The Season of Visitation
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A season for all things under heaven
A season for all things under heaven
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.
In every era of history There are times & seasons where God visits His people.
This time God Himself was going to make the visit to His own house which was His temple.
He expected His people especially the religious leaders of the day to know when this event was to take place.
Unfortunately spiritual blindness and the hardness of heart prevented many including those who were charged to teach the people, of discerning the day when the Lord God Himself would visit His own house.
We see as Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem 4 days before passover that He would be fulfilling prophecy revealing Himself as The Messianic King of the Jews.
All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
Each aspect of this entry through the east Gate Had prophetic overtones of who Jesus was and what He was going to accomplish
During this event the people sang Hosanna
During this event the people sang Hosanna
The crowd's shout of "Hosanna" translates to "Save, please" or "Save now." It was a plea for salvation and a recognition of Jesus' messianic role.
The Donkey He rode in was associated & symbolized peace, Jesus made peace between God and man by laying His life down
The Palm branches laid down for Him were a symbol of His triumph & victory, Jesus was the one who triumphed over sin, death and the grave.
Jesus entered through the east gate which pointed to many prophetic things we can understand & apply to Him, this application can be applied to our own spiritual lives in which The Spirit of God indwells us as His temples now.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
The importance of understanding The East gate of the temple is critical to discerning what God was really doing through Jesus when He entered the temple through The East Gate.
The East Gate of the temple is where the Shekinah glory(Gods tangible , indwelling, presence)departed the temple right before the Babylonians burned it down.
Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold(an entrance space through which you enter or leave a gate,house or building) of the temple and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
In the Old testament in the book of Ezekiel we see the presence of God leave the temple through the east gate before its destruction, but In the New Testament Through Christ The Glory of The Lord is returning to His temple.
After The Shekinah glory of the Lord departs the temple through the East Gate Gods glory stood at the mount of Olives which is called the mountain on the east.
So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them. And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.
Something to remember
Something to remember
This where Jesus Himself gives us the Olivet discourse (Matt 24,the end time message of the signs of His return)
Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
We see Jesus leaving the temple(as we saw in Ezekiel) after He’s already went in during His triumphal entry and starts to tell His disciples about the destruction of the temple a 2nd time & the signs of His coming.
The return of Christ restores His presence & glory in the Temple as He passes through the east gate
The East Gate of the temple is where the The Lord returns during the Millennial reign when He sets up the actual Kingdom of God on earth for a thousand years.
But in between these 2 major prophetic biblical events, the departing of Gods presence from the temple in Ezekiel’s day, and His return to the temple when He comes back to earth Jesus The King of Glory, had to come in the likeness of man & deal with sin once and for all. The scriptures specifically tell us that the rulers of this age didn't know they were crucifying The Lord of Glory.
which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
This was God’s plan from the foundation of the world to deal with sin once and for all through the sacrifice of Christ’s body as a free-will offering for the sins of humanity.
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Jesus Himself had to be that sacrifice without spot wrinkle or blemish on our behalf where everything He did was to fulfill that mission of being a free-will offering
As Jesus passed through the east gate, He would've had the understanding that, that was where the lambs were inspected before the Passover.
He would go through that inspection Himself by the chief priest & elders of the Sanhedrin even the Roman officials.(Pontius Pilate)
Jesus would be subjected to this inspection through accusations & other kinds of false statements about His Character & ministry
Yet they didn't find any fault in Him
Luke 23:4 “So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault in this Man.””
Even the Pharisees & Sadducees had to present false witnesses to accuse Jesus.
Even the Pharisees & Sadducees had to present false witnesses to accuse Jesus.
Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”
This is where most of the people in Jerusalem listening to Jesus when He said this statement didn't understand He was referring to His body.
Unfortunately in our generation as believers we don't understand that the temple is a pattern of us in the Spirit for in the new covenant
Jesus was visiting His temple to fulfill what had to be fulfilled but God makes His visits again in seasons of our lives to grow & mature us to see where we stand.
We look at the Gospel account of Luke when The Lord specifically describes Jerusalem not knowing their time of visitation.
Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Jesus prophesy’s the destruction of the temple
Jesus prophesy’s the destruction of the temple
70 AD Roman Legions destroy the temple in Jerusalem
No need for a sacrifice(Jesus is the sacrifice)
No need for a high Priest (Jesus is our High Priest)
The Mosaic law fulfilled in Christ
Gods people had no understanding of the season
All this happened because Jesus subjected Himself willfully to His suffering for us by being that perfect lamb passing through the East Gate and allowing Himself to be inspected just as the lambs had to be before they were sacrificed before the passover.
While He was going to subject Himself to this inspection before His sacrifice, God Himself was inspecting His people & where the positions of their hearts were at.
When Jesus referred to Jerusalem not knowing their time of visitation, He was referring to that time of inspection that God allows all of us to go through. That divine inspection that everyone who names the name of The Lord & declares they believe in him will undergo in due season.
Visitation in its biblical context: God’s divine visit for inspection and or judgment in order to punish or reward people for their deeds
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
in Gr. episkopē is Often translated as "visitation," "oversight," or "inspection.
In this context when Jesus is referring to a visitation and Jerusalem not knowing their time of visitation, the statement He’s making is functioning as the object of divine action(God initiating something) and of judgment or inspection.
As the Son of God was coming into His own Temple as King of Kings & Lord of Lord’s, revealing His true identity as King of Israel & the lamb of God that takes away the sin of The world by allowing Himself to be inspected as that Passover lamb, through this triumphal entry, through this visitation, Jesus Himself was inspecting His own people.
They thought they were inspecting and examining Him but Jesus Christ, God in the flesh was amongst His own people examining and testing them.
As we call this day Palm Sunday in The Christian community throughout the world & we see our God Jesus Christ coming in triumphantly as King of Kings and as that perfect Lamb to make atonement for our sins, something deeper was going on, something initiated by the courts of heaven, the righteous Judge who sits on the throne was examining His people.
Being Spiritually Aware of Divine visitation: The time of visitation should encourage us to be spiritually aware and attentive to God’s movements in our lives.
Recognizing these moments is critical when God’s presence is particularly tangible or when He calls us to action, reflection, or a change of season.
Every person, Every human being, whether believer or unbeliever alike will have a visitation initiated by God Himself.
having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
Reflection and Repentance: The time of visitation is a call for reflection & repentance. It may be a period when God is urging His people to turn back to Him, reconsider their paths, and embrace a renewed commitment to His will.
Divine Opportunities: God’s visitation often brings opportunities for growth, transformation, and healing. It can be a time when God opens doors, answers prayers, or leads individuals to deeper faith and understanding.
Your response to a Visitation: Be ready and responsive to God’s visitation by maintaining a regular practice of seeking The Lords face, time in His Word, & cultivating spiritual discernment.
Being in tuned with The Lord helps believers recognize and act upon the things The Lord is telling us to be obedient too.
Remain vigilant and hopeful for the ways in which God might choose to visit and shape your life. This kind of vigilance can foster an attitude of openness & responsiveness, in God’s mission and purposes.
