As a family, we shifted from Christmas to Hanukkah a few years ago. We learned that Christmas is NOT Jesus’ birthday as many churches declare during the biggest money-making holiday of the year as they are seduced by the Father of Lies and a spirit of Religion. Jesus did not celebrate it nor command it anywhere in Scripture. In fact, it was such a non-issue the date wasn’t even given, despite God’s great attention to detail to point out other dates in the Bible. Nor did He ask us to memorialize that event in any of the commanded feasts. Decking a green tree with silver and gold then putting gifts under it was forbidden as per the scriptures because it was a form of pagan worship. Idolatry is breaking the first commandment. Worshiping Him with pagan practices breaks another commandment.
Many of the traditions of Christmas come directly from the ancient Roman pagan festival Saturnalia honoring their agricultural god Saturn. Saturn worship dates back to the Chaldeans & Babylonian worship. Christmas was not practiced in colonial America, founded by Puritans who understood the roots of witchcraft in the holiday. It wasn’t until 1856 that the Freemasons gained enough political clout to make it a legal holiday. The prophets for the last few years have been warning, “Come out of Babylon, my people and suffer not in her plagues!”
We had a decision to make. Hebrews 10:26-31 points out that once we know the truth, we are responsible for that truth. If we chose to willfully rebel against that truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover those sins for it is trampling on the Son of God and treating the blood of the covenant as common and unholy, and insulting and outright disdaining the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. We are called to repent and turn back to God, not to walk comfortably in the ways of the world because the traditions feel good or because everyone else is doing it.
It was a hard sacrifice to make as we turned our backs on the old and searched for the new. That “new” was Hanukkah which IS in the Bible (Feast of Dedication – John 10:22), Jesus DID celebrate it, AND there is a reference in the Old Testament to the reason behind the Maccabean revolt that led to the traditional & some very prophetic practices of Hanukkah which begins Kislev 25 x 8 nights (Haggai 2:18 – Kislev 24 and upward). However, there is much unbiblical “tradition of men” that we chose not to step into but rather keep the focus on Jesus, the Light of the World. He is our High Priest who lights our lamps while the priests are responsible to keep our own lamps burning once He lights them.
This year, Hanukkah began in November, which adds yet another layer to Hank Kunneman’s prophetic word about “Christmas in November” in addition to OSHA passing a ruling that vaccine mandates were illegal for healthcare workers, federal workers, and military. The CEOs of Twitter, Walmart, and CNBC also conveniently resigned. The Supreme Court case against Roe Vs Wade was accepted in November and scheduled for Dec 1st.
Now to the mystery I discovered in Hanukkah. A mystery of tithing, but also a mystery of God’s promise of what is to come that fits very much in today’s world.
Tithing:
First, grab your Bible and read the 2 chapters of Haggai so I don’t have to copy it here.
Haggai 1 points out they were cursed because they were too busy building their luxurious physical homes while ignoring building the LORD’s house, which after Jesus prophesied the destruction of the 2nd temple and would raise up the 3rd temple in 3 days, which is built out of living stones and our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. This resulted in a purse full of holes and DEVOURING OF THEIR HARVESTS leaving their barns and wine vats in scarcity. They were commanded to go to the MOUNTAIN, bring wood and build His house.
Haggai 2 points out that God will shake everything FOR THE PURPOSE of filling His house with glory and peace. The silver and gold are His, not the New World Order’s, not the Vatican’s, not even President Trump’s. This is our HOPE as we endure the current shaking season.
Haggai 2:18 Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the FOUNDATION OF THE LORD’S TEMPLE WAS LAID, consider it. 19 Is the seed yet in the BARN? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: FROM THIS DAY WILL I BLESS YOU.
Proverbs 3:9-10 – 9 Honour the Lord with thy SUBSTANCE, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy BARNS be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Malachi 3:8-12 – 8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In TITHES and OFFERINGS. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a BLESSING, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will REBUKE THE DEVOURER for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the FRUITS OF YOUR GROUND; neither shall your VINE cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
Matthew 6:24 – No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
Note that Malachi was written to the priests, so the storehouse God is talking about is NOT Pharaoh’s storehouse that kept the Israelites in slavery and poverty (*see the spiritual parallel), but the Priests’ storehouse that is also referenced in 2 Chronicles 31:11-12.
Many prophets, including Robin Bullock, have declared we are in a harvest season. Those who have been faithful in their tithing and laying the foundation of the LORD’s temple upon the corner stone of Jesus Christ, the Word, will begin to see the harvest of ABUNDANCE and GLORY “from this day forward” (Kislev 24) as the shaking reveals those who are part of the Kingdom of Heaven and not the Kingdom of the heathen that will be destroyed. For those who thought they could get away with robbing God will see the harvest of the curse upon their lives.
Haggai 2:6-9 – 6 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. 9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.
Haggai 2:21-23 – 21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; 22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the KINGDOMS OF THE HEATHEN; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother (**they will turn on each other). 23 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts.
Zerubabbel = “sown/born in Babylon”. the grandson of king Jehoiachin and leader of the first group of RETURNING EXILES FROM BABYLON
Shealtiel = “I have asked of God”
Signet = “a signature-ring: —seal, signet.” Jezebel used Ahab’s seal to send letters in his name that he did not directly authorize. Contrast the parallel to current government affairs, such as American farmers were threatened via letters in the name of the USDA to destroy their crops or else their farms would be sprayed with Agent Orange (a biological weapon that permanently destroys the soil and known to cause cancer, diabetes, cardiac disorders, hypothyroidism, & Parkinson’s, and many other lesser known disorders to anyone exposed to it as well as birth defects in the following generation as per the Veteran Affairs website), lose their government handouts, and be heavily fined. Those who DID comply with destroying their crops would be paid double for their value.
Someone whose lineage is godly yet they were born in Babylon will be chosen by God and raised up to be the LORD’s governmental seal of ownership to impact the government realm.
Mountains:
Let’s go back to Haggai 1 that explained the corrective measure for those with purses full of holes. It doesn’t have to stay full of holes! You CAN walk in perpetual blessings!
Haggai 1:3-8 – 3 Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? 5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the MOUNTAIN, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.
Immediately I was reminded of Mount Sinai, where the Law was given to Moses as he wrote down the VOICE of the LORD. Also, Mount Moriah was where 1) God tested Abraham to see if he loved his son more than God. Matt 10:37b – “he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” 2) David bought the threshing floor where the plague was halted, originally caused by counting how big his congregation was as if the people belonged to HIMSELF, 3) That threshing floor would become the place Solomon’s temple was built. Haggai and the Israelites would have been familiar with the symbolic language of “Go up to the Mountain (Moses), and bring wood (Abraham & Isaac, Elijah), and build the house (Solomon).” The first mention of wood in the Bible was the wood used to build Noah’s ark and later the ark of the tabernacle.
Moses: He had to hear the LORD’s voice and obey to ascend the mountain in the first place. Then he spent 40 days up there IN GOD’S PRESENCE. For the first 7 days, he simply had to wait for God’s voice to manifest. Then he was given his instructions which he was required to document and obey without needing to be repeatedly told. It was Moses’ responsibility to pass along God’s blueprints to his congregation that chose not to have ears to hear so that they too were held accountable to obey God’s commandments.
Abraham & Isaac: God tested Abraham’s faithfulness to Him to see if he was willing to sacrifice his promised child Isaac through whom the many nations were supposed to descend from, in order to obey God’s voice that appeared to be leading to death. Abraham chose to trust in God’s faithfulness to somehow make His word come to pass in seemingly impossible circumstances. Isaac was tasked with carrying the wood that he would have to lay down his life and become a living sacrifice. Abraham proved that he was fit for the Kingdom of Heaven. Luke 9:62 – But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Elijah: He challenged the prophets of Baal to an Altar Duel. Whichever G/god could bring the fire was the true God. Elijah first had to rebuild the altar to the LORD that had fallen into disrepair. Then wood was laid upon it, the sacrificial bull, then soaked with water repeatedly until the trenches around it were filled. God’s fire didn’t come until AFTER there was an altar prepared, which is a clue for those who want God’s fire to manifest in their own lives.
Solomon: He was tasked with building the temple according to the blueprints his father, David, provided to him. He was required to obey exactly as the instructions instructed. There was no room for artistic flare or personal touches. It was God’s House and it had to be built according to God’s design. He was required to give extravagantly of his wealth stores to bring the temple to fruition. When it was finished, the glory of the LORD also lit Solomon’s prepared sacrificial altar and the presence of the LORD filled the temple.
Going back full circle to how these men’s lives connect with sewing shut the holes in our purses and shift into abundance, all the above examples required sacrificial obedience and the presence of God, both which are absent in much of churchianity today because it hasn’t been valued, honored, or modeled by the wellheads. The good news is that the Holy Spirit is able to teach us all things, even if we have never had a mentor for those areas if we are willing to be teachable. (Jn 14:26) When we obey by honoring the LORD with our SUBSTANCE and giving Him our first fruits, our barns and vats of wine will be overflowing. (Prov 3:9-10)
Another nugget to end with that leapt out overnight. Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Are you honoring the LORD with your FAITH? It requires faith to step into obedience in the area of tithing AND offerings. Note that offerings in Bible language is not the same as offerings in church language. Offerings were the sin offering, trespass offering, heave offering, thanksgiving offering, peace offering, and so on. Are you bringing your SIN offering to the LORD? Or are you robbing Him of your confession (verbal) and repentance (thinking) and conversion (action)? That too will bring a curse upon you, even if you did bring the financial gift. BOTH are required to activate the blessings. It takes FAITH to bring our sin to the LORD believing He won’t reject your sinful state and RECEIVE His awesome forgiveness and cleansing of our consciences so we can live in freedom from the past.
May you be blessed abundantly this year as you shift into all that He desires to pour into your bosom and overflow. Remember, bring your tithes and offerings to the place HE shall choose, not simply the place that you habitually go to get fed, so that you will learn to Fear the LORD always (Duet 14:23). Ritualistic giving is religious and will rob you of blessings because it empowers unanointed leaders to stay in power and put their flock to sleep & spiritual death. Each time you have something to give, ask Holy Spirit which place He desires it to go. Sometimes you will get instruction to give all to one place, sometimes to split it among multiple places, sometimes to hold it until there is a larger amount for later. Sometimes it goes to unbelievers that PROVES to them God actually hears their cries for help. Other times it goes to believers who have been faithful as their reward. Sometimes it goes to redeem brethren who are in slavery. Sometimes God desires only the 10%, other times the full 100% to test your reliance on money and whether you trust Him to provide. God’s ways of giving will always set people up for fruitfulness and freedom.
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