This feast has a great deal of significance.  The relevance has been written about before on this website but with the additional events which are taking place during September - The 4th Blood Moon and the 70th Year of Jubilee. We will be giving a little bit of understanding and extra focus on why this great feast has added purpose.

The full representation is that the people celebrate the feast by building booths or shelters to recall the days in the wilderness, the 40 year isolation.  The celebration is that God the Father has taken them them out of slavery and set them free.  Jesus did the same for us, setting us free from our wilderness experience.  As you can see, there are a number of different names, they are all significant to the Jewish community.  Firstly, we need to look at the roots and they have extra special importance when we see the direction of the Lord in Exodus 23 v 14-17.    The summary of these verses is to command the Jewish man to make 3 pilgrimages to Jerusalem each year.  As this has been spoken about before, we know that the first is  Pesach (Passover), the second, Shavuot (Pentecost) and, the third, Sukkot (Tabernacles).

From a physical perspective, the first 2 have been fulfilled and are written about either both physically and spiritually, through Jesus becoming our Passover Lamb or through the arrival of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. Tabernacles has not yet been fulfilled and there is a great deal of evidence which directs us to believe that Jesus will return during the period of the Feast of Tabernacles.  Which one?  No idea!  and unless we believe that the Lord only speaks to a few people and not to all of His children, no-one else has either.  

Do we believe that He will return? - absolutely! There is, also, evidence which directs us to understand that Jesus was born during the Feast Of Tabernacles and not December 25th!!  

There are too many leaders/speakers who are indicating that Jesus will be returning on the date of the Jubilee, September 23rd.  Apparently, we wont be seeing the 4th Blood Moon or that the 4th moon will be the start or end (or the middle part?) of the Tribulation.  Which is it?  Of course, there are signs that we are in the latter days but are we in the last days?  If you go back 20 years, some of the evil and tragic events (e.g. 9/11) were considered the final and worst events imaginable.  Look back 10 years and the events in the Balkans with the Srebrenica genocide, considered the most inhumane since WWII.  The events of today and climate fluctuations would make us think that we have hit the bottom.  Only the Lord knows.  Amen?

In fact, many other significant events took place during this Fall feast, namely - 

• 4 Blood Moons (see website for more details) only 4 occasions  AD162-63, 1949-50, 1967-68 and this year on September 28th.
  
• Re-dedication of the Temple in Ezra in time to celebrate the feast in 458BC.
  
• Nehemiah completed the rebuilding of the walls in 52 days on October 2nd, 445BC.
  
• Jesus was challenged in the temple in John 7 because he healed the cripple at Bethesda.
  

The possible significance of why the disciple asked Jesus if they could build 3 booths on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17.

Finally, the names of the feast are interesting - 

Tabernacles - Refers to the time in the wilderness, a temporary shelter, modeled for Heaven.

Sukkot - The Hebrew name.  It represents Joy, yes, a celebration.  This is why there are 2 other names Season of our Joy and the Season of our Rejoicing.

Booths - Reference to the disciples comments also in Luke 9 when they believed that they saw Moses and Elijah.  They were celebrating the feast.

Ingathering - This is harvest time, the end of the year signifies reaping what we have sown - physically and spiritually.  It is an ingathering of souls.

Feast of the Nations -  In Zechariah 14 v 16, the Lord invites the nations to share in the Celebration .  This is the unique thing about this feast, it will be the result of Jesus returning and bringing all nations to Him.

Blessings,
Pastor David

In ancient times, the Priests called a fast.  The direction came from the Lord and it was preparing the way for what He had planned to come or that the Nation needed to humble themselves to seek Him for their future life, protection and prosperity.  This is crystal clear during Solomon’s time, when he built the temple and prayed for the Lord to visit in 2 Chronicles chapter 7. The Lord answered his cry in verses 12-17 - 

Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 

During the second world war, King George VI in the UK called all the Commonwealth nations to prayer for those who were fighting against the enemy. Calling the people to pray and seek the Lord is not a new thing.  We have called a fast - specifically, an Ezra fast - with very relevant dates and scripture to support our fast.

If you are a follower of the Jewish calendar, you will notice that there are a crazy - in a good way - number of events.  This month always celebrates Rosh Hashanah - basically, the New Year, Yom Kippur - the day of Atonement, the Fast of Gedaliah and Sukkoth - Feast of Tabernacles.  In addition, there are a number of other events which only take place every 50 or so years which, also, converge with some of these feasts.  Namely, the 70th Year of Jubilee and the 4th Blood Moon tetrad. (Check out our calendar on this site)  

Why is the Jewish Calendar so important?  It is simple - it is all about God’s plan for His people.  Jesus wasn’t sent to live in Canada or Peru or Australia or Sweden or Ghana.  God sent him to a relatively small country to show His power, love and grace over His creation.  All these things can mean that man gets a bit paranoid about when He will return and that these unique events hail the rapture - when Jesus will return to take believers, from all time, to be with Him.  I don’t believe that is the case but I don’t know!  No-one does, we are hypothesizing!  

We believe that God is Sovereign and we do not fear because He has promised us, many times, that He is in control and He will return - when His Father decides.  However, at the Lighthouse, we have recently renovated our Sanctuary with a new platform which includes a baptismal tank.  We are planning to return on September 13th.  

This is a significant date - as it represents the 1st day of the 7th month (that is Tishri 1 - New Year’s Day for Israel).  Jeshua & Zerubbabel rebuilt the Temple and on that day - Tishri 1 - re-dedicated the altar back to the Lord after it was destroyed.  They, also, celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, starting 14 days later - which will be September 27th. We will, also.

And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak[a] and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt offerings. 4 They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day.

There is added significance for us, that we re-dedicate the altar in His house - when we read that Ezra, the priest was called to return to Jerusalem and to re-establish God’s house, he embarked on a journey.  The road from Babylon, where the nation was held captive for 70+ years, to Jerusalem would take 4-5 months.  Only 8 days in - 90 miles of a 1500 mile trek - he stopped!  Why?  because in the near 50,000 people with him there were NO LEVITES!  No priests to minister.  He sent to a local province for honorable men which took 4 days.  In chapter 8 v 21, he writes - Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

The Ahava canal - a place of love and the essence of life - is where they spent 3 days to prepare for the return to Jerusalem.  They needed to seek God (Connection), find the right way (Direction) and help to care for their young ones and their possessions (Protection).  They arrived safely in August of that year.  Praise God! 

What a month September will be!  This is not special to one group or one person or one church.  We should prepare for what He has planned for His people.  Amen?

The prophetic word is a powerful release from the Lord to help us to go forward with hope and purpose.  This was given May 31st to encourage EVERYONE not only this church.  We have adopted a theme for 2015 that we will prosper through the Scripture in 3 John 2 -  Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Word to the Lighthouse Victory Church May 31st, 2015
(Matthew 13 v 31-32, Luke 13 v 18-19 Parable of the Mustard Seed.)

My friends, for you are My friends, My children, My body. You are My Kingdom on earth, It is time to plant, time to grow down into the rich soil and it is time to grow up.

I see you as a Mustard Seed, I see you growing into a large and healthy, prominent & potent body which will serve many of My people - some that you know and some that you have yet to meet.

As the plant grows and covers the ground, So will you. It will cover the area around you as My Blessings cover all that you see. I am calling you My Kingdom for a reason - because you are truly My hands, My feet, My heart. I am the King of all who desire Me and, truly, you desire to be with Me, to meet Me, to Honour Me.

Do not limit yourselves and, as I have spoken before, do not limit Me. Open your eyes, your hearts and your minds to that which I have established in you. YES, YOU! - see it, believe it and you will know that I do not see you as a speck on the ground but I see you as a large and fruitful plant. You will give shelter to many more than you can imagine.

- I will irrigate, where the enemy will try to irritate
- I will give you food, where the enemy will only fool you
- I will treat you, where the enemy will threaten you.

Be ready to bless, be ready to dress, be ready to caress My people who need you, and see you, as strong, mighty and blessed.

We understand!!

Pastor David and I understand what it means to be in a new city, a new country.  There have been many challenges over the last 11 years since moving from the U.K. We understand being in a different  culture.  We know the adjustments that needed to be made, to make Canada our home.

If you are reading this and you are finding that life over here is becoming a struggle, please read on.  

We understand there are various times when memories of our past life come streaming back and may be you would feel as though you are missing the things back home.  One of the reasons why we have not regretted doing what we did, was that we found our church family.  Even though we came to be Pastors of the Lighthouse Victory Church here in Saskatoon, we still miss a few things from England, we would not be human otherwise, but the church family we have has become our family.

We understand that it is not easy - being on a visa status, I had no status and only came as Pastor David's wife.  I had no specific role other than to assist him being here as Pastors.  We had two out of our three children come to Canada at the same time, our son had a student visa and he was going to Bible College and our daughter also had a visa, as she was school age.  Every 12 months we had to renew our visa and, then, after three years we were able to apply for a Permanent Residence card.  This was great.  After endless form filling, the four of us became Permanent Residents.  We then decided to apply for our Citizenship and again after a lot of form filling and waiting we became Canadian Citizens a few years ago.  It was good to call Canada our home.

We understand that the smallest of adjustments can feel bigger when the mindset of what we are use to is different.  Living in a new country is different, it’s exciting as well as scary.  Whether you have come to Canada out of choice or because of hard situations in the country of your birth - Canada and, especially, Saskatoon is a great place to live. Two out of our three children are now married to Canadians and the decision Pastor David and I made, almost 12 years ago, has redirected not just us, but our children. We only see positive results of making our new life here. If you are experiencing the strange feeling of being here, you feel lonely or not having family around, we want to encourage you to come and be part of our church family.  We will not be able to answer all your needs, but we know that God answers prayer.  By seeking the Lord Jesus as the answer, we can help in bridging that relationship with Him.  Come and join us. 

Pastor David and I have pastored the Lighthouse Victory Church in Saskatoon since we came to Canada and we know that we have found our family. If Canada is not the country where you were born, We understand.  Our journey has and is not always easy, but our Christian family here in Saskatoon has been a bridge builder for our children and us. The pictures you see are of families from other countries who are part of our Church family. They understand.  
Check out where we are, we will be glad to help.

We understand that amazing things have taken place in our lives since we have been here and if you are seeking a church family and are seeking God's direction in your life, we would invite you to come join us where you would be welcomed.

The apostle John wrote great words of encouragement and empowering in his 3rd Epistle verses 2-4: 

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

What a lovely, inspiring message of belonging and an expression of love.  How much would we love to hear words like this today?  Amen?  The most loved of the disciples is showing us, in his 90’s, how much he cares for God’s people and wants to draw us more to the Kingdom of God.  

Virtually on his deathbed, he expresses his heart and wants to leave a legacy of understanding how God feels about us.  We are His beloved, he loves to hear about us walking in the truth - John refers to this twice in as many verses.  Our walk with the Lord cannot ever be underestimated - try asking the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 v 32 

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

How amazing is it when we walk and talk with Him? - more so when we receive the revelation that we CAN walk with Him and talk with Him!  Everyday becomes more enjoyable, more inspiring, more... this is the very foundation of what John had learned from His Lord and Saviour, all those years ago.  The truth of that remained with John, 60 or more years later and can guide us 2000 years.  Now, that is TRUTH!  

That is by way of an introduction into what the Lord is wanting us to see about Prosper 2015.  As soon as Prosper(ity) is mentioned, the discussion with money raises it’s head. Yes, Prosper 2015 has some of it’s roots in financial blessings.  Who wouldn’t want to have more money to dispose of and sow into the hearts and lives of people in need? 

We should translate the word, prosper, to understand John’s motive.  Why did he write such a small epistle (letter) of only 299 words - the smallest book in the bible?  He wanted to leave a lasting message - to prosper, in his way, means 
to grant a prosperous and expeditious journey, to lead by a direct and easy way, to grant a successful issue.

Let’s have a look at that, big words need to be made simpler.  Expeditious - implies that our journey should be quicker and more prompt.  That is true on most occasions.  The 40 year wandering in the wilderness could have been a little speedier couldn’t it?  

It’s as though he is trying to ensure that we don’t labour anymore than we need to. Oh! now we find out it could have been easier... We can get an inside track on life and it will help us on our journey?    This is insight, it says we should be teachable and open ourselves to the wider picture.

The Apostle Paul spoke to the church at Corinth in his 2nd letter chapter 6 verses 11-13, as the Message interprets it - 

Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!

This doesn’t mean that that we’ve lost it, it means that there is more to life  and the Lord is trying expose us to more and greater. The rest of the word is described as making our way direct and easier with success.  ‘Success’ is another tricky word in the Kingdom.  There is a choice - we can have defeat or the opposite of success, failure.  All this is not related to money.

Now go and prosper in 2015.    

The Blood Moons - what is going on?  

As a church, we want to identify important historical events and bring ourselves into a greater understanding of what God has planned for His people.  We are well aware of what the Word says about wasting our time on those things that only God knows and He will reveal them to us - in His time.  This also covers what Jesus spoke in Matthew 24 verse 36 "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.” We can speculate but we will not know until the fulness of time.  Can’t wait.

However, God permits us to check things out, to look back on actual events and use Spiritual insight into putting 2 and 2 together in the hope that it gets as close to 4 as possible.  The concept of the Blood moons in 2014 and 2015 is a fascinating series of co-incidences…

This year there will be 4 between April 2014 and late September 28th, 2015.  The periods cover Passover/Easter and Sukkoth/The Feast of Tabernacles.  Very significant dates for, not only, the Jewish community but for Christians of whatever denomination or belief system or eras. This current TETRAD (meaning simply a group of four) is only the 8th of it’s kind since before 3000BC.  8 in 5000 years is worth looking into…

Event 1 -  162/163 AD - happened during the Feasts of Passover and Tabernacles and coincided with with worst period of persecution of the Jews and Christians in the Roman Empire.  About 8 million died either at the hands of the Romans or through a plague in only 3 years.  

Event 2 -  795/796 AD - these took place between Passover and Yom Kippur (day of atonement) which was about 7 days before the Feast of Tabernacles.  King Charlemagne was crowned as the first Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.  He separated France from Spain to protect Europe from invasion.  This was the reason but the result was that there was religious persecution and isolation of Jews and Christians who were excluded many countries.

Event 3 -  842/843 AD - the four moons appeared during the same feasts as event 2.  Rome was attacked, the Vatican church was targeted by Islamic invasions.  Europe was broken into 3 main areas.  One was ruled by France who were tolerating Jewish beliefs but they were forced to change their approach and Jews & Christians were again persecuted and dispersed.

Event 4 -  860/861 AD - same periods as 1 and 2 .  This period saw the rise of the Eastern Church in Turkey and the rulers tripled the taxes on, only, Jews and Christians.  Those who could not pay were through into prison and many died or were executed.

Let’s inject a thought here - the information, the data that is collected from these early centuries can be a bit scattered.  This is not the time to go into more details but it is very important to understand the culture and amazing changes that were taking place around the world.  The population in the 2nd century (162AD) was about 100 million and by the 9th Century (860AD) was about 200 million.  It had major effects on the people of that day.  The World population did not have access to the experience of events in other countries sometimes for years later.  It was not a 911, social media thing where we know things instantly.  It was devastating for the people of the immediate area who witnessed major persecution and was a big proportion of the local population.  

Event 5 -   1493/1494 AD - this event was between Passover and Tabernacles.  The year before - a very important date, 1492 - on March 31st, the King of Spain ordered 800,000 Jews to leave the country.  The Apostle Paul had visited Spain and it had become the second most populated Jewish community after Israel.  Think on this - Columbus set sail from Portugal.  He was Italian but didn’t speak Italian because he was raised outside Italy with a group called the Marranos who were known to be Jewish.  In his last will he gave a tenth of his legacy to the Church (a tithe?), left money for widows and orphans and gave some of his estate to a Jewish community.  Project this event 500 years and country that it is thought he found includes New York - the largest community of Jews with nearly 2 million.  This is only second to Israel.  Co-incidence? or the protection of the Lord from centuries of severe persecution in Europe?

Event 6 -  1949/1950 AD - Again, this took place between Passover & Tabernacles.  One of the most significant events in Jewish history had taken place during the 2nd World War with the Holocaust.  6 million Jews obliterated by Hitler and many more millions displaced - murdered, separated and maimed.  This led to the establishing of a Jewish state on January 25th, 1949.  They had a government in 1948 but this was the official date of Israel.  The Blood Moons appeared at the formation of the state of Israel and the birth of modern Judaism.

Event 7 -   1967/1968 AD - Again, between Passover and Tabernacles.  This coincides with a major modern day war, when the Palestinian neighbours of Egypt, Syria and Jordan - backed by all the other states of Palestine - attacked Israel. It was the build up of persecution against Israel because the UN and diplomacy was not working.  Their enemies took the law into their own hands.  Israel was triumphant but a little known event was that Israel recaptured control of Jerusalem, which they had not held for 2000 years.

These were actual events which had major spiritual significance.  God, our Heavenly Father, continues to protect the Jews and His children.  Today, He will do the same.  As we enter into this new Tetrad - the 4 Blood Moons - no-one can ignore the potential for disruption or some major consequence.  No-one is trying to predict a move of God other than that He always shows His love and He keeps His promises.  The purpose of this review is not to confuse but to inform.  The Lord does not want us to be ignorant of the tactics of the enemy or the experience of history.  Man seems to be hoping that their fellow man will see reason and reconcile with each other.  It doesn’t seem as though he is willing or able.  

Blessings    

If you only knew, My love for you. If you only knew, My life  for you. If you only knew, My legacy for you.

Look to Me and you will never be dissatisfied, downhearted  or discouraged. You will never be denied what treasures are stored up for you and your loved ones. Do you not know on the day you first saw Me, that I promised you a life beyond 
your imagination, one which no amount of money, memories or make believe can satisfy.

I am truly all that you need. 

Look to Me and see if I cannot satisfy your every desire. You have a decision to make - choose wisely, choose with the 
help of My Spirit and you will know that you have chosen well. My peace will saturate you. My grace will never be spent. My love will surround you as never before.

You have heard Me speak to you many times - donʼt miss this, or any, opportunity to see your life become the fulfillment of all that I have desired.

Go live your life, not looking over your shoulder, not wondering where the next pay check is but allowing Me to reveal the supernatural, extra-ordinary, life-without-end kind of walk that awaits you.
Now walk as if you know...

“When we moved into the Persephone theatre 6 years ago, we did all the Spiritual covering, intercession, insight, warfare that we are called to.  We cleansed what we felt should have been cleansed, we set up barriers, hedge of protection and we prayed for blessings to come upon the community and our fellowship.  Was that enough?

The Lord brings new and fresh insight and we can recall the Lord’s words when He came down from the Mount of Transfiguration to find His disciples struggling to bring healing to a young boy –  Jesus declared that some things only can be moved by prayer and fasting. (Matthew17:21 NKJV).

Pastor Judy had a new and fresh revelation last week that we have posted here.  It shows a number of significant issue that we need to feed from.  As believers, we want fresh manna.  Manna which has empowering, strengthening, enlightening, encouraging and much more.   The timing of this revelation is a breakthrough moment for the church and it will do the same in your individual walk with the Lord.”