Genesis 1:6-8 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Ephesians 5:26-27 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Yesterday, we began our series of devotions focused on the birthing of the Kingdom. Continuing to develop these insights, let’s look at day 2 of creation and its focus upon water.
So much can be said: associated with creation itself, life, cleansing, purification, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit, water, whenever it was made, was there at the beginning and carries tremendous meaning and significance in God’s creation.
And just as this world was conceived in and from water, our earthly life begins in the darkness of our mother’s womb, surrounded by water. Shortly before the final stage of birth, a critical event takes place which signals that there is no turning back now, as the increasing labor contractions leading to birth either have already begun or will begin shortly. The breaking of the amniotic sac, releasing the water in which the baby resides, precedes her soon coming passage through the birth canal.
In our personal spiritual journey, water baptism is a sacramental expression of our death to the self-life and resurrection to the new life in Messiah. It parallels our natural birth from water, a truth which is mentioned by the Lord in John’s gospel, “Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God”; [John 3:5]. Our baptism is a moment of truth and revelation closely associated with the receiving of God’s Holy Spirit, a defining moment in our life, publicly expressing our new faith, [Luke 3:21-22], and it happens in and with water.
We can thus draw a close connection between water and commitment. When the water breaks, the mother becomes committed to the labor leading to birth. When a soul enters baptism, she commits to a life of death to sin and resurrection to new holy life. Since, in fact, our Lord predicted birth pangs leading to His coming, we might expect a defining moment when “the water breaks” and the labor begins in earnest, which leads to the second Advent. This would be a defining moment which expresses commitment; i.e. the Lord’s commitment to His promised return in judgment, and our commitment to endure to the end by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Labor is painful, as must be the birth pangs of the end of the age. This seems obvious. But what about the association between water and life, water and cleansing, water and purification, water and the Holy Spirit? We see a potential in the water breaking moment that involves tremendous blessing: purification of our lives through trials, an increase in our need for and dependance upon the Holy Spirit, and the resulting great potential for a harvest, a birthing of souls, as our lives become more profoundly committed and authentic to the Lord’s image. And perhaps this water breaking moment will signal a second fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, “I will pour out my spirit on all mankind…”. We will see…
But, we do see what seem a lot like birth pangs now. Has the “water broken” yet? Maybe, maybe not, but we have never seen a greater need for true commitment, amidst these “contractions”. And one of the greatest promises ever delivered to mankind was also about water: “He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” [John 7:38] So, the water-breaking moment, whatever and whenever it happens, signals that God will be with us, for purification, cleansing, and empowerment, through hard contractions, right up until the end. And with His indwelling we can make it through, be more than conquerors, and participate in what may be the greatest harvest ever, at the end of the age.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Abraham was sitting in front of his tent on the plains of Mamre, when the LORD (Yehovah — Yud Hay Vav Hay) came to him and declared the fulfillment of a promise He had made to him many years before, saying that through Abraham’s seed the world would be blessed! (Genesis 12:7; 13:15-16, 15:18, 17:7-9)
Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) started last week, and it’s customary to say to everyone this week — Chag Sameach, which literally means joyous festival! As we mentioned, the feast of Sukkot commemorates the time in which God led the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years, providing them with every need on a daily basis — shelter, food, water and clothing. You may know that a during Sukkot, a portion of Ecclesiastes is read in the synagogues. Interestingly enough, it speaks of the vanity of materialism.
As we conclude the Feast of Sukkot tonight, I want to reflect on one of the profound mysteries of God—how He aligns the prophetic clock with the Hebrew calendar. Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Ingathering, is a harvest celebration. Notably, it remains one of the few biblical feasts yet to be fulfilled prophetically, pointing us to future events in God’s divine plan.
Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) will begin Wednesday night throughout the world. The feast of Sukkot commemorates the time in which God led the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years, providing them with every need on a daily basis – shelter, food, water, and clothing. Interestingly, during Sukkot, the book of Ecclesiastes is read in the synagogues– but Ecclesiastes speaks of the vanity of materialism.
One of the main lessons of Yom Kippur is understanding the significance of “rachamim”, the mercies of God. The scripture expressed that our sins are removed as far as “the east is from the west” — meaning they are completely forgiven when confessed. On the feast of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement two goats are involved in the sacrifice. The blood of the first goat was placed on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. The other, or “scapegoat” was released into the wilderness, signifying that our sins were not only covered, but also removed. In the days of the Temple, this “scapegoat” was led through the Eastern Gate toward the Mount of Olives where it would disappear from view, as it fulfilled the removal of sins from the people.
There are times in our lives that we are going through a spiritual valley and we want to get victory — we want to have answers — we want God’s power to flow through us again.
This evening will begin the Biblical feast of Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur, which literally means Day of Coverings, can be a day of deep reflection on what the Lord has done for us. As Yeshua (Jesus) died on the cross 2000 years ago, the Gospel describes how the veil in the Temple was torn in two. This profound spiritual event reveals that the Lord gave all whose sins are covered by His blood access to the Holy of Holies, as He had become our High Priest in addition to being, Himself, the perfect sacrifice for sin.