Israel’s Fall Feasts and A Day To Pray for Jerusalem

Welcome to Running With Horses, a podcast devoted to inspire you concerning a relationship with Almighty God that empowers you to accomplish things you never thought possible.

Surely Weaver wants to take you there. And now here's today's episode. Hey everyone, welcome back. We've got great news. Lots of brand new content just right as I am speaking. Uploading now to the YouTube channel. And the name of our channel, A Clear Trumpet with Shirley Weaver.

A Clear Trumpet with Shirley Weaver. The link is long to read out. That'd be hard for you to follow. However, you can drop down here into the show notes for today's episode. Really, for every episode here on the Truth Network. You can check out all of our social platforms, talking about YouTube. I want you to check it out. And this is really important. You can help us with this. Subscribe. We need the subscribers so that... You've heard this before, I'm sure. So that we are able then to... It just causes us to reach and to expand. I don't know how that works. Maybe you do.

Anyway, that is how it works. If you would just take a look, we'd love to have you there. Lots of audio content, as well as video.

I really love the video, every chance we get to do. But you know, audio and video is the way that God gives us the ability to travel. We can go around the whole world this way.

Talk with people, communicate with your heart, from our heart, in a path that possibly would never be possible otherwise. So I'm not against technology, and I'm actually not even afraid of it. You understand? It's really important to understand, it is all God's idea. It's His idea. So should it ever look like the enemy is capitalizing on something that belongs to God for our harm, or the defeat of God's people, don't fall for that.

That's not going to happen, okay? The Lord's plan holds. He is the Almighty. You know, we just get back to that all the time. He is the Almighty God. And this is the podcast where we talk about His power, make a very big deal. We are not embarrassed to talk about the power of God, whether it is the power to deliver us from darkness and to provide salvation to the human soul. That has happened to me.

If that has happened to you, you understand God's power. Other expressions as well, other kinds of deliverance, healing, so many, many, many things. Today, we are in a time here in the fall of the year. A lot happens in the fall of the year. But specifically today, I want to touch on two things having to do with Israel and Jerusalem. You know, the fall feast of Israel, the high holy days, there are three feasts of Israel that take place during the fall months during this time of the year annually. And also too, globally, on the first Sunday of October is the worldwide day of prayer for the peace of Jerusalem.

So you see, we have the Jewish people on our heart at this time as a result just because. The prayer for the peace of Jerusalem on the first Sunday of October comes from Psalm 122. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you, who love Jerusalem. Verse 7, peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces. Jerusalem, we pray for the sake of our brethren and companions. We now say, peace be within you, within your walls, within your palaces. Jerusalem, we pray for your peace because, verse 9, of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good Jerusalem. Because of the house of the Lord my God, I will seek the good of Jerusalem. So again, pray for the peace of Jerusalem, not only for the sake of the brethren and companions in the household of faith, for the very house of the Lord our God there on Mount Zion. But you are prospered because you love Jerusalem, because you love the Jewish people, because you love the nation state of Israel and all that that means. You love what God loves.

You love the apple of his eye. That is why you prosper. How do you prosper?

Well, the Bible meaning of prosperity is soul prosperity. Everything. It takes in everything. It takes in your well-being, your family, relationships, finances, health, everything.

You see, God's plan is unquenchable and unlimited. And besides praying for the peace of Jerusalem, don't forget, put it on your calendar right now. Make sure your congregation is aware. They can participate as a congregation. If your pastor is not familiar, make sure you share with him what you heard right here on the Running With Horses podcast about the day of prayer for the peace of Jerusalem.

And that's not all. The fall feast of Israel. These are actually dress rehearsals of something that we will see fulfilled in the future. The fulfillment of prophecy.

The fulfillment of God's promise to us. And there are three fall festivals we need to put on our calendar. And remember, you know, we need to rehearse.

We need to rehearse what God is saying, because one day we will live in the fulfillment of these very feast days. First of all, Rosh Hashanah. Mark your calendar. September 15 through 17.

September the 15th through the 17th. Rosh Hashanah is the first of what is known as the high holidays. These fall feasts. It is considered the Jewish New Year, actually the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve.

That's major. As Christians, that's major for us. And it is a day really of judgment, a sense of judgment, and the coronation of God as King. Many believe that this is the date that corresponds with the future rapture of the church. The rapture of the church, of the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. So make a note, if you don't know a lot about Rosh Hashanah, you can learn. You can study.

And if you already are familiar, there's more to learn. It's amazing the wealth that is hidden in everything that God speaks and it's there for us to mine, to excavate. Next, Yom Kippur, September 24 and 25. This day is the Day of Atonement, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. It's a fast time, fast day, a time of solemn prayer, seeking forgiveness, not only from God, but our fellow man so that then see we come closer to God.

We're seeking forgiveness. This day is a day of atoning, of repentance, and of seeking forgiveness. It is the peak of the High Holidays for the Jewish people. In the congregations, in the synagogues around the world, and especially in Israel, of course, this is the peak of the High Holidays in the fall. And third, Sukkot, which is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, September 29 through October 6, seven days. Seven days to celebrate dwelling in a sukkah, which is basically a hut, a covering. It's commemorating God's shelter that he provided for the Jewish people as they traveled. Remember the story from Egypt to the Promised Land.

So this is a commemoration of that time. You know, you're living out under the stars. You're out in the open while you're traveling, being led by God, trusting him for the fulfillment of his promise. Because when you're following the Lord, sometimes it's just like that, isn't it?

You are trusting him for every step, every breath and every day. This time, this celebration of Sukkot, Tabernacles, comes after the solemn festivals of Rosh Hashanah and the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. So it is a time of great breakthrough, celebration, happiness and joy. If you've ever been in Israel in the fall of the year and you happen to be there, or I would even say in a strong Jewish community in any city, in any place in the world where there is one, you easily catch the atmosphere that is so pregnant in each one of these celebrations. So as believers, as Christians, we not only rejoice with our Jewish brothers, but we learn, we learn from these commemorations, from these dress rehearsals.

And we don't take it lightly. This is such a precious thing in the heart of God. And to these points, I want to add something.

I just want to throw this in. We're talking, praying for the peace of Jerusalem, the celebration of the fall feast of Israel. I want to emphasize the power of the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony. The blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony. A verse taken from the 12th chapter of Revelation. And as you know, the 12th chapter of the book of Revelation pertains to the tribulation period.

It is describing, the tribulation is a seven year period of great outpouring of difficulty. We won't go into that in great detail, but just to say, verse 11 in Revelation 12 says, they overcame him, meaning the accuser of the brethren. They overcame the accuser by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.

So two things, not just one, the two together. Overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb, the spotless Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, combined with the word of your, my, their testimony. And you know, at the very beginning of the book of Revelation in the first chapter, third verse, we see that we are blessed anytime, anytime you read the book of Revelation, any part of the book of Revelation, there is a blessing connected. Verse three reads this way, blessed is the one who reads and who hears the words of this prophecy, because the book of Revelation is a prophecy, right? And then keeps those things which are written in it, for the time is near.

The time is near. So you are blessed to read, to hear, and to keep, read, hear, keep. Read, hear, I mean really hear, take it in, and then do it, like keep it.

You know, we've said before, it's one thing to know the word of God, it's another thing to do the word of God. Blessed is he who reads, hears, and keeps, because the time is near. We're anticipating the return of the Lord. We are looking for His return. We desire His return. We are looking up, expecting our redemption to draw near, and in the meantime, we fully occupy until He comes.

So here's the setting. It is time for everyone to get a word, to get a word. Remember in 1 Samuel 30, David was faced with the enemy Amalekites, and he said to the priest, bring me an ephod. Bring me an ephod, because you know the ephod was something that the priest of God used to communicate with God personally.

We don't need an ephod. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit, God's word, inspired prayer. We are uniquely positioned to communicate clearly with Him, to pray to Him, and hear from Him, and vice versa. So as David said, bring me an ephod, he was looking for this communication to hear from the Lord, whether to fight or not, whether to advance or not, withdraw or not.

What to do here? You know, fellowship with the congregation is absolutely vital and scriptural, but personal level, private relationship with God does not develop primarily in a herd mentality. If you can only do it when you're with the group, that's not as good as having that connection, that private personal connection where you lock in, you close in with the Almighty God, and you commune with Him. Not a herd mentality.

H-E-R-D. You know, like animals in a herd that can be spooked, you know, can be driven, corralled, destroyed. It is not the primary place that we develop in our relationship with the Lord. Again, fellowship is so vital, so scriptural, but personal level, private relationship is where you receive that word from the Lord. So what is your testimony?

What is your word? Has God ever come through for you? Has He ever done anything for you? Do you talk about that? Do you testify? Do you have an experience with Him?

Anything at all? Well, of course you do. See, that's your testimony. It wields great power.

You know, the inclination is to only talk about what's wrong, what we need, what we don't have, didn't get, haven't received, whatever. But listen, this word of your testimony that God has done for you has great power, great power to influence everything around you. And according to Revelation 12, you use it to overcome the accuser. Accuser of what? The accuser of you. The one accusing you, blasting you, calling into question your integrity and your faith, diminishing you in any way. That's the accuser. Overcome him with the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony. So three things. You are blessed to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

You will prosper if you love her. And you are blessed to celebrate the fall feast in your heart, to study and understand God's heart embodied in these feasts. And even now, today, right this minute, every minute of this day, again tomorrow and again the next day, you overcome the accuser with the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony. You are blessed to read, hear, and keep the words of this prophecy that says you have overcome him with the blood. Apply the blood. Speak the blood. Declare the blood of the Lamb together with the word of your testimony, your testimony, the conviction and confidence you have because God has done it for you.

He has done it for you in the past, and he will do even more in the future. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support this podcast, please share it with others. Post about it on social media or leave a rating and review. Don't forget to check out the show notes or visit acleartrumpet.org where you can subscribe to Shirley's email list. Download the ministry app and purchase your very own copy of Shirley's 365-day devotional, Running with Horses. Thanks again, and we'll see you next time.