29 September 2010 (Revee/Shavu'ot)
Day #197, 5934 AM
Sukkot #7 Ingathering
Harvesting Souls for Our Messiah
The Festival of Tabernacles or Sukkot is also sometimes called the Festival of Ingathering. It is the last of the three Harvest Festivals and is preceded by Yom haBikkurim or the Day of Firstfruits (the barley harvest) and Shavu'ot or Pentecost (the wheat harvest). This third and final harvest is specifically for grapes which is symbolic of the end:
"The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels" (Matt.13:39, NKJV).
"And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, 'Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe'" (Rev.14:15, NKJV).
"Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow - for their wickedness is great" (Joel 3:13, NKJV).
This great harvest - the final one - will mark forever those who have accepted Yah'shua as their Messiah and those who have not. At the final Grape Harvest of Mankind it will no longer be possible to choose anymore - the choosing will have been done and all created souls will have made their choice for heaven or hell. The message of the Master for this gathering is therefore urgent:
"When Yah'shua (Jesus) went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray the Master of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest'" (Matt.9:35-38, NKJV).
Every generation has a harvest and every generation has many Sukkot's. This is a gathering of "angels", better translated as "messengers", which are both supernatural and natural - both heavenly and earthly. It is our responsibility to get the witness out, by whatever means is at our disposal, because the labourers are indeed few. Some of the harvesters are missionaries going out two-by-two as we learn in this parallel passage:
"After these things the Master appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, 'The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest'" (Luke 10:1-2, NKJV).
These seventy were sent out while Yah'shua was alive, preparing the way in the towns and villages ahead of Him, so that when He arrived, they were eager to hear what He said. Today Yah'shua has ascended to Heaven and is no longer with us physically but we still need to go ahead of Him by preaching the Word so that the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) can witness to our listeners' hearts and supernaturally enable them, by faith (trusting), to admit Him into their hearts and so know Him personally. This witness is a great cooperative work with different witnesses fulfulling different rôles in evangelism:
"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not laboured; others have laboured, and you have entered into their labours" (John 4:35-38, NKJV).
In this great work we have nothing to boast of for all are called and the result is the fruit of the labour of all.
"Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, 'Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.' So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, 'Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe'" (Rev.14:14-18, NKJV).
We have seen, over the last weeks since the beginning of Yom Teruah, that the vast bulk of humankind is still in the valley of decision (Joel 3:13) and we know, sadly, that most will not choose. Our job is therefore two-fold:
- 1. To make sure that everyone hears the Gospel, which ever way they chose, so that no one can be without excuse; and
- 2. To gather in those who will hear and will chose, bringing them home to Zion.
For a time is coming, as represented by the conclusion of this autumn/fall season, when it will all be over, as I have said, and people will moan:
"I would comfort myself in sorrow; my heart is faint in me. Listen! The voice, the cry of the daughter of my people from a far country: Is not Yahweh in Zion? Is not her King in her?" Why have they provoked Me to anger with their carved images - with foreign idols? The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved! For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; astonishment has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead, is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people?" (Jer.8:18-22, NKJV).
We can have absolutely no influence on those whom Yahweh knows will not respond to the message but this does not give us an excuse not to witness to them because we will be held accountable for whether we did or not. They must be given no excuse to accuse Yahweh claiming that they never heard the Word preached to them. And this system of things cannot be terminated until everyone has heard it, even in the most rudimentary form. That witness is still important, therefore. That is why we must plod on and persevere even if no one responds, just as Noah did, for these days have been prophesied to be like those of Noah:
"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt.24:37-39, NKJV).
"When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8, NKJV).
The answer is no. The last days will be exactly as they were in Noah's, though obviously there are more people on the earth today so rather more than 8 will be saved this time round when the earth is baptised in fiery destruction.
Nevertheless, in spite of this 'heavy' work we are called to do, our simcha or joy comes in the few souls who do respond! This makes it all worth it, just as it does in heaven. It is when we are engaged in this work that we obtain not only simcha (joy) but also shalom (peace) for without this inner peace we would never find rest in this world of sorrows.
I think it fitting, therefore, to finish this seventh and last day of Sukkot by challenging and inviting everyone to get involved in evangelism by whatever means are available. And even if you can't get about, you still have the internet for long as it remains free (for as you know President Obama and his Illuminati masters wants to take it over and control it). So witness while you can! The time will come when we will be gathered into the cities of refuge when witnessing will be virtually impossible. So let us take the opportunity now and get the Word of Salvation out while we can. This is, after all, what the Bridegroom wants - He wants His complete Bride! Amen.
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