Booth Building!!

Tonight is a BIG night - tonight we build our sukkah in the living room.  Sukkot begins tomorrow night - the Feast of Indwelling, also called the Feast of Tabernacles.  It's the time the Bride of Christ will someday go to dwell with Her Groom... which is another reason why a lot of people believe the rapture could occur during Sukkot.  Hey, I have hope!!

Picture of 2010's sukkah in our living room...
Tonight is a pizza party in it after we get it all set up!

We have (for the past three years) used the same materials for our sukkah - PVC piping marked so we know what goes where, and it's a lot like the atmosphere of setting up an X-mess tree... we play X-mess music (because you know that on Sukkot/Monday it's Messiah Yeshua's REAL birthday!) and everyone help hang the blue twinkle lights and put up our banners and balloons and decorations.  I found a nearby willow on the side of the road - I'm hoping to get some branches to help decorate this year!

ALSO!!!!  Sept 30 at 3:19UT (5:20am Jerusalem time) is the Harvest moon.  It lands ON Sukkot this year - too very, very kewl!  It geeks me, anyhow.  We've gotten close before (since I found out about it and HERE in 2011 and HERE in 2009), but this is my first one observing ON Erev Sukkot!

Anyhooooo!  In honor of it (and yeah, yeah, I'll post pictures probably tomorrow...), I thought I'd share one of the videos we're LOVING to watch... almost on a daily basis!  We love this.  I think it's a re-make of a Bruno Mars song, but I'm not familiar with Bruno Mars or his music, so we just like it for what it is - the 'Build-a-Booth' song!!

Sukkot: Feast of Tabernacles

Since tomorrow night begins Sukkot, I thought I might re-post this explanation for you, from... a few years ago.  It's good, informative... you'll enjoy it.

I was catching up on e-mail this morning, and FFOZ's e-drash (link) was on the Feast of Tabernacles.  And I'm going to post it here, because it was THAT good.  My comments follow.

The Feast of Tabernacles

The Apostle John uses a verb form of the same Greek word that is used to translate the Hebrew word for "booth" (sukkah) when he wrote, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt [tabernacled] among us." (John 1:14) He tabernacled among us, and He will tabernacle among us again in the messianic future.The celebration of the Festival of Booths (Sukkot) celebrates the Messiah who once tabernacled among us, now tabernacles within us, and in the future will again tabernacle among us.

The last appointment on God's Leviticus 23 calendar is the Feast of Booths, a seven-day harvest celebration. The Hebrew name of the festival is Sukkot, a word that means "shelters, stables or huts." These temporary, tent-like structures are often translated as "tabernacles" in our English Bibles.  The festival is so named because Israel is commanded to annually build such dwelling places as a reminder of the post-exodus years when they lived in huts and booths, following God in the wilderness.¹ Sukkot is a time of joy and celebration, a time to celebrate the harvest and revel in God's goodness.

Many beautiful traditions are attached to the annual Festival of Booths. For example, it is traditional to invite guests into one's booth for a festive meal each night of Sukkot. Among the list of invitees are some auspicious names: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David. Each are specially invited to come into the booth and pull up a chair at the table. Obviously, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David are unlikely to actually attend the meal, since they are all dead. That, however, is the point of the ritual. The Feast of Booths anticipates the Messianic Age, when the dead will be raised to life again and we will all sit at the table with the aforementioned in the kingdom of heaven.

When Messiah comes, He will bring in the final harvest of God's kingdom and institute an age of peace and prosperity upon the earth. The prophets relate that day to the festival of Sukkot, a day when every man will sit beneath his own vine and fig tree.² Isaiah 4:6 tells us that God will spread a tabernacle of glory over Jerusalem.

 According to the prophets, the Feast of Booths celebrates a time when all nations will ascend to Jerusalem bearing tribute to King Messiah and celebrating the festival. In that day, all nations will ascend to His throne in Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Festival of Booths (Tabernacles). Obviously, this is a very important festival for disciples of Messiah today.

Sukkot is the great festival, the culmination of all the appointed times. Sukkot is to the other festivals what the Sabbath is to the other six days of the week. As such it is a fitting foreshadowing of that great celebration of creation when the entire world will live in peace and brotherhood under the reign and rule of the righteous Messiah King. Just as the weekly Sabbath foreshadows the millennium, Sukkot also looks forward to that great age. Therefore, the festival of Sukkot, like all the festivals, foreshadows Messiah.

aNNa'S NoTe:  This is where I get ALL giddy on you.  I never thought of Sukkot as the culmination of eras, or the culmination of feasts, or the 'Sabbath' of both!  Isn't that totally kewl?!  I knew it was one of three feasts that the Jews were COMMANDED to celebrate in Jerusalem (they had to travel there for it!). 

The 7 visitors is very interesting.  I'm not sure why they chose those visitors... I would've thought they'd've gone with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Yeshua, for the six covenants that have come, and leave the last one open for the covenant to come, but it's fascinating, nonetheless.  Wow... tonight we're having a visitor!  ((Sorta.))

The John 1 reference I have talked about before.  The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us... I believe is a veiled reference to when Yeshua was born.  In other words, I believe Sukkot is Yeshua's birthday - NOT X-MESS.  X-Mess is NOT scriptural - Sukkot is.   It's the day He put on His 'temporary dwelling' (aka body) and came to live among us.  If you want to put out your Nativity, this is the time!   If you want to sing 'Away in a Manger' and 'Joy to the World' and "The first Noel"... now is the time!

As for the future implications, this feast is NOT yet fulfilled, as we do not dwell (tabernacle) with the Father.  Someday in the future, after we are taken up bodily from Earth, the Judgment is meted out, and the old heavens and Earth pass away, there will be a New Heaven and Earth... and we will dwell (tabernacle) there with Him - the Creator, Himself!  Will that NOT be a glorious thing?  Can't wait!  It's what we look forward to!

So this is a HUGE time - a time of looking back at Israel's wandering before reaching their Promised Home, and our time of wandering here before reaching OUR Promised Home.  A time of looking back at Christ's first coming, as a babe in a manger... and the time coming in the future when He will dwell among us again - this time as King!  SOOOOO much richness packed in seven mere days!

Sweet Sixteen

1996 engagement picture.

I actually bought that dress at Target
for our first date.  Just fun trivia for you, LoL!!

May 2012, Windmill Island, Holland, Michigan

There are precious few pictures of the two of us,
But Lydia snapped this one for us in the spring, luckily!

Today is our sweet sixteenth anniversary
- and what a wild ride it's been!

Tids N' Tads

G'MORNING.  Well... shoot.  We're still here.  That was NOT supposed to happen!  I hate it when I wake up the day after Yom Kippur and we're still here, dadgummit!!!  But technically, the SMS period is July 1 thru December 31st, 2012... so there's still time.  And several more 'less likely, but possible' days.  Starting with Monday - Sukkot!  And the seven days of Sukkot, and Eighth Day (Simchat Torah), and then Chanukkah.  which is eight nights, so... that's sixteen possible dates between now and the end of the year.  And it's not like I've EVER been known to toss my faith just because the Lord tarries.  ((What is His problem?!?!??!  Doesn't He know I'm JONESING down here, hello!!))  Just kidding.

MESSING WITH MY MIND.  As I was going thru stuff reading yesterday, I found a print-out of this old blog of mine ('Hanukkah and the Rapture' - LINK).  And I thought... 'Not now, it's Yom Kippur, for Pete's sake!!"  And so I pulled out my blue notebook (it's THE blue notebook, to you)... and of COURSE I found this:

Click to enlarge.

Of course it's from several years ago (who even KNOWS when, now), but apparently my friend 'V' has always held the belief that the rapture isn't Yom Kippur, it's Sukkot.  Which... y'know what?  I don't CARE.  I don't CARE what day or what hour He freakin' comes, just come, dagnabbit all!   There's NOTHING left in Revelation to fill the gap, We. Are. There., I don't like the suspense of it all, it's DRIVING me CRAZY, and enough is enough.  It's just so utterly FRUSTRATING!!!!!!!!!  ((pant, pant, pant.)) 

OKAY.  Nevermind.  Whatever.  I can wait.  I have to wait.  I hate waiting.  The whole thing sucks.  No wonder the world thinks the Jews are problematic.  I can SEE why they think Jews are problematic.  The whole bloody THING is problematic.  So... next, Sukkot, and then Simchat Torah and then Chanukkah... and I'll be watching, waiting, counting, faithful, hoping, and jonesing.  Because that's what I do.  ((through gritted teeth trying to smile.))  And I think He's enjoying every minute of this too much.  I must be SO entertaining.  Hell, nobody else is quite so... passionate about seeing Him...

BLESSING OF THE BUGLIES.  And as if THAT wasn't bad enough, I got a weird flu bug yesterday, and was illin' over the feast/fast.  I thought maybe I was just purging during the fast - in prep for something WONDERFUL...  (Yeah.  That didn't happen.  Your call, Lord, but I can still think it sucks.)... but I woke up this morning to THE most *V.i.L.e* smelling house in the history of... ever.  I thought maybe Baby O filled his diaper (he was squatting in the hall, he likes to hide-n-squat), but it wasn't him.  Nooooo... it was the 7-year old who defiled my entire existence with... you don't even wanna know.  His bedding, his PILLOW, his clothes, his skin... we had a major wash-down and extreme opening of windows/lighting of candles this morning to try to cleanse.  Tell me again, WHY do I clean during Elul?  ((Your sense of humor isn't in keeping with mine, Lord...))  I'm better today (and so is Ethan), but my tummy is still 'fluttery', so I'm betting his is, too, and my washing machine has got to be dry heaving.  S'probably a good thing we didn't eat much yesterday. (I fasted, he chose to do crackers/cheese and water.)

TRUCKING ALONG!  We bought a new truck the day before Yom Kippur!  I know, I didn't say anything, but I was pretty peeved about it.  Mostly because I thought the timing rude.  Y'don't go out an get a dadgum LOAN the day before you're planning to exit the planet, hello, BRIAN.  But since we're still here, the truck is ours, and the Hub is in his own level (sub-par, IMHO) of Heaven, and the world is right.  For him anyhow.  He's given our old truck's topper to a buddy as of 7am this morning, and we'll be selling the old truck to someone who doesn't mind a pile of crap.  And yeah... I admit it *was* time for a new truck.  Especially after someone at the campground backed into the driver door in a hit-n-run and the window doesn't work anymore, and you can't hear the person next to you over the wind noise.  But the truck isn't worth fixing for us.  Not when we got the $$ from the stolen trailer to put towards a new one.

WHEN FRIENDS FORSAKE ME...  I lost a friend the day before Yom Kippur, too.  ((Note: That was NOT the best day I've ever had... increased the fervor of my prayers for a divine exit post-y haste-y.))  I posted a homeschool thing on FB, she got mad because she doesn't homeschool and she claimed it as an attack on her personally (??) and lifted her skirts and flounced out of my life.  After twelve years... just so's ya know this wasn't a flippant thing.  Well... it had been building for a while, but I think she was looking for a reason to ditch me.  Her reason was that she can't be friends who... wait, how'd she put it?  " I wouldn't be friends with someone in real life that said such offensive things about me and how I choose to live my life. So I am not going to do it online, either."  Except that it was a PICTURE shared from another source not directed at anyone... and anyhow, do you have ANY idea how boring it would be if you were only friends with people who thought/lived exactly like you?  I'm serious - I have FB friends that are homosexual, democrats, Catholics, and freakin' like CATS, for pity's sakes.  It makes life more vibrant.  I'm... bummed.  But I guess that's her choice.  OTOH, after she unfriended, a lot of people who don't comment to me often came to share their stories, and it's been an interesting conversation, since, so... mixed blessings?

DOIN' THE SALSA!  The past two weeks, you didn't know it, but we have been washing, chopping, dicing, mixing, boiling, and canning TONS of salsa.  Last year's salsa sucked bad, and we ended up buying salsa to mix it with to try to help it (which kind of defeats the purpose).  So this year I found a recipe that doesn't have vinegar in it - which I think was the problem.  And WoW, it tastes SO MUCH better!!  I just hope the lime juice is a good enough preservative, like the recipe said.  Cuz I've never tried it before.  But we're up to our eyebrows in Roma tomatoes over here... and I think I'm going to try tomato sauce, this next week...

DEVARIM!  Did you know that 'Devarim' is the Hebrew word for 'Deuteronomy'?  It is.  And did you know that christians fricked up the Bible by even NAMING that book Deuteronomy... because it means the 'Second law'... when actually there's only ONE law, and Deuteronomy is just a last sermon by Moses repeating the first law to the new generation of Israelites before they move to take the Promised Land?  I didn't either, until I started Torah Class Deuteronomy this week.  Yup... I finally dusted off Numbers and finished it up, and moved on.  And may I just say that so far (and I'm only 5 chapters in) it is AMAZING?!  Because it is.  And I HIGHLY recommend Torah Class lessons to everyone.   You can read them on-line, listen to them, or print them off and mark the bejeezers out of them like I do.  They're found here:  http://torahclass.com/old-testament-studies.  They're the ONLY studies I recommend to anyone.  Forget that Beth Moore BS... THIS is real learning.  Real Truth.

CARAMEL APPLE CAKE.  Doesn't that sound good?  And my house stinks so bad, that when I got on-line today and saw the recipe HERE, I decided to make TWO of them today: one for us, one for Brian to take to work.  It'll make it smell SOOOO much better in here, and taste good.  Even if the woman posting it used the word 'yummy'.  ((<< Anna hates when grown people use the word 'yummy'.  It rankles.  Like pictures of cats.  Pah!))

JUST A TAD FEISTY.  Have you noticed?  I am.  Probably because I'm irritated that a) I'm still here, b) my house stinks, c) I hadda wear white for 24 hours, and I'm SOOO not a white person, d) people keep posting pics of cats in my FB feed, and e) I'm coming off sick n' miserable and have energy to burn.  I should do something.  Wait, this *IS* doing something.  Anyhoooo... yeah.  Okay, that's it from me for the day!

Day 2:  The SMS in Summary

It's been a while since I've posted anything about the 'Six Month Suggestion'.  And because it's been such a long time, I thought it might be a good idea to revisit it, in case new readers don't know what I'm talking about... and would like the perspective.  Well, that and I'm revisiting it due to the Lord getting me up at 3:33am exactly and TELLING me to write this.  When He gets me up, I obey.  And apparently He wants this posted before Yom Kippur, so the Yom Kippur video I was going to post has been bumped out of the picture to make way for this.

This is prophecy per scripture... not the stuff we get to guess at, but the stuff that we read about that has been fulfilled right now, in our lifetimes, that you aren't seeing because a) the media cares about current events but not the Bible and b) the church cares about the Bible but not about current events.  But I digress.  So let's back up slightly, and I'll walk you thru it.

In early 2007, I was shown something by the Lord.  I call it "The Six Month Suggestion".  The Six Month Suggestion is simply this:  If there are three sets of 'tribulations' (and a final judgment) that the Egyptians went thru prior to the Jewish Exodus from Egypt (via Moses)... and the Jews were only participants in the first set, then where there are three sets of 'tribulations' in Revelation prior to the final Judgment, the Torah-observant Messiah-followers will only participate in the first set, which are called the Seal Judgments (in Revelation 6), or the 'Beginning of Sorrows (in Matthew 24/Mark 13/Luke 21).  Comparing the two line-ups:

Beginning of Sorrows          Seal Judgments
   ((Luke 21: 10-11))                  ((Revelation 6))
* (not given)                          * White Horse/?? (unseen by us)
* nation against nation           * Red Horse/War
* famine                                * Black Horse/Famine (economic crisis)
* pestilences                          * Pale Horse/Pandemic
* (not given)                          * martyrs under the altar (unseen by us)
* great signs in heaven           *heaven rolled back, sun dark, moon red

Now, the Christians also believe that 'The Tribulation' (that is allegedly seven years long) consists of everything in Revelation.  Unfortunately this is wrong, because chapter one explains who/what Yeshua is, what He now knows about the future, and what He is going to reveal to John the Revelator.  Then chapters two and three back up and give us a timeline from Messiah's Resurrection thru to His reappearance in Revelation 5:6 when He's seen stepping forward to take/open the scroll:

Click to enlarge, for a better view.

                           
This timeline in Revelation 2 and 3 is a identical telling of events to Yeshua's own timeline (in Luke 21, Mark 13 and Matthew 24) ... which is screwed up by the Christians to refer SOLELY to The Tribulation, when it doesn't.  The parts referring to the timeline I just shared are in Luke 21:8-9, but then it says the end is NOT yet.  Then verses 10-11 tell the 'Beginning of Sorrows' and matches the seal judgments perfectly... but then verse twelve backs up and says 'before that, though..." and verses 12 thru 19 timeline the SAME thing I just gave you.  For more on that, see "The Olivet Timeline I, II, and III" by clicking the Roman Numerals.)  It's screwy, I know, but I've already written about it before, in depth, and now's not the time for that.  But for simplicity's sake:

Rev 1:  Description of Christ
Rev 2 & 3:  Timeline from Christ to 2003
Rev 4 & 5: Scene in Heaven w/ the Lamb
Rev 6: Seal Judgments/Beginning of Sorrows

There are seven seals/sorrows, and begins with a 7-year treaty per Daniel 9:27, the treaty is broken halfway thru, so we're not guaranteed seven years... we're only guaranteed three and a half, and after that, anything goes (and all hell breaks loose).  So divide the seven seals into the three and a half years and you get one seal every six months.  THAT'S the 'Six Month Suggestion' - that in every six month period from the start of the covenant-with-many, a seal will open.  In chart form, here's what we have:

Why did I start it on January 1, 2007?  Because the Trib starts with a 7-year covenant being made.  That's when - in real life - the seven year covenant was made.  What am I talking about?  I'm so very glad you asked!

• Jan-June 2007 - Seven-year treaty begins Tribulation.  ENPI goes into effect.  The European Neighborhood Policy Initiative [ENPI] is the EU (Revived Roman Empire)'s treaty with the Middle East.  Israel was the first to sign on, followed quickly by others.  It's a seven-year covenant drawn up by the EU's ex-High Representative, Javier Solana.  He left office in November 2009, but is NOT out of the picture; most speculate he's going for a more powerful position, still.  The ENPI went into effect 1/1/2007, so that's when our SMS begins.

• July-Dec 2007 - Seal 1: Bringer of Peace.  The next six month period, according to the Seal Judgments was the 'white horse' rider.  Churches have supposed that this is Messiah or the Antichrist (talk about opposing sides of a spectrum!).  The other seal riders aren't people, though, so that's incongruous.  Further, the Anti-christ's appearance has to be BEFORE seal one is opened, because his 7-year treaty is what kicks off the seals. Well, that and 2 Thess 2:3 says he shows up before stuff starts to happen.

  For a while I wondered if this white horse wasn't the Alliance of Civilizations, which organized during this time period, but they seemed so... ineffectual, y'know?  I read articles about Tony Blair being the white horse rider, but let's be serious.  I ended up apologizing for all my speculating, too... (LINK), because it turns out this is an unseen fulfillment.  It's not in the Olivet timeline, and wasn't something we were made privy to.  Of course, I didn't know this until fall of 2010... nearly three years AFTER the fact.  Oi, vey.

• Jan-June 2008 - Seal 2: Bringer of War. Next up was the 'red horse' rider, the war-bringer.  And whaddya know, during this period, Russia 'reconstituted' its military endeavors.  I wrote about it here and here, and since that time, things have gone from Russia being pretty much a split up and much more sedate nation to a revived arms dealer, taking an active role as King of the North in coming down as an ally to Iran and seeking to destroy Israel.  Selling weaponry to all of Israel's enemies, those who want to annihilate the Jews.  We've gone from a Russia with little influence in armament back to the point where today the Strait of Hormuz is loaded with battleships, there are more off the coast of Syria and Turkey, more by Egypt... Israel is surrounded on all sides, just as Scripture says.
• July-Dec 2008 - Seal 3: Bringer of Famine. After that came the 'black horse' rider, which the church says is famine, but scales never EVER symbolize famine - they mean either justice or possibly economic/financial things.  And on October 8, 2008 - smack in the middle of this period, we had our first big bubble burst, with the bear hedges failing, the housing collapse, the economic downturn... and it's just snowballed from there, to today - when the WORLD banks are all on the brink of bankruptcy and there are riots, dire warnings, and talk of total financial collapse on all fronts.
• Jan-June 2009 - Seal 4: Bringer of Disease.  Spring of 2009 saw our first global pandemic scare - which is what everyone agrees the 'pale horse' rider symbolizes.  Do you remember the first sighting of bottles of hand sanitizer on all the counters at the stores?  Yeah, me too.  It was the H1N1 'bird flu' that morphed from bird-to-bird into a bird-to-human form, and then a human-to-human form that spanned the globe.  Lucky for us, the H1N1 virus only had an overall mortality rate of 0.71%.  But it's had a good couple of years, now to morph into something uglier.  And today, H5N1 (which has quietly killed bird-to-bird and a little less quietly killed bird-to-human) has finally morphed to possibly be human-to-human.  The first man in China NOT to be in contact with poultry (an inner-city bus driver) has died of H5N1. (LINK)  The scary part?  The mortality rate for H5N1 is something closer to 60%.   Just so's ya know.  And flu season doesn't really kick in until after February.

• July-Dec 2009 - Seal 5: Martyrs under the altar. Seal Five is Martyrs under the altar that are already dead.  So unfortunately, we had no way to see this one.  Which is why Messiah didn't include it in His Olivet timeline.  There is nothing I can mark it with, except for the very obvious lack of any event during this period of time.  But it was a great time of reflection, seeing that five out of five of the SMS events came true, just not on the scale the church was expecting.  They're the BEGINNING of Sorrows, the 'kick-off' of things that would snowball into really bad things, later.

• Jan-June 2010 - Seal 6: Cataclysm.  I can't even begin to give links to all of the crazy things that started to happen terra event wise in 2010.  That's what my NoteWorthy News articles were for - you can do a search for them, here, if you have absolutely nothing better to do...  But we started with an increase in size and frequency of quakes, and today we're having them fast and hard, just about everywhere from Virginia to Wales, and no, I'm not making it up.  Chile shifted us on our axis in 2010.  Indonesia did it again a little later, and Honshu Japan shifted us more even later.  The shift is causing the polar ice masses to melt.  This is causing quakes that are bigger and bigger, and as they do this, there have been an increase in storm systems that are freaky and huge, there are increases in the awakening of volcanoes and actual eruptions... it's crazy out there, right now.  Our gov't moved a good portion of their branches to the mountains in Denver, 'just in case'... for fear of what might happen, fulfilling yet more prophecy. 

Which takes us to the end of the 3.5 'covenant with many'... and btw, the 10-nation WEU (Daniel 7:7) announced their disbanning at this time, and the treaty kind of fell apart in the process.  Ironic, eh?  And the timing was impeccable - this ending of the Revelation 6 line-up of Seal Judgments (and Olivet timeline of 'Beginning of Sorrows).  So I wasn't sure if it was the end of the Six Month Suggestion, too, or not.

• July-Dec 2010 - Winds held back from 4 corners of Earth.  Next up was the angels holding the winds back in Revelation 7:1.  I had no idea what this meant.  It wasn't until I started following SpaceWeather that I learned about solar winds, and how in 2007 it was discovered that there was a giant hole in the earth's magnetosphere/ionosphere (LINK).  But the thing is, it wasn't a problem, because the solar maximum delayed for an unprecedented THREE and a HALF YEARS, and so there wasn't anything to worry about.  Until seal six, when the Lord said He would 'roll back heaven like a scroll', there wasn't a problem.  But with the shifting of earth off it's previous axis, things changed.  However, we haven't really experienced anything 'off', because the angels had been holding stuff back until the twelve tribes of Israel were sealed.

• Jan-June 2011 - Sealing of Israel (1).  So the next thing up was the sealing of the Jews, according to Revelation 7.  In February of 2011, the rabbis and most revered holy men of Israel (who, btw, don't read Revelation... they're still waiting for their FIRST Messiah) announced publicly that the Holy Spirit was receding from the world.  (LINK.)  They said that it was through 70 windows out of Y'Israel that the Spirit flowed out unto the Goyim (Gentiles) and the time was come that those windows would close... effectively sealing the Spirit's influence from those who are not of the 12 Tribes.  Interestingly, only two of the tribes are even known (three, if you count the special DNA testing done on the Kohen).  But I believe He knows those of us who are out there, unaccounted for.

• July-Dec 2011 - Sealing of Israel (2).  Here's where we deviated.  Or not, depending on how you look at it.  Either a) He sealed the tribes one a month for a year [12 tribes/12 months] and the SMS is over, or He kept to the Six Month Suggestion, and did half the tribes each period [6 tribes/6 months].  I chose to stay with the Six-Month Suggestion, because the winds fit the pattern, and the sealing of the tribes could fit the pattern, if done in two parts.  Maybe not, maybe so, and until time reveals otherwise, I hate to throw out viable options.

• Jan-June 2012 - Releasing of the Winds.  In Revelation 7:1 we saw that the winds would be stopped until AFTER true Israel is sealed from the world.  What we don't see in Revelation is a verse that says the winds are released.  Does that mean this event doesn't happen?  No.  It means scripture assumes you're not so great an idiot that you can't figure out what happens after the sealing of the saints, based on what you've just been told.  So this gets put on our chart, next.

So!  That takes us up to the present, by way of the Six-Month Suggestion.  Did it come to an end after the Seal Judgments?  I don't know for sure, so I'm operating like it hasn't, just in case.  Will it continue?  My guess is no, because Revelation a) Rev 8:1 gives a 3.5 year silence which 'ends' the SMS, and b) scripture says Yehovah 'shortens' things for 'the sake of the elect' during the Wrath.  Which means the next two sets of judgments will probably hit harder and faster.  But until we hit the next two sets of judgments, I'm holding to the SMS.  So what is our present event?

• July-Dec 2012 - Saints at the Throne.  We see a multitude in Heaven of all nations, tongues and tribes, wearing white and praising Adonai.  Sounds like the rapture to me.  And as I said when we started, if Israel only experienced the first set of three judgments in Egypt at the time just before the Exodus, then it's very likely that will be mirrored with the three judgments of Revelation - that true Israel will only experience the first set... or the seal judgments of Revelation 6.  It's also fascinating to me that Torah-observant Messianics (and Jews, out of tradition) wear all white on Yom Kippur.  It's a foreshadowing of this next fulfillment! 

So you can see why I'm so pumped up.  And you can understand why I believe this is the year.  Everything has been chronological, and fulfilled down to the six-month increment.  I have been excited before (mostly because of my own lack of information/understanding), but I can't see any other event foretold in scripture that comes before the rapture of Rev 7:9 et al.  And yes, it's possible that the SMS was over after the Seal Judgments, and that it could be a longer span of time before we hit Rev 7:9... But if the SMS holds until Rev 8:1's time change, then this IS it.  If not...?  Well, I'm still within ten years of it.  MY lifetime!  Who wouldn't be excited and watching!?!

To semi-quote Tank from 'The Matrix'...

I... I gotta tell you, I'm fairly excited to see what [Yehovah's] capable of, if [the SMS] is right and all...  We're not supposed to talk about this, but if [it is]... Damn, it's a very exciting time!!

Day 3:  The Anna Clause

About a week ago, a reader/friend here made a comment that really struck me.  She said that sometimes she'd read one thing here on my sidebar, and then later read another, and they seemed to contradict each other.  She's totally right.  And I thought I had better clarify this for people.

I have been writing here - nearly every day! - for twelve years, now.  When I started, it was the year 2000.  I was young, newly married, just starting out in life, and green as grass.  I'd been raised a christian, I was a christian, I staunchly upheld christianity, and I wrote christian posts.  And some of them are really good.  They're on my sidebar, too.  But I was writing from a VASTLY different [oblivious, naive] perspective than I have, now.

Over the years, I began to understand more about the world.  About society, about politics, about the state of affairs on the planet.  I started homesteading, began to homeschool, and read more... learned more.  As I learned, I began to question.  As I questioned, I had to change wrong perceptions I had held before.

It wasn't until 2003 that I was called to prophecy and prompted to start questioning Christianity.  It wasn't until 2005 that we stopped going to church entirely.  It wasn't until 2006 that I was regularly writing about prophecy.  And even then, I was a really screwed up mix of what the church taught me and what I was deciphering for myself from scripture and the Spirit.  And it was really good stuff.  But it was from a VASTLY different [frustrated/angrier] perspective than I have, now.

Because our spiritual lives are a journey, things are constantly in flux.  We're always learning more, and changing.  For example, in 2002 I believed in a pre-Trib rapture sometime in the far-away future that I didn't have to worry about.  By 2006, I believed in a pre-Trib rapture sometime in the next six months.  By 2007, I had to completely drop the pre-Trib rapture stance (!!) and learn all I could about a pre-Wrath rapture, as I watched the seal judgments open.  By 2008, I was convinced it was a 2010 Rosh Ha'Shana rapture.  And of course I know better now - Yom Kippur is the day saints appear in white before the throne, not Rosh Ha'Shana, and we had to get thru the winds, the sealings, the release and everything in the first half of Revelation 7 to get to verse 9... the rapture.

And things are on my sidebar from 2003 and 2005 and 2008 and so on... so there's stuff that seems to contradict itself, because... well, it does.  I didn't know back then what I know now.  But a lot of that stuff is still very relevant and wholly Truth... Some of it was my conjecture that has since had to be corrected.  I did a whole Revelation series in 2005 that I had to pull down, because that's NOT how it went down when it started in 2007, at all!!  LoL!!  As time passes, we see things more clearly, and very differently!!

But that's what a blog is.  This isn't a webSITE, where everything is laid out and perfect, cut n' dried.  It's a diary, of sorts, chronicling a journey, a log of growth.  If you want it in order, you'd have to read thru the archives here by month, which can be done, if you're really bored.  But I put stuff on the sidebar for quick reference for me (and inadvertently, for you).  I try to update as I can - for example, I replaced the 2009 version of Ten Days of Awe post with a new version last week, because it was clearer, more correct, and fixed what misconceptions I had had with what I've learned in the two years since then.  But I can't do that with everything on the sidebar.  Have you SEEN that thing?  It's LONG!!!!  And I'm a little short on time and kinda busy, y'know.

So I'm clarifying with this post.  There may be things that don't jive with each other here.  I know that.  It's not because I'm contradictory, it's because I've learned more over time.  I've had to make changes and corrections to my errant thinking.  But that's actually not a bad thing - the ability to change, to shed wrong ideas for right ones.  It's when you adamantly cling to something wrong just because it's comfortable that's a HUGE problem.  Being able to move on and admit you've held a screwed-up notion and are letting it go that makes for a better person.

And I want to be a better person.  So that's why this blog is the way it is.

• Getting all of our medical bills paid for.  You have NO idea the rig-a-ma-roll these companies put you thru to simply settle up a debt.  And for 2012, we've only had one $20 ER co-pay (Aaron's eye infection) and then our dentist visits in May/June/July.  But do you think they've processed the claims?  Noooo.  And do you think the dental people are making sure the claims were received?  Noooo.  So I get to call them, find out they didn't get that, and call to have the others fax it, then call to confirm that they faxed it, and call to confirm it was received... but it's done!  I'm paid off in full!
• Mint Oreos.  This shopping time between dance classes has been BAD news... I keep buying little treats for everyone to try.  Last time I got little clearanced Russell Stover dark chocolates.  This time it's mint Oreos... and wOw, are those good!  (((giggles!)))
• Getting back on the exercise bandwagon.  I fell off until I saw a picture of my hiney in the Tashlich pictures.  So we're back to Richard Simmons at night and running laps around our (huge) yard in the afternoon!  I gots t'do something about my rear side.  And yes, the easy answer is, "Who cares if you're gonna be raptured in a matter of days?" but is that pressing toward the mark?  I mean, really?
• Getting ALL my pictures thru August of this year in scrapbooks!!  Okay, so I have two entire books to decorate/label, but they're cropped and paged and look VERY nice, and it's a big accomplishment!
• FIFTEEN cans of salsa.  I said, FIF.TEEN.  You have NO idea how many Roma tomatoes I've diced by hand, this week.  (Six loaded ice cream buckets worth.)  And I'm SOOOOO grateful for Brian, who diced the onions and jalepenos so I wouldn't have to.  And there are TONS more tomatoes (Romas and cherries) and peppers out on the bushes.  Our corn, peas, and beans did terribly with this summer's drought - even with watering! - but our peppers and tomatoes did really well, so we're canning a pEck of salsa!!  Good stuff, this time- none of that vinegar crap in the recipe.  Just lime juice.  And it tastes WAY better without the vinegar, too.
  

Tonight's haul... AFTER the 15 canned jars we already have done!

• Hearing from Him.  I know it's probably way healthier to just sleep, but I do like it when he gets me up at the crack of a.m. to tell me stuff.  This morning He told me I need to put together an SMS post for before Yom Kippur, and to go back thru the Revelation series I did years ago.  So I've been up since 3:33am (exactly!) doing just that.  Gonna need a nap with baby, though, I think...
• Rain.  It's good for the garden, and has cooled everything off around here.  The leaves are starting to change and fall, that telltale crispness of autumn is creeping in.  I love it - even went and made four loaves of banana bread and got new mocha creamer for the occasion, so we could have a warm cuppa and an afternoon tea snack (which... y'know, I'm going to have to do a LOT of laps around the yard...)
• Cute kids.  I love that I can stay home with and nurture my kids.  Yehovah has blessed us with cue kids.  For example, Owen, who is now praying at the end of our breakfasts.  "God-a gate, God-a good, Thank-a Him, BAD GUYS!!!"  To which all four kids shout, "NO BAD GUYS!" and I say "For this food."  And he grins and says.  "Food, A-Men!"
  
• ... And He's blessed us with the first side work for Brian since the early months of the year.  Which is SOOO fantastic, because as of Sunday, we have finally used up our income tax return money.  Talk about running it out to the feasts, LoL!!  So He's timed it perfectly for us.  And I figure we did pretty well, making that money last thru six months of the year!
• Speaking of, we finally got the insurance money from the camper being stolen.  So that's been earmarked for a new truck for Brian (should we be here past the feasts).  Or for people to settle up our bills with after we're gone, whichever way it works out.  But I'm just glad the whole fiasco is over.  And I'm grateful Ha'Shem handled it in a way that nobody else ended up breathing the formaldehyde of the camper.  I would've felt terrible if someone with littles had wanted it.
• Nooks.  I never thought I'd say it, but... I'm grateful for Nooks.  VERY handy when you're sitting in a car for an hour, waiting for dance classes to start/finish!  I play some intense rounds in Triple Town, I'll tell ya...!  ((grins!))