October 1, 2024 Newsletter

As the Fall Feasts of the Lord approach and Israel continues to make headlines in our battle against evil, its easy to feel ‘justified’ and even ‘arrogant.’ We have to keep things in perspective – Israel seeks peace and the rule of law expressed in a vibrant democracy. The fruit of Israel’s stance is evident to anyone by any standard of measurement – GDP, Standard of Living, education, life expectancy, the ‘happiness’ factor, etc. All of this fuels the simmering anti-Semitic spirits that continue to lie and seek the destruction of our Jewish people and the sole Jewish state in the entire world. Its an age-old battle, reflecting the truth that God’s Covenant Choices Create Controversy. The enemy uses the controversy to create conflict & chaos.

As we enter into 5785 Wednesday evening, lets pray and agree that it will be a “better” year for all, that the hostages still held in Hamas tunnels will be returned to their families, and that there will be true peace in the Middle East and worldwide.

 

 

THE FALL FEASTS OF THE LORD

In Leviticus 23, we read about the Sabbath, as well as God’s Seven Annual Feast Days – including three holidays, commonly referred to as the “fall feasts.”

The underlying fact that we should always keep in mind is that Scripture clarifies that these special seasons are not merely “Jewish” holidays—they are the Lord’s! In the opening of that chapter, Adonai clearly states: “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, and tell them: ‘These are the appointed moadim of Adonai , which you are to proclaim to be holy convocations—My moadim’

The first holiday is Rosh HaShannah, which commences by blowing the shofar (ram’s horn). The shofar is sounded one hundred times over the course of this special day! For this reason, it is also called the “Feast of Trumpets.” The ram’s horn is a “spiritual alarm clock,” calling on God’s people to awaken from their spiritual slumber. It marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year and is a time of self-reflection, spiritual renewal, and reconnection with God. It’s a moment when God’s people look inward and evaluate their actions over the past year, setting the tone for a divine encounter during the “Days of Awe” that follow.

Regarding divine encounters, Rosh Hashanah prophetically points to Messiah’s return, an event we often call His “Second Coming.” In this sense, it’s not just about our return to God, but His return to us. Shaul (Paul) the Apostle wrote: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last shofar. For the shofar will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

The Days of Awe. Rosh Hashanah leads into a time of introspection. Spanning ten days, this period is an intense period when individuals focus on repentance and seek forgiveness from both God and those they have wronged in the past year. It’s a chance to make amends and purify one’s heart, leading up to Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur, the second fall holiday, is the holiest day of the year on the biblical calendar. It was the only day of the year that the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies—the only day when they could speak the “divine name.” The central ceremony of Yom Kippur features a “scapegoat” and the shedding of blood to make atonement for the sins of the nation. Hence, we also refer to Yom Kippur as the “Day of Atonement.”

The main theme of Yom Kippur is REDEMPTION. Sin produces separation from God and one another. ”Leviticus 17:11 says that the “life is in the blood,” and life—connection—is renewed on this holiest of days. This is a moment to be restored vertically to God but also horizontally to our neighbors. We both seek to receive and extend forgiveness, for the good of others and ourselves. Forgiveness is not an elective, it’s a requirement. Prophetically, it points to the day when all Israel will be saved, and all the nations will accept Yeshua as Messiah and worship the one true God.

The third of the fall holidays is Sukkot, named after the portable outdoor dwellings used in its celebration. This a joyous holiday. Those dwellings commemorate the dwellings of the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. While it’s not uncommon for folks to only see the bad or the hardship in those decades of wandering, this Feast celebrates the faithfulness of God’s Protection, Provision, and Presence during that time. The heat and the elements did not consume them. They ate bread from heaven and drank water from a rock. The Lord was with them in the cloud and the pillar of fire, as well as the Tabernacle itself.

For this reason, the main theme of Sukkot is REJOICING. Some have even suggested the American holiday, Thanksgiving, is modeled after Sukkot! And indeed, following the redemption experienced during Yom Kippur, we have much to be thankful for on this holiday.

There is an incredible connection between Sukkot and the life of Yeshua. John’s Gospel tells us: “On the last and greatest day of the Feast [Sukkot], Yeshua stood up and cried out loudly, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” At a time when the Jews would’ve been commemorating the life-giving water their ancestors drank in the wilderness, this Prophet from Nazareth offered them “living water”! Paul would later identify the source of that life-giving water in the wilderness: “they were drinking from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the Rock was Messiah.” (1 Corinthians 10:4)

Returning. Redemption. Rejoicing. These themes are central to a vibrant life in the Spirit. They are gifts from our Father in heaven for all of His children! These Fall Feasts, established by God, serve as profound reminders of His eternal plan and His endless goodness. Each feast intricately weaves into the next, illustrating the continuous unfolding of God’s redemptive work through Yeshua. From the blast of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah to the deep reflection of Yom Kippur and intimate gatherings in Sukkot booths, we are reminded not just seasonally, but daily, of our invitation to celebrate the salvation and life offered through Messiah. Every day, not just during these high holidays, we carry the joy of this redemption, embracing the promise of our place in the Fathers eternal home. To dismiss these moments as ethnic holidays is to miss out on the fullness of the inheritance that is ours in Yeshua our Messiah.

Celebrate God’s faithfulness, protection, provision & presence!

If you’re in the area, please come join us

in a celebration of the

Feast of Tabernacles.

 

 

IF YOU PLAN TO JOIN US, PLEASE LET US KNOW BY

EMAILING PATRICIA AT [email protected]

NOT LATER THAN OCTOBER 14TH.

PM NETANYAHU AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Last week Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. He delivered a very impassioned, moving, at times challenging speech……………to a mostly empty room. Sadly, this is now the ‘normal’ at the UN. Arab nations and their allies aren’t interested in what “Israel” has to say – yet these ‘peace loving’ members have passed more resolutions condemning Israel than all other resolutions combined. Expect more of the same as Israel defends itself again, not against the nation of Lebanon, but against the terror organization Hezbollah which controls most of southern Lebanon. You may remember many years ago when Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon at the UN request – leaving a UN “Peacekeeping force” in place to dismantle and demilitarize Hesbollah (Google “UNIFIL for a brief history of this classic UN failure). and see https://unifil.unmissions.org/unifil-mandate for what was supposed to happen.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and violated and killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 252 others in the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Over 100 are still held captive, dead or alive, including 7 Americans. As the one year anniversary of this horrendous terror attack approaches, lets remember and pray for the nation of Israel, impacted families, and the citizens of Gaza, as Israel begins an aggressive response to Hezbollah provocations in the North.

Interesting post on ‘x’ by Jared Kushner,

Donald J. Trump’s son-in-law

September 27th is the most important day in the Middle East since the Abraham Accords breakthrough.

I have spent countless hours studying Hezbollah and there is not an expert on earth who thought that what Israel has done to decapitate and degrade them was possible.

This is significant because Iran is now fully exposed. The reason why their nuclear facilities have not been destroyed, despite weak air defense systems, is because Hezbollah has been a loaded gun pointed at Israel. Iran spent the last forty years building this capability as its deterrent.

President Trump would often say, “Iran has never won a war but never lost a negotiation.” The Islamic Republic’s regime is much tougher when risking Hamas, Hezbollah, Syrian and Houthi lives than when risking their own. Their foolish efforts to assassinate President Trump and hack his campaign reek of desperation and are hardening a large coalition against them.

Iranian leadership is stuck in the old Middle East, while their neighbors in the GCC are sprinting toward the future by investing in their populations and infrastructure. They are becoming dynamic magnets for talent and investment while Iran falls further behind. As the Iranian proxies and threats dissipate, regional security and prosperity will rise for Christians, Muslims and Jews alike.

Israel now finds itself with the threat from Gaza mostly neutralized and the opportunity to neutralize Hezbollah in the north. It’s unfortunate how we got here but maybe there can be a silver lining in the end.

Anyone who has been calling for a ceasefire in the North is wrong. There is no going back for Israel. They cannot afford now to not finish the job and completely dismantle the arsenal that has been aimed at them. They will never get another chance.

After the brilliant, rapid-fire tactical successes of the pagers, radios, and targeting of leadership, Hezbollah’s massive weapon cache is unguarded and unmanned. Most of Hezbollah fighters are hiding in their tunnels. Anyone still around was not important enough to carry a pager or be invited to a leadership meeting. Iran is reeling, as well, insecure and unsure how deeply its own intelligence has been penetrated. Failing to take full advantage of this opportunity to neutralize the threat is irresponsible.

I have been hearing some amazing stories about how Israel has been collecting intelligence over the past 10 months with some brilliant technology and crowdsourcing initiatives.

But today, with the confirmed killing of Nasrallah and at least 16 top commanders eliminated in just nine days, was the first day I started thinking about a Middle East without Iran’s fully loaded arsenal aimed at Israel. So many more positive outcomes are possible.

This is a moment to stand behind the peace-seeking nation of Israel and the large portion of the Lebanese who have been plagued by Hezbollah and who want to return to the times when their country was thriving, and Beirut a cosmopolitan city. The main issue between Lebanon and Israel is Iran; otherwise there is a lot of benefit for the people of both countries from working together.

The right move now for America would be to tell Israel to finish the job. It’s long overdue. And it’s not only Israel’s fight.

More than 40 years ago, Hezbollah killed 241 US military personnel, including 220 Marines. That remains the single deadliest day for the U.S. Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima. Later that same day, Hezbollah killed 58 French paratroopers.

And now, over the past six weeks or so, Israel has eliminated as many terrorists on the US list of wanted terrorists as the US has done in the last 20 years. Including Ibrahim Aqil, the leader of Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad Organization who masterminded the 1983 killing of those Marines. The philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy wrote on X, “I keep reading everywhere that Lebanon is ‘on the brink of collapse.’ No. It is on the brink of relief and deliverance.”

Moments like this come once in a generation, if they even come at all.

The Middle East is too often a solid where little changes. Today, it is a liquid and the ability to reshape is unlimited. Do not squander this moment.

Let’s all pray for success, for peace and for the good judgement of our leaders.

JOIN WITH US IN PRAYER

  • moral conviction for Israel to complete the destruction of Hamas, Hesbollah, the Houthis and anyone else who stands against them.
  • the upcoming US election. That righteousness would prevail, and that we would have Godly leaders in positions of authority
  • Protection and provision for the hundreds of thousands of displaced Israelis who are now ‘refugees’ in their own land – secure borders and a cessation of hostilities.
  • Americans dealing with the destruction of Hurricane Helene – provision and protection.
  • Health and Divine appointments as Michael & Patricia continue to minister

JOIN WITH US IN FINANCES

There are a few options if you are prompted to partner financially in ministry with us:

If you don’t need a tax deduction, you can send funds to us via the INTERNET directly thru PayPal. Use [email protected], which is Michael’s account. Send as a friend, and there is no cost to you or us.

If you don’t need a tax deduction, you can send funds to us by check, payable to Michael Bryan, and mail to Michael Bryan, PO Box 255, Magnolia, MS 39652.

Tax-deductible donations by CHECK can be made payable to Isaiah 61 Ministries and mailed to:

Isaiah 61 Ministries
PO Box 255
Magnolia, MS. 39652

You will receive a printed receipt at year-end and our eternal gratitude.

Tax-deductible donations via the INTERNET can be made thru the KKCJ website, www.kkcj.org. Engage the “Give” tab at the top of the page, select “Staff Support,” and select “Michael Bryan.”

We are grateful to receive a partial salary from King of Kings Community to help with the work of ministry, and as God opens new doors for us, we know He will supply the needed resources to enable us to minister from America to Israel and to the Nations. May God continue to bless you as you continue blessing us and Israel.

WISHING YOU A HAPPY,

HEALTHY NEW YEAR

5785

We are grateful for your love and support, and seek

the Lord for His provision, protection and presence in your lives daily.

Michael & Patricia

 

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Mailing Address

Post Office Box 255
Magnolia, MS  39652

 

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(903) 274-1481
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