ‘slope the neck’ and bow the head and heart ) and we need not fear the second death ( Rev 2:11, 20:6 ) .
So what do we have in this ‘triumphal entry into Jerusalem’, understanding that Yeshua does nothing without meaning ? We have a picture of the beginning of the fulfillment of the restoration of the Whole House of Israel with Messiah – the Passover Lamb, the Shelem, the peace offering making reconciliation – leading the way and bringing His people back home.
“ . . .For I am sent only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel . . .” Matthew 15:24