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Household of Calhoun

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Ground Zero in the New Season

New Season

Today’s Topic: Ground Zero in the New Season

Scripture: Genesis 28:11-19; John 1:47-51

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now I know this is a unique topic but it is vital for knowing and understanding when we talk about the New Season. We talked about how God prepares us by giving pictures and visual presentations of a greater reality to come, but where does He do it? How does He get something from the eternal to time? We know God is the Almighty and He can do whatever He wants, however He wants but God has actually shown us one way He does it. Let’s see how.

When we look at the scripture from Genesis 28 we see the story of Jacob’s dream where he sees a ladder extended from Heaven to Earth and angels were descending and ascending on this ladder. Now Jacob wakes up from this dream and realizes he is in a unique place and declares that place which was called Luz and named it Bethel. Now we know Beth means “house” and El comes from Elohim or God. So that is why Beth-El is called “The House of God”. This is vital. Now if we stopped there then all it would be is a story and for many that is all it is but remember this is a type and shadow of a greater reality to come. What is that reality? Let’s go to John 1:47-51 and we see Jesus talking to Nathaneal and giving Nathaneal this revelation in John 1:51: “Verily, verily I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” So the ladder which extended from Heaven to Earth is a type and shadow of Jesus Christ. Now when Jesus was resurrected His new body can cross dimensions. Now what I am saying is that he could eat fish (time). He could also come in a room through a wall (eternal). But the resurrection also was the beginning of this new and living way and everyone who accepts Jesus Christ is placed somewhere. This somewhere is called the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is the connector between Heaven and Earth. So what does all of this mean?

The Body of Christ is ground zero where the eternal comes into time! Let me explain! The Body of Christ is composed of many members but one body (1 Corinthians 12:12,13). Now the key is for all the members of the body to work together in unity and when that happens God fills that thing or being with His presence. This is how: The Body of Christ is where people are joined by the Spirit under Lord Jesus. It also moves together in the Earth by a divinely inaugurated government (Kingdom of God). The Body of Christ moves by the authority and rule of Lord Jesus. As a result of all of that, God will fill that thing or being with His presence. Now there was a part of that scripture in John that we did not discuss and I want to take the time to discuss it.

Now the ladder from Heaven to Earth and the angels ascending and descending represents a unique relationship. This ascending and descending function means that there are “sent ones” or messengers of earth that go up to Heaven, not physically but are given by the Spirit of God access to the hidden mysteries of God in Heaven. Confusing? Let’s break it down. Now that the Body of Christ is established no longer does God need to send angelic messengers in the sense of the supernatural beings to come and bring the messages from God. God now begins to employ human messengers who oddly take on the title of angels. So let’s stop for a moment! So is Bro. Calvin saying that there are humans who have ascended into Heaven, not physically and come back to Earth to bring a message? Yes! Has it happened before? Yes! Two examples and we will continue this in the next message:

1 Corinthians 12:2,4: “I knew a man (human) in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell; God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third Heaven.

So Paul tells us that there was a man that he knew that was caught up to the third Heaven and the key was Paul said he was in Christ. So he was a member of the Body of Christ.

Revelation 4:1: “After this I looked and behold a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” So John is another example of a believer who was taken or caught up into Heaven to witness something but John was instructed to write what he saw down in a book (Revelation).

These two examples are great examples of how God will call up a human to Heaven to be shown a revelation to a hidden mystery of God and they become the messenger of God for that season so that we in the Body of Christ will know what is happening in the season or whether the season is about to change. I know it sounds weird but we are eternal creations so God does things eternally and many times it defies natural rationale. See each member of the Body of Christ, under the Lord’s Will, can be called up to Heaven right from Earth. Will all of us have that privilege? No. But do not fret, when you continue to operate in the Spirit of God He will prepare you and let you know it is now time to change seasons. In the next message we will look at Grace and what it truly means.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Types, Shadows and Revelations

New Season

Today’s Topic: Introduction Part 4 – Types, Shadows and Revelations

Scripture: Genesis 4:4; 22:7,8; Exodus 12:6,7; Genesis 2:21-25; Ephesians 5:31,32; Hebrews 10:19,20

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now I want to show you some examples of this and how God prepared the people. Please pay attention to progression and see if you see the pieces to the ultimate revelation

Example #1

In Genesis 4:4 we see God being please with Abel for offering his firstling of his flock as an offering to God. Later in time in Genesis 22:7-18 we have the story of Abraham and Isaac and how Abraham was going to sacrifice his only son until God stepped in and provided a substitute and suitable sacrifice. Later in time Exodus 12:6-7, the Lord instructed the children of Israel to take the blood of an unblemished male lamb and put it over the door post and side posts. God is painting a picture here. What is the picture? It is actually a man by the name of Jesus. He was the first of the flock of God. He was the only begotten Son of the Father that gave His life for the sins of the world and He was the sinless and acceptable sacrifice to save us from eternal hell. Three stories leading to one revelation.

Example #2

In Genesis 2:21-25 we have the creation of woman from the side of a man and Adam making the prophetic declaration of a man leaving his father and mother and cleaving to his wife. Now Paul quotes Genesis 2 when speaking to the Ephesians about marriage in Ephesians 5:31,32. Now there was another place in the Bible where a man’s side was opened? That’s right, Jesus on the Cross when the soldier pierced him in the side. But that is not all the scriptures go on to say in Hebrews 10:19,20: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.” So what is this all symbolic of? The Relationship and Marriage of Jesus (Husband) and the Church (Bride).

See if we just look at these stories as simple little stores that are like poetry and nice little stories to tell then you will continue to see the shadow when you have the right to see and know the truth. So many people are living in the shadow and God wants them to shift into the truth but they have to want it. They have to desire to know the truth and have a relationship with The Truth (Jesus Christ). Now in these two examples we have some key principals and I want to go back and show you them.

Example #1

The first example shows us various pictures that lead us to Jesus. What these examples are meant to do is prepare us and bring us up to anticipate what God is going to do. What do we think the prophets were there for throughout the time before Christ? They were there to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah. So one way God brings us to revelation and the reality of what He is doing in time is pictures and preparation.

Example #2

In example 2 we have would we would in the natural say a weird situation. In the natural a man is birthed through a woman but here we have a woman coming out of a man in time on the Earth. Not to spend a lot of time on this but God is showing us the power of the supernatural or the eternal. The eternal is not bound to our laws in nature. How many times have we flashed passed the scripture in Genesis and thought nothing of it. When in actuality we should have said “stop the boat, something is weird about this!” That is what God was doing in doing what He did with mankind. He was drawing a picture. Now when we talk about the marriage between Jesus and the Church, of course this does not mean that each human that is a believer will fit into, physically the gash caused by the Roman sword on Jesus. No that is absurd! No, but what it does tells us is we now can be put into an eternal body that will never die, in the eternal. See what is wonderful is the body of Christ crosses dimensions. The body of Christ is eternal but yet still in time. For example the church exists in time on the Earth. In addition every member of the church is also an eternal creation, born of the Holy Spirit. But the key here is where does all of our authority and power come from? The eternal.

Another small but significant example of how God shows us supernatural vision against our natural mindset is we believe that if you kill a tyrant or dictator, you bring about peace. But with Jesus we see someone who did nothing wrong or harm anyone but yet was put to death, but look what it brings from His death. It brings new life and the result of His rule is peace. Two different mindsets, two opposite results. So when God turns the natural upside down, then we need to look for the answer to the mystery because God is clearly trying to get our attention.

In the next message we will look at how religion functions verses the truth. Trust me it is very different and I pray you stay with us and continue to study the New Season.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

God's Preparation of the People

The New Season

Today’s Topic: Introduction Part 3: God’s Preparation of the People

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:18; Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 12:25-28

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

In many of our previous series such as “Seven Spirits of God” and “End of the Age/Return of the Lord” we talked extensively about types and shadows and how the Old Testament has many types and shadows of what is to be revealed in the New Testament. Now this is not new to God, we maybe just coming into understanding this but it is nowhere new to God and God has always done this because of where humanity is and where it has gone since the fall in the Garden. But this is how God reveals and prepares us to enter the New Season and the seasons within it.

Types and shadows point to a reality that is greater than the type and the shadow because the type and shadow’s purpose is to point to the reality. Now as long as you still have the type and shadow then the reality has not come yet. But do not fret because God is preparing you for the reality. Now the reality or the true revelation of the thing is not that which occurs in time. Time is simply a venue where the eternal comes and impacts and affects. Time was created after the eternal existed as we proved in our last message with Genesis 1:1. Time begins and ends, but the eternal simply is.

Let me use this wonderful example of how God does this with types and shadows. Let’s take a jigsaw puzzle. Now God is eternal so He knows the beginning from the end. So God knows exactly what the puzzle looks like and what it is. Now to bring you to the reality of what God is doing or impacting the Earth with, He breaks the pieces of the puzzle up and puts certain pieces in time to start preparing you for the change in season. Now with each piece God teaches us by that piece to anticipate that is something like this thing is coming into time from the eternal. God wants us to learn and experience fully this piece that He has given us to have. Now he holds us responsible for that piece but nothing more. Now His intentions when He brings that piece is to make sure we get it and understand that piece. A great example of this is the movement of seasons in the church in America.

In the early 1900’s the Holy Spirit was introduced to America in Los Angeles, California. This movement that was started was the Pentecostal Movement. This movement re-introduced the Holy Spirit to America. Now what was God doing? He was making the church familiar again with the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues came to be a dominant feature during this time in the church to show the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. So in this season in time the emphasis was not really on Jesus Christ and God being the Father even though all of that is true but the emphasis was empowerment through the presenting of the Holy Spirit. Now even with this God intends for us to grow up from this so He adds on to this and prepares the church for the next season which brings us to the Charismatic Movement.

Now this was a new move of God and not some side-job from Pentecostalism. The Charismatic movement focused on the gifts of the Spirit. So typically you hear people talk about, “what is your gift”? So now the focus was on ministry gifts and people during this time were encouraged to operate in their gifts and most people are still here in time. These gifts were a person’s identity. Now God is making another transition in time and the next move of God was a focus on governmental issues.

During this movement of God we see a focus on what we call the five-fold ministry gifts or “doma” gifts. These gifts are the apostles, evangelist, pastors, teachers and prophets. Now during the 1980’s God began to restore the prophetic movement in America and then in the 1990’s we see the restoration of the apostolic movement. These gifts of the five-fold ministry represent the gifts of the government of God. Ephesians 4:12 says it best:

“For the perfecting (maturing) of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”

Church, all five-gifts are to work together for the maturing of the saints. In other words, a lack of either of these gifts leads to a lack of maturity for the saints in that area. This is no wonder why in some of our churches, we do not recognize the apostolic or the prophetic. Many hold to the pastoral, evangelical and the gift of the teacher. But Paul, Christ-chosen apostle to the Gentiles, says we need all five. But what is God leading us to? Simple, He is leading us to maturation to become mature sons of God.

See if you are stuck in the Pentecostal movement then it is hard for you to understand the governmental gifts because you have not shifted seasons. God is trying to mature us but we have to be in position to take the picture He has given us, learn about it, study it, experience it then when God shifts the season then you are able and prepared to come in and experience what God has prepared you for. God wants us to grow-up and I believe God’s move in this current season is to get us to Return to the Kingdom and Experience the Kingdom and it’s fullness on Earth now! See he has introduced you to the Holy Spirit. Then God got you to understand the various gifts of the Spirit. Now if He can teach us how to live in the Kingdom with those various gifts imagine the preparation and maturity of the saints! And it will happen, with or without you. I have noticed in the past 2 years alone in the ministry God has given me a quick shift in mentality to Understanding the Kingdom. Why would God do this because we have so many other things to talk about? Because in the latter days God will shake the Heavens and the each and the only thing that will not be moved is the Kingdom of God (Hebrews 12:25-28)!

It is time for us to drop religion and study God’s Word so that we can understand the season we are in and experience it because if you have not shifted in your mentality then you will become almost irrelevant and you will began to seek and search for what you had when that season was in place. Is this why when people preach the Kingdom of God, people sit and look baffled? What season are we living in?

In the next message we will look at some examples and show you the various types and shadows God used and the thing that they pointed to.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Eternal and Time

The New Season

Today’s Topic: Introduction Part 2: Eternal and Time

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:18

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

The reasons we miss the signs of the change in the seasons of God is because of our mindset. Let me use this scripture as our foundation for this message, 2 Corinthians 4:18:

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Now there are two realms we live in. There is the realm of time and the realm of the eternal. Now depending on what realm you live in as your source, then that determines whether you advance in the New Season. Now let’s look at these two realms and we can answer those above questions because they must be answered.

When we look at the comparison between time and the eternal we must understand that the eternal is the source of time. In other words, time is the invention, eternal is the source of that invention. Can we prove that? Genesis 1:1: “In the BEGINNING GOD..” So the Word of God starts with the revelation that God was before anything was created and we know God is eternal. Then the verse continues: “In the beginning GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH.” So the Earth sits in a pocket of the eternal called time. And time was created by God from the eternal. Are we getting a picture yet? So in our previous series on the Seven Spirits of God we looked at the word eternal and in the Greek the word is “Aeion”. It has three meanings: An age, from age to age and endless ages. Now if God sits in the eternal and the eternal is the source and time is the invention then what should be our source for signs and revelation? The Eternal. The reason we make time the source is because we are born into time so we tend to think that time is the reality and everything else is a mystery or shadow. This is why many approach God as a mystery and a shadow because we think on the field of time and not the eternal. Two mindsets equaling two different outcomes and rationales. But the fact of the matter is the complete opposite and this is how God prepares us for the New Season. The types and the shadows are the things of the seen world. These things are used to prepare you for the actual thing that God is going to do in the Earth. But what does that mean?

God uses pictures or visual presentations to teach us about the eternal thing that God is bringing into time. Now the picture or visual presentation is not the actual thing itself, it is the representation of it. The thing itself will come after the people have been made ready and aware by the representation. God is not trying to confuse you but prepare you. He knows where your mindset is because He created you so He knows He has to give you bits and pieces at a time in a form that you can understand and once He finishes giving you all of the representation then you will be prepared to understand the thing that God is doing eternally in time. What an amazing concept. So the dominant realm is the eternal.

Let me give you this human example and then we will see it a little clearer. In the United States we have one nation made up of 50 individual states. Now these individual states govern themselves under the authority of the federal government. So what we have is Federal Law and State Law. Now the one thing that cannot happen is a state law triumph or rule over a federal law. That is why federal agents have jurisdiction in any state but state officials only have jurisdiction within that state. Now when there is a conflict, federal law always triumphs the state law because the federal law is the source or the dominant. This is how we need to approach between eternal thinking and natural (time) thinking. When understand that God does things eternally in the earth but takes the time to prepare us for the change in season then we look at the visual things or the pictures God is showing us. Live with what God has given us and prepare for the change.

In the next message we will continue this and show how God shows us the things and representations of the eternal thing to come.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The New Season: Introduction

Series Topic: The New Season

Today’s Topic: Introduction

Scripture: Exodus 19:10-13

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

There is a lot of talk about seasons, miracles, breakthrough, harvest and all of this throughout the church. For many people, they are lost and do not understand what this means. Much of it comes from the false doctrine of the prosperity gospel. But in this series I want to talk about the New Season. Believe it or not, many people are not living in the New Season. Now I do not want to fly over your head with this but in order to understand the New Season and especially the various seasons, within it, you must understand how God operates and does things to bring us into the New Season.

The New Season is not a season pertaining to weather such as spring, summer, autumn and winter. It is a heavenly season in which things in the Earth has changed and will not go back to the way things were before. So the first aspect of understanding the Seasons of God is knowing what is permissible and when. Let me give you a great example. Exodus 19:10-13 speaks about the Lord telling Moses to tell the children of Israel to go and prepare themselves for two days then on the third day, I (The Lord) will descend upon the mount. Now in those two days they were not permitted to go up to the mount or they would be killed. Now when the Lord descends on the third day then the children of Israel can come up to the mount. Now what I am showing you hear is there was a time that the children of Israel could not come up to the mount but then at the appointed time of God when He descends on the mount on the third day, all the rules change, or better yet, the season changes. Now the children of Israel can go to the mount. Now of course we know that they did not so they were given the Law at Mt. Sinai. But this is a small example of what is not permissible at one point in time, when God changes the seasons, it is now permissible to you. Now there is much background and foundational information we must lay out because if we do not then our understanding of this powerful revelation will be hindered.

When we look at the change in seasons one thing we know for sure that all of the things of the former season that survived in that season now change. Now if you choose not to change then you will see that God does not grant you grace in the thing that you are doing. For example, animals understand perfectly the change in seasons and the need to change with it. If an animal does not change the way it does things, whether it is migration or storing food in the previous season, then when the season changes that animal’s survival is at risk. Do we see this! For many churches and ministries, the seasons of God have changed and because they have not changed with the season, God does not grant grace to what they do, so they keep doing what they do and call it God. At one time what they did was permissible and grace was given but when the season changed, they chose to stay in that old season and now what a representation of God is now a representation of their own interests. I know this sounds hard but God is trying to move us from this complacent religious mindset. Now what has happened in the present church because of a lack of change, the church has become filled with personalities. In other words, it is all about the preacher and how wonderful he or she is. The people are excited about their church because of the preacher. Many people come into a worship service, hear the preacher hoop and holler, clap their hands to it and never got a message from the Lord. Sad to even some those who come ready to receive do not even get the message.

Has the church, based on its current state, changed seasons? If we look at an overview of the state of the church then the answer would be, no. For many churches we are so land-locked on our doctrine and our beliefs that when someone comes a tell us it is time to change from this state, we come against them and tell them that they are out of order and ostracize them for speaking what the Lord has told them. But my job and the job of the Kingdom citizens is not to persuade but present the truth. If you have a relationship with God then you know truth and all you have to do is be a willing vessel to present it. Now this is a warning and a warning to the current day church:

“We will start seeing more churches become extinct, powerless and ineffective if we do not change with the seasons God puts us in.”

Remember, at one time when God told you to do something, you were given grace and power to do such a thing during that time but when God changes the season, then that thing that you once did then is not given grace and becomes now a misrepresentation of what God is currently doing. Now I want to tell you this hear, God always prepares you for the change in His seasons before He does the actual change. Where we miss it, is we do not recognize the signs because we hold on to the former seasons activities.

I know this is rather blunt but the time is now and we need to change! But why would God want to change the seasons and what exactly is this New Season we are supposed to be living in? We will continue to lay the ground work for this in the next message.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Seven Appointed Feasts of God Summary

Today’s Topic: Seven Appointed Feasts of God Summary

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
First let me say that it has been a joy learning about these seven important feasts. At first, I did not think I needed to learn about this until Holy Spirit showed me at the end of the series “End of the Age/Return of the Lord” that we need to show this powerful prophetic mystery. Now these feasts are meant to be prophetic and fulfilled. In turn the lighting of the Menorah with its seven candles are symbolic for the seven feasts of God. Now let me show you the revelation of this mystery if you have not seen it yet. Now I will give you the feast and tell you whether it was fulfilled or not and I know you will then see the ministry of Jesus and the signs of the progression to the Return and Millennial rule of Christ.

Passover (Pesach) – Fullfilled
· Jesus was the Passover lamb and we are covered by His blood
Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMazot) – Fulfilled
· Jesus is the sinless sacrifice for the redemption of mankind and His body would not be ravaged or see corruption from death
Firstfruits – Fulfilled
· Jesus is the firstfruiit of the eternal harvest. He is the first one to be resurrected from the dead
Weeks (Pentecost) - Fulfilled
· The Holy Spirit given. This is the birth of the Church (Jew and Gentile).
Trumpets (Rosh Hashana) - Unfulfilled
· Last trump of God that will usher in the Return of the Lord. The Dead in Christ shall rise and then the ones that are alive shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) – Unfulfilled
· The End of Sin
Tabernacles (Sukkot) – Unfulfilled
· Millennial Rule of Christ

So based on this we see that we are currently between the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost and Trumpets. God has told Israel and now has made us aware to watch for the signs. The seven feasts of God is a wonderful prophetic masterpiece of the Father to the children to help us celebrate the truths of these feasts and allow Holy Spirit to continue to reveal the mysteries of Christ to the sons of God.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Feast of Tabernacles

Today’s Topic: Feast of Tabernacles

Scripture: Leviticus 23:34-43

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

This is the last of the seven feasts established by God to Israel. The Feast of Tabernacles is a joyous and celebratory feast. The Feast of Tabernacles goes by other names also such as the Feast of Booths, Festival of Booths and Feast of Ingathering. In Hebrew the Feast of Tabernacles is called Sukkot or Succoth. The feast is celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh month and runs for seven days (Levit. 23:34). So in the Jewish calendar it runs from Tishri 15 to Tishri 22. Now just based on the title we are talking about tents or tabernacles. This celebration reminds the Israelites of their time after being brought out of Egypt and in the wilderness they dwelled in tents. Now there was to be a holy convocation on the first day and the eight day because both of these days would be Sabbath days. In addition they thank God for provisions and the fall harvest. Now that was a small overview of this because the significance to the saints is lengthy but I want to keep it simple for all of us to understand. To show you how important this feast is, let’s look at Zechariah 14:16,17:

“And it shall come to pass (prophecy) that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King (Jesus), the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of the tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the Earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King (Jesus), the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain”

This is a very powerful prophecy that speaks of the Millennium Kingdom when Jesus Christ will rule for 1,000 years from His throne in Jerusalem. All of the nations of the earth will be commanded to come and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Now if they refuse to come, which means they are not trusting in the Lord for substance and living, then the Lord will withhold rain from that nation as punishment. This rain is natural and spiritual. The spiritual rain that will be withheld will be that God will not pour out the Holy Spirit on those who refuse His offer of salvation. But look at what John says about this “rain” or water, John 7:37-39:

“In the last day, that great day of the feast (Feast of Tabernacles), Jesus stood and cried saying, If any man thirst (water) let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified)”

So this water, this life giving water is the Holy Spirit that will be poured out on everyone that believes during the Millennial Reign of Christ. Because remember back in Zechariah it spoke of everyone else that is left of the nations that came against Jerusalem.

The Feast of Tabernacles is also symbolic or shadow of the current tabernacles which leads us to our final tabernacles in 2 Corinthians 5:1:

“For we know that if our earthly house (flesh) of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed (righteousness) we shall not be found naked. For while we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.”

So this tabernacle, just like the tabernacles the children of Israel had in the wilderness is temporary because we have an eternal house not made by hands. Our eternal house is immortal.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)

Today’s Topic: Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement)

Scripture: Leviticus 23:26-32

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year for the Jews. Let’s look at the scripture for clarification of this holy day.

Leviticus 23:26-32

On the tenth day of this seventh month (Tishri 10) there shall be a day of atonement. It is also a day of a holy convocation where one is to afflict (humble) their souls and offer an offering unto the Lord. Now on this holiday is no work to be done because one is to make atonement for you before the Lord. Now God tells them that anyone that does not humble (afflict) their souls in that day, he shall be cut off from his people. In addition anyone who worked on that day, the Lord will destroy them from the people. So this is, to God, a very serious day.

Now there are four main elements to Yom Kippur.

1. Holy Convocation

This is called to draw the focus of the people to the altar of divine mercy for their undivided attention.

2. Prayer and Fasting

This is what is meant by afflicting your souls. Remember our souls can act independent of God so we need to humble our souls to God and repent from our wicked ways. This is also a day of mourning for the sins they committed against God and others.

3. Offerings

The entire 16th chapter in Leviticus is dedicated to offerings and I will not go into all of that for the sake of time but offerings are to be given during this day. If it fell on a Sabbath day then the regular offering would be offered.

4. No Labor

It was a strict day of rest from Labor and no one was to work during this day. Under the Law, anyone working on this day could be found guilty of capital punishment (death penalty).

Now the focal point of this holiday was the day when the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies, but before he did he had to bathe his entire body (symbolic of purification) and he was to wear a special garment for this particular occasion. Offerings were made at the seat of the Ark of the Covenant and atonement was made for the priesthood. Then another goat would be sacrificed as a sin offering for the people. Then another goat (scapegoat) was used and hands were laid on it, symbolizing the sins of Israel and they released it into the desert which symbolized the carrying away of the sins of the people. Now the remains from the offerings were burned outside of the city and this is important to remember.

What could this mean for the saints? This ritual is a symbol of the atoning work of Jesus Christ. Now if you read Hebrews 9th and 10th chapters it is all about the atoning work of Jesus. Now unlike the priest who go into the Holy of Holies in the temple, once a year and make offerings for the atonement of sins, Jesus did it once and once for all at Calvary. Now here is a question, is there still sin attached to the believers today? The answer is yes, but the sin does not condemn you to death because of the atoning work of Christ you are washed in the blood of the Lamb to remit sin. For example, I can curse at you and still be a believer. Did I sin? Yes but I have the ability to ask for forgiveness and the sin be washed away. Now there is a day when sin will be wiped utterly away and absolutely no sin will be ever attached to the saints again.

So Yom Kippur is important because it reminds us as the saints of the atoning work of Jesus Christ as the Great High Priest. By the offering blood, not the blood of calves and goats, but His perfect, sinless blood as the once and for all sacrifice for eternal redemption, we are eternally redeemed and saved unto our gathering unto the Lord. This also tells us and I know some might get upset but let’s deal with this, we do not have to go to a priest (human), and confess our sins for our sins to be forgiven. Why? Because you can go directly to the Great High Priest, Jesus, personally yourself and He is faithful and just to forgive you. Now what I am saying is why take your sins, confess them to another man who then takes it to God for you to be forgiven? What makes him better to go before Christ than you? Now, if you have done that person wrong then the Bible does say that we are to make it right with our brother for the sake of peace. All are the same in Christ and all who are in Christ has the same access to Christ because of what He did on Calvary. Do not let tradition and religion make you think that you cannot go before the throne yourself and confess your sins to the one who paid for them. No man on Earth, other that Christ is able to wash your sins away! Religion takes you to the priest, The Kingdom takes you to the King! One is worldly the other is eternal!

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.