Living Waters Wednesday Teaching C. Holoman-8 Christmas-2 November 5, 2008

On October 26, 2008 we kept the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles/Sukkoth. I would hope that the biblical feasts are not ‘play-acting’ visits to the past, but holy up-to-date engagements and affirmations of our scriptural heritage as the covenant people of God. Note: We could act upon Christmas as a Feast!

Christmas #1, Last Wednesday ‘An adventure in scripture’ Terms: Biblical time organization and the Feasts; solstice, equinox

Summary. Elizabeth conceived near summer solstice. Mary conceived near winter solstice at approximately the Feast of Dedication. John the Baptist was born near Passover. Jesus near born near Atonement-Booths. The wise men visit Jesus at Bethlehem near Feast of Dedication 15 months after His birth. King Herod kills all the Bethlehem children under 2 years old Matthew 2:16. (The Greek words for infant Luke 2:12,16-17 and child Matt. 2:8,10)

Luke 1:5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Righteousness..relationship, Habakkuk 2:4 Blameless..living under the influence of the fatherly teaching( Torah/Law) of God.

Paul Philippians 3:6.., as to righteousness under the law blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ..., not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; Blameless..living under the influence of the teaching( Torah/Law) of God. Righteousness is a faith relationship. Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail, but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Luke 1:8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division (Abijah) was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. Seamless fusion of NT with OT, even to the point of linking this ritual dimension of the OT to the Presence and the prophetic dimensions of the NT. Could link Edershiem

Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth;

Luke 1:15a for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, Numbers 6:1 And the LORD said to Moses, 2 "Say to the people of Israel, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; Luke 1:15b and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

A Spirit Filled unborn baby This relationship does not depend upon the Acts 2 day of Pentecost history, it occurs in the Old Testament also.

A prophecy to make prepared Luke 1:16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."

Luke 1:17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah Not a reincarnation of Elijah, but one anointed with the spirit and power of Elijah

Luke 1:16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel (not all sons are sons) to the Lord their God,.., to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.“ But How? And where does this come from and what may it mean?

Malachi 4:4 "Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 "Behold.. Your capacity to behold will always be related to your remembrance of the law (torah/teachings of God)!

Malachi 4:5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. 6 And he will turn (repent) the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse." Fathers and sons. Patriarchs to their descendants. Heritage of scripture to the present time. Repent the current generation to their scriptural identification and heritage as the people of God. To the extent God’s people do not know these things, they live without knowing who they are and what their functional identity.

Malachi 4:5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. 6 And he will turn (repent) the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse." The consequence of least, Deuteronomy 28:15- 68; All this privilege offered by grace, becomes a curse of known and not received.

Elijah and contemporary Jewish Seders

Planned End Nov 5, 2008