Cloven Hooves

Deuteronomy 14:4-6

4These are the beasts which you shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, 5The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. 6And every beast that parts the hoof, and separates the cleft into two claws, and chews the cud among the beasts, that you shall eat."

Everything in the New Covenant is hidden somewhere in the Old.  It's like a "pictionary" of the New filled with pictures, stories, types and offices of Jesus.

So why is God so concerned that His people eat animals with cloven hooves and that chew the cud?  For one thing, modern science has discovered that these animals are healthier for us to eat.  God, of course, is concerned for our physical well-being.  But everything in the Old also has a spiritual application.  Let's investigate.  

1 Corinthians 10:1-4

"1Moreover, brothers, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2And were all baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

You remember that in the wilderness the Children of Israel had two different "Rock encounters:" One in the beginning of their travels where Moses struck the rock and water flowed out; the other where he struck it against God's will and was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.  

(For the complete story of why he was excluded, follow this link:  

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/07/speak-to-your-rock.html)

After Jesus rose from the dead, He told His disciples to tarry in Jerusalem.  

"4And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, you have heard of me. 5For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

After He ascended to heaven, they gathered together in an upper room for fear of the Jews.  And then.....IT HAPPENED!  

Acts 2:2-4. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared to them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat on each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

There's the cloven thing again only this time, it's referring to being baptized in the Holy Spirit.  Huh?!  What's that all about?  As usual, He is drawing pictures for us again.  Cloven hooves speaks of rightly dividing the word of God.  As for chewing the cud, that is a depiction of meditation.  (For more on that topic, follow this link:  

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2016/04/meditate-hagah-tree-series-part-2.html)

The most important truth God is trying to convey here, from the very first day of the birth of His Church is this: 

"Eat from ministries that chew the cud and divide the hoof."  
In other words, the most beneficial spiritual food you can eat is from ministries that make meditating on the word of God and RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE COVENANTS top  priority.

So much heartache and physical sickness has come from those ministries that do not know how to rightly divide, and they are legion.  For an in-depth study on how to rightly dived, follow this link to 
part one of the series:

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/11/part-1-of-16-introduction-to-rightly.html

There is no more important skill any Christian can cultivate than this one.  Incorrectly dividing  the covenants puts people back under bondage to the Law and subject to the curses of Deuteronomy 28. We don't need any of that in our lives, Church.

This is serious business, folks.  God is not kidding here.  You are either under Law and justified by your works OR you are save BY FAITH through the finished work of Christ.  You cannot have it both ways.  It is JESUS.....PLUS NOTHING.  All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.  On my Jesus' finished work will satisfy the Father.

That's how critically important that your ministry or that of your pastor be one of Cloven Hooves.  

Abram, The Furnace And The Burning Lamp

Genesis 15:8-11

"8And he (Abrahm) said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9And he said to him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10And he took to him all these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11And when the fowls came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away."

(Abram drove the fowls away.) 

In Chapter 12 God blessed Abram, set him apart and promised He would make him into a great nation.  The Jewish race would, of course, spring from him.  Then, in Genesis 15, He came to Abram and again confirmed His covenant with him.  As a sign between them, the LORD had Abram bring 5 animals to be sacrificed as shown in the opening passage.  He divided in half the heifer, the goat and the ram but not birds.  Five is the number of grace!  

In those days, men "cut" covenants with other people which always involved the shedding of blood to seal the agreement.  That's what God was preparing to with Abram. 

He placed each divided piece opposite it's other half and all their blood was spilled on the ground on the path in between. The two parties to the covenant would walk the path between the pieces on top of the blood.  In so doing, each party was agreeing that they would keep their part of the bargain.  But if either one did not live up to their part, they were saying, in essence, "May I be split asunder as these animals if I fail."

Now, God is certainly able to keep His part.  But what about Abram?  NO WAY!  He would most surely fail.  So let's follow the story and see what God did to preserve Abram.     

"12And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram; and, see, an horror of great darkness fell on him. 13And he (God) said to Abram, Know of a surety that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their's, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15And you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16But in the fourth generation they shall come here again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."

(The Furnace and the Burning Lamp pass between the pieces.)

Abram was put to sleep and had a dream about his descendants, their 400 years of enslavement in Egypt and their great deliverance.  Then his dream continues.....

17And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:  19The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."

WHOA!!!  Did you catch that?  Before Abram was able to walk on the bloody ground, GOD PUT HIM TO SLEEP.  And look Who passed through those pieces:  A SMOKING FURNACE.  Who is that?  God the Father.  But He wasn't alone.  A BURNING LAMP also passed through those pieces.  Who is that?  It's JESUS, the Light of the World!  

What man couldn't do, God did for us!  He knew we would try to keep our end of the bargain but we would and fail.  So He not only kept His part but He also keeps OUR PART!  Father and Son are the "Covenantors;" you and I are the "Beneficiaries!"

It's all because of the Furnace and the Burning Lamp! 

Jacob's "Blessings" Over Reuben, Simeon And Levi

Genesis 49:1-4

"1 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you IN THE LAST DAYS:

2 Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob,

And listen to Israel your father.  {Notice he changes from Jacob-"supplanter"- to Israel, his covenant name}.

3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,

My might and the beginning of my strength,

The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel,

Because you went up to your father’s bed;

Then you defiled it—

He went up to my couch."
 

(Reuben loses his blessing.)

Jacob was about to die and be gathered to his fathers, so he called his sons to himself to speak a blessing over each one.  They are recorded in chapter 49 of Genesis. These blessings he pronounced were prophetic of the last days but some are more than a little strange!  

This should have been a time of joy for all of them.  He should have been given the mantle of priesthood, of kingship and given a double portion of His father's blessing.  But it was not to be anything more than a sad reminder of something shameful he did earlier in his life.  He didn't think his dad was aware of his deed but, apparently, he was.

The office of priest went to Levi, the crown of kingship to Judah and the double portion of blessing to Joseph.  

Surprisingly, he replaced Reuben and Simeon, his first and second born, with his two grandsons:  Ephraim and Manasseh, adopting them as his own.  Simeon also did something very dishonorable to have his blessing taken away.  
(For more info on these topics, follow the link below:
http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2016/04/ephraim-and-house-of-judah-part-2-of-9.html)

 

Reuben's name means, "See the Son," or "behold The Son," referring to Jesus!  He is a picture of natural Israel who had the chance to "see Jesus" in person in His first coming, but they didn't recognize Him.  The Jewish people for 2,000 years were partially blinded to the truth about Jesus.

“Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are  in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it  is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.

Genesis 49:5‭-‬7 

Simon comes from the root word "shemá," which means "hear."  For 2,000 years the Jewish people were deaf to the gospel.

Reuben was rejected because he committed adultery with Bilhah, his father's concubine.  Her name means, "fear," in Hebrew.  The Holy Spirit is saying that when we turn our eyes away from "The Son" and "embrace fear," we sink beneath the waves like Peter when he took his eyes off Jesus.

365 times throughout the Bible, God tells us to "Fear not; don't be afraid;" or words to that effect.  "Fear not" and keep your eyes on Jesus, one for every day of the year.

There is great benefit to keeping our eyes on Jesus.  Read about another beautiful picture of the wisdom of this advice by following the link below:
http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/07/god-protection-plan.html

 

(Esau sells his birth right to Jacob.)

All throughout the Bible you see this kind of thing happening where the firstborn blessing went to the younger son.  For instance, Jacob and Esau:  Esau sold his birth right.  Isaac and Ishmael:  Isaac was born of his wife, Sarah, Ishmael of Hagar, her Egyptian slave.  Ephraim and Manasseh are discussed in one of the links above.   

All of these are all pictures of our Lord Jesus, THE FIRST BORN, Who was rejected and all the blessings that should have been His were passed to the younger sons--you and I, Church--who came afterward!  HALLELUIA!  He became nothing and gave us everything!

He also became sin so that we could be made righteous.  
He became poor so we could become rich.  
He took on Himself all our sicknesses an diseases so that we could be made whole.  
His cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" so that we could one day say, "My Father, My Father, why have you so blessed me?"  Jesus was forsaken on the cross so we would NEVER BE! 

Thank you, Jesus, for sending the Holy Spirit to bless us and teach us how best conduct our lives. 
He does it by drawing beautiful pictures of Jesus in like Jacob's blessing over Reuben.



 

Ephraim And The House of Judah: Part 9 of 9

Part 9:  Ephraim, Manasseh, the Church and the 21st Century.

Luke 15:11-16
“.....A certain man had two sons. ¹² And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. ¹³ And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. ¹⁴ But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. ¹⁵ Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶ And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

(The return of the Prodigal Son.)

Here, in this story of the Prodigal Son and his older brother, we find the final piece of the puzzle.  What do these two boys tell us about the Church today?

The younger son wanted to claim his inheritance early, i.e. before the death of his father.  Then he ran off to a foreign land where he squandered it all.  He was living pretty high on the hog for a while, forgetting all about his father’s house; that is…..until his money ran out and his so-called “friends” along with it.

He took the lowest, most disgusting job a Jewish boy could take:  Feeding pigs.  He became so hungry that even the pig’s food started to look good to him.  It was at this point of desperation that he remembered his father’s house and how everyone there, even the lowliest servant, had plenty to eat.  So he concocted a story to tell his father.

His older brother, on the other hand, had remained at home.  Nothing at all is mentioned about him until the Prodigal returned home.  Let’s follow the story…

(Even the pig's food began to look good.)

““But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’”

Luke 15:17-19

He fully intended to beg his father to take him back and allow him to EARN HIS KEEP.   Hired servants, of course, work for their food.  Notice he didn’t come back home because he was sorry or even the least bit remorseful for squandering his entire inheritance.  He came home because his stomach was growling!

But look what happened when he got in range of home:
““And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son…..’…..and He never said the last part of his rehearsed speech which was:  “Make me one of your hired servants.   How could he in light of such a superabounding grace?  The father lavished on him every blessing just for being his son.  WOW!!!

“…..But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.”

Luke 15:20-24

(The Prodigal Son's older brother was angry and jealous.)

The older brother had been out working in the fields.  When he heard all the commotion and that his brother had returned home, not only was he not happy that he was safe at home again, he was angry and jealous.  He didn’t even refer to him as his brother.  He also some choice words for his father.  Those words make it clear that, though he was faithfully working away for his father in his fields, there is no love or warmth in his relationship with his Dad.

The father, however, was not angry nor did he rebuke the elder son.  He simply said, “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ””

Luke 15:31-32

The older son represents Israel, our elder brother since they have been around a lot longer than us, Church. The Prodigal, however, who wasted his inheritance, represents much of the Church in this way:

Down through history, many churches have squandered their precious inheritance of healing, wholeness and provision by rejecting clear, Biblical teachings that Jesus heals us physically.  They’ve discounted tongues, in particular, and other gifts of the Spirit as for the Church today, to bless and benefit us.  There are many who don’t believe there’ll be a rapture.  Some hold the belief that all prophecy was fulfilled in 70A.D.  Many Churches have reduced all of God’s blessings to only “spiritual,” (as opposed to physical) blessings when in fact they are both.  Then there’s the faux “doctrine” of “replacement theology.”  Many teach that God has rejected Israel and that the Church has replaced her.

These are godly, well-meaning Christians, mind you, who have forgotten that it was through the Jewish people that The One was born Who saved us all; that it is a Jewish tree into which we have been grafted.

Remember, as non-Jewish Christians, we are “adopted” sons of God.  (Please refer to this link on Rightly Dividing the Word of God, part 13 for more on this topic:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/11/part-13-of-16rightly-dividing-word-of.html)

The Church is both Ephraim and Manasseh.  

Ephraim, as you know, means “double fruitfulness.”  (See part one of this series.) The Church has been fruitful for God for the last 2,000 years. But Manasseh, which means “forgetfulness,” represents that part of the Church that has forgotten Israel.

But thanks be to God more and more are realizing the truth about Israel.  God, since 1948, has turned back to His ancient people and made them a nation once again.  He is drawing them to Himself and will ultimately restore to them the visible kingdom.  To understand the difference between the kingdom visible and the kingdom invisible, please follow this link:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/11/part-8-of-16-rightly-dividing-word-of.html.

Ephraim is joined to the House of Judah.

God makes the following amazing statement about these two peoples:

“Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ 

Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ 

(God's two covenant peoples on earth.) 

In part 8 we talked about the family stick. How does it figure into our story?

We talked about how  God has two Covenant families in the earth:  Israel and the Church.  We also discussed that, in ancient times, the head of the family carried a stick on which was written all the names of the patriarchs and notable members of their families.

God, referring to this custom, told Ezekiel to take two sticks, one for Judah and one, the stick of Ephraim, for Joseph, each inscribed accordingly.  Joseph is a type of our Heavenly Joseph, Jesus!

Then He told Ezekiel to “join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.”  And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’

And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.”

Ezekiel 37:15-22

(Jesus returns to earth to rescue Israel with the Church in tow.)

When Jesus returns to earth in His Second coming with the Church in tow, having been raptured before the tribulation, we will be right by His side. He will rescue Israel from all her enemies and they will all be saved in that one, great day, delivered from all their troubles.

We will be joined together with our brethren into one Covenant people, the Church and the newly-saved nation of Israel, never to be divided again!

Jesus will at long last sit on the throne of His father, David, and rule the whole world from Jerusalem in righteousness and peace.  His millennial rule will bring peace, prosperity, justice and righteousness to all peoples.  No more death, no more sickness, no more tears!
Hallelujah, what a day it will be.

Thank you, Daddy, for Your plan to save the whole world!  Thank you, Daddy, for restoring Israel and saving many of our older brothers!  Thank you for bringing Israel to the Church’s remembrance.

And most of all, thank you for that day soon to come where You will fully unite us with our elder brother:  Ephraim with the House of Judah!

If you missed any part of this series, follow this link to part one:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2016/04/ephraim-and-house-of-judah-part-1-of-9.html

Ephraim And The House Of Judah: Part 7 of 9

Part 7:  Ephraim and Judah in the 21st century. 

Ezekiel 37:1-3  Valley of dry bones.

“The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” 

(Valley of dry bones.)

In the first 6 parts, we’ve seen the prophetic nature of the book of Genesis both of Jesus and of of the last days.  We’ve also discussed how the story of Joseph and his two sons speak of the Church.  We’ve learned about some exiting things that are happening in Natural Israel as the coming of our Lord Jesus draws nearer.  Now let’s turn our sights on God’ prophetic time clock; the tiniest nation of all:  Israel.

The opening verses are some of the most perplexing in all of scripture, aren’t they?  But just stop and think for a minute:  When you read about this “valley of dry bones,” what picture comes to your mind?  Think recent history, now……..A whole bunch of skeletons……one thrown on top of another…….in large pits or mass graves……..That’s right!  The Holocaust.  It conjures up pictures of the mass graves of Nazi Germany where 6 million Jews were murdered.  Clearly, this passage is not talking about the Church in the last days but about what would happen to natural Israel at the hands of Hitler.

God prophesied the holocaust would happen.  It wasn’t His will, you understand.  He didn’t do it.  You see, though the Jewish people have the blessing of Abraham, they don’t have the whole thing.  They don’t have the all-important protection over them Who’s Name is “Jesus.”

You and I have His protection, Church.  We won’t be going through any holocaust.  He went through it for us.  It's not because we are better than they are. Not a chance. It’s simply because of Jesus!

(Jesus wept over Jerusalem.) 

Now do you understand why He wept so miserably over Jerusalem?  His heart was literally breaking for them.  He saw what was going to happen to them in the future.  He saw their temple being destroyed in 70 A.D.  He saw His people being destroyed in the holocaust.  He wanted so much to protect them.  But they rejected His covering over them and, in so doing, were defenseless.  That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Your house is left to you desolate.”   

But He also prophesied they would come back to their land around the same time as the holocaust. It was that event which would precipitate their return.

Ezekiel 37:4-10

Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”

“So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.”

"Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.”

  

As though from dry bones with no life in them to a great army of living, breathing people, God literally resurrected their nation from the ashes of the holocaust and brought them back to their own land to be a people once again.  In an unprecedented decision by the the United Nations, the Jews were given a place to call, “Home,” and on May 15th,1948, they began coming back to Israel!!  It sent shock waves throughout the whole world!

(For more on this topic, follow the link below about the 19th Book:  Psalms:

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-19th-book.html)

After the horrors of the Second World War, the Jewish people had nearly lost all hope.  But God had not forgotten them!

Ezekiel 37: 10-14

“They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it, ” says the LORD.’ ””

Please proceed to part 8 where we’ll talk about God’s two groups of covenant people I the world, the family stick and begin to wrap this subject up:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2016/04/ephraim-and-house-of-judah-part-8-of-9.html