(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)

Many people during the Covid-19 deception took to wearing masks without questioning the veracity of them. Eventually, most people stopped wearing them after it became obvious that the wearing of them had less than nothing to do with people’s “health” and everything to do with controlling and subjugation.

“Follow the science,” we hear so many unaware people say, but it was, and still is, not science at all. A 4-micron filtration device for a 1-micron-sized virus. Science?

There is another “mask” that I will attempt to describe that is invisible and, I believe, much more lethal than the ones we saw so much of before.

Bowing to this mask is a result of fear and intimidation and the same sort of evil as wearing of the “face diaper,” as they came to be called. Once recognized for what it is, it becomes clear that, by the power of the full armor of God. It can be overcome.

It is the “mask” of silence that I am referring to here. Not speaking up for the Gospel. Not speaking out for Truth. Not refusing to “go along to get along.”

Much like the Dark Ages, when delegating the Word of God was limited to only a few “select individuals,” most of whom made sure the “masses” were unable to discern the Truth for themselves and come to know the Savior on a personal level but were instead controlled, manipulated, and subjugated by the “privileged few.”

This mid-60s song, perhaps unknowingly, describes this silence and its preferred environment. Emphasis by me.

“Hello darkness, my old friend; I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains within the sound of silence.”
“The Sound of Silence” – Simon and Garfunkel, 1966 #1

This “vision” that becomes “planted in the brain” is not limited only to actual sleeping time; it is also planted during mental and/or spiritual slumber (Prov 6:9-10).

Silence really does have a sound, I think — the sound that leads to hopelessness and despair.

God’s Truth will not be held in abeyance because He will not permit it. As He determined that it was the proper time in 1517, He used Martin Luther to begin to push back against the Evil that had resulted in darkness. The tragic end of Martin Luthor’s life notwithstanding, God used him, as He can use anyone, to bring about the reformation, and much greater good has come of it.

This “mask of silence” always brings about the same results – Evil grows and flourishes when it can operate unseen or, worse, unnoticed. An analogy of this might be the cockroach. They come out and operate in the dark, but when the light comes, they flee. They also, like evil, patiently wait for the return of darkness.

The mask of silence succeeds when the Truth it masks is unheard by ears that might hear and hearts that might be open to the Hope found only in the gospel. And that Truth is found only in the Scriptures. And the hearing of it only by those who will declare it.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

What did and will again happen when the mask of silence prevails?

The Nazi extermination camps were no secret to those who lived within hearing or smelling distance of them. I regret that I feel the need to be a little (and it is only a little) graphic, but Truth must, out of necessity, be graphic.

This is Dr. Irwin Lutzer’s recounting of a lady living in Germany and attending a church near the train tracks:

“We knew the time the train was coming, and when we heard the whistle blow, we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church, we were singing at the top of our voices. If we heard the screams, we sang louder, and soon, we heard them no more. Although years have passed, I still hear the train whistle in my sleep. God forgive me. Forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians and yet did nothing to intervene.”[Sourced from article appearing in Harbingers Daily, by Joseph Kerr April 12, 2024]

The Hebrew’s Evil ritual of sacrificing their own children to the man-imagined non-god Molech:

“And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart” (Jeremiah 7:31).

It is said that the Hebrews would make a great deal of noise (banging drums and sounding trumpets) in order to mask the sounds of screaming by the innocents as they were burned alive. In our “modern” world of depravity and debauchery, the sounds of screaming innocents are thought to be masked because they are murdered in the silence of the womb, but we can rest assured that God hears every sound.

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).

Now to the crux of this article.

God used Martin Luther to expose the Truth to the people living at that time, and it had, and to this day, still has tremendous ramifications. Luthor did not keep silent, and neither did this brave young woman in Britain who refused to “go along to get along.” She stood for Truth.

https://www.westernjournal.com/tv-host-schools-trans-guest-insists-pronouns-dont-get-require-use-incorrect-grammar/

People are beginning to comprehend just what the consequences of failing to stand up for Truth as God has established it are degenerating into in real time in 2024.

As we approach this next intentionally generated “pandemic” with its associated intrusions and the additional oppression it is purposed to create, its actual world-changing impact is not possible to accurately predict in real-time, but it will likely result in one more obvious consequence this time around.

It will reveal the divide between who will submit and who will stand up against this reckless evil.

Are you sleeping while “awake”?

Not everyone knows God, but the evidence of Him is everywhere in His creation, and he has built a mechanism into us that is meant to direct both unbelievers (conscience [Romans 2:14-16]) and followers of Christ (the Holy Spirit of Truth: [John 16:13])

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed”(Romans 13:11). Emphasis added by me.

Through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can stand up for Jesus and the Truth of the Gospel.

The special message I promised you:

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life.

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.

It requires that you come before God on His terms.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

• Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
• Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
• That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
• To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
• Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross and rose from the grave three days later, conquering death, just as He promised.
• To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

• No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
• No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
• Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Pro Salvator Vigilans

To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com

Introduction

In my own personal Bible study time, I have discovered the student of the Bible should be very cognizant when God speaks with an introductory statement, such as, “Thus saith the Lord…” or “The Lord said to…” and other Divinely spoken Words – particularly in the Tanakh (Old Testament). Oftentimes, these Divinely spoken introductory statements can be introducing a new topic or subdivision within an already established narrative, or an entirely different subject or theme is to be introduced altogether.

Of course, this is in no way to be thought of as a universal law, as often it is just a continuation of the narrative. Context, if properly understood, will help the Bible student determine whether this should be applied or not within any given section of Scripture.

I have had, on at least two occasions, this truth presented to me in unique and powerful ways, and I would like to share these two examples with the reader in an effort to illustrate what I am speaking of so they too can be on the lookout for similar situations that may arise in their own Bible study time.

Underlined Scripture passages are my own emphasis.

Example #1 – Ezekiel 39

The first time I really discovered this was in our study, Possibilities: The Ezekiel 39 Aftermath. Here is a portion of our introduction:

While there are some who believe, as my earthy mentor Dave Hunt did, that this battle could very well be the end-time battle known as Armageddon, this cannot be for the following reasons:

1. While there are many nations in this battle, all of the nations of the earth are not represented as they will be at Christ’s Second Coming. [i.e., Joel 3:2]
2. The Jews will not be present in Israel at Christ’s Second Coming – as they will have been forcibly exiled to the mountains after the Abomination of Desolation – but are present in the land of Israel and living in relative peace during this battle.
3. In the Gog/Magog war, the nations invading Israel will be repelled from their attack, while during Christ’s Second Coming, all the nations will already be waiting for Him stationed south/southeast of Jerusalem.

We then continued to examine the Gog/Magog invasion of Israel and its aftermath from Ezekiel 39:1-16 and discovered that there was a jump in time at verse 17 that was signified by the Lord’s introduction to a new topic by stating, “And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God.”

Here is what we observed regarding this jump in time:

“And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.

“Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.

“Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God.” – Ezekiel 39:17-20

Here, from Ezekiel 39:17-29, the prophecy jumps forward seven-plus years into the future to the Lord’s Second Coming (as God already prophesied to the Gog/Magog invaders that they would be feasted on by the animals of prey in Ezekiel 39:4, and we just read of their burial in Ezekiel 39:11-16).

But how do we know this?

The first observational consideration in this particular prophecy is that there’s a pause after the burial of the Gog/Magog invaders – climaxing the end of the prophecy – and God proclaims a new Word through Ezekiel when He says, “And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God.” The second takeaway, as always and of most importance when studying Scripture, is context.

The context is made evident when one closely analyzes the last remaining verses of this chapter, which can only refer to the Second Coming, especially when it states in verse 25: “Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob.” Jacob, or Israel, will not be in captivity during and immediately following the Gog/Magog invasion but will be in captivity during the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer. 30:7) in the Great Tribulation (the last three and one-half years of the seven-year Tribulation).

Not only that, but God states: “Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.” – Ezekiel 39:29.

[The last reason can be found in The Mark of the Beasts]

It is because of this jump in prophetic time that some believe that the Gog/Magog invasion is Christ’s Second Coming.

For an even more detailed examination of this passage, please see Ezekiel 38 and 39: Nuances, under the subheading Ezekiel 39:17-29 – A New Prophecy.

This example of God, through Ezekiel, presenting a new prophecy toward the end of chapter 39 is why I stress so often in my studies Paul’s admonition to Timothy:

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [cutting straight] the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15

Example #2 – Leviticus 23: The Feasts of the Lord

In Observations of the Feasts of the LORD, we discussed the Feast of First Fruits and the fact that when Jesus was crucified, the Feast of First Fruits fell within the Feasts of Passover/Unleavened Bread beautifully. We also discussed how the Feast of First Fruits was a dateless feast, totally dependent upon when the crops would be ripe and ready for the harvest to offer Israel’s First Fruits to the Lord.

Here is the passage we discussed regarding the Feast of First Fruits in Observations of the Feasts of the LORD:

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.” – Leviticus 23:10-11

Virtually every Bible teacher assumes this “sabbath” is the first sabbath that follows the Passover, depending on what day of the week it is observed. The problem that I found, however, is that there is no link between the Feast of First Fruits and Passover/Unleavened Bread in the text.

In fact, the Feast of First Fruits is never mentioned in Leviticus 23:5-8, where Passover and Unleavened Bread are delineated, nor is Passover or the Feast of Unleavened Bread mentioned in Leviticus 23:10-14, where the Feast of First Fruits is defined.

[As noted above, and in Observations of the Feasts of the LORD, Passover/Unleavened Bread and First Fruits worked out perfectly together the year Christ offered Himself for our redemption, which is what we would expect as Christ fulfilled all three feasts when He went to the cross on Passover, died, was buried, and then resurrected as the First Fruits to God.]

According to Leviticus 23:10-11, the sole requirement for the Feast of First Fruits is entirely predicated on when Israel would “reap the harvest thereof” (when the harvest was obviously ready) and with Israel bringing “a sheaf of the firstfruits of [their] harvest unto the priest.”

Because Passover/Unleavened Bread inevitably moves back and forth on the lunar calendar (not the date of Nissan 14/15 itself, but the seasonal timing of the feasts), the chances that the harvest will be ripe the week of Passover/Unleavened Bread are totally dependent upon timing. In some instances, Passover/Unleavened Bread would fall out of favor with the timing of the harvest. This feast, being entirely subject to the first fruits being ripe for harvest, would be one logical reason why – along with the metaphorical allusions to future prophetic “first fruits,” such as the resurrection/rapture of the church (which is a “first fruits” of other coming resurrections) and the 144,000 Israeli Witnesses “being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4) – First Fruits is listed as an independent feast that is intrinsically linked to Pentecost in Leviticus 23, which we are going to break down for the reader.

So why do I bring all of this up, and why did I come to the conclusions that I did?

First, I read the text for what it says, irrespective of how Israel may or may not have celebrated – or celebrate now – the Feast of First Fruits in relation to Passover/Unleavened Bread and how Bible teachers and commentators generally understood these feasts.

For instance, I did not assume that the sabbath mentioned was the sabbath that would follow the Passover but took literally the command for Israel to bring in their first fruits when the harvest was ripe and ready for harvest, which, depending on many factors, could vary year-to-year. Contingent upon when Israel presented the sheaf to the Priest, when the harvest was ready with the first fruits to be harvested, the very next sabbath following Israel’s sheaf offering to the Priest would be the sabbath mentioned in the text.

Secondly – regarding our study’s theme – I observed the contextualized separation of the Feasts of the Lord in Leviticus 23. Though we did not mention this fact in Observations of the Feasts of the LORD, the seven Feasts of the Lord are presented in distinct sections, with each feast or related feasts being introduced by the statement, “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying…”

Here are how the seven Feasts of the Lord are broken down by the divine feast or related feasts dividing statement, “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying…”

Passover [Pesach] and Unleavened Bread [Chag Hamotzi] are related feasts and are listed together (along with the weekly Sabbath in the introduction) in Leviticus 23:1-8.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

“These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

“In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover.

“And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.”

First Fruits [Bikkurim] and Pentecost [Shavuot] are related feasts and are listed together in Leviticus 23:9-18.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it…

“And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord…”

Here is where First Fruits has a direct connection with Pentecost, with the former invariably leading to the latter. For once the ripened First Fruits were gathered and taken to the Priest and then offered to the LORD on “the morrow after the Sabbath,” the countdown to Pentecost would begin!

The Feast of Trumpets [Rosh Hashanah or Yom Ter’uah] is an independent feast and is listed in its section alone in Leviticus 23:23-25.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”

The Day of Atonement [Yom Ha-Kippurim] is an independent feast and is listed in its section alone in Leviticus 23:26-32.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

“Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord…

“It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.”

Tabernacles [Sukkot] is an independent feast and is listed in its section alone in Leviticus 23:33-43.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord…

“And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.

“And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

The seven Feasts of the Lord include three singular feasts and two separate pairs of feasts that are interconnected and related to each other, and they are introduced and separated by the divine feast or related feasts dividing statement, “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying…!”

Conclusion

I hope the reader has found that Contextualizing’ Thus Saith the Lord’ and its ramifications to be as fascinating to them as it has been for me when it comes to studying the Scriptures.

I think this to be a potentially valuable study tool for the Bible student in their personal studies going forward. I also suspect that the premise will not always be so pronounced as they were in our two examples, but I do expect to find some other gems along the way in my Bible study journey as I look for this divine statement and other like expressions to help me navigate any given Bible narrative.

If nothing else, paying close attention any time God personally speaks in Scripture is always of immense importance!

Because of these two observations we have examined regarding the premise of Contextualizing ‘Thus Saith the Lord’ and other like derivatives in Holy Writ, I am surely going to be on the lookout to see if there are any other important insights of relevant significance to be gleaned. If the reader, in their own Bible study time, notices any other passages of Scripture that illuminate the presentation in greater detail regarding our topic, please do not hesitate to reach out to me and share what you have found.

***

May we all keep Answering the Call of The Great Commission, and giving an answer to every man and woman who so desperately needs Jesus and asks us, “Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?”

If you enjoy solid Christian rock music – or know someone who does – please check out Tony Casella’s new song, Lift Your Head at Lift Your Head | Revelation Signal (bandcamp.com). Tony has a heart for the Lord and desires to reach out to the next generation with the life-saving gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ as God, Savior, Redeemer, and King, while emphasizing the truth of the Word of God through his music ministry.

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

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