SUMMARY: Matthew 25 is Yeshua’s teaching on Yom Teruah. The Parable of Abilities explains how Yeshua will judge people on their righteous works. James 2:17, Faith that doesn’t lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead! In Matthew 25, Yeshua confirms that we are to advance His kingdom by using our God-given abilities to advance His kingdom.
Shalom, shalom; peace, peace in the name of Yeshua. This is Crystal Sharpe and welcome to the Ancient Scrolls program.
I do have a website called ancientscrollsonline.com, and it is all one word. I do post prophetic dreams, prophetic words, prophetic visions, articles, sources: ancientscrollsonline.com.
Here are some announcements: the evening of August 18 th begins the cycle of teshuva or repentance in preparation for Yom Kippur. The idea is to have sins erased so that judgment, which is a reaping process, there is good judgment and bad judgment, but bad judgments are to be avoided, so the idea is to have sins removed.
A month later the Lord’s feast of Yom Teruah begins on the evening of September 18 th , followed by another ten days of repentance called the Days of Awe. It is a time of deep spiritual introspection and analysis of our attitudes, our behavior, and our motives. The idea is to turn away from our sins, not so we can go and commit them again, but to improve our spiritual lives for service to the Lord.
Today I am going to speak a little more on Yom Teruah, the ten days of Awe. I may not have time to do Yom Kippur. Maybe next week, but I will end the autumn feasts next Sunday.
I have a lot to say on this program… let’s get started with the Shema from Deuteronomy 6
Shema, O Israel, the LORD God, the Lord is One.
Psalm 24 is the proclamation that God is King over all creation
The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein.
Father YHVH,
You alone are righteous, You are just and full of mercy. I thank You that You are God and there is none besides You. I confess the sins of this nation before You. The earth is corrupted with the blood of the innocent, and the land is defiled with sexual perversions. We ask that those politicians, those in the entertainment business, the wealthy elite be exposed for their participation in child sex trafficking. We continue to ask for justice for the children that are tortured and sacrificed. We pray that You move in such a mighty way that fear will seize those involved and they will name names amongst their ranks.
This nation is guilty of idolatry, adultery, zoophilia, greed, addictions and hatred. The cities are full of violence. I pray You will send Your Spirit of repentance upon the nation.
We desire to see Your righteousness and justice to permeate the earth. We ask that this COVID 19 will die. I believe You are about to do something great in the earth in spite of the enemy causing so many distractions.
We thank You for Your Word. You are the God of life. We bless You. In Yeshua’s name. Amen.
Alright, so let us make some discussion on Yom Teruah and then move on to Yom Kippur.
Last program I had stated these feasts of the LORD serve as visuals for His plans and purposes. The spring feasts are about Yeshua’s first coming and the autumn feasts concern His second coming; those things He will do at the end of this age, and in the Messianic Kingdom.
Let us look once more at the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:8- 10. Yeshua had not given them the commandment to repent, but He did say something interesting:
“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
- Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days.
For some years I had pondered why this church is told they would suffer 10 days of persecution. I am looking for a pattern here with the number ten. Remember last week I mentioned those passages in I Samuel concerning Nabal, that he did not accommodate King David and his men with food for the feast of Yom Teruah. Nabal’s wife, Abigail had, and when she told him the next morning what she had done, his heart died within him and after ten days (this would be the during the Days of Awe) the Lord struck him and he died. He died on Yom Kippur and this serves as a pattern for the end of days. His fate was sealed on Yom Kippur.
Back to the church of Smyrna, they would have tribulation ten days. Also, there were ten virgins in Matthew 25, and five were prepared with oil to meet the bridegroom. A voice announced His coming at midnight and the virgins trimmed their lamps to meet him. The other five virgins did not have enough oil to make the trek to the Temple. While they were gone to fetch oil, the bridegroom came.
Feasts begin in the evening so they needed plenty of oil to light their way to the Temple. Once the five foolish return from the market they are not admitted into the Temple for the wedding feast because the door was shut. This is the imagery of the autumn feasts of the Lord with the closing of the door at Yom Kippur.
These ten days of tribulation in Smyrna, it is a possibility this is speaking of a total of ten years, a decade. The first three would be the troubles in the existing world that lead to the tribulation and then the seven breaking down into 3 ½ years of tribulation and then the last 3 ½ years being the great tribulation.
Yeshua and John the Baptist focused heavily on repentance. The cry of John and Yeshua was: “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Now Christians can repent any time and it is the same with the Jewish people. Everyday is a good day to repent, but the feasts of the Lord are unchangeable because they are visuals of His plans; it is entirely a God thing. All the plans He has prescribed will not change. They are appointments, these are His appointments. They are written to come to pass, to be fulfilled or completed, they are marked to become reality. They are prophetic rehearsals and they speak of what He is going to do in the future. God is serious about completing His Word. Matthew 5:18 For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled.
If God does not perform His autumn feasts, His appointments, then God has lied. But God is not a man that He should lie nor the son of a man that He should repent/change His mind. Therefore, we can depend on Him to bring to realization His feasts, because they concern the resurrection, the caught up, the coronation of Yeshua, the bride, the locking away of Satan for a thousand years, nor will eternity exist without the feasts; because they are foretold to happen, It is the reason they are there. They are the blueprints for the future.
Here are some passages related to Yom Teruah/Rosh HaShanah. Matthew 25:14
14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
This is known as the Parable of the Talents when each one receives from the Lord different abilities. This is how it is related to Yom Teruah. Yom Teruah is known as Yom haDin, the day of Judgment.
Judgment according to Jewish thought looks in two directions, the past and the future. The Bible is a text that captures the essence of God’s nature. These ancient people thought to practice life that would be pleasing to God—to please God would then be to act like Him, to take on, or adopt as their own, His characteristics. The question would be as we analyze ourselves, introspection, have we practiced His characteristics of love, mercy, compassion, justice and righteousness. That is taking account of ourselves, measuring ourselves by the Word. It points out our failures, but it also gives us hope to create in us a place where His presence can reside in us. We become instruments, or vessels, for good and not evil.
So, I said that Jewish thought looks in two directions, the past and the future. This is in comparison to the sowing and reaping process that is often taught in the Word. At the time of sowing, it is a current action by the sower; but once it is in the ground it becomes a past effort. Then waiting for the harvest is yet future. While planted the seeds will germinate, take root, grow up, flourish, and after several long days a harvest is reaped from it. One then eats the fruit of their labor. Righteousness and evil have their own kind of fruit or reward. Every species produces after its own kind according to Genesis 1, unless man manipulates it from its natural order. Evil will beget evil and righteousness will beget more righteousness.
The Parable of the Talents, or the Parable of Abilities, are concerning those who busied themselves with performing righteous acts, that is, righteousness and justice. They took what they had been given and applied it, practiced it; they were about their Father’s business. They visited the widow and the orphan, not to take advantage of them but to help them. In Acts, Stephen waited on tables that fed the widows.
The parable states those who had been given two and five talents were accomplished people, they sowed their abilities and reaped, or harvested, a return of double portions. They were called good and faithful servants and He promised to make them rulers over many things in His kingdom. They are overcomers. The book of Revelation speaks to those in the seven churches to be overcomers. He spoke to them what their rewards or what their harvest would consist of.
Another perfect example is Yeshua saying in Revelation 22:12, Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to each man according as his work is.
He is teaching on the concept of sowing and reaping just like the Parable of Abilities/Talents.
Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
What we have done in our past will determine our future; in the Messianic Kingdome. Repentance is absolutely necessary. It is critical that we turn from evil, and turn to our Creator. God is able to diminish, and in some cases, stop judgment; He changed his mind concerning Nineveh.
Matthew 25
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
This fellow did not do anything, he did not advance the kingdom of God, He did not add to God’s kingdom. He made no contribution to the kingdom. I am going to leave you with this thought: what could have been His contribution that would have brought glory to God? Yeshua answers this question in the next few verses. Everything in Matthew 25, from verses 14 to 46 is the imagery of Yom Teruah.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the [a] holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. This is speaking of Yom Teruah, Revelation 4:2, a throne was set in heaven and one sat on the throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer [b] Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
I am at the end of the program…
If it is God’s will I will be here next program. Remember to walk by faith and not by sight. Do two things this week: love and forgive. Ask God to cleanse you from all unrighteousness every day. Keep your spiritual garments clean from spots, wrinkles and blemishes. Love God and love your neighbor.
Rico Cortes will sing that Aaronic priestly blessing.
