Then, in John 21, we find --

"After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way he showed himself....This is now the THIRD TIME Jesus showed himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead" (verse 1 and 14).

In the unlikely event that the apostles went fishing at the Sea of Tiberius on the day following when the Messiah appeared to the disciples (including Thomas), that would have been THREE appearances over the first TEN days!

Regarding the expression "infallible proofs" found in Acts 1:3, we find explained in Strong's Greek Dictionary the following:

"G5039. tekmerion tek-may'-ree-on neuter of a presumed derivative of tekmar (a goal or fixed limit); a token (as defining a fact), i.e. criterion [or/decisive factor/reason/standard] of certainty:- infallible proof. The TOKEN or defining a fact was him [the Messiah] being seen a NUMBER of [yamim] or TIMES by the apostles whom he had chosen, NOT A SPACE OF TIME. Infallible proofs must meet certain criteria i.e. a criterion i.e. case of certainty which equals a decisive factor of him [the Messiah] being seen ALIVE after the crucifixion/passion 40 [yamim] or TIMES by the apostles." 

Filled With the Holy Spirit!

Was Yeshua telling his disciples, in effect, to wait until Pentecost? Luke shows that they waited, and on Pentecost the holy spirit came upon the disciples with enormous power and miraculous energy! In Acts, chapter 2, we find this most remarkable occurrence, fulfilling the promise and prophecy of the Messiah. Notice!

"And when the day of Pentecost was FULLY COME, they were all with one accord in one place [together]. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, and began to speak with other tongues [languages], as the spirit gave them utterance.

"And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews [Israelites], devout men, out of every nation [of the Diaspora] under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in his own tongue, wherein we were born?....And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?" (Acts 2:1-12).

In the days leading up to the first Pentecost, in Moses' day, when YEHOVAH God came down on top of mount Sinai, and delivered the Decalogue to Israel, His appearance was accompanied with "fire" (Exodus 19:18). And on this first Pentecost following the ascension of Yeshua the Messiah into heaven, there was again a mighty display of power from heaven -- tongues which appeared as "like as of fire," and a rushing mighty wind, like a tornado (Acts 2:2-3).

In his sermon on that day, Peter explained the phenomenon that had just occurred to the assembled multitude, saying,

"This is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass, in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of MY SPIRIT upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the LORD come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be saved" (Acts 2:16-18).

What Peter quoted was a prophecy by the prophet Joel, about 800 years before that time, which foretold that time in great detail -- notice!

"And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My spirit on all flesh [of Israel]; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My spirit in those days" (Joel 2:28-29).

YEHOVAH God inspired Peter to draw from that prophecy to explain the miraculous events of that Pentecost! YEHOVAH's spirit was poured out on His people then, even as it will be poured out once more after the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the Millennium.

Hosea also testifies of this when he says,

"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. After TWO DAYS will He revive us: in the THIRD DAY He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall COME unto us, as the RAIN, as the LATTER and FORMER RAIN unto the earth" (Hosea 6:1-3).

YEHOVAH God as the Early and Latter Rains

What is Hosea talking about here? A "day" with YEHOVAH God is as a thousand years (II Peter 3:8-10). The House of Judah was smitten when it rejected the Messiah in 31 A.D., and he was crucified to fulfill Biblical prophecy (Daniel 9:24-26). Two days is 2,000 years. This is a prophecy that after about two millennia (2,000 years), from the time YEHOVAH God began punishing the House of Judah for their rebellion and rejection of the Messiah, they would begin to return to Him, and confess their sins, and at that time He would begin to intervene, to heal their wounds, and to bind them up! This is speaking of OUR AGE, TODAY! This speaks of the future appearance of the Messiah and the return of YEHOVAH God Himself!

We read of this in Zechariah 14:

 "Behold, a day of the LORD is coming...On that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley...Then the LORD your God will come, and all the holy ones with Him" (Zechariah 14:1, 4-5).

Note that Hosea's prophecy goes on to point out that it is discussing the "going forth of the LORD" (YEHOVAH God the Father) -- that is, of His coming to earth from heaven! And notice, it says He shall "come to us" TWICE -- "as the rain, as the latter and former rain UNTO THE EARTH" (Hosea 6:3).

YEHOVAH God sent the "early rain" in 31 A.D. upon the disciples of the Messiah before and after the Messiah's ascension into heaven, see John 20:22:

"And when he [the Messiah] had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the holy spirit.'" (See our article, Genesis 2:7 and John 20:22 -- Two Displays of YEHOVAH's Spirit!).

And then, on the following Festival of Pentecost, YEHOVAH sent a furtherance of the early rain -- His holy spirit! Luke records that before the Messiah departed to heaven, he told his disciples:

"Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations [of Israel], beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be ENDUED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH" (Luke 24:46-49).

So the early rain consisted of the firstfruits of the Wave Sheaf Offering (Nisan 16) -- those of Israel who were called by the Messiah during his ministry (John 20:22); and those thousands of visiting Israelites who received the spirit during Pentecost in 31 A.D.

YEHOVAH God the Father is coming once again in His Shekinah Glory form -- this time as the "early rain."  We read of this in the book of Revelation and in the book of Joel:

"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name inscribed which no one knows but Himself. He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed Him on white horses. From His mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; He will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name inscribed, KING of kings and LORD of lords" (Revelation 19:11-16).

The apostle John draws upon Joel 2 in penning this prophecy --

"Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near...a great and powerful people [the saints of YEHOVAH God]; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns...Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run...like a powerful army drawn up for battle.

"Before them peoples are in anguish, all faces grow pale. Like warriors they charge, like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way...they burst through the weapons and are not halted...The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The LORD utters His voice before His army, for His host is exceedingly great; He that executes His word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it?" (Joel 2:1-11).

And prior to His coming, YEHOVAH God will once again send forth the "rain" of His holy spirit upon those He has called! He will once again send His holy spirit with POWER upon His Ecclesia! (Read our article, The Return of YEHOVAH God and His Messiah!). 

These events are incorporated in the "early rain" of YEHOVAH's spirit.

The Latter Rain and the Last Great Day

The second and final harvest, which occurs after the latter rain, will include the far greater number of Israelites. The beginning of the latter rain season is marked by the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah, and is the time of blowing the Old Testament shofar or trumpet. In Scripture, the trumpet is blown as a warning for the people of Israel to repent. We also read that the trumpet is blown to warn of impending tribulation and for the installment of kings.

We are not going to see and witness and experience the fulfillment of the "LATTER RAIN" of YEHOVAH's holy spirit until after the 1,000 years of the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God on this earth!

The apostle Paul tells us in the New Testament that YEHOVAH God “desires all men [of Israel] to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Peter adds that YEHOVAH God is “not willing that any [of Israel] should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). This is YEHOVAH’s overriding goal in dealing with His people Israel: He desires as many as possible to repent, come to the knowledge of the truth and receive His gift of salvation!

The Messiah explained how this will come to pass. John 7:1-14 describes how the Messiah went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. He appeared publicly and stood in the midst of the people, crying out: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38).

The Messiah’s message recorded here most likely was given on the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Biblical scholars vary on whether this was the seventh day or the day following, but the weight of evidence and the series of events indicate that John 7 describes incidents on the seventh day while the setting moves to the eighth day in John 8 and 9. 

It is also possible that the Messiah’s teaching recorded in John 7:37-38 came at the end of the seventh day or the very beginning of the eighth day (YEHOVAH’s days begin with sunset and end at the following sunset), as the chapter concludes with people returning to their homes after sundown for the night. The theme of the Messiah’s teaching then continues in chapter 8 (which is clearly the next morning, John 8:2) and includes the offer of salvation to all of Israel. 

In Leviticus 23:39, we see that this day immediately follows the Feast of Tabernacles, but is a separate festival with its own distinct meaning. Based on the Messiah’s words and the theme of offering salvation to all Israel, this festival is sometimes referred to as “the Last Great Day,” although the Bible simply calls it “the eighth day.” According to Lesli Koppelman Ross,

 "The distinct feature of the day is recitation of the prayer for rain so that the earth will be able to produce in the coming year. It is not said earlier during Sukkot, which marks the beginning of the rainy season in Israel, because we do not want rain to prevent us from dwelling in the sukkah or to interfere with our enjoyment of doing so" (Celebrate! The Complete Jewish Holidays Handbook, p. 229).

Rain, of course, is made up of water, descending from the skies. It is a type of the holy spirit of YEHOVAH God. Comparing YEHOVAH's spirit to rain, the prophet Joel writes, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit" (Joel 2:28-29).

Water is itself a symbol of life, and is the foundation of all carbon-based life forms on earth. We could not live without it. In fact, water forms about 80% of our physical human bodies!

Water and the prayer for rain is a vital ingredient in the celebration of Shemini Atzeret. It represents YEHOVAH's holy spirit in a very special way. David prayed, "As the hart panteth after the water brook, so panteth my heart after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?" (Psalm 42:1-2).

Isaiah the prophet wrote, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money: come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Isaiah 55:1).

YEHOVAH God also compares His Word to the rain that waters the earth. In the same chapter, He tells us,

"For as the RAIN cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me VOID, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

"For ye shall go out with JOY, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an EVERLASTING SIGN that shall not [ever] be cutoff" (Isaiah 55:10-13).

The Messiah offers each one of us of Israel "living water" (John 4:10) -- the water that leads to eternal life. He said to the Samaritan woman at the well at Sychar, in Samaria, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14).

This is the very water that Isaiah the prophet foretold, when he declared,

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD YEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with JOY shall ye draw WATER out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in ALL the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the MIDST of thee" (Isaiah 12:2-6).

YEHOVAH also prophesied through Isaiah, His prophet: "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour MY SPIRIT upon thy seed [children of Israel], and MY BLESSING upon thy offspring" (Isaiah 44:3).

Yeshua the Messiah put it this way: "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth in me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow RIVERS OF LIVING WATER' (but this spake he of the spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the holy spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified)" (John 7:37-38).

The theme of water is intimately tied up with the final holy day of the festival year, Shemini Atzeret. Clearly, it is a day of the pouring out of YEHOVAH's spirit upon those Israelites who will be judged worthy by YEHOVAH God at the White Throne judgment.

The apostle John wrote of this time in Revelation 21 -- notice!

"Then I saw 'a new heaven and a new earth,' for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people [of Israel], and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'

"He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then He said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' He said to me: 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those [of Israel] who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars -- they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:1-8).

"Living Water" 

Now what was the significance of the Messiah’s teaching about “living water”? In his day, according to tradition, during the Feast of Tabernacles the priests would bring golden vessels of water from the Pool of Siloam on the south side of Jerusalem and pour it over the altar at the Temple. Joyous celebration along with the sounding of trumpets marked this ceremony as the people sang the words of Isaiah, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). (Be sure to read our article, A New Look at the Deep Meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles!).

The Messiah stood where all could hear him and drew a lesson from the water, revealing that all of Israel who were thirsty could come to him and be refreshed -- forever. In the Messiah’s analogy, the water represented YEHOVAH God’s holy spirit, which those of Israel who believed in the Messiah would receive (John 7:39). He showed that Israel's basic wants of spiritual thirst and hunger could be satisfied only by him as “the bread of life” (John 6:48) and the source of living water. But when would this happen? 

To find the answer, we must consider again a question the disciples put to the Messiah just before he ascended to heaven: “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). When the disciples spoke of this restoration, they understood it in the context of the many prophecies in the Old Testament of a reunited nation of Israel under the coming rule of the Messiah.

 The prophet Ezekiel foretold of this time:

"The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones...Then He said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL.' They indeed say 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' 'Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the LORD God: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD" (Ezekiel 37:1; 11-14).

We read of this time in the New Testament, where it says --

"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away...And I saw the dead [of Israel], small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades [the grave] delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works" (Revelation 20:11-13).

In Ezekiel's vision a physical resurrection takes place. The account acknowledges the hopeless situation in which these people of Israel had found themselves: “Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!” (Ezekiel 37:11).

Their Creator, however, offers them the hope of a resurrection and the gift of the holy spirit in the setting of a reunited nation. In this dramatic vision, ancient Israel will be resurrected to physical life. YEHOVAH God says: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves...I will put My spirit in you, and you shall live” (Ezekiel 37:12-14). At this future time YEHOVAH God will make freely available the life-giving spiritual water of His holy spirit to all of His people Israel!

YEHOVAH says He will “make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them...My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Ezekiel 37:26-27).

The apostle Paul also referred to this yet-future event: “I say then, has God cast away His people [Israel]? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew” (Romans 11:1-2).

As Paul further wrote, “And so ALL Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). This does not mean every last individual, as some will ultimately reject YEHOVAH’s offer of salvation But clearly the preponderance of the nation of Israel will be saved.

All of Israel, who have never had a chance to drink from the living waters of YEHOVAH God’s Word and His holy spirit, will at last be able to do so (Romans 9:22-26). YEHOVAH will freely offer them the opportunity for eternal life.

The Second Resurrection

In Revelation 20:5 John writes that “the rest of the dead [of Israel] did not live again until the thousand years were finished.” Here John makes a clear distinction between the first resurrection, which occurs at the Messiah’s future appearance (Revelation 20:4-6), and the second resurrection, which takes place at the end of YEHOVAH God's and the Messiah’s millennial reign. Remember that the first resurrection is to eternal life. By contrast, YEHOVAH God initially raises those of Israel in the second resurrection to a physical, flesh-and-blood existence.

The dead who stand before their Creator are all those of Israel who died never knowing the true God. Like Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones coming back to life, these people emerge from their graves and begin to know their God. The books (biblia in Greek, from which we get the word Bible) are the Scriptures -- the only source of the knowledge of eternal life. Finally all of Israel will have an opportunity to fully understand YEHOVAH God’s plan of salvation.

This physical resurrection is not a second chance for salvation. For these Israelite people it is a first opportunity to really know the Creator. The resurrected are “judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Revelation 20:12). This judgment will involve an evaluation period during which they will enjoy the opportunity to hear, understand and grow in YEHOVAH’s way of life. During this time untold numbers of Israelite people will gain access to YEHOVAH's spirit and to eternal life.

This final commanded festival of the year, during the time of the latter rain, shows how deep and far reaching are the merciful judgments of YEHOVAH God.

This final period of judgment completes YEHOVAH’s plan of salvation for His people Israel. It will be a time of love, deep mercy and the unsearchable judgment of YEHOVAH God. The opportunity to drink of the life-giving waters of the holy spirit will indeed quench the deepest thirsts of the men and women of Israel. This time of righteous judgment will bring back to life those Israelites long forgotten by humanity -- but NEVER forgotten by YEHOVAH God!

What is the fate of those of Israel who die with no real knowledge of the Messiah, the first-born Son of YEHOVAH God? What hope is there for the untold numbers of Israel who have lived and died without knowledge of YEHOVAH’s purpose? The Scriptures show that these are NOT cut off without hope. He will bring them back to life and give them their opportunity for eternal life as spirit beings in YEHOVAH’s Kingdom.

YEHOVAH God will see His plan through and bring many sons of Israel to glory (Hebrews 2:10). His promise to pour out His spirit on all those of Israel will find its fullest manifestation. The thirst-quenching waters of the holy spirit will be available to all those of Israel in the time depicted by the Eighth Day, the last of YEHOVAH God’s annual festivals.

What a marvelous plan these biblical festivals portray. How great would be our lack of understanding without them!

When the Messiah gave his disciples final instructions, which also apply to those of us of Israel today and in the future, he declared: "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive POWER, after that the holy spirit is come upon you: And ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8).

Hope of Israel Ministries -- Courage for the Sake of Truth is Far Better Than Silence for the Sake of Unity!

Hope of Israel Ministries P.O. Box 853 Azusa, CA 91702, U.S.A. www.hope-of-israel.org

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